olive’s pre-k graduation

pre-school came and went.

i remembered the first day of pre-school so well. it wasn’t cold nor warm…it was in-between. i was excitedly anxious and olive seemed unaware of what was really happening. i got her dressed for school, a long sleeved white tee, teal jumper, grey knee socks, converse shoes, and i kept her hair down. i snapped a few pics outside and we scurried our way to school.

as we got out of the car and held hands in the parking lot, she became scared and nervous. i saw it in her expression although she didn’t say a word. we walked inside and waited in the hallway and she clung close to us, afraid of the unknown behind the closed classroom doors.

two years later…she loves school. she looks forward to it every time and absolutely loves learning, playing with her friends, and enjoys the creative activities it offers. i think some moms are sad that their children are moving on up but i felt happy, slightly tinged with sadness that this milestone was ending but so satisfied that she has grown so much and has become such an amazing person already.

graduation was quick, fun, and exciting. the kids sang four different songs to us and i actually cried when the announcer said it would be the last time the kids would sing the goodbye song to us…yes, it made me tear up.

olive’s name was called and she walked up to accept her diploma. it was so darn cute! she shook both teacher’s hands and stood there for a few seconds to face the audience with a sly smile. oh, my sweet girl. i love you so.

after the graduation, we went out to brunch at a local place and saw some of her classmates there and they had fun playing together near the end of our meal.

oh baby olive, i am so proud of you. so proud of your growth, your gregarious nature, your willingness to learn, and how far you have come with your knowledge and application. thank you for always teaching me on how to be a better person, a better mom, and level set me to the joys in life. i love you so much and only hope that this world only surrounds you with love, kindness, and faith.

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[she’d always sit like this and i would change her shoes for class on snowy or rainy days]

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[she was fussing with my camera and i snapped this sweet pic of her]

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[she was being sneaky and kept creeping up onto the stage]

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[getting up to accept her diploma]

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[smiling for the crowd]

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xoxo

mother’s day ’19

our plans for mother’s day typically includes a brunch somewhere. sometimes in the city, one time at our house, or locally in the ‘burbs. this year, we decided to keep it local. my sister, kim, suggested a place called vistro in hinsdale. i’m always game for doing something locally, plus with our dad is having a hard time walking…so it’s easier to have brunch close to home and where we don’t have to walk very far.

the morning started out lovely. the kids and i slept in, while hc cleaned up the house, he then took care of the kids, gave me a back rub, and i was able to get ready without too many distractions! the kids also surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a very sweet, glittery card.

it was a perfect start to the day. oh, how i wish every morning was like that! hc fed the girls, got them dressed, while i was getting ready. i did their hair and out the door we went to meet everyone for some delicious brunch.

we were seated at a long table right inside the entrance and right by the food stations. score! we didn’t have to walk far to get our grub. LOL the cousins played together, the adults chit chatted over everything, and we ate and ate until our belly’s were full! i was digging their quiche and buttery pancakes with lots and lots of cream!

after brunch, we went home and relaxxxxxxed. oh, nowadays, it’s all i ever want! for some reason, i was sooooo tired. i put ellie down for a nap and i felt exhausted. i laid down onto the couch and fell asleep! hc took a nap next to me and the only person not sleeping was olive. ha! she dislikes falling asleep in the middle of the afternoon…she will avoid it at all cost! she took full advantage of a toy house take over while all of us were sleeping. i think she pulled out every toy from the bins and strategically placed them all over the house.

the nap was so needed! i felt refreshed and rested!

mother’s day was absolutely perfect because my hubby did his best to make it a great day and i loved it all! it was spent with family, good food, relaxing, and i couldn’t have asked for a better day!

thanks hc, olive, and ellie for an amazing mother’s day! i love you all to infinity and beyond!

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[ellie is such a ham]

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[these cuties]

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[mom and dad]

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[toe tapping]

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[cheers!]

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[super auntie thuy and ellie]

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[kim and bennett]

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[mini cupcakes]

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[dan, reagan, and terry]

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[oh ellie]

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[mother daughters]

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[she’s so precious]

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[mom and dad’s birthday cake]

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[why does my face look so old yet young…a weird combo??]

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xoxo

olive’s first cubs game

hc took olive to her very first cubs game!!!!! i was so excited. hc was so excited. olive was so excited! the day had come and the weather stunk. absolutely stunk. it was cold, rainy, gloomy, and did i mention cold? hc was a bit bummed but i said, take her anyways! bundle her up, bring lots of layers, a blanket, and if it got too cold…you can always leave but it’s the experience that was most important!

so, there they went. olive was so game for it. they explored the area, took pics everywhere, and baby girl was a complete trooper! as elsa said, “the cold never bothered me anyways!” LOL the good news was their seats were under an awning, so they were protected from the ongoing/intermittent rain.

olive enjoyed a big cup of pepsi and of course, a hot dog! she loved the music and bopped along to the tunes and enjoyed watching the game. one of her favorite things about the visit was meeting the cubbie bear! she thought he was so cool, bragged how she high fived him and he picked up for a pic!

this girl was steadfast in staying and enjoying the game despite the crummy weather. so much so, baby girl stayed through 10 innings! yes, 10 innings! after the 10th inning, she said she was ready to go home! i don’t even think i’d survive 10 innings in the cold and rain! i was so proud of her!

hc and olive packed up their items and headed out. she is so darn good! hc even offered her to get a souvenir and she declined. she didn’t need one. whaaaaaa?! gosh, i love her!

her first chicago cubs game was a success! she thoroughly enjoyed it! i can’t wait until she goes again and this time around, it will be warm out! i demand it. i guarantee it. no if’s and’s or but’s…ya got that chicago weather? please and thank you.

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[that’s a big cup of pop]

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{may 11th, 2019}

xoxo

under the sea birthday party

i was looking forward to spending some time with andrea at her kid’s birthday party. one – i don’t see her enough. two – she’s awesome. i mean, she’s hosting, so i knew it wasn’t going to be one on one time kind of chatting but no matter what the circumstance, it’s always good to see a friend.

we arrived there in a flash and it was a beautiful day out! it was hard to believe that it had snowed alllllll day the day before! once inside, andrea greeted us, we settled in and i started snapping away with my camera.

ellie was not happy at first {as usual}. she cried and clung to us. she acted as if we were throwing her to the wolves with this large group of adults. {eye roll} olive on the other hand meshed right in. she was loving it. first thing we walked into, when we arrived, was the dessert spread and that received a thumbs up from miss olive!

we made our way through and said our hello’s to the usual gang – ginger, katheryn, beth, and patrik. it’s always so good to see them and it was great catching up with everyone.

andrea had a slew of entertainment there! i loved it! such great ideas for an indoor kids birthday party that’s not at an activity center! she had a balloon animal artist and a singer called miss jamie’s farm. the kids looooooooooved it! ellie not so much. the balloon guy made ellie a dog and it freaked her out and she threw it on the floor. miss jamie started singing and ellie cowered back in fear. oh em gee…she’s a riot. i finally made some mom moves and coaxed ellie onto the dance floor and slowly but surely, she started loving miss jamie and her singing! it helped 100% that olive was soooo into it and ellie loved that olive loved it too! anything her big sister does, ellie is game.

the kids ate {lots of pizza, pastas, cheese curds, salads, beef sandwiches, and so much more! there was a copious amount of food!}, they played, they were entertained and super happy!

we sang happy birthday to the kiddos and ginger cut the cake while i passed her the plates. we made a good assembly line although, she was quite swift in cutting the cake and i was a bit slow with handing her fresh plates! i received some coaching on my lack of skills and sped up! LOL. i yelled at andrea for some forks and after that, we were on a roll divvying up the cake to the ravenous kids in front of us.

we were some of the last guests to leave…as we were having so much fun! it was such a great party! i had so much fun and i know the girls did too! thanks andrea and jamie for throwing a fabulous birthday party! many blessings to all the years ahead for annabelle and sebastian! happy birthday kiddos! we love you all!

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[andrea – always the consummate host]

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[olive had to have any cupcake with a mermaid tail]

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[always attached one way or another]

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[yum yum macarons]

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[mesmerized by the balloon artist]

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[olive was so excited!]

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[they’re so sweet. oh they melt my heart]

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[unicorn]

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[colin and katheryn]

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[someone really likes to gamble. LOL]

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[oh that face]

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[y’all. we took, hmmm, maybe 10 pics?? in EVERY pic, ellie literally made a different face. she’s my freakin’ emoji face kid]

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[the kids enjoying miss jamie’s farm]

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[the sweet birthday girl]

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[i love her outfit]

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[ellie bullying this poor girl in front of her, who is smaller than her!]

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[sebastian and grandma]

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[jamie]

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[how fun is this cake?!!]

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[the birthday girl, ready to make a wish and blow out her candles!]

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[ginger, the cake cutter extraordinaire]

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xoxo