House Projects with Fran

Francis came up for the wekeend, but this was no pleasure trip... we put this man to work! First trip was Home Depot to bulk up on supplies for a weekend full of projects.


Gum on tire... try to do this on purpose!

Rewiring the ONE room in the entire house that didn't have a dimmer... the TV room!

Now for the REALLY fun stuff... reseating the toilent. The previous owners had put it down wrong, resulting in a nasty leak. Does Fran's facial expression give you a hint as to what he's looking at?

Trying not to make the same mistake ourselves.

Now its time for some fun-- Jesse came over after a long day of C4C sporting events, but was still game for some late night hearts.... just like old times down in Escondido.

Final tally for the weekend:
2 newly installed ceiling speakers
1 reseated toilet
1 regrouted sink
2 rewired kitchen lights
1 rewired dimmer switch
3 mounted cabinets in the garage
1 new thermostat and dining room paint job
1 set of discovered knob and tube wiring
.. and 5 more projects well underway... Thanks Fran!

Family Baby Shower Weekend

Eunice's college roommate Kristin flew in from Indianapolis late Thursday night for the weekend. On Friday, after grabbing a bite to eat at Coppenhagen Bakery in Burlingame, they headed into San Francisco to check out the new De Young Museum. Kristin espeically liked the "beanbag ladies" in the sculpture garden!


Saturday was a momentus day - Eunice's first baby shower, hosted by Nancy. Here, Nancy poses with Auntie Pak, Eunice's mom, and Cousin Danielle.




Aunt Donna and Jan prepare materials for an old-fashioned quilting circle, the central activity of the shower.



Each woman was given a square cloth to decorate using thread or paint. Stencils were provided for those requiring a little creative kick-start. :)



Betsy and Kristin work diligently on their piece of the quilt.



Aunt Donna and Eunice take a short break to pose for the camera.



Grandma Mimi - soon to be great-grandma - participates in the quilting project as well.



Eunice's first attempt at embroidery. Let's hope "Nichols, Jr." appreciates mom's efforts!



By the time the baby is born, these pieces of cloth will be woven into a very special quilt for the baby's room.



White tulips, jellybean-filled baby booties and miniature rattles added just the right touch to the brunch table.



A mimosa toast to the mom-to-be from Eunice's mom, Aunt Pak, Counsin Danielle, college friend Kristin, Ryan's step-mother Nancy, Aunt Donna, Grandma Mimi, and family friends Betsy, Mimsy, Jeffrey, and Jan.



No meal is complete without dessert. Nancy went all out, providing not one - but two - absolutely delicious cakes.



In addition to a baby photo frame, Nancy's gift for the baby was an adorable animal-themed sheet/blanket set...complete with crib! We think this is Nancy's way of hinting it's time to get the nursery set up. :)



Cute animal-themed baby clothes - perfect for a tall baby!



Eunice's mom's gift was a special gold necklace that was given to her when she was born 60 years ago.



Kristin gave us our first children's book (cow-themed, of course), a bib Eunice might be tempted to wear herself, and a collection of practical items complete with medical tips. Thanks, Dr. Hem!



Donna bought us a fabulous Peg-Perego stroller and car seat. Ryan's going to like the handles that adjust for taller people.



Parting shot before heading back to San Mateo, car trunk filled with goodies for the baby. (Back row, left to right: Auntie Pak, Eunice's mom, Eunice, Michael. Front row, left to right: Aunt Donna, Cousin Danielle, Kristin, Nancy)



On Sunday, we went for a walk along the reservoir by Crystal Springs Road. All in all, a special weekend with family and friends.

Tummy Shot

Here is the long awaited tummy shot: a very pregnant Eunice in her 6th month.... doc tells her she's only half-way there in terms of weight gain, and that she'd better bulk up!

Easter Week

Easter week started with the first nice day we've had in a month! Our friend Josh was in town from Boston, so we took advantage of the sunshine to go for a walk around Crystal Springs Resevoir, just a couple of minutes from our new home in San Mateo.


The next weekend brought substantially worse weather. Ryan was convinced we'd get a break in the clounds and the rangers assured us that the weather would clear, but the kiwihapa gang (Alonzo, Grace, Phil, Nikki, Ryan, Eunice, and born / unborn kids) went for a test run for our future travel with the little ones. Phil and Nikki were the real troopers, bringing Gaby out to brave the elements. It was too wet to use her new backpack, but Ryan's raincoat was big enough to keep baby nice and dry underneath in the Baby Bjorn.



"Are you OK in there Gaby?" "As long as I can see, Mom!"


Now we're talking-- nice and warm here in the visitor center. We may have only lasted 20 minutes on the mountain, but that was enough to earn a hearty lunch of 40 spice hummus, cracked pepper salami, and smoked gouda cheese.


Now the real hike begins: trekking through the outlets down the hill at Gilroy. A good way to pass a rainy afternoon.


Mom and mothers-to-be checking out the baby clothes at the outlet store. See anything in size... "cinco"?


Easter brunch at Ryan and Eunice's place. If we look tired, its because we spent the morning dealing with a mini-flood sweeping through our garage, caused by the perfect storm of a rainy morning, high tide, and a clogged drain leading to a full "perc pit." Ahh, the joys of home ownership. We ended up calling the fire department (we're such novices) who were super nice at helping us figure out the problem... we had everything drained in time for our guests!