SF "Triathlon": Brunch, Bikes, and Beach

KB has started a fantastic tradition of organizing themed, kid-friendly "days in the city," with enough forewarning to tempt us up from San Mateo. Tyler and Ryan joined in the festivities with Lee and Charu on this beautiful September day. Highlights included brunch at Greens, getting geared-up at the Sports Basement, Tyler's first ride in a bike trailer, frequent beach-breaks for wave splashing every time Tyler got fussy, navigating the embarcadero with a sleeping toddler in tow, lunch at the Ferry Building, and a looong ride back in a stiff headwind. We finished the day by meeting up with Eunice and Spencer for Thai Food back at Nara and Tracy's apartment in the Richmond. Thanks for getting us all together, KB!

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Theo's Third Birthday

We were very happy to host Theo's 3rd birthday party at our place this year. It was a beautiful day to be hanging out in the backyard-- highlights included yummy BBQ, the balloon man's amazing creations, trying to get the kids posed for a group picture, and, best of all, some quality time with Spencer and the birthday boy in the hammock after it was all over.

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Joyce Family Reunion in San Diego

This has definitely been the year of family reunions. The week of September 13th, we joined Ryan's step-mom, Nancy, for her family reunion in San Diego. We decided to drive instead of fly so we could stop in Los Angeles to introduce Tyler to Eunice's grandmother for the first time.

All of our travels were centered around the boys' sleep schedule. We did the first 3 hour leg during the boys' nap time, stopping in Coalinga where some friends recommended Harris Ranch as a kid-friendly place for a rest stop and some good food. We had no idea this oasis existed in the middle of nowhere, halfway between the Bay Area and Los Angeles! The boys had an awesome time burning off energy in the inner courtyard. Best of all, we had a fantastic meal, dining on some of the tastiest steaks we've ever had! We drove the remaining 3 hours to LA during the boys bedtime, arriving at Eunice's mom's apartment just before midnight.

The next morning, we spent some quality time with Great grandma Tao - and as an added bonus, Eunice's Uncle Ben was in town from Abu Dhabi! The agenda was predictable: food, food, and more food. We snacked on fruit, scallion pancakes, and black sesame dumplings at Eunice's grandma's place, and then left shortly thereafter for a tasty dim sum lunch. Tyler ate a ton, but got as much food on him as in him. We had to strip him down to his diaper to get him out of the restaurant. :)

Later that afternoon, we headed off again during the boys nap time, pulling into our Mission Beach house in San Diego just before dinner. By the end of the evening, multiple families had converged, including Nancy, the Barrons, the Joyces, the Leinbachs, and of course the matriarch of the family, Mimi.

Our days were filled with strolls along the boardwalk, cold dips in the ocean, sand castle building, bike/stroller rides out to the nearby playground, and naps. Nights included gorgeous sunsets, large-scale group dinners, cut-throat poker tournaments (with card shark Mimi winning every time!), and even midnight games of volleyball... Spencer and Tyler had an especially good time getting to know their second cousins, Owen, Pearson, and Colby.

Ryan's step-dad, Fran, managed to join us after work one afternoon, and Ryan's mom Susan and her partner Jim made it out another night.

We're so glad we were able to catch up with Fran, Susan, and Jim while in San Diego - it made this into the family reunion to top all family reunions!

After a great week, we sadly bid farewell to Mission Beach. We braved an early morning drive to LA with the boys awake for once, meeting up with our good friends Jon and Allison at Griffith Park where we got to catch up with one another while the boys were entertained by train rides and pony rides.

A fantastic brunch outdoors topped off our time with Jon and Allison. Then we did an exact repeat of our earlier trip south, but heading north this time, making it to Harris Ranch during the boys' afternoon nap, letting the boys run around the courtyard, eating yet another great steak dinner, and then tackling the final leg home during the boys' bedtime.

An epic journey to be sure, filled with good friends and family! Click here for the full slideshow.

Labor Day in Twaine Harte

Becoming an annual tradition, we headed up to Twaine Harte again this year for Labor Day weekend with the Hills and their new dog, Penny. Adam, Rachel, and Lilah came as well, joined by Rachel's brother Simon, and Susan and Jim flew up from San Diego, making it a bona fide family reunion.

As usual, the boys enjoyed the lake, we took turns cooking tasty meals at the house (including Adam's memorable bread pudding!), played some fun (and loud) family games at night, and engaged in interesting conversation. Two fun activities were added to the mix this year: a walk downtown with the boys to check out Twaine Harte's fun playground and a 4 hour-long mountain bike ride through the redwoods. Click here for a full slideshow.

Here's a video of our group of hard-core mountain bikers tackling the trail... Looking forward to another fun-filled gathering next year!

Dinner with the Gates

We had an impromptu dinner over at our place with the Gates and served up fajitas and our classic homemade guacamole! The Gates may well be the busiest family we know, so it was a real treat to spend some quality time catching up with them. :)