Gannon Family Reunion

The California Crew hosted KGB's extended family for a West Coast Reunion this past week. We had great dinners every night at Rancho Relaxo and the days were full of fun activities. John and Chloe took part in the festivities while I was at work and Chloe loved getting to know her great aunts and uncles and many, many cousins! We kicked off the week in style with a concert and dinner in Napa. We all boarded buses for a fun ride...

We were treated to a fabulous dinner and wine tasting at Far Niente - gorgeous grounds and yummy wines...oh, and did I mention we all had babysitters?!

We loved seeing all of our cousins, the "second generation", who flew in from Georgia and Florida for the big event..

Rancho Relaxo was the home base and KGB was in her glory...setting up numerous activities for the "third generation" - which included 9 little ones!

And to round out the week... Liz organized a "Cousins Night Out" - now a family tradition - in the City. We went out for sushi and bowling and had a blast!

A Dunn in the Oven!

Julie and Ryan announced they are having a baby!!! They are big fans of the "Dunn" pun... anyone remember "it's a dunn deal" - yeah, it never gets old. So I thought I would pay tribute in the name of this blog post. We were in the middle of celebrating Eileen and Ryan's 32nd birthdays out at Rancho Relaxo and were all taking part in the Briggs family birthday tradition game - "I love you because..." All of the sudden, Julie tells us she loves Ryan because he is going to make a great dad - WHAT???!!!!!!! We were shocked and ecstatic (see the sisters' reaction below).

They are due January 9, 2009...so these cute cousins have to make room for one more!

Sacraments of Initiation

Sunday, July 6, 2008 was an incredibly special day for our family. We were surrounded by good friends and family as we celebrated Chloe's Baptism. Perhaps even more special... we also celebrated John's full initiation into the Catholic Church. He received his First Communion and Confirmation during a family Mass presided over by our dear friends Fr. Mario and Fr. Cameron at St. Agnes (where we got married - total full circle!). It was a memorable day in every way and it was tremendously moving for me to watch my husband and my daughter be welcomed into our faith. We hosted the whole crew for dinner at our place after -- which was fun, loud, hectic, crowded, messy --- everything family should be. Click below for the full slideshow.

Happy 4th of July!!

Suzanne's 30th Bday Tailgate

We helped our good friend Suzanne ring in her 30s in true NorCal style... at a tailgate before a Giants vs. A's baseball game. We brought Chloe to her first tailgate and baseball game... um, she wasn't quite sure what to make of it all (especially when she saw her favorite buddy Cammy doing a beer bong). But we had a blast nonetheless. Happy 30th Suzanne and ps we're so glad you and Eric will be staying in the Bay Area--many more tailgates ahead :-)

6 Month Doctor Visit & 1st Solid Food

On June 27, Chloe was half a year old and had her six-month appointment with Dr. Noah Simmons. She continues to be sweet and petite but did weigh in at 14 lbs. 11oz. and got a stellar review from her favorite doctor. However, these pictures were taken before receiving multiple shots...but like before, she recovered quickly. Dr. Noah gave us the green light to start solid foods, to supplement her daily breast milk and formula cocktails, um bottles. Chloe was not a fan of the rice cereal, so we switched to oatmeal (and started using a spoon instead of our fingers), which helped immensely. We are also mixing in homemade veggies care of Auntie Lizzy. Chloe loves zucchini and broccoli the best. Chloe now opens wide for every bite and is really into the eating thing...wonder where she gets that from?

Costanoa Getaway

After Jen's first week back to work, we headed south down the San Mateo coast for a little family excursion. On the way down, we stopped at the famous Moss Beach Distillery for lunch and a beer. Costanoa, located only an hour south of the City, between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz, is nestled on an eco-preserve just off Highway One overlooking the undeveloped coast. Costanoa has many different camping options, but we opted for the lodge, since we were traveling with Chloe. Since her bedtime practically became ours, we caught up on lots of sleep and reading. And combined with hiking and massages at the spa, it was the ideal family getaway after Jen's first week back to work. We will definitely return and hope to take advantage of the camping, biking and mountain trails when Chloe is a little older.

Mommy Goes Back to Work!

 

After six months of Chloe-bliss and a few tears, Jen showered-up, strapped on a new power suit and headed back downtown to return to the working world...

 

With a weekly visit from Ms. Chloe and Daddy, the billable hours seem to fly by...

Sometimes Chloe even helps Mommy...

 

Though it has been very hard leaving her little girl, Jen has enjoyed re-engaging in the law, her clients and the partners and colleagues she works with at Duane Morris. After seventeen daily renditions of the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" it's nice to have adult conversations and intelectual stimulation again. Of course, Chloe, her biggest client (and fan) always greets her with big smiles when she gets home (or sometimes at the MUNI stop if Daddy is anxious for some adult conversation himself!)

Happy First Father's Day!

  In Chloe's own words... her Daddy Rocks! We loved celebrating John's first father's day together and the start of his stint as a stay-at-home dad. We all went to Mass together and then came home to open presents... which included "John's Stay-at-Home DAD Survival Guide" [a complete guide to Chloe's favorite toys, songs, games, feeding times, sleeping schedule, developmental milestones, etc.etc.etc.] and some new hip clothes for his days roaming SF, louging in coffee shops, hanging in GG Park and meeting new friends at the playground. It was a great day to celebrate what an AMAZING father John has become and the kick-off to six weeks of bonding time with Chloe Bean.

Picnic in Tilden Park

We spent the weekend before my return to work getting good "family time," which included a picnic in Tilden Park with Chloe. Here she is giggling with Daddy...

 

Flying with Mommy....

 

And making silly faces....