we had a blast celebrating her first birthday! we did our best heading over to kim and mikey’s house early, i wanted to help kim out in any way with the party set up but she had everything down pat. it looked fantastic!
i loved all the details kim did with the mermaid theme. her invite was color coordinated and it had the cutest gold mermaid stamped on the outside. she had the same colors running throughout the decor, from the paper tassels, balloons, and the mermaid sangria bar. everything was way too cute! you know me…i am a girl about the details and it was adorable!
we just hung out and visited with everyone. slowly everyone trickled in and we said our hello’s. it was so great to see everyone, from her mom and dad, sister and brother in law, friends, and of course mikey, kim, brady, and brooklyn! i had a great time seeing a lot of people i hadn’t seen in a long time, so it was fantastic to catch up.
we, unfortunately, could not stay for the entire party because {our basement had flooded from the heavy rains the night before} we had to get back home to clean up downstairs. i was super bummed i was going to miss brooklyn’s smash cake! that is always the highlight of any kid’s first birthday! nevertheless, i was so happy to have made it with miss ellie {with her being only two weeks young!} and we were able to partake in some of the celebration.
happy birthday miss brooklyn! your party was beautiful and put together with much love from your mom! we wish you many years of happiness, laughter, and love!
[how adorable is her outfit? little ladies boutique romper and fancy free finery flower crown]
i was super excited when marina texted me she was in town and wanted to meet up. pam had contacted me a few days prior to see if i could do lunch but i could not, so i was glad we were able to meet up outside of those initial plans!
marina said she could swing by to say hello before she headed on over to an old neighbor’s house for a bbq. i told her if her neighbor didn’t mind, i could go there instead so our time wouldn’t be rushed and too short. it worked out perfect! olive and i got ready and headed on over.
it was a lovely evening weather wise. olive and i walked up and immediately ran into ben, marina’s dad! we talked for a bit but i could tell olive was really interested in the bouncy house. poor thing didn’t have a swimsuit but she really wanted to go in. funny thing though, the closer we got and the more wild the kids became, she opted out. ha! she was like no way…i am not going in. she changed her mind, turned around, and walked away. that’s my girl.
i connected with marina, elva, and a few other people. it was fantastic meeting up! i was so glad that ended up being our plan. it was low key, relaxing, and it was wonderful catching up with the rodriguez’s and other folks at the party. everyone is so darn nice and olive was such a good girl. she’s so stinkin’ sweet. i really had a great time! oh gosh, how i miss these people!
well, i am hoping to catch these folks in the future sometime soon. i know it would be hard with ben and elva being in arizona and marina and family now living in boston! i definitely will take the random moments i can get with these wonderful families i have known for sooooo long! cheers to good times with friends!
[isn’t she a doll? baby amelie]
[mumma and amelie]
[me and my girl]
[marina, amelie, and poopie]
[the big water bouncy that olive wouldn’t get into]
[me and the pretty ladies, amelie and marina]
[mumma and poopie]
[hi corey! face timing the hubs at the party]
[my doll]
[people complimented on how sweet and behaved she was]
it was a perfect morning, weather wise. it wasn’t too hot like it usually is on the fourth of july. it was a bit humid but cool.
olive had slept over at her grandparent’s house the night before on a fluke. we had a wedding the night prior and my sisters took olive to eyes in the sky festival with her cousins. we were coming home late and olive didn’t have a nap during the afternoon and had such a fun time that she was completely worn out. i think that was an understatement. she was pooooooooped. she fell asleep at my parent’s house when she got home after the festival and continued to sleep into the morning, waking up at 11:30 am. yup! she was exhausted. so, needless to say…she missed the parade. i was a bit bummed because i really wanted her to be there. she’s at an age where i know she would enjoy it!
well, hc and i made it to the parade without our daughter…whaaaa?! yes, we enjoyed going but it wasn’t the same without olive. afterwards, we picked olive up at my parent’s and headed home to prep a bit because my family was coming over to celebrate the fourth with some grilling. it was a very low key day. kim, terry, and the boys picked up the food and we hosted and grilled. it was fun, relaxing, and very laid back.
it was just my parent’s, kim, thuy, terry, the boys, olive, and my brother dan made an appearance. everyone stayed until about 5-6 o’clock and trickled out after that so we had the rest of the evening to relax. we didn’t see any fireworks…it really wasn’t in our plans {plus, i don’t know if olive would really enjoy it…i find most kids her age are just plain scared at the loud noises!}. we really just enjoyed winding down for the rest of the evening!
overall, it was a fantastic fourth weekend! we had such a great time and loved our low key afternoon with the family! we love celebrating america’s birthday!!
i was super excited to have made lunch plans with ande. i last saw her at her cancer free party in february so it was awesome we could coordinate our schedules to meet up before this baby makes it debut!
i was super stoked that matt could join us! just knowing how busy he is unil the end of summer, i was surprised he was able to make it but it happen to be a window of time that worked out for everyone! unfortunately, last minute, our hvac broke and my dad {who was going to watch olive} had to come to our house to be around for the repair man and watch olive. so, naturally i was a bit stressed about it all and couldn’t stay out to lunch for very long but it just so happened to be the case for everyone else! ande needed to get back to work for a conference call and matt needed to go home to let his little peanut dog out for a bathroom break.
we decided to go to a bagel joint a block or two down from ande’s work. one, it was difficult for me to walk for…i get out of breath soooooo easily and two, ande was just worried overall because i was so pregnant! ha!
it was great, though. we were all able to connect, catch up, talk about life’s current happenings, and ande really wanted to hear all the baby news going on with me. i love this group of peeps. ande is such a doll! she is seriously one sweet lady! well, i just love my friends. they are all such great people for fabulous reasons. i am one lucky gal to have the best friends and family around me.
our get together was short and sweet. of course i could spend hours upon hours with these people but it’s always a good thing even if it’s a short meeting, nevertheless. well, i can’t wait to see them again soon! we agreed it would be a visit to me when the new babe arrives!!! yay! i can’t wait for them to meet our newest addition!
i can’t believe grace is headed to high school this fall. what?! what happened? i remember when she was barely six years old. i met her 4 months into being six, so i could almost say since she was five years old just to be more dramatic!
well, it was a hot day and the party was held at gramma and papa’s house. hc and olive went up the night before to help them set up and such. i drove up with my sister and parents the next day. i got so car sick from the ride {i really think it’s because i am pregnant, because normally i don’t get that way}, that when we arrived, i had to go downstairs and lay down for awhile to get myself together before i could go to meet and greet all the guests! the car sickness dissipated, i put some food in my belly, and after 15 mins or so of laying down, i was ready to go!
olive was in great spirits and she was the most social i have ever seen her! she was giddy and open to others, which is something i rarely see when she is around people she doesn’t know. she was playful and super smiley…i was loving it!
i made my rounds and said my hello’s to everyone. it was so great to catch up with friends and family! grace had her group of friends and daniel had his group of friends and it was so interesting how they never intermingled! grace and daniel aren’t just cousins, but more like brother and sister. they are both almost the same age and in the same grade but different schools so, it was fascinating to see how, now socially, they weren’t meshing…???
olive was a tired, sweaty mess and by the time everyone left…this poor girl was dunzo. she didn’t have a nap and was having a complete meltdown. this babe was zonked out in the car ride home and pretty much slept for 13 hours from that evening until the next morning. a much needed sleep!
anyhoo, i had a great time hanging out with everyone and it was nice to see my family there too! i can’t believe grace is heading into high school! wow! my how time flies! she has grown into such a beautiful young lady. hc and i are so proud of her! she has done remarkably well in school, is such a sweet girl when she’s with us, and is the best big sister to miss olive. she is so good with her and it’s the sweetest thing to watch. we love you grace and can’t wait to see you flourish in high school!
we were excited to have olivia and aaron over for a simple saturday night dinner. we try to take turns to come into the city and they try to come out to the ‘burbs…since we are now suburbanites. {insert monkey emoji covering his eyes} so they wanted to come out to us this time!
we kept it very low key. we didn’t have olive this weekend because hc’s parents wanted her for a sleep over. so, we decided to throw some items onto the grill and buy some deli items to compliment it. voila! a simple, easy meal.
as usual, olivia and i secluded ourselves and just chitchatted the night away while aaron and hc hung out. as i have said in the past, olivia and i can talk, talk, talk the hours away. we always have endless amounts of topics to talk about. it’s seriously never ending! i love the comfort of our friendship and love that about us.
it was also the first time i really wanted to have a glass of wine. yup. hc poured us each a glass and i happily sipped on it. it was delicious! although, i only had maybe eight sips in total, it was perfect and yummy! for dinner, we decided to sit outside. it was a fantastic evening. not too cold or warm and very tranquil. we talked, ate, and then realized as we sat there, that the mosquitos were in full force! ugh! we gathered our dishes and headed inside.
we all hung out a bit longer and then olivia and aaron realized it was almost 10. omg. it’s like we are so old! we get tired so easily. what?!! yes, it’s true. so, they headed on out, back to the city and we retired onto the couch for the rest of the night! hahaha! such party animals!
it was a fantastic evening and we are so happy they were able to come out to visit with us! we always have such a great time with these two beautiful people!
last year i was working and i didn’t get to attend parker’s first birthday party. hc and olive went but i was super bummed i didn’t get to celebrate such a sweet milestone! but this year, i was the one who was able to go but olive was having a sleep over at her grandparent’s house and hc needed to work on the girl’s room to get them done for us to redecorate. it was on my list of a must get done or i might go nuts! haha, i know, i am already nuts.
anyhoo, i felt so bad because it was raining! parker’s first birthday was inundated by rain as well, so two for two! eep! as i walked up, i ran into pam’s bestie becky. i love talking with her…she’s such a sweetheart! it was great to see and catch up with some old acquaintances. i don’t get to see pam that often, let alone her circle of friends! when pam lived a little closer, she used to host a christmas trolley party where we would see the neighborhood lights but now we connect through parker’s birthday party…it’s when i can reconnect with her friends!
the good news is the rain stopped! yay! so, everyone shuffled out of the garage and into the back yard, where the kids jumped on the jumpee. i have never been to pam’s house {since she moved}, so she took me on a tour. it’s so nice and spacious! i loved how open it is!
after the house tour, i visited a bit more with ryan but then i had to leave. we had guests coming over for dinner that evening and i needed to get home to get ready! i was super bummed because when i was leaving, that is when jaime and liam arrived! i just couldn’t stay! we said our quick hello’s and goodbye’s and i headed out back home.
it was such a great time! i loved seeing pam, ryan, and parker and it was great to visit with some familiar faces. happy birthday parker! i am so glad i was able to celebrate this special occasion with you!
[oh… we are tired mamas!]
[such cute decor]
[he’s not quite sure about the bat, yet]
[watching the kids hit the piñata]
[there are a lot of braids going on here]
[he nabbed a sucker!]
[that smile is so presh]
[it was so adorable that he was so excited when everyone sang!]
my baby brain is in full force. i had this post all set to publish but i totally forgot! ugh! story of my life currently. i haven’t published a lot on my blog due to my forgetfulness!
so, our nephew, daniel, went through his confirmation a few weeks ago! we are so proud of him! i, honestly, have never been to many masses that aren’t catholic. i have been to a presbyterian mass recently and now, a lutheran mass. it’s very rare for me to attend other religious mass unless it’s a special occasion.
we arrived just in time to see daniel walk the procession. the mass, of course, was very different for me. a lot of people say that the lutheran religion and catholicism is very similar…maybe by certain beliefs but the masses are dramatically different!
anyhoo, it was a beautiful celebration and it was awesome to see daniel so grown up, involved, and reaching a millstone in his journey with the Lord!
after mass, we headed on over to the restaurant to have lunch with the family. we made a pit stop at starbucks because, since we were running behind that morning, we didn’t get to grab a snack or anything before mass and i was starving!!! being preggers and not eating right away is a bad combo! we enjoyed our lunch with the family…olive really enjoyed the pizza and drinks! she was too darling and it was fun to sit down with everyone and chill.
lunch was short and sweet and afterwards, we snapped some cute photos of daniel and grace outside. of course, i nabbed several dozen pics of olive! how could i not?! it was definitely a beautiful day!
[it was like overnight and he grew up!]
[such a wonderful moment]
[sweet little babe]
[almost everyone got in on the pic!]
[cousins…like brother and sister]
[so vain…she loved seeing her reflection in the car!]
we were so excited to have my brother huy and his fiancé, tashina, come visit us from L.A.! they were going to come out here the week prior but work caused them to cancel their trip out to chicago {on their way to the dominican republic}. so, we were glad they could rebook their trip and still make it out here {albeit it being very short but nevertheless!}.
they spent two days here before flying out to the dominican and on their way back to L.A., they spent two days here again before going home! we super happy to see them even if it was for just a few days. on their last night here, everyone came over for dinner and some family fun!
olive still wasn’t taking to uncle huy. it’s so cute to see them together, though. he’s so sweet to her, dotes on her, and yet she just turns the other way and runs away screaming! hahaha!
it was super awesome to have everyone over. we love hosting and having our friends and family over any time! spending time together like this is always the best. it’s so hard to describe the happiness you feel just doing very simple things with very special people. these moments are what makes life so special, meaningful, and fulfilling. i love my family.
[it was about to rain but the kids took advantage of the warm weather and played outside for a bit before the down pour!]
[how ’bout reagan’s hair?? courtesy of grace marie]
[huy ran out to the store and bought a bocce ball set so they could play!]
[please don’t mind the awful coloring…i am still trying to figure out my camera and the right settings for indoor photos]
ok, so this year was the year of canceled trips. we had a trip planned to ocho rios in july…well that was nixed. the baby’s due date was the exact day of the plane tickets we had! ha! we had our annual trip to vegas planned for august with matt and johann…that was a no go. obvs, i wouldn’t want to travel to vegas and leave a 2-3 week old baby! aaaaand our 5 year anniversary trip to new york was nixed because the baby would still be a freshie at only 5-6 weeks old!
i told hc a few months ago that i wanted to get away…go somewhere warm, just us, and relax. it would be the only trip we could squeeze in before the babes. we have way too much to do before she comes! we have remodeling, decorating, a wedding, showers, etc. leading up to this babe being born.
so, i was looking forward to this trip so much! sunshine, getting a tan, and just hanging out with my hubby. we were set with my parents watching miss olive. i packed her cute little suitcase the day before we left and i was getting sad. i was going to miss this little bugger! oh she lights up my life! i was excited to leave but it’s so different now, leaving her. i have left her before…when she was younger, but now that she is older, it really tugs at my heart strings. she’s a little person with a big personality and the fact that she loves me back so much, it melts my heart.
ok, well on to our trip. we had an early flight and for some reason, o’hare was sooooooo incredibly slooooooooooow. our baggage check, our security check, our everything. it took forever to get to our gate. the starbucks line {with one person in front of me} was soooooo slow. it took seven minutes to get a coffee. what?!! plus, buying magazines even took forever! it was like everyone was on slo-mo.
anyhoo, we landed in palm springs and the freakin’ airport is pretty much outside!!! you walk out the terminal and into beautiful, sunny weather outside! how amaze is that?! we got our rental within minutes and headed to the hotel which was 6-7 minutes away. oh, it was glorious. our room wasn’t ready so we dropped off our bags and had a drink outside under a cabana by the pool.
after our drinks, we walked to downtown palm springs, which was only a few blocks away. it was warm, sunny, and perfect. we decided to nab lunch at sherman’s. a recommendation from many people. it was great! we sat on the patio and enjoy down home grub and tasty lemonade. it was fabulous!
we walked back and checked into our hotel. i loved our little room. it was so cute! the decor was so deco modern fun and we were right next to the pool! perfect view! i loved the avalon. it’s so quaint, cute, pretty, and green! it’s such a fun, lovely hotel. a very boutique hotel.
[our typical airport selfie]
[hc is probably thinking, really? you’re taking a pic???]
[cheers to our baby moon! i was obsessed with virgin mojitos!]
[warm weather and lots of green]
[was kind of expecting this pic but was kind of not…tired from our travels]
[so west coast to me]
[something you never see at home]
[the big recommendation from everyone! we loved eating here…perfect patio weather and great eats!]
[hc’s big ol’ sandwich!]
[loving our room]
we had a really chill night the first night. we were a bit tired…gosh, are we old. ugh. we ordered room service and just relaxed. hc and i talked about our plans for the next few days. we were totally ok with being chill, lazy, relaxed, uneventful…whatever you want to call it. it was our get away and we didn’t want any pressure to have to do something. our main was concern was to do much of nothing. so with that agreement, our first night there was fabulous! ha!
we hit the pool the next morning. the one thing about coming from central time to pacific, is that we would wake up so early {i can’t sleep in anymore, now that i have a kid…whaaaaa}! so we just rolled with it. it was really nice to start our day so early! we were ready and at the pool by 8:10! oh my!
after two plus hours in the pool, we headed over to the hotel’s restaurant, chi chi to have breakfast. they have a lovely outdoor seating area by their other pool. it was so comfortable and serene and really beautiful at night with the hanging lanterns! our breakfast was soooooooo good! so fresh, savory, and delicious. after we ate, we headed to another pool within the hotel to chill. it was a great morning/afternoon indeed! we headed back to the hotel and pretty much napped. ahhhhhh. living the life of ‘no kid’. hahaha! we headed out to dinner later and then back to our hotel to wind down {although we went out a little bit later for an ice cream run!}.
[loving the family pool]
[30 weeks pregnant]
[direct sunlight…yessssss]
[having breakfast at the avalon…loved sitting alfresco along the pool]
[more virgin mojitos!]
[check out our photo bomber!]
the next day we decided to drive up a mountain. hc really wanted to do it and i was game. until we started going through winding roads up so high with no guard rail! eep! i am afraid of heights and that was so scary for me!!!! oh, never again. i am glad we did it but i don’t think i would ever want to do that again! it was beautiful, scenic, and overall fun but i was anxious and got motion sickness. oh so not fun! we hit a high of 6500 feet! crazy! we pulled over so many times to let cars pass because we were going at a slower speed. i am sure so many people are used to driving these roads but they were driving so fast! there were some moments i felt like i was in a nightmare, driving off a cliff! yeah, did i mention i am afraid of heights?!
after our mountain escapades, we headed back to the hotel and got ready for the pool. we had the best time! we met so many cool couples while hanging out. everyone was so chill and fun to talk to. we spent a good chunk of our afternoon at the pool but unfortunately, the sun and the heat was getting to me, plus i couldn’t shake the motion sickness that i had from that morning’s trip. hc and i retired mid-late afternoon to our room. we relaxed and got ready to go out to dinner.
we made reservations at a place called melvyn’s. another restaurant recommended by many others. it was swanky, old, and fun. we loved everything about it. it was dated, had history, and everyone who worked there took their jobs so seriously! we had a great time, enjoyed our dinner, and hc was excited to be sitting in sinatra’s corner! haha! i think that was the most exciting part of the evening for him! he kept saying, “do you really think sinatra sat in this corner?!”
overall we had an amazing time in palm springs. we really enjoyed our time together. it was great to have actual conversations with hc! i know, that sounds crazy but we loved all our alone time. it was so nice to just spend time together and be on our schedule. we loved palm springs and we definitely want to go back!
