we did it again! this time with the legos movie. annndddd it was actually bennett’s birthday!
we gathered on the green to hang out, ‘watch’ the movie, and eat some food. kim’s friend, helen, came along with her family…gabrielle, sam, and her husband mike! so it was a picnic party in full swing!
[my chunker]
[tete a la tete]
[mimicking]
[awww, so cute]
hc ran to macy’s and picked us up some grub. it was actually quite delicious. he had picked out salmon, mashed potatoes, sautéed green beans, and carrots. i wolfed my meal down…i was so hungry! we were chatting it up, we ate, and we all played with miss olive while we hung out. helen was loving olive! i must say…she is quite the doll! gosh, i love her too! 😉
[a really good meal from macy’s]
[she wears short shorts]
[feeding miss olive some fruit]
since it was bennett’s birthday, i had purchased cupcakes so we could celebrate! i brought plates, flatware, napkins, and a candle. yes, i was going to light a fire right on the grass. hey, it was his birthday, and birthday cupcakes and the birthday boy deserved a lit candle!
bennett picked out his cupcake {chocolate}, i lit the candle and he made a wish! perfect! i passed out the cupcakes and plates…they were a success {yum, yum}. perfectly sweet and delicious. we devoured our cakes and continued to have a swell time together.
[happy birthday bennett! make a wish]
after the cupcakes, the kids and boys ran amuck within the mall. the kids wanted to play at the fountain and go to the microsoft store, while the boys went into the tesla dealership. oh boy…hc came back with a plethora of information around the cars…he droned on and on about it but it was actually quite interesting and informative learning about these cars!
once the movie was over, we gathered our belongings and headed home. it was another wonderful night with movies on the green and celebrating mr. bennett’s birthday! yay!
july…oh the fourth and then some more july. it was a month filled with warm weather {yesssss}, lots o visitors, and much needed progress on the house.
we had a great time celebrating our country’s birthday, olive, our house, each other, our friends, family, and many fun events this past month of july. it was the peak of our summer and it was filled with many delightful things…now just fond memories for us. *sigh*
oh, summer…slow yer roll. i’ve been loving you too much to see go in the next few months. we would like to see you stay for quite awhile…maybe rub shoulders with fall for a long time. that would be nice. yes, please.
anyhoo, here are some fun moments from this past month! many of olive {duh!} but she’s most important!
[smoking]
[summer festival]
[pouty face]
[hmmmm]
[attack of the killer cherry]
[hanging out by the river]
[she definitely didn’t love this swing]
[happy baby]
[the chunker playing with her sister]
[super smiley]
[my uncle khai’s book]
[reagan feeding a hungry olive]
[horsey ride]
[picnic!]
[groovy hair]
[fancy cardboard hat]
[she manages to smile while eating a bottle]
[olive and daddy snacking together]
there ya go! a rewind of july, our wonderful, beautiful, sunny july. we miss you already.
hey, august…i have a feeling you’re going to be just as awesome!
i have mentioned this before. i love mini boden! the clothes are so cute, whimsical, and sweet. i love this little bee outfit. they are all well made garments and seriously come in the cutest prints evah. olive’s easter outfit was mini boden {so stinkin’ cute}, and her current swim suit is as well {and it’s on sale}! the line of clothing is amaze and fun. definitely worth having a few pieces in the closet for the babes.
i just purchased a whole bunch of these hair pins from this etsy seller. like baby shoes, baby hair pins can get lost in a nano second. or i tend to lose them in a black hole at my parent’s house! but let’s be real here, i can never have too many hair pins, hair bows, or headbands for miss olive. the more the merrier and the more to match her outfits! woot. woot.
olive’s current love? the apple tv remote. yessss. she actually ruined our apple remote by getting her drool all over the remote and it totally malfunctioned. hc tried to fix it but that was a no go. so, we actually bought a new one and gave the old one to miss olive to play with. she loves her ‘new’ toy. she grabs for it like she shouldn’t have it {little does she know!}. hehehe.
the alphabet abacus was a gift from my friend dawn. when olive received this, she loved it! she would spin the blocks round and round and giggle. soooo, {warning will robinson} this toy is technically 18 months and up…it does tip over, so i definitely recommend being right next to your babes if she/he is playing with it! anyhoozle, regardless, olive does have a fantastic time spinning the blocks, looking at the colors, and nibbling on the wood.
okaaaayyyy, baby genius nursery rhymes is da bomb. o loooooves it. she is mesmerized by the colors, scenery, cartoons, and kids in this show! she loves watching it and absolutely loves the music. hc and i can turn on the program and olive is sucked in. it’s perfect for us when we need to keep her preoccupied! ha! but really, we love singing along to the songs to entertain her and it keeps little miss olive smiling non-stop!
i was on the look out for baby jewelry. i was first introduced to it when my dear friend rebecca sent us the cutest gift box of goodies from a little bundle. inside the box, it had a silicone bracelet for moms to wear and their babes can gnaw on it safely. i love wearing accessories but now little o loves to chew on it all and i’d rather not have her stick random metals inside her mouth! so i found this etsy seller who had some very cool necklaces. i did research quite a few but i kept coming back to this one for it’s shape, color, and style. i loved all three combos and was sold. now, when i wear this necklace, it’s fun and colorful and super safe for my baby to chew on!
i have noticed that when i wear any necklaces, miss olive will always go after it. she will want to play with it, chew on it, and drool on it. i had heard about jewelry out in the market, made for momma and the baby, that blended in fashion and function. which any mom could use or need, right?!
i researched a few brands out there and kept coming back to this. it’s an etsy seller called beadee baby. i know it’s a little on the pricey side, i did find a few sellers that were less expensive but i loved the aesthetics of this necklace. the make, the shape of the beads, the color totally drew me in. i would and could find other necklaces but i kept coming back to this one.
so, i was quite excited when the package arrived in the mail {woo hoo!}. i tore it open and was delighted with the product inside! i immediately put it on just to test run it. hc was intrigued by it, the shape, the colors, and the idea too!
olive loves playing with it! she always reaches for it and gnaws on the fun, colorful beads.
i now love throwing this necklace on with any outfit. it’s the perfect length, i love that the colors go with any outfit, and i love that olive can play with it without me worrying about anything! it was definitely a great find and worth it.
i love finding fun things like this for little miss olive!
the past couple days off i have had, i was prepared with the idea of me and olive spending it together. but we have been blessed and surprised with hc’s presence the last few times! that really makes us happy!
this morning, hc came back to bed and announced he was spending the day at home, he wanted to spend it with his family 🙂 i love having days off together. it’s so rare since our schedules are so opposite! olive woke up and we played with the little one in our bed for awhile. i then got ready, hc made coffee, and we relaxed. we did our usual morning routine. olive wakes, olive feeds, olive plays, and then olive naps for an hour or two. once olive awoke, we headed out to enjoy our beautiful day.
we chose to go to 2toots restaurant, in downtown glen ellyn. it’s a fun kid’s restaurant that serves your food on a train! so cool. we parked and walked our way to the place. it’s a kitschy little place with lots of adults and lots of kids. actually more kids than adults. we got a highchair for miss o {yeahhhh, i wiped that thing down good} and perused the menu.
[2toots train whistle grill]
[don’t mind her teenage mutant ninja turtle tattoo on her arm…courtesy of cousin reagan]
i ordered the grilled cheese and hc ordered a burger. we played with olive, enjoyed our surroundings, and talked about our lives together. we are a good happy bunch. i love my hubby charming and i love my baby girl. life is really good.
[here comes the food!]
[yummy grilled cheese and fries]
[cheeseburga]
[sophie and pie hanging out]
[vintage posters]
after our lunch date, i wanted to check out a store we drove by, on our way there. we didn’t have much time because, although hc took the day off, he still had to jump on some conference calls that day. of course, what caught my eye as we were driving through was a paper store! i love all things paper!
we walked from the restaurant to the paper store, papier girl. it was sunny out so we put olive’s sunglasses on. oh my goodness. she looked soooo stinkin’ cute! oh, i couldn’t get enough of her in these sunglasses. and the little diva was working it!
[such a funny lady, she’s working it!]
[such a ham]
once we got to the paper store, i browsed around for a bit and hc decided to sit outside on the bench with olive to watch for ‘chicks’. lol. i snapped the cutest pic of them through the store window!!!! i finally decided on some purchases {hc signed for me to hurry up!} and we went on our way home.
[daddy and olive waiting outside for mommy]
oh what a glorious day! we were sooo happy to have spent the morning and afternoon with hc. i love summer! and i love summer days off even more with my two favorite peeps!
i was super excited to find out that oakbrook was hosting movies on the green! i immediately texted my sisters to let them know about it. we agreed on hitting the event on the first night. engaging in this qualified us to check off another fun activity on our summer list!
oakbrook erected a forty foot screen to host this event every wednesday throughout the month of august. the first wednesday was despicable me 2. i sped home to pick up miss olive from mary’s house {my awesome daycare neighbor!}, i had to change clothes myself, get her solids ready, nurse her, pack the stroller, pack her bag, and speed back to oakbrook to meet up with the fam.
we got there just a tad behind the start time and we excitedly walked over to our little picnic spot. my sisters and nephews were already there, we plopped down and joined the fun. i ran over to starbucks to grab a bite to eat and then fed little miss olive her food. kim so kindly took over the act and fed olive the rest of her broccoli, potato, and chicken puree.
[excited for movies on the green!]
[i looove b’s expression towards olive]
[bennett trying to get olive to clap]
[auntie/godmother kim loving o’s cheeks]
during the movie, thuy and i took the boys to macy’s to get them some froyo. being with them is always fun and goofy! they are kids and they are boys and they are so full of energy!
thuy grabbed us some coffee from starbucks and i ordered the boys some yummy frozen yogurt.
[goofing around]
[getting their froyo]
[bennet’s red white and blue star sprinkles]
[reagan’s twist aka swirl]
we came back to our spot and enjoyed the rest of the movie. it was such a beautiful night. so many people were out enjoying a perfect evening together. it was so great to be part of a fun family event at the center. what a great idea!
[movies on the green]
[show’s over!]
once the movie was over, we trekked our way back to our cars. of course we had to make a pit stop at build a bear! reagan picked out a ninja turtle and bennett could not make up his mind! little o started to get grumpy tired, so we said our goodbyes at the store and headed our way home.
it was a great way to spend our evening. i love hanging out with my family and we are super excited oakbrook is hosting such a fun event this entire month! we can’t wait to for movies on the green next week!
it was olive’s first time on a boat {one of our summer to do’s}!!! we were super excited to head up to dick and jane’s house on a beautiful summer day. there was a chance of rain but we crossed our fingers to hold it off…and it worked!
the morning started off very serene. we woke up to miss olive’s cries, after her feeding she chilled in our bed for a bit. i got up to get ready and hc went out to the grocery store with miss olive to pick up some ingredients for our morning breakfast. once he came home, it was time for another feeding. so while i fed olive, hc ran out to starbucks for our usual coffee.
while olive slept, hc whipped up his famous breakfast burrito. yum! we ate, i cleaned, and we waited. and waited. and waited for miss o to get up. she slept for quite a bit {thank goodness, sometimes her naps are so short!}. once the little one was up, we packed up, and left to head up north.
[my favorite]
[my yummy breakfast burrito by hc]
we made a pit stop at a reclaimed wood shop {all american reclaim} to pick out panels to remodel a room in our house. it was a fairly new business {hidden behind a bunch of shops} and we drove in circles for a bit to find it. we finally did locate it, parked, and checked out what they had to offer inside. it was pretty cool. we looked at several colors of wood and settled on a lovely color. it was a perfect blend of tones we wanted in our room. we were very excited it was a batch that just came in. after the boys decided how much we needed, we paid, and then they helped us load it into our car. we are super excited and can’t wait to start this room!
[shopping for reclaimed wood for a home project!]
we finally arrived at gramma and papa’s house! we meeted and greeted with everyone there {papa, jean, and aunt wendy}. jane was at her bridge session, so she was on her way home. olive and daddy checked out the boat before we went out for a ride. it’s a brand new boat and super clean and nice. we were all so very excited to 1. go for a ride 2. that papa bought a new boat! 3. that is was a beautiful afternoon.
[checking out the new boat!]
[getting ready to be captain!]
after we checked out the new digs, grace and annabelle arrived. this was the first time grace got to hang out with both her sisters! they have been together before but only in passing, so today was a fun, special day!
[gracie with her sisters]
[gearing up to go boating]
[nom nom nom, i love my life jacker {not!}
[annabelle loving olive]
we geared up and everyone got on the boat. olive was not loving her life vest. oh noooo. it was bulky and awkward and she wasn’t comfortable in it unless she was standing up. poor thing, it wasn’t coming off so she had to make do!
we were ready to go! hc was captain for the day and off we went. we cruised along the river for miles. just enjoying the scenery, weather, and water. it was very relaxing and olive was enjoying herself. when we first took off though, she was not happy. she was a bit startled and wasn’t sure what was going on. after a few minutes, she settled in and enjoyed the wind blowing through her mane.
[going fast on the river, the wind blowing through her hair!]
[loving life]
[gramma loving olive]
we cruised serenely for miles, it was terrific. the boat was awesome and there weren’t a lot of folks on the river so it was rather calm. when we got on the boat, everyone said olive would fall asleep, all babies do! so we waited, and waited, and waited for o to fall asleep. um, not happening!
hc offered to take her {we probably had been cruising for almost an hour}, we were almost home. she sat merrily on hc’s lap {2nd captain!} and enjoyed the ride. then, being just a few minutes away from home, the little bella finally fell asleep!! it was too precious! she sat in her upright position and zonked out! oh, we were so delighted. it was too adorbs of a moment.
[captain of the boat!]
[the captain fell asleep at the wheel!]
we docked the boat and everyone climbed out. hc and i successfully passed olive over and she remained asleep! a miracle. i walked her up the yard and into the house. she was still asleep in my arms but then a few minutes later, she woke up. we hung out at dick and jane’s for only a few more minutes {enough time to feed her} and then left. we needed to get the little bugger home, bathed, and to bed!
we thanked dick and jane for a wonderful afternoon. it was fantastic to take a boat ride along the river on this lovely day.
sometimes i wonder about the world of motherhood. i think about how it was a world i had no clue about. i was on the other side. i didn’t get it. i looked at people with children and wondered, ‘are they really happy?”. i didn’t know. it didn’t seem like joy, the way my friends complained how they never slept. how their lives where no longer theirs. how they never shopped for themselves anymore {what?!} and spent all their money on their kids. they said they never had time to themselves and it was go, go, go until it was bedtime. i mean, how could that possibly be great?!!
i was a bit scared to have kids. it didn’t sound appealing. i loved me time. a. lot. i enjoyed my hour long showers 😉 . i loved taking forever putting on my make up or doing whatever maintenance i need to do. i liked just spending time with hc and not have a care in the world.
the world was my oyster and i was quite happy in it.
then it happened. yes. i got pregnant.
hc and i, obviously, discussed having kids before we were married. i knew it was going to happen but i was afraid. most people fear the unknown, right?!
from the moment i found out i was pregnant…it was nothing but joy. i loved being pregnant. i loved feeling our little baby girl grow inside my belly. i loved feeling her kick and punch and hiccup inside me. but nothing prepared me for the overwhelming joy and love i would feel when she came into our world. wow. seriously, amaze. you just don’t know until you have kids. literally.
i came over to the flip side. i once had a very wise women tell me that she felt sorry for those who chose to not have children, because it is truly a joy and a beautiful blessing. those who choose to not have children will never know the fulfillment. it can never be explained nor can the emotional satisfaction ever be transferred. you can only experience it to know how utterly amazing it is.
i concur. i am amazed by olive. i love her soooooo much. i love everything about her. i love getting up early to see her cute smile and crazy bed hair. i love spending time with her. i love watching her grow. i love spending my energy on her. i love hugging her. i love hearing her heartbeat. i love her giggles. i love my life, my marriage with olive in it. i don’t want the life i had before because it was not as fulfilling as it is now.
i’ll trade in my alone time for olive time anytime! now, hc and i still need our time…our relationship is just as important! don’t get me wrong now, but this is about olive 😉
i could go on and on about the wonders of having children but you will never really know until you have one of your own. before you do, it’s just all words that bounce around at you, words that don’t really resonate with you until you have your own child and then it’s liiiike, ahhhh, now i understand.
we were playing around the other night and olive kept on smiling for the camera! i couldn’t resist. i snapped and snapped photos of my cute little o. i love all her expressions, each photo captures her wonderful personality.
[drooly babes]
[she can be so serious sometimes]
[she loves to blow on her lips]
[i love it when she sucks in her lips…it’s soooo cute]
isn’t she just the cutest?! oooooohhhhh, how i love her to bits. happy olive day!
it started out as just an olive and me day. we got up together, as usual, well actually i get up before olive does so i am ready to go. she ate, we played, she napped, and i cleaned, blogged, and organized our home. after her nap, i got her dressed and we were about to head out when hc had called me. i missed his phone call and called him back to some startling news.
hc used to work for a company called arrowstream for five years and still has friends who work for the company. the ceo of the company was shot by an employee that morning and the employee then committed suicide. such a crazy, sad incident. hc knew the shooter and of course, the ceo. i have met them both and we are both shocked at what has happened.
hc was on his way home. for a bit, we chilled and talked about what had happened. it’s disturbing, you never ever think something so close to home could happen like this. there is a lot of disbelief and confusion. my heart goes out to both their families.
after we spent some time absorbing what had happened, we decided to head out to enjoy the day. enjoy our life, because a grave moment like this really grounds you and you slow down to really appreciate what is around you.
we stopped in downtown downers grove for a late lunch. we spent a lovely time eating alfresco and all the servers and patrons doted on olive. she is such a cutie! after lunch, we strolled around the streets and hit some shops to pick up some things we needed.
[olive staring at some people coming in]
[summer skin]
[cheers!]
[cheers!]
[this vegetable boxty kicked my ass]
[me and my babes]
we did some more errands and then headed back home to relax. hc did some remodeling duties and olive and i played together. the night rolled by, we did a lot of reflecting, we talked a lot about stuff {our life, our relationship, our commitments}, and we cherished the time we get to spend together as a family.
