Happy Apple Farm

Autumn in Colorado ... how we love you! Today took us on a little road trip adventure to the Happy Apple Farm near Penrose, CO, just over an hour drive from our house. We packed up the wagon and the kiddos and off we went for "harvest time." Our friends Debbie, Nathaniel & Kayleigh joined us for this fun outing. The apples have been in season for some time now and were a bit picked over, but we still enjoyed meandering up and down the orchard rows. Afterward, we stopped by the neighboring patch to pick out a pumpkin. What a beautiful day to be out & about enjoying fall!

Farmhands hard at work

Luke was so, so excited to use this

special apple picking tool!

Little kiddos ... BIG PUMPKINS!

Mama & Luke

Our friends Kayleigh, Debbie & Nathaniel

"Ready ... set ... pumpkin race!"

Leahy crew down on the farm

Brothers hitchin' a ride

Bike 2 School

Because we live less than a mile from Luke's elementary school, it's nice some mornings to enjoy the fresh air with a walk or bike ride down the hill to school. Time to soak up those autumn days now ... before the snow sets in!

The Gymnast

With the start of the school year, we scoped out some extracurricular activities for the boys, too. For Reid, we decided to give our local gymnastics program a try because we'd heard so many rave reviews about it. Reid is in a Tuesday morning class with 5 other boys who are 3 and 4 years old with Coach Steve as their fearless leader. The boys run through obstacle courses, practice forward rolls, try cartwheels (that was funny to watch!), and hop on the trampoline. There is never a dull moment, and Coach Steve keeps these little guys on the move. This has turned out to be the perfect activity for Reid ... he LOVES his Tuesday class!

Ready, set, run! A gymnastics classmate, Reid wearing green,

and Coach Steve during their warm-up exercises.

Bump Watch :: 21 Weeks

We've had some requests for a new "baby bump" photo ... so here's Baby Boy at 21 weeks! Thanks to the big brothers who have been so helpful with taking photos.

Scott & Soccer

For years now, Scott has played in soccer leagues ... indoor, outdoor, co-ed, men's over 30, you name it! He started playing soccer long ago with some Motorola friends (pre-kids) when we lived in Phoenix, and he's continued to play ever since. When we moved to Colorado Springs, our realtor Ray connected him with an indoor league here, and Scott started up playing right away after moving here. As for his current soccer schedule, he's playing in a men's over 30 league on Wednesday nights and in a co-ed outdoor league at our YMCA on Sunday afternoons. The "fan club" was excited to see Dad play this weekend on this warm autumn day. Enjoy the photos of our star soccer play!

Blue skies. Green field. Perfect day for some soccer!

Reid goes for the goal!

Scott works his way around this defender.

Go get 'em, Scott!

Balloons at their Best

This week didn't hold big plans for us ... pretty low-key and uneventful ... that is until a fun little impromptu neighborhood gathering popped up on Wednesday night! One of our neighbors is a magician (how cool is that!), and they had a friend in town visiting who also has some very entertaining talents -- he's a balloon artist. When we went over to our neighbors' house for pizza and socializing, little did we know we'd come home with such balloon masterpieces! Check out the fun below...

John the Balloon Artist

The neighbor kids with their balloons!

From left: Spiderman-hanging-from-a-building-hat,

motorcycle, another Spidey hat on Reid,

Thomas the Tank Engine, and Ariel the Mermaid.

Luke & his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

23 Reasons to Love Labor Day

With a long holiday weekend, what better way to spend the days than with a family gathering of the Nelson crew! We gathered in Georgetown, a quaint little mountain town just off I-70. Here are 23 reasons why we loved this Labor Day weekend...

#1. Boys playing bubbles in the front yard.

#2. Cool fall evenings enjoyed on the front porch.

Craig & 9-month-old Gracyn (in her purple tutu .. go K-State!)

#3. Spying on the neighbors.

This family of deer lived on the slope

behind our rental house. They mostly

ventured out in the evenings.

#4. Spending the weekend in our Georgetown rental house.

This mountain town was booming back in the mining days,

and it still maintains much of the character of that era ...

like the Victorian home where we stayed which

was built in 1876 by the town pharmacist.

#5. Lounging around in PJs right before bedtime.

Such cute cousins!

#6. Monkeys in the bunks.

The boys were super excited that our room

had 2 sets of bunk beds!

#7. Driving through the beautiful

Rocky Mountain National Park.

#8. Spending a quarter to get million dollar views.

#9. Crossing the Continental Divide.

#10. Sitting & swinging on a peaceful afternoon

at the historic Grand Lake Lodge.

#11. Seeing the cousins enjoy their time together!

Reid (3), Luke (6), Gracyn (9 mos.), Dalton (3)

#12. Sharing some "girl" time!

#13. Dining on the deck at Grand Lake Lodge

with this as our scenery. Incredible!

#14. Riding the rails of the Georgetown Loop Train.

Long ago, this was a mining train. Today, it just

hauls tourists and train fans (like us.)

#15. Taking shelter inside the covered car...

That train whistle can be LOUD!

#16. Chugging over a very TALL bridge.

Don't look down!

#17. Twirling round and round on the tire swing

at the Georgetown Park.

#18. Wowing your parents

with your pull-up skills!

#19. Practicing for the firefighters' academy.

#20. Spending the afternoon watching

2 very happy boys play at the park.

#21. Stopping downtown for

an afternoon sweet treat.

#22. Sharing an old-fashioned

root beer float with a cute boy.

#23. Hanging out in the fort behind our house.

What a fun amenity!

Nouns & Numbers

Things are off and running with Luke and first grade. Today he came home from school and the following conversation was overheard between Mr. 1st Grade and Mr. Preschool.

Luke: Reid, do you know what a NOUN is?

Reid: A noun? No...

Luke: Well, it's a person, place, or thing. Did you know that?

Reid: No. Not really.

Luke: Well, you should. Nouns are important.

Reid: Okay.

Then in the car last night, Luke announced that he'd like to play the Noun Game. So Mom, Dad, and Reid tossed out random words, and Luke would tell us if they were a noun or not. Smart cookie! Wonder if the next chapter is verbs or adjectives?

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Lately, Reid has been surprising us with some whopper words. It's hard not to chuckle when you hear his little voice say "archaeologist" or "dalmatian." When he gets dressed in the morning, we practice counting to see how long it takes him to put on his clothes. Reid is doing a fabulous job with counting and hit 30 the other day. It's only on occasion that he forgets 15 ... not sure why, but it just gets skipped. Guess that's just one less number for him to count!

Boy ... oh, boy ... oh, BOY!

Today we had a sneak peek via ultrasound of Baby Leahy #3. We are proud to announce...

All along, we had a hunch that the baby might be a boy, as this pregnancy has been so similar to with Luke and Reid. We love our life with boys and are so thrilled to have another one on the way! Oh, the things that the littlest Leahy will learn from his 2 big brothers ... can't wait! Scott is one of 3 boys, and it's so special that our little guys will share a similar bond as Dad has with his brothers.

Baby Boy is looking great at the 20 week mark and now weighs 10 oz. He was moving around during the ultrasound and keeping his fists up by his face (maybe he'll be a boxer!)

Here are some ultrasound photos (complete with captions). For a better view, you can double click the image and it will enlarge.

As we hit the halfway mark of Week 20 and Month 5, here are some pregnancy highlights:

• The biggest craving that Jami has been having lately is soup. Thank goodness for our farmshare veggies and a nearby Panera!
• The baby's movements are more frequent and strong now. Perhaps he's practicing his soccer skills like his dad.
• The boys continue to brainstorm names for us. Reid's latest favorite name is Anakin. Luke likes the name Jack.
• We are gearing up to find a newer, BIGGER vehicle that will comfortably fit our 3 sons. We hope to test drive some soon. The Ford Flex is the frontrunner as of now.

Boy ... oh, boy ... oh, boy! What an exciting time for the Leahy crew!

Date Night

With Dad away this weekend, Mama and the boys enjoyed a special date night ... out to dinner at Piazza Italian Kitchen! Evenings like this are a great chance to catch up about school and activities (and work on manners for dining out!) It's cute to listen to the boys place their own order with the waiter. The boys were such gentlemen ... only climbing under the table one time. Ha!

Mom & Sons Date Night

Top Chef

Reid has really taken an interest to helping Mom in the kitchen. This week, we made bierocks (AKA runzas ... a German recipe of beef and cabbage wrapped in dough). He sat up on the counter and patiently patted out the dough. This weekend he stepped back into the kitchen to assist with the making of Caramelitas (family recipe for some great bar cookies) and Swedish pancakes (made into the shapes of Star Wars characters, thanks to the great pancake molds at Williams Sonoma.) Wonder what Chef Reid will have on the menu for next week?

A Little Perspective

Tonight while driving home, we had our eyes on the sky, admiring the big puffy clouds reflecting one of our colorful Colorado sunsets. Luke's little voice from the back seat piped up and said...

"Mom, I think Mimi sent those pretty clouds for us ... and for the baby."

Wow. Such perspective for a little guy. We have told the boys before that when we see rays of sun streaming through the clouds or a rainbow or other beautiful sights in the sky that these are gifts sent from our loved ones up in heaven. It is amazing though to hear reminders of their perspective on this and how they are keeping these family members close in their memories.

Thanks, Mimi, for sharing those pretty clouds with us ... such a treasured gift for us all.

Laugh Track

Bright lights, big city ... big laughs! Friday night we took off to Denver for a fun date night out. Thanks to a tip from Scott's brother Eric, Jami surprised Scott with tickets to Comedy Works to see Adam Carolla, one of his favorite comedians. Scott is a fan of Adam's daily podcast and enjoyed seeing his live show. What a great evening out on the town!

Back 2 School.

After a summer of fun adventures, the Leahy boys have been switching gears to go back to school. First up ... Reid! He switched to a different preschool that is a little closer to our house and has a start time that coordinates better with our schedule. The faith-based preschool is also highly regarded in our community. On his first day, we saw so many familiar faces and families! Reid is looking forward to attending Monday, Wednesday & Friday.

Oh-so-preppy for preschool!

Next up ... Luke. He started his first day of 1st Grade today! With his Star Wars lunch box packed and wearing his lucky green shoes, he was excited to tackle this new adventure.

1st Day of 1st Grade!

Good luck, boys. We are so proud of you!

Cherry Creek ... Revisited

One of our favorite finds of this summer has been Cherry Creek State Park in Denver. We returned this week to visit Papa who was camping there in his Airstream. He had a great set-up at the campground and even had free wifi! We enjoyed a few hours at the beach, and then the boys stayed for an overnight camping trip with Papa, complete with grilled pizza for dinner and s'mores for dessert. Hopefully, we can squeeze in one more trip back to Cherry Creek this summer.

Splash and dash!

All smiles about playing in the sand!

Lifeguard in training

Fun in the Sun

Sweet 16.

Today marks Week 16 for Jami & Little Leahy #3. At our monthly doctor's appointment, Baby Leahy's heartbeat was ticking along nice and strong. Jami has been feeling the baby move already, particularly in the evening right before bedtime. According to BabyCenter, our little one is now the size of an avocado and will have a big growth spurt over the next few weeks. Here we grow!

Cooling Off

Colorado doesn't have that many hot summer days, but today was a bit toasty. So we found a great solution: hook up the sprinkler under the trampoline and turn it on full blast!