neidre was in town!

i was super excited to have received a text from neidre that she was coming into town!

we coordinated a date and the hubs and i were looking forward to seeing her! she is just the sweetest. i love her spunk, her attitude, her outlook on life; i pretty much love everything. you know when you have a person in your life and you only see them once in a blue moon but you have a huge place in your heart for them? that’s neidre. she lives in florida and sometimes we get out there and sometimes she gets out here to chicago but each time, we will make sure we see each other!

we decided upon a sushi restaurant that was a middle point logistically to our locations. we both arrived on time and honestly, i couldn’t wait to see her! hc and i walked in and i saw her hair first…hahaha! big hugs and squealing ensued! we sat down and ordered drinks, apps, and eventually food. i was sooooo hungry and everything was delicious. we have eaten at this restaurant before and i have had a great experience every single time we’ve eaten there.

neidre was staying at her friend kim’s house while in town and kim was a riot! i loved hanging out with these two ladies…they were funny, sweet, and exciting! very gregarious and engaging, so our entire conversation was absolutely compelling throughout dinner.

we shared new stories, old stories, and my husbands crazy teenage angst stories {wow, i never knew he was such a punk}. it was awesome to recount tales down memory lane. after many libations, filling our bellies full of yummy eats, and hours of talking, we needed to get home to our babes to put them down.

it was sooooooo much fun seeing neidre and kim. there is never a dull moment with these gals! we had the best time with them and my heart was so full seeing neidre. she’s so amazing. we said our goodbyes and gave big hugs and parted ways.

i really hope we can meet up with this lady soon! i will have to convince hc on a vacation trip to florida! thanks neidre for being you, we love you and hope to visit you in the sunshine state sometime soon!

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[yummy pear martini]

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[neidre and kim]

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[a delicious surprise inside!]

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[love these two]

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xoxo

goebbert’s pumpkin farm

it was a perfect day to go to a pumpkin patch!

we decided to meet up at goebbert’s pumpkin farm. it was definitely a pumpkin circus! this farm had everything under the stars for kids, halloween, october, and autumn! there were a gazillion pumpkins to choose from, a haunted house, haunted hayride, games, petting zoo, play areas, entertainment, you name it, they had it!

once we arrived, we waited for everyone else to get there and then met everyone in the food area to grab some lunch. we had a great time noshing and chatting it up with everyone. the kids were having fun and the weather/temperature was perfect! once we ate {our hotdogs, nachos, pretzels, chips, and many other healthy choices of food}, we packed up and headed on our adventure to explore the area. my sisters and lan have been here before but i {and the fam} have not. so it was all so novel and unique to us!

olive was a bit overwhelmed at all the big kid playing and didn’t like the corn maze. it didn’t make sense to her so she got scared and started crying. we took her to the kiddie’s web play area and she felt right at home. she loved it! she just kept walking around and around and around. we let her play there until we were summoned for a hayride. i wanted to do that, so we got olive out of the web and walked over to the hayride area.

once that was done, we bought tickets to get into the another fun area of the farm where they had the petting zoo, pig races, and other fun activities. the kids were having a blast. it was awesome to see olive like certain things for the first time. like for example, earlier this year, around easter, she didn’t care for a petting zoo and this time around she was alllllll about it! she was sooo excited to see all the animals and loved trying to pet them! it just melts my heart to see her so happy!

after we visited all the fun rides, activities, and cool play areas, we hit the shop to buy pumpkins and sweet treats to take home. we had to buy apple cider doughnuts…it’s not fall without a dozen or two! we eyed the pies, candies, and popcorn but went with the yummy doughnuts.

after being there for almost four hours {yessss, it was a long time but it did go by fast!}, we headed on our way home. it was so much fun and always an autumn must do! we love fall…it’s my favorite time of year! happy cool nights, warm layers, and hot apple cider!

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[so many pumpkins and gourds to choose from!]

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[it was soooooooo bright all day!]

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[pretty mums]

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[how cute is this?!]

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[ellie pretty much slept through the whole pumpkin farm excursion]

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[scooby dooby doo!]

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[reagan the giraffe]

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[their version of a kid’s meal]

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[how tall are you this fall?]

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[heading into the play yard]

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[she loved the spider web play area!]

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[she reluctantly posed for a picture for me…diiiiiiiiiiva]

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[getting ready for a hayride!]

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[our scenic route on the hayride]

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[the kids boogie-ing down to the music at the empty theatre]

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[best pic i could get]

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[checking out the play area]

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[silly kids]

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[first time she was interested in petting the animals!]

via tandeminlove.com[she was sooooo happy!]

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[she’s so cute]

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[how cute is this giraffe? i felt so bad for the caged animals…]

via tandeminlove.com[enjoying her end of day treat]

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xoxo

fabulous zoo date

kim and i met up for a zoo date take two. the first time we went to the zoo with them, it was such a personal disaster. i was so unprepared and a lot of meltdowns happened, including me. hahaha!

well, this time around…we were ready! we had the right attachment to the stroller, we had snacks, we had lunch, we had drinks, and it wasn’t steaming hot {that is always a recipe for a disaster!}.

we both arrived at the zoo at the same time and we parked right next to each other! we strolled on in…it was so darn perfect out! we did our usual walk and there were a lot of animals out. olive warmed up to brady a lot quicker than what she usually does! it was so cute to watch them, olive at times would call brady’s name and ask him to, ‘come here!’ to see certain animals and brady always wanted to hold olive’s hand! awwwww!

kim’s mom joined us as well and it was awesome to see her! she’s such a sweet, sweet lady! we leisurely strolled the zoo, saw the animals, went into certain houses, and eventually stopped for lunch. the temperature started to drop but it still felt great overall. it was so nice, this time around, to be able to see almost all the animals, walk at a slow pace, and the zoo was kind of empty – which makes it great for us! {less congestion and more animal face time!}

once we got near the end, we brought the kids over to the carousel for a ride. it was olive’s first time on a carousel! i was sooooo excited for her! the only bump in the road that we ran into was that we were a minute too late for the next ride! they cut off the line right before us and poor brady and olive thought we weren’t going to take them on the ride and they both yelled and cried the entire time the ride ran and honestly, it felt like an eternity! haha! finallyyyyyyy, it was our turn and tears turned into sweet smiles! it was sooooo heartwarming to see her so happy! she told me she wanted to sit on the giraffe and the giraffe she got! kim’s sweet mom took on the challenge of snapping a pic of us and she did a fabulous job!

i love spending my time kim and her kids {and mom!}. i feel so lucky that we have become so close! i love this sweet mama! we get along so well, have a lot in common, and it seems like even when we spend hours and hours together, we never have enough time to talk about all the things we want to talk about. well, that’s having kids around for ya, right?!

anyhoo, it was a fabulous second zoo date and i can’t wait until we meet up again! cheers to great friendships!

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[the cutest kiddos]

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[she’s so cool]

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[snow leopards]

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[twinning at it’s best]

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[it’s such a challenge to get all the kids to look at the camera]

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[isn’t brady so sweet?]

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[me and my girls]

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[not one child looking at the camera…hahaha!!! olive’s shirt by @cocoaandheart]

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[mesmerized by the polar bear]

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[her first carousel ride! she had so much fun!]

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[sweet hugs goodbye]

xoxo

happy three months ellie!

happy three months!

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[pic taken on 10.15]

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oh ellie. she’s the sweetest little baby. we are seriously so blessed with this happy little babe. i will say it over and over again…i can’t believe it’s been three months already. they aren’t kidding when others tell you time with the second baby flies by!

she’s such a fabulous sleeper. now she is such a light sleeper…who does she gets it from? hmmmmm, my dad? hc’s mom? ’cause the both of us are NOT light sleepers. ok, well before the babies, i wasn’t but now i wake up at a sigh coming out of theses kid’s mouths! ellie will wake up at a creak in our floors and that is no bueno because our floors are so darn creaky! she’s solid at night though. she still wakes up at 5am for a quick feeding…and i mean quick. she might eat for 5 minutes and fall back asleep and sleep for another 2-3 hours. she sleeps for about 8-9 hours a night but her naps are sporadic. she might hit a four hour nap during the day or not nap much at all. it just depends on her mood, growth, and day.

she’s an eater still. she’s getting quite chunky for a skinny baby. she will still feed every two to three hours. i still try to pump every two hours to store away milk but she’s doing very well every few hours and she’s has gotten better with her regurgitation. she always lets out a juicy burp and then i expect her to puke right after. every time. her trend of late is to throw up about a half hour before she has to eat again. it’s like clockwork but now she doesn’t spew vomit like she did the first few months…she is a little more routine and regimented so i know when she’s about to puke. hahaha!

she is so active! she is a wiggle worm and can hold her head up like a champ. she can see further now and notices her mama, dada, olive, grandparents, etc. she is so sweet and smiley! when she wakes up in the morning or after her nap, she gives me the biggest smiles. it totally makes my day! she loves to coo, squeal, and shriek! it’s too cute to see her want to communicate and ‘talk’ back to me. i am waiting for her to roll and giggle but that hasn’t happen yet. i love watching her grow!

her hair is falling out a bit but her chunkiness is getting better. i love her leg rolls and chubby, chubby cheeks but her belly takes the cake. her double chin is the best and i love her cute, little pointy nose. she has the biggest belly! it’s ginormous! it’s like she has her head,legs, and arms attached to a watermelon tummy. hahaha!

she loves to watch olive and olive is so darn sweet to her. she is such a great big sister and is so gentle and thoughtful towards her. she always has to see her in the morning and say good morning. she will always let me know baby ellie is crying…even though i can hear her. ha! olive loves to show her her toys, she loves to help me change her diaper, and when olive is in the mood, she will totally entertain ellie by dancing, singing, or just being goofy to her.

i am still so amazed by her. i can’t believe we made such a sweet little baby girl. it blows my mind i have two darling little ladies. they are so sweet, cute, amazing, and precious! ellie is such a blessing…i can’t get over how much she is like hc. she looks like him, acts like him, and is chill like him. we lucked out to get such a calm loving little lady!

ellie, we love watching you grow and you are an amazing little baby. we love you sooooo much and can’t wait to see what milestones you will hit next month!

xoxo

happy birthday R!

it was reagan’s ninth birthday…ninth?! whaaaaaaa?! like seriously, where has the time gone? i can’t believe he is nine. i remember him coming home from the hospital and he was so darn cute and small. now he is nine and so grown up. wahhhhhhh!

well, we decided to all gather around my parent’s house to celebrate this special day. we ate pizza, hung out, watched the cubs vs. the giants game, and had delicious cake. thuy brought home balloons, i brought over a present, and it was very low key and fun. olive always has a great time with her cousins, she ate all her pizza, and acted super silly {and emotional} as usual.

ellie was passed around and being so cute. i love her! she is so calm and cool. she only cried when she became tired. poor thing has been fighting naps lately. she is still wondrous at night sleeping like a champ but it’s hard to get her to nap and then she is cranky in the evening.

the boys had to get home because they had school in the morning and we left shortly thereafter. olive really wanted to go home when she saw r + b head out the door but when she realized we weren’t all leaving, hello meltdown! i know she understands but her emotions get the best of her! she just cried and cried even though i told her we were leaving soon! oy vey!

we gathered our belongings and headed on the long journey home {just keeding…ya know it’s only a minute and half drive from my parent’s! ha}. anyhoo, we got home, got situated, and finished watching the rest of the cubs game…in which they WON!!!!! woo hooooooooo! oh they so needed to WIN!

so all in all, it was a fantastic evening with family, celebrating r’s birthday, and it was topped off with a cubbie win! what a perfect night!

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[cousins]

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[super auntie thuy, reagan, and olive screaming, “cheeeeeeese!”]

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[seriously cutting this cake]

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[sorry for the fuzzy iPhone pic but it’ll definitely do]

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[birthday presents]

xoxo

morton arboretum

it was a perfect day to go to the morton arboretum. there was a slight chill in the air but the sun was shining and there was no rain! it had rained all week and it’s always such a bummer when the temperature isn’t so hot but you can’t get outside to enjoy it! we weren’t sure what we wanted to do at first but i knew i wanted to do something! i never want to waste a good day of lovely weather! so, we packed up the kids and went our merry way to the arboretum!

it was early and we found a great parking spot. we decided to eat breakfast there first. i was super bummed because we got there 10 minutes too late for them to serve us breakfast! whaaaaaa? it, literally, was sitting in front of us and a bunch of the kitchen workers came over and pulled it to the back. huhhhhhh? for reals? i thought, you seriously can’t serve me this food?! what a waste! so instead, i ordered a bacon and sausage quiche. at least i got a brunch item! we sat in their restaurant area and enjoyed our food. their dining area has such a beautiful, scenic view!

once we finished, we immediately walked towards the children’s play area. i love that olive is at an age where she is confident playing on her own and isn’t so afraid to be near other kids. i also love that every play area is pretty much enclosed and you can’t lose your kid! we hit play area after play area and olive was having a blast! it was so adorable to see her so excited, curious, and having so much fun! we explored most of the children’s area and finally made our way out after a few hours.

as we walked towards the exit, they had a fall festival going on where they were selling food, beer, kettle corn, cotton candy, and other goodies! we purchased a bag of kettle corn and sat down at one of the outdoor tables and enjoyed our treat. olive loves, loves popcorn! i was super cautious about her eating it when she was younger. i would either break off the kernels or buy “popcorn” that wasn’t really kernel popped but now she’s a pro! we had so much fun just simply eating our popcorn and being silly. just for the record…ellie slept the entire time!

oh, we had such a marvelous time! it was awesome to have such fun family time and pretty cool to see my baby girl have so much fun! we didn’t get to explore everything there this time so we can’t wait to go back again, hopefully in a few weeks before it gets too cold!

happy fall y’all!

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[she thought it was funny that she had water on her finger and it was extra funny she put that said finger into her mouth]

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[ellie bear all snuggled up in her stroller]

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[she was actually standing in front of glass…you can see the reflection]

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[going into the children’s garden]

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[she loves tunnels]

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[nothing can stop this child from being near any water!]

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[peek a boo!]

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[she loved every play area]

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xoxo

multitasking apple pie

hc helps out with the apple pies every year. he’s very good at it and now that we have a new baby and a toddler…multiple hands at multitasking is a must! we tried our best to make the apple pies while ellie was sleeping…she is the one we have to hold if she gets fussy, otherwise, olive is easy! she just entertains herself with her iPad or toys.

we got pretty far along before ellie woke up. i had peeled and sliced all the apples, hc made the batches of crust, and he was on to the walnut base. i took care of ellie and then wrapped her up in the carrier to finish making the apple filling.

we have made the same recipe every year but next year, i think i might want to replace the walnut filling with almonds. i think it’ll be a better compliment! every year, we get better and better at it…one year we had too many leftover apple slices but not enough to make another apple pie, one time we were short on the dough to make the top crust but this year we hit the nail on the head! we had the perfect amount of apples {pulled less than what the recipe called for} and we had copious amounts of pie dough to make a hearty and healthy sized crust for both pies {we doubled the recipe}! i even made cute little leaves for the tops of the pies…something i didn’t get to do the years prior because we would never have enough! hahaha!

we assembled our pies, brushed the crust with milk and sprinkled it with sugar, baked them for an hour, and let them cool down on baking racks. later that night, i sliced the pie and served it with ice cream ~ yummmmmm! it was delicious! i must say…it was our best pie yet!

happy fall y’all!

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[apples picked from the orchard]

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[making apple pies in pj’s! what i do best!]

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[peeling and slicing apples]

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[my awesome helper]

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[walnut base]

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[rolling out the dough]

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[i love this messy haired babe]

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[sweet baby ellie]

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[the finished product]

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[apple pie a la mode…the only way!]

xoxo