Matt and Julia's Wedding

Our second wedding weekend in a row! This time up in Napa, to celebrate with our Williams friend Julia at a fabulous ceremony and reception at Barndiva in Healdsburg, followed the next day by a wonderful afternoon at Iron Horse Vineyard for bubbly and tamales.

 Our favorite memories include plotting our route up to Napa to avoid the fleet week festivities, finding a wonderful last minute hotel room, setting up our video camera for our "official duties," seeing Barndiva transformed into a perfect wedding site, seeing our Williams friend Adam Serfass transformed into the perfect wedding officiant (next to Eunice, or course!), We unexpectedly had Spencer with us, but the whole weekend was very kid friendly... we can't wait to see the photos taken by the wedding photographer of Spencer and his girlfriend at Barndiva's gate! Congratulations, Matt and Julia, and thanks for a wonderful time!

Click here for a slideshow

Adam and Rachel's Wedding

Adam and Rachel were married in Rachel's hometown of Westport, Massachusettes on September 29, 2007. What a fantastic weekend! Eunice was honored to officiate their ceremony and Ryan was asked to speak, so we were a little nervous... but the whole weekend went off perfectly.
Our favorite memories include: Navigating the backroads of Westport at 2am, making ourselves at home at the fantastic summer home of Rachel's neighbors, seeing Rachel's childhood home, introducing Spencer to his cousin Maureen, playing frisbee with the Hills in the meadows, seeing Spencer launch himself into the arms of the young ladies picked to be our babysitters, enjoying sunset and a fantastic rehearsal dinner at Castle Rock Inn, hearing a whole series of very special toasts by Adam and Rachel's friends, riding on a firetruck to the ceremony with Adam and Rachel, walking down to the beach on a picture perfect day, hearing mom read "if I should fall behind, wait for me," seeing such a perfect couple tie the knot in such a personal way, learning how to pull off a clam's turtleneck from Gillian at our first clambake, seeing the local fireworks show right after dinner, and dancing the night away to fantastic Reggae...

Click here for a slideshow of photos taken by friends and family... click here for the official wedding photos. And finally, click below for a video that Ryan made to show at the rehearsal dinner: lots of cute photos, not-so-cute photos, and never-before-seen footage of Adam rapping to Vanilla Ice. A must see!

More fun with Spencer...

If you haven't been able to tell already, we go to the park ALOT with Spencer. Now that he's walking around, he just has so much fun exploring!


This time, we decided to explore a new playground in Golden Gate Park. This place included bouncy "concrete" floors, tons of animal and rock structures to play on, the biggest jungle gym we've ever seen, and a toboggan slide for kids. Spencer stuck with the animal and rock structures this time around, but next time, we're tackling the slide!


Spencer has also discovered a new-found love for cars, in particular Grandpa Nic's snazzy Porsche! But we've decided to keep him focused on more toddler-appropriate aspirations for now...which means it's back to San Mateo's Central Park for a fun afternoon with Nani. :)

Click here for a slideshow...

Theo's 1st Birthday

Theo's 1st birthday was quite memorable, in large part due to Grace and Alonzo's epic party preparations!

 Here are shots of Theo and Spencer watching Gaby take a bath.... an experience every little boy should have when they turn 1 (look at Gaby modestly trying to shield the view from the boys). And then there was the chaos of the kids in Grace and Alonzo's kitchen... all while Grace, Nikki, and Eunice poured their blood, sweat and tears (literally: Nikki got a second degree burn on her finger while using a glue gun) into creating a set of traditional Korean birthday decorations out of paper towel rolls, beans and candy... the men tried to help by getting the kids out of the house for a walk through Edgewood.

 And here we are on the big day. We don't have any pictures of the amazing food, the picture-perfect decorations, Theo's fantastic Korean outfit, the ceremony where Theo picked his future profession, Alonzo's dad's heartfelt speech, or even the moment where Spencer made a bolt for the open door and was halfway down the sidewalk before we caught him... What we do have is this blurry picture of 2 pretty special boys. Happy first birthday, Theo!

Hanging out with Karen and Erin

In September, Aunties Karen and Erin came to San Mateo to meet Spencer for the very first time! We had a chance to grab a few meals together, go for some walks around town, and of course, play in Central Park!


Much to Spencer's delight, Karen and Erin had endless reserves of energy for going down slides, pushing him on swings, and chasing him through tunnels!


A calm moment in the park...


We had a chance to grab dinner with Cousins Benson and Danielle while the Changs were in town. What a fun evening - and a fantastic visit with Karen and Erin. Thanks for coming to visit!

Click here for more shots from the weekend, including a fun video of Spencer playing peek-a-boo with Erin in the park...

San Diego with Jesse and Eileen

We were able to take our long planned trip to San Diego with Jesse and Eileen over the holiday weekend... and also celebrated our first weekend away from Spencer since he was born, thanks to the generous babysitting of Susan and Jim!

 Our favorite memories include: Hiking Torrey Pines, eating at a restaurant that only serves food from 33 degrees latitude, eating at the Guild with the "artists, artisans, and architects of San Diego," cooling down in the fountain at Balboa Park, joining the holiday weekend partiers on Pacific Beach with "forties" of Tecate, enjoying warm ocean water and perfect PB sunsets, screaming on the wooden roller coaster in Mission Beach, drinks at the Del, night-time activity at the Zoo, the valiant search for tikki on Shelter Island, watching Jesse get work done in all sorts of unlikely locations, meting Melinda for the first time, and having Spencer spend some time with great-grandma Pinky.

An unforgettable trip-- click here for the full slideshow.

Branson Family Reunion

Each year, Eunice's family gets together for a reunion. This year, we all met up at the Lake of the Ozarks near Branson in southwest Missouri for a week of quality time. We flew out from the Bay Area and picked Terry up in St. Louis. Jennifer, David, and their three kids drove up to meet us from Dallas.


It sure was fun to have all four cousins together for a week! This was the first time Spencer and Paxon had met. Less than a year apart, they're destined to be great friends. From left to right: Ryan (holding Melody), Eunice (holding Spencer), Terry, Jennifer (holding Paxon), David (holding Valerie).


We rented a fantastic 3-bedroom, 3-bath condo right on the lake near Kimberling City. To escape the 105 degree heat, we spent a lot of time in the water (playing in the pool, learning to water ski, being pulled around in an inner tube by a speed boat, exploring the lake in a pontoon, or taking the kids out canoing) and a lot of time indoors (challenging each other to rounds of ping pong in the rec center, cooking yummy meals, and playing games back at the condo).


We did manage to venture beyond our condo and lake, including exploring Branson Landing and taking a tour of the "Talking Caves" where this family photo was taken. The Tangs went to a quintessential Branson show to see the Heygoods perform, and Ryan and Eunice took advantage of superb babysitting services (thanks grandma!) for a night out on the town for their 6-year anniversary. Throw in a family celebration of Terry's 62nd birthday, and we'd say it was a packed, fun-filled reunion. Can't wait for the next family get-together!

Click here for full slideshow and videos.

Trip to St. Louis

Three years after our last visit to St. Louis, we returned for a family reunion with Eunice's mom and Eunice' sister's family. Before heading to our reunion destination (Lake of the Ozarks in Branson, Missouri!), we spent a few days catching up with family and friends around St. Louis.


Our first stop was a day trip up to Springfield, the halfway point between St. Louis and Peoria, Illinois, where Eunice's cousin George and his family live. We met up at a Chinese restaurant for lunch. From left to right: Ryan, Spencer, Jairus, Lindai, Kiana, George, and Eunice.



After lunch, we headed to the Lincoln Museum where the kids posed for a photo with the Lincoln family. Spencer's look says it all: who are these people and what planet did I land on?


Kiana plays dress-up with Lincoln.


Back in St. Louis, Terry treated a group of long-time family friends from church to a dimsum lunch. This was everyone's first time meeting Spencer, who was in fine form running around the restaurant saying "hi" to all the guests. Mrs. Kwon (back right) is the owner of the restaurant. her son, York (standing next to Ryan) is a professional musician with an orchestra in Spain, but was back in town for the summer. York and Eunice went to the same school, were in the same Chinese class, and played the violin together when they were kids. <\span>

San Mateo Central Park Music Festival

Each summer, the city of San Mateo hosts a series of free weekly outdoor music concerts in Central Park. This Thursday evening, we headed to the park with some wine, appetizers, and a picnic blanket to stake out a spot on the lawn to listen to "Tempest," a Celtic/folk/rock band which kicked off the summer music series.


We were joined by some of Ryan's work friends, including Conrad, Wendy, and their two sons (Tillman and William), as well as Dieter who was in town for the week from Germany.


Spencer kept himself happily occupied while listening to the music.


Spencer and Ryan out on the dance floor for the final song of the evening...

Eunice's 32nd Birthday

After the crazy festivities surrounding Spencer's one-year birthday party, we decided to celebrate Eunice's 32nd birthday a week later in a more relaxing environment...


Ryan took the day off, so we dropped Spencer off at daycare and hit the road heading south on an absolutely gorgeous drive down Route 1 to Big Sur. Ryan surprised Eunice with a morning at Esalen Institute, a non-profit spa and educational center located right on the coast featuring a series of natural mineral hot springs and an open-air pavilion for massages built right on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. The combination of relaxing massages, spring-fed hot tubs, and unparalleled views made for an unforgettable experience. On our way home, we grabbed a late lunch at Nepenthe, a restaurant with equally impressive views perched on a cliff overlooking the coast. All in all, a fantastic birthday! Click here for full slideshow.

Spencer's Birthday Party at Day Care

Spencer's caregivers threw a wonderful birthday party for him the Monday after 4th of July.


Festivities included lots of kids and grandmas, an eclectic mix of lovingly prepared food, birthday gifts for Spencer, and even some disco dancing! Click here for full slideshow and a video.

Phil's Belated Birthday Party

Nikki orchestrated a surprise party for Phil's 31st birthday. Click here for full slideshow.


The guys whisked Phil off on a bike ride while the gals got dinner ready. To expedite getting the kids fed, bathed, and asleep by 8pm, we threw Spencer, Theo, and Gaby into the bathtub together for 20 minutes of bathtime mayhem.


With the kids finally asleep, our late-night steak dinner was made even better by fine French wine and fun conversation. Happy belated birthday, Phil!

Day Trip to Santa Cruz

After dropping Susan and Jim off at the San Jose Airport, we continued south to Santa Cruz to join Adam, Rachel, and Michael for some beach time, a stroll downtown, and a nice Italian dinner.


Adam and Rachel pose with Spencer in his pajamas before Eunice puts him to sleep in the carseat in the Xterra. We were able to grab a beer and some late-night conversation outside at this sidewalk cafe, literally 4 feet away from our sleeping Spencer!

Susan and Jim's 4th of July Visit

Susan and Jim came out for a long weekend to help us celebrate Spencer's one-year birthday.


We spent most of the time hanging out in San Mateo, soaking in the sunshine, catching up with Adam, Rachel and the Hills, enjoying Spencer's new-found walking skills, and installing a swing in our backyard. Click here for full slideshow.

Spencer's First Birthday

Spencer celebrated his first birthday in style this fourth of July, partying with friends and family over BBQ and fireworks at Grandpa Nic's place in the Marina. You made it through the first year Spencer... and so did Mom and Dad!


We were lucky to have so many friends and family come from all over to celebrate with us on the 4th, including Adam and Rachel, who flew in from New York, Susan and Jim, who flew up from San Diego, and 40 other adults and 10 other kids from all over the Bay Area. You're a lucky dude, Spencer...

Click here for a slideshow...

There have never been so many children (and childish adults) at Mike's place. In this collage, we have pictured Aunt Kathy with Spencer, Phil & Nikki with Gaby, Merry Jean & Rob with Gardner, Jon & Jane with Joey, Nancy & Aunt Donna, Alonzo & Rob with Theo & Gardner, SAPers Amy and Sabine with ex-SAPer Karl, Sarah & David with Charlie, and Owen & Jenny with Owen Jr. And we didn't even get a picture with everyone!


Spencer did pretty well overall--he freaked out when Mom strapped on a birthday hat and everyone started singing, but calmed down enough to enjoy a handful of cake later inside. He definitely needed mom and dad's help blowing out the candle. Thanks to Nancy and Nikki for such tasty cakes.


The last baby standing-- Spencer is old hat at watching fireworks at this point, and was very content watching the show from Eunice's lap. Adam led a crew off for a post-party on Chestnut street, but we were ready to crash. What a party... thanks for hosting, Grandpa Nic, and happy birthday, Spencer!

Adam and Rachel's Wine Country Engagement Party

To celebrate Adam and Rachel's engagement, Nancy planned an epic day in wine country for family and friends.


The morning started with a "party bus" picking family and friends up in San Francisco and Marin before heading up to Pezzi King for a private wine tasting on a veranda with spectacular views overlooking the vineyards of Dry Creek. After a delicious lunch at Barndiva in Healdsburg, we moved on to Bella Vineyards in Calistoga where we sampled wine in the cool shade of wine caves, listened to live music out on the lawn, enjoyed some delicious cake, and were wowed by cousin Michelle, Helen and Mimsy's hula hoop skills. Thanks, Adam and Rachel, for giving us such a great reason to celebrate! Click here for full slideshow.

Visit from Fran with Adam, and Rachel

With Adam and Rachel out for a visit from New York, we were lucky to have Fran stop by for an overnight stay on his way back from a training class in Marin. 3 hours of driving to get here on Friday night, 3 hours of driving to get back to the Sacramento airport on Saturday afternoon... all for 18 hours of quality hang-out time!


We had a great time playing with Spencer around the house and grabbing brunch at Bay Watch in downtown San Mateo.


It was a short trip for Fran, but he was able to fit in some special face-to-face time with Spencer...


...and got us caught up on the latest and greatest in his life.

Spencer's First Steps

We had an epic evening tonight-- Spencer went from not being willing to take even a single step without holding your hand to practically strolling around the room, all in cousin Nate's room at the Hills. Loads of fun-- check out the video here.

Williams 10-Year Reunion

We stopped by Williamstown for our 10-year reunion on our way back from Germany, part of our epic June travels. It has been 10 years since graduation, and at least 8 since either one of us has been back on campus. Lots of changes, including a new student center, a new theater, and lots of renovated dorms (we had it rough back in the day).

Click here for a slideshow...

It was a great weekend-- it's easy to forget how beautiful Williamstown is, and of course it was excellent to catch up with so many people. We slept in Mission, an old dorm where we spent our Sophomore year, and Eunice's short documentary, "New Beginnings" was screened at a special film event. Special thanks to Adam and Rachel, our "babysitters" who drove up from New York to allow us to attend the evening festivities!

Work and Play in Germany

After almost 3 years of Ryan spending frequent work weeks in Germany, we decided to take the opportunity to have Eunice and Spencer come along. We stayed in Heidelberg, a charming University town on the Neckar River, and spent the weekend in France wine tasting in Alsace. This was Spencer's first trip abroad, and he was a traveling champion!


Heidelberg has miles of cobblestone paved pedestrian walkways with sidewalk cafes and beer gardens. The center of the altstadt (“old town”) is the old bridge across the Neckar.

Click here for the full slideshow

We stayed at the Villa Marstall, right on the river. Our room was in the attic on the top floor, which meant lots of opportunity for banged heads for Ryan and Eunice. But Spencer was in paradise-- lots of low furniture for him to practice his cruising. Spencer was a great traveler-- he adjusted to the time zones better than either of us!

Our weekend in Heidelberg corresponded with a festival to mark the beginning of the summer. People and boats lined the banks of the river to watch a spectacular fireworks show. The show commemorates the burning of the castle, which is reenacted every year using colored lights, smoke and fireworks. We could watch all the action right from our hotel window-- the Villa Marstall was the perfect location. We were also lucky to be able to introduce little Spencer to big Spencer (Ryan's high school friend, a scientist collaborating with a lab in Heidelberg.)

We spent Saturday in France, driving the wine road of Alasce through several very cute little towns. The hills above the wine road are blanketed with vineyards, and each little town is a walled medieval village, a little different from Napa or Sonoma! The wine tasting was fantastic-- the region specializes in Reislings and Gewurtz, perfect summer wines.

What a great trip-- thanks for being such a travel champion, Spencer!