b’s birthday

the morning we came home from vegas, we went right into hosting a birthday party for my nephew bennett! yes, it was a very last minute decision…my sister wasn’t expecting to throw a party for him {we usually just gather together for a dinner out} but b asked and he received.

i needed to grab a few things for b’s party, so i headed out with olive while hc mowed the lawn. as soon as i arrived home, peeps were already over setting up the place for the party. we started prepping and decorating…it was so impromptu, so there wasn’t a ton to do…easy peasy!

i was dreading putting olive down because her cousins were already over and she always wants to play and not miss out on anything. it was very comical the way miss olive reacted when i told her it was nap time. she first stared me down. she literally paused what she was doing and did the stare down. then she slammed her fist onto the table and said no. then she put her head down onto her arm, onto the table and wept. “wah wah wah, hmph, nooooooooo” is what she kept saying. then, i picked her up to change her diaper and i kept saying bedtime, and she responded with an insistent, “i don’t want toooooo, i don’t want tooooooo”. oh, it was hilarious. i put her into her crib, she turned to her side and fell asleep. what an actress!!!!!

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[b wanted a chicago cubs themed birthday party]

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[thuy’s hand painted tank! how cool is this?!}

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[gathering gifts for the birthday boy]

slowly all the guests trickled in. it was a very small, intimate party. just family. we all hung out, snacked on some goodies, chit chatted, and enjoyed each other’s company.

we grilled, we set up the ‘buffet’, ate a delicious meal inside {it was way hot and so much cooler in the house, so we set up a long table to dine on}, and we slowly trickled back out so the kids could play. we pulled out the little kiddie pool that jane had bought for olive and the kids went crazy over it. it’s always fun to play with water, non?!

of course, what is a party without a piñata?! and let me tell you about this piñata…it was a tough little sucker. the kids {without a blindfold} beat it and beat it and beat it and it would not break! it started to fall apart but it would not split in half or break open completely. we finally had to call it quits and the kids dove in for the candy. it was like the bionic piñata!

after the piñata, we sang happy birthday to b and served the yummy cake. i love cake. i love cake with whipped cream frosting. that is my favorite. buttercream is another. i love it to be sweet, light, and airy. i must say, cakes at mariano’s market are deeeeeeelish.

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[our first guests: pete and lan]

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[avery and kim, serving delicious apps]

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[ready for the piñata]

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[swing batter batter batter swing!]

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[go reagan!]

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[make a wish!]

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[represen’ing! go cubs!]

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[ready to open presents]

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[sponge bob madness!]

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at the very end of the day and waaaayyyy after the party ‘ended’. b opened up his gifts and was a super happy camper! he loved his presents and we loved seeing his happy face. it was a fantastic day. although hc and i were spent from our overnight travel, nothing feels better than having your family over and seeing your little nephew happy to have celebrated his birthday. it was a good one b! happy day to you, always.

xoxo

las vegas part deux

on our third day in vegas, we started it out the right way again…c a b a n a time! woo! we started early {again} and this time around we ended our pool time a bit later than the day prior. our first day at the cabana, it actually rained. like hard. everyone was in awe because it never rains in vegas and if it does, it only lasts for a few minutes. but the rain that happened the day prior was fierce. it thundered, there was lightening, and it rained very heavily where they were posting flash flood warnings! thank goodness we had already clocked in some major pool time before it rained but it did cut it short by an hour or two.

our second day at the pool, it did rain again but it was very short lived and we were back out in the pool partying it up within no time! after spending 7-8 hours in the pool…yes you read that correctly…we spend that much time out in the sun drinking, eating, and ‘swimming’, we all went back to our rooms to get ready for the evening.

this time around, we were heading out to old vegas {aka fremont st.} for some sushi and amusement. we met up with matt and johann, grabbed a cab to our destination of choice and didn’t fear for our lives like we did the day before with our crazy reckless cabbie driver!

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[strawberry lemon vodka lemonade!]

when we arrived, it was quickly apparent that old vegas was double the craziness of the strip. our eyes were getting whip lash from all the {discreet} gawking and weirdness swirling all around us. we slowly walked our way to the sushi restaurant and we were 100% entertained along the way. we finally made it to the restaurant {super cute and quaint place} and we were seated right away {we had reservations and we were early but it was not a problem…thank goodness because panda – aka johann – was hungry!}!

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[old vegas & sushi]

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[ready to manger manger!]

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[fremont street has gotten crazier!]

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[people peddling for money]

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[bright lights, lots of people, and pure craziness]

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[need i say more?]

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[the man in the diaper scared the crap out of hc, rightfully so and said. hahaha]

after we ate, we walked along freemont street again. it was so overwhelming and honestly, quite sad. so many ‘street’ acts were going on, waaaaaayyyyy too many children up too late and viewing a lot of nuttiness, it all really made my heart heavy. it was gritty, real, and definitely a world i am not often exposed to {i really don’t view myself as a sheltered person either}. but it was heartbreaking to see so many people doing what ever they could to make a buck and it was just a wee bit disturbing to me. after we spent some time in old vegas, we headed back to our hotel area and got ourselves some gelato and called it a night!

***

the next day, we were meeting liz, josh, and family at mon ami on the strip for brunch. before we met up, we stopped at giada for a drink! it was delicious. i had a prosecco sangria that was super yummy! we enjoyed the ambiance, decor, and the movie they were playing on the telly! i was totally sucked in…it was subtitled and fabulous. the movie was called nights of cabiria and i was in love.

after a few drinks at the bar, we headed out to mon ami for brunch and we were all on time! woo hoo! we were seated on the patio and got down to business with our order. i claimed the diy bloody mary bar, matt ordered a ginormous st. germain drink, and we ordered a bunch of apps to start with. it was fun and yummy. we had a great time with everyone as usual. you can’t beat eating, drinking, and amusing conversations.

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[cheers! prosecco sangria…yum!]

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[matt’s tall drink of choice]

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[little brienne]

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[their lovely alfresco dining area]

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[lovely liz and her beautiful babe]

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[delicious scallops]

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[love these two]

after brunch, we all trekked back to liz and josh’s cars to head on out. one car went back to their house and the other car {us} went to a mall so josh could pick up stella’s birthday gift. while josh did that, we stopped by the yard house for {you guessed it!} another drink. heyyyyy, it’s vegas!

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[the yard house]

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[s’mores…you just can’t go wrong]

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[liz and josh’s pool]

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[stella, liz, josh, hc, matt, johann, and cheri]

we all then headed back to liz and josh’s house and ended up staying there the entire afternoon and evening until it was time for us to leave. liz cooked us dinner {tacos}, the boys hit the pool and drank whiskey, i hung out with the ladies, and in the end, we were all outside by the pool enjoying the warm evening.

it was another fabulous trip to vegas. hc and i had the best time hanging out with matt & johann. we love vacationing with them! we also loved that my brother and tashina were able to join us and we always love seeing liz and josh {notice the love theme here?!}. every single one of them are great people and we are so lucky to have them in our lives. we are so blessed!

xoxo

vegas part un

so, i couldn’t squeeze our vegas trip onto one post. it would have been waaaayyyyy too long! i think a two part story is just perfect. i must also say that i have been so behind on my posts. always too much to do with very little time!

we were so excited about our trip. we were looking forward to getting away and relaxing for a few days. it had been a bit since hc and i have had some time to ourselves {besides the random date nights – in which we need to get better at that too!}.

i’ll leave out the details but our flight there had a {not so great} layover so we spent our time at the bar {who doesn’t?!}, had a few cocktails and eats before we boarded our plane destined for sin city! during this time, i learned, from hc, how to properly order a ‘philly cheese’ steak sandwich and also they don’t call ’em philly cheese steaks either! you learn something new each day!

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[just me and my louis]

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[our view for a few hours]

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[wiz with]

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[cheers to layovers!]

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[here we go!]

once we arrived in vegas, it was a series of events that started our fabulous get away off on the wrong foot! first, our or i should say my luggage took forever to show up! after waiting quite a bit to retrieve it, we finally got a cab to the hotel. our check in was smooth but once we walked into our hotel room, it totally stunk like smoke! ugh. just awful! hc called downstairs to complain but he didn’t get any real answers and no real solve for the problem.

they sent a gentleman up from housekeeping and all he did was empty out an aerosol can of scented spray into our room which made it worse {i couldn’t even breathe}!!! argh, i was fed up! that was it…i walked downstairs and inquired about why we couldn’t switch our room! after a long exchange of words, we didn’t get our room exchange {due to the nature of the rental} but we did get a credit!

hc and i finally settled in after a very long day and woke up to a beautiful, sunny, warm fabulous day! we had rented a cabana {something we do every time!} and we were ready to soak in the very bright sun and consume many delicious libations!

hc secured the cabana and johann was already down there by the time i had gotten ready and joined them. as i was relaxing, johann and hc went upstairs to get matt to join us and the party ensued! after a few hours, huy and tashina finally joined us! the last several years we have visited vegas, huy has been able to join us…we are lucky he’s so close! just a few hours of driving from l.a. and bam! you’re in vegas!

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[my bro and his fiancé, tashina]

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[delicious lobster eggs benedict]

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[we loooooove our cabana time!]

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[goofing around…poor matt got splashed by huy]

after hanging out at the pool all day, some dark clouds rolled in and we decided to call it quits at the pool. we traipsed our way back to our hotel room and got ready to head out for the evening. we cruised around the hotels to get to caesar’s forum shops {my favorite place to shop while in vegas} to pick up a few things for matt.

our final destination that evening was at the pamplemousse restaurant right off the strip. it’s a quirky, mysterious, dated french eatery that matt’s sister, liz, recommended. our cab ride there was the most obscene ride i have ever taken! like ever! we clung on for our dear lives! the cab driver sped down the boulevard as if he was in the indy 500 and blew e v e r y red light he hit. i don’t mean a light that had just turned yellow to red but a full blown red light! i think he went through four in a row and then as we neared the restaurant, he realized it was on the left side and proceeded to stop in the middle of the three lane street {mind you, without a signal on to notify the other drivers we needed to turn} as cars flew by us! oh em gee. we, obvs, made it there unscathed by the care of God.

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[hanging at the grand gardens in bellagio]

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[love these two]

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[we looove starbucks! a chic looking starbucks in caesar’s forum]

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pamplemousse was vintage, chic, and it felt like we were straight out of a movie. keifer, our server was a riot. pure delight. he totally made our evening, our meal. his personality was quirky and amusing. he told us the history of the restaurant, we played vegas trivia with him, and he was absolutely sweet and kind. we ordered the five course meal and every morsel was delicious. keifer insisted that we ordered the belgium chocolat mousse…he said it is made in true french style! oh, it was absolutely fabulous. perfect and sweet.

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[getting ready to dine at pamplemousse]

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[cutest couples ever]

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[best crudites presentation]

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[palette cleanser // sorbet with champagne]

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[dining with the best: hc, liz, and josh]

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[seriously. to die for decor in this place. vintage, funky, quirky, so vegas]

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[pure french chocolate mousse // divine]

we loved, loved our experience at pamplemousse. it was entertaining, fun, delicious, and grande. we had the best time hanging out with the group and laughing with our fun server, keifer. i love exploring and reveling in such fun vegas finds!

xoxo

brooklyn

oh, sweet baby. yes, she was adorable, darling, and oh so tiny!!

beautiful brooklyn is an absolute doll. we were so elated to have finally met her. we arrived at their house, walked in, and we were greeted right away by bruster, kim, and brady. after hugs and hello, i immediately asked where the little babes was. kim directed me to the bouncy in the living room and i was in love. she was so tiny, fragile, and sweet.

i was a little nervous about holding her only because within the last six months, olive has been so crazy upset with me holding any of my friend’s baby! so, there i was, ready to hold the precious little bundle and side eyeing olive at the same time. i picked up little brooklyn in my arms and olive didn’t blink an eye. she continued on, i think she was more excited at all the toys in their house! sweet! i could finally hold a baby! hallelujah!

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[she walked in like she owned the place]

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[sweet little brooklyn]

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[holding little brooklyn]

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kim and i caught up on life’s latest happenings. i love hanging out with this gal. from the moment we met, we have always had something to gab about. seriously. we can talk and talk and talk. it must be my friend qualification, a prerequisite. hahaha! if you can blab from one subject to the next, you are destined to be my friend!

around noon, we prepared the kids lunch and ordered ours. olive and brady ate together and then kim and i had our lunch. i must say, these kids were cracking me up. it is so amusing to watch them together. brady and his wild ways and olive and her stoic actions. after an hour or so, they finally were meshing together! that is when all the cuteness ensued! it was so fun to see them in action and how they vibe off of one another. olive became more animated and loud and brady become a little bit more subdued and more open to olive. kim and i had the best time watching them interact.

after several hours of hanging out {we only parted ways because it was nap time for both our kids}, we packed ourselves up to go. i was sad to leave. we greatly enjoyed our time with them and their newest addition, beautiful brooklyn.

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[beautiful mama and babe]

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[such a silly girl! she loved the tent!]

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[such a cute pic of them!]

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[me, brooklyn, and kim]

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[this was tooooooo cute. hugging and kissing each other goodbye]

we had the best time visiting the new family of four! congrats kim, mikey, and brady! brooklyn is so perfect and precious.

xoxo

chillin’

we had a special occasion to celebrate! olivia and aaron bought the condo they were living in, hooray!

we scooted into the city for an early dinner at their ‘new’ place. i brought along a little house warming gift: wine, a candle {’cause you can never have too many!}, and a gc to crate and barrel {natch}. olivia walked me through what they were going to change in their new abode and we dove deep into absorbing discussions. it’s so funny how we gravitate towards he/she convos. aaron and rich/me and olivia. it just happens and that is ok by me. i love my girl time with this lady.

we talked and talked and talked. before we knew it, two hours went by and we didn’t even start dinner! eep! we finally started preparing the main dish {olivia was already putting together the pasta salad} and got things ready to cook.

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[ask me about bruce and the lobster]

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[cheers to their new home!]

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[their first purchase for their new home!]

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[bruce the dog]

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[top chef aaron]

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[he’s dangerous on the dance floor]

everything was super yummy! i loved, loved the kale salad olivia put together. it was absolutely delicious. i am such a huge kale fan. the kabobs were savory and perfect. we ate our meal in delight, enjoyed our silly conversations together, and didn’t realize how late it was!!! boo. we were having such a fabulous time. if we didn’t have to get back to our daughter {haha!} we probably would have stayed for a few more hours!

alas, we had to go. according to my parents, olive didn’t sound too happy mommy was gone. awwww, my poor baby. she has become so attached of late and i love it. she is seriously turning into the cutest thing everrrrrrrr. she’s so animated, communicative, sweet, and loving. i am so in love with her!

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[manger! manger! mmmmmmm]

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[best pasta salad everrrrrrr. i love kale]

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[um, there’s a beak in the way! dinner party shenanigans. we were feeling gooooood]

we said our goodbyes and moseyed on our way home. we love hanging out with these two. such good people and it’s always a great time! congrats on your new maison my dear friends! we are so excited for your new adventure!

xoxo

a sweet affair

hc and i were looking forward to attending a friend’s wedding. it had been awhile since we have been to one and the prospect of dressing up, getting our drink on, and celebrating love got us excited!

it was near hc’s old ‘hood {his childhood stomping ground}. the wedding and reception was in long grove. it’s a cute, quaint little town. the wedding was at a cute little white chapel. how i envisioned my ‘church’ to look like in the very early stage of wedding planning, that is until i fell in love with st. clement church!

we arrived quite early and lolllygagged in the car until it was a few minutes to the ceremony. we walked inside to a cozy setting. it probably took another 10 minutes or so until the bride took center stage, as the music played {canon d}…no one stood up?! i waited a moment and still no one stood up. then i saw the bride around the corner and i  thought, that’s it…i am standing up if no one else wants to! it’s the proper thing to do…the processional song starts to play and you stand up for the bride! so, i stood up by myself and it took a few seconds for everyone else to follow suit.

in walked the bride looking gorgeous. getting married is such a beautiful thing. it was tearful, lovely, sweet, and romantic. the bride cried and i did as well. i love weddings. i do. it’s so grand that it tugs at my heartstrings.

after the ceremony, we all stuck around to ring bells and welcome the bride and groom as husband and wife! the reception was just around the corner and super easy to get to. hc and i pulled up and traipsed our way to the bar! he grabbed us drinks and we started mingling. there were some folks from hc’s company so we walked right up and said our hello’s.

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[here comes the bride!]

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[horrible, horrible picture…i couldn’t get the camera to focus in time! obvs.]

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[husband and wife!]

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[we rang bells upon their arrival]

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[got it! perfect]

we met a lovely couple by the name of kenny and marina. they were super fun to talk to. i eventually met a few more folks and we all got along great. it was so much fun to chitchat with these gals. marina is a great little lady, i had such a great time getting to know her that evening. we totally bonded over our love of fashion, louis, and christian! although, she is a multi-faceted lady…not only does this doll love clothes and such, she is also a drag racer?! how cool is that? she is building her own drag race car as i type!

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[me and my love]

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[pretty table flowers]

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[wedding selfie!]

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[mr. and mrs.]

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[the bride and groom! congrats!]

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[the cute sign in table]

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[kenny and marina]

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[first dance]

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[attempting a goofy selfie in the dark]

after we ate {filling our bellies with a lot of food} and imbibed more libations {hey, it’s a wedding for pete’s sake!} our tushsies hit the dance floor! woot woot! hc entertained that notion for a moment {he does not like dancing aaaaannnd especially in front of people} but eventually snuck outside to hang with the boys. natch.

we ate cake. we danced some more. we drank some more and by the time we were done, the wedding was over. wahhhhhh.

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[chumming it up with marina]

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we had such a great time! we really did. boy, do we love weddings! they are such happy events, a day where everyone revels in love and joy…you just can’t beat that. hc and i had a wonderful time getting to know everyone and walked away with another fabulous wedding to remember.

congrats amanda and scott! may God bless your marriage with love, health, and happiness always.

xoxo

a few of my favorite things

so, these combo of items are really my favorite things for miss olive. i am obsessed with all things pretty, feminine, and fancy. who knows what olive will love when she grows up, but for now…baby girl will be dressed up in these fun, fancy things!

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1. i love fancyfreefinery crowns. i love buying these beautiful felt crowns. they are so intricately made and gorgeous! we love this watermelon inspired crown in her shop. oh, a must have for miss olive! i love the color combo and it has been a perfect addition for all her fun, summery outfits.

2. i die over these fabulous dolls by cottoncandydollies. she makes custom dolls as well! she also has these cute, jelly caddies that you can put theses wonderful dollies in so that your little babe can conveniently carry her favorite toy around. any little girl would love a cute little doll that looks just like her!

3. this little balloon decor by confettiandsparklepartyshop are soooo cute! i definitely want this and then some for olive’s 2nd birthday! she has a ton of fun stuff in her shop. it’s like heaven for party throwers! there are so many goodies to look at, i get so overwhelmed!

4. mybeautifullittleshop has the most amazing moccs for your little ones. her styles are unique, gorgeous, and wonderfully made. i am in love with so many of her shoes styles and choices. my favorite ones are the sahara, the hot pink moccs, and her gold gladiators. each one completes her outfits and, well, they pretty much go with everything!

5. this romper from mabelandgordon is too sweet and pretty. isn’t it just the best?! it’s so feminine and delicate…i absolutely die over the poms at the neckline. so fun! the floral print and colors are just perfect for miss olive!

6. this pretty little print is from oh.eight.oh.nine. i discovered her through instagram and have totally fallen in love with her styling. she does the best shelfie shots! she totally rocks neutrals like it’s nobody’s business and has just recently opened up her own little shop of prints. i love this print from her store. it’s feminine and pretty…like all things olive!

well, there ya go lovies. a few of my favorite things for miss olive. can you tell i love pink and gold?! hence her nursery, her clothes, accessories, her birthday party…hehehe. these have been essential pieces to her summer wardrobe this season amongst other things! i hope through this, you discover some goodies that will become your favorites as well! happy shopping!

xoxo

july snapshots

oh july. it’s always so bittersweet. it’s the month that signifies the ‘end’ of summer. it was super warm {finally} and super fun. we had the best time celebrating america’s birthday, grace’s birthday, and lots of summery stuff in-between.!

july was a complete whirlwind. i must admit. it came and went in a blink of an eye. it went by way too fast. i thoroughly enjoyed every day, every moment of july. i love the long days and warm nights. the ice cream cone moments. grilling and eating alfresco. the fireworks. birthday celebrations and overall shenanigans of these long summer days.

here is our july in pictures:

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[my silly girl hanging out on the floor of the grocery store]

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[grace’s 13th birthday]

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[happy fourth of july // romper by littleladiesboutique]

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[she loves the jersey she received from her cousins]

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[stuffing her face with crackers // shirt by greatgreenroomclothing]

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[photo booth at grace’s birthday]

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[stoic moments while shopping // skirt shopjunepark]

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[happy birthday america!]

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[bang bang pie]

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[hanging out, putting on lip balm]

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[her new favorite thing, hiding behind the pillows then popping out and roaring!]

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[eggs over easy at eggs over easy]

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[hanging out and shopping]

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[starbucks baby // shirt by masonblakeapparel]

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[cubs win! cubs win!]

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[fourth of july goodies]

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[cousins = besties]

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[eating alfresco on a beautiful, sunny day at bang bang pie]

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[enjoying her hot dog]

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[cubs game!]

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[pool time!]

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[goofing around]

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[happy baby…]

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[because she is eating chocolate!]

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[fourth of july chalkboard]

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[cutie pie // shirt kidandkind]

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[concert in the park]

there ya go lovies! our past july in a slew of snapshots. again, it was an amazing month of goodness. i am blessed and lucky to have such a wonderful, simple life. i am thankful for my friends and family around me. cheers to a beautiful month of august!

xoxo

sunday funday

we had plans to meet olivia for brunch, so we decided to make it a fun filled day!

we started it off with a trip to the best church ever: st. clement. i love, love this church. for it’s beautiful architect, for it’s amazing parish, for our pastor fr. ken, and how it always recharges me in my faith. we have been attending mass here since 2010 and before that, i have never found a home like this one. i am sad we are not able to make it here on a weekly basis like we did before {since we’ve moved} but whenever hc and i get a chance, we will go.

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[working my magic to get olive to take a picture]

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[catching up on st. clement’s events]

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after mass, we cruised on over to farmhouse chicago to meet olivia for brunch. she had made reservations, so we were seated right away. the start of our brunch did not go so well. per usual, i asked for decaf coffee and they didn’t have any. i was annoyed. no one caters to decaf drinkers. i get it. i get it. i am a minority but i matter too! i love coffee for its taste and flavor but ever since i was pregnant and nursing, i have not consumed caffeine. since i don’t need it, why bother introducing it into my body again?! coffee is like a routine, a habit, a mental start to my day and gosh darn it, i want my decaf!

the server seriously cowered from me. i know i can be demanding, direct, and very assertive in how i approach someone and i think i scared the shit out of him. eep. i didn’t mean to but when i am passionate about something, i come on strong. anyhoo, i asked the server if my husband was to run to starbucks to grab me my usual, could i drink it in the restaurant? after the catty session {meow} with him, he was like no problem {i think he didn’t want any more confrontations with me}. thank goodness.

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[darling olivia]

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[fried cheese curds]

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[she’s just a little stringy]

we ordered our meals and drinks, and continued our fabulous conversations. olive was being so silly. she was rummaging through the diaper bag and found my sunglass case. she gravitated towards the lens cloth and found it so amusing! she would put it on her shirt and admire it. she would try to show it off the ladies who sat next to us at brunch. she was very interested in them! she kept smiling at them and was being so cute. she’s adorable.

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[my meal was quite delicious]

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[love these two]

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[enjoying her juice]

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[she randomly wanted to be in the highchair]

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our meals were quite delicious. i do love eating there, the food is fantastic! after a bit of hanging out and snapping some fun pics, we headed out on our way. both parties wanted to shop {hubby wanted some new garb for vegas} but hc was in no mood to shop michigan ave on this hot, hot, hot day. so, olivia proceeded towards the ave and we went to a mall where hc to could shop comfortably.

we said our goodbyes and parted ways. we left each other with scheduled plans under our belts, so i was looking forward to seeing her again soon!

xoxo

e-party

well, as y’all know, miss dana is engaged. i was super delighted to have received the invite to her engagement party!

it was held at her aunt’s house in the cozy neighborhood of highland park. we cruised up north and as we turned down the road where they live, we noticed groups of people walking down the street. we assumed that they were a part of the party and we were right! as we walked closer to the crowd, i asked if they were heading to dana and scott’s engagement party and they said yes! that is when i met scott’s sweet mom and dad.

we walked inside the spacious home and we were immediately greeted by dana! oh, how i love this girl. she was dressed all cute, natch. we were meant to be friends through our fashion sense. seriously. we somehow always manage to dress alike, in coordinating style, or similar color combos. like always. this time dana missed the pop of green but we definitely got the b + w down and our gold accent ankle strapped shoes.

hc and i grabbed drinks and started mingling with the other guests. when it comes to something like this…hc is not in his element! i am the social butterfly and the hubs is socially awkward. he doesn’t like breaking off on his own to start independent conversations like me. so, we usually move around together and i will be the talker and he will be the ‘add on a comment or two’ kind of guy. haha.

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[whenever we get together, we somehow always coordinate or match]

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[fist city chicago beer]

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[everyone gathering around for the food]

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[cocktail napkins]

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[with the engaged couple!]

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after a bit of mingling and several libations, dinner was served. everyone grabbed a bite to eat and continued to socialize. just a bit after the food was served, irina and patrick showed up! i was so excited to see them! irina and i get to see each other every so often and when we do, it’s fantastic to catch up!

the four of us sat down together and did a lot of talking. the conversation just flowed and we were having a great time hitting all kinds of topics. right after dinner, dana’s aunt and uncle welcomed and thanked everyone who came and made a toast to the beautiful guests of honor, the two lovebirds who were going to tie the knot! mazel tov!

dessert was served and i was on it. i went into the kitchen and piled my plate high. i couldn’t stop eating the reese’s peanut butter cups in a cookie crust. best ever. it was like heaven in my mouth.

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[toasting to the engaged couple]

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[irina and patrick]

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[i couldn’t stop eating the desserts]

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we had such a great time celebrating dana and scott’s engagement. it was fun and fantastic to meet and greet most of their family members and friends. weddings are so much fun…love, happiness, elation…the best celebratory emotions all rolled into one beautiful day. we can’t wait until the big day comes!

xoxo