Farrell Family Four

A trip to the farm

2009-11-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

We just got back from an amazing trip to Germany for two weeks to visit Mark's mom's family in Northern Germany. There were so many great pictures we decided to do a video. It's only a few minutes... so enjoy!!
http://animoto.com/play/mfPvx7RtBUPxegZ6wVogXg?autostart=true

A new year of Preschool

2009-09-09T14:06:00.001-07:00

Madison started preschool yesterday.. this year she goes in the afternoon so we are adjusting to life with no nap. She was so excited, this was only her third wardrobe change before deciding it was a go. What a difference a year makes.. last year we were hanging on Mommy's legs and hesitant to stay this year... she was ready for me to leave before I was. This is one of Madison's favorite places at the Serra Preschool.. the playdough table (maybe it's because Mommy doesn't "do" playdough).
This is right before I left and Madison was checking out her "cubby" and was all smiles... we are off to a great year!!

It's official... Mark Farrell for SF Supervisor

2009-09-09T13:53:00.001-07:00

On August 8, 2009 Mark filed to run for elected office... District 2 Supervisor of San Francisco. This has been a long time dream of his and after many late night talks we decided now was the time to go for it!!
The press surrounding the big event was unbelievable... every TV station was there to cover it (or the budget crisis) but being from a news background I am going to go with it. We started out the day at swim lessons then raced to City Hall to sign the paperwork and make it official and then Mark raced to the airport to catch a plane to NYC. Why do I have a feeling this is going to be the story of our lives for the next 15 months. The kids were so excited and even tried to register to vote!!
This signature is the beginning of an exciting journey... and notice the orange shirt... in true SF Giant's spirit!
This is the family moment right after the filing... make sure to check out the website www.markfarrell.com and donate while you are there!!

Welcome Quinn Kathleen Fisher

2009-08-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

August 12 2009 at 11:22 am we welcomed Quinn Kathleen (John and Jen's #2).She is a doll... weighing in at a very healthy 7 pounds and 12 ounces and 20 inches long. She has a lot of hair and it's dark. She is gorgeous!!

It was a wonderful experience (we all got to be in the room) and witness the true miracle of life. I will save you all the real "miracle of birth" pics... check Eileen's blog for those.Grammy and Poppo get to meet their #7... so special.

Quinn gets to here and see a pic of this Chloe chic she keeps hearing about.Jen did amazing and got to 8 cm until she took the drugs and then it was all peace and relaxation.. and then 7 pushes and out came little Quinn (actually she was 7. 12, which is big in Fisher standards)Mads and Mia got to sneak away turning nap time to meet their new cousin.. they insisted on dresses, flip flops and their hair braided the same... the even had written her a letter.
The girls were really curious about this new cousin and wanted to bring her into their circle quickly. It's amazing how much more they understand now than when Jack and Reese were born.
They come home Friday so stay tuned for more pics....

A day at the Fair

2009-07-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

We headed to the Giants "urban" fair near the ballpark with the Eggert girls and had a blast. This is a picture of all of us on the "Dizzy Dragons".Madison was a little hesitant at first but once she saw the "carni-queen" (Makenzie) in action... there was no turning back.Here's a picture of the two of them going down the slide.. which they did about 50 times that day... great way to wear them out!This picture says it all about Makenzie, the "carni-queen" she was the only one riding this roller coaster that most kids wouldn't even go near. She rode it by herself at least 10 times... and it was classic to watch her face.. the girl has no fear!
Madison's two favorites were the slide and these boats that she got to ride in all by herself.
Mark met us there and stole the show by winning elephants for Madison and Makenzie by knocking down the bottles. It was a little bit of a scandal because you couldn't win two prizes in one day... but Mark talked his way into two elephants and everyone was happy... except maybe for Jack who also wanted one.

A few random events...

2009-07-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

Jack hit 20 months and like clock work has become obsessed with "choo-choo's" so we decided to take him to one of our favorite family spots in Tilden Park.. the steam trains. He loved it, so I am sure we will be going back quite a bit in the next few months.On Thursdays, my mom takes care of Chloe and we usually like to meet up in the morning and do something fun together. This last Thursday we headed to the Randall Museum and it was so cute to see these two checkin' out the views. Chloe is thoroughly impressed with all Jack's knowledge of the city.

Sprinkle dinner for baby Fish #2

2009-07-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

n
aWith each new addition we get a little smarter... so for Jen's sprinkle shower instead of doing something during nap time where maybe some kids joined in... we finally got smart and did a dinner and night out on the town. Jen picked Zuni Cafe as her choice of restaurant. This is us right before we left the boys and our kids at my house for the night.... all smiles..at least the mommies were!!
We were really lucky to be joined this time by our dear Aunt Judy who was visiting from Atlanta. She has been such a big part of our lives and we were glad she could join in the West Coast fun.
This was Mom with all her girls.... and check out the fun "diaper cake" that Julie made. Remember if you need cute ideas or helping planning your next wedding, shower, or party check out www.JBDEvents.com
We had such a fun night... and even Jen who was 36 weeks pregnant was not going to pass up a night on the town with her sisters. After dinner we hit "tipsy pig" the new hot spot in the Marina and then on to Nectar, a fun wine bar with a stop for Eileen at All-Star donuts in between. The funniest quote of the night came from Julie... she was being hit on at the bar.. and the guy's pick up line had to do with how nice her purse was... in which she quickly responded "it's my diaper bag". classic, needless to say he moved on quickly after that.

Welcome Home Grammy and Poppo

2009-07-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

My parents enjoyed a two week cruise around the Mediterranean for their 35th wedding anniversary... and although it was only 2 weeks you would have thought it was 2 years given the excitement of all the grandkids and their big girls too. We decided to all surprise them at the airport so at 6p on a Thursday... we all caravaned to SFO to surprise them with a sign and balloons. Quite the effort but it was all worth it... as you can see!! The kids could hardly wait, no actually they couldn't wait, to see what surprises Grammy and Poppo had brought back from their adventures.This picture below is nothing short of a miracle given it was dinnertime, bedtime, etc. but as you can see it was happy faces all around to welcome Grammy and Poppo home!!

Way down yonder in the strawberry patch

2009-07-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today we headed down to Davenport, near Santa Cruz to do some strawberry picking. It was only about 90 minutes away and it was the perfect day with a warm breeze and the sound of the ocean in the background.
I highly recommend this activity it was so much fun and the berries are all organic with no pesticides so you can eat them while you pick and as you can see Jack was a huge fan of the eating not so much the picking.Madison, on the other hand, was a big helper to Oma with the picking... but don't let her intensity in this picture fool you... she also ate her fair share!!It was all in a good day's work.... we had such a great time... looking for the sweetest one, the biggest one, etc

This is Jack and Madison looking over our "loot" and deciding who was going to pull the wagon back up the hill.
Looks like big sister got the job... We ended up picking about 15 pounds of strawberries... so I think we will be having smoothies, jams, and anything else I can think of to make with them for a long time!! Good times and we pledged to make this an annual summer outing.

4th of July

2009-07-06T21:07:00.001-07:00

Where's Jack?

2009-07-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

By now you might be wondering "where's Jack?" well have no fear.. he is here and eating of course. I had my appendix taken out... so there were a few weeks where everyone enjoyed some "special treats" Here is Jack.. insisting on his own baguette.. he is such a sucker for some good sourdough

We all live in a yellow submarine...

2009-07-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well not really but we listened to this great song as we dropped Madison and Opa off for an adventure on a submarine.This was down at Pier 41... before the tour.
The adventure ended (as all good ones do) with some ice cream. Thanks Opa for a great day!

Long overdue update....

2009-07-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

A bit of the fun we had in June... including Maddy/Daddy day at the Giants game.
There were a couple big highlights... Lou Seal signing her baseball...
Running the bases... with a new friendBut probably the best part (besides the hot dog, cracker jacks and ice cream that she suckered Daddy into letting her have) was the new pink Giants hat that she proudly wore to sharing at preschool the next day.

Memorial Day

2009-05-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

How quickly we forget the true meaning of Memorial Day.... more often we think of it as a day off of work marked with warm weather and a bbq but the true meaning, remembering those who serve and have served our country should not be lost. We had a special treat this year when Opa put on his Air Force uniform to be part of a ceremony and celebration in Napa. He stopped by afterwards so the kids could check out his sharp looking duds.Everyone was very impressed with all Opa's ribbons and medals... and even his nametag.
Madison even got to try on Opa's hat.Thank you and God Bless all those that our serving or have served our country.

New tricks at the park...

2009-05-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

Watch what I can do... is a phrase we hear a lot around our house these days. Madison is climbing and jumping and swinging from everything.. probably time to pick up those gymnastic classes again. We love meeting our friend Riley at the park in the afternoons to work on our tricks! Here are a few .....going down the slide headfirst....Going down the slide on our knees??
Hanging upside down on the monkey bars....
and the newest and coolest... going across the monkey bars all by herself

Tante Friedel turns 100!!

2009-05-20T14:47:00.001-07:00

On Saturday Tante Friedel turned 100... an amazing milestone for an even more amazing woman. For those of you who don't know who she is... she first started taking care of Mark when he was 10 months old. She started out as a babysitter but quickly became a treasured friend and family member. We enjoyed dinner with her every Wednesday night until recently and this always included a wonderful and long back rub!! She lost her husband to the concentration camps in Germany and has seen so much in her lifetime but she is always positive and full of class. She has a hard time hearing and seeing but other than that is in great health and even better spirits!! They held a tea for her at the Heritage House where she lives. In the pic below you can see she is just slightly appauled at Jack's meltdown....but he recovered quickly and charmed her with a birthday kiss. Tante Friedel came to see Madison in the hospital when she was born and watched her grow and develop over the past 3.5 years... we feel so blessed to have her in our lives! This was a picture of Jack charming all the ladies with his piano "skills". I am sure the place is still recovering from "hurricane Jack"
Happy Birthday Tante Friedel.... we love you and wish you many happy returns!

Bollywood Party

2009-05-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

One of the auction items we got this year was for a "Bollywood Party" put on by two of the moms in Madison's preschool class. The party was on Sunday and it was so much fun... they had the kids dress in traditional garb, wear the "bindi" (jewels on the forehead), they tried Indian cuisine and the highlight was learning some traditional Indian dances. These are pics I downloaded from Andrea so they are blurry until I can get the originals....
The three muskateers....

Mother's Day

2009-05-12T14:12:00.001-07:00

It was a busy Mother's Day trying to celebrate all the wonderful moms in our lives. We kicked off the weekend with a wonderful picnic in the Marin Headlands with Lena and John and Kami who was visiting from NYC. Lena is feeling good so thank you for all your prayers we have a lot to celebrate in that!! (Note: the black eye was from an accident with a cart at Home Depot)We brought a wonderful lunch, some kites and some bubbles to enjoy the beautiful views and vistas. Oma loves spending time with Madison and Jack and we are lucky she is so involved in their daily lives. And they love their Oma... from her patience in a 2- hour walk down Chestnut with Jack who has to stop and wave at every bus, truck, and dog or teaching Madison German and and taking her on special playdates which usually involve french fries and some form of chocolate... but that's what Oma's are for. Thank you for all you do for us... we love you!!Sunday... we were off to Danville to celebrate with Grammy....and the crew. My mom is such a source of inspiration, I am constantly wondering how she did it with all of us and now to see her as "grammy" we are so lucky. The kids love the time they spend at Disneyland... I mean "Grammy's" and all the fun projects she has for them. She is a role model for me and has given so much of herself and her time to help me be a good mom... so thanks Mom for being you and for all that you do.. we love you!!
This was a Mother's Day cheers... to all the moms (especially Julie who was celebrating her first Mother's Day) and more importantly to having successfully gotten all 6 kids down for a nap so we could enjoy a calm and quiet lunch.
It was a wonderful day spent outside by the pool. My favorite part of the day was the recordable card Madison made for me that I have played at least 100 times since I got it. Time flies but I feel so blessed to be the mother of these two lovable munchies!! Thanks also to Mark for breakfast in bed and letting me sneak out to the gym... you are a wonderful husband and Dad... I love you!! (It's Mother's Day.. I get to be a little cheezy on my blog, right?)

Easter celebrations

2009-04-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

We kicked off Easter on Thursday night with an egg decorating party with Oma, Opa and Tante Renate who was visiting from Denver. Oma was right there guiding Madison through the whole process... it was so cute. Madison took the whole project very seriously and loved mixing all the colors together. On Saturday... we continued the Easter celebrations by joining the Brinkers and Grammy and Poppo for an easter egg hunt in Pleasant Hill. It was such a great time... topped off by a visit from the Easter Bunny!! This was Jack's first egg hunt so at first he wasn't quite sure what all the fuss was about but when he discovered it was an open field to run and that the eggs had treats in them.. it was game on! Madison was such a great big sister helping him collect the eggs in his basket.. but making sure she took the treats out first. It was fun to see what a difference a year makes... Madison was definitely into it this year... along with the hundreds of other zero to three year olds at this hunt. It was a wonderful morning and thank you to the Brinkers for hosting us... we will definitely be making this one a tradition. This was the sight Madison and Jack woke up to on Easter morning... we were so excited to show them their baskets... little did we know Madison had already discovered the baskets and carefully unwrapped the chocolate bunny and took a bite of his ears. For the first few minutes Mark and I were perplexed and pointed the finger at each other but soon enough Madison came clean, "Mom, I woke up and came right to the kitchen, I bite the chocolate bunny's ears, and then I took off my diaper". How can you argue with that honesty?

Jack in the corner... discovering his first piece of chocolate.

Sunday we went to mass at St. Agnes and came back to our house with Oma and Opa for brunch. Opa is known for his scrambled eggs... and this year he had an apprentice in training.

Relivin' those glory days

2009-04-19T21:15:00.001-07:00

The Saturday before Easter we spent in Daly City for the SI Alumni Game. This was Mark's at-bat.. the second one... the first one wasn't pretty and he is STILL talking about it!!
That's a hit.... unfortunately it was still a blow out.. but maybe next year boys!! The SI alumni game is always a lot of fun and it's fun to watch the progression.... the girls all go to cheer on their boys and we went from talking dating issues, to wedding planning to pregnancies and now no one has time to talk because everyone is chasing their little ones. This is Mommy taking one for the team...
After the game... the boys took the kids to run the bases.And practice a few left-handed pitches from the mound.
I also took some great family shots of everyone after the game except the D'Angelo's.. sorry!
This was ours....
The Romios' with new addition Olive in the sling.
The Eggert's sporting the wind-blown look...The Grochol's... Steve, Robin, Ryan and Reese.
The Cecchin's... grandparents and all... they got the award for family most-decked in SI gear!!

Girls trip to San Diego

2009-04-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

Madison and I headed to San Diego for the weekend to see the Neal's (Anne, Mike, Zeke and baby #2 due in July). Madison has become quite the seasoned traveler and loved the airplane ride.

Madison and Zeke hit it off right away (I think having a younger brother really helped). They were instant pals and had a great time getting to know each other.
Mike did a great job of teaching Madison how to feed the fish... this was a twice daily ritual. This was them being silly before bedtime after they had a special treat of some ice cream...

Saturday we headed to Irvine to meet Bishop Fleming and it was a beautiful day in Southern California. M'lissa made a quite an effort for this meeting but we were so grateful to get to hold him and catch up... lunch was a bit hectic but I think we managed to finish a few sentences.This was Bishop's first photo shoot with his new friends... Madison and Zeke who were much more interested in him than he was in them!!
M'lissa looks great and motherhood is a perfect fit!
Saturday afternoon we headed to the beach close to the Neal's house and this is one of my favorite pics....
We had to get one pic by the water... to symbolize our first mommy/daughter trip.. hopefully the first of many to come!
We ended the weekend with a wonderful lunch with Anne's parents and a quick trip to the park! Thanks Anne, Mike and Zeke for a wonderful weekend...we'll be back!!

A week in paradise

2009-03-25T21:59:00.001-07:00

We had such an amazing week in Hawaii....lots of good time at the beach, pool and just relaxing. We went with the Brinkers and Grammy and Popo... we missed the Fishers and the Dunns. I was lucky enough to have brought my own photographer (eileen) who took close to 800 pictures... here are just a few and then make sure to check out the slideshow at the bottom... such good times. Jack LOVED the water... the sand... the waves. Here he is checkin' out the boogie board.
He even wanted to give snorkeling a try.This is Madison doing a "fancy nancy" pose... if you don't know what that is and you have a girl... brace yourself... this is what 3 going on 13 looks like, YIKES!!
Madison and Mia had so much fun together.. playing dress-up with each other's dresses, flip flops, bathing suits, etc. They even gave hula dancing a try. We really like the "lift in the air" silhouette pics... so here are a few of our favorites. Look out "Dancing with the Stars".. nobody puts Madison in the corner... (sorry so cheezy)
Mark spent his birthday over there... so we got to sneak out for a little sushi dinner to celebrate.This was a great shot of Madison and Mark getting ready to watch the sunset and say good night to another awesome day in paradise.
The weather was good but we did hit a few rainy days... so what do you do in Hawaii with kids when it rains... you hit the arcade in Kona... really? yeah really. Look below not sure if this stop was more fun for the kids or the Daddies.
This was a nice brother/sister photo shoot... smiling in the sun... until....
a little too much fun in the sun...how about some water wrestling?The sand.... what a great place to practice gymnastics.... and play with Mia!!

This isn't long but there are definitely some good ones... take a look!!

A weekend in the snow

2009-03-02T20:08:00.000-08:00

At the end of February we went with Oma and Opa to Tahoe for the weekend. We had such a great time and kids loved the snow... especially the getting pulled around in a sleigh part. We found a great hill for sledding and after Madison got some fancy pink ski goggles so the snow wouldn't get in her face... she was set to go. Oma and Opa didn't miss any of the action... they were real sports and I promised them I would file these pictures in the "anything for our grandkids" pile.

As some of you may know... my kids are OBSESSED with ice... so as you can imagine snowballs aren't just good for throwing. But let's be clear they are also good for throwing... especially with Opa. There were definitely some "firsts" on this trip... including Jack's first time in the snow Madison's first indoor Smoreand the first Farrell Snowman (complete with a carrot nose, please note)We had such a nice time and hope to get back up there more next year... maybe for some skiing??

An afternoon on Chestnut Street

2009-03-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

One recent Friday afternoon we all decided to meet on Chestnut Street.. this is one of the awesome parts of everyone living close we can have these spur of the moment good times. We were all in tow including Grammy... an extra set of hands never hurt!!
Julie was decked for the "walk" with Dylan making his first appearance in the Bjorn
It was a beautiful day so we promised Madison and Mia some frozen yogurt... look at these two girls, hangin' out on Chestnut Street with chocolate all over their faces.... soon they'll be hanging out of bars on Chestnut Street.... oh boy!!If you have never seen the pure joy of a 3-year-old this is it.. my friends!!

Crab Feed

2009-03-01T19:55:00.001-08:00

Every year we have the high school/college crew over for crab. This was our 5th year doing it and it has become a tradition we all look forward to. This year everyone got a babysitter and we enjoyed a fun night with good wine, good crab and good friends of course!!

Every year we go to our special friends at the wharf to make sure the crab is super fresh. This year we made a morning out of it, so after we got the crab we headed to Pier 39 and Mark relived his glory days in the arcade.. teaching Madison and Jack the "art" of skeeball.

Preschool Playdates

2009-02-22T20:26:00.000-08:00

Madison has had some fun recently having some friends from preschool over after school. This is Madison and Drew making some cookies.
Dress up is also becoming a big thing in our house.... here is a picture of Madison and Callen Porter testing out their "jewels"
The girls were getting all dressed up... when I asked where they were going ... Madison told me "Costco".

While the Daddies are away... the cousins will play

2009-02-19T21:05:00.000-08:00

Every year the Daddies head to Tahoe for Super Bowl weekend... this weekend in the past has been marked with a lot of angst by the girls mostly because someone is always sick, pregnant, or has a newborn... or all three. This year we were determined to make it a fun weekend so everyone came to Chez Farrell for a cousins sleepover... and after everyone went to bed the mommies snuck out to drinks and dinner!! This is how Jack felt after spending the whole weekend with all his aunties and cousins. No hall pass for Ryan this year.. but Dylan did make it over for the first cousins pick as you can see.. it was a great success... everyone is all smiles and Jack is sitting nicely.. oh wait that's what we hoped it would be this is what really happened.

We did get this pic of the youngest four.. the M&M's are getting too cool for these pics and playing babies and dress up is way more fun.

The trampoline has been a big hit since we got it and Chloe after spending a year watching everyone else... is joining Jack in the fun.

Jack LOVES all his girl cousins.... and after Chloe he moves right on over to Reese. He loves to invade their space... I mean give them lots of hugs and kisses.

Madison and Mia have a wonderful friendship and play so well together. They even have figured out how to call each other on the phone.. they have 20 minute conversations about nothing..their just like 2 little old ladies. I love this pic of them. On Saturday afternoon we headed to the East Bay to the Little Star Cafe... I highly recommend it if you haven't been. Fun for everyone.. mommies get to eat and drink and kids get to play. It was a big hit.

Lucky No. 7!!

2009-02-19T21:03:00.000-08:00

The news has been under wraps since Christmas... but I just got the official ok to do a post. The Fishers will be welcoming #2 to their clan in early August..... this is also #7 in 3.5 years for Grammy and Poppo... must be something in the water...hahaha. Jen and John told Mom and Dad on Christmas Eve by showing them an ultrasound pic and giving them another stocking to add to the fireplace.

We are so excited for them to join the the chaos.. I mean fun of 2 and Chloe is so excited about being a big sister. Jen is feeling good and still wearing her normal clothes... don't get me started!!

Congrats Fishers!!

Callen Porter's Birthday

2009-02-19T20:57:00.000-08:00

Callen Porter is the daughter of Andrea Callen who Mark went to high school with and is now my good friend. Madison and Callen both go to The Serra Preschool together and Callen celebrated her 4th birthday at the Tutu school

They made little crowns and then had a little ballet class... seeing all those girls in their tutus was precious. Madison loves her tutu and often wears it now around the house for dress up.

This is Madison with Callen and Rily who was also celebrating a birthday.

Jack has a buddy!!! Welcome Dylan Patrick Dunn

2009-01-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

On January 13, 2009 at 2:21pm we welcomed Dylan Patrick Dunn to the world!Julie pushed for 3 hours but everyone is happy and healthy. He weighed 8lbs. 4 ounces and is 21 inches long.
He is such a little bundle of joy. This is the Dunn Family's first family photo.
Everyone was there... a small waiting room with 12 anxious people cheering on all the doctors and nurses and Julie too (from afar). We lined the hallway waiting for Ryan to walk down the hall with the news. Dr. Green came out first... and was sworn to secrecy.... We had 3 hours in the waiting room so there were lots of jokes, updates on Facebook and last minute reviews of Mark's famous "Baby Dunn Pool"There were also many tender moments... I especially love this one... Tom and Laura minutes before they are about to become grandparents for the first time.
This is #6 for Grammy and Poppo but still just as special as the first.
We are so proud of our little sis!!All the boys raced from work to be there... they were so excited to meet their new nephew and welcome Ryan to the wonderful world of Fatherhood.

Madison and Jack are so excited to add #6 to the cousins crew. The oldest and the youngest met for the first time today and shared a tender moment. Madison wore her ballerina tutu to the hospital in honor of Auntie JuJu ( a former ballerina).Grammy and Madison helped count all Dylan's toes to make sure they were all there. They are... whew!!Jack and Dylan also met today for the first time... I have to admit it wasn't love at first sight but that's just because there was a cup of ice nearby that was far more interesting.. but no doubt these two will be thick as thieves soon. We are so excited for Jack to have a buddy and finally someone else can share my pain... I mean joy in the fact that boys are just much different!!! See below when Jack heard there was another boy, he started kicking dirt.

Don't eat the gingerbread man

2008-12-21T21:42:00.000-08:00

It was girls day out at the Discvoery Musuem for their annual Gingerbread House decorating activity. The mommies got quite a lesson in creativity while the girls had more fun eating the candy off the house.

Andrea and Callen... notice how neat Andrea's house is.

The Eggert girls... old pros at this.

Big smiles for all the candy!

The finished product!! I must say by Christmas there wasn't a whole lot left on the house.

Makenzie's Chocolate Extravaganza

2008-12-21T21:40:00.000-08:00

Makenzie turned three and she, I mean her mom, celebrated with a chocolate extravanza.

All the treats were delicious and the kids got to decorate their own cupcakes... a big hit!!

Madison took her cupcake decorating very serious...

Christmas at the zoo

2008-12-21T21:39:00.000-08:00

For the last three years we have headed to the zoo around Christmas... they get a special delivery of some reindeer. This year since Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning for Madison she was very excited to see who were these creatures who were going to guide Santa's sleigh. Madison and Makenzie peeked over the fence and sang them a few Christmas carols.. the reindeer didn't move an inch.. they might have been sedated.

Madison didn't want Sadie to feel left out so she gave her some kisses. It's fun to see how Madison and Sadie have bonded and Jack and Makenzie have bonded.

The girls swinging high on the "big girl" swings.

This is the smile you get when they are bribed with a lollipop.

We finished the day at the merry-go-round and said good bye to the characters.

Reese's Baptism

2008-12-21T21:37:00.000-08:00

On December 13, we celebrated Reese Brinker's baptism. Mark was the Godfather so it was especially special for our family. She wore the gown we were all baptized in and the same gown that now all her cousins have been baptized in.

Fr. Mario did the honors and did a wonderful job as usual. Jen and I spent most of the baptism in the corner trying to shove "crunch munch" in the Jack and Chloe's mouths so they wouldn't make noise.

Afterwards... we headed to the courtyard to take some family pics....

This was my parents Christmas picture this year... so fun!!

I love this picture and plan on keeping this until they are 13.

Is there such thing as a perfect Santa pic?

2008-12-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

Save Now

You take what you can get..... It's a right of passage.. "everyone" gets dressed up and goes to see Santa, right? This may be true but it doesn't mean it's a pleasant experience. Here, we have "stoned" Jack who just wants the whole thing to be over... and Santa's strange hand placement on Madison. Probably wouldn't have been so strange if Santa hadn't just gotten done telling Mark and I how he got kicked out of 3 karoke bars the night before and "mrs clause" made him sleep in the doghouse because he smelled of booze. Not to mention he practically passed out on the kid before us.

On the second try for that perfect picture... Jack is just now thoroughly annoyed that he is on a strange man's lap who smells like a dive bar AND he has a combover AND his mom made him wear a white turtleneck!!

Broderick Street Christmas Party

2008-12-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Dinner/Chaos

2008-11-29T21:30:00.001-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving we were in Danville and had a great time. Everyone was there except the Fishers who were visiting John's mom in South Carolina. My dad did all the cooking and it was quite a feast. Mom made sure the girls were included and they had their own decorated Thanksgiving table complete with art projects. This was Jack's first year of getting to eat a real Thanksgiving dinner and he couldn't have been happier.... all that turkey made for good sleeping!!The dinner itself lasted about 20 minutes.. with 4 kids under 3 no more long leisurely dinners, but we did still manage to get in our Thanksgiving tradition of all going around the table and saying what we are thankful for. The Dunns had a very touching moment during this part as they eagerly await Baby Dunn. We decided to make it an extended weekend so we stayed out there until Saturday along with the Brinkers... yes I know they only live 15 minutes away but isn't it more fun when everyone stays together?? On Friday after catching a quick movie, Aaron and Mark helped my Dad hang the Christmas lights outside. The girls wanted a front row seat for all the action.. The lights turned into quite a project and everyone, including Jack got in on the action.
After the lights were all hung.. Gram (cruise director) decided it was time for a "night walk" in the red wagon.There was never a dull moment between the outside, the art projects, etc.. Gram and Poppo made it a wonderful weekend for everyone and we even got to sneak out for a little double date with the Brinkers.

Gymnastics party/Weekend at Bernies

2008-11-21T21:13:00.000-08:00

If you ever saw the movie, "Weekend at Bernies" that is the best way I can describe Madison's 3rd birthday party. After 3 days of being sick and another trip to the doctor we decided to go ahead with her gymnastics party with all 18 of her friends from preschool. After calling every mom to alert of Madison's condition we were thrilled there was still such a strong turnout. Madison loves to jump, hang, climb so gymnastics has been a wonderful outing for her and Dad on Saturday mornings so we thought only fitting she should have her party there, complete with a jumpy house. But the party went south quickly when after a few minutes of physical activity Madison tuckered out.. still not feeling well. Mark and I literally had to hold her up and blow out her candles for her. It was a sad sight!! Hence the "Weekend at Bernies" refernece.I think all the kids had a good time and everyone enjoyed some delicious homemade cupcakes.. courtesy of Auntie JuJu (thanks again). The girls also enjoyed jumping around with their new batons that Madison of course had no interest in passing out so I had to.
Note to self... if your kid ever looks like this... just cancel the party!! We will all remember this as the party her mommy wanted more than she did!!

Madison turns 3!

2008-11-20T20:58:00.000-08:00

Well, all I can say is either I have really bad birthday karma this year or I am being tested on my parenting/party skills. Madison had big plans for her 3rd birthday.. we had been talking about it for weeks. She was going to bring a special snack to school for all 35 of her friends and then she was going to go to a special lunch with Mia that consisted of french fries and ice cream.. but the day before her birthday she came down with a terrible virus.. fever, no appetite, cough, the works. So after an emergency trip to see Dr. Noah... we called off school, exceeded our screen time limits for a 3 year old and ate lots of popsicles. We did however muster enough energy to put our birthday hat on and pretend we were having a good time. The biggest and probably best surprise of the day came when the doorbell rang and it was the Brinkers. Braving all warnings of Madison being highly contagious they decided they would risk it to see Mads on her 3rd bday!Madison rose to the occasion and had such a great time.. it really lifted her spirits on an otherwise bummer of a day. After naptime we, well really Mommy decided we all just had to get out of the house. It was a beautiful warm day and a little outing would help us all feel better. So Mark came home from work early and we headed to McDonalds for some soft serve... just what the doctor ordered.

Birthday Party Switcharoo

2008-11-06T19:53:00.000-08:00

Wow where to start with this post... I think it can best be summed up by saying all's well that ends well but it was a little rocky getting there. Gina and I decided to plan a fun 1st birthday for Jack and Sadie since they are only 4 days apart and most of our friends are the same. We had grand visions of a kick-ass party at Lemos Farm in Half Moon Bay with the works... jumpy house, petting zoo, train rides, pony rides, pumpkins, cake you name it! As the day was approaching and we were putting the final details on the plans we started to notice the weather. The nice warm fall weather known to the Bay Area this time of year was going to take a drastic turn on Saturday November 1.. the day of the party. We hoped for the best.. confirmed with the Farm that it was rain or shine and kindly told people to dress warm and wear their boots. After a morning of cleaning up from Halloween, finishing the food and coordinating naps so my kids weren't monsters at the pary we all get in the car to head to Half Moon Bay. The rain is coming down hard... the Dunns are calling to joke about "Hurricane Lemos", Mark is weaving through flash floods and 3 car pile-ups....... I will admit the mood in the car was tense and I was fragile. We are getting closer and I get a call from Gina that she has arrived and there is a big sign that says "WE'RE CLOSED". The mood just went from fragile to totally on the ropes!!! Gina and I talked each off the ledge.. then decided to quickly swing into action with Plan B.. move the party to the Farrells house. We are blessed with wonderful friends and family who all showed up to help and celebrate. This is how the Fishers and most arrived.... soaking wet but with smiles on their face that they didn't have to stand in a torrential downpour at a pumpkin patch in Half Moon Bay. Instead we opened a case of Maniac (Mark's wine) ordered pizza and spent a cozy afternoon with dozens of kids running around nursing a Halloween sugar high hangover!!
The kids didn't seem to mind not getting wet and all had fun jumping on the trampoline and playing with the toys. Jack got some special time with Oma.
Makenzie decided to taste test the cake just to make sure it was ok to eat.

Then Madison and Makenzie watched and waited until the moment they could finally eat cake.Jack finally got to have a lick of his first cupcake and enjoyed all the attention and excitement.
Our little birthday buddies.. hard to believe a year ago Gina and I were just a few doors down from each other at CPMC holding our angels for the first time. Who knew they would get dragged every where together for the next year!! More good times to come.

This was us after a few glasses of wine... smiling at our husbands who made an emergency run to the liquor store for the biggest bottle of wine they could find and the party store for more balloons and decorations...Mark could be heard telling the woman at the store...'our wives are on the ropes.. I need more balloons, more decorations and one of each of these"
Happy First Birthday Jack and Sadie... maybe next year we'll make it to Lemos!!

Halloween is finally here!!

2008-11-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

The night before Halloween Mark and I got into the spirit for ourselves and after the kids went to bed we carved some politically motivated pumpkins.... "go ooobama"
The next day it was off to Chestnut Street with the whole crew for the annual Halloween parade. In tow we had Mickey and 2 pink Minnies, Chloe the flower, Leenie the witch, and Reese the bumble bee. This is something we have done for 3 years now and it is so much fun. We were quite the scene this year with 3 strollers, two sets of grandparents and five kids under 3!! This might have been the last year for the "Minnies". Here they are giving their best "we're so over it" look.Speaking of being over it.... Jack was over the Mickey Mouse ears and over sitting in the stroller so he decided to walk Chestnut Street. Definitely one of the highlights of this Halloween was Opa's "costume" check out this green hair. I think more people on Chestnut Street were talking about him than the kids... thanks for being such a good sport Opa!!

Jack's first birthday

2008-10-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

On October 29... Jack turned 1!! It's hard to believe where the year has gone... those sleepless nights and long bouts of crying(his and mine) seem so long ago. Today, my little man is walking, babbling and smiles with a sparkle in his eye. The night before Jack's birthday, Madison and I were busy birthday fairies.. wrapping presents and decorating the house. Mark got home at 2am.. got a few quick hours of sleep and was there to greet Jack when he woke up. Jack got some cool new toys.. including his a ride-on fire truck, his first Tonka truck, some new blocks and books.

The day consisted of taking Madison to preschool and then some alone time with mom and dad as we headed to Dr. Simons new office for Jack's 1 year check -up. Jack is 22.5 pounds but only 30% for height but still holding strong in the 98% for head size!! After getting 4 shots and getting woken up from two naps.... Jack called it a day around 6p just in time for Oma and Opa and Gram and Poppo to arrive for his first birthday dinner.
So Jack went to bed and we opened a nice bottle of Silver Oak and toasted our little man and all the blessings we've been given. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband to share this adventure with.
It was a scene that would seem sad to most and just a few years ago would have been devastating to this type-A mom.... Jack missing his big birthday dinner with his grandparents, his first cupcake, etc but if there's one thing you learn, you have to go with the flow and nothing ever turns out exactly how it was planned... a lesson that become all too real a few days later... see "Hurricane Lemos" post.
But all in all it was a great day... a great birthday and we had a wonderful dinner with Gram and Poppo and Oma and Opa and Madison of course loved all the extra attention and dishing out the cupcakes after dinner!!

Is it Halloween yet?

2008-10-27T11:10:00.001-07:00

It feels like Halloween is the new Christmas.. it just keeps going and going. I have to admit I am feeling a little burned out and we haven't even hit the Big Day. We had a great weekend though which included a few more pumpkin patches, a great party at the Braden's in Walnut Creek and was topped off by the Serra Preschool Halloween Fair and carving pumpkins.. whew no wonder I feel beat today. Madison is almost three.. so her most popular phrase is "I can do it myself" so this is her pulling the load of pumpkins to decorate the house with. She insisted on picking them out, lifting them herself and pulling the wagon.

Saturday we headed to the east bay to the pumpkin patch in Pleasant Hill with the Brinkers... it was in the mid 80's but at least we got everyone to smile for the "annual family pumpkin patch" picture.
Jack started walking and he is a man on the move. Here he is charming the camera with those cute smiles and showing off his new big boy haircut. Not to be outdone by cousin Reese who was all smiles in her pumpkin shirt.
The Dads are leading the charge around the pumpkin patch in search of the perfect one.

How cute are these two? They have so much fun together and always love a chance to snuggle close and say cheese!!
Sunday we were off to the Serra Preschool Halloween Fair. Gina and I were on set-up and the Dads were in charge of bringing the girls in their costumes and staying for clean-up... ouch. The two biggest hits of the party were the nail painting and tattoo room and the Monster Mash dance party room.. good work Gina! Here Madison and Callen are waiting for their nails to dry and then they were ready to hit the dance floor.
Gina and Andrea took a turn in the tattoo parlor... Gina, where's YOUR costume?

The Eggerts love Halloween and Gina takes great pride in their costumes but this year takes the cake. Check out the Eggert Sisters... complete with silver crosses. Sr. Sadie at the arts and crafts table.

Halloween at the Disco Museum

2008-10-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

In TV news we were always taught not to "bury the lead" so here it is... the world's cutest Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Sunday we headed to the Discovery Museum's Goblin Gamboree with literally "hundreds" of other families. It was super packed but the whole place was turned into a Halloween wonderland. Madison/Minnie of course loved the jumpy house.

I can't help but think if Jack could talk he would say "are you kidding mom? Dressing me in this leisure suit?"
Mark and Jack had a great time building and knocking down towers in the Tot Spot.
This is Jack in his full "get-up" is he cute or what?? Our little Mickey Mouse... only problem his head is so big that the velcro chokes him around the neck... but for a moment its cute.
Stay tuned for Jack's Halloween costume part 2.... my little "Jack-o-lantern"

Disney comes to town

2008-10-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

It was a busy weekend... Saturday afternoon we headed to Disney on Ice. I originally thought Madison might be a little young but boy was I wrong.. we had such a great time and really got the excitement building for the Minnie Mouse halloween costume. This was a trip just for the "M&M's" so Jack and Resse got to stay home with Gram and Poppo. Mark got suckered into a $24 Minnie Mouse doll but hey it was worth the memory.
We had great box seats so the girls could move around and call out all the characters they knew as loud as they wanted.
This is one of my favorites... not sure who was having more fun at the show... Mads and Mia or the Mommies???
Madison loved the characters and the music and all the twirls they did on ice.

Trampoline obsessed

2008-10-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

Who needs Disneyland when you have Gram and Poppo's house... Madison was treated to a wonderful surprise on Saturday when she arrived in Danville. Gram got a trampoline for the backyard and unlike hers at home this one is super cool because Gram can jump on it too. So fun, thanks Gram and Poppo!

SF Happy Hour... Eggert Style

2008-10-19T21:27:00.001-07:00

Friday night East Bay happy hour moved across the bay to the Eggerts house. It was a rare warm evening in West Portal filled with good food, laughs and plenty of Bud Light and red wine, thanks Chuck. There were eight kids under the age of 3 so not so much the Happy Hour it used to be but still plenty of fun. The kids had mac and cheese and mummy dogs while the adults feasted on Gina's homemade enchiladas.
This is Marco Cecchin, Jack and Sadie enjoying dinner... family style.
Brooke D'Angelo is right next to them.... raising her hand so nicely for more mac 'n cheese please.
The "big girls" got to sit at the table and enjoy their dinner.
After dinner it was time for a little entertainment as they all enjoyed the latest episode of "Yo Gabba Gabba" ...
Thanks for hosting a great Friday night happy hour!!

Yosemite Trip

2008-10-16T10:18:00.001-07:00

We headed to Yosemite for the long weekend with John and Lena. Mark and his parents used to go every year and it had been awhile since we had all been there and it was a great Fall weekend.Here we are enjoying the view of Yosemite Falls however at this time of year the waterfall had very little water and what was there was frozen. This was an easy stroll... so now we were ready to conquer the Misty Trail.
This was pretty much how Mark hiked up the mountain... go Dad!! Madison did great but it was a pretty steep climb and those legs got tired.
Jack enjoyed his bird's eye view from the backpack and talked/babbled to everyone passing on the way down.
We made it to the top... a little tired but excited because the way back was all downhill.
This is Madison racing Hans Florine and Yuji Hirayama to the top of El Capitan (by the way these two climbers set the record for fastest climb on Sunday while we were there)
This was us when we made it to the top of "the rock" so proud!!
This is us all snuggled up (it was about 40 degrees at night) on the Yosemite shuttle after a great day of hiking and a yummy pizza dinner.

On Sunday, we enjoyed a wonderful brunch at the Ahwahnee and then headed to Mirror Lake ... which we never quite made it to after Jack decided he wanted to do some hiking too.
Thanks for a great weekend Oma and Opa!!

Trying out three

2008-10-16T09:52:00.001-07:00

Catchy headline but no breaking news.... just a fun day at the pumpkin patch in Marin with cousin Chloe... Mark makes it look so easy eh?

Jack can't believe there are so many pumpkins
Cloe and Jack a little nervouse about how high Madison is climbing....

Looks like Madison is a little worried too.
Madison escapes to the trampoline in an effort to convince Dad that one of these will fit in our backyard.... she almost had him.

Tutu party

2008-10-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Madison attended a birthday party at the Tutu school for her new preschool friend, Drew

It was quite a sight to see almost 2 dozen 3 year-olds in tutus.
Madison and Makenzie especially enjoyed the pink cupcakes.

Madison looked like such a little girl in her ballet outfit.. it was so fun to see her with all her new friends from the Serra Preschool.

Running just as fast as you can

2008-09-15T11:19:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning we were up and out the door early to run in the Banana Chase 5K benefiting UCSF Children's hospital. Mark and I each pushed a stroller

The Fishers, D'Angelo's (sans Jack who was nursing a sore calf), and Gina and Sadie were also part of the fun.

Jack had so much fun checking out all the people and going fast with Dad.

The Fishers made it a family affair and Chloe smiled for her first race.
The race was great and Team Farrell had a strong finish.

Gina and I ran most of the race together and opted for the Ipods.
Chuck decided not to run the race but got his exercise for the day blowing up this banana.
After the race we ran into Vanessa's sister and her husband Gary and their adorable twins Addison and Gracie... so cute.But the running wasn't over... Madison and Makenzie were about to run their first 50 yard dash... let the stretching begin!!
Madison had her own official race t-shirt and number was ready to run.There were 80 3year olds running..Mads and Makenzie made it into heat 3 as I helped them scope out the course.
"Ready, set, go.... she's off... running at full stride to the finish line.

She got a little thrown off when the banana ran up right next to her....

But both girls had a strong finish... under 40 seconds... now if we could just shave 30 seconds off that in the next 15 years... watch out Olympics. They had purple ribbons and big smiles.. it was a great time!!

Girls Night In

2008-09-15T11:04:00.001-07:00

Friday night was Aaron's birthday so the boys all went out to celebrate.... leaving the girls and Jack at home for a night in. Chloe enjoyed some sweet potatoes while Mommy enjoyed the Chardonnay.
Eileen and her girls were ready to celebrate.... toasting their Dad's birthday.
After dinner it was bath time for Chloe and Jack... Jack was so excited to have someone to share his new bath tub with.

After the three babies were down... the "big girls" (Mia and Mads) got to be silly with their moms. Here they are using the camera to take a picture of the 3 mommies and one to be.
Now it was time for a game of switcharoo....Mia and Mads got to stay up way past their bedtime...and tuck the mommies in bed.
Madison and Jack are starting to play together and they have so many tender moments together... here they are riding Madison's horsey, "go chicago"... giddy up.

Jack has also figured out how to climb onto Madison's trampoline and do some jumping of his own. Jack can hold his own... even with all that hair coming his way.. yikes!!

First day of Serra Preschool

2008-09-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

Today was Madison's first day of preschool and it was a great day!! She is already reading the signs at school... a true genius on our hands!
She was greeted by her two friends... Makenzie Eggert and Callen Porter... these girls are gonna be trouble!!

After a short stint in the art room.. Madison was outside braving the 55 degree weather to check out the bikes. Is she having fun or what?? This could be when she realized mom wasn't staying.. ouch!!
But all was good and after school Madison was greeted at home by Oma and Opa who had a special surprise for her... a pink (of course) schultute... this is German for school bag and is a tradition on the first day of school.Inside were all kinds of goodies from Oma and Opa including new hair clips, stickers, panties and the best treat of all... a pink cupcake from Cara's Cupcakes on Chestnut Street.. thanks Oma and Opa!!

Let's hope the second day goes as well as the first!!

Madison's Preschool "Do"

2008-09-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

This week was Madison's turn to get her haircut.. now she has had regular haircuts since she was 9 months old thanks to her thick long locks so this was old hat but it was made special because it was her "preschool do". Madison and Mia start school next week and along with every other kid in America their moms thought they needed a haircut to start the year off right and set just the right first impression for preschool.

Grammy made a surprise appearance... her first time out of the house in three weeks (she has been taking care of my dad since hip surgery).
This little place in Danville was great... they got to drive a truck, watch Cinderella, get their haircut, and the real topper... SPRINKLES in their hair over a beautiful braid.

Mia had to check it out and give her final approval. Both girls looked great!!

Jack's first haircut

2008-09-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

Last week we all headed downtown for a big milestone for Jack.. his first haircut... and this was quite a special one. Jack got his haircut right after Daddy at the barber downtown (Placido) where Mark has and his Dad have been going for years!! This is Jack's before look...
This is during... Dad is micromanaging the process well and I am trying to stay quiet.
Jack was a real trooper and loved all the attention and he especially loved his blue cape.
He is a little unsure about Placido's plans for the back but he's trusting Dad on this one.
He is definitely excited about getting rid of the bangs... and is psyched that he will be able to see where he is going now.
This was a special dad for the Farrell men and we all went to lunch after to celebrate.

A Beach Day

2008-08-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

The weather has been so nice in San Francisco that we have spent a lot of time at the beach... and thanks to Gina's secret solution (baby powder) to get the sand off.. its not the heinous experience it has been in the past. Last week... we were lucky to have Heather and Nikos join us.. except Nikos kept crawling to other people's towels.. I guess we weren't fun enough for him.

Makenzie and Madison kept themselves nice and busy digging a hole and then watching the waves crash into it.
This was the best shot I could get of the younger three... Jack is on the move so he doesn't sit still long enough for the pic... but from the looks of it something really cool was happening in the water... did they see a great white??
This is possibly my favorite pic of the summer... Makenzie loves the sand and the water and is such a bundle of energy. I can't help but think how her dad is going to love this pic.. if preschool doesn't work out... maybe Baywatch is doing some early recruiting!!

Take Maddy to work day

2008-08-15T21:24:00.000-07:00

Madison woke up this morning to some very exciting news.. this wasn't going to be just any old Friday morning... this was a special day. She was going to work with Dad and she was thrilled with the news.
Mark's boss is out of town so he decided to take Madison to work with him. Madison is fascinated by the fact that a yellow taxi comes every morning to pick Daddy up and drop him off... so today she got to check it out for herself.
She got to go to Starbucks and get some "purple bread" and then she found Mickey Mouse on Dad's computer and after all that she decided it was time to get to business so she sat down to write a few emails.
She had a great day, I mean hour, at Dad's office and after Mom picked her up it was time for a quick potty break then off to Enzo with her cousins... Thanks Dad for a great morning!!

Breakfast with Enzo

2008-08-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

Most of our Friday mornings are spent with a man called Enzo Garcia... he's a quirky folk singer but the kids and mommies love him. This was a special Friday because after weeks of talking it up... Chloe came with us.All 5 cousins got to enjoy Breakfast with Enzo this morning and it was quite a scene. Here's some video of Madison and Mia dancing/tackling each other.

Surprisingly even with all this commotion... Reese was able to catch up on some beauty sleep.

Tahoe August 2008

2008-08-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

We spent a week in Tahoe and had such a great time. Some of the best moments were at the pool at Old Greenwood where Madison became a fish.
Madison also enjoyed (along with Mommy) her first waterslide... so fun!!
We had a great deck on the back of the house where we had many wonderful family dinners and drank nice wine.
We also enjoyed some fun times actually at the Lake.. this was at a dinner we had at Gar Woods.. the best part was after dinner we got to put our toes in the Lake.
and dance together by the Lake at sunset.

An Irish Affair

2008-07-28T21:02:00.001-07:00

Mark and I flew to Long Island over the weekend for the wedding of Chrissy Jacovina and Shane. We wish them lots of love and happiness and an awesome time in Bora Bora!!
We had a great time and loved getting caught up with all the east coast family.... we especially loved meeting Aiden for the first time.. he is almost 3 months and such a joy.

For more fun pics of the wedding and our weekend in New York... click below.

Showering Baby Luceno

2008-07-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

Our friend Andrea threw a wonderful baby shower for Chrissy and it was so much fun to see her looking so good pregnant and to see M'lis, Betsy and Anne who all were there also. We can't wait to meet Baby Luceno.....

We are family

2008-07-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

The Gannon family reunion has come and gone so fast it's hard to remember everything we packed into one short week but it sure was a lot of fun. The week kicked off with Matt and Jack Danzig jumping into bed with Madison to say hello. They were our guests for the week and Madison loved having the "big boys" around.
On Sunday we celebrated a family mass in Danville then dropped the kids with babysitters and headed to Napa for an amazing evening. This was the "fun" bus... no explanation needed.
We enjoyed a 5 course dinner at Far Niente and we sat down to a setting with 5 wine glasses.. so you can guess how the night ended...
A good time was had by all... it did make for a rough Monday morning if you were going to work or if you had to take care of kids.. yikes!!
We were psyched to have Chris stay with us also... for a college kid he did awesome staying in a house with four kids and early mornings. Jack became his buddy...
We also found a new use for the blue raft in Danville.... no reunion would be complete without TONS of Bud Lights by the pool!!Even Jack wanted to get in on the action.... third generation in training!!

There were 9 kids under the age of 7 so it was a little hectic... but they had so much fun palying in the pool and in the tent in the backyard in Danville.
We ended the week with "Cousins Night Out" which consisted of sushi and bowling... a deadly combo!!
It was so awesome to have everyone here and for a group that lives 3000 miles apart and only gets together once every year or two.. we sure can make some memories. One thing for sure there will always be a "surprise face" picture and tons of Bud Lights.
The night ended with a long walk home through the Presidio and Fisher gymnastics on Arguello Street!! AWESOME.

A night on the town

2008-07-20T20:22:00.001-07:00

Mark and I celebrated an awesome night on the town.. in our own city. We stayed at the Huntington Hotel while the kiddies stayed at Oma and Opa's. We promised ourselves a night away when Jack finally started sleeping through the night.. and yes 8 months later it finally happened!! YEAH!!

We had the most incredible dinner at Waterbar along the Embarcadero... it was a rare warm night in San Francisco and we took time to enjoy the few with a nice bottle of wine... cheers!!

The Holy Family

2008-07-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, July 6, 2008 we celebrated Chloe's Baptism and John's full initiation into the Catholic Church. He received his First Communion and Confirmation during a family Mass presided over by Fr. Mario and Fr. Cameron at St. Agnes.

It was truly one of the most memorable masses and such a special day for the Fisher family. I was so honored to be chosen as Chloe's Godmother.

For more fun pics.. check out the link to the Fisher blog.
Fisher Family: Sacraments of Initiation

4th of July Part 2.. Parade and BBQ

2008-07-20T19:57:00.001-07:00

ok.. so for those of you who have been anxiously awaiting part 2.. here it is and it was worth the wait. There were so many fun ones I had to do a slideshow (sorry Cecchins, I know how you hate those)... enjoy!

4th of July... a few of my favorites Part 1

2008-07-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

The Brinkers big outing

2008-07-08T11:01:00.000-07:00

We met Eileen, Mia and baby Reese at Habitot in Berkeley today. The girls really enjoyed the spaceship exhibit... watch out NASA you may have some future astronauts and space controllers on the way.

We interupt this party for BREAKING NEWS!!

2008-07-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

It's June 29th and we all went to Danville to celebrate Eileen and Ryan's birthdays. The day started out with Madison helping Poppo make.. I mean lick the birthday cake.

but the quiet and relaxing afternoon was about to change our lives forever....
During dinner Julie and Ryan surprised.. I mean shocked us all with their news that a "Dunn is in the oven" (that is the first/last time you will ever see that on this blog.. but I am just quoting them)
We are so excited for this news and will anxiously await early January for their precious bundle.
In true Dunn fashion... high fives all around!!
And thanks to technology... we were able to see "baby Dunn" right away on the computer!! Just in case nobody believed them. We are so happy for you guys.... you will be wonderful parents!!

First day of summer school

2008-07-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

Madison started Serra Preschool's summer program today... she goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-1p. Mark has taken on the task of making her lunch.. taking extra care with the sandwich.
She wore her new pink backpack and lunch bag
So far... she loves it!!

A's versus the Giants

2008-06-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

We met up with the Eggerts and the Fishers at a tailgate on Saturday for the A's/Giants game in Oakland with potties in hand. Madison and Makenzie are officially putting "pee in the potty". This was the first game for Madison and Jack and the first big adventure with the travel pottyThe highlight of the game for Jack and Daddy was getting the first game ball. Rich Aurilia rolled up a ball over the dugout right into Jack's/Mark's hands.
Jack who is chilling with in the Bjorn with his paci... takes the time to work on his knuckle ball.
Jen and Chloe also enjoyed the action up close and personal. Madison spent most of the game trying to climb on top of the Giants dugout. We had front row seats (thanks Lisa!!) so it was quite a first game for the Farrell kids. Still unsure if Madison enjoyed the game or the hot dog and Cracker Jacks that Daddy let her have... lots of first tonight. Oh yeah.. the Giants ended up winning 1-0.

Taking Jack for a ride

2008-06-30T21:32:00.000-07:00

Madison decides to take Jack for a little ride.

It is so cute to see the beginnings of them really starting to play together.

Glad to be a SAHD

2008-06-30T21:26:00.000-07:00

A classic picture of Fish enjoying his second week of staying home with Chloe. He had a rough first week but has come back strong the second week. After a morning of watching soccer and eating a "hearty" lunch he decided it was time for a siesta. It's been fun hangin' with him as he has replaced Jen as my buddy so we spent a lot of days hanging out. Make sure to check out the Fisher blog for details on his latest and greatest adventures.. classic. especially the one about how he showed up at the mom's group and no one knew he was coming.

Father's Day

2008-06-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

Mark got home from the National Finals just in time for Father's Day. We spent a great day relaxing and being together. I think this picture says it all. Thank you Mark for being a great man, a loving husband and a wonderful Dad. We love you!! (Now will you please put this picture on your Facebook profile?)

The Crew....

2008-06-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

This is the first picture of all 5 cousins.... it's a little tricky getting everyone at "their best" but this was right before pool time at Grammy and Poppo's.
This is what we like to call large, medium and small. Jack is 8 mo and crawling, Chloe is 6 mo. and rolling over, and Reese is 3 weeks and opening her eyes and eating a LOT!

Playtime with the Eggerts

2008-06-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

Madison and Makenzie decided to do a "switcharoo" for this pose. This pic was taken at the Lucas Film complex where they have a little lake and nice grass for a picnic.
You are never too young for chivalry... Jack decides to take Sadie for a spin in her red wagon. I could write a lot of other funny witty things here but none of them seem appropriate so I will save them for myself and laugh out loud.

Welcome home Reese

2008-06-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

On Friday, June 6th (her original due date!), Reese Marie Brinker was discharged from the Intensive Care Nursery and welcomed home by her proud parents and cutie pie Sis. We were all there for the homecoming - decked out in signs, of course - and were thrilled to see Reese home where she belongs. Thanks to all for your constant prayers, emails, messages... we are so glad to have Reese home!
Click below to see some more pics of Reese's homecoming!

Ga Ga over Google

2008-06-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

After a hectic morning of putting our "pee in the potty" and Jack cutting his first tooth.. we decided to treat ourselves to lunch with Auntie JuJu at Google. There's a lot of security so EVERYONE has to sign in and get a name tag.

While we were having lunch Madison was completely shocked when she saw Sergey Brin (one of Google's founders) walk by.

This is Julie trying to explain to Madison who that man was that just walked by....
Jen and Chloe were just smiling and enjoying the good food, great people watching, and good company.
After lunch it was tummy time before everyone got back in the car... these future googlers really got a kick out it.
And the outing ended as most of them do... with someone in tears and someone with a poopy diaper (neither were mommies this time) and Auntie JuJu trying to be discreet in getting rid of the diaper before hopping on her bike and heading off to her next meeting.

Cousin Chaos

2008-06-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

Well it's another sunny afternoon in Danville and that means it's "stroller time". Everybody grabs a stroller and a baby and we hit the road for a walk around the neighborhood. It's quite a sight as you can see....

Jack decided to opt out of the stroller... because he likes to be his own person and mix things up a little being the only boy and all...
but he's not to sure about whether this is a good idea... and frankly mommy wasn't either.
Madison's baby got a little fussy so in a scene reminiscent of when she was a baby.. she opted to hold the baby and push the stroller.
Jen and Chloe... well this is pretty how they spend all their days... just smiling!!

An art project with Grammy

2008-06-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

We've been spending a lot of time in the East Bay recently playing with Mia and visiting Reese and Eileen at the hospital. During some rare "downtime" my mom decided to channel her inner teacher and attempt a very MESSY art project with Madison.

Good thing it was at her house because there are a few things that toddlers love that this mommy can't stand... playdough being first and foremost and glue/glitter projects coming in a close second.
Luckily Madison has an awesome Grammy who loves doing all these things with her. Yeah Grammy!!

An ice cream celebration

2008-06-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

In honor of the arrival of Reese Marie we decided what better way to celebrate than a good ol' fashioned ice cream cone. As you can see from the looks on Mia and Madison's face.. they experienced pure joy as they devoured their first ice cream cones.
Just about the time the sugar high set in and Jack and Chloe figured out they were just along for the ride and weren't getting any ice cream we headed home.

Welcome Reese Marie Brinker

2008-05-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

It's a day we have been waiting for a long time.. but after 38 weeks and 4 days Eileen gave birth to a beautiful baby girl... weighing in at a substantial 8 pounds 9 ounces. I was honored to be there for her birth. Reese had a bit of a tough entry into the world, though, because her shoulders were transverse and the doctor had some difficulty getting her out. As a result, she ended up in the Intensive Care Nursery with some nerve damage that is affecting her respiratory system. We are praying hard that Reese will recover on her own (without surgery) and will soon be home with her proud parents and big sis, Mia Grace. In the meantime, the doctors and nurses are monitoring her and she is being well cared for in the hospital. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

Swingin' with Cousin Chloe

2008-05-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

We were making the rounds to all our favorite parks this week and one of our new found favorites is Gratten Park in Cole Valley, probably because its so close to Jen and John's house. Jack loves the swings but he loves them even more when he is joined by his cousin Chloe who is now almost 5 months old (how cute is she?)
Madison loved playing the role of big sis/big cousin and pushing them in the swings.
Side note: I will say it before most of you will, because I know you will... Jack has bangs!! I know, I am aware and I am assessing what to do about the situation. His hair has grown so quickly that he either has a comb-over (hello, Sam Donaldson anyone?) or bangs poking out from his baseball cap (so Backstreet Boys from the '90's) either way the end result will probably be his first haircut at the age of 7 months... but comb-over not how can you resist that smile?

Jack's on the move

2008-05-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

Jack is sooo close to crawling and my life as I know is about to get a lot crazier. Madison never crawled, she just walked around 10 months but Jack, my little man, is about to be on the move. I need to get serious about child-proofing, etc because when he figures it out there is going to be no turning back!! This is a picture from the other morning.. I left him on the floor for a second while I went to change Madison's diaper and sure enough I came back to find him "hiding" under the couch.

BADM with the Eggert girls

2008-05-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

We love the "Disco" museum as all the cool, hip moms call it and this week since the sun was out we went there with Makenzie, Sadie and Gina Eggert. Sadie and Jack stayed in their strollers most of the time which allowed Gina and I more time to chase those "twos" around. They love the outdoor stream filled with fish and frogs... here are a few pics.

Moscone Park with Oma and Opa

2008-05-23T13:23:00.001-07:00

Moscone park is located right on Chestnut Street in the Marina and special meaning for the Farrells. Mark used to enjoy this park when he was little and spent many hours "hanging out" there when he was a teen, he also worked at the rec center during college summers. Now this park is one of Madison and Jack's favorites and we were lucky to be joined this week by Oma and Opa.

A Night at the Museum

2008-05-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

We joined the Eggerts and the Fishers for "Family Fun Night" at the DeYoung Museum. It was a cool way to spend a Friday night (something different) even if we only made it to a few exhibits. Madison and Makenzie were really into Makenzie's new "rocker" tattoos.

Braving the heat

2008-05-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

We had a VERY rare occurrence this week in San Francisco.. it was 90 degrees and it actually felt like summer in the city. We got to wear shorts and dresses to the park instead of sweaters and parkas. I am not complaining I LOVE it.. given my east bay roots. We went to the beach and people were actually wearing swimming suits.. I know this sounds strange to most but it rarely gets above 70 degrees in the city so when it does everyone goes crazy. Here are a few pics of how we tried to beat the heat.

Tante Friedel turns 99!!

2008-05-17T15:10:00.000-07:00

Tante Friedel turned 99 on Friday. She started taking care of Mark when he was 11 months old and has remained a huge part of his life ever since and now she has become a huge part of all our lives. She is a wonderful woman with such a kind heart. We had dinner at John and Lena's with her family and toasted to her 99 years and more to come.

Tutu's for Twos

2008-05-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

Madison took her second ballet class this week.. and after the first one didn't go so well this one was a big improvement and you can see she really enjoyed herself.

36 weeks and no more bedrest

2008-05-12T06:59:00.001-07:00

On Friday... Eileen made it to 36 weeks... she is now officially off bedrest and the waiting game begins. She looks great and is feeling good. To celebrate her new found freedom she headed into the city with Mia and Grammy and we all went to Breakfast with Enzo (a music concert for toddlers, famous for songs like "Lumberjack" and "Make a Pizza"). After the music we headed to the beach to build some sandcastles and we ran into Jen and Chloe who were finishing up Baby Boot Camp.

Maniac...Mark's latest pride and joy

2008-05-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

It's been two years in the making but on Thursday Mark brought home 8 cases of the wine he made with Mark Malcoun and Kevin Sidders. They picked the vineyard (White Hawk near Santa Barbara) and the grapes (Syrah) and then with a little help from their friends at Crushpad.. they created some pretty great tasting wine. They even designed the label and the cork... it looks pretty legit if you ask me. Please stop by for a glass if you can... it's what we'll be serving around the Farrell house for awhile.

Date night... a Dunn deal

2008-05-12T06:39:00.000-07:00

Thursday night Mark and I snuck out for dinner at a great place called Nopa that we had been dying to try. Ryan and Julie offered to come over and babysit... and they were like old pros... between bath time, story time and bedtime.... it all went smoothly and both were down by 7:30p.. way to go Dunns!!! Thanks again Jules and Ry.

Wednesday night dinner

2008-05-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

There is a long-standing tradition in the Farrell house that we all go to John and Lena's for Wednesday night dinner with Tante Friedel (she has been watching over Mark since he was 11 months old). This started out when Mark and I got married and back then it was an elegant and decadent dinner of adults which usually ended by 10p so I could race home and get ready to go to work at KTVU... now almost 5 years later it has evolved nicely into an early and almost chaotic evening... nonetheless it is a wonderful tradition we love sharing with Tante Friedel who will be 99 on Friday!!

"Big Girl Class"

2008-05-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

Every Wednesday for 2 hours Madison and Makenzie Eggert attend "big girl class" which is a drop off class where they get to do art and yoga and the Mommies get to have a little free time. Madison takes her cup and her baby to class every week in her backpack. We had a big breakthrough yesterday when there were NO tears at drop off... yeah Madison!!

National Finalist

2008-05-06T16:39:00.000-07:00

We found out last week that Mark is a National Finalist for the White House Fellowship Program (http://www.whitehouse.gov/fellows/) Out of 2500 applicants Mark is now one of 34 that have made it to the final round. He will fly back to Annapolis in June for an extensive interview process and then we should find out if he is selected by the end of June. We are so excited for him.. this will be a wonderful opportunity and a life changing experience!! keep him in your thoughts and prayers... Watch out White House here he comes!

Let's go fly a kite

2008-05-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we bought our first kite and went to Crissy Field to teach Madison how to fly a kite. After a little inspiration from the Kite Runner we were off and running.

Sprinkle shower for Eileen

2008-05-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

Eileen is now almost 36 weeks!!!! She has been on bedrest for the past 10 weeks and it's been rough but she has been amazing.. taking each day at a time and it is paying off! On Friday we had a sprinkle shower to give her just a "sprinking" of a few new things. My Aunt Mo was here from Texas and Aunt Bethy and then Julie, her mother in law, and Steph her sister in law. It was a great time. We'll keep you posted on when baby Brinker #2 arrives!!

Playtime at Grammy at Popo's

2008-05-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

We used to call it Rancho Relaxo...but with all the new additions our time in Danville isn't so "relaxing" anymore.... now it's like a backyard circus... with the pool, sandbox, castle, bubbles, balls, etc. there's never a dull moment with Cruise Director Grammy at the helm.

Jack's first foods

2008-05-06T15:56:00.001-07:00

Jack is now 6 months old so we decided he was ready for some solid foods... here's a look at how it went.

Kool Kittie from the City

2008-05-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

Madison is really into being like Mommy these days ... and that includes wearing sunglasses and putting them on top of her head when she doesn't "need" them.

She also loves going to the dry cleaners with Daddy... I think it's just because the woman there tells her constantly her lips are like Angelina Jolies.... and she just eats that up.