fancy free finery

Posted on July 1, 2015 by tandem in love

i was quite honored when katie from fancy free finery reached out to me to be a guest blogger on her site! we have been a fan of her crowns since earlier this year and have collected a few fun ones over the months.

she hand makes each flower and crown and pays attention to even the tiniest of details. every crown she produces is perfection. we love how whimsical, pretty, and romantic her crowns are. each one evokes such a dreamy look to every outfit i add it to. i think they are an outstanding accessory to any girl’s ensemble because it adds just the right amount of magic to a child’s imagination. she could be a princess, a hero, a warrior, or just a strong little girl who loves pretty little things.

anyhoo, katie asked me to write about olive. easy enough! as if that was going to be a stretch! haha! she wanted to know what kind of magic olive and i create together during our play time or just between us. my desires for olive’s upbringing, how i feel, how we love to just let her be her. simple enough, non?!

i then wanted to capture olive within these thoughts, within these words. what does a magical playtime look like to me for her? how can i capture my words into pictures? well, here is one sneak peek for ya! it translated into exactly how i feel, how i envisioned, and olive’s expression is exactly what i imagined for her to feel when she’s being creative. so, hopefully what i exude {my hope and imagination} is translated into my little baby girl. please head on over to katie’s blog to read my article…plus, there are more fun pictures to see!

[crown: fancyfreefinery // outfit: junepark // tassels: studiomucci // olive banner: littledovie // rockingsheep: potterybarnkids // chalkboard easel: ikea]

so, if you want to ready more about my goal, love, and dreams for little miss olive, please head on over to katie’s blog! you can find it here. it’s on there right now! happy reading y’all!

xoxo

late brunch

Posted on June 17, 2015 by tandem in love

i was waiting for the day to come when jodi and kt were stopping by for brunch! it had been awhile since i have seen them both, so i was looking forward to this! it was a cloudy, rainy day. i was hoping it was going to be sunny so we could sit outside and eat but alas, the weather decided against that.

jodi arrived right on time, as usual. she is always so prompt! oh, jett…he’s is just the cutest! what a handsome little dude and he is oh so sweet! olive doesn’t get many kids her age in the house {jett is about nine months older than olive}, most of them are much older, so it was interesting to see how she would interacted with jett.

kt, of course, was running behind! she totally lost track of time and had no idea that she was suppose to be at our house at the time she finally hit the road! ohhhhh, kt!

well, while jett and olive played {chaperoned by jodi} i started our brunch. on the menu were scrambled eggs, with cooked onions, cream, salt & pepper. crispy bacon & hash browns. fruit. toasted bagels with butter, jam, and cream cheese. juice. coffee and a donut tower centerpiece!

as i was finishing up, kt finally arrived! yaayyy! we prepared the kid’s plates and sat down for a scrumptious brunch. we talked, and talked, and talked. olive and jett were not interested in eating at all. they totally took a few bites and scurried away to go play {again}.

[my doughnut centerpiece…definitely not too sweet to eat!]

[cooking up some eggs]

[jodi entertaining the kids while i cook]

[on the menu: savory bacon, seasoned scrambled eggs, crispy hash browns, bagels with butter, cream cheese, or jam, and fruit. not without mimosas, watermelon juice, and coffee]

[the kids entertaining themselves]

after noshing, we cleaned up a bit, and plopped into the living room to chill. the kids were so crazy! we tried to put a movie on but that captured their attention for two seconds, they were more interested in the toys…which was perfectly fine! jett loved the minnie mouse vacuum that gramma and papa had given to olive for christmas. they played with the blocks, puzzles, games, etc. until everything was scattered everywhere! olive was a bit tepid about sharing but overall she was pretty good. they both really wanted the ‘phone’ {again something gramma and papa gifted} but olive would eventually share it. thank goodness! it’s so hard to teach them how to share at this age!

then they discovered jumping on the couch. the end. haha. ok, no, but it was crazy. they had such a fun time plopping around, falling backwards, and landing on their butts all over this couch. a bad habit to learn but they sure did have a great time!

[okaaaayyyyy, a year and a half later, i still have crazy, crazy baby hair from the pregnancy!]

[this cutie]

[so then they learned this…jumping on the couch!]

[what’s up with my hair?! i look like i have a pageboy ‘do! haha!]

[olive jumped onto her rocking horse and jett loved the rocking chair]

[this cutie patutie!]

[oh!]

[my pretty ladies]

[love this girl!]

after much eating, talking, and caring of these wild kids – it was time for them to go. jodi was timing out jett’s nap as well, knowing that he would sleep on the car ride home.

xoxo

eighteen months

Posted on June 10, 2015 by tandem in love

my baby girl is a year and a half! waahhhhh! time is flying by. she’s losing her baby status and it is giving me anxiety! i look at her baby photos and i desperately want to cling onto those precious moments. but as they say, let your babies prosper and grow. hmph, i’ll hold onto her forever!

{photo taken on 5.28}

weight: 23 lbs 16 oz.

height: 33 inches

there are so many things miss olive is doing now. she surprises me everyday and i love, love watching her personality grow and her communication foster. she loves to repeat almost everything. so, that is now where hc and i need to watch what we say around her! i love teaching her words. it delights me when she correctly repeats what i say!

another adorable moment? one day, i was sitting in bed with her. she had just nursed and we were laying around. i sneezed and out of nowhere, while she was playing with her toys, she casually says, “bess gou”. i just about died. bless you?! she just said bless you?! i die. my heart almost exploded!!!! it, so far, has been the cutest moment to experience!

when i reprimand olive or she knows i am upset with her, she does this thing where she hyperventilates! yup. she looks right at me with sad puppy dog eyes and starts gasping for air. oh my goodness. she gets me every time. such a smarty pants. i can’t stay mad or upset with her! i give in and give her a hug or a back rub and start apologizing. yup, i am a sucker. she’s got me.

she loves to snuggle. period. need i say more?? she’s a snuggler, cuddler, and the best buddy to lay around with.

olive is still nursing. yes. who knew it would go on as long as it has?! we are throughly enjoying it. i keep telling myself that i am going to stop but every month, it’s the same story. i keep thinking it’s going to be next month, and then next month rolls by and i am still nursing! we are both happy and happy to be doing it so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. but seriously, i think next month will it! harharhar.

she does say a few vietnamese words! she says water, eat, oh no, dad…just a few. my parents love teaching her! it’s too cute. who knows? we will see how many more words she will learn and understand!

she’s obsessed with shoes. she has learned how to put on her shoes! she mostly gets the shoe on the wrong foot but of late, she’s nailing it. she’s putting the right shoe on the right foot. i get super proud and excited when she puts both shoes on the right foot! i let her know that every time she gets them on. what a fast learner!

another cute, cute thing?! the last few weeks, olive has learned how to say hug! i completely melted when i was sitting around one day and olive walked up to me and said, “hug?!”. wow. my heart did cartwheels. she proceeded to put her arms around me and squeezed me and patted my back. what a freakin’ doll!!!!!

olive’s eating habits have completely changed. natch. she used to be a trooper {eating everything given to her} but then she had to go and form an opinion! well, overall she is still a pretty open and good eater but it comes down to when she’s interested and not distracted {e.g. playing is usually the culprit}. we do our best to always eat with her or when she does eat, she eats with somebody {whether it’s grace or other kids}. another thing she is crazy about? spicy. this baby girl loves hot, spicy foods!! she craves it. she loves noshing on it. kung pao, spicy chips, peppery flavors, you name it, she will consume it! eeekkkkkk.

she is still an amazing sleeper. we have been so blessed with this. i can only imagine that our next child will be a terror with her sleeping habits!! yikes! olive sleeps through the night and hardly ever wakes up. she will, once in a blue moon, cry out at night where i just have to rub her back and tell her to go back to sleep and she always does. what a sweetie.

well, there ya go lovies. olive in all her glory at eighteen months! she is sooo wonderful, sweet, and loving. we love you so much and can’t wait to see your progress at your next big milestone…two years! oh my! {well, we might sneak in another update from now until then 😉 }

xoxo

sun, brunch, and ice cream

Posted on June 9, 2015 by tandem in love

i was hoping to see my friend andrea again, while she is on her maternity leave, and we were able to make it happen. i’m so glad we did because this lady {who is a traveling fool} was jetting out {again} and wasn’t going to be home for the rest of her leave!

olive and i started the day with her wellness check up. it’s so cute, just so cute. everything about her. i love her. she is the most precious thing on earth. my heart just melts looking at her. she gets so scared by strangers and clings to me…and i just melt over her cuteness. i love being her momma and i love protecting her.

she did just fine this time…every visit gets better and better as she becomes more aware, wiser, and knowledgeable. she got the thumbs up from her wonderful doctor and we went on our merry way to andrea’s house.

[my sweet baby girl]

[my heart melts for her]

it was such a beautiful, perfect day. i was super excited to hang out with andrea and annabelle. after we arrived at andrea’s, we set out to walk the neighborhood and find a place to eat. i love wicker park…it’s such an eclectic, artsy area.

we decided to eat at milk and honey on division. we nabbed a seat outside and enjoyed our delicious meal. the avocado and smoked gouda sandwich was ah-maze. after we finished eating, olive wanted to be out of her highchair, so i let her roam around the table. she is always so good about staying close, it amazes me that she does that {so far…}.

after brunch, we did some more walking. we headed towards the actual wicker park to hang out. as we cruised there on this beautiful sunny day, i soaked in all the city goodness. i love the craziness, the people, the scenery, the energy of it.

[olive checking out miss annabelle]

[the beautiful baby girl]

[mmmmm….juice]

[such a sassy lady, ootd: shirt by shop childish, shoes by target]

[no selfie shtick]

[this avocado and smoke gouda sandwich was deeeeeeelicious]

[her interest in annabelle peaked and waned]

when we arrived at the park, we found a spot where i could nurse olive. i figured she would be so distracted that she wouldn’t nurse that long and i was right. she ate for a bit but then she wanted to explore her unfamiliar surroundings.

as we walked towards the playground, olive was tagging behind us {and the park was not crowded}. she was, maybe, 15-20 feet away from me {with my eyes on her the entire time, constantly calling for her} when this women on a bench yelled out “she’s too far away from you!”. ummmmm, ‘scuse me?!!! i proceeded to yell back at the women. she said it again and i said, “too far away?! too far away for you. i’m her mom and you have no right to tell me what to do or how to watch my child! how ’bout you MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS?!!!!”. well, i was seeing red and i’m sure what i said came out something like that! as i retorted to this nosey women, another passerby chuckled at our exchange of words. by that time, olive was standing by my side and we moseyed along to the park without a flinch. hahahaha.

[she looooooves the swing]

[and the slide]

[and the tunnel]

[and the stairs]

as we were leaving the park, andrea suggested that we stop for ice cream. yay! hooray for ice cream! duh…i can never say no to ice cream! they had just opened up a jeni’s on milwaukee, so it was the perfect pit stop. olive was too stinkin’ cute drinking her root beer float. i ordered myself some sorbets and we were happy campers noshing on our afternoon treats.

[at jeni’s splendid ice creams]

[intense root beer float drinking]

after delicious brunch, a play in the park, and a sweet stop for ice cream, i’d say it was the most perfect, sunny afternoon! i had such a great time with andrea and annabelle. it was so gorgeous out {great weather is the best!} and we had the most wonderful time walking around. we love you andrea and annabelle! muwah!

xoxo

fun, rainy day

Posted on June 3, 2015 by tandem in love

my day started off kind of crappy. yes, yes it did. olive had regressed a bit in her sleeping patterns. i totally blame the molars. i greatly dislike you molars, with a passion. she’s been getting up at night (usually just once) and having terrible, terrible cries. or she’s waking up much earlier than she typically would.

so, this past morning, it was an early wake up call of 5:45am. now this is quite early compared to her usual 8am wake up. we did our usual lay around in bed after she nursed and slowly got ourselves ready for the day.

on the agenda? eating breakfast somewhere yummy. it was a gloomy day but we were going to make it a great day! we packed up and went to egg harbor cafe in downtown downers. we had a nice corner table and ordered up some good stuff to eat.

olive was completely entertained with the crayons and her coloring sheet. she’s such a funny, neat gal {like her mama!}, after she was done using the crayons, she actually put them all back into the jar from where she grabbed them. haha! i wonder who she learned that from?!

after we ate and snapped a few fun photos, we decided to head home and chillax on this rainy day of ours. it was definitely low key and needed. sometimes our days can be such a whirlwind and it’s nice to just do nothing. well, {hehehe} grace and rich do nothing, i’m usually running around doing something! ha!

[a very cold and rainy day]

[she loved that the crayons were inside this mini mason jar]

[ready to get her draw-on]

[she loves juice…i actually limit her juice intake, i’d rather her have fresh fruit!]

[hc and grace]

[she was sooooo neat. after she used the crayons, she would place them back into the jar]

[i ordered the lobster omelet…it could have used less cheese.]

[lil’ buddha belly // shirt by lemonteeshop, leggings by littlemisshaven, headband by littlekutiesboutique]

anyhoo, and that is what i call a fun rainy day! albeit it was cold and wet but we, for sure, had a swell time hanging out together as a family!

xoxo

br is for brooklyn

Posted on May 26, 2015 by tandem in love

well, it’s really the first two letters that spell out the name brooklyn. seriously, we can’t wait to meet the little babe! well, we have some time before that happens so in the meantime, we love visiting kim and brady!

we finally arrived at their house and we walked in to mr. brady bear sleeping! he was so tired. poor little dude. but that was alright, we got right down to business and just hung out while the cutie slept on the couch.

i was so excited to see kim! she was 29 weeks preggo with her baby girl. how sweet and fun! we caught up with what was new and different in our lives, i totally miss this girl. we always have the best time hanging out and we always have so much to say and catch up on.

a little bit into us hanging out, mr. brady awoke! yay! olive and brady were so cautious of each other at first. it was too cute to see. they were curious and intrigued but yet, didn’t trust one another quite yet. olive definitely wanted to share all of brady’s toys with him. it was sooo cute to see olive hand over brady’s stuff to him, as if it was so novel and new. brady gladly accepted but he was still warming up to olive.

there were some cute moments of them together and there were so rough moments of them together. kids will definitely be kids. i was glad that they were able to spend a little bit of time playing together.

[brady bear fast asleep]

[olive and kim]

[olive giving brady his toy remote]

[i die over this pic…toooooo sweet!]

[me and my babes]

after an hour or so, we ordered in lunch and kim opened up her little gift i brought for miss brooklyn. i figured that miss b would be 3-6 months old and it would be winter…i needed to buy her something she could wear. everything right now is super light and summery…natch, but i needed something heavier for her to use later on. i found the cutest sweatshirt made by peek! it had the cutest saying on the front, “summer please” with a rainbow colored heart on the sleeve. on the back, it says “take me to the beach”, i thought this would be just right in the dead of winter. i added in a set of fruit socks by tucker and tate, a handmade unicorn bracelet, and sunglasses. little brooklyn will be all set!

[i must admit…i love the gift i gave kim’s little girl! peek sweatshirt, tucker + tate socks, sunglasses, and a little unicorn beaded bracelet from shoplovejune]

[hi bruster…]

[mmmmm lunch]

[i loooove this pic. as i snapped it, both babes looked up at us!]

after lunch, we hung out a bit longer but then it came time for us to leave. i was a bit bummed. i had to get back because i had an appointment with my mom, if i didn’t have that, i know we would have stayed a few more hours! we love just hanging out with them and soon there will be a new addition too! yay!

xoxo

sunny day

Posted on May 20, 2015 by tandem in love

oh boy oh boy oh boy! warmer weather is upon us! every day gets better and better {and i am so thankful}. so, with that, it now involves a lot of outdoor time with miss olive. she loves to play in the yard, hang out in the garage with daddy, or sneak on a swing set nearby.

her current favorite activity? hitching a wagon ride with mommy! we cover the bottom with a towel {to keep it comfy} and i usually pack snacks and a drink for her ride. of course, she’s gotta wear her shades and bring her favorite bunny.

i will pull her around and around the block in her wagon. she enjoys the scenery and munches on her snacks {tough job being a kid, ain’t it??}. i love getting the exercise and i just adore watching miss olive having fun. she’s so sweet. we typically wave hello to the neighbors and enjoy our serene, calm time together.

[ready to rock and roll]

[cruisin’ along]

[we packed the wagon full of snacks, starbucks, and blankets]

[shoveling cheddar bunnies by the handful]

[the long and winding road]

we really love our neighborhood and we really lucked out. everyone who lives on our block are so sweet and kind. from the moment we moved in, they all have been so welcoming. we have gotten to know quite a few neighbors, through quick chats, walks in the ‘hood, or just hanging out {backyard parties!}.

it’s the kind of area where everyone waves hello to you as they pass by. it’s very suburbia…so different from the city {where no one cares or even looks at you!}. couples and families, dogs and cats, and everyone has 2.5. kids. like an episode out of leave it to beaver style {but not really}.

anyhoo, we love it and we love our walks and we love the warmer weather. cheers to more walks around the neighborhood!

xoxo

daddy day

Posted on May 5, 2015 by tandem in love

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.

xoxo

new bebe

Posted on May 4, 2015 by tandem in love

my friend andrea just had her baby girl, annabelle grace! we couldn’t wait to meet her! we had texted back and forth and finally agreed on a good time to meet {i was so excited to meet the precious bundle}. hc got off of work early that day and we made the trip on over to their place in chicago.

we walked in and there she was…so itty bitty on her play mat, on the floor. she was soooooo tiny. you totally forget how small newborns are! well, at least i did. she was so precious and small, so amazingly delicate! i was in love.

olive was interested but not as interested as i thought she would be. wherever we go, she always points out babies and seems to get excited about it. when she laid her eyes on annabelle, she was curious but still very cautious.

[annabelle grace]

[so precious!]

[semi-interested in the baby]

andrea’s mom has been staying over and she was making dinner for us all. i was so excited and grateful! we totally had plans on bringing dinner over for the new parents but andrea told me that her mom was cooking bi bim bop and i couldn’t have been more delighted! i love korean food. it’s sooooooo delicious. next to my mom’s cooking, andrea’s mom is a winner!

besides that, i love her mom. she is such a sweet lady. i love talking with her and she is so loving towards little miss olive. such a wonderful, lovely woman. i love hanging out with her!

[eating bi bim bop…seriously, mad good]

[this picture does this dish no justice…total tastebud explosion]

[i couldn’t get enough of this little one]

after dinner, we hung out, relaxed, and conversed about life’s plans. i had andrea open up a little gift for miss annabelle {clothes, naturally!} and i finally washed up my hands and asked to hold the little bebe. oh, she was so light, small, and adorable. i totally had forgotten how tiny, tiny and almost weightless newborns are. she is so precious and sweet.

as i stood there holding little miss annabelle, olive was not happy. she did not like it one bit. she started to freak out. first she was whimpering and tugging at me but then she had a full on freak out. she started screaming and crying and was just not having it with me and another baby in my arms! i tried to calm her down by picking her up {it worked!} but i can only hold a 1 1/2 year old and a newborn for so long!

it was too cute when ollie jumped off his chair and ran over to help me. he was so worried that i would drop his baby sister. the whole situation was nutty, funny, and bananas with olive having a fit. haha!

[little gifts for baby girl!]

[olive entertaining herself with annabelle’s play mat]

[holding his baby sister]

[this was seconds before olive’s meltdown. she was.not.happy. that i was holding another baby girl besides her. not happy]

[olive was ok with me holding her and the baby…she was having a fit. as you can see, ollie was worried i would drop his baby sister. don’t worry ollie, i was a pro]

[the fab couple]

soon after olive had her freak out moment, it was all downhill from there! olive was just not happy and her mood had totally changed. we stayed just a little bit longer but decided to say our goodbyes and head on home. i was super happy to have had a chance to hold their precious little baby girl. it was a perfect evening with a perfect little babe.

xoxo

southern brunch

Posted on April 24, 2015 by tandem in love

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!

xoxo

tandem in love

{life is truly beautiful and it should be celebrated + shared.}

Tag Archives: olive

fancy free finery

late brunch

eighteen months

sun, brunch, and ice cream

fun, rainy day

br is for brooklyn

sunny day

daddy day

new bebe

southern brunch