Group photo after a yummy (and spicy!) Indian dinner.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Visit from the Yongs
Eunice's childhood friend Mamie and her dad happened to be in town at the same time (Mamie flew in from Taiwan for a dance workshop led by renowned 86 year-old Anna Halprin, and Uncle Dah Tong came from St. Louis for a work conference). They had a chance to hang out with us in San Mateo and to meet Tyler for the first time!
Group photo after a yummy (and spicy!) Indian dinner.
Group photo after a yummy (and spicy!) Indian dinner.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Tyler at Six Weeks
At six weeks, Tyler is a happy, healthy, growing boy. He's starting to smile at us, on occasion giggles in his sleep, and has increased periods of our favorite type of wakefulness: "quiet alert." :)
Here are some portraits of Tyler smiling, yawning, and looking serious (or is that just gas?).
Tyler is starting to get more fascinated with the play gym...
Here are some portraits of Tyler smiling, yawning, and looking serious (or is that just gas?).
Tyler is starting to get more fascinated with the play gym...
Bean Hollow Tide Pools
While Spencer was off "becoming a man" with Ryan and Adam in Desolation Wilderness, Eunice took the opportunity to take Tyler on a roadtrip to Pescadero to check out the Bean Hollow tide pools. They had a great morning exploring the coastline with Nikki, Phil, and Gaby and grabbed a yummy lunch at Cafe Riace's Half Moon Bay outpost.
Eunice with Tyler exploring the tide pools.
Eunice with Tyler exploring the tide pools.
Spencer's First Backpacking Trip
Before Spencer turns 2 this week , we thought (or at least Ryan and Adam thought) it was important to take him out on his first backpacking trip. Eunice "volunteered" to watch Tyler while the boys were off playing, and Adam volunteered to carry the extra weight, so we were off! We started with a late night drive to Tahoe, an early morning boat ride across Echo Lake into Desolation Wilderness, and a hike up to Lake America where we camped out for the night. What a trip!
There were a lot of really memorable moments on a trip like this-- here's a list: intensive trip prep (e.g., playing YouTube videos of motorboats to make sure that Spencer wouldn't be scared by the first leg of the trip), the horror of Spencer waking up at an 11pm gas stop on our ride up and not falling back asleep, sharing a cheap motel bed with a 2 year old, making a wholesome breakfast of instant coffee and oatmeal in the motel microwave as the jeeps rev their engines outside, negotiating to get Spencer in his sun hat at the trail head, a smooth boat ride punctuated by screams of "fast!," mounting up for the first time and realizing how heavy an extra 35 pounds can be, trying to keep my footing with a squirming toddler on my back, trail-side wailing until we figure out that its nap time, hustling all the way to Lake Aloha while Spencer is asleep, rock-hopping to our own private Lake America, Spencer urging Adam and I into the icy cold lake water (and insisting that he come along for the swim), Spencer copying Adam's yoga moves, Spencer amusing himself endlessly by moving rocks around and throwing them into the lake, overcoming Spencer's bug phobia, rough-housing in the tent, copious dinner of brown rice and split pea soup, sunset over Pyramid Peak, frisbee at dusk, early bedtime for all, midnight thrashing and wailing...blessed sleeping in, massive oatmeal breakfast, Spencer diligently "cleaning" dishes by the lake, rock-hopping to Lake Aloha, Spencer's backpacking games and songs, lakeside diaper change, apple bribery leading to an 'apple pacifier' as Spencer napped in the pack, and finally the long, long trip home via 3 miles of trail, 3 miles by boat, and over 3 hours of driving (punctuated by Spencer's first bloody nose at a Baja Fresh). Worth it? Absolutely!
We definitely under-estimated Spencer's love for the water-- this is a glacier filled lake, yet Spencer had no hesitation first dipping in his feet, then his hands, then wanting to walk in deeper and insisting that Adam and Ryan "come!" We finally succumbed to his demands and took the plunge-- one of my favorite memories of the trip is seeing a buck-naked Spencer cheer as I swam back across the lake towards him.
It was also really neat to see Spencer bond with his Uncle Adam on this trip. Even though he never got used to the idea of Adam carrying him in the backpack, Spencer clearly adores his uncle and tried to copy everything... including some very silly-looking stretches and yoga poses.
There were a lot of really memorable moments on a trip like this-- here's a list: intensive trip prep (e.g., playing YouTube videos of motorboats to make sure that Spencer wouldn't be scared by the first leg of the trip), the horror of Spencer waking up at an 11pm gas stop on our ride up and not falling back asleep, sharing a cheap motel bed with a 2 year old, making a wholesome breakfast of instant coffee and oatmeal in the motel microwave as the jeeps rev their engines outside, negotiating to get Spencer in his sun hat at the trail head, a smooth boat ride punctuated by screams of "fast!," mounting up for the first time and realizing how heavy an extra 35 pounds can be, trying to keep my footing with a squirming toddler on my back, trail-side wailing until we figure out that its nap time, hustling all the way to Lake Aloha while Spencer is asleep, rock-hopping to our own private Lake America, Spencer urging Adam and I into the icy cold lake water (and insisting that he come along for the swim), Spencer copying Adam's yoga moves, Spencer amusing himself endlessly by moving rocks around and throwing them into the lake, overcoming Spencer's bug phobia, rough-housing in the tent, copious dinner of brown rice and split pea soup, sunset over Pyramid Peak, frisbee at dusk, early bedtime for all, midnight thrashing and wailing...blessed sleeping in, massive oatmeal breakfast, Spencer diligently "cleaning" dishes by the lake, rock-hopping to Lake Aloha, Spencer's backpacking games and songs, lakeside diaper change, apple bribery leading to an 'apple pacifier' as Spencer napped in the pack, and finally the long, long trip home via 3 miles of trail, 3 miles by boat, and over 3 hours of driving (punctuated by Spencer's first bloody nose at a Baja Fresh). Worth it? Absolutely!
We definitely under-estimated Spencer's love for the water-- this is a glacier filled lake, yet Spencer had no hesitation first dipping in his feet, then his hands, then wanting to walk in deeper and insisting that Adam and Ryan "come!" We finally succumbed to his demands and took the plunge-- one of my favorite memories of the trip is seeing a buck-naked Spencer cheer as I swam back across the lake towards him.
It was also really neat to see Spencer bond with his Uncle Adam on this trip. Even though he never got used to the idea of Adam carrying him in the backpack, Spencer clearly adores his uncle and tried to copy everything... including some very silly-looking stretches and yoga poses.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Take the Spencer/Tyler Look-Alike Quiz
People always ask us whether we think Spencer and Tyler look alike. Now that we have a month's worth of photos for Tyler, we can let you be the judge. Take our little photo quiz to see if you can figure out which one is Spencer and which one is Tyler...
Downtown San Mateo Fire House Tour
Today, Amber organized a tour of the downtown San Mateo fire house for our play group.
The kids got to sit in the driver's seat of the fire engine, climb on board a classic antique fire truck, watch our tour guide slide down the fire pole, see a fireman in full fire fighting gear, and tour the living quarters.
The kids even got to pose as fire fighters-in-training! :) [Pictured from left to right: Spencer, Natalie, Carter, Logan, and Hannah.] The San Mateo fire fighters are just about the nicest people in the whole world. Thanks for taking the time to show us around...
Click here for a slide show of the fire house tour.
The kids got to sit in the driver's seat of the fire engine, climb on board a classic antique fire truck, watch our tour guide slide down the fire pole, see a fireman in full fire fighting gear, and tour the living quarters.
The kids even got to pose as fire fighters-in-training! :) [Pictured from left to right: Spencer, Natalie, Carter, Logan, and Hannah.] The San Mateo fire fighters are just about the nicest people in the whole world. Thanks for taking the time to show us around...
Click here for a slide show of the fire house tour.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Phil's Birthday BBQ
Phil called for a gathering of "The Usual Suspects" for his birthday, so Nikki orchestrated a fantastic BBQ with us and the Canadas. We spent the late afternoon hanging out in the backyard, enjoying Nikki's beautiful garden, watching the kids chase after bubbles, and drinking white wine and Coronas. Dinner included New York strip steaks, grilled to perfection, cous cous salad, garlic bread, and a delicious home-made birthday cake. Afterwards. Spencer and Gaby went outside and tried to top Nikki's efforts by making their own "birthday cake"... out of dirt. :) Thanks for inviting us over to help celebrate Phil's birthday!
Click here for a slideshow of photos and a video from Phil's birthday BBQ.
Click here for a slideshow of photos and a video from Phil's birthday BBQ.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Morning at the Beach
This Saturday, we woke up to a blistering morning, so we got the kids dressed, the Xterra fully loaded, and headed off to the beach! We found a fantastic spot to camp out for the morning just north of Half Moon Bay. It was a surprisingly easy trip to do with our two boys and made us feel like we were finally starting to live life as "normal" again.
Click here for a slideshow of our morning at the beach.
Click here for a slideshow of our morning at the beach.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Spencer and Gaby at Safeway
For Eunice's first attempt at grocery shopping with her two boys, she called in reinforcements: Nikki and Gaby. Somehow, adding one more kid to the mix (and a very capable and helpful mom) made everything go smoothly. Eunice made a spectacle of herself by pushing three kids around in the shopping cart (with Tyler in his carseat propped up by the handle bars, and Spencer and Gaby crammed into the toy car attached to the front of the cart). Meanwhile, a pregnant Nikki ran around with two shopping lists which eventually filled up all the remaining space in and below the shopping cart! We were in and out in 30 minutes with a happily sleeping Tyler and two toddlers who didn't complain the entire time!
Here's a shot of the adorable Gaby and Spencer (looking very much like twins!), loving every minute in the toy car shopping cart.
Here's a shot of the adorable Gaby and Spencer (looking very much like twins!), loving every minute in the toy car shopping cart.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Visit from the Hills
The Hills brought our favorite pizza over for dinner and spent time catching up with us, Adam, and Rachel. They brought a cute outfit for Tyler, and early birthday gifts for Spencer, including a baseball bat and ball, sunglasses, a beach ball, and bubbles. Perfect for summer fun!
Click here for a slideshow.
Click here for a slideshow.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Tyler Bulks Up!
Following in the footsteps of big brother, Tyler has started to bulk up! At his 4-week check-up, Tyler weighed in at an impressive 13 pounds. Not bad for a Nichols boy. :) This is the best photo we have to illustrate Tyler's new girth. Steel yourself:
Wow. Click here for more photos of Tyler at 4 weeks, all of them much cuter than this picture, we promise!
Wow. Click here for more photos of Tyler at 4 weeks, all of them much cuter than this picture, we promise!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Father's Day
Highlights from Father's Day this year included an early morning game of hide and seek with Spencer, a waterfront dim sum brunch in Foster City, a great (and much-needed) afternoon nap with our boys, time spent with Ryan's dad, and a delicious meal cooked for us by Adam and Rachel. Happy Father's Day, Ryan!!!
Click here for more photos from Father's Day.
Click here for more photos from Father's Day.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Po Po's Final Week
Eunice's mom, Terry, stayed with us for an epic six weeks to help out before and right after Tyler's birth. She played with Spencer for hours every day, took him to weekly gym classes, taught him a ton of Mandarin (including how to count from one to ten, various parts of the body, airplane, car, shoes, thank you, good bye...), helped us with potty training, held Tyler for countless hours so Eunice could rest, cooked every meal, and left our refrigerator and freezer fully stocked. Saying "thank you" doesn't even begin to convey how much we appreciated her time, energy, care, and love. Frankly, we don't know what we would have done without her.
Click here for a slideshow of photos and videos from Po Po's final week with us!
Click here for a slideshow of photos and videos from Po Po's final week with us!
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Nate's 8th Grade Graduation
On June 7th, we headed to the East Bay to help celebrate Cousin Nate's 8th grade graduation. Afterwards, we stopped in San Francisco for an impromptu dinner with Adam and Rachel on their roof-top deck.
Click here for a slideshow with more photos from the day.
Click here for a slideshow with more photos from the day.
Spencer's Big Boy Potty
All the attention isn't solely on Tyler these days. For some crazy reason, we decided this was the right time to start toilet-training Spencer! Nothing like picking a major time of upheaval and transition to launch new endeavors... :)
With a newly purchased toddler toilet seat and a step-stool, Spencer is ready to tackle the toilet like a big boy. Here, he demonstrates just how sophisticated he is as he passes the time by perusing the Economist.
Truth be told, the REAL reason Spencer likes potty training has nothing to do with "being a big kid." He just likes the fact that it forces us to let him throw toilet paper with abandon into the toilet.
And he LOVES flushing the water. Hopefully some day soon, all of this excitment will actually produce something in the toilet other than a pile of toilet paper...
With a newly purchased toddler toilet seat and a step-stool, Spencer is ready to tackle the toilet like a big boy. Here, he demonstrates just how sophisticated he is as he passes the time by perusing the Economist.
Truth be told, the REAL reason Spencer likes potty training has nothing to do with "being a big kid." He just likes the fact that it forces us to let him throw toilet paper with abandon into the toilet.
And he LOVES flushing the water. Hopefully some day soon, all of this excitment will actually produce something in the toilet other than a pile of toilet paper...
Friday, June 06, 2008
Tyler at Weeks Two and Three
At two weeks old, Tyler is now 10 pounds. We are having a great time incorporating him into our family life, even if he mostly still just eats and sleeps!
In his few wakeful moments, we have managed to catch some close-ups of our little boy. Click here for more photos of Tyler.
In his few wakeful moments, we have managed to catch some close-ups of our little boy. Click here for more photos of Tyler.
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