dinners galore! i’ve been lucky enough to be able to spend a lot of quality time with my girls!
i met up with kt, & karen at the reel club for some good grub. it’s a nice place. a good go to restaurant. i love the little cheese popovers…they are addicting {watch out, you could ruin your appetite with these little suckers}! it was a shame almost all that yummy stuff on the menu was off limits for me {boo!}.
it was so good to be able to get together. we recently saw each other at kt’s birthday but that was a party and we couldn’t really sit down and chit chat like we usually do!
kar met up wtih me at the mall and we walked our way to the restaurant. kt met up with us there! once we were together, the conversation just flowed. i love catching up with them and hearing all our stories. life’s ups and downs…it’s what we thrive on, right?! what’s new, what’s old, what’s annoying, gossip, new loves, old loves, current status, & all the juicy stuff.
my stomach capacity has been limited…surprisingly to me. i think it’s too early in the game to have little room in the tummy but it’s a happening! so, i ordered soup and salad. it was tasty! i was a bit skeptical of the soup {it was the soup of the day and i can’t remember what it was!}, it had an odd main ingredient that i wasn’t sure about but it ended up super yum! in the end, of course we had to order dessert! we shared and sampled all the delicious decadence.
[kt, kar, + moi]
after several hours of chilling, we were dunzo. with our bellies full and our heads a spinning with all the talk, we parted ways. it was a great evening with my girls!
kt’s big 3-0 was here!!! we celebrated her birthday and her two year anniversary since her surgery!
the party was down the street from where i was at. i had dinner with my sisters and lan first, then skedaddled to the party afterwards.
we dined at nellcote. a beautiful restaurant with delicious entrees. small plates to share, who doesn’t love eating that way? it’s so fun to try different flavors. we ordered spaghetti {tomato, calabrian chilies, toasted breadcrumbs, & mojama}, robuchon potatoes {local yukon gold potatoes, sauce périgueux}, sunny side up organic egg pizza, venison tartare {smoked egg yolk, preserved lemon, quinoa, mustard}! so amazingly good! we ended our meal with the most decadent desserts! pot de creme, lemon semifreddo, and the chocolate parfait! soooo stuffed!
[nellcote]
[salut]
[delicious dishes]
[a trio of heaven]
after dinner, i waddled my way to my sister’s car and she dropped me off down the street to kt’s party. i headed upstairs to the rooftop and found a bunch of screaming ladies! we were all so excited to see each other! i was happy to see kt, karen, colleen, bridget, mary, and annie! it was nice to chat with annie…who is pregnant and four weeks ahead of me! after visiting with everyone, it was time for this pregger lady to go! i was so tired!
[my dirty 30 gift to kt…granny panties!]
[birthday girl]
[my girls!]
[7 and 6 month bumps!]
[you can’t beat this beautiful skyline…love]
it was a long day…a very fun and satisfying day with friends and family!
it was hosted by my ever loving sister, kim, and bro in law, terry! it was at brunswick bowling and it was a blast. we geared up our tootsies with some snazzy bowling shoes…hello! of course i brought socks!
[ready to get started]
[bowling shoes…check!}
so, the bowling began, and off to a rocky start. wow…you could tell it’s been awhile since most of us bowled {hee}!!! i tried my best to balance my pregger belly with that somewhat heavy bowling ball but my awesome swing/throw was off kilter! gutter balls, fouls, and no pins down later {um, that is a sum up of the group., minus pete & dan…show offs!}, we then started munching on some yummy snacks ordered {classic bowling grub…pizza, cheese sticks, nachos, onion rings…}!
[candy balls]
[kim’s amaze gutter ball throws]
[dan’s professional bowling league]
[soeurs]
[ladies who lunch]
near the end of our bowling run, we finally gave in to b’s relentless requests for cake and presents! we proceeded to sing happy birthday {yes…his decor represented his like for the boston bruins…don’t ask} and he happily proceeded with his gifts! he was so cute! he insisted on opening the cards first and then politely opened each gift. cars, hockey stick, clothes, skate board, and more toys later, b was a happy birthday boy!
[present time!]
[happy birthday!]
[yummy!]
[look at that smile!]
[cute little favor bags by kim]
we finished up our bowling games and went on our merry ways! all in all, it was a wonderful time celebrating b’s birthday! he was a happy little guy!
i was way excited to meet up with jod! it’s still makes me sad that we don’t work together anymore. tres triste.
we had such a great time, all these years, working together. and she had to go off and get her own store. humph!
so, we try our best to squeeze in time to meet up and catch up and laugh it up. our lunch date was at the little goat {holy busy place}. i snagged a parking spot and cruised inside to a 30 minute wait {oy}. jod was on her way, so i settled myself into a little corner nook outside the restaurant waiting for her {gotta take advantage of the beautiful weather!}.
she finally arrived and we were deep in our conversation when my phone alerted me that our table was ready. yes! i was hungry! we were seated and perused the menu. i had such a hard time deciding {so confused}! kimchi pancakes, biscuits and gravy, or grilled cheese?? yeah, no correlation what so ever but hey, a girl is preggers!
[my current obsession]
[kimchi pancakes]
a virgin bloody mary and kimchi pancakes on order, we dove back into our non-stop chatter. we talked about babies, work, life, and love, just a few of our favorite things!
[just bump it // my then 24 week state]
afterwards, we talked and walked to my car {how romantic!} but not until after we snapped a photo of me. jod insisted on a pic to show peeps my pregger state {such as her wonderful mom ann & former co-wokers i don’t get to see anymore}! we lingered a bit longer, sometimes we can just go on and on! finally we said our goodbyes and parted ways. it was so great to see her! until next time!
it’s very, very rare i get a saturday off. i typically have to request it off and it’s usually because i have something planned. well, lo and behold i had a saturday off without asking for it!!! no complaints from me!
the day started off with lunch with the sista, thuy. i cabbed it to gt fish & oyster to meet her for a breezy, sunny morning fare. we sat outside on this beautiful day, it was so lovely out. sunny, warm, and the perfect temperature!
she ordered a mimosa and i ordered a tasty lemonade. we perused the menu and quickly settled upon our choices. we were going to share some delicious country potatoes; thuy ordered the pancakes {apples and burton’s maplewood syrup} and i ordered the grilled cheese with tomato soup {sourdough bread and wisconsin cheddar cheese}!
[soooo good!]
after devouring our good eats, we traipsed our way downtown to go shopping. we spent the afternoon just lazily walking around and enjoying our time in each shop. we could literally shop for hours upon hours {no joke, we once spent 12 hours shopping one day…it was the holidays folks!}.
we walked up and down michigan ave., after spending 4 hours shopping dt, we were dunzo {temporarily}, well, done with our most favorite stores! we then headed on way home!
it was a fabulous saturday outing! what a great way to spend the afternoon.
say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake. genesis 12:13
we recently went to vegas for our babymoon! normally we do not go to vegas in the middle of summer but that is what matt wanted! we prefer may or september, i mean it is still hot but not as hot as it is in july!
[waiting for our flight out of ord]
we headed to the airport, early, to fly out so we could have a full day of vegas when we arrived. we were met by my brother and his girlfriend, tashina, at the vegas airport. we traipsed our way to aloha, an eatery that was super yummy! a restaurant that definitely served way, way too much food! i ordered the kalua pig and cabbage, it was so good but i could barely consume the amount that was served! i pretty much ate a lot of rice and cabbage with a sprinkling of pork! that was all the ever shrinking tummy of mine could manage {these days, the tummy is feeling a bit more pressure}.
[my delicious meal at aloha!]
[my $6 lemonade at the eiffel tower restaurant]
afterwards, huy + tashina dropped us off at our hotel, vdara {love}. huy + tashina stayed at a cute hotel boutique called rumor, just down the road from our hotel! we checked in, settled in, and made our way to the pool {first things first!}. huy + tashina met us at the pool and then eventually matt + johann! they flew in later that afternoon and met us around 4:30ish. we all hung out for a bit at the pool and then headed back to our rooms to get ready for dinner.
our first night of excess was at the paris hotel. we ate at the eiffel tower. we had such a funny experience there. the ambiance, the dress code, & the service was interesting to say the least. the best thing about our meal was our jealousy over tashina + huy’s seafood tower of deliciousness!
[me and tashina before dinner!]
[huy + tashina’s awesome seafood tower]
[our ‘professional’ picture at the restaurant]
once we were done with dinner, we headed over to the cosmopolitan’s chandelier bar for a night cap. we pit stopped at the sugar factory, a 24hour candy store, on our way to the bar. apparently huy + tashina pit stopped at a few gambling spots on their way!
[some of the amaze chandeliers inside the bar]
[matt + johann]
[chillin’]
the next day, we rented out a cabana at the pool to spend our day relaxing and soaking up the sun. it’s always such a good time when we rent a cabana, the service is amaze, food at your fingertips, drinks constantly flowing, and the private pool! a lovely pool just for the cabana folks! who wouldn’t love it?!
[my 22 week baby bump!]
[relaxing at our private pool // nice look huy!]
[love the guy in the background!]
after a whole day of sunning and relaxing, we got ready and headed out to dinner with matt’s sister, liz, her husband, josh, and their daughter, stella. josh picked us up & we met liz & stella out by where they live, henderson-ville. we ate at a tapas restaurant out by them and after dinner, we headed back to their house for another night cap. well, the boys had scotch {glenlevit 18 years old} and cigars {out on the patio}, while i hung out on the couch with matt & his sister! it was a really, really nice evening. we totally enjoyed our time with them. they are such a fun bunch and so welcoming!
[scotch, cigars, + great friends]
[hanging out at liz + josh’s]
the next day, we duplicated our all day outing at the pool but we went out for lunch instead {we typically order lunch at the cabana}. we met liz at the todd english pub for a quick bite before we headed back to our cabana. it was wonderful to meet up with liz one last time before our vacation ended!
our evening meal was at the bacchanal buffet at caesars hotel. the interior was very cool and the food was delicious {although buffets aren’t the best deal for a preggo lady}! i especially loved the asian buffet & dessert buffet {so yummy}! we then met matt + johann’s friend, allen {in for a conference}, at the chandelier bar back at cosmo for our final night cap of the trip.
[bacchanal buffet]
[the beginning of the end]
the next day, we went to breakfast at the peppermill {the best and cheesiest joint in town!}. last year we started our trip at the peppermill and this year, we ended our trip at the restaurant! they have fake neon lights, a lounge area with a fire pit in the middle of it, and there’s photographer that walks around to take your picture as a souvenir! ha! love it. after breakfast, we walked the whole strip! we started at the encore and made our way all the way back to our hotel, in time to leave for the airport. we did all sorts of shopping along the way. it was a perfect way to end our vacation. we were able to experience all the cheesiness of the strip on our last day there. that’s a part of vegas you gotta soak in!
[the way to start your day, breakfast and a drink!]
[the fire pit in the lounge]
[the fake trees & ‘neon’ light interior]
[our cheesy souvenir // we love it!]
[my delicious virgin bloody mary // it was so good!!!!]
[the eclipsing of my feet]
[macarons from jean philippe // they were a bit crushed during the transport]
there you go, our babymoon! it was a fun, relaxing time with my hubby charming, the baby bump, and friends!
we celebrated grace’s birthday last weekend! oh my gosh, she turned 11!! my how time flies!
we started off the day with pedis! we all went to nail bar on southport and got our tootisies all purtied up! blue for grace and a pinky orange for moi! after our appointment, grace got to choose where we were going to go to eat. we went to frances, a plain burger for grace, a salad for me, and i can’t remember hc’s order…ha!
[getting her nails done! such a pro, chillin’ and reading her gossip mag]
[birthday lunch]
[our fun pedi’s]
[lunch time fun]
after lunch, we stopped by cycle smithy to check out bikes. hc lured grace to the shop by saying he needed some supplies but we were really shopping for her! it was her surprise birthday gift! she was super excited when we told her! after perusing the bike shop, we decided to go the village cycle. there we found her a trek bike! she really liked it, which worried us at first…ya know how kids can be…they never can decide!
we headed back home to drop me off {i had to go to my p’s house to prep for the party], and they took their bikes to the lake to go riding! it was great! they met up with us back at the cheesecake factory for grace’s birthday dinner with my family.
[grace’s new bike]
[kiddie cocktails]
[birthday time!]
[gifts from r + b]
[the confetti cake being sliced]
once we were done, we then headed back to my parent’s house for cake, ice cream, and presents. the kids had a great time playing together, while the adults hung out.
all in all, it was a wonderful time! we had a blast celebrating grace’s birthday and i’m sure she did as well!
we had our gender reveal party on sunday, and it was such a fun time! behold, there will be a lot of pictures! i had such fun concocting all the details {thanks kim for being our photographer for the day!}! a huge thanks to my sister kim for diy-ing all the vases and arranging all the beautiful flowers!!! a big thanks to my parents for letting me host it at their house!
the morning started out with a trip to corner bakery, we had the food catered by them, so we swung by to pick the goodies. we arrived at my parent’s house and the decorating began! grace was such great help {hc charming was a mission created by me and my p’s to get additional supplies}, she wiped down the chairs, helped me decorate, and set everything up with me!
at noon, the lovely guests started to arrive! one by one, we greeted in glee and the party began! we sipped our drinks and socialized for our start of the party. we finally prepped the food, and enjoyed our meal outside. thank goodness it wasn’t soooo hot. it was hot but not as hot as it has been for the past few weeks. i was so thankful for the temperature being at the tail end of the heat wave!
after the food, the kids got to hit a baby carriage piñata! who doesn’t like a piñata at a party?!
after noshing on our meals, kim and i prepared the desserts. it looked quite adorable! after, we set up the table and i announced to everyone if they wanted to know the gender of the baby?! of course they said yes! i told them that they could find the answer in the cupcakes {from magnolia bakery}! they were so excited! everyone got up to grab their cupcakes! once each person had their little treasure, everyone broke open their cupcakes at the same time!
there it was! pink frosting signifying a baby girl!!!!!! it was so much fun!
[handmade jars filled with candy by me + hc]
[the start of the table setting]
[sprinkled with confetti dots]
[cousins]
[voting!]
[gender pins]
[beautiful arrangements by kim!]
[flowers, confetti, and candy jars]
[decor]
[party tassels]
[famille – grace and i color co-ordinated our outfits to represent both genders!]
[themed party utensils]
[pink and blue plates]
[drinks]
[dana darling with her pink bow pin for her girl vote]
[lan, avery, and thuy]
[the boys + thuy]
[mes seours]
[jane + aunt wendy wearing themed party shoes]
[b + terry]
[jane + grace]
[drinking straws]
[noshing on our pink and blue plates]
[super yummy lemonade]
[b]
[famille]
[magnolia bakery cupcakes]
[yum!]
[sisters]
[tower of goodies // he she bars and pink and blue rock candy!]
[favors]
[piñata time]
[swinging at the baby carriage]
[busted!]
[classic pose]
[swaying towards the boy vote!]
[cupcake time!]
[it’s pink!!! it’s a girl!]
[pink filling]
[beautiful dana]
[pink! it’s a girl!]
[a wonderful gift from aunt wendy!]
[avery helping me open gifts // from her parents]
[lol…all the kids helping me open gifts! so cute!]
[adorbs chevron blanket from lori, jay, aj, + jake]
[what a wonderful party! thank you to everyone for celebrating with us!!!]
we truly had such a great time! what a wonderful way to spend time with our families and such a fun way to let everyone know what gender baby heintz is!!!
we celebrated the soon to be addition to the haus family! it was a sunny, lovely day to have a shower!
it was a football/sports theme hosted at ditka’s. there were cute little decorations all around! the cake was phenomenal and absolutely delicious {commissioned by her sister sarah}!! after we lunched on delectable dishes, we were ready for the opening of baby gifts!
[the mommies to be! 8 month + 5 month bumps!]
[how adorbs is the cake?!]
[my purty wrapped gifts!]
[cake pops & centerpieces]
[the goods! and the cute onesie bunting]
[sarah + kt]
[me + kt]
[such delicious desserts!!!]
[part of my gift to kim]
[our favorite! it says brady with the number ’13 on the jersey to rep his birth year!]
[mikey helping out! kim’s holding a cute football bib!]
[kim + kt]
what a great way to spend a sunday! the shower was lovely, the gifts were so cute, and it was so good to see everyone and catch up on this wonderful occasion!
i had to work on the 4th, so we made it a fun day with grace on the 3rd instead!
we started the day with breakfast at the bongo room. we walked our way over to one of our favorite brunch places on this beautiful day. i was so hungry by the time we got there!!! argh! feed me! the wait was just a bit and before we knew it, we were seated and ready to enjoy some yummy goodness!
[waiting for a table]
[i love the window display next door!]
[handmade soaps]
[her drinking horse]
[my usual]
after breakfast, we traipsed our way back to our place but not without stopping at wicker park! it was quite a scene full of mommies and their kids! hc was the only dude there! after trying out every single playground feature available {well, mostly grace played!}, we continued on our way home.
[seesaw time]
of course, not without stopping by to say hello to rhoda! we love rhoda! the cutest, most cuddly dog.
[getting and giving some love to rhoda]
[the cute bug eyed bugger]
we hung out at home to relax before our evening activities. we watched movies, i crafted, hubby charming fell asleep, & grace begged us to go to the ‘breyer’ store, aka berwyn’s toys & trains store. so on another adventure we went!
when we got home, we made sack lunches for the homeless, dropped them off at st. clement and moseyed our way towards navy pier! our mission was to eat at bubba gump shrimp {how can you not when you are at navy pier?? you gotta go tourista all the way!}. we were excited to teach grace all the famous sayings from the movie. she was so intrigued! she had never seen it, and it got her so excited to watch the movie!
we walked the pier while we waited for our table. we shopped, explored, and were delighted by all the little kiosks throughout the walk way. we rounded our way back to the restaurant, once inside, everyone was so polite! i was very impressed by how friendly everyone was at the restaurant! it was very pleasant.
[her flashy watermelon drink]
[not so flashy]
we timed it out quite perfectly! we had a chance to explore navy pier, had a yummy meal at the restaurant, had a minute to buy grace a candy apple, and then the fireworks started! we ran outside and got a front row seat to some pretty fireworks!
[enjoying the fireworks]
[our view as we are leaving the pier, pretty and not so pretty traffic]
we had such a good day! it was a successful patriotic day!
