hb dear friend

Posted on January 16, 2016 by tandem in love

i love celebrating this beautiful lady’s birthday every year. it’s always a perfect time to get together, after the holiday rush and all.

andrea and i talked on christmas day {i called her to tell her about my pregnancy!} and i asked her about her birthday plans. we exchanged a few thoughts and i told her i would coordinate something for her. it’s her birthday and by no means should she have to worry about plans!

i was besides myself…i literally looked at a dozen restaurants to see if they had any reservations available for a party of ten and one restaurant after another was booked! i a few people told me that boarding house was a great restaurant, so i felt good about it.

it was a super rainy, cold night. hc and i had a great start to the city and had gotten there early, which was great because i needed just a few more items for andrea’s gift! we found an amazing parking spot and traipsed inside to the bar area. hc ordered a drink and i asked for a nonalcoholic beverage and truffle fries. i totally needed something to eat! i was so hungry…story of my life right now.

slowly, everyone trickled in. it was fabulous to see everyone! i might only see these peeps every so often but each time always feels like old times. everyone was nabbing drinks when our entire party finally arrived and they led us to our table upstairs.

[pretty boarding house restaurant]

[the ladies]

[beth and patrik…she’s pregnant too!]

it is such a cool looking restaurant. the interior is mysterious, gorgeous, beautiful, and cozy. we were seated up on the third floor in an almost private dining area. there was another table next to us but no one sat there until way into our dinner reservation, so it was lovely having the room to ourselves for a bit. the space overlooked the second floor of the restaurant, so it was a pretty cool view to be in.

we ordered more drinks, ordered apps, and finally ordered our entrees. i really liked our server; he was polite, attentive, and on point. the timing of the food was good and everything was delicious. i really, really enjoyed my entree of scallops. it was beyond tasty. ever since i have been pregnant, i have been ravenous and it’s not a pretty sight. it’s a bit un-classy and a wee bit of a spectacle how i tend to shove food in my mouth like i haven’t eaten in days. hahaha!

the evening was very relaxing and fun. i was able to catch up a bit with andrea and get in on some of life’s happenings. andrea is such a wonderful lady. a true friend who totally has your back. i am blessed to have her in my life. we were reminiscing over our friendship and how long we have known each other. i told her i could barely remember the time frame of how long it’s been since we first met and it’s something insane, like sixteen years. noooooo way! it absolutely does not feel like it has been that long!!! holy cow!

the evening carried on with more laughter, stories, noshing, and imbibing of tasty drinks. andrea opened her gifts, blew out her birthday candle, and the night slowly faded out.

we had such a grand ol’ time celebrating this beautiful friend. happy birthday to a gorgeous lady inside and out! cheers to an even better year!

[my alcohol free cocktail]

[um, just a little too much flash…everything is bouncing off our skin!]

[happy birthday my beautiful, sweet friend!]

[such a fun group!]

xoxo

blinging in the new year

Posted on January 9, 2016 by tandem in love

it was a whirlwind leading up to nye. i was so excited, relieved, and happy to have told everyone about the pregnancy but still, the nausea and exhaustion plagued me. i had a busy, busy day ahead of me.

i had a dr.’s appointment early in the morning, so i dropped olive off at my parent’s house because i didn’t want to drag her around – how un-fun for her! it was boring talks with counselors, a lot of waiting around, needles, and whole lotta unfunness {i know, i know…that isn’t even a word. hahaha!}. anyhoo, after the appointment, i had to meet my sister’s at the grocery store and pick up all the food and beverages for the party. that took quite some time. then i had to haul my butt over to the party store to pick up the balloons and party supplies, then i had to go to the post office to drop off some packages, then i headed home to unload my entire car {bags and bags of groceries, party supply bags, and two dozen balloons}. it was like a flippin’ clown car.

after i cleared out the car, it was then all about the work inside the house. i had to clean, clean the bathrooms, put away all the groceries, start prepping the area for the party, decorate, and eventually get the apps started. blah! i chugged away at everything as i had one eye glued to the clock to make sure i was on track. it was almost 5 o’clock and i was alllllllmost done! i ran into the bathroom to get ready and my sister kim and bro in law showed up to help! wooooo hoo!

it looked great {i must say so myself}! i had set up the photo booth, decorated the table spread, set up the dessert table, hung all the decor, and assembled all the kid’s favor boxes! my sister finished the apps, i was getting dressed when everyone started to arrive. perfect timing.

it was mainly family with a sprinkling of a few friends. as the night wore on, it got a little bit more crowded and packed with twists, turns, and surprises. my brother and his fiancé were suppose to fly out but their flight was over booked! bad for them but good for us! that meant they were going to ring in the new year with us! first time in who knows when last!

[blinging in the new year!]

[i really wanted the numbers 2016 on sticks but last minute, no one had it available to buy, so i scurried home, hastily cut it out of glitter paper i had at home and voila!]

[kid’s favor boxes: mini party hats, candy, toys, noise makers, poppers, glow sticks, and play money]

[adult’s table: confetti, glasses, hats, noise makers, party crackers]

[photo booth fun]

[huy and tashina]

[me and my baby girl]

[delicous apps]

[looooooove these ladies]

[i will say this until it is done, but don’t mind the kitchen under remodel!]

[these crazy kids]

[looooooooooove ba]

[cousins in plaid]

[lan, avery, and pete]

[cheers!]

[they’re so cute]

[love this family so much!]

[crazy bunch]

[seriously?]

[they discovered our undecorated bay window and it because a stage for them!]

[happy new year! cheers to 2016!]

[happy new year!]

all in all it was awesome! we had great drinks, delicious food, and even better company. it was a very, very good night. i loved seeing old friends, good friends, and clinking our glasses of fizzies with such lovely people at midnight. auld lang syne!

xoxo

bump update

Posted on January 6, 2016 by tandem in love

here we goooooooo!

[photo by huy doan @huyfoto]

how far along? 12 weeks!

weight gain: 10lbs. i think everybody and their mama has heard me gripe about my weight gain. at my eight week appointment, i weighed in 4lbs heavier than i did with olive. uh oh…i am on track to gain 50lbs at this point. bleh! my official weigh in happens later this week and i think i might be crossing the 9lb mark {at least}. eep!

maternity clothes? i am about to cross that border. they weren’t kidding around when they said that being preggers the second time around, everything is bigger. uh huh. everything in my wardrobe is about to pop off my body. i am about to graduate into maternity clothes real soon. i guess wearing my regular work pants at 5+ months prego {the first time} is NOT going to happen this time around. haha!

sleep: sleep sucks. it does. the first pregnancy, i didn’t have a toddler to wake me up, keep me up, or zap alllllll my energy. ever since i have been pregnant, i have had sleep insomnia. it’s very sporadic. it doesn’t happen every night but a few times a week where i will wake up at 4am and can’t fall back asleep until about 6am. ugh. it’s the weirdest combo…i am extremely exhausted {like extremely} but i can’t go to bed early like i did with the first pregnancy. plus, the past several weeks, olive has regressed in her sleep patterns {just a few nights so far}. unfortunately it seems to be on the nights where i can actually fall asleep but then i wake up in the middle of the night to take care of her.

physical state: bloated, tired, exhausted are my new favorite words. i am hungry hungry hungry. not so much hangry but desperately hungry. i think about how big and tired i already feel, what the hell? what will i feel like in 6 months?! holy crap, i am scared.

miss anything? sushi. sushi. sushi. wine, seafood, deli meat…although technically i can nuke the crap out of it {until it’s sterile} and then eat it but who wants to do that?! the dr.’s also recommend that i don’t eat hot dogs and bacon…whaaaaaa?! i have to sneak in bites of the bacon. mmmmmm.

baby movement: none yet…i can’t wait!

food cravings: everything. seriously. i can’t even pack a lunch because i have no idea what i will want to eat in the moment. with olive i loooooooved fruit. everything fruity. i still crave, like, and eat it but with this pregnancy i am all about the savory {insert the weight gain}. i love eating flavorful, full meals.

bump status: uuuhhhhhh, is the bump suppose to look like i am 5 months pregnant? cause i look that way. holy belly. it’s sooooo big already.

gender reveal: soon! let me know what you think! boy, girl? my gut said girl and maybe it’s because i want to have another baby girl but then my feelings changed and now i am utterly confused.

xoxo

christmas eve

Posted on January 4, 2016 by tandem in love

2015

ahhhhhh! it was finally christmas eve and we were so excited! i love the holidays and the joy that comes with it!

like i said in a previous post {now that the cat’s out of the bag!}, I have been sooooooo tired from this pregnancy! writing blog posts, decorating, planning, going out, whatever it was took five times as long having a toddler and being so exhausted every day. there were days where i didn’t want to do anything and that is soooooo unlike me. i am the energizer bunny. i can plow through anything and come out winning like a champ with extra energy to spare. hahaha! throw in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy during the holidays and i was ko’d.

anyhoo, our morning started calm and quiet. hc made a delicious breakfast quiche to start our day out. we just relaxed and completed odds and ends before we headed over to my parent’s house. while the girls slept, i made christmas popcorn and packed them into mason jars for our neighbors and saved the rest to bring over to my parent’s house for our family to munch on.

[hc made a festive christmas breakfast]

[yummy christmas popcorn]

once we arrived at my parent’s house, cooking our christmas eve dinner was in full swing. we hung out with everyone, sporadically helped out with dinner, the kids played, and everyone was just having a great time together. it’s always so fun to have my brother huy around and his fiancé tashina. they are so quirky, fun, and oh so creative. i love their style and the kids love them so much!

my sisters did such a great job setting the table and the kid’s table. it’s always so pretty and festive. once dinner was ready to be served, we all sat down, my dad says a blessing, and we get to manger manger the delicious meal my sister kim cooks! after dinner is when the kids get soooo antsy because they want to open presents! i must say, though, my nephews do ask but they are so patient and understanding. we won’t open presents until we are all done with cleaning up the table, the kitchen, and the dishes are all washed, cleaned, and dried.

of course the kids always go first! r and b are tooo cute when they open up their gifts, we always get hugs and thank you’s. sooooo sweet! each present for olive, we had to get started. someone would tear off a little piece or corner and away she would go. she definitely had fun opening up her gifts! she loved the big stuffed kitty aunt thuy bought her, one of her favorites! she also looooooved b’s roller skates! they were too small for b but olive wanted to put them on and she was amazing in them! she held her balance well, she would jump and land on her feet, and every time she fell, she would say, “whoa whoa whoa!!!!”. it was too stinkin’ cute!

the best part of the evening? being able to tell our mom and dad and famille that i am pregnant! i was sooooo excited, i could hardly wait! after the kids opened up a majority of their gifts, i decided to give my parents our present from us. my dad was the one to open it up. as he did, a big smile crossed his face…seeing what the shirt said. he held up the shirt {a white toddler tee that said big sister in vietnamese} and my sister kim asked, “who gave that to dad?”. i said, “we did! i am PREGNANT!!!!!”. there were gasps and cries of joy! oh i was sooooo happy to tell everyone the news! there were tears and hugs and lots of smiles! it was so awesome to share the news and see the elation on everyone’s faces! little r asked if he could have a boy cousin! hahaha! we will see little one, we will see!

oh what a merry christmas eve it was! it felt fantastic to finally share the joyous news and just let my prego belly hang out! i was soooo tired of hiding it! after we opened up all our gifts, i sliced the buche du noel cake and served the french classic treat to everyone and we just reveled in all the goodness around us. it was quite the blessed evening and we couldn’t wait for christmas day to share the news with hc’s side of the family! hooray!

[my shirt says: santa, i know him! looooove it]

[kids table! how fun!]

[grace and hc]

[buche du noel]

[buffalo check greatness]

[tashina, thuy, and r]

[huy and tashina]

[classic…of course olive is grumpy]

[olive was so afraid of her dada]

[so silly. i love it]

[love these two]

[desserts…fruit and cake!]

[loving my dad’s outfit!]

[she really enjoyed opening presents!]

[she looooooved her stuffed kitty from super aunt thuy]

[she loved bouncing around on the it]

[dad holding up the ‘big sister’ shirt!]

[christmas eve isn’t complete without a pj party pic!]

xoxo

wee christmas

Posted on January 2, 2016 by tandem in love

it was the annual wee christmas party!

hc’s friend’s dave’s mom {got that?! ha!} and dad host a christmas party every year called wee christmas. they have been doing this for decades. ever since i have been dating hc, we’ve attended every party. i love going to this. pat and pete are such warm, welcoming people and i love all of their friends, children, and grandchildren.

their house is always so festive and fun. they literally decorate every room in the house. christmas trees, santa’s, something festive and fun everywhere. it’s like santa’s house inside. there are always lots spirits to go around and tasty apps. i love visiting with everyone and every year, there are always the same faces with some new ones stopping by once in awhile.

olive was not comfortable, as always. she clung to me for dear life, although she did lighten up a lot faster than usual. she was intrigued by all the decorations and kept wanting to point out every santa figurine she saw. so, since she couldn’t point out all the santa’s in my arms, she actually wanted to get down so she get could get a better look at all the fun decor. totally fine by me! although she stayed super close, at least i didn’t have to carry her for a long period of time! phew!

soon, food was served and we ate and mingled some more. i had a great time getting to know a few new faces at the party and catching up with some old acquaintances. right after dinner is served, santa makes his appearance! santa visits every year at the party, reads a story, and hands out fun gifts to the little ones.

it was quite adorable when maggie called for olive to sit in her lap and olive obliged. i tried to snap a good photo but with so many crazy kids, it was hard to get a pic without someone’s arm or face right.in.front.of.my.camera. hahaha! olive was quite content until santa showed up! ohmygawd. total freak out! she immediately burst into tears! she was soooooo scared! even in my arms, she kept crying. she wouldn’t look at him and wasn’t happy until we left the room and she was far, far away from him! ha! no presents for her!

after santa, desserts were served and olive was a happy camper again. she stuffed her face and became a cute sweet babe again. hc and i were having a great time but alas, we had to go because we needed to pick up grace and didn’t want to get out there too late and get home even later.

as usual, we had a fabulous time at wee christmas. we enjoy going every year and look forward to it always. merry merry indeed!

[my love]

[olive loving the ‘munny’]

[she loved the little wooden horse and all the wonderful vintage toys in the basement]

[it was so sweet, maggie called for olive and she came over to sit in her lap. how sweet!]

[here’s santa!]

[she was terribly upset! no santa!]

xoxo

we’re pregnant!!

Posted on January 1, 2016 by tandem in love

happy new year indeed! eep! we are pregnant!!

yesssss! baby heintz is due this year in july! we are over the moon about this! after months and months of nursing olive {almost 20 months}, we have finally gotten pregnant! we are pretty fortunate and lucky to {once the nursing stopped} have gotten pregnant so quickly. as usual, i was a bit nervous it wouldn’t be as easy as it was with olive {i’m no spring chicken} but alas, God has blessed us again. as any parent would, i pray for a healthy baby!

as for wanting a boy or a girl? it’s the current great debate but i secretly {ok, it’s not a secret} want a baby girl. i looooooooove having olive as a daughter and i love the idea of sisters. sisters are the best. it’s such an amazing bond and i’d be quite content if we were to have another girl. now everyone else is saying boy or wants a boy. naturally when you have a girl, peeps always say they want a boy or would prefer to have one of each. of course, having a boy would be fantastic…i pray for healthy always, but i wouldn’t be disappointed at all. don’t get me wrong! before olive, i always wanted a boy but i got pregnant with a girl. i was like, meh…a girl? but look at me now!

a big thank you to my brother who was able to snap a few photos of us for this special occasion. when i was pregnant with olive, we were lucky enough to announce it on mother’s day and this time around, we were so blessed to tell our families on christmas day and officially announce it on new year’s day!

goodbye to 2015 and hello to 2016, already filled with so many blessings! it’s going to be a fabulous year indeed!

[photss: by huy doan huyfoto.com]

xoxo

auld lang syne

Posted on December 31, 2015 by tandem in love

happy new years eve my friends!

oh my goodness. i can’t believe it’s going to be 2016! wow! what a year it has been. so many wonderful memories. so many amazing times with my hc and olive. i am so incredibly blessed to have such amazing friends and family by my side. i am fortunate to love and be loved. life has been good to me, to us, that i will forever see the glass half full.

i am fortunate to spend happy moments with my amazing dad. every second, every minute means so much to me. my mom’s desire to always take care of all of us is such a great gift. i am lucky to have a beautiful daughter and doting husband. i am blessed to have so many wonderful siblings and in laws.

looking back at 2015, it brings a smile to my face to think of all the fabulous things we were able to accomplish, do, and live. i had a blast celebrating my sister’s birthday in l.a. i celebrate the fact that i nursed olive for almost 20 months! i cherish the moments i am able to spend with my dear friends…all the brunches, dinners, and lovely times we have been able to have together. our yearly vacation to vegas with two very cool dudes. my brother getting engaged to a very lovely lady. the many fun moments olive has had with our nephews, and how sweet darling r is to her. i could go on and on about all the marvelous events that happened throughout 2015 but you could just probably scroll the blog and see for yourself. that is the main reason why i started this…to document life’s many great {and sometimes not so great} happenings.

well, my lovies, cheers to a phenomenal 2016. we wish y’all a blessed, prosperous, healthy, happy new year!! cin cin!

xoxo

family birthday dinner

Posted on December 30, 2015 by tandem in love

the birthday celebration continues!

hc coordinated a dinner with my family the day after my birthday at j. alexander’s in oakbrook. after my wonderful surprise party the night before, it was awesome to celebrate the occasion with my family.

it was quite the chilly evening. i arrived at the restaurant first, which was great, because i could relax and mindlessly be on my phone to catch up on insta and such. hc, grace, and olive arrived, followed by my sister kim and famille. we were waiting for my sister thuy, mom, and dad to get there before they would seat us.

the table arrangement in the restaurant didn’t allow for a large party, so they sat us at two separate tables, which was fine because the kids got to sit all together and be them crazy selves.

we ordered apps and perused the menu…i was totally feeling crab cakes. like big time but i received the most disappointing news of the evening – they were out of crab cakes! whaaaaaaa?! i was devastated. i had no idea what i should order in lieu of it. ya know when you totally have your mind set on an entree and that’s all you want? well, i was stuck, so i ordered their vege burger because i couldn’t figure it out {in a total rush, she was already taking everyone’s order!}. ugh. mistake.

my vege burger was sub par. soooooo not what i wanted. the server felt so bad because it was my birthday and they didn’t have what i wanted, so she comped my meal and drink. that was very nice of them but regardless, my birthday meal was bleh. i was so disappointed that i had order that mundane wannabe burger! ha!

but no matter. what was really important was the fact that i was celebrating with my family and the kiddos were having a great time sitting together and being silly. overall, i really enjoyed our apps, our convos, and our time together.

it was a fabulous birthday dinner with my famille and a perfect way to top of my birthday celebrations! hooray!

[the crew]

[not what i envisioned as my birthday meal]

[yup, this pic pretty much describes them]

xoxo

surprise!

Posted on December 29, 2015 by tandem in love

it was my birthday and it was a very good relaxing day. we spent the afternoon in the city, enjoying the festive surroundings and the slow easy day we had in store for us. after our afternoon jaunts, we headed back home for quiet evening in. the car ride was filled with lots of traffic and we were quite tired from the long commute.

as we were pulling into the driveway, i told hc to grab olive and bring her in and i would grab the bags in the car. as i walked towards our front door, i noticed all the lights still off. odd. i thought why didn’t hc turn on any lights? i then saw a little baby sitting on our mat. wtf. i was a bit freaked out. i stared intently at this babe. it wasn’t olive…i was sure but whaaaaaat? i was so confused. i didn’t recognize the baby and why was there a baby sitting at our front door?!!!!!! i slowly called out, “helloooooooo?” as i walked closer to the door. once i was inside, my bestie carol jumped out from the side and yelled, “surprise!”. omg. i was bewildered. what was going on? i was still so confused! i walked inside and our neighbor caitlin was in our kitchen prepping food. carol’s kids were crawling out from odd places…

my hubby is the best. he planned a small surprise party for me! i was soooo shocked! carol just flew into town the night before, so hc invited some of our close friends over for a catered dinner. he is so sweet and thoughtful. he really did pull one over me! i was over the moon at his efforts. i loved hearing all the fun details after the party on how he was able to pull everything together. when he ordered the food, who he talked to, how he hired caitlin to be our kitchen help for the evening. it was all soooo very sweet!

we had a fabulous time hanging out with everyone. we nibbled on food, caught up on life, and ran after our babes. it was so much fun. i had a very good time & my heart was so full!

thank you so much my darling hubby charming for always being the best partner, for always being so loving, thoughtful, caring, and oh so sweet. i love you!

[liam, jaime, carol, and me]

[my favorite macarons]

[liam, travis, and olive]

[hor d’oeuvres]

[caitlin – the super helper]

[cute little shelby]

[pam and j]

[ready to blow out the candles]

[they are silly]

xoxo

christmas brunch

Posted on December 28, 2015 by tandem in love

hc, olive, and i had a wonderful, casual afternoon hanging out in the city. it was my birthday and we hit the city to enjoy an afternoon of festive fun. brunch was at my favorite place, southport grocery! yummmm!

it was bustling inside but not too crazy packed like it usually is…it’s probably because we were a bit past lunchtime, so it was perfectly busy. we sat in a corner and throughly enjoyed our time together. i ordered my usual, the southern and as usual it was deeeeeelicious. i stuffed myself silly, rich enjoyed his spiked beverage and meal, and olive had a blast drawing. she loves to create fabulous works of art!

after we noshed on our yummy meals, i perused the shelves of the grocery store to see what items i wanted to buy to put in our gift baskets for our neighbors. did we want to create a dinner theme? a breakfast theme? a dessert theme? we went with the breakfast theme. breakfast is my most favorite meal of the day! i could eat breakfast all day! so, we picked out a yummy pancake mix, maple syrup, a peach spread, christmas sprinkles, and holiday cookies to top it off! it was all so cute! they do such a great job packaging it all up.

all while i was getting the gift baskets together, hc was chasing olive down and feeding her. she was so into her drawings earlier, she wouldn’t eat any of her food but once she was done, hc got her to eat most of her meal while she ran around the store. eep! she’s a funny one.

after brunch and basket making, we traipsed around southport and shopped a bit for gifts and christmas goodies. it was such a wonderful, beautiful afternoon. we had a great time together…it was a very joyous, eventful day. we were elated from an appointment we had earlier in the day and we were on cloud nine, thankful for all the blessings we have in our lives. thank God for the wondrous gifts that he brings.

[olive checking out the kids menu]

[selfie]

[such a silly babe]

[she’s very good at ‘cheers!’]

[soooooo yummy]

[perusing]

[she’s soooooo silly]

xoxo