in lieu of our trip to l.a., i thought it was fitting to reminisce about our first trip together to the golden state. here, waaayyyyyy back in 2008 {don’t we look the same? or am i just being hopeful?!}, we are in california on our way to santa barbara. look at reagan, just look at the little dude. how cute is he?! omg…so stinkin’ adorbs. i love, love this picture of him…those cheeks, so chubby!
anyhoo, it was a total family trip. mom, dad, everyone. it was sure a cray trip all around. we were on our way up to the mission in santa barbara with my uncle khai and his husband don. my aunt and my brother huy were also with us {they live in cali and well as my uncle}, so it was quite the posse traveling together. you can only imagine the shenanigans that ensued with so many strong personalities together!
it was a great trip overall, we had a chance to check out a lot of fun areas in california. i loved so many places we visited. at the time, my brother huy lived right next to the grove and i loved their farmer’s market area. there were so many yummy food stands and it my first time trying the ‘hip’ pinkberry. according to my {hipster} brother, it was already passé. so, apparently i was behind on the popular trends {hello, i should have come out to california earlier!}. c’est la vie! regardless, i was in love. it was so yummy, sweet, and fresh! i chuckle when i think about that story. passé or not, i’m love what i love! 🙂
alright lovies, i wish warm weather upon everyone {soon!}! yes, truly with all this coldness all around us, we will be california dreaming! happy friday y’all!
december was a pretty awesome month. i love december. i love christmas, i love nye, i love the holiday hustle and bustle. there is always so much to do!
we really did have a wonderful month. we were able to fit in many fun activities, such as going downtown to experience the holiday magic in our wonderful city of chicago. did some yummy baking. decorated. had a lot of guests over. my brother huy and tashina visited. ate a ton of sweets. exchanged fun gifts. celebrated my birthday {woot woot}. plus lots and lots more! you can check out december in my sidebar of ‘ride thru memory lane’ if you would like to peep into the past!
olive had her ‘first’ christmas. well, she really had her first christmas last year but she was barely four weeks old! she’s grown up so much alreadyy {this past month} and she was so cute when we opened up her christmas gifts. she was saying “ooohhhhhhh!!!” with each present. oh, how i love her.
it’s the strangest feeling…when i’m with her or when i think about her. i am filed with soooo many emotions, it’s weird! i’m so beyond happy, filled with love and joy but yet i’m sad and feel bittersweet at the same time. i dunnoooo, maybe the mommies out there will understand or get what i’m trying to say {but not being very articulate!}.
with each passing moment that i have with olive…i’m sad it’s gone but so happy to have another moment with her. i love her to infinity and beyond that i don’t want to lose a single second, but when that moment passes…i want it back! yet, the present is the best time to cherish and revel in. or maybe it’s about the fact that this past year has flown by and i can’t believe how fast she has grown and changed; i just want her to slow her roll!
thinking about her becoming an adult scares me a little bit. i wish she could just stay little, cute, adorable, and sweet. i love her hugs and kisses. i love that she follows me anywhere. i love that she just wants to be loved, cuddled, and in my arms. i don’t want that to change and time is working against me {darn you father time, darn you!}.
anyhoo….this post has now become more of a momfession than it is about our wonderful past month of december. so, back to our december snapshots: below is filled with many fun photos of this past month. check out the candid moments and olive craziness we captured!
[digging for gold]
[o christmas tree]
[look ma…i’m feeding myself!]
[birthday!]
[gulp, gulp, gulp…ah, no we didn’t let her drink a bottle of pop]
[over indulging during the holidays]
[her play corner]
[reagan and olive ~ so cute!]
[having fun at papa’s]
[pitching a fit]
[cookies with gramma // i hide under things like a cat]
[that sweet pout]
[wild]
[yummy pudding]
[i’ll just smash the cupcake into my face]
[work holiday party]
[birthday gifts from andrea, jamie, and ollie]
[catching up on world news]
well, my lovies i hope you enjoyed our december snapshots! everyone, please have a wonderful wednesday.
“shoot for the moon. even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”
andrea’s birthday was last week and we finally got together to celebrate her! she’s a traveling fool, i don’t know anyone else who is always on the go like she is. when i talk to her about getting together, the first thing i always say to her is, “when are you in town next?”.
well, she was finally in town. we made plans for dinner at a restaurant called mexique on chicago ave. can you believe that this restaurant has been there for the past six years and for the three years that we lived down the street from it, we never noticed or tried out the place?!
it is sooooo good. the food was amaze. i mean, seriously delectable. it’s a fusion of mexican and french palates. everything was perfectly cooked, the flavors paired together were unique and complementary, and everything was incredibly savory {my tastebuds were in heaven}. the ambience was cozy and warm and the service was great.
[ginger and beth]
i arrived at the restaurant in no time {even with the cray weather} and was seated immediately. oy, it was soooo cold outside! i feel like i’m peeling off another layer of clothes when i take my coat, hat, gloves, and scarf off {hmmm, well i guess i am!}. a few minutes after i had been seated, ginger and beth joined me, and then the birthday girl showed up a few minutes after that!
we settled in and decided on a bottle of wine {natch}. we started our gab fest immediately. i love hanging out with these ladies. ginger always, always cracks me up with her sarcastic comments! she’s so witty and funny.
[me and the birthday girl – 25 weeks preggo! plus…we apparently don’t know which direction to look at…}
[opening her birthday gift!]
[ceviche]
[mar y tierra]
after much conversing, we finally looked at the menu and ordered our apps and entrees. we started with the mussels {oh em gee good} and ceviche {mmmm}. i decided to get the mar y tierra: michoacan style braised pork belly, mexique mole, fennel apple puree, scallops, roasted corn and brussels sprouts salad with burned tomatillo salsa. i highly, highly recommend this! it was fantastic. after our entrees, we ordered the enchiladas: crepes filled with chocolate ganache, toasted walnuts, ancho chile-chocolate fondue, crème anglaise vanilla bean ice cream. i also topped that off with a decaf cappuccino that was so perfect. milky, frothy, and sweet.
[yum]
[happy birthday andrea!!]
[make a wish!]
throughout dinner, we gabbed non-stop. it was wonderful to catch up with everyone! i was really enjoying myself {the company, the restaurant, the food}. i don’t get out much without olive {although as i have stated before…i do get a bit anxious when i’m without her!} and i’m always great the first few hours but then i start to miss her {momfessions}.
after almost three hours of dining {good eats and great conversations}, it was time go! we paid our bill and towards the door we went. i said my goodbyes to everyone with lots of hugs and traipsed my way out the door and down the sidewalk {so chilly!} to my car. i made it home just in time to put my little babes to sleep. *sigh*
wow…this picture definitely makes me wish for summer. look how tan i am?! it’s probably remnants of a vegas trip we took prior to this photo op anndddd, lookey at little grace! she’s so tiny and cute.
we were at a wedding {hc’s best friend michael & ruth} and it was a very warm day out! i had been on a crazy hunt to find the dress grace is wearing in the picture {don’t we look so cute matchy matching?}. it was definitely an unpleasant buying experience at a major department store that shall remain unnamed. my only friend who probably can recall this event {the almost throw down i had with a sales associate} is matt. if i am correctly recalling the incident, i do remember meeting matt for drinks and dinner after the purchasing debacle and duly venting to him about my crazy experience and terrible, terrible service i had received.
anyhoo, i finally received the fun dress in the mail for little grace and we all got bedazzled for the wedding. we had a grand ol’ time eating, drinking, and dancing the night away. i do remember grace getting down on the dance floor with gramma! it was very cute to watch.
ahhhh, such fond memories. well, enough randomness and ramblings from me. i hope you have a wonderful friday and weekend! stay warm chicago friends…i hope our chiberia ends soon! brrrrrrrrrr.
anything a baby does is adorable, right? anything your baby does is out.of.this.world!!! so, watching olive dance almost caused me to explode with joy. olive’s first time dancing was too cute for words {seriously}. she boogied down like a free little spirit. she was with her cousins and aunties, playing in the basement with her new christmas toys {courtesy of the aforementioned}. music was playing and everyone was dancing around; olive watched, took cues and started stepping with the rest of them!
it was so stinkin’ delightful! her chubby little cheeks, her skinny little legs {albeit her thighs}, and her fluffy hair bouncing around was cuteness overload! i die. i couldn’t stop watching it…{well, honestly i can’t ever stop watching any of her videos or her}.
oh, how i love her. she amazes us everyday and brings us so much joy. babies are the best. the first year was so full of big milestones but this past month was just as jam packed! more teeth, more cuddling, more words, more quirky personality traits coming though. it blows my mind how she listens and understands. i’ll tell her to shut the door and she does. i’ll tell her to kiss her daddy goodnight and she will walk right over to him and give him a peck on the lips. i tell her to stop or no and she immediately regresses. i tell her to grab her bunny and she will walk into the next room and come back with her favorite blankie bunny {so cute!}. i tell her to knock on the door and she obliges. now if she would only listen when i tell her to stop crying! ha! 😉
anyhoo, here’s my bebe in full swing. she’s got some moves! please sit back, relax, and enjoy her dancing tootsies!
oh my, the first real snow of the season! it has snowed here or there {it’s actually snowed a lot of days the past few months but a very light dusting every time} but it has never really stuck around. it started early morning and kept on going throughout the day {tapering off early afternoon}.
i was so excited! i wanted olive to be outside to experience it! last year she was just a newborn {and the polar vortex was awful}, so i kept her far, far away from it all. it was just so darn cold.
well, it was pretty cold outside on this snowy day but i had to get her out! it was so beautiful out. we dressed her in layers and gleefully went outside to watch her first experience in the snow. hc put her down and she started walking around and around, staring down at the snow with the cutest smile on her face. it was so presh. so, around and around she went, occasionally looking up at us with a smirk and continuing to walk all around the driveway. we were just waiting for that moment she would lose her balance! she did quite well! she currently walks like she’s always drunk {she stumbles a lot and always falls walking on the most even of floors} and she was a champion trudging through the snow and the bumpy ground.
i didn’t put her gloves on because i wanted to see if she would touch the snow and her reaction {i know, i know…it was cold but she was literally out there for less than 5 minutes}. well, she did eventually kerplunk into the snow and she was so bewildered at the coldness! she immediately scrunched her face and was not happy. we swept her up, ran inside our toasty warm house to brush her off and she transformed back into her happy self.
[ready to experience the fluffy white snow]
[fresh snow]
[catching snowflakes on the tongue]
[annnnd we’re down]
it was pretty awesome to have her experience her first snowfall {literally}. yay to olive’s firsts. happy snow day.
my brother and his girl tashina came to visit us for christmas up until new year’s eve. it was pretty awesome to have them around. huy doesn’t visit very often, maybe twice a year if we are lucky. i love seeing him. we all miss him. plus, he is sooooo wonderful with the kids too!
huy moved out to cali quite some time ago. i can’t even remember…it’s been nine years now?? anyhoo, life suits him just fine out there. he’s so l.a. now…such a hipster. well, he’s always been a hipster but whatevs.
he’s been a photographer for quite some time now. he’s super talented and has done some amazing work. you can check out his website here.
on one of the days they were in town, hc invited everyone over to our place for supper. we ordered uncle bub’s for dinner and had a swell time hanging out together. i came home and only my sisters and the kids were home. soon, everyone else slowly trickled in. hc and terry were out picking up the food and arrived home last.
we got down to business! the table was set and the food was ready to be served. we noshed, imbibed, and conversed about all sorts of topics. it was fantastic just to hang out and enjoy each other’s company.
[feeding the garbage disposal]
[boy band brothers]
gosh, family is so great. i feel very fortunate to have a large family. i sometimes, still can’t believe my parents did what they did. raising a large family with the means that they had. it’s pretty awesome to have brothers and sisters…people you can go to when you need them, people you can hang out with, people you can rely on, people who help you out. siblings are like built in buddies, non? and you know what really tops the sundae off? when your siblings are with/marry some more awesome peeps. the family grows larger and better. life does have it’s not so great moments {irritations, fights, disappointment}…don’t get me wrong, sometimes it sucks but i love having the glass half full. it only makes me feel more fulfilled, loved, and happy. i’d rather count my lucky stars than think about the pile of shit i just stepped on.
a lucky star i’m thankful for?? my little babes, olive. i love watching her play with her cousins. it’s just the best and cutest times evah. *sigh*
[silly kids]
[silly faces]
[ba going in for a kiss]
well, it was a quick but lovely time with tashina and huy. we enjoyed them being in town and spending so many great days with them. it definitely went by too fast. lots of love to them both…we can’t wait to see y’all again!
every year, it’s been our thing to go to the city to celebrate nye {or the fact that we were living in the city}. for the past {over} six years we have been together and seven new year’s eves together, we have always had dinner in the city. for almost two decades, my sister and her hubs have done the same. celebrating nye in the city was a no brainer for us, always.
but this year was different. this year olive joined the party {being the older and wiser gal}, this year we bought a house {in the burbs!}, and this year we were slightly not feeling it. it was a whirlwind holiday season and before we knew it, new years was creeping up on us very fast. we weren’t sure where we wanted to celebrate it…what restaurant? what time? oh, all the decision making was overwhelming or rather, not interesting.
so, we thought, why not have it at our house? it’s close to everyone, we love having people over, we love hosting, and it would be a lot more fun and relaxing! we all wanted to dress up and cook a delicious dinner! how perfect!
anndd at our house it was, hc and i got up super early {or rather, olive got us up} and we started preparing for the party. we cleaned, set up all the tables, decorated, and bought any last minute supplies {ice, flowers, etc.}. our place was starting to come together!
right after 5 pm, people started to trickle in. we set up appetizers, served up drinks, and slowly started to cook up our lovely dinner. it was great to just chill, relax, and move at our pace.
the kids were having a blast hanging out {down in the basement or screaming upstairs}. us adults mingled and nibbled on apps. our friend, lan {owner of the krispie bakery}, brought over the most awesome kettle corn that she had made. it was soooo stinkin’ yummy, i couldn’t stop eating it.
[dapper dudes]
[beverage area]
[the addicting kettle corn lan made]
[yummy cheese plate by kim]
in between the apps and cooking, we went a little nutso with our ‘photo booth’. warning: there are A LOT of pictures coming your way! hold onto to your screen!
on the menu for our nye dinner was a caprese salad, arugula salad with a lemon vinaigrette, sautéed green beans with sliced almonds, mushroom ravioli sautéed in a brown butter sauce, and a savory seasoned pork tenderloin. mmmm mmmm.
we all sat down for dinner and i toasted to our fabulous evening! it was such a wonderful event to have everyone gather around for. everyone looked so pretty in their festive attire and the kids were able to scream and play together with ease. a perfect combo for a perfect evening.
[new year’s eve tablescape]
after we ate dinner, i cleaned up and i placed out cookies and coffee for dessert. i purchased the tasty little morsels from whole foods! i love their cookie/dessert section at the store. once desserts were out for the adults, i got crackin’ on the kids sweet tooth’s. i first made them little sundaes and then they got super excited at the idea of a root beer float! so i made mini root beer floats for them too! yum!
[cream and sugar set from anthropologie]
[mini root beer floats]
the kids were sooooo impatient. they wanted to count down every hour and we kept telling them, no…not yet! they were itchin’ to use the poppers, the noise makers, and the clappers. so, we decided that we would do the count down with new york city!
[getting ready for the countdown!]
[midnight kiss!]
[the sweet babes leaning in for another kiss]
[we celebrated nyc’s nye but miss olive stayed up to bring in the new year chicago style!]
overall, it was such a wonderful, wonderful night. we had the best time socializing, drinking, nibbling on apps, and making dinner together. it was a total team effort…we all had a great time together and it was perfect way to bring in the new year!
