anniversary fare

Posted on September 17, 2015 by tandem in love

it was our fourth anniversary and we wanted to do something fun and special. hc had made reservations for us at the girl and the goat. we were so excited! i have eaten there before but it was a long time ago and could not wait to go again.

as we drove in closer to the where the restaurant is located, halsted was bustling. it was packed and patrons were spilling out of all the establishments down the street. i love that about the city. it’s always so busy and interesting. hc valet’d the car and we traipsed inside the restaurant, ready to eat!

it was jam packed inside, people in the waiting area, people at the bar, and every seat taken inside the restaurant. we checked in and the hostess told us we had the best seat in the house. ooooohhhhh! how intriguing. they led us towards the kitchen and there was a lone table right on the kitchen counter! it was so cute. it was off to the side, we were not sitting next to anyone, and it was soooo cool to watch the cooks in the kitchen churn out delicious dish after delicious dish.

[our amazing table! we were secluded, right by the kitchen, and had the best view!]

[the very cool bar]

our server was gary. he was laid back, helpful, and fantastic at what he does. we were ready to indulge. we started off with tasty libations {cab for me and some sort of hard liquor for hc} and small bites. the bread and oysters were delicious. a perfect beginning to our meal. everything was soooo savory.

we ordered the cauliflower, beet salad, hamachi, scallops, and the crisp braised pork shank…all small bites that packed a flavorful punch. all the plates were so yummy! we were served one plate after another and our bellies started to get so full! a few glasses of wine later, we were giddy, happy, and having a blast.

i really enjoyed my evening out with my hubby charming. it was so fun to talk, spend this time together, and just catch up. every day life can be so monotonous and you tend to find yourselves talking about the same things over and over again. it’s always so refreshing to just talk, one on one, about fun stuff, ask questions we never ask, and discover something new about your partner.

[cheers to four years!]

[i really love the goat character everywhere]

[our table at the kitchen…the only table like that in the restaurant!]

[rye // zucchini tzatziki. pickled corn relish]

[food spam]

[soooooo good // bacon sprinkled oysters]

[not without a selfie]

[hamachi crudo // crisp pork belly. chili aioli. caperberries]

[these were sooooo good]

the night was too short but after three hours of eating and drinking {eep!}, we were ready to go! we sadly left the restaurant but we were very excited to come home to our wide awake daughter. we absolutely loved our time out but nothing is sweeter than coming home to your precious, smiling babe.

xoxo

august snapshots

Posted on September 14, 2015 by tandem in love

ok, that just flew by and passed me up. i was sitting at home, thoughts passing through my head when i realized that i didn’t even think about doing an august recap! not one snippet of thought. i am usually preplanning, pre-thinking, pre-doing anything to get ahead and be prepared. it’s in my nature. then all of sudden – bam! it’s mid-september and i was like whaaaaaaa??!!

it had birthday{s}, parties, fun, family time, lunches, brunches, and vegas baby! it was the first month of the summer were it didn’t rain every.day. ok, it rained sometimes but our summer was seriously plagued by constant rain! it was consistently warm and mostly sunny…a recipe for success.

we were so excited to have gone to vegas. we love going every year and this year was no different. we always have the best time vacationing with our dear friends matt and johann. we love the heat, the shopping, and the pool time the m o s t!

[don’t let this pic fool you! every time is said “bedtime”, she would turn her head to the side and pretend she was sleeping. as if that would delay me putting her down. haha!]

[hi baby olive]

[c’mere my cute baby]

[chicago beer]

[pout, pout, pout away little one!]

[pool time!]

[dana and scott’s engagement party]

[always on the go]

[sweet face]

[such a cool babe]

[so happy]

[wedding shenanigans]

[happy birthday b!]

[black and white]

[happy birthday kim!]

[mmmmmm chocolate]

[vegas!]

[big foot]

[playtime]

[cousin love]

[cubs themed birthday party!]

well that was our august in rewind. we had the best time this past month. i really do love my life. i say that because i count our blessings every day. i am grateful for our health. i am grateful for my family. i am grateful for God. i am grateful for my hc. i am grateful for our precious little olive. the simple things in life are truly the best.

cheers to a fabulous september!

xoxo

happy 4th anniversary

Posted on September 10, 2015 by tandem in love

best day everrrrrrr!

so here we are…celebrating our fourth anniversary! wow, i can’t believe it’s been four years since we were married. here it goes, my broken record recollection to this day. i will say it over and over again, it was the.best.day.ever!!! i loooooooved our wedding day, our wedding weekend. it was so amazing.

hc and i had the best time celebrating with our friends and family. our rehearsal dinner, our wedding day, our day after brunch was so perfect. you dream of your wedding day and imagine what it will be but to live it and it was really a dream come true is phenomenal.

our day started out beautiful {despite the night before with a forecast of rain all day!}…the weather app is a bride to be’s best friend. i was a bit nervous because if it really was going to rain on our wedding day, that nixed soooooo many things. our pictures outside, our venue’s outdoor space, etc. rain can literally put a damper on anything! alas, it was a beautiful sunny day and the weatherman said sunshine and even temps all day long! woo hoo!

the whole day started out amazing. it led to one fabulous moment after another. all the work, all the planning, all the diy i did for the wedding fell into place and i couldn’t have been happier.

our marriage has been a lot of give and take. especially since olive has been born. being strong, understanding, respectful, loving, humorous, selfless, vulnerable are some of the elements of a successful marriage. do we succeed? sometimes. but that is where the commitment comes into play. i am committed to being there for him, to doing my damnedest to be a good partner, because sometimes i fail {but try try again}. i am committed to always putting us and our family first. i am committed to our marriage. you have to want to be married to be able to make it work. he’s my best friend and there is nothing better than that.

[laying eyes on my groom]

{all photos and 8mm film by kate headley}

happy four years of marriage to my amazing, wonderful, kind, loving, patient husband! i love you soooooo very much. i am blessed & grateful to have you as my partner. cheers to many, many, many more years of happiness!

xoxo

momfessions

Posted on September 8, 2015 by tandem in love

most of the time, olive and i are just simply hanging out. one thing with this kiddo is that she definitely needs one on one attention. sometimes it’s really hard, sometimes it’s really easy…honestly, it just depends on what i have going on.

i, as usual, take on too much all the time. i never, naturally, can never sit still…so the more i do, the better it feels for me. i don’t mind alway being on the go and sitting still to relax is hard for me to do. the only time i ever just sat around was when i was pregnant. i had no energy or motivation to get up to do anything. it was such an anomaly. everyday i would sit on the couch and watch t.v. something i never, ever do!

well, trying to get stuff done with a kid {as any parent would understand and know} is such a feat! i do my best to accomplish stuff while olive is napping or late at night when she goes down to bed {this is where i lose sleep and it’s a tough thing to swallow. i believe good sleep = good health and i am losing this battle!}. it’s hard though, because i can’t get everything done within a few hours in a day.

that’s where i struggle. i am thankful for hc because we will share olive and take turns doting on her, depending on what each of us has on our agenda. when i am with her, she wants all my attention and i want to give it to her. there are little blimps within our day, when she will be totally focused on her toys {her play corner in the living room} and i will take advantage of that and scurry around, getting stuff done in the house.

what cracks me up are kids concept of time {or lack thereof}. olive might be by herself for 10 minutes and she will have a freak out {she probably thinks she had been alone for ages} and will come find me, nervous that she was alone. i always chuckle at this because it’s so cute.

i don’t like turning on the t.v., either, to distract her. she is now at an age where she completely zones in and becomes obsessed with the telly, so that is something we put on late at night, maybe right before bedtime so she can just chill out.

i do believe in quality time with her than quantity. like, when we are together…i try really hard not to have my cell phone or computer going. i want to give her my attention when we are together versus having my head buried in technology and social media. although, it’s hard at times when i’m on the computer {blogging, etc.} and hc is chilling with her, she will come over to have me come play with her {in which case, i can’t say no!}.

i’ve come to terms on what i can or cannot do around her. it was hard at first, because it was about finding my balance and managing my time. when i can do something, when i can’t, and when was i going to get something done! when she was a wee one, it was easy to do anything because she was stationary. now that she is mobile and interactive, the whole game plan has changed. i had to pick and choose my battles but honestly, i haven’t lost one yet. 😉

yes, peeps, the struggle is real. i’ve learned to run like a well oiled machine despite the obstacles and challenges i’ve faced at being a first time mom who’s a bit of an overachiever. hahaha! this baby girl keeps me on my toes! sometimes i want to lock myself in a closet {yes, and i want no one to find me} and sometimes i want to just sit still for a moment and not be bothered {all deep wishes here} but the joys of parenthood does not allow that. i love, love my time with olive, every second {well maybe not the tantrums} and i’ve come to terms on how to manage it. although there are days i want to rip my hair out.

in the end, the struggle, the madness, the craziness, the insanity, is overshadowed by the love, the giggles, the hugs, the kisses, and the amazing child named olive. oh how i love her so.

xoxo

a lovely hello

Posted on September 4, 2015 by tandem in love

i always enjoy my time with olivia. i must say that i am blessed in life to know such good people. but they always say, surround yourself with people who are positive, people who support you, people who love you. so, we did.

the day started out hot and humid. i honestly didn’t mind it, only because it had been so cool the days prior and i definitely don’t want summer weather to end just yet. i love the sun on my legs and being able to enjoy being outside and it’s not chilly or freezing {yet}. we have plenty of time for that kind of weather! so, welcome warm weather, welcome back after a week of hiatus!

i picked up miss olivia and she suggested going to tokio pub, a japanese restaurant. i was sold. i love japenese food! it was quiet and cool inside. there weren’t too many patrons and olive was being cute and shy. she had definitely reached an age where she gets super silly and wild. like any toddler. she’s become loud, crazy, and rambunctious. but in typical olive fashion, she becomes quiet and shy with anyone she’s not totally familiar with. so she was being a bit sheepish with miss olivia but took right away to the crayons and doodle sheet the server brought by!

[crayanles won’t roll off the table. hahaha]

[my sweetheart getting creative]

we perused the menu and both wanted some udon soup. yes, it’s blazing hot outside and we order a hot, big, hearty bowl of soup. hehehe. our food was served and it was delicious. olive enjoyed her chicken fingers and fries. i was quite surprised by this little cute. she didn’t really want any of her fries. whaaaaaa? was this my daughter?! she was so into eating the chicken fingers! that was totally fine by me!

olivia and i had a great time catching up. i love hanging out with her and she loves hanging out with olive! after a long lunch, it was time for her to get back and i was a bit sad. i’ve said it many times before but hours and hours can pass hanging out with her and feels like a blink of an eye!

[pretty cool decor]

it was fantastic hanging out with olivia on this beautiful summer day. happy friyay everyone! muwah!

xoxo

hb ma soeur!

Posted on September 3, 2015 by tandem in love

it was a saturday night and we had a great reason to celebrate: it was kim’s birthday! yay! we celebrated ma soeur’s day with a small, intimate dinner at capri, a restaurant in burr ridge.

it was a muggy, warm night {a bit rainy}. we all met up in the front of the restaurant and traipsed our way inside. holy cow. it was J A M M E D packed inside. the waiting area was quite small and there were way too many peeps waiting inside. we were elbow to elbow and i feel bad when there are tables right next to the waiting area…i feel like i am encroaching on their dinner and conversations, standing right next to them! and if it were me, i would be completely unsatisfied with a table like that. who wants to sit rightnext to the bar/waiting area??

anyhoo, they were completely behind. they didn’t seat us until about a half hour past our reservation time {which is annoying when you make reservations}. everything that ensued after that was just comic disbelief! they squeezed us into a corner of the restaurant. we were kind of packed in like sardines {and the floor was slippery…too much olive oil going around?!} and poor terry had to get up every time someone walked our way to use the water closet. like every.time. he was in a corner where it was really tight and the bathroom was behind him. ugh! unpleasant. then my brother, dan, asked us to scoot down to make room. what?! we were already in a tight situation but we found out that the roof was leaking! it was dripping on my poor husband! splat! splat! splat! right onto his menu, flicking water onto him like chinese water torture! bahahaha! really?!

slowly but surely, things started to get better {how could it not after that beginning?!}. we were served complimentary apps and finally got our bottles of wine…wine solves most things, right?!

[with the guest of honor!]

[helen and thuy]

[the ladies]

[the gents]

we were served our food and the conversation flowed. the best part about life…friends, family, food, and wine. i talked quite a bit with helen {kim’s good friend} and had the best time conversing about kids, life, people. she is such a sweet lady! her, her husband, and kids are such good people. very funny, down to earth, and lovely.

our funny of the night? well let me preface this story with the fact that terry and hc are great friends. super close buddies. thank goodness that worked out right? my sister marries a guy, i marry a guy and these guys become besties. we couldn’t have picked better partners for ourselves or them for each other. total bromance blooming from the start. anyhoo, what happens next totally speaks to this. our food was served and we all looked down and busted out laughing! hc had ordered balls and terry had ordered a sausage…perfectly paired together and absolutely fitting. hahahaha!

[rich’s balls and terry’s sausage…the bromance continues]

[mmmm, olives…we love olive]

[linguine carbonara]

[happy birthday!!!]

after eating, drinking, and stuffing ourselves silly…dessert was served! we sang happy birthday to our dear sister with a lit cannoli. no other way but the italian way! we all ordered coffee and other desserts to top off our evening. in the end, it was a great time. you just can’t go wrong when you hang out with good peeps. it’s always a recipe for a great time!

happy birthday kim! we love you to bits!

xoxo

b’s birthday

Posted on August 27, 2015 by tandem in love

the morning we came home from vegas, we went right into hosting a birthday party for my nephew bennett! yes, it was a very last minute decision…my sister wasn’t expecting to throw a party for him {we usually just gather together for a dinner out} but b asked and he received.

i needed to grab a few things for b’s party, so i headed out with olive while hc mowed the lawn. as soon as i arrived home, peeps were already over setting up the place for the party. we started prepping and decorating…it was so impromptu, so there wasn’t a ton to do…easy peasy!

i was dreading putting olive down because her cousins were already over and she always wants to play and not miss out on anything. it was very comical the way miss olive reacted when i told her it was nap time. she first stared me down. she literally paused what she was doing and did the stare down. then she slammed her fist onto the table and said no. then she put her head down onto her arm, onto the table and wept. “wah wah wah, hmph, nooooooooo” is what she kept saying. then, i picked her up to change her diaper and i kept saying bedtime, and she responded with an insistent, “i don’t want toooooo, i don’t want tooooooo”. oh, it was hilarious. i put her into her crib, she turned to her side and fell asleep. what an actress!!!!!

[b wanted a chicago cubs themed birthday party]

[thuy’s hand painted tank! how cool is this?!}

[gathering gifts for the birthday boy]

slowly all the guests trickled in. it was a very small, intimate party. just family. we all hung out, snacked on some goodies, chit chatted, and enjoyed each other’s company.

we grilled, we set up the ‘buffet’, ate a delicious meal inside {it was way hot and so much cooler in the house, so we set up a long table to dine on}, and we slowly trickled back out so the kids could play. we pulled out the little kiddie pool that jane had bought for olive and the kids went crazy over it. it’s always fun to play with water, non?!

of course, what is a party without a piñata?! and let me tell you about this piñata…it was a tough little sucker. the kids {without a blindfold} beat it and beat it and beat it and it would not break! it started to fall apart but it would not split in half or break open completely. we finally had to call it quits and the kids dove in for the candy. it was like the bionic piñata!

after the piñata, we sang happy birthday to b and served the yummy cake. i love cake. i love cake with whipped cream frosting. that is my favorite. buttercream is another. i love it to be sweet, light, and airy. i must say, cakes at mariano’s market are deeeeeeelish.

[our first guests: pete and lan]

[avery and kim, serving delicious apps]

[ready for the piñata]

[swing batter batter batter swing!]

[go reagan!]

[make a wish!]

[represen’ing! go cubs!]

[ready to open presents]

[sponge bob madness!]

at the very end of the day and waaaayyyy after the party ‘ended’. b opened up his gifts and was a super happy camper! he loved his presents and we loved seeing his happy face. it was a fantastic day. although hc and i were spent from our overnight travel, nothing feels better than having your family over and seeing your little nephew happy to have celebrated his birthday. it was a good one b! happy day to you, always.

xoxo

las vegas part deux

Posted on August 26, 2015 by tandem in love

on our third day in vegas, we started it out the right way again…c a b a n a time! woo! we started early {again} and this time around we ended our pool time a bit later than the day prior. our first day at the cabana, it actually rained. like hard. everyone was in awe because it never rains in vegas and if it does, it only lasts for a few minutes. but the rain that happened the day prior was fierce. it thundered, there was lightening, and it rained very heavily where they were posting flash flood warnings! thank goodness we had already clocked in some major pool time before it rained but it did cut it short by an hour or two.

our second day at the pool, it did rain again but it was very short lived and we were back out in the pool partying it up within no time! after spending 7-8 hours in the pool…yes you read that correctly…we spend that much time out in the sun drinking, eating, and ‘swimming’, we all went back to our rooms to get ready for the evening.

this time around, we were heading out to old vegas {aka fremont st.} for some sushi and amusement. we met up with matt and johann, grabbed a cab to our destination of choice and didn’t fear for our lives like we did the day before with our crazy reckless cabbie driver!

[strawberry lemon vodka lemonade!]

when we arrived, it was quickly apparent that old vegas was double the craziness of the strip. our eyes were getting whip lash from all the {discreet} gawking and weirdness swirling all around us. we slowly walked our way to the sushi restaurant and we were 100% entertained along the way. we finally made it to the restaurant {super cute and quaint place} and we were seated right away {we had reservations and we were early but it was not a problem…thank goodness because panda – aka johann – was hungry!}!

[old vegas & sushi]

[ready to manger manger!]

[fremont street has gotten crazier!]

[people peddling for money]

[bright lights, lots of people, and pure craziness]

[need i say more?]

[the man in the diaper scared the crap out of hc, rightfully so and said. hahaha]

after we ate, we walked along freemont street again. it was so overwhelming and honestly, quite sad. so many ‘street’ acts were going on, waaaaaayyyyy too many children up too late and viewing a lot of nuttiness, it all really made my heart heavy. it was gritty, real, and definitely a world i am not often exposed to {i really don’t view myself as a sheltered person either}. but it was heartbreaking to see so many people doing what ever they could to make a buck and it was just a wee bit disturbing to me. after we spent some time in old vegas, we headed back to our hotel area and got ourselves some gelato and called it a night!

***

the next day, we were meeting liz, josh, and family at mon ami on the strip for brunch. before we met up, we stopped at giada for a drink! it was delicious. i had a prosecco sangria that was super yummy! we enjoyed the ambiance, decor, and the movie they were playing on the telly! i was totally sucked in…it was subtitled and fabulous. the movie was called nights of cabiria and i was in love.

after a few drinks at the bar, we headed out to mon ami for brunch and we were all on time! woo hoo! we were seated on the patio and got down to business with our order. i claimed the diy bloody mary bar, matt ordered a ginormous st. germain drink, and we ordered a bunch of apps to start with. it was fun and yummy. we had a great time with everyone as usual. you can’t beat eating, drinking, and amusing conversations.

[cheers! prosecco sangria…yum!]

[matt’s tall drink of choice]

[little brienne]

[their lovely alfresco dining area]

[lovely liz and her beautiful babe]

[delicious scallops]

[love these two]

after brunch, we all trekked back to liz and josh’s cars to head on out. one car went back to their house and the other car {us} went to a mall so josh could pick up stella’s birthday gift. while josh did that, we stopped by the yard house for {you guessed it!} another drink. heyyyyy, it’s vegas!

[the yard house]

[s’mores…you just can’t go wrong]

[liz and josh’s pool]

[stella, liz, josh, hc, matt, johann, and cheri]

we all then headed back to liz and josh’s house and ended up staying there the entire afternoon and evening until it was time for us to leave. liz cooked us dinner {tacos}, the boys hit the pool and drank whiskey, i hung out with the ladies, and in the end, we were all outside by the pool enjoying the warm evening.

it was another fabulous trip to vegas. hc and i had the best time hanging out with matt & johann. we love vacationing with them! we also loved that my brother and tashina were able to join us and we always love seeing liz and josh {notice the love theme here?!}. every single one of them are great people and we are so lucky to have them in our lives. we are so blessed!

xoxo

vegas part un

Posted on August 25, 2015 by tandem in love

so, i couldn’t squeeze our vegas trip onto one post. it would have been waaaayyyyy too long! i think a two part story is just perfect. i must also say that i have been so behind on my posts. always too much to do with very little time!

we were so excited about our trip. we were looking forward to getting away and relaxing for a few days. it had been a bit since hc and i have had some time to ourselves {besides the random date nights – in which we need to get better at that too!}.

i’ll leave out the details but our flight there had a {not so great} layover so we spent our time at the bar {who doesn’t?!}, had a few cocktails and eats before we boarded our plane destined for sin city! during this time, i learned, from hc, how to properly order a ‘philly cheese’ steak sandwich and also they don’t call ’em philly cheese steaks either! you learn something new each day!

[just me and my louis]

[our view for a few hours]

[wiz with]

[cheers to layovers!]

[here we go!]

once we arrived in vegas, it was a series of events that started our fabulous get away off on the wrong foot! first, our or i should say my luggage took forever to show up! after waiting quite a bit to retrieve it, we finally got a cab to the hotel. our check in was smooth but once we walked into our hotel room, it totally stunk like smoke! ugh. just awful! hc called downstairs to complain but he didn’t get any real answers and no real solve for the problem.

they sent a gentleman up from housekeeping and all he did was empty out an aerosol can of scented spray into our room which made it worse {i couldn’t even breathe}!!! argh, i was fed up! that was it…i walked downstairs and inquired about why we couldn’t switch our room! after a long exchange of words, we didn’t get our room exchange {due to the nature of the rental} but we did get a credit!

hc and i finally settled in after a very long day and woke up to a beautiful, sunny, warm fabulous day! we had rented a cabana {something we do every time!} and we were ready to soak in the very bright sun and consume many delicious libations!

hc secured the cabana and johann was already down there by the time i had gotten ready and joined them. as i was relaxing, johann and hc went upstairs to get matt to join us and the party ensued! after a few hours, huy and tashina finally joined us! the last several years we have visited vegas, huy has been able to join us…we are lucky he’s so close! just a few hours of driving from l.a. and bam! you’re in vegas!

[my bro and his fiancé, tashina]

[delicious lobster eggs benedict]

[we loooooove our cabana time!]

[goofing around…poor matt got splashed by huy]

after hanging out at the pool all day, some dark clouds rolled in and we decided to call it quits at the pool. we traipsed our way back to our hotel room and got ready to head out for the evening. we cruised around the hotels to get to caesar’s forum shops {my favorite place to shop while in vegas} to pick up a few things for matt.

our final destination that evening was at the pamplemousse restaurant right off the strip. it’s a quirky, mysterious, dated french eatery that matt’s sister, liz, recommended. our cab ride there was the most obscene ride i have ever taken! like ever! we clung on for our dear lives! the cab driver sped down the boulevard as if he was in the indy 500 and blew e v e r y red light he hit. i don’t mean a light that had just turned yellow to red but a full blown red light! i think he went through four in a row and then as we neared the restaurant, he realized it was on the left side and proceeded to stop in the middle of the three lane street {mind you, without a signal on to notify the other drivers we needed to turn} as cars flew by us! oh em gee. we, obvs, made it there unscathed by the care of God.

[hanging at the grand gardens in bellagio]

[love these two]

[we looove starbucks! a chic looking starbucks in caesar’s forum]

pamplemousse was vintage, chic, and it felt like we were straight out of a movie. keifer, our server was a riot. pure delight. he totally made our evening, our meal. his personality was quirky and amusing. he told us the history of the restaurant, we played vegas trivia with him, and he was absolutely sweet and kind. we ordered the five course meal and every morsel was delicious. keifer insisted that we ordered the belgium chocolat mousse…he said it is made in true french style! oh, it was absolutely fabulous. perfect and sweet.

[getting ready to dine at pamplemousse]

[cutest couples ever]

[best crudites presentation]

[palette cleanser // sorbet with champagne]

[dining with the best: hc, liz, and josh]

[seriously. to die for decor in this place. vintage, funky, quirky, so vegas]

[pure french chocolate mousse // divine]

we loved, loved our experience at pamplemousse. it was entertaining, fun, delicious, and grande. we had the best time hanging out with the group and laughing with our fun server, keifer. i love exploring and reveling in such fun vegas finds!

xoxo

brooklyn

Posted on August 21, 2015 by tandem in love

oh, sweet baby. yes, she was adorable, darling, and oh so tiny!!

beautiful brooklyn is an absolute doll. we were so elated to have finally met her. we arrived at their house, walked in, and we were greeted right away by bruster, kim, and brady. after hugs and hello, i immediately asked where the little babes was. kim directed me to the bouncy in the living room and i was in love. she was so tiny, fragile, and sweet.

i was a little nervous about holding her only because within the last six months, olive has been so crazy upset with me holding any of my friend’s baby! so, there i was, ready to hold the precious little bundle and side eyeing olive at the same time. i picked up little brooklyn in my arms and olive didn’t blink an eye. she continued on, i think she was more excited at all the toys in their house! sweet! i could finally hold a baby! hallelujah!

[she walked in like she owned the place]

[sweet little brooklyn]

[holding little brooklyn]

kim and i caught up on life’s latest happenings. i love hanging out with this gal. from the moment we met, we have always had something to gab about. seriously. we can talk and talk and talk. it must be my friend qualification, a prerequisite. hahaha! if you can blab from one subject to the next, you are destined to be my friend!

around noon, we prepared the kids lunch and ordered ours. olive and brady ate together and then kim and i had our lunch. i must say, these kids were cracking me up. it is so amusing to watch them together. brady and his wild ways and olive and her stoic actions. after an hour or so, they finally were meshing together! that is when all the cuteness ensued! it was so fun to see them in action and how they vibe off of one another. olive became more animated and loud and brady become a little bit more subdued and more open to olive. kim and i had the best time watching them interact.

after several hours of hanging out {we only parted ways because it was nap time for both our kids}, we packed ourselves up to go. i was sad to leave. we greatly enjoyed our time with them and their newest addition, beautiful brooklyn.