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....

 

Chloe's Pool Party

Chloe hosted her first pool party for all her "City" friends! We invited our friends from my SF Mom's Group out to Danville to Grammy and Poppo's house for a luncheon and pool party to celebrate my last week of maternity leave. The weather was fabulous and Chloe had so much fun introducing her friends to all of her cousins. KGB was the ultimate hostess with the mostess and Auntie Eileen and Auntie Lizzy brought their cuties along for the ride (including Reese!). Each of the babies got dunked under water for the first time... very exciting - but kinda scary! Then we all did bath time together and Chloe got cozy with her boyfriends, Liam and Dash. Thank you to Cassie, Jenny, Melissa & Sarah for making the trip out to the East Bay for a fun afternoon by the pool :-)

A Day with Grammy & Poppo

Chloe hosted a slumber party for her Grammy and Poppo on Saturday night while Mommy and Daddy were out on the town. The next day we hit Sunday Mass at St. Agnes and then we were off to the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair... quite a scene. Grammy and Poppo were sporting their true OBAMA flair and John was reminiscing his DeadHead days. We capped it off with lunch at Zazie, our favorite Cole Valley spot, and afternoon naps (um...for everyone)! Thanks for a great day, Grammy & Poppo!

Chez Panisse Treat

We had TWO huge events to celebrate on Saturday night: (1) our dear friend Brian's birthday and (2) BARACK OBAMA winning the Democratic nomination!!!! We decided to do it up in style and headed across the Bay in a limo to Chez Panisse, the home of famed chef Alice Waters. Delicious food, great wine, wonderful friends -- such a treat.

Hiking Bald Mountain

We met Dan and Alicia and some of their friends for a hike up Bald Mountain in Sonoma this weekend. With Chloe snug in the Bjorn, we climbed up the mountain and took in some awesome views... making only a few pit stops for breaks and snacks. It was quite a workout for John - considering Chloe is now our 14 pounder - but I told him it was good training for his imminent stint as a full-time dad. To reward ourselves for all the hard work, we stopped at KAZ Winery on the way down and were treated to friendly hospitality (they even brought out toys to entertain Chloe while we sipped wine!). All in all, the perfect California day!

Welcome Home Reese!

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 for more pics of Chloe's newest cousin.....

Reese Marie Brinker is Born!!!

On Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 1:02 p.m., we welcomed the newest member of our family into the world. Eileen gave birth to a baby girl, Reese Marie, who weighed in at a healthy 8lbs. 9oz. It has been a long haul for the Brinkers, and especially Eileen (who survived 10 weeks of bedrest waiting for Reese!), so we were thrilled when she was born. I was honored to be in the delivery room and was cheering Eileen on every step of the way. 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. John and I have both gotten some great moments with Reese already and look forward to many more!

Happy Baby!

 

Chloe has discovered her feet and loves to grab onto them these days... we decided to capture her latest trick while she was hanging out on her favorite place (her changing table!)

Lovin the Hot Tub

 

 

 

Chloe is getting her sea legs these days and spending time in Grammy and Poppo's hot tub. She got a special treat last weekend -- some alone time (all the other cousins were napping!) with her adoring aunts and uncles. Daddy was right there with her, as always, as she learned to kick her legs in the water... can't wait for summer!!

Happy 30th Cammy!!

Happy Birthday Cammy Willing!!! We helped our dear friend Cammy ring in the big 3-0 in a big way... a night out complete with a bowling competition and stop in at one of our old hangouts - the Horseshoe. Cammy welcomed this new decade with her usual grace and we loved being part of the celebration. It was so fun to be out on the town with all of our friends (thank you to Auntie Julie for babysitting Ms. Chloe)... click below for more pics!

Carnival in the Mission

We took Chloe to check out Carnival in the Mission District of SF over Memorial Day weekend. John loved the floats (he is a sucker for carnis) and Chloe was soaking up all the sights and sounds. We also met up with Alicia & Dan for some lounging in Dolores Park...
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Hug Time with My Aunties

Chloe is so lucky to have such fun Aunties - and she LOVES hanging with them... at coffee shops, parks, and around the house...