Cora's Visit

After Cora's visit last Halloween when we put her to work making fabulous Halloween costumes for us, we were surprised that she was game for coming out to visit again. True to form, we put her to work playing with the boys, providing gardening advice for our decript front lawn, and helping us prep for some insane mega-parties that weekend.

There were some fun and relaxing moments thrown in as well - reading with the boys (Cora got them some great new books), taking long afternoon naps, eating (and eating and eating), getting pedicures at White Orchid, and spending time out in Half Moon Bay. Thanks for coming out again, Cora - we look forward to your next visit... and have some projects lined up for you already!

Concert at Emerald Lake

Our best night out with both boys ever? Probably! An unexpectedly wonderful night at this random place called "Emerald Lake Country Club" in Redwood City... basically a tiny lake nestled in the hills where they dammed a creek on its way to the bay.

Our good friend Corey's band had a gig there that night, and we decided to make an evening of it. The best part? The band literally played ON the dock, floating on the lake, while we all hung out on beach chairs and watched the sun go down. It was a rare balmy night in the Bay Area, and what could be better then swimming in a lake, playing in the sand, eating a picnic dinner, drinking some chilled white wine, dancing with our toddlers, and listening to some great covers of rock classics? Not much, especially when everyone is in a good mood.


The photos only begin to capture it... you've GOT to check out this video of the boys dancing. Spencer starts things off, but is soon joined by Theo and his fancy footwork. Hudson finanlly decides to get in on the action as well. Fantastic night... as good as it gets!

Click here to see a slideshow of more photos from our evening on Emerald Lake.

We Love Alanas!

Its official-- Alana's Cafe in Redwood City is our favorite place to grab brunch with the boys, especially in the summer. The restaurant is on the ground floor of a historic Victorian house. The place next door is an art gallery, and they set out tables in the garden between in the summer.

We always order the same thing: a combination of oatmeal pancakes, fresh fruit, and their fantastic quiche. They give "wiki sticks" out to the kids to help keep them entertained (see photo below), but when Spencer or Tyler get squirrely, they can run around on the grass and the porches while dad continues to enjoy a cup of coffee and mom finshes off her tasty scone.

Father's Day 2009

Eunice put together this great collage of me with the boys when they were just born in honor of my 2nd real father's day. What better day to reflect on what I've enjoyed most about being a father? These photos of them as little ones start to capture it-- its the one on one moments when they look at me with a dependence that no one has ever had on me before. That, and afternoon naps on the weekend. Those are pretty great too.

As far as father's day itself went, it was a pretty typical day of highs and lows as a dad. Great morning cooking omlettes with the boys, horrible attempt to take a hike out at Seal Point (they boys were not at their best... but we're glad we made the attempt), excellent nap and afternoon hanging around the house, dinner and a movie with Eunice after the boys went to bed. About as perfect an end to the evening as it gets these days!

Susan's Surprise Visit

Susan made a surprise weekend trip out to the Bay Area to meet her new granddaughter, Lilah. Though her stay was way too short, she was able to squeeze in some quality time with Spencer and Tyler as well. Here are some photos we captured with Nai Nai at Seal Point.

Overnight at Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Just an hour's south, north of Santa Cruz, there's a hostel at the base of Pigeon Point Lighthouse. They have ocean-front “family rooms” ... perfect for a Friday night getaway! We didn't get there in time to do much other than eat dinner at the picnic table outside of our room and watch the sun set over the Pacific....but we were all excited for the change of pace.


We had a room full of bunk beds and a bathroom all to ourselves, and a great kitchen and family room that we shared with a small group of girlscouts (more interested in movie night than in babysitting the boys, unfortunately!). Tyler was up at 6am while the rest of our house was still sleeping, so he and Ryan went off for a walk and some breakfast down the road at a surfer's cafe. We spent the rest of the morning on a walk down to sheltered Whaler's Cove, where the boys threw rocks into the tidepools while we all relaxed in the sand. Lunch at our favorite Chez Shea in HMB and naps on the drive home... not a bad overnight trip!

Click here for a slideshow, including a fantastic series of Eunice and Spencer playing a silly game called "I'm Spencer, You're Mama" in the midst of the flowers in front of the lighthouse...

Introducing Lilah Beth Nichols!

What a thrill to meet our new niece... Lilah Beth Nichols! She was born on June 16th at 2am after 18 hour of natural childbirth, weighed in at 7 pounds 2 oz, and already shows off a shock of white blond hair. Adam and Rachel are doing great-- they're back from the hospital as of Thursday and getting used to life as parents. Fantastic to have them just down the street!

Hiking Seal Point

Seal point might be one of the prettiest places we've never even heard of in San Mateo. Nevermind that its built on a landfill-- stroller friendly trails on a hill with drop-dead georgeus views of the bay? Hard to beat. Grandpa Nic and Abby came down to join us for a little walk.


And of course, Spencer rode his bike. Fantastic on the way out, not so great on the way back as we approached nap time.

Boys around the house

The boys are at a stage where they're starting to play pretty well with each other around the house......not always as well as these photos would indicate, but well enough that we've had glimpses of a future where they entertain each other while we actually have an adult conversation. Dare we dream?

We've gotten some of their finest moments playing in and around the house on video:

Here's Ryan's favorite.... teaching Spencer the basics of football in the backyard. Unfortunatly for Spencer, we've pretty much maxed out Ryan's knowledge of the sport with this exercise... Grandpa Nic will have to take it from here.

Spencer's favorite game inside is the man-eating puppet. Try NOT to laugh at his insistant demand to "eat me!".

And here's Eunice's favorite game... the boys entertaining themselves in the patio and driveway... Tyler in particular is showing off his ability to wander endlessly in this clip: hard to beleive that he was crawling around only a couple of weeks ago!

Maker Faire '09

We went to check out the Maker Faire again this year at the San Mateo County Fairground... acres and acres of home made entertainment, ranging from quilts and costumes to warring robots and battleships. Spencer is old enough to participate in at least some of the exhibits this year, but its still a long hot afternoon for the boys. Here we are at the end of our collective rope, at the exit in front of a large, menacing metal insect.

Tyler reached the end of his rope much earlier in the afternoon. Here he is literally asleep on his feet in the back of the stroller as we tour the kids science exhibits.



Our momento for the day? A "nerdling" t-shirt for Tyler from Eunice's colleague Willow. Appropriate given that his parents take him to this sort of thing!

Memorial Day in Tahoe

We talked about going camping for the long weekend, but realized it would be much more fun spending Memorial Day on Donner Lake at the Canada's cabin in Tahoe. We joined Grace, Alonzo, Theo, Phil and Gaby for a beautiful weekend on the lake. Highlights included hanging out on the deck overlooking the water, paddling around Donner Lake in our trusty inflatable kayak, wonderful meals at the Canada cabin, some killer late-night games of Texas Hold-em, our first real hiking trip with Spencer and Gaby on foot, watching the kids skinny dip in Donner Lake while the ladies got a massage in Truckee, and some fantastic BBQ at Smokeys on our way home.

See below for highlights and video.... or click here for a full slideshow!

Here's a rare shot of the adults together, enjoying some steaks off the grill after putting the kids to bed. Dinner was followed by Texas Hold'em... a late night game that ended after 1am - which we paid for in spades the next day!


We spent a lot of time hanging out in the cabin. Phil took one for the team and played "horsie", transporting Gaby, Spencer, and Theo all at the same time around the house on his back while crawling on all fours. Wall-E was also a saving grace, keeping everyone happy in that precious hour before bedtime.

The kids are old enough now to have their own play dynamic... sometimes best buddies, sometimes worst enemies. We realized that everyone was happiest out of doors! Here are the kids hanging out on the deck overlooking Donner Lake. It was a beautiful weekend to be on the water with the little ones.

We took Gaby and Spencer for their first real hike as well.... a two mile trek to a resevoir.  The kids did great.... walking all by themselves nearly the entire way.   Ryan DID have to carry both boys on his back for the last 1/2 mile (Tyler in a pack, Spencer on his shoulders), but all in all we'll consider it a success to get this sort of focus from the kids....



Best of all was getting everyone in the water. Our trusty inflatable kayak led to some memorable trips along the shoreline for all of the kids (Spencer and Theo couldn't decide if it was more desireable to be in the front our back)... And of course, throughout the weekend, the kids wanted to jump into the water at every opportunity.... whether it was the muddy water at the end of our hike or the pristine water at the little beach right outside our cabin. The guys volunteered to watch the kids while the ladies got massages in town... our secret was to strip the kids down and let them play in the water for hours. Why is it that kids don't notice cold water?




An amazing weekend... despite the brutal late night drives in both directions timed to be post-bedtime for the kids so they would be asleep in the car. Amazing how much a change of setting reminds us how much fun Spencer and Tyler can be. Thanks for the use of the Canada Cabin, Grace and Alonzo!

Click here for a full slideshow...

Andrew Brown BBQ

Very cool to have our very own downtown Andrew Brown in town with Laura, Abigale, and Finton. Nara came to help us host a BBQ in the backyard for our little Williams reunion!

Visit from Nai Nai

Ryan's mom came up for a long weekend to celebrate Tyler's birthday and Adam & Rachel's baby shower... other highlights included sushi in San Carlos, a Friday night Costco run, lots and lots of applause for Spencer's successful trips to the bathroom, and watching Susan and Spencer paint in the backyard. Thanks for coming up, Susan!

Tyler's 1st Birthday

In all this weekend's excitement, we almost lost track of the fact that it was Tyler's first birthday! Tyler's really come into his own these last couple of weeks: starting to walk, saying his first couple of words with conviction (e.g., "hi" while waving, and "yay" while clapping), and playing peek-a-boo with abandon.

He had a good birthday, starting with some quality time in the morning with Nai Nai, banana cream cake at Adam and Rachel's baby shower, a rendition of Happy Birthday that Adam claimed sounded like a professional choir, and best of all, he got to spend most of the day in his birthday suit thanks to our heat wave.

Sunday was more of a personal celebration, with a tasty 3-layer chocolate cake from Nara and some dedicated attention from us and our friends Andrew, Laura, Finn, and Abby in town from the east coast.

So let's hear it for Tyler... happy one-year birthday, little guy!

Adam and Rachel's Baby-Que

It's almost baby time! We helped Adam and Rachel host a co-ed Baby-Que at their new place in San Carlos, bringing together almost 40 friends and family for an afternoon of tasty BBQ, refreshing beverages, non-traditional games, and of course lots of thoughtful gifts for the little one.

See below for details, or click here for a full slideshow!


Adam and Rachel were remarkably relaxed, given they just moved into a new home and are expecting a baby in another month. Their new place was fantastic for a party... we spent most of our time either in the interior patio or on their wonderful deck.


Here's everyone on the deck, playing game #1... the Baby-Quiz at the Baby-Que! Everyone was asked to bring a baby photo, and the contest was to guess which guest matched with which photo. The full set of photos are below... see anyone familiar?


Here are the babies, in alphabetical order: Abbot, Adam, Alexander, Anna, Bob, Brett, Brin, Ed , Emily, Eunice, Meghan, Michael N, Michel, Mimsy, Nancy, Rachel, Rob, Ryan, Spencer, Steven , Susan, Terry, and Tyler.

Top prize went to Susan and Nancy... both of whom got 17 out of 23 correct!


One of the best parts of the day was getting the extended family together. Susan came up from San Diego, Bob and Kathy came down from Oakland, Nancy, Donna, Ed, and Mimsy came down from Marin...we even got to see Kevin M and Steven K, whom we haven't seen in ages.

Click here for a full slideshow!

Po Po's Visit

Eunice's mom just came out for a visit. When it comes to outcomes, she doesn't mess around. A tally of her accomplishments during her 10-day stay with us:

• Took care of Tyler every day from 6am-8am
• Watched Spencer for 4 week days from 8am-5:30pm
• Single-handedly potty trained Spencer
• Helped Tyler take his first steps

• Taught Spencer his colors in Chinese
• Gave us 3 much-needed date nights (GSB reunion party, Cinco de Mayo at Milagro's, and Star Trek on IMAX at the Metreon!)
• Provided 3 home-cooked meals every day for 10 days straight
• Hosted 4 different dinner parties for us
• Stocked our refrigerator and freezer to keep us nourished until her next visit

Somehow, we managed to not take a single picture of Po Po on this visit (?!) but here is photo-evidence of her labor of love.

On this Mother's Day, we want to say a special thank you to Po Po. You are a blessing to us in so many ways!!!

Brian's Visit

Brian was out for the weekend, giving us an excuse to host a brunch in the Marina for Brian, Lee, Nara, Tracy, and Charu, followed by a beautiful walk / skuut down Chrissy Field. Highlights included brunch on the patio, flowers and kites on Chrissy Field, watching Spencer chase Brian on his bike, watching Nara steal Spencer's bicycle (just kidding, it just looks that way), and enjoying a couple of relaxing minutes on the beach before rushing off to get Spencer to the bathroom (gotta love potty training!). See below for details, or click here for a slideshow...

Click here for a slideshow...

Tyler's first steps

Tyler was inspired by all the children around him at Ryan's GSB 5 year reunion, and decided to take his epic first steps on Sunday afternoon.  The actual steps were out on our brick patio... we captured the moment a minute later on the safer terrain of our living room carpet!

GSB Five Year Reunion

Has it really been 5 years? You'd think it's been far more, given the explosion of spouses and babies at Ryan's 5 year Stanford Business School Reunion! Incredible to have friends fly in from all over the world to connect (very unfortunate that the Bay Area couldn't accomodate with good weather!).

Highlights of the weekend include LPF hopping with Josh, Kimberly, and Alice, brainstorming wacky business ideas with Beis, Messerschmitt, and Abbas, swapping kid-travel stories with Doug and Sarah, watching Spencer brave the carnival but get freaked out by the Falon Gong in the Quad with Jason & Tiffen, lunchtime conversations with Jason and Jeremy, cocktails with Noah (I still owe you one!), and an all-star dinner table of Josh, Kim & Alice (out from Boston), Dave, Nikita & Christina (out from the London), and Kenji and Jun (out from Tokyo). We felt lame-- dinner was 3 miles from our house! Thanks a million to Terry-Mama for babysitting!

Ryan & Dave-- I don't think either one of us had bags under our eyes like this 5 years ago before either one of us had kids!

Here's whose to blame.... Tyler and Christina, adoreably holding hands on our couch the next day.

Fantastic to finally meet Nikita and Christina.... definitely on our list to visit the entire family the next time they are out visiting Nikita's family in Trinidad!

We saw Josh and a very preganant Kimberly in Boston last September, just weeks before Alice was born. She's an adorable baby, and Josh and Kim are expert parents.

Our main conclusion from the weekend is that we can't wait another 5 years before connecting with some of these great old friends.... so watch out, we're resolving to stay in touch!

Jon and Allison's Visit

At last! Our good friends Jon and Allison made it up from LA for a weekend visit. Highlights included catching up on each others lives, eating some yummy meals around town, taking Spencer on his longest ride yet on his Skuut bicycle (3 miles on Sawyer Camp Trail!), playing Spencer's new board game (a gift from Jon and Allison), and a rare night out with Adam and Rachel at Bistro Luneta and Dessert Republic (while the boys were home with a babysitter), followed by a game of hearts by a cozy fire. Thanks for coming out, guys - we just hope it's not another 4 years before we see you in the Bay Area again!!! :) See below for details, or click here for a slideshow!

Click here for a slideshow