it was quite a crazy, busy month for us. with it being holy week, easter, hc’s birthday, tax month, moving, baby showers, oh my! that is just a brief summary of the many, many events that happened in april!
olive had many milestones, my terrific husband was such a strong support system through all these major events, and we had such huge positive, life changes happening to us. it was such a great, overwhelming, amazing time.
life has been fascinating. i am intrigued by my own changes, whether it is through body, mind, or environment. i love watching olive grow. i love being married to my husband. i am in awe over how calm and laid back he can be at the hardest moments. i am so happy that the weather has been getting warmer and i can really enjoy taking olive out and about.
my love for my family has grown exponentially! everyday i appreciate and cherish them more and more. it’s been a lot dealing with a new house, a little baby, and all the updates we are making to our new abode. there are a lot of times i freak out but i come to realize, every time, that it’s all going to work out in the end. as usual patience is not my virtue…unfortunately. that’s why i am lucky to have my other half calm me down!
[baby olive’s crazy hairdo before her bath // hc winning the award for daddy of the year]
[pam’s baby shower]
[many faces of olive]
[ombre cake at jaime’s baby shower]
[cousin cool // sleepy time]
[olive’s easter basket]
[olive // dunkin’ donuts easter peeps]
[dunkin’ donuts cubbie donuts to support the cub’s charity]
[laughing in the early morning // learning how to sit]
[a sunny day shopping // vanilla buttercream cupcake]
there ya go…an april rewind in photos. some of my favorite moments and it always includes desserts! pretty, lovely, sweet desserts!
hc and i took a trip to nashville! we had such a great time visiting the city. now, nashville is a place, in my opinion, that is only a weekend getaway. it’s such a small town…i was surprised that it being the country music capital, how low key it was. there were never really any crowds, never people walking around constantly, like chicago. only on friday or saturday did it ever get somewhat crowded and it looked like people were being bussed in!
another downside? i’m soooo not a country music girl. so live music like that is so unappealing. i had no interest! if you want live music, cowboy boots, and lots of bbq…nashville is your place to be!
my favorite part about visiting? i loved checking out vanderbilt university! it was such a cute college town! we explored the campus and it also has the cutest shops running along 21st street in hillsboro village. great places to eat and, of course, spending your moolah in all the cute boutiques. we spent a long afternoon there just exploring. fun fact: we actually found our curtain backdrop here, at furniture shop, for our wedding photo booth!
we did enjoy walking up and down broadway, checking out all the shops and restaurants. it’s definitely dolly parton central! my favorite place in nashville?? mike’s ice cream! yum! we went there every night to get dessert! it’s a cute, quaint little ice cream shop where they hand make their delicious, creamy goodness. so delish, check it out if you ever visit!
[enjoying a warm night out in nashville and topping it off with some delicious mike’s ice cream]
i really enjoyed my time in nashville, it was a cute little town with a lot of nooks and crannies. many great memories created with my then soon to be husband!
today takes us back to 2009. on this evening, we met up with a few of hc’s friends in algonquin. they were going to midnight wake surf on the fox river. it was a bright, full moon; enough light to be able to wake surf the calm, quiet water.
it was a chilly night and i always think that hc is crazy for not blinking an eye and getting in that frigid, cold water! ugh. so not me! since it was midnight, it was so serene being out on the river {very quiet}. we went back and forth in the boat riding the river while each person took their turn surfing the wake. it was pretty cool. as close as you can get to surfing in the midwest!
[go cubs go]
midnight wake surfing was definitely a night to remember. it is something that doesn’t happen often for us, so it was quite a fun memory!
soooo on sunday funday mother’s day celebration…olive and i started the day lazily lounging in bed. i love this little peanut. hc got this momma another starbucks start! we relaxed together, that morning, before we headed to parker’s for a mother’s day brunch.
[morning selfie]
[watching videos together]
[morning pick me up]
we got ready and merrily went on our way to the restaurant. we pit stopped for some beautiful flowers for the famille at the grocery store. on our way there, the babes decided to take a little nap. how cute is she?!
[nap time before brunch]
[beautiful flowers for some beautiful ladies]
we arrived at our destination. it was a madhouse inside! whoa. dan was the first to get there and then boom…everyone was there, the whole family literally trickled in within seconds! we were seated right away and ready to eat! it was a brunch buffet, so we literally sat for a minute while the server took our drink orders and then we all scurried to the buffet tables, ready to fill up our little plates.
[kir royale…favorite drink]
[our coordinating outfits // olive is in little tots long sleeve onesie, gapkids pants, and hair clip by etsy]
[buttercream topped cupcakes, it was really good!]
[olive having a moment with uncle dan]
[olive having a smiley moment with her cousin]
[celebrating moms]
after brunch, we trekked our way home for a just a second to then head back out. we took my mom to a pretty little garden center so she could pick out flowers for the yard!
[flower shopping]
after that, we headed back home to my parent’s. we relaxed for a bit there before we headed back out to our home {ya know…that long car ride home we have}! of course, more work had to be done on our house, so wasting the day away is never an option!
[coffee break with my chunker munker]
overall, it was quite an amazing mother’s day. i am thankful for my beautiful mom, my wonderful husband, and my amazing daughter.
my first mother’s day could not have been better. i am so blessed to be a mom. i am so blessed to have such a loving mother. i am amazed that it was my first mother’s day and i am in awe that this little baby is ours…making it quite a special day for me. i still cannot believe that i am mom, it’s a milestone in my life that is a dream come true.
i know that i just rambled a bit. i wish i was more eloquent about it. i have so many thoughts and wonderful feelings around this…it’s hard to capture it all in words without spewing a lot of random phrases!
mother’s day celebrations started on saturday. i woke up to a very relaxing morning. hc and grace went out and purchased starbucks coffee for us {bonus points!}. they also arrived home with a beautiful bouquet of lilies for me {extra credit}! what a great start to my mother’s day weekend.
i was very excited for my first mother’s day! after all these years of celebrating my mom and other moms, it was my turn to revel in this day! how special and exciting. being a mom is amazing and i am in so in love with it…having had olive has changed my life completely in every positive way! so celebrating that fact was delightful in itself. it’s taken on a whole new meaning and i was feeling quite loved and blessed.
[lovely lilies]
[my gorgeous mother’s day bouquet picked out by grace and olive]
[selfies while we wait for breakfast]
continuing on with my mother’s day celebration, hc started to whip up a delicious breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and eggs. yummy! he’s such a perfect partner…always so caring and loving.
[hc starting on a yummy breakfast for this momma]
[seasoned eggs, maple sausage, and buttery rich pancakes]
after breakfast, we had a very relaxing day of doing much of nothing…ok, well i did much of nothing while hc manicured our lawn {ummmmm, that took 3 1/2 hours! whaaaaa? damn yard}.
so, relaxing i did with little miss olive by my side. we sat around, we played, she slept, and i chilled. it was quite a beautiful day…sunny and warm. my dad also made a pit stop by the house to say hi to the babes. my parents miss little olive so much all the time. thank goodness we are right around the corner! they are able to stop by anytime and pinch her cheeks!
that afternoon, miss grace so lovingly gave me a sweet mother’s day card. she’s such a doll…it was a very thoughtful card and it had the best words written inside from her. how splendid.
later on in the evening, hc made a tasty dinner of burgers and sautéed brussel sprouts. he was happily grilling our organic burgers and assembling a wonderful dinner while i downed cold, crisp, thirst quenching coronitas…ahhhh.
[my summer drink]
[onion and gorgonzola burger on a brioche bun with sautéed brussel sprouts]
after finishing up dinner and with it being a beautiful night out, we decided to take a walk around the neighborhood! our first walk together since we have moved in. it was so awesome. the night was perfect, the sky was clear, the temperature was just right. we explored our delightful neighborhood…it is such a cute little area.
[a perfect evening for nighttime stroll]
after 40 minutes of walking, it was time to return back home so we could put little olive down for the night.
once we settled in, i had a nightcap of refreshing, cold, creamy coffee ice-cream! a well deserved treat for my hard day of work…being a mom is tough 😉
[a perfect nightcap…coffee ice-cream]
well, that was my first day of my mother’s day celebration. it couldn’t have been any better, i love that my husband is so kind, caring, considerate, and thoughtful. he really is the best. i am a lucky gal. i love him to bits.
he always makes every day feel like it’s mother’s day.
hc and i woke up very early one morning and traveled out to the city to support and cheer on our friends matt and michelle, who were participating in a triathlon! i love going to these types of events because it’s inspiring and fun. i love being in the city, i love the crowds, and i love supporting people in their endeavors.
i was glad we were able to catch michelle at the end of her run, we screamed and cheered her on to the finish line. it was awesome and quite thrilling to be in the midst of so much excitement and energy. at the end of the race, i was able to meet michelle’s parents, who traveled in from indiana! they were so sweet.
[after the race // rockin’ my cubs hoodie next to this white sox fan!]
after the race, hc and i parted ways with them and headed to breakfast at my favorite joint – the bongo room.
we were happy to have gotten together with matt and michelle to support them in this wonderful event! they were also married last year {posted here}…we are thankful to know them, they are such a great couple!
we celebrated my dad’s birthday on a beautiful, sunny sunday {common theme of late…i just can’t get enough of the sunshine right now}.
we all met up at pf chang’s, in lombard, for a birthday lunch in honor of our papa. little o was having a good ol’ time in her carseat before she got a little fussy. i had to then pull her out so she can get all nosey and see what was going on around her!
we ordered apps and waited for my parents to show up {um, the guest of honor was late!}. they finally did arrive, along with my lovely o voung. i love my aunt. she’s such a sweet, sweet lady. i was so happy she was there to celebrate with us!
[selfie at the restaurant]
[wearing their favorite hockey team]
[my two loves]
[olive being all melancholy]
after lunch, we invited everyone back to our place for cake and ice-cream! yay! my parents walked my aunt through our new house as i prepped for serving desserts! i purchased two yummy, yummy cakes from whole foods. a decadent carrot cake and a sweet vanilla cake to serve. we topped off each piece with either chocolate or vanilla ice-cream. nom nom.
so i am the worst picture taker ever on this day. i didn’t get to snap a photo of everyone who joined us in my dad’s birthday celebration {ya don’t see kim, terry, my mom, aunt, or thuy} and worst so…i didn’t even snap a pic of my dad! whaaat?!
anyhoo, it was a great day to celebrate my dad’s 77th birthday. happy birthday to the best dad ever.
our friend jaime and sean prematurely had their little baby liam on st. patrick’s day! he was delivered at 30 weeks and he came out a fighter!
j’s shower was prescheduled for that saturday, following the delivery of liam on that monday! so, that was unexpected! her shower was then rescheduled for the end april. it turned out great for me because i couldn’t attend her first original shower date and now i was able to attend the latter.
pampers drove over to our house and we were able to tour her through our new home. after hc did the full walk through and talked in detail about all the changes we were going to make to our place, we finally went on our way to go pick up marina at her house.
then, onto burr ridge we drove. it was such a beautiful day…the sun was shining and the temperature was perfect. it just makes me so happy to have such great weather.
the party was already in full swing. i settled in with olive’s stuff and walked into the mix with my little bebe. oh! she was a hit! everyone just adored her! the only problem?? olive didn’t adore anyone! it was so loud, there were so many people, and all these unfamiliar faces were freaking her out! yikes! olive only wanted to stay in my arms. she would not let anyone hold her! poor babes. she kept crying if anyone got too close to her face. omg. it was comical.
so, there i was…just holding my precious baby making sure she stayed clam. everyone ooh’d and ahh’d over her cheeks, her hair, her outfit, her cuteness. i know, she’s my little girl…she is so flippin’ cute!
[j, rina, preggo pampers, moi and o]
[champagne libations // gifts]
after some mingling…darling hostess with the mostess, amber, offered us some drinks. yes, please. champagne with fresh raspberries…gulp, gulp.
[red velvet cake favors // scratch off cards to win a prize]
the decor/theme was so sweet! i loved all the details of the party! the pastel blue hues, the pretty lanterns, the personalized napkins, the chevron design…definitely my kind of party planning! they also had hired help; so servers came around and offered us savory hor d’oeuvres and sparkling refreshments. we socialized for awhile before lunch, it was great seeing all the familiar faces…gals from high school i don’t get to see often but always have a great time catching up when we do get together!
[drink bar + cuteness]
[i love the animal decor and personalized water bottles]
[how fabulous is this decor?]
[me, amber {hostess with the mostess}, and jaime]
[personalized cocktail napkins]
we were then summoned for lunch, we all chose our seats and then went to grab our food at the buffet table. i was able to connect with some new faces at our table and had an absolutely swell time chatting it up with them! i met lauren’s mom {sister in law’s mum} and amanda {cousin’s wife}, they were such sweet, sweet ladies!
while we were eating, olive was getting cranky…it was around 1 which is her nap time. amber directed me to an empty room, so i fed her upstairs and then put her down for a nap. baby girl was out. i went back downstairs and they had served the delicious looking cake and j was about to open gifts. i bit into my slice of the cake and was in heaven! it was so scrumptious! i could have eaten at least four slices! delish.
[sugar + balloons]
[how amaze is this cake? i loved all the details]
[candy favors]
jaime continued to open up all her wonderful gifts {so many great items} and we yakked it up in the background. after all the present time, we stayed a bit longer to hang out with the crowd. it was honestly a great time and we didn’t want to leave right away! besides that, olive was having herself quite a good nap!
[jaime opening up all her wonderful gifts]
[the most delicious cake ever!]
we finally wrapped it up and i gathered my luggage to get ready to go. i went upstairs to transfer olive from the bed to the carseat, hoping she would stay asleep…unsuccessful! but she was in great spirits! she said goodbye to everyone and off pampers, rina, o, and i went.
what a beautiful shower for baby liam! amber and randi did an amazing job! baby liam is one lucky boy!!
now that i am a new mom, enjoying my first mother’s day with my little olive,…it is such a different perspective. going through this journey has been such a life changing experience in so many wonderful ways. it is a miracle to have brought such a precious life into this world. the love you feel is immeasurable. the joy you feel is out of this world. your protective nature is in overdrive. you never realized a smile could melt your heart in an instant.
you have such great respect for all the moms out there…especially your own. i love my mom so much. i love that she raised five children, working so hard at her job, to give us a better life than hers, growing up.
i remember on those warm summer nights as a little kid, waiting up for her to come home from work. i would watch elvis movies with her while she ate her late night snack. i remember giggling and asking my mom who was cuter…elvis or dad?! my mom would smile, between her bites of white rice, and say elvis!
[my mom in vietnam, pregnant with kim!]
my mom did so much for us, sacrificed a lot to raise her children the best she could. i am so thankful for her and love her so much!
