Baby Preparation

Susan has been in full-swing getting things ready for the baby. We have a whole list of house projects we want to get done this summer and we would like to have everything ready for the baby before school starts.

Susan made a silk/flannel blanket for the baby with a silk she dyed at her Lifeways training.
The cradle is all set up, though we still need to find the mattress.
We have a new diaper bag and after a couple of years in storage the puff rocker is all set up.

Cincinnati

Last week we made our annual summer trip to Cincinnati for the 4th of July. I got to work a little bit while Susan and the kids hung out with friends and explored the city. For the 4th of July we enjoyed a day of swimming at Joyce and Dave’s, complete with a locally-grown fireworks display put on by Will. Thursday we made it to Ikea and then on Friday we hung out with friends. As usual, it was a fun, busy time.

Will with the kids on his back.
The kids spent nearly the whole day in the pool on the 4th of July.
Elliot loved floating around in the boat.
Watching Fireworks
Fishing in Spring Grove Cemetery

Brunch with Friends

A couple of of Susan’s/our friends happened to be passing through town this morning to and from Omaha so we had a nice brunch, complete with waffles and ice cream!

Sarah & Susana Olson-Smith, Elliot, Andrew, Mari, Susan, and Andrea, Grace & Jack Foley-Murphy

2012 Mahoney State Park

Last week we made our annual trip to Mahoney State Park with the Liess clan. As usual, a good time was had by all.

Archery
We celebrated Mari’s birthday on Sunday.
Susan, Erin, Nate, and I enjoyed playing headbanz, a game Mari got for her birthday.
The Kids Saying Good-bye to Joe

Colorado Vacation – Day 13 – RMNP

Today we made one last trip into Rocky Mountain National Park. We were hoping to hit the Bear Lake area one more time, but because of the construction we decided to check out Trail Ridge Road.

Rocky Mountain National Park
Mari, Andrew, and Elliot – If you look above the space between Mari and Andrew you can see a plume of smoke from a fire.
Playing in the Snow
The Hyland Clan

Colorado Vacation – Day 12 – Mari’s Birthday

Today we headed into town in the morning to meet my Uncle Tom, who lives in Colorado Springs, for lunch. We had a nice lunch, hung out in Boulder for a bit, and then headed back to our house in Nederland to celebrate Mari’s birthday.

Lunch with Tom
Playing in Boulder Creek
Happy Birthday Mari!
Monika, Johannes, and Georg joined us for the party.

Colorado Vacation – Day 10 – RMNP

Today we headed back into RMNP to explore more of the park. We made our way to the Alluvial Fan where we enjoyed climbing up the river bed. After that we ate lunch and then went for a short hike for a different view. We ate dinner in Estes Park and then drove back up to Bear Lake.

B-Bob in Front of the Falls

Colorado Vacation – Day 9 – Lifeways Graduation

Today was Susan’s graduation from the Lifeways program that she has been participating in for the past year. The kids and I headed to Boulder in the morning for a beautiful ceremony and a nice lunch. After the ceremony we headed back to Monika & Paul’s so Susan could collect her things (and eat one last helping of milk rice). Then we headed back up the hill to Nederland.

Susan & Monika

Colorado Vacation – Day 8 – Boulder

With ‘The Hylands’ (what we will call the Cincinnatians from now on) being new in town we decided to start off the trip with a simple hike and then running some errands in Boulder. We had a nice hike the Chautauqua Park and then we split ways with the Hylands. The kids and I went swimming at a city pool in Boulder and then met Susan to go to a pot-luck with her Lifeways crew. It was a great evening and the kids had a lot of fun.

The View from the Overlook