at olive’s preschool, for her birthday week, she was star of the day!
when class started, she was able to sit in the chair next to the teacher, lead the count with the star wand, and set up the day/weather board!
i was invited to join in on their fun and spend the first part of the class with them and participate in on story time! i was sooooo excited! i made little birthday treats for her classmates {funfetti bags filled with stickers and candy!} and brought in the book uni the unicorn {in celebration of her unicorn party we were having}!
i think i was more excited about this than olive was! it was so fun to watch her be so involved but, yet, she was being a bit shy. when the teacher asked her who her special guests were, she barely whispered, “kiki”. i had to explain to the teacher that she calls me kiki…not mom, mommy, ma, or anything close to that. haha!
once they went through their morning activities, i was able to sit down next to olive and read the class the book we picked out! it was so darn cute! the girls were so into the book but the boys looked lost or just not into it but overall, everyone seemed to really enjoy the book! it was not too long, not too short, a cute little story, and the illustrations were so colorful and pretty!
once i was done with reading the book, olive walked me out. i was sooooo happy and i hoped olive had a great time with me being there for her! i love moments like this and totally cherish the sweet milestones that we go through!
it was definitely a special day for olive, celebrating her birthday and making it for a fun school day!
[she wore this party hat to school and continued to wear it for days…so darn cute!]
[the teacher telling the class who is star of the day!]
[is it cold or is it hot?]
[reading uni the unicorn to the class]
[she was not happy with the hat…hahaha!]
[she asked me to take off the hat when she walked me out…it was so big and she was bugging about it]
weddings are so much fun and what typically comes before and after, makes the weekend that much more special!
my family was excited to host an after wedding brunch at the langham hotel for the newlyweds and our immediate families. it was an early start but so worth it! the hotel staff set up a long table for all of us to sit at. it was perfect. we almost felt like we had our own room {there weren’t many tables next to us, being a large crowd} and our table was right next to the buffet! score!
we reveled in last night’s festivities, we shared stories, and we were all pretty much on high with how fun the wedding was!
i was delighted with the hotel’s brunch set up. everything looked delicious and the service was fantastic. i thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the langham. the staff was so polite, kind, thoughtful, and considerate. they were on top of clearing our plates at brunch, offering us endless amounts of libations {keep the mimosas flowing!}, and so accommodating.
olive was having a blast with the boys and ellie was being doted on by agata and my aunt vuong. win win for this mama! i ran around making sure the girls were good to go with food, drinks, and company and then i finally sat down and enjoyed a scrumptious plate of goodies. i downed the americanos and then sipped on my mimosa…it was all so yummy! of course the kiddos hit up the dessert table! so many sweet treats to choose from!
after a couple hours, we all parted ways to do our own thing {pool time and then we hit up the grove – which was a disaster} and then met back up in the evening for dinner at some crab shack!
that pretty much wrapped up our weekend in LA. it was such an amazing time celebrating huy + tashina. every event we attended was filled with love, happiness, and good cheer!
may your marriage be filled with love, laughter, and full bellies. much love and many blessings to my brother and beautiful sister in law!
[the amazing dessert bar!!! i had to post this first…it was the first thing we saw when we walked in]
[dad and mom]
[best omelet station ever]
[her superhero cape – a present from uncle khai]
[good times, good food]
[a very delicious americano and sugar stick]
*****
[this sweet girl looking at herself in dan’s phone]
[hitting up the grove for the tree lighting ceremony was a huge mistake! it was SOOOOO crowded and they shut down all the stores! whaaaaaaa?! we were there for the shopping!]
huy and tashina were getting married! we started the day with breakfast downstairs in the hotel’s restaurant, the terrace. afterwards, we took a little walk to tashina and huy’s suite, to check it out and it was huge! tashina was getting her hair and make up done while huy was getting ready in another room. we hung out for a bit and then let them be because we needed to get back to our room and get the girls to nap.
well nap time was absolutely unsuccessful. nooooooo one napped except for hc. we all got ready and headed downstairs to the car. i was frantically scurrying around trying to tie up loose ends and i was running very behind but when i got downstairs, my parents and their friends weren’t down in the lobby yet! we finally rallied everyone together and headed on over to the venue.
we walked inside the forge and it looked so amazing!! it was such a cute little space. a garage type space with the coolest interior. the reception tables were set up along the alley way and the photo booth huy and tashina created was over by the ‘bar’. the florals and decor were freakin’ stunning! it was all so eclectic, beautiful, bright, and colorful! everything turned out so wonderful!
we took family pics first and then tashina and huy took some on their own. the air was electric! the love, the energy, and excitement was palpable. i was so excited for them and so excited that the venue transformed into the wedding of their dreams! i was giddy with butterflies and could hardly wait for the ceremony to begin!
guests started coming in and the excitement continued to brew. soon, it was almost show time. the family members all filed in back to get ready for their walk down the aisle. set by set, we all strolled our way down the aisle, to our pew seats. then came the bride, looking stunning in her custom gorgeous gown.
the ceremony was fun, sweet, loving, and joyous! their friend, taylor, did an amazing job marrying them! he was thoughtful, sincere, and really connected them together as a couple. i also loved how he drew the guests into their ceremony and got us all involved in their nuptials! that always makes it more intimate and fun for everyone there to see them profess their love for one another and how friends and family support each one of them!
they exchanged their sweet vows {tears were shed by both parties}, the rings were exchanged {thanks to my cool nephews for giving them each their rings!}, and then they were declared husband and wife!!! yay!! off went the confetti poppers in celebration!
dinner, cake, dancing, socializing, and fun ensued! i had such a wonderful, wonderful time! i was so happy for the beautiful couple. the wedding was amazing, beautiful, and pretty freakin’ awesome!
i can’t find the words to properly describe how i felt, what a great experience it was, what a great feeling it is to see your family together, and seeing your brother so happy! well, i took a gazillion pics, so i hope you can transfer it all through that!
a month before my brother’s wedding, we received an invite to a party, in cali, in honor of the engaged couple. i love events like that! it’s such a great way to get to know others involved in huy and tashina’s lives. that is one thing i love about weddings – building relationships, feeling the love, experiencing the joy, and realizing how great life can really be with so many blessings.
and so it began: the packing. my not so favorite part. i get so stressed packing! i don’t know why?! maybe it’s because i don’t want to forget anything or it just takes too much time {and i always feel like i have so much to do before we leave on a trip!}? i also had the added stress of picking out outfits for each event we were attending each day we were there. it’s different from a beach vacation or whatever because those types of trips are more simple and easy. this trip was more high profile and very important!
i made it through and finished packing for myself and the kids {everything but the kitchen sink!}! our flight was early and it was so cold out. terrible combinations! hc went to my parent’s house to pick up my aunt, my mom, and my dad to make sure they were ready and got to our house on time. the transportation came early and we all hustled out and fumbled with getting the car seats situated!
we finally made it to the airport and had a hell of a time checking in our luggage. it probably took a solid 15+ minutes to figure everything out. the lady at the counter was actually doing us a favor by spending the time figuring out how she could get all of our checked luggage for free {because my aunt’s ticket wasn’t grouped with ours, hers was purchased separately}!
traveling in a large group can be so chaotic! we finally found our gate {and a huge thank you to the women who helped my dad get to the faaaaar away gate with the wheelchair} and settled in. olive ate a donut, ellie ran around like a crazy little baby, i got my starbucks, we all purchased some sort of food for the plane ride, and we were first to board because of my dad’s disability. wooooo hoooo. we made it!
olive was soooooo into the plane ride! she was so excited when the plane started moving! she screamed and laughed and said the cutest things. oh my heart just melted! she was amazed at the movement, how tiny the houses were getting, and the clouds in the sky. she is too cute!
once we arrived, we waited a hundred years for a shuttle to the car rental, and finally got to the hotel! oh my goodness…it was a gorgeous hotel!!! so chic, beautiful, and oh so friendly. this hotel has acres and acres of beautiful, scenic property! we walked into our spacious room and had fresh cookies waiting for us! yum! we had two king beds, a large bathroom, desk, arm chair, great amenities, and so many other luxurious goodies!
we ordered room service, relaxed, and then got ready for the dinner that evening.
we arrived at our destination and we were greeted by huy! yay! tashina’s friend lexi’s parents {marga & thierry} were the hosts and they were so darn sweet and kind! it was awesome to meet lexi {the senior food editor at rachael ray magazine} and her husband joe {the general manager of momofuku!}. i loved chatting with them…they were so sweet and nice and we were able to mingle with tashina’s family {her mom, nanae, her dad, kip, her brother, sister, and her sister’s fiancé}. marga and lexi did such an amazing job decorating the house, cooking the food, and being the best hostesses!
we had such a great time hanging out. definitely a wonderful night to remember. like i said before, i love festivities like this! it only brings everyone closer together! cheers to friends and family!
[she was soooooooo excited to be on the plane!]
[yeah, so graceful. bopping herself on the head with a magazine]
[she loved looking out the window]
[she kept peeking at the little boy behind her]
[hotel bed jumping is mandatory]
[entryway]
[convenient name tags]
[kim, thuy, don, and khai]
[sweet cousins]
[cute little congratulation flag]
[olive, uncle huy, reagan, bennett, and grandma]
[chu thong, huy, mom, chi thu]
[chu thong, chi thu, mom, dad, uncle khai, and don]
my mind, lately, has been extra mush. i blame kids, myself, life, doing too much, and old age {just to name a few things}. haha!
i was texting my friend matt the other week about something…of course i can’t remember what but at the end of our thread, i said, “oh, we should get together soon!” and he says, “we are…this coming weekend.” durrrrrhhhhhh. the one good thing i still remember to do is to, at least, put things like that into my phone calendar. because if i didn’t, pure chaos would ensue!!
well, matt and johann arrived and the fun began! i looooove these two. they are real, honest, and hilarious! we let the libations flow, the raw conversations come out, and the love between all of us is almost palpable.
olive completely warmed up to guncle matt and johann. they were her new besties! she loved to constantly showed them her toys, showed off, and wanted their attention. it was so sweet. hopefully not in an overbearing way because i don’t like it when a child constantly interrupts the conversation{s}…i believe sporadic or moderate breaks in dialog is the key to cuteness before it oversteps the boundary of annoying. and yes, i did say annoying. not by any fault of the child but we have to control the balance between adult conversions that we yearn to enjoy versus a kid taking over the show. ya know what i mean??
but really, she’s just too darn cute! that sweet little girl voice and that still slightly chubby cheek face just melts my heart. i mean, i could definitely talk, listen, and hear her all day but when we have our friends over, my babes need to understand it’s wine time. hahaha! but who am i kidding?! my mom job is 24/7, even with friends over.
anyhoo, we had a grand ol’ time with them. we laughed, we argued, we drank, we ate {an amazing meal cooked by hc – i’m so lucky he loves to experiment with different recipes!}, and we drank some more. i think between the boys {a little by me}, they polished off a couple bottles of wine and almost a whole bottle of whiskey. uh, yes…matt and hc were going toe to toe! although hc had the edge that he was at home with no where to go!
after many hours of hanging out, at last, johann and matt decided to head home. we had such an amazing time with them…as usual! we love them so much and always look forward to our nights {or brunch} with them!
let me start by saying it took us months for us to plan a get together for the ‘three’ of us. one weekend after another, we were busy, busy, busy! fiiiiiiinally, we were able to tie down a date and voila! we met up on the rainiest of rainy night there was!
we all met at dana and scott’s pad in ravenswood {we arrived exactly when irina and patrick arrived! we totally ran into them at the front of the building! talk about timing!}. we decided to start off with drinks there and then scoot on over to a restaurant in their ‘hood. scott and patrick drove over to the eatery {don’t ask} and hc, dana, irina, and i walked. we were so lucky to get a pocket of no rain during our trek because the rain that day was no joke!
we finally made it to our destination and grabbed a booth. it was a wee bit cozy with the six of us but no matter…i hate not hearing others around me in a conversation and we didn’t have to scream at each other. i’m definitely not a fan of environments like that.
we laughed, we talked, we ordered drinks, and ate lots of yummy food. i love these peeps. such a good, good group of human beings. everyone is so funny, witty, engaging, sweet, and thoughtful. there’s no place for a dull conversation around these folks!
during dinner, the rain ensued. the downpour from the sky was no joke. we watched in amazement as the water right next to the restaurant slowly raised up on the street and by the gutter. we wickedly laughed as people walked through it, completely taken off guard at how hight the ‘puddle’ was! it was so dark, rainy, and most pedestrians couldn’t see how deep and high the water was! one person after another would run/step through it, shocked that it was almost up to their knees! eep!
after dinner, irina and patrick said their goodbyes {they had parked right by the restaurant} and scott, dana, hc, and i walked back towards their place {and thankfully during a dry spell from the sky!}. we were being sooo silly! of course scott and rich stayed back and talked while dana and i walked ahead and gabbed. since dana and i were wearing rain boots, we were being super silly and decided to run through puddles! ha! we saw a big puddle ahead on the street we were crossing, we giddily held hands and ran across the street, laughing hysterically as we splashed through multiple puddles! oh em gee. we were having a blast!
we finally reached our car and said our goodbyes. it was a fun, fun evening spent with two fantastic couples! evenings like this always have a place in my heart!
it started with olive’s halloween school parade. let me start by saying life has been pretty hectic for me lately. one, i am becoming more and more forgetful…or am i just getting old?! i am becoming less detailed, causing me to be reactive versus proactive! anyhoo, when i decided to retire to our bed, olive was stirring a bit and that is when i usually set my alarm for the morning. well, since she was moving around in bed, i decided to wait to set my alarm and surprise! i fell asleep. oh em gee. i abruptly woke up the next morning and realized that one. i didn’t set my alarm, and two. we had a half hour to get ready and out the door. holy crap. i panicked. i needed to {yes i do this every morning} make our bed, the girl’s bed, wake olive up, get her to go to the bathroom, get her breakfast ready, turn on the telly for her to watch a bit of her favorite program, get myself ready, pack anything olive needs for school, stir ellie awake, nurse her, change her, change olive into her costume, grab necessities for the parade {camera, etc.}, get them bundled up and out the door, drop ellie off at my parent’s house…i was a mess. i couldn’t believe i didn’t set my alarm! arghhhhhh! anyhoo, the bonus part was that hc was home because he wanted to see olive in the school’s halloween parade too. he was able to get ellie dressed and out the door to my parent’s!!! yessssssss.
we made it. with time to spare. olive was so excited to see all the other kiddos in their costumes. we dropped her off in her classroom and hc and i walked to the gym, where the parade was to take place. we waited, we talked, we people watched. it was almost 9 o’clock and we saw the kids and teachers coming in! yay! i was so excited! olive’s class was the last class to walk in. she was so perplexed and when she saw us, she smiled but then continued to look perplexed! hahaha!
the kids paraded around the gym and then gathered in by classroom so we could take pictures. it was so cute and fun! after that, the teachers then walked all the kids back to begin their day.
it was so cute!!! we loved watching olive partake in such a fun event. when i picked her up, she had so many goodies to take home! what a fun day at school.
we then went straight to my parent’s house to hang out. we ate, did errands, i ran home to grab the girls some extra clothes, a costume for ellie, candy, and other needed items because we were spending the whole day at my parent’s and wanted to make sure we had all the necessities.
we waited for hc to come home and got the girls ready to go out and trick or treat. olive was so excited, she couldn’t wait! ellie was just awesome, such a trooper! she had no complaints when i painted her face. she laid there so patiently, she didn’t mind the hat, the gloves, or any of the extra layers we put on her and she was quite amazing in the wagon. she never complained and just enjoyed the scenic ride.
olive loved running house to house, knocking on the door and ringing the door bell if she could reach it. she would say, “they’re not home!” or look in the drive way when a homeowner didn’t answer their door and say, “their car’s home? why don’t they answer the door?!” hahaha! she was so great at saying, ‘trick or treat’ or ‘thank you!’…it was absolutely adorable!
it was utterly cold, sooooo cold. it was in the upper 30’s so we didn’t want to be out long. we hit up about a dozen houses and called it a night. olive didn’t mind. she actually had a decent bag of treats! we came back home to warm up and hand out candy to the trick or treaters that came by to my parent’s house. my sister, thuy, and my brother, dan, came over and we all hung out. olive reveled in her goodies…i caved in and let her eat way too much candy!! hey, it’s halloween night! it’s like mandatory, right?!
after the curfew for trick or treating ended, we scadaddled on home. the girls got baths, we snuggled in, the pumpkins were glowing, and hocus pocus was on repeat.
it was a perfect, awesome halloween night. i couldn’t have asked for a better day and evening.
![[photo by jennemerlingweddings.com]](http://tandeminlove.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/B2949009-FE7C-45B7-8356-1481C3B5F28B-1024x786.jpeg)
