Best of 2008

Our fondest memories from 2008...



2008 started out with big news... we're having another boy! What better way to celebrate than with a wonderful week in Hawaii. We flew out for Eunice's childhood friend Jerry's wedding, and stayed at the wonderful home of Susan and Steve.

Then it was back to life in the Bay Area: We continued to bond with our community of friends with kids, including hikes with Grace and Alonzo, date night swaps with the Wangs, trips to the zoo (many zoos!), museums, and visits from our old friends Brian, Cora, and Spencer.

Our next big trip was in March to Venice Beach-- another "Kibbutz" weekend with Jesse, Eileen, KB, and Lee. Po Po (Eunice' mom) came out for a solo weekend with Spencer, a welcome break for the expectant parents.

We spent Easter in Dallas, visiting Jennifer and David and agonizing over the right career move for Ryan. He came back, gave notice at SAP after 3 1/2 years, and joined a startup called Appirio to run product management. An exciting switch... no more trips to Germany! Ryan's other big milestone was his 33rd birthday, celebrated with a great dinner in the Marina and a romantic lunch with Eunice in Half Moon Bay.

April was our final month with 1 baby: a baby shower for us, a baby shower for Jesse and Eileen, some quality time at the lake, and lots of preparation for Spencer.... his first real bed and training for being a big brother. Here's our last dinner before Tyler arrived...

And then we were four! Tyler Lin Nichols was born at 6:51 on May 16 through natural childbirth (no epidural for poor Eunice) after 2.5 hours of labor, only 30 minutes after arriving at the hospital - we barely made it in time! Tyler's first moments included a wonderful day at Sequoia Hospital with mom and dad, meeting his big brother, and meeting all of our family in the area.

Back at home, Tyler had his first real bath , time hanging around the house, and lots and lots of weight gain. The big question: can you tell Spencer and Tyler apart?

It was so special to have Terry in town for the summer, plus Jennifer and David and all the grandkids! We spent a weekend with the entire Lin family in Napa. (Tyler's first trip @ 1 week!) Saying farewell to Eunice' mother at the end of the summer was tough... goodbye Po Po!

Spencer had a pretty good summer himself, for a 2 year old: his first backpacking trip with Adam and Ryan in Desolation Wilderness, a visit to a fire house, joy rides at the supermarket, pajama parties with Gaby and Theo, massive "mega bloks" creations, his first sleep away with friends, singing and hanging out with his little brother, concerts in Central Park, time at the beach, exploring the tide pools, time in the kiddie pool, time at the zoo, time at the farm, foosball and pizza at Dad's office, a very cool RC car from Juanita, and a great birthday party with our community group... complete with fireworks!

3 milestones in July: Spencer turned 2, Eunice turned 33, and our beloved Gong Gong passed away.

We ended our summer with a marathon trip: Labor day weekend with the Hills in Twain Harte, a week in San Diego for the Joyce family reunion and to see Ryan's Family, and a week in Boston and Martha's Vineyard to visit some friends and attend Jon and Alison's wedding. We came back and needed a break!

Our boys are growing up so quickly: Tyler is already rolling over, trying out his swing, sleeping at night, trying solid food .... even went on his first camping trip, with our community group at Casini Ranch. Spencer is a "big boy" in so many ways now. He loves singing happy birthday to Po Po, riding trains with his Uncle Morgan, and wearing his own backpack when we travel.

Fall arrived in earnest, starting with our church retreat in the mountains above Santa Cruz, Halloween with Cora, Thanksgiving with the Nichols, and an only-in-California sunny trip to the beach. We also worked on the less tangible things: deepening friendships, learning how to draw and make-believe (Spencer), and learning how to sit, laugh, and take a bath with his brother (Tyler).

How did it get to be the holidays so soon? To prepare, we did a family photo shoot for gifts to the grandparents, and picked out a christmas tree at Fort Mason. Then let the parties begin! The Gates, the Canadas, IDEO, and SNBC were highlights. We spent Christmas itself on a grand tour of the Bay Area-- Christmas Eve at the Hills, Christmas morning at home with Susan and Jim, brunch at Dad's place in the Marina, and dinner at Nancy's in Marin. Then it was off to a week in Lake Tahoe with the Nichols to celebrate New Year.

2008 was a year of great change, great challenge, and great joy for our family. We're finally getting the hang of balancing work and being parents of two little boys. Here's hoping for a slightly more RESTful 2009... [Though the RESTless side of us is kicking off the new year with a trip to Mexico. Oh well!]

New Year's in Tahoe

We celebrated New Year's this year with a week up in Lake Tahoe, staying at a fantastic cabin right on Donner Lake with Mike, Therese, Adam, and Rachel. We were just down the street from Grace and Alonzo's family place. Phil and Nikki also came up for a few days... Add 1 dog and 2 old college buddies / new colleagues to the mix (Bill & Chico), and you have quite a crew!

Click here for a slideshow, or see below for more...


The location was perfect, especially since it was so beautiful for most of the week. Spencer loved exploring the snow in the backyard, making forts, and throwing rocks in the lake... he even spotted a "reindeer" one morning down by the water. Not pictured is the jacuzzi under the deck, perfect for the apres-ski soak as the sun sets over Donner Pass.


We made use of the inside of the cabin as well, of course, with lots time playing with the kids, cooking/eating fantastic meals, and playing a couple of epic poker games, including a late-night game on New Year's Eve. We made it out for 2 dinners: the Truckee Diner one night and Moody's Bistro the other (Moody's had a jazz band that the kids loved dancing to, much to the chagrin of the other patrons!)



Ryan and Adam did get a couple of days in at Sugar Bowl, plus a couple of days cross-country skiing (much harder than Ryan remembers now that he's towing a 50 pound sled!). We also made it out sledding almost every day: Spencer loved falling off the sled and rolling down the hills, and Tyler seemed to be having a pretty good time as well.

Ryan was often up early with Spencer, but was rewarded on New Year's morning with a gorgeous sunrise over the lake. He and Spencer watched it from the dock-- the perfect way to start 2009!

Click here for the full slideshow...

Christmas dinner at Nancy's

We finished our Christmas day journey at Nancy's place in Corte Madera for a fantastic turkey dinner with the Barrons.



Highlights included Mimi hiding under a napkin to talk to Uncle Tom, Nancy's special gifts from Nepal, Spencer's continued crush on cousin Michelle, Tyler happy for hours in Nancy's yellow armchair, lots of puzzle time on the carpet, and Nancy playing "train" with the boys... thanks for hosting, Nancy!

Christmas Brunch in the Marina

After a low key Christmas morning in San Mateo, we headed up to the Marina for a delicious crab salad brunch with Michael and Therese. Our special guests were Jimmy, Adam's fraternity brother at Tufts, and Abhinav, Ryan's colleague out for a 6 week visit from India.



Highlights included the delicious meal, watching Abhinav make friends with Abby the Boxer, Ryan and Eunice disappearing for a 2 hour nap with the boys while everyone else went for a hike, and helping Abhinav plot his path back to San Mateo via public transit (don't worry, he made it!).

Christmas Eve at the Hills

We continued our annual tradition of spending Christmas Eve at the Hills with Uncle Bob, Aunt Kathy, and Kathy's extensive family!

Click here for the full slideshow....



Highlights of the evening included Adam and Rachel sharing their baby news with the family, Spencer and Tyler making a Kathy sandwich (see bottom right photo), finding Spencer upstairs with his female cousins with his pants off (don't ask), Ryan beating Eddie at foosball, and Susan and Jim winning the award for worst white elephant gift-- difficult to describe, but basically a gaudy, light-up model of a casino. Merry Christmas, everybody!

Visit from Susan and Jim

Susan and Jim came out to visit for the holidays. In addition to the rest of our Christmas festivities chronicled on these pages, highlights of their visit included sorting through the U-Haul full of furniture and memorabilia they brought up from San Diego, Jim's regular morning bagel and coffee runs, Nai Nai reading Spencer Ryan's favorite books from childhood, and a fantastic birthday dinner for Susan in Mill Valley.

Happy Birthday, Nai Nai!!!

Spencer made a special cake to help celebrate Ryan's mom's birthday. Here he sings Happy Birthday to Nai Nai with much gusto before helping her blow out the candles.

Doodling with Mom

Spencer's past the stage of getting frustrated by drawing (for a while his favorite drawing phrase was "you do it!"). Now he dives into a coloring book with gusto, especially one as neat as the one Grace and Alonzo gave him. His favorite things to draw are circles (most commonly intended as the wheels on a garbage truck) and colorful scribbles (most commonly intended as fire or water).

Here, Eunice and Spencer take it to the next level, drawing the sun, clouds, fish and flowers. So much like a little boy... we could almost imagine him heading off to school. Now that's a scary thought!

Click here for a full slideshow...

Bathing Two at a Time

We decided to see if the boys were old enough to take a bath together tonight.... what fun! Tyler took one terrifying nose dive under the water, but otherwise the boys were fantastic. Click here for a slideshow and a must-see video....


Spencer plays with the water as Tyler looks on in fascination...


Spencer shows Tyler how to play the water flute.


Spencer loved being a big brother, taking a washcloth to Tyler's back for a good scrubbing. He even remembered to wash Tyler's feet. Click below for a video.

Christmas Party at the Gates

Corey and Maggie hosted quite a party for our extended community group on Saturday night... the kids had crafts projects and movies to watch, and the adults enjoyed a pot-luck of dishes from each of our Christmas traditions growing up. The evening culminated with a white elephant gift exchange around 1 of the 2 Gates Family Christmas trees. We've certainly learned in 2008 how much Maggie has the gift of hospitality, but she outdid herself tonight!


Here's the full gang for a Nichols-style self-timer after the gift exchange: Tom, Cynthia, Julia, Blanca, Maggie, Olga, Corey, Matthew, Ray, and Jose in the top row, Justin, Kaitlyn, Ryan, Hudson, Eunice, Tyler, Madison, Amber, and Hannah seated below.



And of course, the white elephant. Coffee cups were the most stolen gift of the night...the throbbing back massager was the most demonstrated.


Julia brought special gifts for all the kids-- whimsical wooden Christmas ornaments made in Germany. Spencer's featured Santa in a helicopter, which just about sums up his dream Christmas. Thanks Julia, and thanks to the Gates!

Click here for a full slideshow....

Brunch at the Canada's

Grace and Alonzo hosted us for a fantastic weekend-before-Christmas brunch at their place... mushroom and spinach quiche, stuffed french toast, mimosas, and of course yummy yummy bacon made it quite an indulgent morning.



It was really neat to see the kids play with each other. They're all 2 years old right now, and are developing a fantastic dynamic together. Highlights included the uncontrollable giggles of a group pile-on, hours of much-welcomed, unsupervised play around Theo's train set, and playing fort under a blanket beneath Ryan's legs. Lowlights included frequent time outs for pushing and 1 nasty bite incident (incriminating evidence caught on film!).



How far they've come together! Our gift to the Canadas and the Wangs this year was a collage of our 3 little ones together. Their first time meeting, their first Halloween (and second and third), our first dinner party as parents with kids, and lots and lots of imaginative play (OK, mostly just "making coffee").



Digging through these old photos was hilarious. Our question: Why didn't anyone tell us that the "adorable" curls we loved on Spencer at the age of 1 made it look like he had a mullet? ;)

Click here for a full slideshow of our brunch...

Decorating the Christmas Tree

We finally found an evening to dig the ornaments out of the garage, put some logs on the fire, queue up some Christmas music on Pandora, and decorate the tree with the kids (we had Theo over for a sleepover, so the fun was doubled).


Our tradition of collecting ornaments as we travel has resulted in a little collection that we're actually pretty fond of (our favorites are from Baja, Hawaii, Bali, Martha's Vineyard, Vancouver, and a few from Ebay)... the need to "supplement" with red globes has gone down each year.

We managed to get our 3 boys to sit still for a minute in front of the tree later in the week for a cute photo....


...although Tyler solo is pretty good as well. In the red chair he looks ready to play the part of Santa Claus!

2008 Ideo Children's Party

Its become an annual tradition of ours to crash the IDEO children's party in Palo Alto (thanks to Grace's hospitality). With so many creative parents as employees, its always a pretty decent shin-dig. This year was no exception-- lots of activities, a bouncy house, and a place to get family portraits. Here's our best shot.... right in the midst of what we call a "cold spell" in Palo Alto so we're all bundled up.



The real winners, of course, came from putting the kids on camera. Spencer, Gaby, and Theo were hilarious. Spencer wouldn't stop picking his teeth, and Theo wouldn't stop picking his nose. Gaby would obediently clap her hands, wave and smile.... all with an expression on her face that said "what am I doing here with these bozos." Gaby, you'll wonder that more and more as you all grow up together!


Thanks for a great party, Ideo!

Click here for a full slideshow...

Nichols Boys

Now that Tyler has good balance, can sit up on his own, and defend himself a little better, he and Spencer have been having a lot more fun horsing around together. Click here for a full slideshow of our boys playing together....

Picking Out Our Christmas Tree

We usually help Ryan's dad pick out his Christmas tree at the San Francisco Guardsmen annual sale, held out on a pier over the bay by Fort Mason (definitely a unique spot for a Christmas tree lot!). This year we decided to get ours there as well, taking a break from our annual trip to Half Moon Bay to chop down our own tree. We'll resume that tradition when our boys are old enough to be of help!


There are some huge trees at the Guardsmen lot. Spencer had his eye on the biggest one of them all, but settled for a more reasonably sized tree that would fit in our living room. Let the Christmas season begin!

SNBC Holiday Party

Eunice attended her 9th annual SNBC holiday party, held this year at Erika's home in the Sunset.


Things look a little different than they did back in the day, with quite a few little kids (including Spencer and Tyler) adding to the fun.


Some things remain the same: a great group people, tasty food, and a rowdy game of White Elephant, including the yearly reappearance of "BOD" cologne. :)

Family Photos

Back in October, when Eunice's mom came back out to visit us, we arranged for a family photo shoot, in part to document this special time in our life with two boys under two, and in part to get some photos with Eunice's mom to thank her for her six weeks of invaluable help when Tyler was born.


Our friend Katie Prentiss took these great photos in Central Park. She worked her magic, somehow capturing what we love so much about our boys and each other.


Click here for a link to a slideshow of all the proofs.

You can check out Katie's other work on her website: katieprentissphotography.blogspot.com