lake geneva ’21

we had initially planned a vacation to arizona but with the uncertainty of the pandemic, we pivoted and went to Lake Geneva with our friends! ie was a little bummed not taking a vacation in warm weather…cause when you live in chicago, warm weather vacations during winter is everything! but, nonetheless, we had such a great time relaxing, exploring and playing.

we were super thankful for our friends who lent us their home and allowed us and another family to enjoy their beautiful house and all of it’s offerings. lg is great place to get away to for a long weekend with the family!

the first night was super chill. we picked up dinner, navigated through the house and picked our sleeping areas. the kids were so excited to have a long weekend sleepover! the next day our friends went sledding and then explored the ice castles while we went sledding and explored in town. we loved peeping into all of the cute shops and the ice sculptures were grand and awesome!

in the evening, i created a huge charcuterie board for us all to enjoy as a dinner and a competitive game of pool ensued later in the evening, with too many alcoholic drinks involved. LOL the last day we were there {our vacation buddies stayed an extra two days than us}, we hit up an indoor waterpark with our friends who own the house {they drove up for a day!} and then had dinner before we left for the weekend.

overall, it was a super fun, long weekend with our dear friends! it was a perfect little getaway!

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such a sweet set up
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ice sculptures in downtown LG
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love my girls
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just a little cold. LOL
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terrible lighting but love it
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sledding! it was so much fun. love this crew!
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rosy cheeks and happy!
waterpark
sweet ellie and cam
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the kids had so much fun!

Valentine’s Day ’21

every year, we usually have a very small party with just the fam aaaannd this year was no different! we usually invite my sisters, brother, and mom and dad to come by to celebrate vday in the most festive way possible.

this year it was about breakable chocolate hearts and gifts galore. we always think we’re getting something small for the kids but we end up giving them so much stuff it’s kind of ridiculous. LOL funny but not funny. heh.

the big trend this year for valentine’s day were breakable hearts. the idea was big for christmas in a chocolate bomb version. everyone was making them and no one could get them as they were selling out so fast! so, i connected with a local girl who made them and got four breakable chocolate hearts filled with goodies for each kiddo!

we did our usual dinner of heart pizza but this year, instead of making them, we purchased heart pizzas through our school’s fundraiser. win win! the kids played, the adults chatted and ate as we whipped together an easy dinner for everyone.

once we were done eating, we decided to have the kids break the hearts. it was hilarious! they pounded and pounded on the hearts but no one could break them. LOL the only person making progress was olive! she cracked it and then they realized it was bottomless so all efforts ceased and they flipped their hearts to find their prizes. after they had fun with the hearts, we all gave the kids their presents and it felt like it was christmas day. LOL we really do think we’re keeping it simple when it never is.

as usual, it was a fun valentine’s day for us and the kids!

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a little love decor in olive’s room
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olive’s bookshelves
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ellie’s shelf
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their little kitchen in the play room
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sweet olive
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chocolate breakable hearts
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table setting
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painting their cookies
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they’re so cute
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tic tac toe cookie game
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heart pizza
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the kids in America
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tin of goodies

wake n’ bacon

i’d heard about a cool breakfast restaurant in chicago and had to check it out! who doesn’t like exploring new places and finding new eateries?! it’s what makes this world go round! friends, family, eating and drinking, repeat.

i discovered this restaurant through a friend who posted about it on the gram. it looked super cool and like a fun place to eat at. so, hc and i planned a day to go there and explore. it was obviously very cold but that didn’t stop us! we dressed in our best valentine-ish outfits and enjoyed a brunch out! mind you, this was our first time venturing out since the second covid lock down from the holidazes!

when we walked in, there was a cool mirror that took your photos, that was hooked up to a printer! how cool is that?! we snapped a few pics, printed a few and emailed them to our addresses! the girls really really enjoyed doing that. thank goodness there wasn’t anyone waiting behind us as they kept on wanting to take pictures and print them. LOL

once we were satisfied with our posing and picture quantity, we traipsed over to the counter to order our food. it’s a place where you order your food, then sit down, and they bring it to your table via number.

another cool factor of this restaurant is the ceiling. they installed all these cool flowers to hand down from the ceiling, giving it the best fairytale vibe. one more cool thing, after you print a picture, you can post it up on their wall and and write or draw something fun! that was a definite winner with my artistic little girls.

the food here was yummy and so were the drinks. the girls loved the restaurant and how cool it was. hc wasn’t the biggest fan as he was expecting a full service restaurant…pshhhh, overall it was still fun and good!

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my sweet babes
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the cool ceiling
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ordering at the cool counter
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waiting for our order to arrive
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chicken and waffles
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bagel sandwich
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you can take pictures and write on the wall!!!
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