Hawaii Vacation

We headed to Hawaii for our first major vacation of 2008. What a fabulous trip! Click here for a full slideshow.


Eunice's childhood friend Jerry and his fiance Emily provided the perfect excuse for us to head to Oahu. They had a beautiful outdoor wedding at the Waialae Country Club, officiated by the federal judge Jerry clerked for when he first moved to Hawaii. We had a great time catching up with old St. Louis friends, including Loretta, Anthony, and their two kids, Pat, Gloria and their daughter, Sunru & Anne, and Mamie.


We had the best accommodations imaginable on the island - at Eunice's cousin Susan & Steve's new 20,000 square foot home pushed right up against Diamond Head with views of the ocean. We've never seen Spencer happier than running around with his cousins Mckenzy and Hudson, playing on the swing set, throwing balls out on the basket ball court, swimming in the heated outdoor pool, getting rides in Mckenzy's "barbie" jeep, and chasing after their two huge Akita dogs!


We also had a chance to do a bit of island exploration. Highlights included a hike up Diamond Head with Sunru and Anne, getting a local-perspective on Hawaii from our friends Dave, Caroline, and their son Evan, eating a spectacular 5-course meal at Alan Wong's (a Hawaiian-Asian fusion restaurant), visiting a hopping farmer's market, and tasting local specialties like shave ice, mochi ice cream, Portuguese donuts, and pork/mac-salad plate lunches. :)


Last but not least, the bulk of our time was spent on the beach, whether at the fantastic Outrigger Club (where we had a guest memberships thanks to Steve & Susan), on the beaches of Waikiki, the lagoons of Ko Olina, or the wind-swept waterfront of the north shore. We watched Spencer go from being fearful of sand and salt water to gleefully running in and out of waves for hours and hours. What a perfect way to start off the new year!

Click here for a full slideshow.

It's Another Boy!

Eunice had her second-trimester ultrasound on January 17th. In addition to getting some great photos and videos of our healthy baby, we found out that Spencer is going to have a little brother! They'll be 22-months apart. Click here for videos of the ultrasound.

Pulgas Ridge Hike

Taking advantage of a beautiful winter afternoon, we decided to explore a new trail off Edgewood Road with the Canadas.


The major difference on hikes these days is the need to incorporate a lengthy break for our boys to burn off some energy. Theo and Spencer had a great time running up and down hills and exploring mud puddles.


Spencer stops to get a snack from Auntie Grace.


Yet another beautiful Bay Area afternoon outdoors...

Date Night Swap

One of our new year's resolutions has been to get more nights out on the town - without Spencer in tow. One easy way of doing that has been coordinating "date night" swaps with the Wangs and Canadas. We watch their kids one night while they go out, and then they watch our kid while we go out. We took full advantage of our first date night of the new year by grabbing appetizers at 6pm, watching a 7 pm showing of "Kite Runner," eating dinner at a Vietnamese lounge/restaurant in Redwood City afterwards, and then heading back to the theater to catch a 10:30pm showing of "No Country for Old Men." Can you tell who's been movie-deprived lately?!


We didn't feel too badly for Spencer while we were out having a great time. He was living the good life with his buddies Gaby and Theo.


What a blessing to have such good friends nearby!

Best of 2007

Our fondest memories from 2007...



What better place to start off 2007 than in Kauai with the keikis, hanging out with our best friends and their babies, hiking to deserted beaches, riding helicopters over rugged coastline, and cooking ribs and seafood in a private beach house!

Back at home, Spencer became more and more of a little person every day, whether he was working out in his exersaucer, making friends on the couch, wowing us with his belly laugh, discovering his tongue, doing laps around the coffee table, posing as a flower child, learning to play bongo drums, trying on crazy sweaters, hanging out in central park, watching fireworks, or going for lots of hikes around the Bay Area.

Our next big trip of the year was to San Diego for President's Day Weekend. Jesse and Eileen were stranded by JetBlue, but we got lots of time with friends and family… and Spencer rolled over for the first time!

Ryan got in a few trips of his own—visiting with the other Spencer in Germany, and (much to Eunice’s chagrin), doing a day trip to Dallas to meet our newest nephew… Paxon!

Our summer started with a whirlwind 3 stage trip: First a fantastic long Memorial Day weekend with Jesse and Eileen on the Cape. Then Spencer’s first trip abroad—a 2 week trip to the incredibly kid-friendly town of Heidelberg, Germany (Spencer adjusted to the time zones better than we did!). Finally, on the way home, we stopped at our Williams 10-Year Reunion, a great chance to catch up with old friends and meet everyone’s growing families.

Spencer took his first steps at Bob and Kathy’s place in June, just before his first birthday celebration and 4th of July fireworks in the Marina. (Spencer's day care also threw him a wonderful party).

We had lots of other things to celebrate over the summer: Eunice’s first mother's day, Adam and Rachel's wine country engagement party, music in central park, Phil's birthday bike ride, Theo's 1st Birthday, Henry’s 1^st birthday… and of course Eunice's 32nd Birthday, celebrated at the clothing optional ocean-side spa in Big Sur.

Our next big summer trip was a family reunion in St. Louis and Eunice’s childhood vacation destination of Branson, MO. It was great hanging out by the lake, despite the heat wave!

A highlight of the year was Adam and Rachel's Wedding on a picture perfect day in Rachel’s hometown of Westport, MA. We were kept busy during the beachfront ceremony by our duties officiating (Eunice) and delivering a message (Ryan), but were definitely able to relax over a clambake and fireworks that night. We also spent a wonderful weekend in Sonoma for Matt and Julia’s Wedding.... Spencer is learning to have a good time at these events!

Not all of the action was on the road—over the course of the year we were very lucky to have lots of friends and family out to visit-- Dr. Hem (twice!), Grandpa Fran, Mamie and Cora, Nara, Adam, Fran, Adam, and Rachel , Susan and Jim , Karen and Erin, Josh and Kimberly, and Mimi, Steve and the kids.

Ryan was called for jury duty in the fall, and ended up taking 4 weeks off work to serve as Juror #7 on a murder trial. A once-in-a-lifetime experience, and it has to be said that the work/life balance of a juror isn’t so bad. We had lots of time to play in central park every day, eat our backyard apple harvest, (also every day!), enjoy Spencer's first puddles, try on adult shoes, hang out with the grandparents, and of course go trick-or-treating for the first time…with Spencer dressed as a lion.

We spent Thanksgiving in Vancouver (where it wasn’t Thanksgiving), eating monstrous amounts of food with Eunice’s family. Eunice’s mom came out for a fantastic visit in November, giving Spencer lots of time with all of his grandparents this year. He’d better enjoy the attention while he can, because our big news this fall was learning that we have another bun in the oven! Eunice is due in May, and we had lots of fun sharing our news with friends and family… starting with the New York gang at our Kibbutz LA road trip to Joshua Tree.

We got into the holiday season by finding the perfect Christmas tree to chop down in Half Moon Bay and attending the wild Ideo Children's Christmas Party thanks to Grace. Then we were ready for Christmas Eve Festivities with our community group (+ our traditional get-together at the Hills) and a 12-person crab and filet mignon dinner with family on Christmas Day. Then it was off to Tahoe with the Nichols for Spencer’s introduction to the snow, and more of the same with the Kiwi Hapa gang on Donner Lake for a Tahoe New Years. Eunice finished a great 2007 by going “all-in” on Texas Hold ‘Em… and winning!

Tahoe New Years

We met up with the Canadas and Wangs in Tahoe for yet another fun vacation together - this time to bring in 2008 in style!
Click here for a full slideshow.


Alonzo's aunt and uncle, yet again, graciously let us use their fantastic cabin, located right on Donner Lake. Highlights of our time together included skiing and sledding with the kids at Sugar Bowl, hiking around Donner Lake, late-night games of poker and speed scrabble, lots of delicious home-cooked dinners, celebrating Gaby's 2nd birthday, and watching the kids play with one another around the cabin.


Looking forward to more Canada-Nichols-Wang adventures in 2008!

Tahoe with the Nichols

After Christmas, we headed up to Tahoe to spend a few days in the snow with Michael, Terese, Abby, Adam, and Rachel. Click here for a full slideshow.


This was Spencer's first time in the snow. After a tentative start, he ended up having a great time putting on his cool new snow gear, sliding down hills with Abby, and going cross country skiing (dragged in a sled by Ryan!).

Tahoe with the Nichols

After Christmas, we headed up to Tahoe to spend a few days in the snow with Michael, Terese, Abby, Adam, and Rachel. Click here for a full slideshow.


This was Spencer's first time in the snow. After a tentative start, he finally got the hang of it and had a great time putting on his cool new snow gear, going cross country skiing while being pulled in a sled by dad, and sliding down snow-covered hills with Abby.

Spencer's First Haircut

We could no longer deny that our boy was in desperate need of a haircut. We made a trip to Burlingame's “Just Kids Cuts” to make sure we could find somebody who would take good care of Spencer's precious curls. Click here for a full slideshow.

BEFORE...


AFTER...

Family Christmas

We hosted Christmas at our place this year and invited Ryan's family from all over to join us in the festivities! Click here for a full slideshow.


We started off the morning with freshly baked coffee cake, bloody mary's, and a gift exchange with Susan, Jim, Adam, and Rachel. Once Michael, Nancy, and the Barrons arrived later that afternoon, our party moved into full swing, complete with great appetizers, gift exchanges, a rowdy game of "Table Topics," a dinner that included a massive 7-pound fillet of beef and 12 fresh crabs from Fisherman's Wharf, and desserts galore. All in all, a crazy, jam-packed, fun-filled and memorable Christmas day.

Community Group Christmas Eve Festivities

On Christmas Eve, we hosted brunch and a gift exchange with our community group members.
Click here for a full slideshow.


In addition to wooden blocks, bathtub crayons, puzzles, and books galore for the kids, one of the highlights of the morning was helping them try out their brand new snow boots - just in time for our new year's trip up to Tahoe! Gifts for adults included scrabble-themed jewelry and cuff links (a nod to our epic speed scrabble tournaments), a cool sled, fun party games, wine-themed gifts, and the unveiling of a beautiful homemade scarf (in the making for over a year!)


Final photo: mommies and their babies.

Gourmet Lamb Dinner

Michael Brown and his girlfriend Amber came over to our house for dinner - and brought all of the fixings for an incredible gourmet lamb dish.


Here, Mike and Ryan determine the best way to prepare such a large slab of lamb. After slathering it with an olive tapenade, fresh rosemary, and feta, they rolled the lamb up, tied it with twine, and roasted it to perfection.


Meanwhile, Amber made a fantastic salad and baked some delicious butternut squash. Mmmm... You guys can come over any time!!!

Ideo Children's Christmas Party

Now an annual tradition, Grace invited us yet again to join her at Ideo's fun-filled children's holiday party. This year, the theme was “rainforest” complete with a tropical bird show, though the highlight for Spencer was playing in a make-shift Eurovan-turned-cubicle in the middle of the office! Click here for a full slideshow.

Christmas Tree Chopping in Half Moon Bay

The first weekend in December, we headed out on a beautiful day with Big Spencer and Little Spencer to Half Moon Bay to look for a Christmas Tree. Click here for a full slideshow.


We started things off with a yummy lunch at Chez Shea on Main Street, then took a walk on a beach in Half Moon Bay, before heading to Santa's Tree Farm where we traipsed up and down a tree-covered hill to find our very own Christmas tree, chop it down, load it on top of the trusty Xterra, and get it set up in our living room. To end the day, we had some friends over for mulled wine, dinner, and a cut-throat speed scrabble tournament. Let the holiday festivities begin!

Mimi's Post-Thanksgiving Visit

Right after Thanksgiving, Eunice's cousin Mimi and her family came out to the Bay Area for a visit. Spencer got to meet even more second cousins and had a ton of fun playing with Joshua and Justin! Click here for a full slideshow.


We stuffed ourselves at Ni-Mo's and Golden Island Cafe in San Mateo, explored the Japanese tea garden, played in the park, visited cousin Benson and Danielle's beautiful home in San Jose, and ate some of the best tofu soup ever at Tofu House in Milpitas.

Thanksgiving in Vancouver

We decided to join Eunice's mom Terry for Thanksgiving in Vancouver this year. Click here for a full slideshow and some videos.


We wanted to bring Spencer to see Grandpa Lin's grave (it's been 12 years since he passed away) and to introduce him to his second-cousins, Jonathan, Justin, and Connor. We had a great time catching up with Eunice's cousins Wayne, Jenny, Jully, Jonathan, and Dolly, watching Spencer run around with his second cousins, meeting Dolly' boyfriend Derrick, being plied with endless amounts of food by Auntie Angela (including an American-Canadian-Chinese fusion Thanksgiving dinner), being entertained by Uncle Frank's gadgets, and shopping for non-existant totem-pole Christmas ornaments on Granville Island. With built-in babysitting, we even managed to make it out to see two late-night movies!

Spencer and his Grandparents

Eunice's mother, Terry, came out for an epic visit this November - partly to spend some quality time with Spencer (including a weekend of solo babysitting in San Mateo while we headed to L.A. with friends!), and partly to fill our fridge with good home-cooked Chinese food. Mmmm!!!



While Terry was here, we had a chance to grab a BBQ rib dinner with Michael and Adam (out visiting from New York). Click here for a slideshow.

We also made it up to Marin to spend some time with Nancy, Donna, and Mimi. Click here for a slideshow of our afternoon in Marin.

AND finally, we received a wonderful early Christmas present from Fran and Melinda-- a fantastic painting by Andrea Way. It complements Fran's earlier gift of her painting of the Alhambra theater in San Francisco that currently hangs over our fireplace.... this time the painting is of a biker bar in Healdsburg!

Another Bun in the Oven!!!

Well, ultrasounds don't lie. We've got another one on the way! Baby #2 is due in May. :)

Eunice just finished her first trimester, and we've had a lot of fun telling friends and family our exciting news over the last couple of weeks. The best reaction: "You must be crazy!" Well, we sometimes feel that way. Life hasn't gotten back to any semblance of normal since Spencer arrived, that's for sure.

But our philosophy is that no one ever feels ready to have kids-- you just have to decide that you're as ready as you'll ever be. We both have siblings about 2 years apart, wanted that for our family, did the math and went for it, even though it absolutely feels crazy!

We'll find out whether we're having a boy or a girl in a couple of months.... Eunice's first trimester was much more rough this time around, which according to urban legend means we're having a girl. This is verified by Terry's predictions for how her grandchildren will be split. But all bets are off until January...

In the meantime, wish us luck!

Kibbutz LA!

Our good friend Lee came up with the idea of "Kibbutz LA" - a weekend in which a bunch of friends would gather in his hometown of LA to live, eat, and play together. Lee flew in from a business trip in Singapore. Brian and Ellen flew in from New York. We happily left Spencer at home in San Mateo with Eunice's mom and headed out for the weekend sans baby! Click here for a full slideshow of our Kibbutz LA weekend.


Highlights from the weekend included a romantic gondola ride at sunset through Long Beach's "Venice," dinner at Lee's favorite LA restaurant - Hatfield's, a jam-packed day of rock scrambling at Joshua Tree, pretending to be Lee's parents' long-lost kids as we crashed their home in Long Beach, lots of great conversations with old friends, and riding around in our trusty minivan rental while trying to figure out the automatic side doors. Thanks for being the mastermind behind a great weekend, Lee!

Koi Pond with Kristin

Eunice's college roommate, Kristin, was in town for a pediatric conference and was able to tack a few days of vacation on to her trip. We took lots of walks, hung out in Central Park, and caught up on each others lives over many cups of tea. Ryan watched Spencer two nights in a row so that Kristin and Eunice could get in plenty of "girl time." Faith joined us for Kristin's last night - we had a great time walking the Crystal Springs trail at dusk and then going out for a delicious dinner at Lunneta Bistro.


Here, Kristin and Spencer check out the Koi Pond in the newly renovated Japanese Tea Garden in Central Park.


Thanks for coming out to visit us, Dr. Hem - and for indicating that Spencer MIGHT exhibit some early signs of genius. :)