ready, set, i do

happy wedding shower kt and bobby!

ok…here’s my long story. i’ve never set anyone up before. never cared to. never tried to. never had an urge to.

one day, officer {scott} warren came in to visit me and he brought a crew of dudes with him. after talking to scott for a bit, i was eyeing this guy {dressed in layman’s clothes and leaning up against my table} and asked if he was single. scott looked at me like, “what?!” and i said, “katie…let’s set him up with kt!” the first thing i noticed about bobby {an undercover detective at the time} was that he is tall. yes. i needed a height requirement for kt.

well, after that, scott said let’s do this and we exchanged info and bobby n e v e r called kt. wtf. like seriously wtf. it’s katie. she’s beautiful, sweet, and so damn kind. i was pissed. whatever. anyhoo, throughout the next year. i stalked bobby and asked every cop that i saw about him. i asked if he was a good guy. i asked all sorts of crazy questions. i don’t know what it was about me wanting to set bobby up with katie. it’s not like i knew who he was but i knew my gut was telling me to set them up.

then one day {one year later}, officer perez came in and i questioned him about bobby. he went on and on about bobby being a good guy and he just broke up with this girl amanda, yadayadayada. okayyyyyyyy. he’s single. omg, katie just became single tooooooooo! i text scott and said, “let’s do this!!”

long story not short…a couple years later…they are getting MARRIED!!!!!! YAHOOOOOOOOOOO!  i still can’t believe i set them up. i am soooooo freakin happy for them. katie is a true sweetheart and deserves someone who will treat her like a queen and dote on her and bobby is it.

they are getting married this november {i am sad i will not be able to attend – my brother is getting married on the same DAY in los angeles!} and i can officially say i was their matchmaker! anyhoo, they recently had their wedding shower {a football theme!} and me and the fam bam were able to go! it was cute, fun, and super sweet! i had such a great time hanging out with katie, bobby, and their families!

olive had a BLAST hanging out with all the kiddos and loved the bouncy. i was so excited to see her so independent and having so much fun. it melts my heart that she is so social and willing to get out there and meet new people! she’s so sweet!

we all had a great time and it was so awesome seeing bobby and katie, listening to the sweet toasts from their sisters, and getting to know their family a little bit more. even though i won’t be at their wedding, i can’t wait until they are married! much love to you both! i am so happy for y’all!

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[i asked olive to choose and she picked this one]

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[i made this chalkboard welcome sign for their shower! kt picked it up and it got smudged in transit, so don’t mind the imperfections! eep]

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[me and the bride to be!]

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[i love this sweetheart!]

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[i love this sweet babe]

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[the cutest little booty]

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[the crazy couple]

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[my sweet baby girl]

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[oh that pouty face]

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[bobby and kt]

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[matrons of honor – colleen and bridget]

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[bobby’s sister]

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[cheers!]

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[sweetest  babes]

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[kt’s mom and friend]

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[kt and kar]

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[soy and kar]

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xoxo

housewarming

dana and scott just bought a new place together {they were married last year!}. a sweet home for the sweet couple!

they invited us to their housewarming party and we couldn’t wait to see their new place! it was a hooooot day. the commute was long but the good news was, we found a parking space right by their place!

dana was so surprised to see us! the day prior, i was sick. soooooo sick. i wasn’t sure if i was going to be able to come to her party. i was a mess – chills, fever, aches, pains, it was awful but one day later, what a difference it can make. i felt soooo much better. i was still sick but when you can get over a horrible hump like that, you feel like a new person even though you are still recovering.

we were so excited to be there! dana took me on a tour of their new home and i love her beautiful place. i am so happy for them! right after we arrived, that was when everyone started to trickle in. her parents showed up and i love her parents! jeff and marcia are so stinkin’ cute!

it became crowded in their condo and hot! there were so many bodies within their place, the temperature inside soared! i knew hc was uncomfortable. he becomes miserable when he’s too hot. ugh. time flew by and before we knew it, we had been at their house for several hours! it didn’t even feel like it, i was having a great time! ellie was uncomfortable though. she was being so darn clingy and didn’t like the fact that everyone was ohhh’ing and ahhhh’ing over her. it kind of freaked her out.

we decided it was time to leave, although that is when olive got real comfortable, befriending everyone there! she was being so cute, running around and being silly to anyone who would pay attention to her. she’s such a fun gal!

we were so happy we were able to make their fun party and see their beautiful new home. they are such a cute couple and i love them! many blessings to you both – may your home always be filled with laughter, love, and comfort.

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[unfamiliar environments equates to a fussy ellie]

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[sweet sisters]

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[my sweet babes]

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xoxo

ballet

first day of ballet

i must admit, ever since i had olive, i always envisioned her in ballet! i always wanted to try ballet as a kid but that never happened, so i am living vicariously through my babe. don’t get me wrong…of course i want to put olive into classes and programs that would peak her interests but i definitely don’t want her to not enjoy what she is doing. that’s very important too.

olive LOVES ballet. she absolutely loves it. i am so happy that she does! she was looking forward to her first class and it did not disappoint. she loves the dancing, the techniques, and mostly, her friends. she had such a great time with the other girls in the class. when you look at the pics, you can see how happy she is and how much fun she is having with the other girls! when hc asked olive about dance, she said she had friends…how sweet is that?

now, with this being olive’s first class {most of the girls in the class have already been through a season of ballet}, she was a little lost. she didn’t listen to the teacher very well and had a hard time following directions. i wasn’t too worried though. i know the next few classes, she will become accustomed to the techniques and do a better job at listening to the teacher.

what i loved the most was that she was sooooo happy! she had a huge smile on her face most of the time and it brought me such joy to see how much fun she was having. that is what mattered most, regardless of her noncompliance. it was her first class and i am so glad she loved it!

i’m looking forward to every class and i truly believe olive will too. i can’t wait to see how she progresses in the next few months but don’t ever forget, baby girl, to always have fun no matter what you are doing! muwah!

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[she’s so silly]

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[she loves her ballet friends!]

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xoxo

hanging out

one day, before olive started school, i needed to get some back to school shopping done, so we decided to head out to the mall and grab a few things for her. i had already purchased all her school supplies at good ol’ target but she needed some clothes and shoes, so i decided to hit up a few fun stores to check things off my list.

it was a gorgeous day, perfect weather to walk around in. just what this mama needed to get her errands done. as usual, olive saw the water fountain and of course we had to stop. we stayed for one ‘show’ and moved on our merry way. we hit up zara first. i love that store for kids. they have the cuuuuutest clothes! i picked up a few leggings, tops, and most importantly, a fall jacket for her. i have found, the first two years, i have been caught off guard with the temps changing so fast and me not having a fall coat for this girl to wear when she needed it most! not this year! i am ready!

we then moseyed on over to gap kids to check out a few items. we found a couple cute sweatshirts for her, of course they were sparkly and fun…not yo’ average simple sweatshirt, and glitter shoes. her current glitter shoes are dunzo. like beat up and diiiiiirty. so, naturally we needed a new pair and gap had the perfect ones!

we then headed on over to nordstroms and picked up more shoes for this gal. we replaced her red hunter boots she’s outgrown and bought the cutest pink pair of adidas shoes for her to wear to school. her teacher asks that she wears gym shoes every day due to the fact that they will go to the gym on most days and it’s just sturdier for them to wear such shoes. it makes them less susceptible to tripping and what not if they wear shoes appropriate for running, walking, and playing.

after we finished all our stops, we headed on over to the food court to treat ourselves to some smoothies and doughnuts! yassssssss!

it was such a perfect afternoon with my girls! we had a great time shopping, we walked away with great purchases, and filled our bellies with yummy treats! yay!

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[such a ham]

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[i love this silly girl]

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xoxo

anniversary in mexico

i have said this story quite a few times over the past year but after this post, i might be done. our original plan last year, for our five year anniversary, was to go to nyc. i love nyc. there’s something so old world and classic about this electric city but we ended up getting pregnant and gave birth to ellie right before our anniversary. so, taking a trip was out of the question with ellie only being over a month old, near our anniversary.

we love celebrating those roundabout numbers but we felt it was fit for us to still book a trip away for our sixth anniversary! hc decided to schedule a trip to mexico. i was game. i am all about tropical destinations!

i was sooooo looking forward to our time away. we try to get away, without kids, at least once a year. it’s so important for us and our marriage. every couple should try to do this. of course you miss your kids terribly but it’s sooooo nice to have time with just us two…do things at our pace and just take care of each other.

our travels to cancun was smooth. no craziness, no bumps, and once we landed, it was so HOT out! hc contracted a private ride for us to the resort, he said he knew better than to cram us into a shuttle with a bunch of other folks. haha! he knows me so well!

we arrived at our hotel and it was lovely. unfortunately, the room reserved for us was not available due to a malfunctioning air-conditioner. so, we bunked in a room that was soooooo tiny! gah, it was so small but they promised us a room that we had originally booked by tomorrow.

so the next day, we got coffee, went to breakfast, hit the pool, and then checked to see if our room was finally ready {they delayed it a bit later than what we were expecting} and they said we were good to go! they updated our bracelet info and we walked over to the third tower, to our room.

we walked in to the best surprise! the room was beautiful! it had the MOST gorgeous view of the sea, it was sooooo much bigger and better, and they had decorated the room in celebration of our anniversary!!! how sweet and amazing was that?! they scattered rose petals all over the floor with candles, created a heart out of the petals on the bed, and left us with chilled champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. i was so delighted!

hc and i did a lot of relaxing. a lot of sleeping. a lot of lying around, pretty much doing nothing and we loved it! we tried a japanese restaurant called hakka…it was surprisingly delicious. we ate at their 24 hour cafe – they served breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night dining. we sat at the pool a lot and drank a lot of coconut margaritas. those drinks were super tasty and went down way too easy! ha!

we stayed local and it was perfect. i really enjoyed the people. i was pleasantly surprised at how sweet, kind, polite, and how hard working everyone was. it really hit home to my heart. i really appreciated illiana, roman, alberto, and everyone else who serviced our needs. they made our stay amazing and we really enjoyed seeing them throughout our stay there.

i was overwhelmed by the caribbean sea. it was stunning. the water was so clear. the sand was so soft and white. the color of the sea was so vivid. it changed from bright blue, light blue, and emerald green. i was mesmerized. i loved the sound of the ocean, the crashing of the waves, the awesomeness of it.

on our second to last day there, the waves became much more powerful and they closed the beach late morning due to the water breaking very high onto the shoreline. i blamed hurricane irma. although it was over 2500 miles away, the size of the hurricane was 400 miles wide! that’s huge! it was a gorgeous day but the waves were so angry…it was telling us something.

so, let me tell you about the crazy nature occurrences that were all happening at once. over a week ago, there was hurricane harvey that battered the coast of texas and destroyed so many towns, homes, and flooded a huge part of the area. around the same time, there were the monsoons at bangladesh that flooded the area causing so much destruction. at the same time, there were the wildfires burning a majority of the west coast!  while we were in cancun, there were three, yes three hurricanes swirling all around us. irma {atlantic/ cat 5}, jose {atlantic/ cat 4}, and katia {gulf of mexico/cat 1}. then, on thursday night…the day we flew in, we were lying in bed and i noticed the bed shaking. i nudge hc and asked him if he was shaking the bed. he looked at me like i was crazy and said no. i repeatedly asked him, “do you feel the bed shaking?!”. he said yes and we laid there for a bit feeling the tremors. hc then stood up and looked out the window to see if if was windy outside or maybe something was going on to cause the building to shake and tremble. nothing made sense so hc got back into bed and the bed continued to shake and tremble. i was a bit freaked out. wtf. what was going on?? after a few long minutes, the trembling finally halted. we truly had no idea what the heck that was until the morning when hc saw that an earthquake had rocked the west side of mexico! the biggest earthquake to hit the country in 100 years. how bananas was that?! to sum it all up, within a week, we’ve had monsoons, flooding, multiple hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, and an earthquake hitting us hard. i think mother nature was readjusting itself after the eclipse we just experienced.

anyhoo, on our last full day in cancun, it was our anniversary! yay! we spent the day at the pool and retired back into our hotel room to relax before dinner. hc had made reservations at a restaurant called navios. it was awesome! i loved it! it was absolutely perfect. the restaurant was out on a pier and there were huts, pretty lights, and calm waters that surrounded us. it was a beautiful scene that elevated our dining experience. hc had made our reservations just in time for us to watch the sunset. once we were seated and within 20 minutes or so, the sun started to set and it was so pretty to watch. the food was so good {the best we had while in cancun} and the service was on point. i thoroughly enjoyed our anniversary dinner at navies, it was a perfect last celebratory evening on our vacation!

thank you hc for planning this fabulous trip for our anniversary! it was absolutely perfect. it was exactly what we needed and definitely a lovely trip to remember. thank you hc for being an amazing partner, friend, and husband. we are so blessed and i am so lucky to have you. i love you to infinity and beyond!

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[our view]

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[the water was so clear and blue!]

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[ahhhhh, sand between my toes]

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[fresh ceviche]

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[so gorgeous]

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[cheers!]

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[honestly, i think my bikini top was upside down. hahaha! backwards cleavage. eep! and that belly pudge…i am proud to say that this body gave birth to two beautiful girls]

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[enjoying fresh ceviche]

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[so gorgeous]

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[i’m in awe]

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[scavengers]

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[so freakin’ amazing]

* * * * *

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[ready for dinner…i literally brought noooooo clothes. ha! while i was packing, my monkeys were hanging all over me and i lost track of what i was actually bringing. i pretty much wore the same thing the entire time we were there!]

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[yummy japanese restaurant in mexico]

via tandeminlove.com[their version of sangria. it was so yummy!]

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[gorgeous moon over the water, right outside the restaurant]

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[someone trying to figure out my camera. haha!]

via tandeminlove.com[so gorgeous]

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[city lights]

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[cloudy moon]

* * * * *

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[sunrise]

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[breakfast]

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[a morning staple]

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[it was soooo sweet, to celebrate our anniversary, the hotel workers decorated our hotel room and left us champagne & chocolate covered strawberries!]

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[sooooo delicious!]

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[oleo resort]

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[the view from our room, on the sixth floor…it’s no higher than eight levels]

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[the view from the hotel]

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[it was so dang hot there day and night]

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[loving these fun huts you can dine in]

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[studying that menu hard]

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[i was literally so hot, sweaty, and bloated…ugh]

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[the food was so yummy!]

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xoxo

car night

all summer long, we didn’t go to one car show {not one!} and we typically hit up a few throughout the season {sometimes in neighboring towns}. well, the other month, we fiiiiiinally went to our local downtown downers car show…quite the popular show around these parts!

it was a beeeeeeautiful evening. the weather was puuuuurfect! we jumped into hc’s jeep and took a scenic ride to the show. we drove around a bit, looking for parking {hc doesn’t mind driving around the town – showing off his jeep}, and finally found a spot and walked our way towards the cars.

we started with the police cars. there were all sorts of cool vehicles where you could sit inside, get into the driver’s seat, and pretty much examine the cars inside and out. i thought it was awesome but olive was unimpressed. hahaha! she didn’t care for any of the cars and was excited for two seconds when a firefighter gave her a sticker.

right about then, we ran into our neighbors {and olive’s sitter!}, chuck and mary! we ended up exploring the car show with them, well, actually it was really chuck and hc that did all the looking. i just chatted with mary and took care of the babes.

olive spied a toy store and really wanted to go inside. i told her that once we looked at a few cars that dada wanted to see, we could go back. on our way around, olive saw the water fountain and had a blast watching it. she danced and giggled and was so darn cute. we finally made our way around and i took olive to the toy store {thank goodness it was still open!}. she was so excited! once inside, she immediately found a unicorn in a fringed bag. oh how she wanted it. i let her look at all the other toys but her mind was fixated on the unicorn, so i let dada make that decision. aaaaaand of course, he bought it for her.

after that, we headed on home. we got our car show in for the summer, it was a fun, beautiful evening out, and olive was a happy camper with her new unicorn in a bag toy. happy end of summer!

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[poor babe was bit by a mosquito all over her eyelids and forehead. ugh!]

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[hc was digging this jeep!]

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[that’s a big ass truck]

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[she’s a junior firefighter!]

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[she wasn’t too keen on going inside]

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[i love this babe who’s growing up so fast]

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[she loooooooves fountains]

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[dancing to the music]

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[she wanted this horse so bad!]

xoxo

first day of school

it was olive’s first day at school. wow…i was sooooo excited but my heart was crying a bit because my first baby is getting so big. she’s growing up and i am so proud of her, so full of love for her, and absolutely blessed to be her mom. this girl is like a ray of sunshine in my life and i am beyond thankful for her presence.

she’s becomes such a strong, silly, fun person. she’s so respectful and listens so well. she has a heart of gold and is the best big sister to ellie. a few things about her: she loves to make friends. when she sees another tot, she is immediately drawn to them. she’s not shy about that. she will slide on up next to the kid {boy or girl] and make eye contact, smile, and tries to seamlessly join in on their play. it’s the cutest thing to watch.

this girl has a pretty amazing memory. for example, we will see a toy store at the mall and i will tell her we are not going in there now and say to her, “we can go in there after we finish our errands.” she will politely and obligingly say, “ok”. after a couple of hours of shopping and letting this mama finish up what i need to get done, olive will then say, “ok, now we go to the store!” as in the store with the toys. hahaha! i think to myself…how do you remember?! she does this all.the.time. she doesn’t forget!

she’s become a bit opinionated about her clothes but not so much where she takes the reigns. i am still the dictator in the is department but i think it’s adorable when she wants in on what she wears. she usually listens to my opinion but i love that she adds in her fashion twists.

she’s become a bit more open with eating different things. i love that she will take my advice on trying things once. i told her that she needs to try something once and if she doesn’t like it, i won’t make her eat it but it means a lot to me if she tries it. i will totally admit that i am a sucker and i give in to her wants…i can’t help it!! she’s so darn cute! you want peanut butter and jelly? okaaaaaayyyyy. lollipop? suuuuure. whatever you want sweet girl.

anyhoo, on her first day of school. we rustled her awake and fed her a breakfast of fruit {grapes and strawberries} and cinnamon waffles. i got her dressed, hc dropped ellie off at my parents, and we took off to school. the week prior and leading up to that morning, olive seemed excited at the idea of school. we parked the car and her little face dropped. she looked concerned and somber. as we were walking from the car, she asked if i could hold her hand. of course baby girl. i am here for you! i held her hand and i could tell that she was taking in everything, observing it all. she was so calm and serious. we waited outside the classroom amongst all the parents and kids, waiting for mrs. finley to open up the doors. once she did, we walked inside and olive’s face lit up when she saw all the toys!!!

yes, toys make this girl happy. we greeted mrs. finley, walked around – checking out the classroom, dropped off our supplies, and watched olive play. after a bit, mrs. finley called the kids to sit down and the parents to gather around. she went over their every day schedule and a few rules and expectations. i really, really like her. she is sweet and seems so concerned with their well being.

olive already had homework! she needed to color an apple and bring it back for their tree. we took home some more paperwork and after 40 minutes or so, we left the class. we checked out the bathroom {it was so cute with all the mini toilets and sink}, we stressed to olive that if she needed to use the washroom, she needed to remember that she needs to pull her pants down and up on her own, and pretty much be independent. i think that’s the only thing i worry about right now. no one wants their kid to have an accident!

after we walked around the school for a bit of exploring, we then took little miss olive out for breakfast. our first and her second one of the morning! there this girl mowed down her mickey mouse pancakes and a plate of bacon. she cracks me up! gosh, i love her spirit.

well, olive’s first day of school was a success i must say! she was a bit nervous but everything for her, and us, turned out great! i was so looking forward to this day and it was absolutely perfect. i am so proud of my munchkin and i am looking forward to a fabulous school year!

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[first day of school]

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[a slight look of concern]

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[she looks so much like me here]

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[she got real serious here]

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[putting her bag up]

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[excited over the toys]

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[dada helping her raise her hand]

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[with mrs. finley]

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[grabbing her backpack]

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[such a big girl]

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[treating my girl to breakfast]

xoxo

dim sum sunday

my sister, thuy, suggested the idea of dim sum on a sunday morning. hmmmm, ok. maybe. hc and i were super tired. i won’t openly admit that having two kids makes me tired. or taking on too much makes me tired. or always saying yes makes me tired. or being a type a makes me tired. or that my brain runs at 100 mph makes me tired. ’cause it doesn’t…hahaha! anyhoo, we weren’t sure if we were up for it – going out. well, we talked ourselves out of our rut and decided to go out for dim sum and, boy, we were glad we did!

we said to one another, what else would we do? why shouldn’t we take advantage of this beautiful day? we need to get out more often and voila! our trip out turned into a wonderful day.

we met my family at chinatown and walked our way to the restaurant. the wait was looooong but it honestly flew by or the wait time was shorter than expected. what i loved the most was that we had our own room! it was quiet, private, and it had a t.v. in there! olive was smitten! to her, it was the best room ever!

we ordered copious amounts of delicious food and i was super excited olive wanted to try a few different things. i am totally at fault for not being more adventurous with her palate. i succumb to her wants versus encouraging her to try different food items. i have to say, though, that recently, i have asked her to try it once. i say to her, that if she tries it once…and doesn’t like it, i won’t make her eat it. most, but not all, of the time…she does like it! definite baby steps!

during dim sum, ellie was being more finicky than usual {i think she was very tired but couldn’t fall asleep aaaaand we forgot her paci} so, i didn’t get a chance to sit down and enjoy my meal. i walked around with her, fed her food, held her, nursed her and she was not having it. after hc finished eating, he ran out to the walgreen’s {right next door} and bought a paci! woooo hooooo! it helped calm her down but she didn’t fall asleep. at least she wasn’t fussy anymore!

after eating, we walked around to explore the shops on this gorgeous, sunny day. we waited in the long line for tapioca smoothies and perused all the kitschy shops. olive was having a blast discovering all the store’s fun toys and stuffed animals. she’s so sweet! she would say, “ohhhhhh, how cute!” in her soft, sweet voice. i could eat her up!

oh, what a day! we were so glad we got off our lazy arses and went out. i know those moments when you aren’t feeling it, you just want to be in pj’s and chillax, you just want to be lazy, maybe take a nap, but i always find that living up life, regardless of the exhaustion, sometimes has better benefits. i always say, life is too short, enjoy today because there might not be a tomorrow. at the end of the day, it was fun, relaxing, beautiful, and time with family is always time well spent! cheers to life’s lovely moments!

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[entering into the realm of china]

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[dad waiting for my mom…she just randomly stopped at a store while we were all walking towards the restaurant]

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[sweet, sweet babe]

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[me and my babe]

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[olive and grandma]

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[checking out the flowers]

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[these sweet babes! they had a tv in the private dining area…genius! it kept the kiddos preoccupied, not that they needed it, they are so good anyways!

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[ma seour]

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[yum, yum, extra yum]

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[i love tchotchke things like this!]

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[the looooong line for joyyee tapioca smoothies]

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[her trend…walking away with some sort of stuffed animal]

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[mom waiting for us while we get smoothies]

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[oh this sweet face]

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[climbing the stairs]

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xoxo