girl and the goat

Posted on July 9, 2019 by tandem in love

my friend andrea invited us to a private dining experience at girl and the goat in chicago. i was super excited to participate because 1 – date night! 2 – great food 3 – a night out in chicago while it’s warm! all great reasons to overeat, over drink, and laugh really hard.

traffic was light and we arrived 15 minutes early! hc and i were escorted downstairs to the underground goat but we weren’t the first ones though! lisa, nick, and kyle were already there. we were warmly welcomed and greeted with smiles. we all immediately kicked off great conversations while our server quickly served us delicious drinks.

slowly, everyone trickled in. many familiar faces and some new ones. i was fortunate to hang out with grace, stephanie, and lisa {andrea and ginger too!} a few weeks back {during our craft night out at papersource} and got the chance to know them a little bit better.

andrea claims she’s anti-social but i’d like to argue that. she’s such a great connector and gets along so well with others! i have met so many wonderful people through her and feel very blessed to call her my friend. she’s genuine, kind, thoughtful, smart, and will bend over backwards for you when you need it. she’s definitely a person you want in your life!

we mingled for quite awhile. i was having so much fun chatting with everyone…that itself was already an amazing start to a more amazing evening. after an hour or so, we finally settled into our assigned seats {thanks to andrea’s crafting abilities}. i sat next to hc and a new friend, jessica. her and i bonded over what we were doing differently to help the environment, how we were raising our kids, and social media! LOL yes…but that was not all we talked about!

as the dishes rolled out, everyone ate, talked, drank, on repeat. the food was delicious and i was wildly hungry! i ate almost everything but as the meat courses started to appear {the last dishes to arrive}, i was at my limit. it was all so savory and divine but i was dunzo.

near the end of our meal, stephanie izard stopped by to say hello! she chatted with andrea and jamie for a bit…she kindly joined in on multiple pics with the guests, thanked us, and wished us a great evening. it was so awesome to see her! a perfect ending to our evening!

hc and i enjoyed our time immensely. we thought our experience would be a bit different. i thought the servers would explain the courses a bit more, letting us know the make up of each dish and for some reason, we had the impression we would have suggested wine pairings with the food. no matter, it was a wonderful experience all around. i throughly enjoyed it all!

thank you andrea for concocting this whole event! it was a fantastic night out with an even better crowd.

{i did not bring my camera. *gasp* i wanted to not lug it around and just enjoy my evening with the hubs and friends! so. all of these pics are andrea’s!}

[andrea and rebecca]

[stephanie, andrea, and lisa]

[grace and kyle]

[nikki and andrea]

[andrea and ginger]

[andrea and jason]

[ginger and jason]

[andrea and jessica]

[andrea and stephanie izard]

[cute little favors we got to take home!]

xoxo

fantastic bug encounter

Posted on July 3, 2019 by tandem in love

we were invited to preview the newest exhibit at the field museum! and it did not disappoint!

i was super excited to have the girls experience something different and fun. the whole collaboration was well thought out and the field museum did such an excellent job welcoming us!

traveling to the museum took a pinch and we were given complimentary parking – sweet! we quickly parked and walked right into the very close entrance. we were greeted by a few staff members, asked to sign in, and given visitor passes to wear. then a kind lady led us through the building up to where the exhibit was.

we were then greeted again by staff members at the entrance and given additional information on event and were told to enjoy and have fun!

the entrance was so cool! video screens lined the walk way and it felt like we were walking through an enchanted forrest with butterflies fluttering all around us!

once inside, the rooms were outstanding! everything was informative, interactive, and so beautifully designed! the girls immediately gravitated towards everything in there! olive was obsessed with the immersive chambers and they both were so delighted and intrigued by all the different displays of bugs!

i was pleasantly surprised by ellie! i was nervous she wouldn’t have great time because she is terrified of bugs! i was reassured by a field affiliate that she would indeed have a good time and not be scared and she was right! the whole space is so colorful, bright, and fun…ellie was not bothered by the bugs and didn’t seem to care. what i loved most was i knew she felt safe, so therefor she wasn’t scared! she was so brave the entire time and i can’t believe she came so close to the live bugs at the bug zoo! she was closer to the live bugs than olive cared to get!

we explored the whole exhibit and loved all the rooms. olive loved the praying mantis chamber, all the games, and i think her favorite bug was the swimming/diving beetles! i loved how wonderfully designed it all was. the details, the thought process behind each area, and how creative the space was for the children.

i have to add that the gift bag was bugtastic! they were so thoughtful and generous in giving us such a wonderful treat when we left the exhibit! it was filled with sooooooo many goodies for the girls {lots of toys} and mama {pampering products}!

we even ran into a few other blogger friends at the event! the afternoon turned out so fun for us! after our visit at the fantastic bug encounter, we headed down to south michigan ave to find a place to eat. it was so sunny and warm but once we parked the car, it became dark and the sky opened up! the rain poured down as we waited outside the building under an awning by the el. the girls had a blast standing outside while it rained all around us. watching them giggle, be silly, and laugh endlessly filled my heart with so much joy.

after dinner, we stopped by another eatery and purchased ice cream shakes for the girls. they sipped their sweet treats while we walked back to the car. while on route, as were about to cross the street, i think i knocked ellie’s shake out of her hand trying to guide her and it fell to the ground! ughhhhh! i quickly picked it up and salvaged it! LOL the straw never touched the ground and the shake was still in tact although half of it spilt out. yes, i was that mom who pulled the 5 second rule, even on the dirty streets of chicago. hahahahaha!

our afternoon was beautiful. i thoroughly enjoyed our day together as a family. it’s been awhile where we have spent it in the city on our terms…not just running from one event to the next, driving in traffic just to get somewhere but it was more so a slow moving day, where we enjoyed our time and we weren’t strapped to a timeline or an outside agenda!

thank you field museum for being such a consummate host. the whole experience was top notch and we had the most lovely day!

[ready to explore!]

[these girls have my whole heart]

[i post multiple pics because ellie’s faces are too cute!]

[sweet kisses for ellie]

[she’s so kind and sweet. i can’t say it enough how she’s so much better than anyone i know]

[praying mantis]

[the very cool immersive chambers were outstanding!]

[everything was so interactive! so hands on]

[checking out the bug zoo…the girls did not hold the bugs but they were much closer to them than what i expected!]

[millipede]

[she was so mesmerized by the associate who was feeding the ‘swimming beetles’]

[origami a bird and watch it fly!]

[oh my sweet babes! they had such a great time at the museum]

xoxo

rotary fest {aka…heritage fest}

Posted on July 2, 2019 by tandem in love

come summer, come festivals. oh, it’s one of my favorite things about summertime!

what wasn’t a favorite was the cold, cold temps! ughhhhhh. it was so chilly the evening we chose to go. for me, a jacket wasn’t even warm enough while standing outside for hours. i saw people in short shorts, tank tops and sandals and here i was in layers, long pants, and i was super cold!

we met up with lan, avery, thuy, kim and the boys. olive and ellie were so excited to see their cousins! ellie was all about holding my hand leading up to us meeting them. as soon as she saw the boys, she wanted to be a big girl and refused to hold my hand. LOL she did her best to keep and be cool. oh my two year, going on twelve.

the kids were living their best lives – playing games, having fun, winning prizes. us adults just walked around with the kiddos as they picked what games they wanted to play. the girls were having a great time! the best part of the fest was when the boys and olive rode on the bumper cars. hc went with olive and she had a blast! giggling, laughing, and hc was a pro steering the bumper car and smoked everyone in there.

after a couple hours there, we had made dinner reservations at a restaurant right downtown, just a few minutes away from where we were. we walked right over and enjoyed the rest of our evening in the comfort of warmth.

if the weather was better, we probably would have eaten some yummy festival food and sat on the sidewalk but we wanted to be comfortable {not freezing our tushies} while we ate our dinner.

despite the cold weather, we still had a wonderful evening out at the festival. what was most important was that the kids had a blast, memories were made, and we, in the end, still ate yummy food!

yay for summer!

[olive said, “kiki! kiki! look…a big lemon!]

[everything is so bright and over the top!]

[we chose and only had time to go to the fest friday night and of course it was freeeeeeezing. the next day was super warm. go figure]

[so many plushies, so excessive!]

[pop a balloon and win a prize!]

[i told ellie to look at me]

[then i said, “look at reagan”. look at her adoring stare]

[my sweet babe]

[i love her sweet looks]

[our crew]

[oh these two]

[this girl and her poses]

[girl gang]

[everybody wins!]

[dada helping ellie out]

[did you win ellie?]

[their prizes…pink unicorns!]

[toss the rings]

[i’m not sure how long he was able to hang in there for]

[i think thuy got to 75 seconds!]

xoxo

abe’s first birthday party!

Posted on July 1, 2019 by tandem in love

my dear friend dana and scott’s baby abe turned one!

“baby shark a doo da doo baby shark a doo da doo!”

yesssss…it was a shark themed first birthday party but before this song became a fad, dana has loved sharks way before it’s current popularity.

boy oh boy did dana do a fabulous job tying this theme all together! and y’all know me, i love a well thought out, executed theme! just check out the pics below! the snack pails, the shark tail cupcakes, the shark fruit bowl, octopus veggie tray…it was all so darn cute and perfect! also, i can’t forget the amazing cake! helloooooo – it was a wondrous sight! the details, colors, and design of the cake was on point and beautiful, and delicious to boot!

the weather was beyond amazing…the most ideal temperature for an outdoor party and it happened to be one of the first nice, sunny days on a weekend in, what felt like, months.

the girls were super excited to attend the party but they were most excited over the rain play-set sitting on the lawn. holy cow…olive was obsessed. she was pretty much consumed by it the whole duration of the party. the only time she broke away from it was when tunes with tim showed up!

she throughly enjoyed the sing alongs, music, and the show’s finale with bubbles! what a great idea to have entertainment for the kids at the party! he was animated, the songs were catchy, and the kids and adults loved him!

after tim’s session, we all gathered around to sing happy birthday to mr. abe. it was so sweet and fun…first birthdays are always the best! the cake was cut and served and our girls ate way, way, way too much sugar! they both had a slice of cake and a cupcake. yowza!

after the hoopla and the guests dwindled down, hc and i were able to relax and mingle with the remaining peeps that were important! i was able to connect with dana too. during the party, she was running around hosting and i let it be. i definitely know what it’s like to host a big party…it can be stressful, hectic, blurry, and nuts. sometimes you almost can’t think or breathe because there’s so much going on. i am so glad we stuck around a bit after quite a few people left because we could finally visit!

it was such a wonderful afternoon celebrating abe. i love dana, scott, her family, friends, and everyone in-between. cheers to you little man. we wish you many years of love, happiness, and laughter.