Maren and Mike

Bob and Ann's visit

2011-06-06T13:37:00.001-07:00

Gramby and Annie came to visit us over Memorial Day weekend. It was a short trip, but a fun one!

Getting a ride from the girls at the park at Chautauqua.

Nea's somewhat unconventional method of swinging.

She zips Muppy up in her jacket when it's cold, just like Mom and Dad do with Juliana ;)

Whee!

Hiking at NCAR with Gramby and Annie.

Camping

2011-06-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

We tried our first camping trip with two little ones in May. We went to a campground along the Poudre River and it was great...except that we inadvertently landed in the middle of a bluegrass festival! Not quite the wilderness experience we'd been hoping for. But it was fun nonetheless!

Linnea with her new prized possession, a pink Camelback.

Grandpop came along, which was a lot of fun!

Exploring the Poudre.

The most scenic potty spot ever.

The littlest camper all bundled up. It was pretty cold in the evenings!

Swimming at Picnic Rock.

The water was freezing so Linnea only went a little way in...

...but Mike went all the way!

Juliana stole my lens cap, and before I realized it it was covered with baby spit.

Yum!

Mothers Day

2011-06-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

We went on a Mothers' Day picnic at Flagstaff. It was a beautiful day and we had lots of fun!

This picture I call 'business as usual'...Linnea being goofy and Juliana staring adoringly at her!

Linnea and the last of her prized easter sugar eggs!

Easter

2011-06-06T12:06:00.000-07:00

Easter morning! Linnea got a giant chocolate bunny. She was super excited until she took him out of the package, and then she said "oh, he's kind of small"

Juliana looking sweet and playing with the easter eggs we dyed.

Linnea working on her personalized coloring book from Gramby and Annie!

Apparently it was very funny.

Linnea and Mike's old childhood bear!

Juliana's favorite bunny, Knuffles, keeping watch over her nap ;)

"Eeew, peas?!?"

Meeting Amelia!

2011-06-06T11:52:00.001-07:00

We got to meet the girls' cousin Amelia in Honolulu. She is two months older than Juliana. They had fun playing together! And we got to visit with Aunties Katie and Mary too.

We took the babies to Kaimana beach.

Amelia borrowed Juliana's sunglasses...

"...please Mom, don't ever do this to me!"

Nea's trip to Volcano almost by herself

2011-06-06T11:45:00.001-07:00

Linnea flew to the Big Island to see Pippi and Ru without her parents, or, as she called it, "all by myself". We pointed out that Pippi was going to fly with her, so she amended it to "almost by myself". She was a very brave girl, and she had a blast! Here they are going ohelo berry picking in the rain.

Making sand cookies at the beach.

And riding her Terrible Turtle in the lagoon.

Playing croquet with Pippi on the lawn.

And goofing around with Ru.

Getting a wheelbarrow ride down Ala Ohia! No wonder she can't wait to go back...

Mom and Juliana back in Honolulu.

Hawaii in April

2011-06-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a brief photo catch up. In April we went to Hawaii. Maren and Juliana stayed in Honolulu with Ani and Linnea split her time between there and the Big Island with her grandparents.

Poor Ani wanted to snuggle with Juliana, but Juliana was going through some major stranger anxiety, and howled whenever anyone but Mom held her.

Enjoying the Kahala Nui hot tub.

Goofing around with Pippi in Honolulu.

Dinner on Ani's lanai.

More March Madness

2011-04-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

Baby attack!

Snuggling in her blanket that Pippi made.

And enjoying some cookies from Granda MJ!

Linnea's littlest fan.

Juliana tried solids...

...but couldn't quite get her tongue thrust reflex under control. We'll try again when she's bigger!

Teeny tiny bed hog.

2011-03-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

We took a long weekend in March and went to stay with friends in Crested Butte. We all had a great time!

Linnea recently said to me in a sober and confiding way "Mom, I really, really love pink" It was of course a total surprise to me ;)

She did a great job skiing and by the end of it she was skiing down herself holding my hand.

Ben, Stefan, and Mike about to attack the bowls.

Catching some sun at the base. It was great spring skiing!

Back on my furry monster (after almost three years!)

We let Linnea ride too, but decided to lunge her first ;)

He was a very good boy.

Her legs look so tiny on him!

Helping Dad take a nap.

Ou little hippo at a costume party. Linnea was a 'princess fairy'.

Big sisters can be scary, even when you're the one on top!

Linnea got a playground doll set from Pippi and Ru for Girls Day. She's a big fan!

Winter Fun

2011-02-16T14:40:00.000-08:00

Sweet baby!

And sweet toddler.

Linnea's first time on skis. We took her to the sledding hill close to our house.

She did a great job!

And took a few spills...

...but she didn't mind!

Getting the hang of it ;)

Juliana came out with us too, but when we got home she went to sleep with her arms straight up in the air. We were a bit worried she had frozen solid!

Practicing her mastery over the playgym birds.

Big sister adoration ;)

It's good to be prepared...you never know what dangers may befall you when coloring.

Linnea dressing herself ;)

Attack of the sisters!

Linnea comforting Lander after his surgery. The poor guy suddenly developed an abscess on his chin and had to have a four-hour surgery to fix it. He wasn't too happy about it!

The Cabin at Steamboat, where we escaped to for a nice long (and cold!) ski weekend.

Linnea's first time on the big mountain at Steamboat!

Our friend Kate came up with us for the weekend. She was a great skier, and put us Coloradans to shame!

Linnea liked watching the Superbowl, but Juliana prefered examining her Dad's Coors Lite.

Snowshoeing (or "bearfooting" as Linnea calls it)

Christmas in Hawai'i

2011-02-13T13:15:00.000-08:00

In December we went to Hawaii to visit Maren's family. And get Juliana in the ocean for the first time!

By the end of the trip she didn't think it was so bad.

We spent a few days in Honolulu with the girls' great-grandmother Ani.

And then headed for the Big Island to visit grandparents Pippi and Ru.

Tidepooling at Ho'okena and touching a sea cucumber.

Linnea found a little boy that was just about her age. They had fun playing in the pools.

Building sand castles with Ru.

A shark!

Turtle watching with Dad.

And learning to bodyboard with Ru.

Flying!

A little tiny Christmas package!

She even fit in Mike's stocking (which was made by Pippi)!

Christmas snuggles.

Linnea was Ru's apprentice baker and cookie decorator.

While Juliana perfected the one eyebrow stare.

Christmas Eve fondue. Yum!

Linnea had lots of fun checking out the Christmas lights at Kilauea Military Camp.

And she made us a gingerbread family for Christmas (with some help of course...)

Juliana was very appreciative of her Christmas presents, especially this CD ;)

She's a very smiley baby!

Feeding the pheasants from the porch was one of Linnea's favorite activities.

We tried to get a nice picture of Nea and Ani, but someone was feeling a little goofy...

Four generations of ladies!

Ani loved snuggling with Juliana. Apparently it was mutual!

Pippi and J looking beautiful on Christmas.

Mommy time ;)

The sack of potatoes. It looks awful, but she loved it!

Playing croquet at Volcano.

"I'll get them for this later..."

Linnea's very own Christmas tree, which was decorated entirely with non-fragile ornaments made by Pippi.

We tried to get a nice picture of the girls in their matching pajamas...

...which wasn't easy with a two year old and a two month old! Here Linnea is concentrating hard on stabilizing Juliana's head ;)

Christmas photos gone wrong!

Hee haw!

Looking sweet.

Ohelo berry picking was one of Linnea's favorite activities. She was great at the picking and sorting of berries, not to mention the eating!

At Onekahakaha beach park.

Baby shark!

Juliana's first swim in the ocean.

She wasn't thrilled.

Eating saimin and mac salad at Nori's. Like mother like daughter!

Christmas is exhausting! But we had a wonderful time, and can't wait to go back ;)

Juliana was (mostly) all smiles!

Swimming at Kahala Nui...my first time juggling two in the water!

We briefly saw Grandpop and Grandma B in Honolulu. Linnea wasted no time in stealing Grandma B's shake.

And we met the girls' new cousin Amelia (4 months), who is adorable!!

Playing with Auntie Laura at the beach.

Smiles...

2010-11-30T19:01:00.000-08:00

Juliana was all smiles today so I pulled out the camera and tried to capture one. I wasn't too successful, but did get this great face instead.

And here's a little smile!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T16:38:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Estes Park with Granby and Annie. We all had a blast!

Sleeping sweetly (which is deceptive...with four of us in one bed we didn't actually get much sleep at all!)

Sledding in Rocky Mountain National Park. There was a windchill of -20 but the Little Eskimo didn't care.

The sleds weren't quite as fast as we'd hoped, but it was fun anyway!

Juliana is starting to really stare at things. It's a lot of fun to see what holds her attention.

She loves her new birdhouse playmat, which is supposed to be a Christmas present, but Santa decided to deliver it early this year ;)

Fun with the grandparents.

Checking out the playground with Granby and Muppy.

Getting ready for some winter hot tub fun ;)

And layering up for the walk over there...at least on top!

Early Winter Fun

2010-11-30T16:19:00.000-08:00

Juliana met her Grandma Mary Jane in November when she came to visit and help us out.

Linnea had her making kissable snowmen in no time!

Basket sledding with our neighbors Lucy and Jack. They were very sweet and pushed her along.

It was a bit slippery...

...and when your turn is over it's over!

Me and my girls.

Looking pretty...with wild hair.

Grandma B with her arms full.

Juliana meeting Grandpop. He makes her look so tiny!

She was a little skeptical of his beard.

Doing the baby dance!

Halloween and Ru's visit

2010-11-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Ru came to help out after Juliana was born.

He and Linnea had lots of fun splashing in puddles.

And we all loved the wonderful food he made, especially the frozen mocha cheesecake!

Celebrating Mike's birthday at the Chautauqua Dining Hall.

Linnea fell in love with her grandpa.

Eskimo kisses!

Hiking to Boulder Falls.

Adjusting to life with two kids (when the grandparents leave...)

Juliana in her Baby Bjorn chair. She's still got a bit of growing to do...

We took Linnea to the Cottonwood Farm Pumpkin Patch, where she made lots of furry friends.

Maren's cousin Malia came along, which was a big help.

Linnea decided she wanted to be an iguana for halloween, much to her Mom's delight! She even perfected the head-bob.

She loved trick or treating, but was a little confused by some of the treats (like googly monster eyes...)

Yum!

The lollipop staredown.

Linnea wouldn't take off her iguana costume all day. Here the iguana is reading bedtime stories to Baby Lila.

Our little pumpkin!

On Sunday we went to the Munchkin Masquerade on Pearl Street. Linnea was all business!

Juliana's first bottle of milk. She made no secret of her skepticism!

Somehow I ended up with three babies...

Juliana's first two weeks

2010-10-31T09:03:00.000-07:00

She's almost here! We finally got around to taking belly pics the day before Juliana started to come.

In labor at the hospital...another long one.

And here she is, our 5 lb 14 oz little bean!

She was a sleepy thing right from the start, but here she woke up long enough to play with Dad.

Big sister Linnea meets baby Juliana.

And so does her grandmother Pippi! Pippi came to help us out for the first week and a half, which was wonderful.

Juliana's first lei.

Meeting uncle Tyler.

Not bad for a hospital room view. Welcome to Boulder!

Coming home from the hospital. Linnea and Pippi decorated the house and bought balloons. What a good big sister!

Adorable baby.

She's still a little tiny...yes, that is a normal sized pencil!

The whole family!

Linnea is very sweet to her little sister.

Linnea the handywoman with her tool belt. She loves to fix things!

Snuggling in bed.

Pippi and Juliana enjoying some snuggle time.

Sisters!

Contemplating the world from her cozy blanket.

Our first outing, a walk and picnic up at Flagstaff Mountain.

Pippi fell over during picture taking...but fortunately managed to not squish Linnea in the process!

Taking our babies for a walk in the strollers (walking her Baby Lila is one of Linnea's favorite activities).

All the kiddos.

Linnea makes sure that Baby Lila gets enough milk.

Tiny fingers!

Juliana

2010-10-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

Juliana Leleua Niemack was born on Thursday Oct 7 at 9:15pm.

She's a little peanut, weighing in at 5 lbs 14 ozs, but is a perfect baby so far. She's sweet and very mellow.

Big sister Linnea is so excited!

First Ride on Koa!

2010-09-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

We finally gave in and let Linnea ride Koa. She was so proud! But right before getting on she looked up at him and furrowed her brow and said "Um...he don't have handles..."

He was a very good boy, even though he's coming off of three months of stall rest!

Our Vacation

2010-08-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

We were finally able to fit in a little vacation in August, and headed to Denver (pretty exotic I know!) Linnea talked about it for weeks and on the way there kept pointing out the window and asking "is that our vacation?" Here she is in the hotel room all dressed up and ready for adventure!

Visiting the elephants at the Denver Zoo.

Manning a mission "to outer pace" at the Museum of Nature and Science (her favorite exhibit...I guess it runs in the family!)

Feeding Baby Lila, who was a birthday present and is much loved!

There was a great rooftop pool at the hotel where we all had lots of fun.

Flying with Dad.

And lounging with Mom.

We went to an excellent dinner on Linnea's birthday at Rioja. The food was amazing!!

Linnea's first ice cream cone.

And yes, I know that sugar doesn't actually make kids hyper, but nevertheless this was the aftermath....

Then we got a much too brief but really fun visit from Auntie Laura, who was busy flying around the country for fairy godmotherly duties. Come back soon!

Linnea's 2nd Birthday!

2010-08-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

Linnea turned two on August 3, which we celebrated with a birthday party at Viele Lake Park.

Linnea took full advantage of her position as the birthday girl.

FULL advantage!

Uncle Tyler came down from Aspen to celebrate with us. He and Linnea shared a water balloon toss with nearly indestructable water balloons.

They were quite a hit with the toddlers!

Afterwards it was time for the good stuff.

Linnea was a great party girl, but by the end of the day was suffering from a little cupcake fatigue ;)

June and July

2010-08-19T13:59:00.000-07:00

Here are a few highlights from earlier this summer, with more coming soon.

Celebrating Fathers Day at Red Rocks, with a great round of 'daddy pony'!

Helping Dad with the dishes (also known as dressing up like a lobster).

A windy family picnic at Flagstaff. Linnea loved the fancy food, especially the marinated artichokes and super smelly blue cheese ;)

Fun with Dad.

Pippi came to visit in June, and took Linnea out to afternoon tea at the Dushanbe. She is obsessed with playing tea party, so it was a dream come true for her. And she got a brand new pink dirndl for the outing!

She practiced her good tea drinking manners.

Pippi and Nea at Rocky Mountain National Park.

It was a beautiful day!

Goofing around with Pippi.

We had chocolate pasta with raspberries and whipped cream as a special treat. Linnea wholeheartedly approved!

But was sent straight to the bath afterwards.

Celebrating the Fourth of July with a pony ride at the Broomfield Fair. She was very proud!

ABCs!

2010-07-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

A rare video treat for Nea's fans:

There's a few things missing, but she's most of the way there!

Kona Village

2010-04-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

We spent five days at the Kona Village to celebrate Maren's Dad's 60th birthday. Our hale was right next to a big fish pond, and Linnea had lots of fun watching the fish and ducks swim by.

A beautiful view from our breakfast table. Linnea kept insisting that she needed coffee. Now that I see the pics from that morning I think she had a point!

Burying her Auntie Alison in the sand.

Cultivating the glamorous look with Katie's sunglasses.

We went to a luau with lots of ono food, but all Nea wanted to eat was the poi. She wolfed it all down (we were supposed to share) and then proceeded to dip everything else she ate in the remnants of the poi. I think we have a real Hawaiian!

Laughing with Grandma B at the luau.

Celebrating Grandpop's birthday with a great dinner...

...although I'm not sure how much of it he got to enjoy. Linnea seemed to want everything Grandpop ordered!

Then she helped him blow out the candles - and of course eat the cake!

Playing Koala Bear with Uncle Hunt.

Checking out the Hawaiian petroglyphs with Mom. Nea was pretty unimpressed with the petroglyphs, but was really excited by the goats we saw along the way!

Nea's first kayaking trip! She was a pro, and looked adorable in her little life jacket.

The whole gang.

Nea spent hours filling beach buckets with sea water and then shoveling sand into them. Fortunately she had many willing volunteers (including Dad) to help her get the water.

The freezing cold beach showers were another favorite. It was almost impossible to get her out!

Time to go home!

March - Honolulu and Volcano

2010-04-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

In March we went back to Hawaii. First we visited Pippi and Ru and Ani in Honolulu and at Volcano, and then headed to the Kona Village for Maren's Dad's 60th birthday celebration. Here Nea is giggling over 'Leo the late bloomer' with Ru.

We spent three days at the Kahala Nui with Ani. Linnea wanted to spend all day in the hot tub, but had to be cajoled into playing in the pool!

Playing with Pippi at dinner.

And going 'bounce!' on Pippi!

After many tries we finally got a pretty picture of Ani and Nea (previous failures were almost always the fault of the latter, who was in a very wiggly mood!)

She can entertain herself for hours with a bucket and shovel, usually digging, but occasionally finding other uses for her bucket too!

Walking in the surf with Pippi at Punalu'u

And tidepooling!

Walking over to the big house in the morning. Linnea also had lots of fun feading the pheasants, having tea parties, brushing the very patient cat Kea, and bouncing on the bed with her grandparents. It was hard to leave!

Snowy Day

2010-04-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

Morning yoga at the Niemacks. Everyone participates!

After a little warm-up, Nea's ready to hit the slopes! Or the playground anyway.

Kissing the front porch snowman on the way out...a daily ritual.

She loves to swing in any weather.

Enjoying a nice cozy fire afterwards. 'Cozy' was one of Nea's favorite words this spring...as well as one of ours!

Boulder

2010-04-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

Linnea making her first snowman!

She was very proud.

This started the phase of snowman kissing, which persisted as long as we had snow.

Linnea's aunt Alison came to visit us for a long weekend. We had a blast, and Linnea fell in love!

Her first haircut. She got to ride the pink elephant so she was thrilled by the whole experience. Especially the part where the barber sprayed her with the spray bottle. She kept yelling "more, more!"

...but she still has crazy hair!!

Winter in Steamboat

2010-03-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

Sledding down the big hill at Steamboat in February. Linnea loved sledding, but only wanted to go with Mom. She did not want to walk alongside, even on the flat bits, when poor Dad had to pull!

Whee! It was a beautiful weekend, and we got tons of snow. This is the road to the cabin.

We finally convinced her to go alone...at least down the little hill.

Reading with Grandma B at dinner.

Linnea discovered the doll sized tea set at the Cabin and that's basically all she wanted to do. She would set up "Woooody" and "Ahnie" to have tea with "Disour". On our last day in Steamboat Grandma B bought Nea her own tea set and she hasn't stopped having tea parties since. It's pretty cute!

And for some even older photos...we spent Thanksgiving at the Steamboat Cabin with Mike's brother Tyler and his girlfriend Caitlin. Unfortunately Linnea got very sick on Thanksgiving Day, with a fever over 105. But otherwise it was fun!

Sledding behind the cabin.

Enjoying a beautiful sunny day.

She's all ready for adventure!

Checking Mom's equipment to make sure we're good to go.

Success!

Eeew, kisses!!

Orcas Island

2010-03-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

In January we went to see Grandma MJ and Grandpa Bruce at their house on Orcas Island, Washington.

Sticker fun with Grandma (who Nea called 'Namma')!

Nea and Dad enjoying the beautiful view from the peninsula in front of their house.

Grandma had a head massager that really tickled your head. Linnea would make these ridiculous faces, but kept asking for more!

She loved throwing rocks into the sound.

Especially when Dad held her high up so they made a big splash!

Visiting Nea's Aunties Katie and Mary

2010-03-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

More fun in Hawaii

2010-03-02T13:48:00.000-08:00

Linnea sharing her yummy homemade olive bread with Pippi (the rest of us weren't quite so generous!)

One of our last days there Pippi and Ru offered to watch Linnea so that we could go have some adult fun. We hiked Mauna Loa, which is a beautiful but exhausting 10 mile trip that takes you up above 13,000 feet.

The crater at the top is stunning, and had lots of snow, with steam coming out of the many vents melting away patches in the snow. You can't see much of the snow in this picture, but there's a little bit behind Maren's head.

Meanwhile, Linnea had the time of her life getting spoiled by her grandparents. She went hiking (with Muppy and Puppy in tow), covered them with bandaids, and had a picnic on which she decided she would only drink from the cap of the water bottle. All things Mom and Dad said couldn't be done!

Then they went ohelo berry picking! Here she was all business, and pretty quickly filled an entire bag.

Nea playing one of her favorite games, which involved dressing her stuffed naked mole rat in a hat (apparently he was cold), then dropping him on the ground and yelling 'Oh No!'

Then went to Punalu'u Beach, where Linnea got to see big green sea turtles that come ashore there to bask. Here she is checking one out that is partly buried in the sand.

Tidepooling!

Hapuna and Mauna Kea

2010-02-20T14:35:00.000-08:00

When we were in Hawaii we spent a few days at the Hapuna Prince Hotel on the Kona Coast, right next door to where we got married. Linnea adjusted to the resort life very quickly.

There is a great beach there, and she spent a lot of time digging in the sand with her brand new beach toys,

then she talked Ru into taking a stroll on the beach with her.

The beach dance!

Pippi teaching Linnea how to build sandcastles.

She turned into a pro! Not really...it was someone else's abandoned castle. But Linnea took great joy in storming the castle, and especially seizing the flag that had been on top. Then she flattened it.

Trying to steal her great-grandma Ani's sunglasses.

Pippi and Ru got Linnea a floating turtle which she loved to stand in, and didn't want to leave for the beach without. But she wasn't so sure about actually floating in it.

She spent most of her time dragging it away from the pool.

We went to Mauna Kea for dinner, and visited the spot where we got married (by Ani) almost four years ago.

Laura and Laura (friends from high school) came down to meet us at Hapuna.

Linnea passed out in the middle of a snack with her bib on. Hard day at the beach!

More fun at Volcano

2010-02-17T21:38:00.000-08:00

Hiking in the National Park with Ru.

One of Linnea's favorite games was stealing and putting on his hat and glasses, which was adorable!

But not always very practical...

At the Farmers Market playground with Pippi.

Checking out the resident pheasants and cardinals from the porch.

Playing 'king of the castle' at Waiki'i Ranch.

Linnea was very interested in her uncle Peter's book 'Nutrient cycling and limitation', and spent a long time flipping through it over and over again. Future biogeochemist?

Learning about moemoe (sleepy) grass at the sulphur vents.

Linnea got a lot of new books for Christmas. One of her favorites is 'Moo baa lalala' (pictured here). She's especially fond of doing a singing pig impression.

Nea and her adoring grandma!

Christmas

2010-02-17T21:11:00.000-08:00

We went to Hawaii for the holidays. Linnea and I spent a few days with her great-grandmother Ani in Honolulu, and then headed to the Big Island to see her grandparents Pippi and Ru. Nea decorated Pippi with stickers on the plane.

Checking out Nene's cottage.

Browsing the menu at Nori's, the best saimen shop ever.

Michael (also known as Rudolph) after a run in with the shorebreak at Hapuna.

On Christmas morning, Linnea woke up to find her very own appropriately sized tree covered with ornaments that Pippi had made. She loved it!

Examining Santa's handiwork.

Stockings!

Opening her presents

One of Nea's favorite presents was a vet hospital, which has a syringe that she immediately turned into an eye dropper (since Lander has to have daily eye meds). She spent much of the next several weeks giving any and every stuffed animal she could find 'eye dops'.

December

2010-02-17T21:02:00.000-08:00

Fun in November

2009-11-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

Playing with Mama

Looking for trouble...

...which can be found just about everywhere. Trying to walk in Dad's birthday boots.

Playing "look what we found at the market!"

Running around the kitchen with a bag over her head, and bumping into walls.

When she's particularly mischievous we bring out the Wild Thing horns.

It's getting increasingly difficult to get nice pictures of her, because when we ask her to smile (for the camera) she makes this goofy winking face.

And a belated Halloween pic from the gorgeous carousel at the Denver zoo.

Halloween

2009-10-31T19:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

We took Linnea and Lander to a 'trunk or treat' with our playgroup. Linnea discovered a love of pretzels, and spent lots of time roaring like a lion. Lander discovered the benefits of following clumsy kids around who are trying to eat and walk at the same time. Everyone wins!

Visiting the lion house at Boo at the Zoo.

September and October

2009-10-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

We went to Estes Park in September for a Niemack Family reunion.

Linnea and Minna playing with Cousin Max (who was in Italy)

Hiking with Great Aunts Susan and Judy.

Hanging with the family.

Mike's cousin Tom came to visit in September and we hiked to the top of Bear Peak and South Boulder Peak.

Oooh, cinnamon rolls!

Our favorite goofball.

Relaxing at an outdoor concert in Boulder.

Enjoying the last days of summer at the pool

Linnea would not take off her green sandals and bathrobe. Quite a combo!

She had lots of fun playing in the fountains.

But once she discovered the slide it was all over (for Mom and Dad anyway, who had to spend the next hour making sure she didn't go down headfirst/backwards/standing up, etc.)

Meeting her friend Jessie's horse.

Class of 2030? (Actually, we're going to have to root for Amherst...)

Oh my goodness - a hat!

Playing in a box with a friend of Uncle Tyler's

Grandma Mary Jane came to visit in October, and we went on a hike to Lost Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness with Tyler and Caitlin

Linnea has finally decided she likes her sunglasses - and adores her mittens!

Playing with Grandma at the lake

Hydration is key!

California

2009-10-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

On our way back from Yosemite we stayed in California for a few days

We stayed with Mike's sister Elisa, her husband Scott, and their daughter Minna (8 mos), and also met up with some friends from Princeton and their new son Zander.

We were treated to lots of Scott's amazing cooking!

At our friends Jeff and Maureen's wedding in Monterey.

Linnea's first first birthday party, at her Great Aunt Pam and Great Uncle Peter's house in Palo Alto. She was astounded by the strawberry shortcake.

And made short work of it!

The birthday girl, Dad, and Aunt Elisa

Linnea's First Birthday

2009-10-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

Linnea turned one! (Almost two months ago...sorry for the photo delay!)

We had a luau with tons of ono Hawaiian food including manapua, mac salad, and poi.

Lots of Linnea's family and friends came to celebrate, including Pippi, Auntie Laura, Gramps, Uncle Tyler, and Auntie Kaylie

Hauoli La Hanau!

Linnea was shocked that we let her eat a frosting-covered cupcake. Yum!

At the playground with Pippi.

On the slide with uncle Tyler.

Swings are her favorite!

Ru couldn't come, but he sent Linnea a beautiful haku, a baby lei, and a grass skirt.

She was kind enough to wear them (for a little while anyway).

Presents!!

More pics from Linnea's birthday week

2009-10-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

Linnea and Pippi playing at the Dushanbe Teahouse.

Who is that cute baby in the mirror?

The Wild Thing eats dinner.

Shaka!

Femme fatale in training? She's already mastered the look...

Linnea's favorite birthday present was a wagon from her great-grandmother Ani. She started out cautiously, but pretty soon she was trucking down the sidewalk with a brand-new sense of independence!

Then she learned how to run, which terrified her parents.

Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park

Auntie Laura was a trooper!

Dad, Linnea, and Aunt Kaylie taking a break.

Peekaboo!

Yosemite

2009-08-16T20:21:00.000-07:00

We spent a week camping in Yosemite just before Linnea's first birthday. She was a great camper, and seemed to really enjoy it!

In front of Yosemite Falls.

Dad spent the second day river rafting the rapids, while Linnea and I hiked to a pretty lake and went swimming.

It was tough to get Linnea to nap in the tent at first, especially since she quickly realized she could get our attention by waving at us through the mesh, which invariably cracked us up. But she got the hang of it eventually!

She spent her afternoons working in the coal mines to make us a little extra money.

Linnea and Mom at Glacier Point, with Half Dome in the background.

She has learned to make a very silly face when she's tired of us taking photos of her. It works!

Having a picnic at Glacier Point.

Half dome in the sunset.

Where to next? Linnea 'helping' us pack for our backpacking trip.

What were we thinking? All of the stuff we had to carry for our four-day backpacking trip. And it was bear country (as we quickly learned in person) so we had to bring bear canisters for everything, including the diapers!

Linnea decided to have a snack while Mom and Dad packed the backpacks.

All loaded up!

And we're there! Our gorgeous campsite at Upper Cathedral Lake.

Linnea gave her seal of approval!

And promptly took a nap.

Goofing around in the tent.

Our campsite from across the lake.

We stayed there for four days and did dayhikes from there, including this one out towards Yosemite Valley. The wildflowers were beautiful.

Linnea loves to steal and put on Mom's and Dad's sunglasses, but refuses to wear her own!

Contemplating a pinecone.

Playing at camp.

We taught her to scrub the cooking pots. She was a quick study!

Marmot!

More wildflowers on the way up Echo Peak.

The view from almost-the-top of the peak.

Picnicking at Budd Lake.

Linnea's little friend.

The happy adventurer!

Hugging Mom.

The whole family.

Linnea slept the whole way home.

Exploring Cathedral Lake.

Trying to eat the grass...

Dad swimming in Cathedral Lake...with a monster thunderstorm/hailstorm brewing in the background!

Reading bedtime books after a (very) long day!

More pictures of our gorgeous surroundings.

Sunrise at Cathedral Lake on our last morning (Nea was kind enough to ensure that we were almost always up by this beautiful time).

Minnesota

2009-08-16T20:16:00.001-07:00

In July we went to Minnesota for my Uncle John's memorial service. It was a very sad reason to go, but good to see the family, especially Linnea's two most recent cousins that are both within six months of her age. Unfortunately none of us remembered to take a photo of the trio!

Linnea 'sharing' her rocks with her cousin Madison at the lake.

Steamboat Springs

2009-07-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

We went to Steamboat Springs for the 4th of July. We found a great spot to watch the Steamboat Parade. Linnea enjoyed watching the action.

But liked eating her toes even more.

She may be cute...

...but here comes trouble!

Linnea's first rodeo. Future cowgirl?

Coors, Dad? Really?? I thought you had taste.

Hey, this actually fits me.

Perfect!!

Linnea discovers that grated cheese is pure bliss.

But it's hard to figure out how to get it inside your mouth!

Ptthbt.

In the end she decided to wash it all down with one big chug.

But was still covered in cheese!

This is Zeeba at air traffic control, wishing Pippi and Ru a good trip!

Summer Fun

2009-07-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

We took Linnea swimming at Boulder Reservoir, which is as close as you get to a beach in the middle of the Rockies!

The 'sand' was quite a success, in spite of being useless at making sand castles!

Standing all by herself!

Linnea has developed a frightening obsession with mouthing beer bottles.

And appears to have also perfected the drunken stumble (but I assure you, she's never actually tasted a drop!)

But she's ready to be the Official Spokesperson of Boulder Beer (in another 20 years).

Backpacking!

2009-06-27T07:07:00.000-07:00

Linnea's first backpacking trip! She had her very own set of long underwear, and baby smartwool socks.

Riding the Daddy Pony around camp = endless fun.

Dinnertime! The little lounger ate like a horse.

And then had Muppy for dessert.

We could never leave without Muppy!

It was pretty chilly (almost 10,000 ft) so Linnea had to wear a snowsuit to bed! She wasn't thrilled, but it was totally adorable.

Early morning exercises in the forest.

Stealing Mom's sunglasses at Crater Lake (a favorite pastime).

Lander the Amazing Pack Dog, who carried all of his own stuff plus most of our water. He's also (slowly) getting used to everyone we pass laughing at his sunglasses.

Linnea learns to drink from a nalgene!

Practicing her hunt seat equitation on a log. Look at that balance!

'Hey, why aren't we getting anywhere?'

Flying!!

2009-06-18T14:55:00.000-07:00

Mike and Linnea took a quick trip to Pasadena for Bob's 60th Birthday Baseball BBQ Bash, where they had lots of fun!

Linnea finally got to meet (and play with) with her cousin Minna, who is six months old.

We also had a wonderful visit from our friend Kate, who lives in New York. We went on a beautiful hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The happy hikers!

She especially enjoyed watching the bold squirrels.

2009-06-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

Baby performance art

'What do you mean I can't chew on the paint? You're ruining all my fun!'

Fortunately, all misunderstandings were cleared up with a nice warm bath.

Having fun can be exhausting!

Gramby and Ann came to visit on Memorial Day weekend, and we went to the Boulder Creek Fair on a very rainy Sunday afternoon.

And on a beautiful spring hike...

...to check nestboxes.

We found eggs!

Goofing around with Gramby.

Poor Lander has been diagnosed with a degenerative eye disorder that's accelerated by sunlight. Now he has to sport 'doggles' whenever he's outside.

At first he tried to rub them off on anything (or anyone) within reach, but now he seems to accept them as just another important part of being my Trusty Research Assistant. Like pack guarding. Especially if it has cheese in it.

'Hey, move it along here!!'

'That's better.'

Future scientist?

2009-05-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Pippi!! Love, the Birthday Elf

Linnea started talking a few weeks ago. She says Mama, Dada, dog, and Lander (which might actually have been her first word, although I'm sort of pretending that Mama came first).

Now the only time she's quiet is when she's stuffing things into her mouth!

Look what arrived in the mail!

She's also crawling (finally) and cruising, and is especially fond of making her own walkers out of whatever she can find around the house. Here comes trouble!

Linnea's first kiddie pool experience.

It was a little chilly, but she had fun!

Examining her name day card from Pippi and Ru.

Uh oh...is Linnea picking up on her parents caffeine addiction?

Looks like it!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T19:25:00.000-07:00

Linnea's day care teachers learned that she loves to finger paint.

So for Mother's Day, I set her up and let her pick the colors for her first piece.

Then, she focused all her attention on making a second one with the rest of the colors.

Maybe a future artist?

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in our family!
Love, Linnea, Michael, and Maren

Linnea's first tooth!

2009-05-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

I forgot to add this photo showing Linnea's first tooth!

She's no longer the "toothless wonder"!

April and Early May

2009-05-10T11:11:00.000-07:00

Linnea and Lander have been bonding more lately...

... especially over their mutual desire to chew on toys.

Linnea loves standing up on her changing table after her nightly baths,

and she often appears to be trying to climb up the texture on the wall.

Tyler stayed with us for a week before heading to Orcas to work on Mom and Bruce's new house.

He and Linnea had a lot of fun together.

Linnea learns about ...

She uses her jumper less frequently lately, but she still loves it sometimes.

Linnea tries out her great, great grandmother's cookie recipe, which were sent by grandma Mary Jane.

She loves them!

Just a few days ago Linnea started standing up with no support for a few seconds at a time, but we haven't quite gotten it on camera yet.

Linnea pops mom's bubbles from dad's lap.

POP!

Mmmmmm ... avocado, cheese, and pasta ... best meal ever.

I am the walrus!

2009-04-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

Linnea's first pasta! Apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Enjoying the toasty pool at the Steamboat Hot Springs

Linnea used to get a tiny bit overwhelmed by swimming

although she's always been a fan of a nice, warm, post-swim shower with Dad.

She has been in swim lessons for a month now, and has turned into a fish!

She will jump off the side of the pool and dunk all the way under water. I think she's almost ready to learn how to surf.

Yum!

Sporting an impressive bed head!

2009-04-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

Linnea looking pensive.

Attack of the sweet potatoes!

And finally, some long-lost pics from Hawaii: Linnea and Pippi

and with her Auntie Mary.

2009-03-06T11:53:00.000-08:00

Nene and Nenes! After lots of searching, we finally found a pair at Volcano, who even obliged us with a photo.

Linnea in hysterics over Pippi's ka-chooo game.

Sorting items at our departure from Volcano - Kea stays, Nea goes...

Snoozing in Honolulu in preparation for the red-eye home.

She was a remarkably cheery traveler!

Volcano and Black Sands Beach

2009-03-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

After the parties we flew to Hilo to visit Volcano.

Linnea rediscovered Grandpa Ru and his tasty glasses!

Kea the cat was not thrilled to see an intruder sleeping in her spot.

The Volcano Cottage has officially become a Nene Crossing.

Linnea contemplates which of the resident stuffed animals to steal from Pippi!

And rediscovers Mom's old Fisher Price toys.

Linnea tried poi, the staple Hawaiian baby food. She seemed to concur with most mainlanders on it's taste.

On our last day there we went to Black Sands Beach.

Linnea saw her first green sea turtle!

...of the non-stuffed variety anyway.

2009-03-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

Maren and Linnea are in Hawaii celebrating Linnea's great-grandmother Ani's 90th birthday. We spent the first five days staying with Ani in Honolulu.

Linnea met her godmother Pam and her cousin Liana.

Linnea and her great aunts Sharon and Pam were all born on August 3rd!

Linnea's new favorite game is stealing Ru's glasses.

She was fascinated by the fish at the Waikiki Aquarium.

And now she has her very own mini-fish tank!

Posing with Pippi.

"Hey, that camera looks yummy!"

"See Mom, no teeth!"

Linnea and Pippi goofing around at the family party.

Having lunch with Ru...

and Pippi!

Linnea wore a beautiful pikake and rosebud lei to Ani's birthday party.

The Birthday Girl and Judge Frances Wong.

It's hard to believe she's 90 years young!

Linnea eating apples and laughing

2009-02-26T20:18:00.000-08:00

When we were recently traveling to Princeton, we took all Linnea's clothes off before feeding her, so that there was less laundry to wash. She adjusted to wearing nothing but her giant pink bib and a diaper quite well, and would mostly just sit on the bed with her hands at her sides, then dive towards every bite of food that we offered her until she was full. Sometimes she made adorable grunting sounds like a little monster attacking the food on the spoon.

Linnea thought that Maren doing the Mission Impossible soundtrack was absolutely hilarious! She had already been laughing for a few minutes by the time I got my phone out and started recording.

2009-02-12T19:32:00.001-08:00

In January, Linnea and Kelly went with Maren to a conference she had in Boston. They found lots of fun things to do while Mom was away!

Linnea is really starting to enjoy reading books. Especially when it allows her to put off her bedtime!

Hanging upside down is another favorite.

Sitting up on her new jungle playmat!

2009-02-12T19:03:00.000-08:00

We took the little reindeer skiing for New Years.

She rode all the way to the top of Keystone Mountain on the gondola.

Future skier - or snowboarder?

Pippi and Linnea played at the mid-mountain lodge while Mom and Dad got to go skiing!!

Having fun on New Years Eve.

On the way home we finally got a sprinkling of snow for the last remaining Hawaiian in town! It didn't last long.

Christmas!

2009-01-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

The little reindeer had her first Christmas!

Santa arried with a sleigh-full of goodies for the whole family.

Linnea was fascinated by her head-bobbing iguana.

And loved her stuffed Nene!

Success!

She shows off her new Jungle Jumperoo.

Phew...Christmas is exhausting!

Linnea's Baptism

2009-01-18T12:09:00.000-08:00

A few days before Christmas, Linnea was baptized at an Episcopal Church in Boulder.

Here Linnea is wearing Maren's old baptism gown, which was made by her grandmother Kelly, and dad is wearing his Grandfather Jim Elgin's tie.

Linnea's great grandmother, Ani, came to town for the baptism and for Christmas, along with her grandparents Kelly and Frederic,

and two of her godparents, Nathan and Laura.

She was a little shocked by the water on her head but handled it all in great form.

Here she is enjoying (or praying with?) her baptism candle.

Thanksgiving 2008

2009-01-11T20:16:00.000-08:00

To our loyal blog-watchers: sorry for the delay! We had a wonderful but very busy holiday season. We'll be catching up soon!

We went to Steamboat for Thanksgiving to visit Gardner, Pat, and Ali.

Linnea became quite the football fan.

After a monster blowout, Linnea got an almost-naked ride home from daycare!

Giant snow in Boulder!!

Linnea went on her first ferry ride to visit Mary Jane and Bruce on Orcas Island in Puget Sound.

Linnea bonds with Aunt Kaylie...

...and then was eaten by a shark.

Three and a half months!

2008-11-20T20:29:00.000-08:00

Our first big snow! Linnea grudgingly tolerated being bundled up for a walk.

But was not thrilled by having to take off so many layers when we got home.

She has recently learned that she can reach out and grab her toys!

And most importantly, shove them straight into her mouth. Yum!

2008-11-04T07:56:00.000-08:00

Please vote!

2008-11-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

Now for the last round of Hawaii pictures...visiting the new vent at Halemaumau Crater.

She's about to blow!

Uh oh...

Linnea likes to chat with the Mirror Baby.

"Ugh, I hate pink!"

Hee haw!

The pilaka-covered toes were quite a hit.

More kisses! Linnea met her Aunties Katie and Mary, who did a great job of further spoiling her.

We spent several more wonderful days with her great-grandma Ani on O'ahu.

Her grandma Pippi and I took Linnea for her first dip in the Pacific Ocean.

Getting sand betwen her toes was her favorite part!

We also went for a few more dips at the Kahala Nui pool - in style of course!

Four generations at the Pacific Club.

Much to Lander's dismay, we got home just in time for Halloween.

Giddyup!

Kapa dressed up as a sweet kitty for Halloween.

But there was no question who had the cutest costume!

2008-10-31T16:43:00.000-07:00

Boo!

2008-10-25T23:40:00.000-07:00

Michael flew out to work on the telescope on Mauna Kea, and joined us at Volcano for his big 3 0 at the Kilauea Lodge.

Future equestrienne?

Oooh…toes!

Linnea communes with her Happy Apple,

and her doting Grandpa Ru.

Enjoying the Volcano sunshine!

Linnea was fascinated by a picture of Nene (her nickname) we saw at a gallery.

But wasn’t so into the lemon tree…

2008-10-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

Linnea and Maren flew to Hawaii to visit her grandparents and great-grandma. We were greeted with appropriately-sized lei,

and very excited family!

Linnea was a very good traveler, but perhaps a tad grumpy at times.

We enjoyed a dip at her great-grandma Ani’s.

Then it was off to the Big Island to meet her thrilled grandpa Ru,

explore grandma Pippi’s beautiful native plant garden,

and try out her new changing table!

2008-10-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Linnea met her Grandma Mary Jane, who came for a visit in September.

We all went on a picnic at Point May

The adults enjoyed some food and wine,

and Lander tried to chase chipmunks but hobbled himself instead.

Playing with Uncle Tyler

Nea loves her bath!

But hates towelling off.

She took a trip to the farmers' market.

and even climbed a tree!

Though she's not sure she likes trees just yet.

We spent the weekend in Aspen for Maren's birthday.

We took the gondola up Aspen Mountain - which seemed to really confuse Lander. But he loved the hike at the top!

Linnea saw her first snowfall! Though she spent most of the time zipped into Dad's jacket.

Afterwards we sat in front of the fire at the lodge, and Linnea got to warm her toes on Dad's stomach...which was accompanied by many giggles!

Then it was off to the toasty outdoor pool for her first swim. She was fascinated by it, in spite of the chilly weather!

The next day we hiked around Snowmass and enjoyed the brilliant yellow and orange of the fall aspens.

On the way home we stopped for a hike in the town of No Name along the Colorado River.

Linnea and Mom enjoyed the river,

while Lander tested his surefootness on the rocks (and ended up pretty wet).

2008-09-22T20:31:00.000-07:00

The 8-year anniversary of our first date,

which we celebrated with a picnic on Flagstaff Mountain.

Linnea has several adorable cozy hats,

though she's not sure she's a fan of any just yet.

Retro baby! Linnea wearing Maren's old baby clothes.

Lander carries all our food and water on day hikes, and still has enough energy left to climb up every boulder he can find.

Naked baby in the woods!

Family Reunion!

2008-09-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

For the 89th birthday of Carl Niemack (Mike’s grandfather) we had a family reunion in Estes Park, CO.

(Note to family members: Please send us more photos from the reunion. Thanks!)

Linnea met her only (until sometime in December) first cousin, Max, and her aunt Colleen.

5 month old Max was extremely excited by all the people and fun,

and he really liked riding in the hammock with Colleen

and Grandpa Bob.

We went on a short hike with Linnea’s great-grandfather, Carl, and great-aunts Margy, Judy, and Susan (who’s not in the photo).

We got pretty close to a herd of rutting elk,

although Linnea slept through most of that.

One Month Old

2008-09-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

The little monkey.

After Linnea's hair gets wet, it becomes incredibly curly! When we first saw this in the hospital, we worried that our baby had been switched, but the nurse never took her out of the room. Who knows what it will look like when she’s older?

More curls!

Dino PJs...

rarrrrrrr!

Hike with the fam.

Exhausted.

The end of one of our favorite nearby hikes.