Picnic in the park.

Life offers many clubs to join ... country club, book club, chess club ... hey, there's even Sam's Club! And then there's our wonderful MOMS Club that we joined about a year ago. Originally, we joined so that Reid could meet some friends his age, but this club has given us so much more. Over the past year, we've made some wonderful friends -- both moms and kiddos -- and are so happy to be starting our 2nd year with the club.

Today, we kicked off the year with the MOMS Club Family Picnic at one of our nearby parks. After the rain moved on, we enjoyed an evening of meeting, greeting & eating. Scott even served as the grillmaster for the picnic! We're excited for the year ahead with our MOMS Club friends!

Can you spot the class clown? Hee, hee!

Luke takes a swing at the candy-filled pinata!

Girls just wanna have fun ... and run!

There is nothing better than a Girls Night Out...

Sharing good times with friends.

Running the SkirtChaser 5K.

Modeling our running skirts.

Laughing all the way.

Crossing the finish line.

Sipping a cold microbrew.

What a fun-filled evening out with the girls!

Camping champs.

The chill of fall is in the air, so Scott and the boys set up the tent for one last backyard campout. The chatter of little voices could be heard well past bedtime ... and happiness filled the night sky!

A lot with the League...

Jami has been up to oh-so-many fun Junior League activities in the past month. Here are a couple of fun updates about her involvement with the League...

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AHA!

Rebecca, Jami & Clarissa outside the Aha Moment studio

(housed in this Airstream trailer!)

A little background ... Mutual of Omaha is sponsoring a special campaign centered around the concept of the "aha moment," a defining moment where one gains real wisdom that can be life-changing. A studio housed in an Airstream trailer is making its way across the United States, and the staff members are interviewing people about their aha moments. The Junior League of Colorado Springs recently was invited to have a few members share their aha moments.

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NEW RECRUITS

Junior League is also gearing up for its fall provisional class, so Jami and her friend Krista are hard at work co-chairing the Recruitment/Provisional Committee. With a wonderful committee and 22 new provisionals, our year is off to a fantastic start!

We hosted a "red carpet" themed retreat for our

new provisionals ... complete with fun red boas!

The committee & our new provisionals!

Zzzzzzz...

Not only did Luke start kindergarten this week, but he also enjoyed another "first" -- his first sleepover at a friend's house -- thanks to our neighbor friend Jake who invited him over to spend the night! Luke and Jake are such good buddies. They are inseparable. They both love Star Wars, Legos, and jumping on the trampoline. They can play for hours with never a squabble, and only take a break when a snack or drink is needed. It has been so much fun to watch their friendship grow over the summer.

The "sleepover report" is that they played in the backyard, watched a movie, and played Lego Star Wars Wii. They were even in bed and asleep by 8:45 p.m. ... wow! What a fun "first" for the boys!

Wedding in Tuscany.

Congratulations, Nadine & Scott!

Although we didn't actually travel to Tuscany, we certainly felt as though we'd been whisked away to Italy at last night's wedding of our friends Scott and Nadine at the Club at Flying Horse. (Jami and Nadine volunteer together for Women's Resource Agency and Junior League.) The evening began with a beautiful ceremony with the Front Range as the backdrop, and then we moved inside for dinner and the reception. Nadine is the queen of details, so every aspect of their wedding had such great thought put into the planning. The favor for all guests was a special bottle of wine that the happy couple had created themselves! What a joy to share in their special day!

Enjoying the wedding festivities!

Jami with the beautiful bride Nadine

Junior League girls with the bride ...

Clarissa, Nadine, Jami & Melissa

Big man on campus.

Luke on his 1st day of kindergarten!

Today marked another milestone in the Leahy household. Luke attended his 1st day of kindergarten! For the last few days leading up to today, Luke would wake up and ask, "Is today the day I go to kindergarten?" It was obvious he was brimming with excitement over his new school, new friends, and new learning adventures.

Waiting in line to go inside!

Neatly organized school supplies.

Lunch with Mimi & Papa to celebrate

Luke's 1st day of kindergarten!

Hike to Mt. Herman

Mom-and-son hike to Mt. Herman

This morning Jami & Reid took off on a hiking adventure that we'd yet to explore -- Mt. Herman! This nearly 9,000 ft. peak is directly west and a tad north of us, but the trailhead is just a 20-25 minute drive from our house. Beautiful day for a hike ... and a great mother-and-son outing! The trail was a pretty steep climb, but the gorgeous aspen trees and wildflowers were well worth the work ... not to mention the amazing view at the top of our great community below.

This was the view from the top.

X marks the spot where our house is!

Mountain goat.

Can you tell what these are? Ladybugs!

Gazillions of them were at the top of Mt. Herman.

"Mom told me to smile.

So I did, but my teeth didn't."

Flipping Out!

With this being the last week of summer break, we've been trying to work in a few favorite activities before back-to-school time. We hit one of our favorites -- ArtSports -- for some hopping, jumping, flipping, and tumbling. Check it out!

Our little monkey Reid!

No fear ... no fun! Luke shows off his front-flip skills.

(Actually, both boys are in this video.

Luke is in orange. Reid is in blue.)

Brothers.

It's been a while since there's been a post dedicated to brotherhood. Here it is...

The superhero obsession continues x 2...

swim towels converted to capes!

One night Reid had trouble falling asleep.

After hearing much chattering coming from their room --

followed by peaceful silence -- we found that little brother

had climbed up into bed with big brother in the

top bunk and had fallen asleep. Such sweet boys.

It is a rare feat to snap a photo of these two both looking

at the camera .... smiling ... not picking on each other.

This photo even takes it to the next level.

Luke's arm around Reid was unprompted. Priceless.

40th Festivities!

Tonight we celebrated a very special birthday ... Jami's sister Briana turned 40 this week! For a birthday dinner, we dined on the back patio for a 40th feast of beef tenderloin, twice baked potatoes, and sweet-and-spicy green beans. But the grand finale was certainly the birthday cake ... a chocolate ganache cheesecake (made by Jami's Junior League friend Cathy, who has a baking business on the side.) Nothing but the best for our birthday girl! Happy 4-0, B!

It was a bit windy, so the honored guest had

to keep relighting her candle!

Make a wish!

The fam celebrating Briana's milestone birthday!

More family fun.

Friday evening we took off on a bike-riding adventure around the neighborhood. Luke provided his own pedal power, while Jami pulled the two young'ns. Dalton & Reid provided sound effects when zipping down the hills: "Wheeeee!" We all enjoyed the perfect Colorado evening!

Ready to go...

Action shot!

Saturday morning we stopped in Downtown Colorado Springs for a visit to Uncle Wilber's Fountain. The boys had a blast!

"Dalton, you go first. You're the brave one!"

Mission accomplished by Mr. Fearless!

3 cousins who like to swing.

Dalton is non-stop giggles when Luke bounces

him on the trampoline!

Sisters & Sons.

Sisters & Sons @ Snooze

What better way to wrap up the summer than with a visit from family! Briana and Dalton made the trek to Colorado this weekend, so we are enjoying several days with them. Today we took a day trip to Denver ... just the sisters and sons. Below are some pics of our adventures!

Briana, Dalton & Luke ... and a big stack of pancakes at Snooze!

Our favorite a.m. eatery has opened a new location in Denver

at 7th and Colorado, so we stopped by to try out the

new Snooze today. Culinary perfection! We ordered 2 flights

of pancakes to share in the following flapjack flavors:

Colorado peach ginger, pineapple upside down, Nor'easter

(with Maine blueberries), carrot cake, Reese's, and a

sweet corn cake (pancake du jour).

We also made a trip to the Denver Children's Museum, so Luke and Reid could show cousin Dalton one of their favorite places!

Firefighter Reid flashes a smile!

Check out Luke's hiding place!

Sunglasses ... with a side of jelly.

Dear Mom,

Thanks for putting grape jelly on my toast in the morning. It's my favorite. I like it so much I'd prefer to wear it. All over my face.

Oh, and about your sunglasses, don't you think they look better as pirate glasses?! I DO! Sorry I can't find the other lens. You can still wear them this way though, right?

Love,

Reid

Incognito.

Who are these masked men? Their identities are well concealed with these cool masks they made at our MOMS Club meeting today as part of the Kids Craft activity. If only their height didn't give them away...

Luke Duke.

Remember the Dukes of Hazzard? We had our own version of this TV classic re-enacted in our driveway tonight. Take a peek...

Who knew Chuck E. Cheese could be so motivational?!

Our family likes to celebrate. Small feats. Major milestones. It's all worth a little hoopla. This weekend we planned yet another celebration of sorts ... and the spotlight was on Reid.

This week, Reid accomplished a major milestone common among children his age ... potty training. The ease with which this transition happened was relatively easy. Except for that little accident on the floor of Pier 1. Oh, yeah, and another one in Mimi & Papa's garage. But it's official. Mission accomplished. Goodbye, diapers.

We had to test drive several motivating factors until we found just the right carrot to dangle in front of Reid. Treats. No. Stickers. No. New toy. No. Chuck E. Cheese trip. YES! So all week, we've talked way too much about Chuck E. Cheese while in the confines of the bathroom. Oh, well. It worked. Our guest of honor was all too thrilled today to redeem his prize ... and his parents are all too proud of this achievement!

No Place Like Home!

Our big trip of the summer took us one state to the east ... to our home state of Kansas where we were raised. We managed to pack about 3 weeks worth of adventures into 1 week, and boy, did we have fun! Friends, family, Wamego, Manhattan, Kansas City, splash park, city park, Paradise Park (in KC), family reunion, sorority reunion, dinners out, dinners in, 22 hours of roadtrip fun (sans the DVD player which was on the fritz), and so much more! We were so excited to head back to Kansas for our summer "vacation" ... there really is No Place Like Home! The posts below showcase our summer roadtrip to Kansas. Enjoy!

Theta Reunion!

Our Kansas travels wrapped up with one more reunion ... this time with Jami's college friends. Twelve members of the Kappa Alpha Theta - Delta Eta Class of '95 gathered together in Kansas City to reminisce and remember the good ol' days! It was amazing how our friendships picked right up where we'd left off in college. Just like back in the day, the laughs are endless ... as are the good times!

The first night of our festivities took us to the new Power & Light District in Downtown KC for a Girls Night Out. We met at the swanky Lucky Strike Bowling Alley (think hip bar meets techno bowl). Dressed in our Theta colors of black and gold -- and sporting our bowling shoes -- we caught up on our lives from the past decade since we graduated. Then we ventured out to explore the Power & Light District and worked our way up to the rooftop Jones Bar. Tucked away in a cabana beside the outdoor pool, we continued our conversations and stories. We toured around a bit more after that and stayed up much too late for a bunch of thirtysomethings.

Roomies from 1B!

Long, long ago, Jami was VP Development

& Jenny was President ... and we were roommates, too!

Judy & Jami ... also roommates!

Brandy, Beth & Jami. These two are always

good for some endless laughs!

Another group photo!

The Jones Bar

On Saturday, we gathered our spouses and families together for tailgating and a Royals baseball game. It was fun to meet the Theta loved ones & young ones (such cute Theta babies in our group!) The newly renovated Kauffman Stadium was oh-so-impressive, especially the Little K section for the kids. In all, this evening was a great way to incorporate the families into our reunion festivities.

Theta moms, future Thetas, and

boys who will some day date Thetas!

Our WHOLE group at the tailgate...

What a great turnout!

(Click on this photo to enlarge it.)

A casual class of '95 photo.

Judy, Melissa, Jami & Brandy

Family foto at the game.

Reid is making his funny face!

Swing, batter! Reid is up!

Major League Luke.

"Daddy, I want to ride that lion. Grrr."

Beth with baby Alden, Melissa & Jami.

The End to a great night!

After talking about planning a reunion for quite some time, it was so fantastic to put all the pieces in place for it to happen. Friends like these have played such a huge part along the way in shaping our lives, and it's such a treat to share in their lives 10 years down the road. This weekend was definitely one with many moments remembered and even more memories made!