i’m loving our days when we can visit hc at work. we love meeting him up for lunch. especially on these warm, fabulous days!
i don’t know why but getting out of the house takes f o r e v e r for me. i’m always running around, remembering little things to do, packing a bag for olive, picking out her clothes, chasing her down to change her, figuring my ootd, running to the car to throw things in there, looking for her bunny blankie {we can’t be without that one!}, all the while, miss olive will throw me for a loop by taking out all her toys before we go or throwing water everywhere or maybe having a mini meltdown before we head out the door! jeezzzzz that was a run on sentence! haha!
anyhoo, of course i have to stop at starbucks for a coffee {a must!} before i really hit the road. i got my fix and off we went to daddy’s office! we made it there in no time and hc came out to the parking lot to meet us.
he took us to a restaurant not too far away {it is minooka, miwhatta??! i’d say!} and i, honestly, can’t remember what it was called but it is out in no man’s land…there aren’t many great choices of food establishments out there!
well, the food wasn’t that bad and we had a grand ol’ time eating lunch alfresco {hello sunshine}. it was great because olive could run around the area and not bother anyone and we didn’t have to worry if she would wander off far since the outdoor space wasn’t that big and enclosed.
[she was totally staring down a women sitting four seats down from her]
[we pulled up a adirondack chair for her to pop a squat next to daddy]
[what a sour face! hahaha]
[she’s such a character]
[these onion rings were massive and hearty]
after we spent a wonderful, solid hour of time together, it was time to head back to the office. we had such a great time hanging out with daddy on this sunny afternoon for lunch. we love visiting him at work and adding a little bit of fun to his everyday routine.
no, this isn’t from that long ago but a fabulous blast from the past {if i do say so myself}. this was taken at hc’s big birthday party that i threw him. it was at a bar in chicago, in wicker park…right down the street from us. a perfect walk home {a necessity if you’ve been drinking…but we don’t drink 😉 haha!}.
i had the best time planning this event. i wanted to incorporate everything ‘him’. i purchased fun balloons & tissue tassels. i made menus and favors {all candies from his birth year}. i had the bakery {from across the street…alliance bakery} make him a pabst blue ribbon beer cake! it was ah-maze. a very, very good time. you can check out the post here.
well, of course, we had invited friends and family to help us celebrate his big birthday! it was pretty awesome to have a big group of people join in on such a fun event. i was pretty grateful that so many people had made the trip into the city to celebrate {some peeps don’t live so close!}.
here is a pic of me and my sisters with our childhood friend, lan. i love this photo because it’s impromptu, it’s cute {um, we’re cute}, and we are genuinely happy! there is something special about this picture that makes me smile just by looking at it. it’s so crazy to think that we are sisters and yet soooooo different. whether it be by style, personality, humor, or looks. it’s pretty amazing that we all came from the same two parents but yet we are all so unique and quirky in our own way. it totally makes me think about nature vs. nurture…how it leads you down the path that you are on, to be who you are.
[at hc’s big 4-0 birthday bash]
okay, enough deep thoughts…it was a grand ol’ time! we had the best time celebrating his big birthday with a fantastic party, with the most fabulous friends and family! muwah!
we decided that brunch at wishbone was a must. it had been awhile since we ate there and the day looked promisingly lovely, so to the restaurant we went! o and i were at home waiting for hc {from work} and thuy to come over. once they arrived we headed on out.
it, as usual, was too cold downtown. darn that lake. on a day that could reach 65 degrees in the outlying areas, it will be 15 degrees cooler closer to the lake. ugh. anyhoo, we got there and waited only a few minutes before we were seated. we had a super outgoing, charismatic server {which always makes for a fun dining out experience}.
i love wishbone…i’ve been eating at this place {the first experience was the one on ashland} for a long, long time. it’s yummy southern style breakfast and it always hits the spot. i ordered waaayyyy too much food for olive. i thought that the kids side dishes would be small but they were full side portions {hey, it was on the kids menu…so i thought…}. i ordered her a pancake with fruit, a side of potatoes, & a side of sausage. i wanted her to have a variety but thank goodness hc polished it off, so it wasn’t wasted. 🙂
after brunch, we were interested in the idea of walking around, maybe at 900, and shopping but we just weren’t up to it because of the cold temps and wind. so we actually went home instead.
[we are excited to eat at wishbone]
[selfie fun at wishbone]
[being clingy with daddy]
[loving her strawberry lemonade {it’s really thuy’s lemonade}]
[biscuits and gravy with eggs over easy]
it was a fun afternoon outing at a favorite place to eat. i’m glad we got out to enjoy a bit of the sunny weather on this fine day. happy times!
we woke up bright and early {actually later than usual because miss olive slept until 8am and that’s late!}, well early for most folks who don’t have kids!
we got ready and headed out to breakfast. hc was trying to find a yummy breakfast place for us to nosh at but he wasn’t having any luck, so i told him to ask the concierge for ideas. they suggested mickey’s country cafe, hmmmmm. we drove on over there and went inside. it was old, a little bit dingey, not very well ventilated, and kitschy.
we sat down and ordered. hc did the buffet and grace and i ordered from the menu. the food was actually pretty good. it was greasy and yummy. sometimes mom and pop places can be greasy and gross but this was decent.
after breakfast, we drove over to antique archaeology but it didn’t open until noon. so, we decided to walk around town to check out the other shops but most of the shops didn’t open until noon either! we just walked around and explored some of the landmarks around the area and then headed back to the shop about five to noon.
[this place is a total dive but the breakfast was pretty damn good!]
[hemming and hawing over the choices]
[rich called it cannibalism]
[i find this picture so funny, it was so windy and olive and i were struggling with our hair]
[usa]
[i wish someone was around so that we could have taken this all together!]
[memorial site]
[she was peeking over because grace was on the other side]
[olive was riding the little rock…that’s why her position is so awkward!]
they opened up their doors and exploring we went! i love this place, it’s so unique, fun, and eclectic! i love seeing all the items they have collected over the years. unfortunately, they have so many awesome pieces that are not for sale. that was a bummer. i thought they would have more antiques up for sale. it was mostly t-shirts, stickers, bags, books, and mugs.
hc had his eye on this rusty, rusty decrepit bike. there was a tag on the bike but it was totally faded. he didn’t want to ask about it, so i went in to ask the girl at the counter. she came out to take a look at the bike and wasn’t sure if it was for sale. she told us that the bike had been there for a long time and thought it was NFS. now here comes the most exciting part…well, exciting for us! she says to me, “i’m going to text mike to see if it’s for sale.” Eeeppp! she was going to text mike, how cool! the closest mike ‘interaction’ we will ever have!
well, unfortunately, she came back with bum news. the bike, in fact, was not for sale. boo. hc really, really wanted it for his garage wall. total bummer. it was an exciting story to tell but we were sad that bike couldn’t come home with us! we rummaged around some more {olive spent a lot of her time outside with grace…a baby is no bueno in an antique shop!} and finally made a little purchase.
i had my eye on a metal double decker bus. it was quite expensive but i bargained with the lady at the counter to knock $20 off the price {we did haggle back and forth}. i didn’t do a bundle but i was happy with the final price!
[we made it back just a few minutes before it opened]
[the bookcase where you can’t purchase a darn thing!]
[hi baby olive]
[chillin’ and eating her snacks]
[she was having so much fun playing with grace]
after we perused the shop for almost and hour and a half. yes, we were ogling that long. we weren’t sure if we wanted to check out the john deere museum {a twenty minute drive} or walk around town again, since it was mostly closed for our earlier walk. we were craving ice cream so we decided to walk the town again. we checked out a few shops and stopped at a pizza and ice cream parlor.
hc and grace ordered root beer floats, i asked for a single scoop of cookies and cream on a cone, and olive got a milkshake. we ate our treats and watched it rain outside. bummer. we were dunzo anyways! after we finished our desserts, we played a bit inside their ‘game room’ and then headed out.
[shopping antiques]
[afternoon snack]
[i love, love this pic of them]
[and this]
[the bike hc wants to buy but that was a no go]
we had such a great time road trippin’ it to iowa. it was a fun get away with the family and we love antique archaeology! we did walk away with some goodies, so i’d say it was a success. nothing is better than family, fun, and new adventures!
with a little time off, we decided to take a road trip down to iowa to visit antique archaeology. it’s grace’s and rich’s favorite show {american pickers}; or at least, one of their favorites!
it’s actually a really short car ride to get to le claire, iowa from chicago. a few hours drive and you’re there! we left mid afternoon on a sunny, beautiful day and arrived at our hotel in the early evening. we unpacked and headed out to stevenson’s {a restaurant we ate at last time} for a lovely dinner.
it cracks me up but this is their ‘fine’ dining. call me a snob, but it was okaaaaayyy. everything was waaayyyy too salty {like my food was being served on a salt block}. their patio was quite nice but the interior definitely needed an upgrade and to think that they did upgrade it since we were there last {a couple years ago}!
anyhoo, after dinner, we hung out by their fire pit. that was actually really nice, it was warm by the fire. grace and olive got to run around and play in the grass. after dinner, we headed back to the hotel so we could play in the pool!
[sunny with our sunnies]
[the ‘fancy’ restaurant]
[i love, love, love olive’s little hand. she loves to say ‘cheers’]
[dancing on the patio with daddy]
[we loved the fire pit]
i hadn’t purchased olive a swimsuit since she outgrew hers last summer and i was in a pickle because we were leaving that day when i realized it! so, i swung by the always reliable target and picked up a cutesy suit for her. it’s actually quite adorbs!
grace, hc, and olive got ready for the pool and we all skaddled down to the swimming area {which was quite nice!}. olive was a bit apprehensive {she loved, loved the pool when she was a bit younger} but hc coaxed her into the water. she was a bit nervous and scared at first but then she really started to enjoy herself, especially when she saw grace having fun in the water.
it was sooo cute to see her in her daddy’s arms, circling around in the water. it just makes your heart melt.
[ready for a swim]
[momma and cubbie twinning]
[in the pool with daddy!]
[having a great time]
[look at that belly!]
[splish splash]
after our pool time, we headed back upstairs to our hotel room to settle in for the night. it was so stinkin’ cute to see olive run around in her diapy. i tried putting her pajama’s on but she didn’t want to, so i let her sit around naked for a bit. she was having a grand ol’ time watching the telly right next to her daddy. i was dying over her curly hair…who knows how long it will stay that way? so, i’m soaking it all in right now. tooooo cute!
[drinking her venti water naked]
[i love how curly her hair is!]
after watching t.v. for a bit and relaxing, we put olive down and we all eventually fell asleep. we needed our energy and rest for our fun day tomorrow! stay tuned!
march was a much slower month for me. i had all these fun ideas but honestly, i just didn’t have it in me to execute them all! i was tired! i consciously made the decision to slow down and told myself it was okaaaayyyy to not do everything! it was hard not to action on all my ideas but hey, c’est la vie.
this past month was a lot of chillaxin’. it was peppered in with some brunches, parties, and some fun outings on sunny days. with warm weather on our side, olive discovered the outdoors with her two, little chubby legs. it all started with a casual walk hc took olive on one day after he picked her up. then all craziness broke loose. she was beyond ecstatic to have such free range of space with her itty bitty legs. she was gleeful, giddy, and excited to have so many things around her that she could explore. she loves to sit outside with her dad {while he works in the garage or the yard} and play in her own little world while he tinkers with his ‘toys’. it’s a whole new world for her and we love that she loves it so much!
so needless to say, we have spent a lot of time outdoors as of late. c’mon warm weather, don’t be scared!
anyhoo, please enjoy our pics from this past wonderful month!!
[chunky monkey face]
[she loves being in the garage with daddy]
[doing her best rocky impersonation]
[the first time the babes crawled back into bed with me and took a nap with me]
[our favorite brunch spot]
[bellylicious]
[eating a super ripe banana and loving it]
[i told her to go sit with dada and this is what she did…hehehe]
[cousin love]
[andrea’s baby shower]
[motorcycle riding]
[noodle eating silly girl]
[first time riding her rocker!]
[this past month, she’s become so intrigued by the tele]
[pretty flower garland]
[these kids are so silly, olive loved being pulled around in a sack by reagan]
[she loved being pushed around in her vw]
[driving the jeep]
[mmmmm i love pho]
[her first walk outside resulted in skinned knees…i love her chub legs!]
[silly nephew]
[she’s so silly]
[morning brunch]
[my shopping buddy]
[those eyebrows and forehead are just like her daddy]
[love her little baby feet]
[she loves reading books]
thanks for stopping by! ‘spring break’ march has come and gone but april showers will bring may flowers {woot! woot!}! i can’t wait to share some snapshots of april!
what an easter! it was the most perfect weather and a wonderful day!
our morning was a bit of a whirlwind. our brunch reservations weren’t until right after noon but it was one thing after another {like every morning!}, such as feeding olive, chasing her down, playing with her, feeding her again, me getting ready, hc getting ready, getting olive ready, finishing up the easter baskets, getting coffee, packing her bag for the afternoon, etc. just a few things to do. natch. haha!
my brother dan and sis thuy came on over so we could all hitch a ride together. of course, i was running around grabbing last minute things, taking photos, and running behind {as usual}. we packed ourselves into the car and arrived at the restaurant in no time.
unfortunately, our brunch time was in the middle of olive’s nap time. i was hoping that our baby girl would fall asleep in the car but that was not happening. she was too distracted with us being in the back seat! so, of course, she fell asleep right before we got to the restaurant. we let her sleep for just a wee bit {like 10 more minutes} before she awoke, on her own. bummer…i just knew she was going to get delirious…
[getting easter bunny ready!]
[i love these baskets]
[my little movie star]
we waited inside the restaurant for a few minutes, awaiting everyone’s arrival. once our party was all there, they led us downstairs to a private dining spot. so cool. like seriously so cool. it was in a vaulted area…like we were going down into the deep freezer but it was an awesome private dining room. perfect for the kiddos {to run around and play} and us adults {to relax and enjoy our afternoon}.
i loved the privacy, the one on one service, and the amazing wine cellar! the room had such a great aesthetic appeal. my favorite decor in the room was the chalkboard, the whale tail that you see was legit…a work of chalk art!
we had easter brunch with the becka’s {helen, mike, gabrielle, and sam}. they are a sweet, sweet family that my sister kim had befriended awhile back {sam and reagan go to school together!}. helen, seriously, cracks me up! she is so darn funny and witty. she just entertains me with her humor! her husband mike is one cool guy and her children are so cute and sweet. they are such a great family and we were so excited to spend our easter with them!
we ordered drinks and selected our entrees and the rest was history. they slowly served the food and the drinks and we nibbled, ate, and sipped at our pace. it was fabulous…and of course, we snapped a bazillion photos, as you can probably tell. i did edit a few out! 😉
[our private dining space at gt fish and oyster]
[it looks like i have a 50’s do and olive is sad about it…haha! olive’s ootd: peek ivory and hot pink lace dress, mini melissa shoes, and fancy free finery felt flower crown]
[the becka’s, doan’s, walsh’s, and heintz’s]
[besties helen and kim]
[dapper dudes checking out the wine cellar]
[soeurs]
[the cutie corner]
[hard liquor, apple juice, and mimosa…a range of drinks…hey, at least we all have our serving of fruit!]
[me and the best, hc]
[you can’t be at gt fish and oyster without an order or two of oysters!]
[these two couldn’t keep still]
[a plethora of food]
after brunch {ummmm, three hours later!!}, we parted ways with the becka’s and went on our merry way home. everyone came on over to our house to exchange easter baskets but unfortunately {fortunately?} little miss olive fell asleep, so only the boys got their baskets. she needed it, she was dunzo & delirious at the restaurant! regardless, it was fun and cute to see them so excited over their treats. btw, how cute are their outfits??!! they are so adorbs and i love how my sister dresses them! such dapper dudes.
[easter basket exchange]
[it was a happy easter! *wink*]
well, that’s all folks! it was an ah-maze easter. we had a wonderful time with our friends and family, celebrating the resurrection of Christ! thank you for stopping by! muwah!
oh yessss, i am soooo behind with this one! aren’t i? well, as i always say, better late than never!
january was quite the busy month {i know, i know. i do say that a lot}. but, isn’t january a month where things slow down? i guess, not in my world {or at least in my head}.
the highlight of this past month was our trip to L.A. to celebrate my sister’s birthday. it was wonderful to get away and soak in some warm weather. the temps were ah-mazing! i had no kid, no hubs, {although i greatly missed them!} just me and my sisters. it was awesome to relax and explore the city. the bonus part is that my brother, huy, lives there with his girl, tashina, and it was purty awesome to hang out with them the whole weekend!
of course there was a lot of oliveness going on in january. my cutie is becoming wiser, funnier, and is as quirky as evah! oh, she blows my mind every day. not only with her cute, cutie, cute face but her growing personality. being a mom for the first time is so novel and i can’t even imagine i could possibly bring more cuteness into this world!
anyhoo, here are some fun shots of our past lovely month of january:
[shopping…what we do best]
[olive with her goofy cousin b]
[what a goof]
[mmmm, portillo’s // my girl olivia]
[our typical morning…relaxing together after she nurses]
[cookie monster]
[gifting marina with a little sprinkle]
[bottega louie // L.A.]
[first big snowfall]
[apple head]
[her favorite eating nook]
[the tired mom look 😉 ]
[cat baby // discovering her reflection]
[my love]
[my two favorites – coffee and breakfast]
[morning routine]
[her favorite toy]
[kicking back in her toy basket]
[caged animal]
[watching t.v. together]
[my sweet babes]
[breakfast on our last day in L.A.]
[funny gal]
that was our january in a nutshell! i hope y’all had a great past month as well. february is looking pretty awesome so far! i can’t wait to share…hopefully not so late in the game next time! woot!
yes, it was mr. heintz sr.’s birthday! when i tell people that my husband’s parent’s names are dick and jane, it’s a 99% chance that they totally get a kick out of it. yes, quite the classic duo.
anyhoo, it was definitely a lazy day for us. we didn’t have to be at dinner until later in the afternoon, so we just hung out all morning and afternoon, just chillin’. it was grrrreat. we did stuff around the house {cleaning, relaxing, eating, etc.} and loved every minute of our no frills or fuss day.
we got ourselves ready and headed out to crystal lake. there was no traffic, so it took us just a little over an hour. it was freeeezing out! oh, so cold. it’s so funny to me that when it’s so cold outside {like 5 degrees out with a negative windchill} for awhile and then we get hit with a day that is 30 degrees, it’s like a freakin’ heatwave here in chiberia!
[dinner party]
once we got there, pretty much everyone showed up at the restaurant at the same time. score…we were all on time! olive was most excited to see grace. it was too sweet. she just lights up when she sees her big sister and i love every moment of it.
we all sat down and perused the menu to decide on what we wanted to eat/order so we could get the ball rolling on this dining excursion. i ordered the tortellini…i’m a sucker for any cream sauce {so healthy 😉 }, pancetta, peas, etc. after we ordered, i pretty much entertained olive or she was entertaining herself. she’s so funny now. she definitely wants to be close to me but yet she also wants her independence. she’s a mixed bag of emotions, actions, and ‘words’. of course, it might have been dick’s birthday but it’s always the olive show, natch. {she’s the cutie baby, duh!}
[gramma and olive]
[olive peeking over at her cousin daniel]
[she’s always happy in her sister’s arms]
[could this entree be any bigger?!]
[olive finally into opening up gifts]
[she loved helping papa open up his gifts!]
[she loved, loved the mobile!]
after dinner, dick opened up all his gifts. jane’s present for dick was the one that olive loved the most! it was too precious. jane pulled out the mobile and olive ohhhh’d and ahhh’d over the gift! she was so amused by each photo and screamed out loud at each one she saw. sooooooo adorbs.
after dick opened up his gifts, desserts were served. the tiramisu was yummy but i could have done without the chocolate chips inside each bite. that kind of threw me off but overall, it was tasty. it was too much chocolate. yes, i did say that. i’m not a huge chocolate fan. i like it as an accent but not as a whole. annnddd, it has to be mixed with something and not alone. yes, yes. those are my chocolate rules. 😉
well, happy birthday to my wonderful, loving, sweet, caring, and awesome father in law. you are the best. we love you so much and we were so happy to have celebrated it with you!! muwah!
the other night, my famille was over just to hang out. it was a true lazy day for all of us. we ate lunch, chilled, and the kids played together {like little crazy rug rats}. a few hours after lunch, little b wanted cake. chocolate cake to be exact but i didn’t have any to offer. so i decided i would make cupcakes for everyone {little b was just fine with it being vanilla}.
b was so excited. he really wanted to help. he was in the kitchen with me pretty much the whole time. asking me questions about everything! he was most curious on how long everything took. how much longer until the batter is done? how much longer for them to bake? how many more minutes unit they’re done? how many more minutes until they’re done? how many minutes until they are cool? are they still cooling? are they done now? can we frost them now? what about now? hehehehe. too cute…such a kid thing, no?
[helping me line the cupcake tins]
[filling the liners with batter]
[frosting manic!]
so, the cupcakes were finally cool and b frosted them with me! we had a great time frosting and sprinkling each one. i gave him a little spatula knife and he dug his little hand and little knife into the frosting and slowly swirled on bits of frosting onto each cupcake. he did well! he, at first, had a hard time swiveling his wrist back and forth so he could spread the frosting around but with a few tries, he finally got it.
[a little sprinkle never hurts]
we got all the cupcakes covered and sprinkled half of them to dress some of them up. thennnn, it was time to gobble them up! r, b, me, and thuy each had ourselves a sweet treat. it was great to have made cupcakes with my darling little nephew b. he was the best sous chef evah!
