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

Tahoe Weekend

What's makes a great spring weekend in Tahoe? Assemble a great group of old and new friends, find a house with a great deck and views of the lake, bring up some fantastic food and wine, and maybe even squeeze in an afternoon on the slopes. That was our recipe for this weekend with Lee & KB, Nara & Tracy, Charu, and our new friends the Chappellet's, from Napa. See below for details, or click here for a slideshow!

We spent a lot of time hanging around the fantastic house that Eunice found on the North Shore in Carnelian Bay. We assembled an enclosed cruising circuit for Tyler in the living room, and used the coffee table for crazy lego creations. The house had enough quiet corners to allow Lee to study for his CFA exam, enough games to keep us entertained at night, and a great kitchen for cooking up all sorts of fine creations.

While Nara and Ryan were off catching their last day of skiing for the season, the rest of the crew explored the area, going for hikes, checking out Tahoe City, playing miniature golf, and instigating snowball fights with the remaining snow around the hosue. The snow on the slopes was a little better, but it definitely felt like spring skiing. A beer and some great funk music on the deck at Alpine made skipping the afternoon session of skiing seem very tempting! (We skied, and were very sore the next day as a result!)

It was also Ryan's birthday weekend: we surpised him with a birthday cake and chocolate covered strawberries, washed down by a fantastic bottle of Cabernet from the Chappellet cellar (they're in the wine business... another helpful ingredient to a great weekend in Tahoe!).

Here's the full group on the grass behind our house: Jon Mark, Colleen, Owen, Tracy, Charu, Nara, KB, Lee, and the 4 Nichols..... a great crew for a great weekend!

Click here for a slideshow...

Easter 2009

Easter madness! This was the year Easter went from being a laid back time of reflection to being an insane holiday for the kids. Spencer participated in not one, not two, but three different egg hunts, starting with the largest in the Peninsula at our very own San Mateo Central Park. See below for details, or click here for a slideshow!

Nancy and Donna came down to join us for the celebration... highlights included arts and crafts tables all over the park, sitting with an enthralled Spencer watching a little girl sing Anne of Green Gables on the community stage, and eating yummy Thai food for lunch upon learning that there was a 1 hour wait to do the Easter Egg hunt. The hunt itself was a well oiled machine: batches of 100 kids line up, fetch all the eggs in 5 minutes, and line up to return the eggs as they file out of the baseball diamond.

Egg hunt #2 was at church, and egg hunt #3 was over at the Gates house, where we went for Easter dinner. This was a much more laid back afair: the dads hid a bunch of eggs around the Gates' backyard.... including several in perches with shell-dropping views of the bay.

Easter Dinner itself was a lot of fun: we brought over our enormous rib-boiling pot to cook 6 racks of ribs for the assembled masses, and whipped up some Nichols-family margaritas to complement the mexican-themed dinner.

Spencer and Tyler were both in fine form. Spencer and Ryan had gone shopping that morning for supplies, and Spencer kept his Heidi's Pies and Safeway stickers on all day. He had a ton of fun playing with the other kids.... finally winding down under a blanket with the others watching a video while the adults cleaned up. Thanks for hosting, Corey and Maggie... what a party!

Click here for a slideshow!

Dinner Chez Canada

To help welcome Adam and Rachel to the Peninsula, Grace and Alonzo hosted all of us over to their place for a true gourmet meal.

Spencer and Theo ate together at the "big boys" table, took a bath together, and went down without a peep (as did Tyler).

To celebrate, we made a run to the corner grocery store for more wine (they had a great selection), and broke out the poker chips! See Adam and Rachel-- life on the Peninsula can be wild and crazy, too!

Gifts from Nara and Tracy

The last time Nara and Tracy came over for dinner, they brought gifts for the boys. Here's a video of Spencer's reaction to his very, very cool gift.



In fact, we were getting ready to head out to a festival at our neighborhood park (which Spencer had been talking about all morning long) when he spied the unopened gift. Spencer's excitment after opening the present delayed our departure for another hour. Nara and Tracy, thanks for getting Spencer his first real train set, complete with tracks! He LOVES it! We got some photos of Spencer playing with his trains for the first time, as well as Tyler enjoying his fun gift: a set of soft blocks, which he loves chewing on and throwing around. :)

Hiller Aviation Museum

On Friday, Grace and Eunice took the boys to Hiller Aviation Museum, just a few miles from home.

It was the perfect place to spend the morning: tons of antique airplanes on display and full-size aircraft for the kids to board and explore. To top it off, there was a special model train exhibit as well... truly a boy's dream outing.

Spencer particularly enjoyed the flight simulators where he could practice crashing helicopters into the ground.


There was a great children's play area, too, where Tyler had fun climbing on a cool airplane rocker, while Theo zipped around on an airplane scooter.

The Perfect Sunday

Today was a perfect Sunday for us; a perfect "day of rest." We woke up and it was gorgeous outside. So we walked downtown with the boys to eat pancakes and omelets at Bay Watch Restaurant and then strolled over to Central Park for a morning romping in the playground. Then we walked from the park to our church (located at Aragon High School), listened to some particularly inspired music, reflected on a particularly relevant sermon, caught up with some friends, and connected with some new people. This was followed by afternoon naps, reading in the sun, and then some hang-out time with Tyler in the backyard while Spencer was still sleeping.



Spencer woke up at 4:30pm, and just when the day seemed like it could be winding down, we weren't quite ready to give up a beautiful day in the sun... so we packed up the car and within 15 minutes were on a gorgeous beach in Half Moon Bay with the boys.


Tyler explored the sand with much interest. Spencer ran around like a mad man, building sand castles, jumping in holes he dug out for himself in the sand, splashing in the ocean, and scavenging driftwood from the beach. We poured ourselves some white wine and snacked on cheese, grapes, and fresh-made bread. The day ended with sunset at Princeton-by-the Sea where we chowed down on our favorite clam chowder at Barbara's Fish Trap before heading home. It's days like this that remind us why we love the Bay Area!

Click here for more photos from our perfect Sunday.

Hiking at Edgewood

It was such a glorious weekend that we called up our trusty hiking buddies, the Canadas, and gathered at Edgewood for a Saturday morning stroll in the foothills.


Ryan and Alonzo carried Spencer and Theo in frame packs up to the top of the hill. The boys then had a great time running around, sharing snacks, playing hide and go seek, and checking out the wild flowers.


Hiking is a little different now, with each of us carrying a kid - but it's still a ton of fun and we have vowed to do more of it as the weather keeps getting better. (Pictured left to right: Ryan with Spencer, Grace with baby TBD, Eunice with Tyler, and Alonzo with Theo).

Click here for more photos from our hike at Edgewood.

Living La Vida San Carlos

At last, Adam and Rachel have moved into their new home in San Carlos, just 15 minutes from us!


Ryan, along with some other family and friends helped them move boxes and furniture into their new digs. Later that night, we got a babysitter for the boys and checked out the late night scene on Laurel Avenue, enjoying a tasty dinner and some fantastic live music at Piacere. The next afternoon, we were back at Piacere for an outdoor lunch on their sidewalk patio with Michael and Thesere. Welcome to the hood, Adam and Rachel!

Reflections on Tyler

When Eunice was pregnant with Tyler, she was worried she wouldn't be able to love him as much as Spencer. After all, it's hard to compete with an entire year and a half of one-on-one time with your first-born. Well, Tyler is his own person, distinct from Spencer in so many ways. Strong...and strong-willed, he's constantly on the move and already wanting to do things his own way. He has an intense gaze, which can shift in an instant into the most delightful smile.


Needless to say, Tyler has managed to capture our hearts completely and has taught us that it's not about loving our kids the same; it's about loving them uniquely.

SNBC Film Festival

Spencer and Tyler attended their first film festival, the 5th Annual Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center Film Festival. Spencer loved eating popcorn and watching movies made by youth and community members on the big screen - his favorite was "Magic and the Moon." Tyler spent the evening happily cruising along the theater seats and flirting with SNBC staff.



Five years ago, Eunice's film "New Beginnings," focused on four generations of women in her family, was shown at the 1st Annual SNBC Film Festival, so it was a little wild to be back here at the same festival with our own kids. Here is Eunice's film, posted online at last!

Home with the Boys

Since returning to work part-time in January, Eunice doesn't get to spend quite as much quality time with the boys as she did before. Still, she manages to pack in plenty of fun, singing, and good old fashioned horseplay into each day. Here are some videos from a typical day at home with Spencer and Tyler...

No day is complete without a few "boys will be boys" skirmishes around the house. [For the greater good of capturing the reality of a "typical" day in the Nichols household, the person behind the camera felt she should not intervene in the scene unless absolutely necessary.]

It's all fun and games until...

Contrary to what the fight scenes above might indicate, Tyler is clearly Spencer's biggest fan and most loyal groupie.

Spencer tries to keep up with "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" on his little boom box.

Kristin's Visit

Kristin (or as Spencer calls her, "Doctor") flew out from Indiana to visit us for a weekend. Eunice, Kristin, and another college friend, Faith, managed to get out for a late night in the Mission, eating a great meal and catching up on each others lives. The next night, we hosted the rest of Faith's family for dinner at our place.


Kristin and Eunice get ready for ladies night out. [In the lower left photo, Spencer, pinches Eunice's cheeks and says, "Stay out of trouble, Mommy!"]


Fiona and Tyler do laps around our coffee table.


The whole crew: Erick, Fiona, Faith, Eunice, Spencer, Kristin, Tyler, and Ryan


Click here for more photos from Kristin's visit.

Dinner with Lee and KB

We had Lee and KB over for a fun evening with the boys. Lee and Ryan were put to work in the kitchen, whipping up a delicious salmon dish with spinach and red peppers, while KB entertained Spencer with book after book after book.

We could tell Spencer had a good time - ten days later, he was still talking about our guests and demanding that KB come back to read him more books!

Spencer's Skuut at Crystal Springs

Spencer has really improved on his Skuut bicycle recently, so we decided to take advantage of the spring weather and go for a ride together on the Sawyer Camp Trail around Crystal Springs.



Spencer did great-- he rode for a full mile, picked up some (alarming) speed on some of the gentle downhill slopes, and actually picked up his legs for a couple of nice glides. The major challenges were staying on the right hand side of the bike path (much to the chagrin of oncoming pedestrian traffic) and skipping the frequent opportunities to take milk breaks on the benches alongside the path.

Of course, in the confines of our driveway, we weren't so lucky. Spencer slipped off the bike and bit his lip, giving him a mouthful of blood and a very fat lip for the next couple of days. He's a pretty tough customer-- his lip is mostly better and he loves telling the story.

Here's a short video of Spencer in action:

Napa with Therese

We met Adam and Rachel up in Napa for lunch with Mike and Therese. Therese has a really cute place right on the edge of the vineyards-- this time of year the mustard is in full bloom and there's a sea of yellow in her back yard... truly breathtaking. See below for details, or click here for the full slideshow!



We enjoyed a delicious mediterranean lunch, played in the backyard, went for a walk through the vineyards, and did some wine tasting at Monticello Vineyards next door. Therese is going to be sorry that she extended an invite for us to use her place when she's out of town... it's perfect!

The consensus is still that Tyler looks more like Eunice than Ryan, but this shot of Tyler and Grandpa Nic definitely shows some of the Nichols genes shining through ;)



Our ride home was rough-- both boys were howling in the backseat before we'd even reached Oakland. We decided to pull off at Jack London Square to stretch our legs, watch the boats, and grab some BBQ at the world-famous Everett and Jones. Watching Spencer dig into the ribs was quite a site-- the video below is not for the faint of heart! (or vegetarians)

And if you liked that, take a look at this video from a year ago - Spencer's appetite for BBQ pork hasn't changed much!

Click here for the full Napa slideshow...

Spencer Interested in Chinese?

Here's something new... Spencer actually taking an interest in Eunice's Mandarin!  Instead of shaking his head and saying "NO" whenever hearing Chinese, Spencer will go into a phase where he'll ask Eunice for translation after translation.

Cora's Visit: We put her to work!

Cora came out for a visit from DC, and mostly we put her to work for the weekend! She helped us throw 2 twelve person dinner parties and took wonderful care of the boys... including reading them lots and lots of books.

There was also some fun, of course-- some great meals out (Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot, Mamas Vietnamese), girl's massage date, and some time for Cora to explore Stanford with Big Spencer.  But Cora left with a cold, which makes us think we got the balance a little off.  Thanks for all the help, Cora. Of course, her next visit is scheduled for Juy 4th, when there's likely to be even more "work" to be done!