it was a beautiful day and we were on our way to lincoln park to meet up with ande! it was quite a late start for miss o. she woke up quite early but fell asleep, again, for another three hours! so the babes was up by 9am…the latest, evah! she hit a record the other day by sleeping until 8:40am but this was the winner.
so i knew she would take a little nap on our way to the city. and nap she did! we got there in a jiffy, so it was quick cat nap for her but nonetheless, a solid nap is a solid nap. we popped into kiehl’s and ande was right there!
we said our hello’s and skadaddled to a place called blue door. a farm to table restaurant. it was busy. it’s the kind of place where you order your food first and then find a table. it was quite crowded, so we ordered and waited on their bench. our food was ready but we were still waiting for a table. there was no seat to be given up anytime soon, so we decided to take it to go. the staff felt bad that we were leaving but we were in a time crunch and hungry!
[olive letting ande hold her for a sec 🙂 ]
ande’s store has a back patio, which was great! we sat outside in peace and quiet and ate our food, gabbed non stop, and olive was a happy camper. we had so much fun catching up. lots to talk about…ande and i have been on a life long journey together {well, we have known each other…maybe 7 years} but we have had parallel life wants and happenings that seem to coincide with each other. we couldn’t seem to keep on the same subject! we had so much to talk about we jumped around and around cause one topic led to another!
[me smiling]
[olive smiling…and me with a mouthful of food]
after an hour or so, we headed back through the alley and back up armitage to the store. we spent some time inside talking with matt and ande. ande is so darn cute with olive! she just adores o. God bless her for trying to hold olive several times. sometimes she let her, sometimes she didn’t. oh, olive is so fickle. 😉
[olive low five-ing matt]
[me and my girls!]
it was getting close to olive taking another nap, so i decided to leave. that gave the babes time to sleep in the car, on the way home. i’m a stickler for keeping her on a schedule. hey, most of the time it happens but sometimes outside forces don’t keep us on track. but this time, we were on track…hehe.
so on our way we went. it was a perfect day with with a wonderful friend. olive and i had a lovely time visiting. i love days like that!
here we are, at a party, having a grand ‘ol time together.
i met matt years ago, probably around ten years ago? when we first met {on a project together}, matt thought i was some ‘kid’ running around, who had a big mouth and a bossy attitude! ha…not far from the truth! we got to know each other a lot better a year or so after our initial meeting. since then, he’s become one of my besties. i love him for his smarty mouth, intelligence, humor, kindness, and all the politically incorrect statements that he makes! very recently, matt and johann got married and we were very blessed to be a part of their joyous day!
we met ande, from our love of shopping at c.o. bigelow. matt and i would trek ourselves over to the store several times a month to peruse the product and pick up a load of skincare, haircare, amongst other smelly good items. through this, we befriended ande and eventually became very close with her {i think we have known her for about 6-7 years?}. i love ande for her quirky nature, her positive attitude, her zest for life, her kindness, creativity, and humor.
so, when we can, we love getting together for lunches or dinners, whatever we can coordinate. when we get together, it is just a gab fest! all three of us are such talkers and we run all of our conversations together. sometimes we talk so much, we never finish a story or a topic we want to discuss! we go off on so many tangents, it’s bananas!
anyhoozle, i love these two. such fantastic, great friends! i love it when i get my time in with them. those moments are always full of laughter and fun!
dana and i are finally rolling along in seeing each other. we planned a date together and decided to go to 2sparrows in lincoln park for brunch. we were all gung ho on trying something new. dana suggested our old stomping ground in wrigleyville but we both wanted to eat somewhere new. so i mentioned 2sparrows. we were game.
today was the first day, since olive appeared, i actually didn’t have her {besides the day we moved in and my parents took her for a few hours while i cleaned our dirty fridge & one night for my sister’s bday}. so, it was a different routine for me.
i was on my way to chicago {oh rain, how it annoys me when you come down, how awfully slow people drive} and it took me a bit longer than usual speed to get to my destination. on my way there, dana was already in the area {buying treats for rosie}, she was on her way to the restaurant to grab us a table. she then text me that the place was closed! it was under construction! whaaaa? so annoying! it was only closed for the next few days. can you believe we were all about trying a new place and, of course, it was closed?!
so, there ya go. we went back to our old stomping ground. southport grocery. don’t get me wrong. we love that place but we always go there, we really wanted to try something new, but i think it was a sign that we needed to not leave our favorite place.
[artwork for sale]
[mimosa]
[decisions, decisions, decisions]
so, we ordered the usual and dana caught me up with all her latest happenings. she just came back from israel {a jnfuture trip to support and sustain better living for jews}, she spent the entire weekend at lolla, and all the extra life stuff i need her to fill me in on!
we can sit there and talk and talk and eat and eat and before you know it, our plates are empty. that could be a problem. i was soooo full! my stomach hurt, yeahhh, like unpleasantly full! but it was so good going down!
[the southern…kicked my ass]
[dana’s usual: hash with ketchup and hot sauce]
[grocery shelves]
[i fell in love with this packaging]
after brunch, dana bought some of their famous vanilla cupcakes to go {for her and her guy} and we went shopping. we hit anthro, francesca’s, and paper source. some of our favorite shops. i try so hard to refrain from buying stuff for myself…actually, i get so much more joy buying cute stuff for olive than anything for myself right now! so, it’s what empowers me to channel my moolah elsewhere. 🙂
[anthropologie shopping]
after chillin’ for a bit, we called it an afternoon. i headed on my way home to pick up my little babes at the p’s. it was, as usual, a lovely brunch and time spent with my dear dana. muwah!
my sisters and i teamed up together and threw b his fifth birthday party!
wow, i can’t believe it’s been five years since this little guy was born into this world to brighten our lives! my how time flies! b is so sweet and playful and thoughtful. i love his curious questions and backward hugs. we couldn’t wait to celebrate his special day!
kim and thuy had been planning it for some time. they accumulated party paraphernalia throughout the month and slowly came up with some really cute party ideas. b wanted a construction party and, boy, did he get one!
the day before the party, kim, thuy, and i got together to prep and plan for the fete. we organized, fluffed, stickered, and unwrapped everything. there was so much to get done! we worked into the wee hours of the night to prep as much as we could.
the next day was game time. everyone worked really hard to put the party space together. hc set up all the tables, kim and thuy worked on the decor. terry picked up the food. slowly but surely, the party came together and it all looked so stinkin’ cute!
before the guests arrived…hc and i wanted to present little b with one of his birthday presents. hc worked really hard on it and we were really excited to give it to bennett! hc pulled it out to the backyard and we had b walk out to it. it was a success! he loved it! his own little wooden dump truck…so cool. hc is the greatest uncle evah!
[the boys in their matching shirts]
[the birthday day boy going out to see his surprise gift from uncle rich]
[his handmade dump truck from uncle rich!]
[birthday boy and uncle rich]
[centerpiece]
[the p’s and the hostess with the mostess]
[home depot aprons/favor ‘bags’]
[yellow and black poms]
[truck piñata]
[favor table]
[favors]
[the boys and the truck]
it was party time and the guests started to arrive. there were plenty of libations for everyone and little popcorn snacks to munch on. as the guests strolled in, if hc could, he would grab them for a house tour!
[auntie lynne and cousin patrick]
we had craft tables for the kids. where they could draw, color, and build structures with popsicle sticks. it was quite a hit with the creative little ones.
[the craft and arts table]
[grace being the best cousin ever and pushing b around in the truck!]
[jana, sonny, angel, tricia, thuy, and olive]
[me and my awesome brother dan]
[avery and lan]
the first game of the party…pin the flag on the construction bennett! the kids excitedly lined up, we blind folded them one at a time, and they gingerly walked towards the poster to pin their flag! it was so amusing to watch them, they tried so hard and i know some of them were peeking out from under that kerchief! ha!
[pin the flag on the construction bennett]
after some games {there were hula hoops, golfing, and crafting going on}, we went inside to prep the food for everyone. kim and terry ordered from uncle bub’s {pulled pork, coleslaw, and mac n cheese} and my mom whipped up some of her specialty dishes {a vegetable noodle dish and egg rolls}, we cooked up some hot dogs for the kiddies and we were set to go!
everyone slowly made their way in to grab some grub. we all sat down outside {a warm but humid day} and enjoyed our meals.
[manger!]
[auntie thuy and olive]
after eating, we decided to take down the piñata! the kids got so jubilant when we called it out. they lined up and one by one, were blind folded, spun around, and wildly aimed and swung at the piñata. oh these kiddies! no one was making a true dent on that poor truck. so, they all took turns again and finally the piñata busted down! the kids dove for the candy! it was so funny to watch, they filled their little home depot aprons up with their treasures.
[piñata time!]
[it took many tries but the piñata finally broke!]
i went inside to serve the birthday cake! i had fashioned it with a bunting, dump truck, and ‘dirt” {kim’s idea find!}, we lit his candle and presented him with the decadent concoction. we sang happy birthday and served the delicious cake…we also had lan’s amazing paintbrush rice krispy treats and lynne’s yummy m&m cookies, sooooo good!
[party napkins]
[rice krispy paint brushes by lan!!!]
[chocolate dump truck birthday cake!]
[love, love the cake!]
[jana and gary’s adorb kids]
[helen and baby olive]
[happy 5th birthday bennett!]
[singing happy birthday!]
[reagan and sam]
[sisters]
[the boys being silly!]
[gabrielle and helen]
[kevin and lisa]
[my two loves]
the party started to wind down and people were slowly trickling out. as the night enveloped us, bennett wanted some of his favorite songs to be played, one of them being gangnan style. i was inside cleaning up when i walked out back to the dance party! it was hilarious! grace and i became the back up dancers while bennett danced and lip-synced to the words. it was toooo cute and fun!
[bennett dancing to gangnam style with his back up dancers…lol]
[the party winding down in our living room…p.j’s were on! well, at least on olive]
after i quickly cleaned up the place {i’m quite the quick professional cleaner}, i bathed olive and got her ready for bed. the guests were gone and our family lingered behind. the cousins all gathered in the living room to relax with their favor loot and hang out together.
it was quite the successful evening. a fun, cool party, awesome decor, tasty food & drinks, amazing friends and family, and some really good, fun memories created! we throughly enjoyed hosting the party, it was a spectacular time!
olivia and aaron stopped by to 1. aaron hasn’t seen our house yet 2. to check out the updates we have made 3. and to see each other…it’s been awhile!
we were excited to have them over. they arrived in the early evening. when they got here, we took them on the tour {although olivia has been through it already}. they also brought their dog, bruce…he’s such a cutie! we started outside, of course, hc had to show off the garages to aaron first! we wrapped up the tour inside and we were ready to eat! i was so hungry!
[lol…olive is so skeptical]
[me and bruce]
[bruce doing his business]
[olive was loving olivia]
[getting the tour]
[best friends]
hc and i decided to keep it low key, since we had a lot going on, so we ordered in for dinner. chinese anyone?! yum. soooo healthy 😉
we hung out, caught up, olivia became olive’s best friend, and bruce was the curious dog. i loved that olive was loving olivia. they played together all night. she’s getting a little better and better with others…hopefully i’m not typing this out too early 😉
we are super happy olivia and aaron are back in chicago. they moved to florida for a year {last year} but missed us all too much 😉 and had to come back.
[dinner]
[my girl!]
[bruce relaxing]
[playing together]
[having fun]
[holding the kids]
[bromance]
i love these two. it was great having them over. we had a lovely evening hanging out with them and bruce! thanks for stopping by, we will be by your new place in chicago soon!
she came to chicago to run a race and we planned on a date to meet up. we texted back and forth on a place to eat, where to hang, and what time we were going to get together. we finally settled on a day!
neidre decided for all of us to meet at cumin, an indian restaurant in wicker park. perfect! first off, it’s our old hood {sigh} and we actually had never eaten here, living there for years. so we were excited to try it out.
we got there in a snap, found an amazing parking spot, and strolled our way to the restaurant. there was quite a wait, so we sat at the bar and ordered drinks. i got this mango concoction that was delish!! it was a perfect blend of sweetness and not too overpowering with the alcohol taste. the type of libation that can get you in trouble!
[i miss the city!]
[cheers!]
we sipped our cocktails and waited for neidre and friends to arrive. after ten minutes or so, neidre and liwani showed up! we were so happy to see them. neidre lives in florida and we were fortunate to be able to see her this past holiday in march! so, the fact that she was in chicago, there was no way we were going to miss her!
neidre also invited her friend jim, he arrive shortly after them and the party really began! we engrossed ourselves in some amazing conversations, tasty bites, and cocktails.
[me and my lady neidre]
[neidre and jim]
i ordered some apps for us {i love hanging out with a group of peeps who have no limitations on tastes, spice, or flavors!!!} and then we all decided on our entrees and placed our order. the service there was fantastic…the entire staff was so accommodating, friendly, and attentive. i love mom and pop type of places, it encompasses all good things when it comes to service, food, and ambiance.
[appetizers: chicken momo and chicken chilli]
[liwani and neidre]
[vegetable tandoori]
[garlic naan]
we ate, drank, and truly, truly enjoyed the company around us. we shut the place down! we were the last to leave and leave we did not want! we headed outside {the temperature and weather were perfect} and proceeded to walk the streets of wicker park.
hc and i arrived at our car and we said our goodbyes. we had to get home to relieve the babysitter {our fabulous neighbor, sarah}.
[we love you neidre!]
on our way back home, we sidetracked to our old apartment and said hello to our old neighbors there! it was fantastic to see matt, maggie, jeremy, his wife, and our former second floor neighbor, stacey! they invited us upstairs to check out our old apartment. that was pretty cool to see. after a half hour or so, we went on our merry way. this time to really get home to let the babysitter go!
it was a whole combination of delightful things this evening. seeing our great friend neidre, meeting new friends, connecting with our old city neighbors, and sarah having a great first time babysitting little miss olive!
i was awaiting for miss olive to awake so we could head out to brunch. i am unfamiliar with the restaurants around the ‘burbs. we had so many favorites in the city {oh, my lovely city} and it was always so easy to pick a place! so, these moments are a lot of trial and error; picking a place, rating it, and moving on to the next.
the restaurant of choice? labriola bakery and cafe. it was quite busy when we got there. grace and i perused the menu while we waited for kt and karen. it is a place where you preorder and then sit down. grace and i drooled over the bakery displays. we wanted one of everything! after a few minutes, katie and kar finally showed up. we squealed and gave lots of hugs. we excitedly gabbed and kt and kar were just loving olive. o started fussing a bit, so i pulled her out of her car seat and karen went nutty over her!
[kt, o, and kar]
[oh em gee…s’mores cupcakes]
[*drool* i want one of each please]
[macarons + delicious buttery cookies]
we ordered our entrees, i got the california turkey on multigrain and grace got a bowl of chicken noodle soup and mashed potatoes. we went and found ourselves a table and waited for karen and kt to finish their order. it was a little awkward because it was busy so they weren’t clearing the tables right away. so, we nabbed a table with dirty dishes on it but it wasn’t cleaned up right away. kinda annoying, since we really wanted to sit down and settle in {i mean, i had a baby in my arms, drinks, a stroller to situate, grace, and the diaper bag!}.
we were served our meals but miss olive wasn’t cooperating. i had to hold the fussy missy so i only ate my chips 🙁 but that didn’t stop us from yakking nonstop! we were catching up with so many good things; love, life, relationships, kids, friends…ya know, all the good and not so good bits that makes life go round.
after noshing on our meals, we headed over to the bakery to get something sweet. we looked at the dessert cases but had briefly forgotten about the gelato! it was on the other side of the restaurant, karen mentioned it, and grace’s eyes just lit up {of course!}. we scurried over and grace chose the hazelnut gelato and started wolfing it down.
[cali sandwich and savory chips]
we packed up and headed on our way out, back to our place. once we got home, i had to feed olive and then we got down with the tour. i showed them the entire inside {and, of course, explained our remodeling plans} and walked them around the outside of the house. it was such a beautiful day!
karen soooo wanted to hold olive. i said, “go ahead! anyone can hold her, it’s about if olive will let you hold her!”. i gave karen some advice…i said to just take her. don’t gingerly grab for her. just aggressively take her and distract her. most people cautiously take her and she senses fear 😉 so, grab her she did. olive happily sat in karen’s arms!!!!! it was a miracle! i called kar the baby whisperer. not since o was a newborn had she let an unfamiliar face hold her. olive was happy as a clam in karen’s arms! i was amazed and excited. i want people to enjoy holding miss olive and it was pretty awesome to see this! i was loving it myself…although karen might have been loving it more than me! she was over the moon holding olive!
[grace, karen, o, and kt]
[karen the baby whisperer]
after touring around the house, we came inside and chatted up a storm. karen insisted on me opening olive’s present. it was soooo sweet of them! they bought little o the most adorable outfit! a putty colored knit cardigan and chambray embroidered dress from peek and the cutest, softest, stretchiest pink headband from nordstrom! it was so sweet and thoughtful of them. i love, love the outfit and i can’t wait for miss olive to wear it!
[a gift from kt + kar]
[the cutest outfit from nordstrom!! love + love peek]
after opening up her gift, kt really wanted to hold olive too! i gave her the same advice and olive was just a doll! she let kt hold her too! wow. it was a record. olive was loving her p!nk aunties and they were loving her back!
[katie super excited to be holding olive!]
[doting on olive]
after our non stop gab fest, kt and kar had to go. wah, wah. we were sad. we were having too much fun with them! grace was loving them {she said they were soooo nice!} and so was olive. we walked them out to their car, wished them safe travels, and waved goodbye.
we had such a blast with them! kt and kar, hurry back! little miss olive is missing her aunties!
hc had met them years ago when he lived on the ‘bend’. we’ve become very good friends with everyone on that little strip of houses. they all have been to our wedding and so forth. over the years, we have kept in touch and have been able to hang out with them several times a year, whether it’s a summer night in the backyard or a holiday party over the winter. they are truly a great group of people!
we were so excited to receive the invite to pete and ken’s commitment ceremony a couple of months ago. it was such a cute idea…a balloon you can blow up with their invite information on it. so cool.
we dropped off olive at my parent’s house for the evening and headed on our way to the city. traffic was totally fine and we cruised there. we got there a bit early, found an awesome parking spot {right next to the building}, and headed our way in.
they had a door lady who was checking everyone in. we were waiting patiently when ken came busting out of the doors. we said our jubilant hello’s, checked ourselves off the guest list, and trekked our way in.
we entered into the event space and we were wowed by the bright, colorful decorations! they had pinwheels all over the place and the sweetest, funniest pictures of themselves. ken had worked so hard on all the picture banners hanging from the ceiling. he printed out each picture and framed every single one of them. they had pretty little flower centerpieces on all the tables and they also had matching table cloths, runners, and plate ware.
[festive decor]
[picture banners]
[lisa – the fab party planner]
right after we got there, we ran into lisa {one of the cool people on the bend} who helped pete and ken coordinate this whole event. she basically was their day of coordinator. she did such a wonderful job! everything ran so smoothly and perfect.
hc and i hung out and chatted it up with ken for a bit. the rest of our friends were still on their way {apparently there was an accident and a concert at wrigley that was causing traffic delays}. one group arrived and the crazy fun began! carrie, dave, nancy, pat, and pete made it there right after us. we were so excited to see them. they are such a fun bunch and i was glad to be able to hang out, i don’t get to see them as often as hc does.
[flower centerpieces]
[me and the groom]
[ceremony outdoor space]
[carrie, pat, nancy, hc, dave, and pete]
[cute photos of the couple]
[the gals]
once all the guests arrived, the ceremony started. it was so sweet. pete was walked down by his brother and ken was walked out by his daughter. ooohhhhh, they were so emotional. it was quite endearing. before they started, they were already in tears…i think it got everyone going. i started to get weepy too. they exchanged their vows through quivering voices, exchanged their rings, and were pronounced husband and husband!
[walking of the grooms // pete with his brother and ken with his daughter]
[vows and exchange of rings // husband and husband!]
they had us shake maracas once they were announced! it was fantastic! you could tell pete and ken were so relieved! they were a bit anxious leading up to the ceremony and once it was over, they were so happy, and then the party really began!!!!
[we shook our maracas once they were pronounced husband and husband!]
[carrie being super silly!]
[darrin and bethany…she’s eight months pregnant]
the food was served and we noshed until our bellies were full. they had chips and salsa, tacos, coconut shrimp, empanadas, ribs, and much more. we socialized while we ate and mingled around a bit.
unfortunately, we could not stay very long. my parents were watching little odog and she goes to bed early, but so do my parents! it was so hard for us to leave. we were hanging out with people we don’t get to see very often and we wanted to stay to continue the celebration of pete and ken’s union!
after the food, the party continued upstairs in the building’s other deck. everyone relocated and that’s when we said our goodbyes. we were so sad to be leaving but we needed to get home to relieve my parent’s from their babysitting duties.
[the food being served!]
[wedding cake]
[ken’s wedding band]
[the after party upstairs!]
[we finally snagged a pic with pete]
it was absolutely wonderful to be able to celebrate pete and ken’s relationship that evening. we had such a swell time partying it up with all of our friends. thank you to the fabulous couple for letting us share in this special moment in your lives…we love you guys!
i was finally able to meet austin! my friend dawn just had her fourth, yes fourth baby! austin is seven weeks old and quite the guy! at his one month appointment, the little dude was over thirteen pounds! oh my gosh! i said to dawn…,”what will he weigh at his two month?!” he probably is as big as olive! olive is probably a little over sixteen pounds and she is almost eight months old!
[baby austin]
we arrived at dawn’s house and walked into craziness. jodi was already there with jett and dawn’s other three kids were running amuck. we said our hello’s and i pulled olive out of her car seat, we walked over and said hi to little austin. he was quite content in his swing, such a calm baby.
[playtime]
i put olive on a cute furry beanbag dawn had in the family room. she was quite happy sitting there for awhile. kaitlyn and savannah came over to play with her. they were so good with her! they were sweet, gentle, and really got olive engrossed in playing with them.
[my cutie pie]
[kaitlyn and olive]
[such a cute pic with kaitlyn and savannah]
[i love this!]
[injury = popsicle]
[jett icing his boo boo]
[jodi wanting so much to hold olive!]
we chatted up a storm while the kids whirled around us. dawn and i had a lot of catching up to do. i do miss seeing her! we had gotten very close over the years of knowing each other {over 10 years!} and we have become good friends!
we were in awe over life and it’s changes. how, when dawn and i first met, she was just married with no kids…jodi and i not married yet, living life ‘single’, and look at us now! all of us happily married, with kids, and closely connected in life.
after a bit, dawn whipped out a bunch of food. she’s so cute, she said she is up so late most nights…she has to do something, so out came a wonderful spread of food. she also stated, what could she make that was easy to eat since us mommas would probably have one hand available, if we are lucky! so, it was a lot of easy finger foods and quick, light bites…perfect!
[finger food for quick noshing]
[dawn, olive {curiously watching}, and moi]
[yum]
of course, olive was in nooooo mood to have anyone hold her…oh, that babes. savannah soooo wanted to hold olive. she was so sweet towards her. both kaitlyn and savannah, such great little girls, they were both wonderful with little miss olive. they entertained her, played with her, loved showing her some fun toys to engage her; it was so cute to watch them together…it just makes your heart melt.
andy, dawn’s hubby, came home for lunch. it was awesome seeing him! he’s such a great guy…i’m glad we got to chat it up for a bit. he was a bit bummed leaving…i mean, c’mon…we were partying it up at their house! of course he didn’t want to leave the craziness!
andy tried playing with olive…oh em gee…it freaked her out! it was hilarious. i was over in the kitchen, cleaning up olive’s bowl and spoon {i had just fed her solids}, and andy scooted his way over to olive and she just freaked out! such a sensitive baby!
[andy trying to play…and scaring olive : / ]
[savannah sooooo wanted to hold olive]
[olive loving her new toy from the family]
dawn gifted olive with some pretty sweet treats. she gave olive a few adorbs outfits, play toys, and this wonderful, wonderful wooden alphabet abacus. olive loooooves it. she played and played with it and still plays with it. it totally entertains her. she spins and spins the wooden blocks around and around.
[smiley selfie]
[savannah took this pic! jett was not happy!]
[olive finally letting savannah hold her…so sweet]
[my lovely friends]
after noshing, playing, chasing, chatting, feeding, and getting a second to relax, it was time to go. the hours just flew by! before we knew it, it was late afternoon {we arrived late morning} and we had to go! we needed to meet the hubs to be on our way to another gathering…we’re always on the go. oy.
it was such a lovely afternoon with the ladies and the kids. oh, times like these i just cherish. these become the best moments in life. it’s amazing how life evolves and you find happiness in the simplest things.
we finally coordinated a date to have matt and johann come visit us! it was quite the debacle last time they tried to travel out here to see us. on their way here, it rained heavily and flooded the streets! they were stuck 🙁 they were on the road for over three hours and weren’t moving anywhere. we were so bummed but everything turned out for the better…the following week, they were able to come visit us on a beautiful evening and danielle was able to join us!
[olive and momma]
matt and johann brought us a housewarming gift and something for miss olive! they gifted us with a beautiful wood wine rack from a cute little boutique in chicago and gave olive an adorbs little onesie from hazel.
[a sweet little gift for olive]
[fun bicycle card…so fitting!]
[the adorbs onesie…how accurate]
beer was the drink of choice this evening. although johann switched it up by making some old fashioned cocktails for hc and himself {with the guidance from me! i make it for hc all the time!}. hc whipped up some cheeseburgers and chicken on the grill. he also made his delicious cauliflower and broccoli specialty…yum.
[old fashioned…cheers!]
[cheeseburga…cheeseburga!]
after dinner and many amusing topics, i served the decadent dessert! i am in love with this tres leches cake from a local grocery store down the street. it is soooo stinkin’ yummy! i could eat slice after slice if it didn’t have any fat and calories 😉
[tres leches]
johann was so good with olive…oh he loves babies. after dinner and desserts, i put olive on her play mat so i could clean up a bit and johann beelined for her. he played with her, entertained her, and was just loving her. so cute!
[johann just loves olive…he loves babies]
[guncles doting on olive]
after relocating to the living room, relaxing after a full meal, and putting olive down, the clan had to go. it was soooo good to see them. we love them so much! such great friends and we were so happy to finally host them at our new home. it was a perfect evening.
