she came to chicago to run a race and we planned on a date to meet up. we texted back and forth on a place to eat, where to hang, and what time we were going to get together. we finally settled on a day!
neidre decided for all of us to meet at cumin, an indian restaurant in wicker park. perfect! first off, it’s our old hood {sigh} and we actually had never eaten here, living there for years. so we were excited to try it out.
we got there in a snap, found an amazing parking spot, and strolled our way to the restaurant. there was quite a wait, so we sat at the bar and ordered drinks. i got this mango concoction that was delish!! it was a perfect blend of sweetness and not too overpowering with the alcohol taste. the type of libation that can get you in trouble!
[i miss the city!]
[cheers!]
we sipped our cocktails and waited for neidre and friends to arrive. after ten minutes or so, neidre and liwani showed up! we were so happy to see them. neidre lives in florida and we were fortunate to be able to see her this past holiday in march! so, the fact that she was in chicago, there was no way we were going to miss her!
neidre also invited her friend jim, he arrive shortly after them and the party really began! we engrossed ourselves in some amazing conversations, tasty bites, and cocktails.
[me and my lady neidre]
[neidre and jim]
i ordered some apps for us {i love hanging out with a group of peeps who have no limitations on tastes, spice, or flavors!!!} and then we all decided on our entrees and placed our order. the service there was fantastic…the entire staff was so accommodating, friendly, and attentive. i love mom and pop type of places, it encompasses all good things when it comes to service, food, and ambiance.
[appetizers: chicken momo and chicken chilli]
[liwani and neidre]
[vegetable tandoori]
[garlic naan]
we ate, drank, and truly, truly enjoyed the company around us. we shut the place down! we were the last to leave and leave we did not want! we headed outside {the temperature and weather were perfect} and proceeded to walk the streets of wicker park.
hc and i arrived at our car and we said our goodbyes. we had to get home to relieve the babysitter {our fabulous neighbor, sarah}.
[we love you neidre!]
on our way back home, we sidetracked to our old apartment and said hello to our old neighbors there! it was fantastic to see matt, maggie, jeremy, his wife, and our former second floor neighbor, stacey! they invited us upstairs to check out our old apartment. that was pretty cool to see. after a half hour or so, we went on our merry way. this time to really get home to let the babysitter go!
it was a whole combination of delightful things this evening. seeing our great friend neidre, meeting new friends, connecting with our old city neighbors, and sarah having a great first time babysitting little miss olive!
i was awaiting for miss olive to awake so we could head out to brunch. i am unfamiliar with the restaurants around the ‘burbs. we had so many favorites in the city {oh, my lovely city} and it was always so easy to pick a place! so, these moments are a lot of trial and error; picking a place, rating it, and moving on to the next.
the restaurant of choice? labriola bakery and cafe. it was quite busy when we got there. grace and i perused the menu while we waited for kt and karen. it is a place where you preorder and then sit down. grace and i drooled over the bakery displays. we wanted one of everything! after a few minutes, katie and kar finally showed up. we squealed and gave lots of hugs. we excitedly gabbed and kt and kar were just loving olive. o started fussing a bit, so i pulled her out of her car seat and karen went nutty over her!
[kt, o, and kar]
[oh em gee…s’mores cupcakes]
[*drool* i want one of each please]
[macarons + delicious buttery cookies]
we ordered our entrees, i got the california turkey on multigrain and grace got a bowl of chicken noodle soup and mashed potatoes. we went and found ourselves a table and waited for karen and kt to finish their order. it was a little awkward because it was busy so they weren’t clearing the tables right away. so, we nabbed a table with dirty dishes on it but it wasn’t cleaned up right away. kinda annoying, since we really wanted to sit down and settle in {i mean, i had a baby in my arms, drinks, a stroller to situate, grace, and the diaper bag!}.
we were served our meals but miss olive wasn’t cooperating. i had to hold the fussy missy so i only ate my chips 🙁 but that didn’t stop us from yakking nonstop! we were catching up with so many good things; love, life, relationships, kids, friends…ya know, all the good and not so good bits that makes life go round.
after noshing on our meals, we headed over to the bakery to get something sweet. we looked at the dessert cases but had briefly forgotten about the gelato! it was on the other side of the restaurant, karen mentioned it, and grace’s eyes just lit up {of course!}. we scurried over and grace chose the hazelnut gelato and started wolfing it down.
[cali sandwich and savory chips]
we packed up and headed on our way out, back to our place. once we got home, i had to feed olive and then we got down with the tour. i showed them the entire inside {and, of course, explained our remodeling plans} and walked them around the outside of the house. it was such a beautiful day!
karen soooo wanted to hold olive. i said, “go ahead! anyone can hold her, it’s about if olive will let you hold her!”. i gave karen some advice…i said to just take her. don’t gingerly grab for her. just aggressively take her and distract her. most people cautiously take her and she senses fear 😉 so, grab her she did. olive happily sat in karen’s arms!!!!! it was a miracle! i called kar the baby whisperer. not since o was a newborn had she let an unfamiliar face hold her. olive was happy as a clam in karen’s arms! i was amazed and excited. i want people to enjoy holding miss olive and it was pretty awesome to see this! i was loving it myself…although karen might have been loving it more than me! she was over the moon holding olive!
[grace, karen, o, and kt]
[karen the baby whisperer]
after touring around the house, we came inside and chatted up a storm. karen insisted on me opening olive’s present. it was soooo sweet of them! they bought little o the most adorable outfit! a putty colored knit cardigan and chambray embroidered dress from peek and the cutest, softest, stretchiest pink headband from nordstrom! it was so sweet and thoughtful of them. i love, love the outfit and i can’t wait for miss olive to wear it!
[a gift from kt + kar]
[the cutest outfit from nordstrom!! love + love peek]
after opening up her gift, kt really wanted to hold olive too! i gave her the same advice and olive was just a doll! she let kt hold her too! wow. it was a record. olive was loving her p!nk aunties and they were loving her back!
[katie super excited to be holding olive!]
[doting on olive]
after our non stop gab fest, kt and kar had to go. wah, wah. we were sad. we were having too much fun with them! grace was loving them {she said they were soooo nice!} and so was olive. we walked them out to their car, wished them safe travels, and waved goodbye.
we had such a blast with them! kt and kar, hurry back! little miss olive is missing her aunties!
i was finally able to meet austin! my friend dawn just had her fourth, yes fourth baby! austin is seven weeks old and quite the guy! at his one month appointment, the little dude was over thirteen pounds! oh my gosh! i said to dawn…,”what will he weigh at his two month?!” he probably is as big as olive! olive is probably a little over sixteen pounds and she is almost eight months old!
[baby austin]
we arrived at dawn’s house and walked into craziness. jodi was already there with jett and dawn’s other three kids were running amuck. we said our hello’s and i pulled olive out of her car seat, we walked over and said hi to little austin. he was quite content in his swing, such a calm baby.
[playtime]
i put olive on a cute furry beanbag dawn had in the family room. she was quite happy sitting there for awhile. kaitlyn and savannah came over to play with her. they were so good with her! they were sweet, gentle, and really got olive engrossed in playing with them.
[my cutie pie]
[kaitlyn and olive]
[such a cute pic with kaitlyn and savannah]
[i love this!]
[injury = popsicle]
[jett icing his boo boo]
[jodi wanting so much to hold olive!]
we chatted up a storm while the kids whirled around us. dawn and i had a lot of catching up to do. i do miss seeing her! we had gotten very close over the years of knowing each other {over 10 years!} and we have become good friends!
we were in awe over life and it’s changes. how, when dawn and i first met, she was just married with no kids…jodi and i not married yet, living life ‘single’, and look at us now! all of us happily married, with kids, and closely connected in life.
after a bit, dawn whipped out a bunch of food. she’s so cute, she said she is up so late most nights…she has to do something, so out came a wonderful spread of food. she also stated, what could she make that was easy to eat since us mommas would probably have one hand available, if we are lucky! so, it was a lot of easy finger foods and quick, light bites…perfect!
[finger food for quick noshing]
[dawn, olive {curiously watching}, and moi]
[yum]
of course, olive was in nooooo mood to have anyone hold her…oh, that babes. savannah soooo wanted to hold olive. she was so sweet towards her. both kaitlyn and savannah, such great little girls, they were both wonderful with little miss olive. they entertained her, played with her, loved showing her some fun toys to engage her; it was so cute to watch them together…it just makes your heart melt.
andy, dawn’s hubby, came home for lunch. it was awesome seeing him! he’s such a great guy…i’m glad we got to chat it up for a bit. he was a bit bummed leaving…i mean, c’mon…we were partying it up at their house! of course he didn’t want to leave the craziness!
andy tried playing with olive…oh em gee…it freaked her out! it was hilarious. i was over in the kitchen, cleaning up olive’s bowl and spoon {i had just fed her solids}, and andy scooted his way over to olive and she just freaked out! such a sensitive baby!
[andy trying to play…and scaring olive : / ]
[savannah sooooo wanted to hold olive]
[olive loving her new toy from the family]
dawn gifted olive with some pretty sweet treats. she gave olive a few adorbs outfits, play toys, and this wonderful, wonderful wooden alphabet abacus. olive loooooves it. she played and played with it and still plays with it. it totally entertains her. she spins and spins the wooden blocks around and around.
[smiley selfie]
[savannah took this pic! jett was not happy!]
[olive finally letting savannah hold her…so sweet]
[my lovely friends]
after noshing, playing, chasing, chatting, feeding, and getting a second to relax, it was time to go. the hours just flew by! before we knew it, it was late afternoon {we arrived late morning} and we had to go! we needed to meet the hubs to be on our way to another gathering…we’re always on the go. oy.
it was such a lovely afternoon with the ladies and the kids. oh, times like these i just cherish. these become the best moments in life. it’s amazing how life evolves and you find happiness in the simplest things.
we finally coordinated a date to have matt and johann come visit us! it was quite the debacle last time they tried to travel out here to see us. on their way here, it rained heavily and flooded the streets! they were stuck 🙁 they were on the road for over three hours and weren’t moving anywhere. we were so bummed but everything turned out for the better…the following week, they were able to come visit us on a beautiful evening and danielle was able to join us!
[olive and momma]
matt and johann brought us a housewarming gift and something for miss olive! they gifted us with a beautiful wood wine rack from a cute little boutique in chicago and gave olive an adorbs little onesie from hazel.
[a sweet little gift for olive]
[fun bicycle card…so fitting!]
[the adorbs onesie…how accurate]
beer was the drink of choice this evening. although johann switched it up by making some old fashioned cocktails for hc and himself {with the guidance from me! i make it for hc all the time!}. hc whipped up some cheeseburgers and chicken on the grill. he also made his delicious cauliflower and broccoli specialty…yum.
[old fashioned…cheers!]
[cheeseburga…cheeseburga!]
after dinner and many amusing topics, i served the decadent dessert! i am in love with this tres leches cake from a local grocery store down the street. it is soooo stinkin’ yummy! i could eat slice after slice if it didn’t have any fat and calories 😉
[tres leches]
johann was so good with olive…oh he loves babies. after dinner and desserts, i put olive on her play mat so i could clean up a bit and johann beelined for her. he played with her, entertained her, and was just loving her. so cute!
[johann just loves olive…he loves babies]
[guncles doting on olive]
after relocating to the living room, relaxing after a full meal, and putting olive down, the clan had to go. it was soooo good to see them. we love them so much! such great friends and we were so happy to finally host them at our new home. it was a perfect evening.
dearest dana came to visit {finally}! after we moved, it was a constant debacle trying to get us together! our schedules weren’t coordinating. if we happen to have the same day off, she or i would already have plans, or she would be out of town, etc. welllll, we finally, last minute, got ourselves aligned! hallelujah!
she came over bright and early in the morning {no traffic…woo!}. i walked her through the house…a tour of what has happened {remodeled} and what was to come. we chilled at the house for a bit before heading out to brunch. dana tried multiple times to hold olive…um, fail. baby girl will only be in my arms if i am in the room *sigh*, i do wish she would let others hold her but a screaming, crying baby is no fun for anyone! dana, being dana, was so amused and found it so hilarious! thank goodness 🙂
[dear dana loving olive]
[olive giving a shoutout to the westside!]
[attempting at another round of holding olive]
so, after many tries of holding olive, we digressed and moved along on getting ourselves to the restaurant. i offered a few options and we settled on trying a place by our house. a breakfast place {new to us!} that we have been interested in trying for awhile.
[orange juice for dana, grapefruit/orange juice for moi]
it was cute inside and not busy {bonus!}. we settled into our seats and perused the menu. there were so many choices! i decided on the banana walnut pancakes with a side of bacon and dana went for the eggs over easy, hash browns, and a side of chocolate chip pancakes.
[banana walnut pancakes]
[noshing]
we did a lot of catching up over brunch. the food was yummy. the company was even better. we yapped for awhile, until olive was getting a bit fussy. it was good timing with the fact that we were dunzo…check paid, we were ready to go when olive started fussing. so, out the door we went!
we went back to the house to hang out some more. olive needed to eat her solids, so i prepared her food and asked dana if she wanted to feed her. gosh, miss olive answered that for all of us. she was liiiike, um no. momma is the only one who will feed me! what a picky lady! poor darling dana…olive wouldn’t even let her feed her!
[oh em gee…poor dana trying to feed olive…nope]
[flashdance…she’s a maniac, maniac on the floor!!]
after a few hours of lounging, dana headed out {before crazy traffic could build up}. it was fantastic to finally get together and just hang out {what we do best}. olive and i miss her already.
my famille and i got together during the holiday weekend to get into some festive fun. we were able to check off another fun summer activity: going to a carnival!!
there were so many fests going on but we decided on the lisle summer fest, eyes in the sky. they had a lot of fun stuff going on there – kitschy shopping, greasy food, cheesy kid fun, & a carnival! we parked at benet academy and we were bussed in…it is so much easier than driving to the festival to find parking, it was a quick bus ride there!
once we got there, food was in order! actually beer was our first go to…unfortunately, the beer selection was subpar. hello?! where was the craft beer section?! after getting our libations, we trekked over to the food section. of course hc and the bro in law insisted on walking the entire area and then decide on what to eat. they had to assess all the options…oh goodness. once we walked the food section, we all split up and bought our entree of choice. holy cow! it was so freakin’ expensive! that’s a festival for y’all. a monopoly of vendors that hike up their prices for a quick, lucrative profit. hmph.
[god bless america]
[i don’t want milk…i want my toesies]
[italian ice]
[this picture cracks me up…it was so bright, they couldn’t keep their eyes open! bennett screamed, “i can’t see!!!!”.]
while we were eating our food in the picnic area {funnel cake anyone? yes, please}, tommy the hawk flew by in a golf cart. the kids went nuts! a slew of kids started running after him. it was hilarious. reagan and bennett went running towards him too. tommy the hawk started to throw out rolled towels! the kids went crazy, running back and forth so they could catch a towel! i ran out with the boys to encourage and help them. as tommy the hawk directed the kids to where he was going to throw the towel, he spotted me standing there…i knew he was going to throw the towel towards me! he had the kids run across the grass again to where i was standing, he threw the towel directly at me! it totally bounced off my hands and some dude totally swiped it from me when it bounced onto the grass! darn it!
they also handed out stickers and eventually, reagan caught a towel! woo! i’m so glad he did! reagan soooo wanted a picture with him so i got them to stand next to him and i snapped a photo! bennett was so nervous! he wasn’t completely scared but completely questioned the large, furry, human sized animal in front of him! that is why his eyes are closed. he didn’t want to directly look at him! lol.
[bennett was a bit afraid…but he did well…except for fearfully closing his eyes]
as we hung out at the fest, they started to blow up the hot air balloons! it was so cool to see. only at lisle fest is the only time i ever see hot air balloons…even as a kid! it never gets old.
after the eating, drinking, shopping, watching kiddie entertainment, we finally dragged ourselves into the carnival area. this festival was a money pit! oh em gee…everything was so expensive! i bought tickets so grace could possibly go on rides. we walked through the gaming area, the boys totally loved this part. they participated in how fast you can throw a ball and won blow up baseball bats…of course they chose the cubs!
grace played the game where you throw the balls and try to win a gold fish. wha wha. no goldfish but the girl definitely went on some crazy looking rides! she loves roller coasters and such. um, not me nor hc! we won’t go on such contraptions!
[auntie thuy always doting on olive]
[grace excited and ready to ride this scary machine]
[olive and daddy]
[bye bye carnival]
after a lot of fun, and it was really a lot of fun, we were spent {literally} and ready to go. it was a great time outside in the beautiful weather, i loved eating the greasy festival food, we had such fun with the famille, i enjoyed watching the kids having a wonderful time, and i am absolutely loving summer.
sooo…the story goes like this. last year, olivia and i visited her sister in d.c. her sister was 8 weeks pregnant. she wasn’t telling anyone yet. little did i know, i was 5 weeks pregnant {absolutely no clue i was preggers}. we had our babies weeks apart and months later, we finally introduced the little cuties to one another!!!
claire traveled {actually drove!} from san diego to chicago to spend some quality time here with her family. she was at the tail end of her stay when we finally coordinated a date together. woo!
we decided to meet halfway since our locations were so far apart. she was up in woodstock and we were probably an hour and thirty minutes south from there…at least! we decided on the restaurant wildberry. we wanted to do an early brunch…since both of us get up so early with the kiddos.
we arrived before the other half of our party did, so we put our name in for a table. it was a forty-five minutes wait!!! ugh. we decided to wait inside their foyer since it was already so hot outside. olive patiently waited with us but she was a tad grumpy. she definitely woke up that way! the day prior, we were out and about all day and she was a bit exhausted {baby girl wouldn’t nap the day before!}, so today she was not in the best mood.
[serious face]
[she was using sophie as a chin rest]
[waiting for the gantners]
[the girls!]
yay! the clan finally made it! i love them all. her mom is such a fun character, her sister is so sweet, and olivia…she is a doll. now how ’bout them babes?! it was so cool to introduce fiona to olive. babies are so funny, they kinda stare at one another and pretty much just try to grab at each other for no particular reason.
we were finally seated and perused the menu to decide on our eats. oohhhhh, olive was so fussy. she didn’t want anyone to hold her {the usual} and kept whimpering throughout our meal. she was so tired. annndddd there was fiona…happy as a clam. she just smiled and calmly sat in her high chair while everyone visited.
[aaron doing his best creepy smile]
[fiona being so good and darn cute]
i ordered their buttermilk pancakes, a side of bacon, and orange juice. my usual go to breakfast.
our gathering was short and sweet but oh so worth it. i was super, duper happy to have been able to meet up with claire and fiona. i didn’t want to miss out on seeing them while they were in town! fiona and olive had to meet!
it was a wonderful start to a great day! thanks ladies and aaron for a lovely date!
we were so excited and touched to be a part of matt and johann’s special day!
words cannot express how absolutely amazing it is and how wonderful it feels to know that two people, who love each other no matter what the case may be, can join their hands together in marriage.
the institution of marriage is an endless debate. i am in favor of it. i love being married. i am old fashioned in my thinking around it {not about who but about what}. i believe in it. it is a different plateau to be on. it feels special. my relationship with hc changed for the better after we were married. it felt solid and secure…for so many positive reasons. we made that commitment to one another, we said our vows. we promised to never leave each other’s side. we believe in making each other a better person. you have to be selfless and realize that you have to give but you will get in return. all this sounds great in words but it’s definitely hard work and never ever perfect.
i think the hardest part about getting married is the work you have to do before it happens. it’s about finding the right person. how do you know it’s the right person? it sounds cliche but it’s about getting each other to a better point. you are on each other’s side, you pull one another up when the other is down. finding the right person is tough work but once you realize you are both in it to win it, it’s all worth it.
so, that morning, we got ourselves ready for the big day. we packed up olive’s many, many things. got ourselves dressed, packed up our stuff for the day, and headed out to matt and johann’s home. we cruised there! we got inside, dropped off our stuff, chit chatted for a bit with them, matt’s mom & stepdad, and then headed our way downtown to the courthouse.
[matt, peanut, and rich before we head out to the courthouse]
[cutie stella playing]
[olive totally intrigued by stella from afar // burberry dress]
[the crazy fog that blanketed the city]
we scored a close parking spot and trekked our way into the building. we got there before them {even with a pit stop to nurse olive!} and waited in the lobby. apparently, we were in the wrong building! it was so comical getting around with a stroller, not every area had an elevator, so we literally carried the stroller up escalators and through revolving doors! what a debacle.
we finally made it to the destination. everyone was already there. matt and johann invited a few select people to witness their marriage. we were so honored to be asked. hc and i have never witnessed a city hall marriage so it was interesting to experience it. it was quite a small waiting area, you have to sign up on a list, and wait until your group is called. it was so intriguing to watch all the folks who were there to get married. some were dressed up, some were dressed down, overall, a lot of unique characters.
[olive waiting for the ceremony to begin]
[engraved with the words panda and bamboo]
[pre-ceremony with the handsome couple]
[with james and daisy]
[the family…josh, liz, stella, matt’s mom, and cliff]
our group was finally called. i was so excited! we filed into the room, the judge was so cool and relaxed. she started the process and i started to cry. i was so, so happy for them. it truly was a beautiful moment to witness.
[exchanging of vows and rings!]
after the ceremony, we were all so ecstatic! lots of hugs, congratulatory words, and tears.
[husband and husband!! they are married!]
[the happy couple…look at the shadows of everyone taking a picture!]
we had some time before lunch, so we made a stop at field’s on state. we shopped around, some people grabbed a snack, and of course we made a starbucks run. it wouldn’t be an outing with me and matt without a starbucks stop!
[field’s on state]
[never without a starbucks stop // look, i match the straw!]
[starbucks]
[thanks jenny for randomly taking this photo…i love it!]
after field’s, we walked over to the restaurant, petterino’s. we had a nice, little, private corner of the restaurant. here we relaxed, mingled, reveled in the excitement, and truly enjoyed each other’s company. i was so hungry! i was excited to manger some food! the bread basket was bad news…hc called it crack bread. there were so many yummy varieties of bread to consume.
[her naps were so limited…too much excitement // holding on tight to the carrot rattle]
[the ‘crack’ bread]
[stella loving her salad]
after lunch, we headed back to matt and johann’s abode to continue the celebration. there, a lot more folks were able to join in on the festivities. i helped them host their guests…i wanted matt and johann to enjoy themselves and spend time with their friends and family. it was their day and they definitely should revel in every minute of it.
they ordered brisket from mariano’s, josh and liz took care of all the beverages, and hc and i brought the wedding cake and desserts. everyone slowly trickled in, we served drinks, set up the food, and enjoyed the company.
there were quite a few kiddos at the party. josh and liz have stella, vicki brought 8 month old eric, and alison brought her little dude. it was fun to see the little kiddies interact! olive and eric had a great time playing together. it was so sweet. they were both really calm and curious. there was a lot of staring, maybe some slight grabbing, but nonetheless…a heart melting moment to see the babies interact. so adorbs!
midway through the party, we popped some veuve clicquot and toasted the beautiful couple. johann said a few words and then liz made a lovely toast to the couple! cheer cheer!
[getting ready for a champagne toast to the happy couple // vintage champagne glasses…over 70 years old!]
[liz giving a heartfelt toast]
after the toasting, matt and johann cut the cake! woooo! it was so cute. the cake was such a hit…everyone loved the rainbow layers. so fitting. it was a picture frenzy. the cake was the celebrity and we were the paparazzi!
it was such an incredible day. the beginning of a beautiful marriage. the wonderful company of friends and family. it seriously flew by so fast. olive was such a good little gal all day. we had the best time celebrating their beautiful union. cheers to marriage equality and cheers to the fact that love is love!
by golly, it was father’s day! a day to celebrate my hubby is who an amazing dad! not only is he an amazing father, he is a wonderful partner, a doting hubby and dad, a sweet, kind, caring, loving person.
olive and i are lucky gals to have this man in our lives. we started out the morning in bed, hc wanted to open up his gift right away! we gave him a tent from rei! he was so excited that he set it up right away in the kitchen! lol.
[hc wanted his gift right away! right when we woke up!]
[papyrus motorcycle card…tres cool]
[little olive ‘camping’ with her daddy in the kitchen]
since it was daddy day, olive and i ventured out to starbucks and got us coffee. it’s dangerous that the starbucks is so close {literally a couple minutes away}. we relaxed and ate a small breakfast before we headed out to brunch with our family.
[staple]
[relaxing before we head out]
we cruised to the city, parked, and walked to the restaurant. it was such a beautiful day; sunny, warm, and bright. so perfect! kim, terry, and the boys were already there. we said our hello’s and ordered tasty beverages to imbibe.
[family time // the boys going over the drink list]
we started out with apps…scones and jam, fried pickles, and poutine. an interesting combo but nevertheless delicious. this place is so good. i ordered a latte, um, i could have downed four of those! so smooth, nutty, and sweet.
[scones and lattes…so good]
[reagan showing off his shirt]
i ordered the smoked salmon…it was so tasty. the cream cheese was peppered with chives, the capers were perfectly salty, and the accoutrements were like a fresh salad. i was able to wolf some it down {thanks to kim for taking the babes}, my little olive was tired and fussy. kim came back and i took olive for a walk down michigan ave.
[delicious smoked salmon]
[enjoying his fruity drink]
[lovingly eyeing each other]
we absolutely enjoyed brunch. i really like the gage. the staff was so friendly and quite kid friendly. the ambience is fantastic, the food is delicious, and it was fun. i wished we could have enjoyed more of this beautiful day with them in the city but the other family duties called! so, off we went to spend some quality time with hc’s parents!
***
we drove our way to crystal lake…oy vey, it was almost a two hour drive. yowza. once we got there, we hung out outside with dick and jane. gramma brought out the swing and olive had a fantastic fun time on it! she made the funniest faces, she smiled relentlessly, and actually was waving at her daddy while they were swinging together! we chilled out in the yard and enjoyed the wonderful weather. it did rain just a tad. we brought olive inside for a second and then out we went again to continue the fun.
[papa and olive]
[olive loving the swing and waving at daddy!! look closely, her little hand flapping in the wind]
[look closely at olive’s face…she has the funniest expressions]
we spent many hours lazily relaxing. jane whipped up some dinner, we filled our bellies, and then downed too many sugar cookies she had baked. after olive’s feeding, we hit the road back to our maison.
it was such a delightful, beautiful day with our families. we are so blessed and couldn’t ask for anything more. we are so lucky to have such amazing father figures in our lives. happy dad’s day…but we like to celebrate them everyday!
we were very excited to have carol come over to visit us at our new house!
but before carol came over…hc and olive were hanging out at the grandparent’s house. they enjoyed the morning and afternoon over at dick and jane’s place.
it was the first time olive rode in a swing! she loved it! you can see it in the picture below. what a cutie. hc reported that olive had a great time hanging out with gramma and papa! duh…of course she did!
[looking cute in her new sun hat]
[super smiley with papa]
[how adorbs are these two?!]
***
carol and famille came into town for a week and we had planned on her and the kids to visit us at our new abode. they came over on a sunday afternoon to hang out and eat dinner with us. hc was able to walk carol around our place while she gladly held olive in her arms. kenzie and travis gleefully ran around the property while carol received the tour.
[carol and olive loving each other]
[mackenzie being cute]
hc cooked a delicious meal for us and the kids {he’s seriously so awesome}. carol caught us up on all the latest of life’s happenings. every time she comes into town, she has such a crazy, busy week! she meets up with everyone and is booked solid every day!
we casually hung out, while the kids ran around and played {well, played as much as they could…our house does lack in the toy department}. olive let carol hold her a few times without having a grumpy moment to be back into mommy’s arms {miraculous…although each time she held her, it was short lived}.
travis did have a very, very cute moment with olive. he actually held her and sang to her! how freakin’ cute! it was such a sweet moment!
[travis being so loving with olive]
[my favorite peeps // olive’s current thing…talking while she waves her thumb around in her mouth]
carol had to get back home to her mom’s house…motherly duties called {giving the kids baths and getting them down}. it was a perfect evening together. we were able to show her our new house, eat some yummy food prepared by hc, and spend some good moments together. it was a great start to a upcoming great week!
