'Tis the Season...

TO BAKE! There's nothing better than finding an excuse for some holiday baking. Prior to the bakefest beginning, we carefully planned out our recipes and ingredients for these sweet treats:

• Gingerbread Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling
• Candy Cane Biscotti
• Krumkake (a traditional Scandinavian cookie that Scott makes every Christmas using a special family recipe ... this link to the recipe is similar though)

We recruited the help of our two little elves. One likes to crack the eggs; the other is our chief taste tester.

Baker-in-training!

Checking out the Gingerbread Whoopie Pies!

Most of the afternoon, we took turns at the oven prepping and baking and shuffling cookie sheets and laughing and sharing measuring cups and washing dishes. With the holiday music playing, the fireplace crackling, and happy little boys running around, what better way to spend a Sunday ... and to fill up our freezer with baked goodies!

The Norwegian Chef working his magic

with the krumkake iron.

Several batches of Candy Cane Biscotti later ...

and off to a cookie exchange!

Air Force Basketball

This week, Papa came across some extra tickets to an Air Force basketball game. Luke has really taken an interest to sporting events lately. Maybe it's the big crowds ... or the thrill of the competition ... or the popcorn! Luke ended up joining Papa for the big game, and they had a blast. Back in the day, Papa was quite the basketball player in high school (and he still plays today at the YMCA with some friends several times a week) ... so what a fun experience to share some hoops with his grandson!

1,000

Once upon a time back in 2005, Scott suggested to Jami, "Hey, why don't you think about starting a blog?" Huh ... what's that all about ... and why?! Well, this little bit of internet space has become a wonderful way to journal our adventures and to keep friends and family updated. Today we celebrated the milestone of 1,000 posts here on ye ol' Leahy Family Blog. What a fun endeavor this has been ... and we look forward to many more posts to come!

Here's a little walk down memory lane ... our first post with a photo. And yes, that's a very young lil' Luke in that pic!

So Long, Lap!

It's getting more and more difficult

these days to find room on Mom's lap!

O Christmas Tree

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

around the Leahy house!

Understudy

Have you heard that there's a new Broadway production of Spiderman? Wonder if they are looking for an understudy? If so, we have a mighty fine candidate here... Oh, and halfway through the video when SpiderReid starts crawling on the floor, he says he's actually scaling tall buildings. Improvisational acting at its finest.

Turkey Trek :: Kansas City

Next stop on our Thanksgiving travels ... Kansas City! We spent several days catching up with family and friends. What a blessing to spend time with so many loved ones this Thanksgiving week!

We played the day away at a fun indoor

amusement playland called Zonkers.

The 4 cousins rode this roller coaster over...

and over ... and over again!

Who's driving here?!

A quick pic on Thanksgiving Day

with Papa Ted and Mimi Margie.

Aunt Juli was the queen of fun activities!

She brought these Toothpick Turkeys

for the boys to make after Thanksgiving Dinner.

Aunt Ann hosted our Thanksgiving dinner

and prepared a fabulous feast for all!

She even had a candy bar grab bag for the kiddos.

She truly thought of everything!

6 colors of icing. Endless sugar cookies made by

Aunt Mary Ann. Loads of imagination & laughs.

A fun family tradition decorating cookies!

Mimi Margie lends Reid a hand with his cookie creation.

Cookie Decorators Extraordinaire...

Margie, Jami & Juli

We enjoyed an early Christmas celebration

and exchanged gifts with the family one evening.

Merry (Early) Christmas!

Thank you to Will & Raegan Long

and their sweet girls Harper and Quincy

for hosting us for dinner one evening.

The boys posed with Harper for a pic!

What a treat to catch up with Jenny Hoit Payne

and her family! The kids enjoyed playing together

while we caught up on life's adventures!

Let them eat cupcakes...

We met up with college friend Melissa Neff

at Small Cakes in Olathe. Sweet treats with a sweet friend!

Thanks, Mel, for taking this pic of our crew!

Turkey Trek :: Wamego

The doctor cleared Jami for one final road trip before Baby Boy arrives, so we set out on a road trip to Kansas for Thanksgiving week. Both boys had the entire week off school, so the timing was perfect! First stop: Wamego to visit Jami's sister Briana and family.

The boys by the football stadium!

Sharing a fun tradition with the boys:

K-S-U Wildcats!

We had a celebrity sighting

at the KSU Women's Basketball Game!

Hooray for Willie the Wildcat!

The Leahy boys were all smiles

about meeting Willie...

and Luke got his poster signed!

The girls at the game.

Time to make peanut clusters!

Playtime in Dalton's room.

Last Word

When Luke was little, he was terribly shy of public performances. There was just something about standing up in front of a crowd and performing that he did not like.

Enter Reid, stage right. Reid loves the spotlight and shines his brightest when he's singing! He also has quite the memory for extended versions of song lyrics. Today, Reid's class performed a Thanksgiving puppet show for the parents. In the video below, he's on the far right (and speaks very loudly!) As you can see, Reid had the last word in this little production!

In case you can't hear the little voices, here's the poem...

The turkey is a funny bird.

His head goes wobble, wobble.

All he says is just one word.

Gobble, gobble, gobble!

It's so funny to watch the differences and interests evolve in the boys. They are both their own personalities, and we love how much they are alike in some ways and different in others.

Backyard Deer Sighting

On occasion, we spy a deer or two in our backyard in the colder weather months. It's always a pleasant surprise to see our wild neighbors lingering so close to our home. One morning this week, we opened up the shades to find this guy munching along our back fence -- an 8 point buck! This deer was also unique in that he only had 3 legs. He was missing his right front leg so he didn't run off nearly as fast as the other deer do when they realize they are being watched by those crazy humans indoors. Wonder if we'll see him again this winter?

Gobble

Our Autumn-Inspired Centerpiece

Each month we gather together with a group of friends for Supper Club. All the wives are in Junior League together; all the husbands are in the engineering/defense field. Our conversations are always lively and full of laughs! The host couple sets the theme for the meal and makes the entree, and then the other 3 couples bring an appetizer, side or dessert of their choice to accompany the theme. It's quite the treat to sit down to a nice meal that is a combination of such creative culinary talents!

We hosted tonight's Supper Club gathering -- a modern twist on Thanksgiving classics. Check out this menu...

• Roasted Turkey with Citrus Rosemary Salt
• Five-Spice Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Walnut Toffee
• Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts & Pancetta
• Jellied Cranberry Sauce with Fuji Apple
• Pumpkin-Apple Pie with Homemade Whipped Cream

What a delicious first feast to kick off the Thanksgiving holiday!

A quick pic of our Supper Club before the big meal.

(We're missing 1 couple who was unable to attend ...

usually our table is set for 8!)

30 / 10

This marks Week 30 for Baby Leahy #3 ... only 10 more weeks to go! We know the final stretch will go quickly with Thanksgiving, Christmas, the New Year, and January birthdays fast approaching. Thankfully, we've been working ahead to prepare for our new little one so that hopefully we can cherish all that's in store for this holiday season and the weeks to come. (Jami has also been trying to take advantage of high energy levels now while she still can!)

The baby continues to be Mr. Active with movements progressing to hands or feet poking out from Mom's tummy. Our weekly baby email says he now weighs around 3 lbs. and is the size of a cabbage. At this point, it's fun to wonder ... Will he look like his big brothers? ... Will he have a full head of hair at birth like Reid? ... Will he arrive early or be right on time? (Let's just hope he's not LATE!)

Oh, we are all getting so excited to meet our new little one!

Spiderman!

Some days, we might as well have Spiderman living with us. We say that because Reid will spend a majority of the day wearing his muscle-bound Spiderman costume, bouncing around the house singing the Spiderman theme song, and slinging webs (imaginary, thank goodness.) He basically sleeps, eats, and breathes Spiderman ... literally on the "sleeping" part because he's dozed off for a nap on multiple occasions in character as Spiderman.

Is that Peter Parker?

Why no! It's SPIDERMAN!

... Still in the transformation process ...

Slinging webs!

Sometimes in the afternoon, Spiderman falls asleep

right before we have to pick up Luke from school.

So we load Mr. Superhero up in the car and head out!

Fighting crime is hard work. A superhero needs his rest.

Nesting

In the last week, Mama Bird has been busy nesting by organizing the boys' room, cleaning out closets, and yes ... decorating the nursery! It started with the simple task of hauling out the bins of baby clothes from our basement and laundering those sweet little newborn sizes. Then it progressed today to transforming our former guest bedroom to our new "contemporary nature" themed nursery! Kudos to Scott for his fine craftsmanship with the large vinyl tree decal (AKA the biggest sticker EVER). The tree went up in sections and took several hours to do (with some breaks in between to watch football!) Here's the work in progress...

A 7 ft. tall tree requires

use of the ladder for installation!

Almost done ... putting on the finishing touches!

Dad standing next to his finished work of art!

Tah-dah ... the finished nursery!

As we were planning for the nursery, we incorporated several elements of past and present.

• The antique rocking chair belonged to Jami's Great-Grandmother Pearson.
• The crib, bedding & changing table were used by big brothers Luke & Reid.
• The "moon" hanging pendant lamp and the wall tree are the newer elements we incorporated, just for Baby Boy #3!
• We'll likely add a few more touches along the way, but it's nice to have a majority of the work complete. Mission accomplished!

Spooktacular Halloween

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays, and we all get into the spirit of dressing up! This year we planned a little neighborly gathering with some frighteningly good food (witch fingers, monster sandwiches, guacamoldy with chips, mummy dogs & more!) What a feast for the ghouls and goblins -- both the young and young-at-heart. Enjoy these photos from our Halloween festivities!

Super heroes unite! Spiderman Reid & Ironman Luke

show off their big muscles and super powers!

(Yes, Reid switched it up a bit from previous

Halloween shindigs and opted for a

different costume for the big night.)

Family Foto. Mama Disco Ball & '70s Scott

with our Little Superheroes.

Scott had the clever idea for this year's

couple costume. Perhaps he just really wanted

to wear that fake mustache & wig.

The Superheroes are no match for Billy Bob (AKA Papa).

Happy goblins dined here.

This Halloween also brought fantastic weather,

perfect for dining al fresco in our costumes!

Trick-or-Treat. Imagine answering your door

to this mob of small children!

The Wives

Some of the Husbands

Our 3 Lil' Punkins

2 Handsome Big Brothers + Our Little Guy on the Way =

Our 3 Lil' Punkins!

(The artistic pumpkin was painted by Reid at school.)