me + my mini

Posted on March 18, 2015 by tandem in love

heyyyyy there, lovies. the weather has been faaaaaantastic around here as of late. we are getting quite excited about it! it was so unexpected. we were having such cold, cold temps around here and then all of a sudden *boom* it became warm! and when i say warm, that translates into 60 degree temps! wooo hooo! it’s a flippin’ heat wave!

so, olive and i had a day together where we didn’t have to do anything. we didn’t have to meet up with anyone. we didn’t have to be anywhere. we had the day to ourselves and it was wonderful. we relaxed in the morning. did our usual routine and then that afternoon, we decided that we were going to go the mall and hang out. hey, being a mall rat isn’t a bad thing! we looooove shopping!

our first stop was at victoria’s secret to say hi to some lovies. olive was not a happy camper. she has been afraid of strangers since she came out of the womb. so, naturally, if any of the employees got too close to her…she freaked out! poor thing. i wish she was more open to people she didn’t know, well at least to the people she didn’t know that i know, haha! i guess that is a good thing. she should be afraid of strangers! stranger = danger!

[visiting our friends at the mall]

[the look of fear – this is basically how she looked anywhere we went in the store]

[olive couldn’t get away fast enough]

after we said hello at the victoria’s secret store, we happily went to say hi to the land of nod workers. now, i had registered at this store for olive’s baby shower, so not only did i frequent their store for any events that they host, i shopped here non-stop while i was pregnant {and still do!}. plus, it’s a perfect place to take your kid because it’s magical toy wonderland. olive had a blast. she was in kiddie heaven. she didn’t know where to start. she roamed around, looking at al the fun stuff she could play with. it was too, too cute!

i think her favorite toys were the food/tea set and table. she pretended to eat the fake food and drink from the cups. i was fascinated. i loved watching her play. she is so sweet and lovely, it’s just pure entertainment for me. we spent quite awhile in the store. olive was having too much fun and i didn’t want to interrupt her glorious playtime!

[she had the best time at the land of nod]

[tea time]

[who needs a cup when you can drink from the pot?]

[she loved playing with the kitchen sets]

[tea time with her imaginary friends…she would pick up the chicken leg and pretend to eat it]

[she would pick up the duck and call it a doggie]

after the land of nod, we trekked out way towards the other end of the mall. i stopped by the gap to visit my dear friend, matt. love him! he’s one of my besties and such a great, great guy. olive only gave him a questionable look, but i think she was preoccupied by her snacks to worry too much. we stayed and chitchatted for a bit with matt before we took off to nordstroms.

we went to visit our favorite kid shoe salesperson at nordy’s, dee! she’s such a sweetheart and is so great with olive! we love getting a balloon from the store every time we visit. only just a few months ago did olive become very fascinated by balloons. they were just odd looking items to her before; then one day, she was mesmerized by them. she loves balloons. she loves to bounce them around. she loves to drag them around with her and it amazes her that they float!

[visiting matt]

well, there ya go lovies. me and my mini me had a wonderful day at the mall. it was so beautiful out, we had to get outside to enjoy it. we had a great time visiting our friends and shopping!

xoxo

andrea’s baby shower

Posted on March 16, 2015 by tandem in love

i’m so excited for my friend andrea, she is having her baby girl soon! so, of course a baby shower was in order. her lovely friends, nikki and claire, so graciously hosted such a fete in honor of this momma and her baby girl.

it was a beautiful, beautiful day. the sun was shining {ahhhhhh} and the temperature was puuurrrrfect. the shower was held at a cafe called fennel and iris. it is tucked away in the lakeview neighborhood, right on belmont.

i parked only a few blocks away and traipsed my way towards the restaurant. it was so nice out, i wouldn’t have minded if i had to walk 10 blocks, but having on heels slimmed down my walking distance! i was lucky to have found a spot so close…i guess the luck of the irish was by my side that morning. hence, ALL the chicagoans who were already out and getting their drink on so early in the morning. natch.

[my gift for baby]

i moseyed on in and the party was already in full swing. it is such a cute, quaint little place. it was kitschy and unique. i ran right into a few friends right away, ginger and katheryn had just arrived as well. i was super excited to be there because it’s been awhile since i have seen andrea {busy, busy lives} and some of her friends who i adore. they are all such good people! i mingled and caught up with a few ladies, while i sipped the delicious mimosa nikki had so kindly handed to me.

[the cute, little restaurant fennel and iris]

[morning mimosas]

[katheryn, beth, andrea, and ginger]

[kitschy and quaint decor]

[ginger and katheryn]

after a few more minutes of socializing, we were asked to be seated. i was so enwrapped in photo taking, i was pretty much the last person to take my seat! i decided to sit with the ‘moms’. i wanted to get to know them better myself. the first time i met everyone was at jamie and andrea’s wedding and we didn’t get to converse much, so i thought, now is a great time! it was so delightful to chit chat with everyone. jamie’s family are all so sweet. we had a great time getting to know one another and enjoying all the delicious food!

my two favorite nibblers were the deviled eggs {sooooooo good!} and the so called ‘pudding’, honestly, it looked like a frittata to me! nevertheless, those entrees were the most savory. i could have eaten just that but of course, i tried everything {but the fruit, i can eat that anywhere anytime!}.

[the deviled eggs were divine…i could have eaten a dozen!]

[such a cool interior]

[their so called pudding {it really looked like a frittata to me} was soooo good!]

[tika, andrea, sarah, and holly…check out the photo bomber]

[apple and pear pie]

[so delish]

after brunch, they served the most delicious ‘apple pie’ in a jar. there were baked apples and pears, topped with a simple round ‘crust’. mmmmm, sweet goodness. the baked fruit, cinnamon, and sugar perfectly balanced one another out.

after desserts were served, the opening of gifts began. by that time, jamie and oliver had stopped on by to join in on the festivities. of course, ollie was quite vibrant with his choice of words and opinions! he’s such a smart, funny kid! andrea proceeded to open up sweet gifts, after sweet gifts. baby stuff is just too darn cute and fun.

[teeny tiny]

[andrea and ollie]

[hostesses with the mostesses, nikki and claire]

[with the beautiful momma]

[andrea’s mom, gail, jennifer, jamie’s stepmom, and patricia]

[granola favors]

[the wonderful couple with their soon to be newest addition]

after all her perfectly wrapped gifts were opened, we all hung out afterwards and lingered around to catch up with one another a bit more. i really had such a great time connecting with everyone. andrea is such a wonderful, sweet friend and naturally, all her friends are just the same.

i am so fortunate to have such a lovely lady in my life. she is sassy, smart, sweet, thoughtful, and kind. i can’t forget to mention stylish and fashionable as well…hmmmm, maybe that is why we get along so well?! hehehe.

anyhoo, claire and nikki did a fabulous job on andrea’s shower. it was perfect – down to the invite, decor, food, favors, and the fun hostesses! thank you so much for letting me be a part of such a special day! andrea and jamie: we can’t wait to meet your precious baby girl!

xoxo

flashback friday

Posted on March 13, 2015 by tandem in love

today takes us back to july 2011.

here we are at our friend’s, kim, wedding. it just seems like yesterday. no, really, it does. it was a warm summer day and i was super excited to attend kim’s wedding. we {as i have mentioned before} were engaged at almost the same time…me just several months before her. so, planning our wedding together was quite the bonding moment! we had the best times just chatting it up, comparing notes, reveling in the up’s and down’s of planning a wedding, and just totally having fun with it.

miss jodi actually got married before both of us. almost a year before me. so, obvs it was still really fresh for her, so we definitely had fun talking up a wedding storm all the time.

anyhoo, back to this pic. we had such a great time celebrating kim and mikey’s nuptials. we had fun, we were goofy, and we totally partied it up. it was great because we were sitting with a bunch of folks that we knew and of course, us folks didn’t hold back on our humor, wild stories, and drinks. of course, once the dancing started, we did our best to rock out the dance floor!

[jodi and me]

i love this dress. it was a fantastic borrow from my beautiful sister, thuy. she always has the best articles of clothing. that is what is so great about having sisters {and two sisters who are pretty much the same size}, we can interchange your wardrobe…so it’s like having a huge closet! the brooch is mine, a vintage find from several years back.

the weather is suppose to be ah-maaaaaze this weekend. eeeeekkkkkk! i am waaayyyy too excited. oh, spring, come on over! we missed you. well, i hope y’all enjoy this weekend. happy friday lovies!

xoxo

olive

Posted on March 11, 2015 by tandem in love

so, since olive was born, i did a monthly post on her and stopped when she turned one. fair and fitting, since it’s quite common to document their first year of wonderful surprises. well, i felt it was time to do another report card on my beauty. she just had her fifteen month appointment and so much has changed since she turned one!

[headband by littlekutiesboutique]

weight: 23lbs height: 31″

she now fakes her cries. yes. she does. when i do something she doesn’t like or when i won’t give her something, she will fake her cries. i see right through her. she starts to shriek and pout and make crying noises but i see it in her eyes. she will stare right at me. almost smirking with her eyes! uh oh! trouble, trouble, trouble.

in the last month or so, she giggles out loud. it’s so adorbs. it’s the funniest noise. it’s almost like an “uhhuh uhhuh uhhuh”. it cracks me up when i hear her giggle like that. it’s so cute and endearing, watching her and hearing her make that sound makes me want to explode with happiness and love.

what does olive love to eat? she loves fruit and french fries. well, she really loves a whole lotta other stuff but she zones in on fruit and french fries like a dog to it’s treats. she is quite the eater. she loves food in general. she loves eating when we are eating and for some reason, whatever i have in my hand or plate is a lot more appetizing to her than what’s on her plate! aaaaannd, it’s typically the same thing…oh child, you so funny. 😉

it was and is such a blessing to have this babe sleep so well {since she was 4 weeks old}. she still is going strong with her nightly sleep. we have our usual routine every night. i sign bedtime {we teach her some sign language}, she might pout for a second, then i give her vitamin d, then i tell her to give daddy a kiss goodnight and a hug {which she happily complies}, and then i nurse her and put her down. she will sleep, typically, from 9:30 until 6.7.8 o’clock. it just depends. she is currently cutting her molars, so she hasn’t been in the best of spirits. but she does take her naps, typically twice a day {morning and afternoon} but it there is too much going on, she will clock in one really long nap.

her favorite toy is the etch a sketch and i think it’s my husband’s nightmare. he doesn’t get her with this toy because she typically cries and gets upset if you aren’t doing something for her, like draw or help her. i definitely get her with this toy…she loves to sit in my lap and draw and she loves it when i draw for her. she is typically a happy baby with this toy and me. of course, this will only last a few minutes before she beelines for the next ‘new’ toy!

she has nine teeth. she started teething when she was nine months old. she has her eight front teeth and her bottom left molar is coming in. so not nice. a mean molar it is. this is the first time olive actually showed signs of teething. her first eight were a breeze. this molar is a fighter! she cries, she drools, she jams her fingers into her mouth. she never did those actions prior with her other teeth coming in. ugh. to think there are plenty more where that one came from!

olive’s gramma loves to read her books, she has been reading to her since she was born. now olive loves to ‘read’ books herself now! it’s so sweet to watch and listen. she will grab a book out and sit down by herself and ‘read’ out loud. moments like these are the best. most of the time, though, she wants me to read to her. she will plop herself down in my lap and we will read books all day and night. of course, only once in awhile will she ever let me finish one!

olive’s vocab has expanded just a wee bit. she says a few words such as dada, mom, hi, bye, boppy, eat, down, up, on, done…hmmm, maybe a few more i might be forgetting. i love that she is able to communicate verbally as well as sign a few things. i try to reiterate and teach her everyday words that will her help her express herself. as others have said, pretty soon she just won’t be quiet!

she loves put on her shoes and tries to put on her socks. she has been doing this for a month or so. she will attempt to put on her shoes {she def needs help!} and pull on her socks. she is more successful with her shoes than she is with her socks. she will at least get her foot into the shoe but struggles with getting her foot in all the way. the socks…she does the motion but 0/0 as of right now.

she has this desire to always toss her diaper. she tosses her diaper across the room every time i change her! i’ll clean her up, wrap up the dirty diaper and put it next to her and she will grab it, wait for me to say 1, 2, 3 {with each number, she will swing her arm back and forth with the diaper in tow} and as soon as i hit three….whomp! she flings the diaper and it sails across the room. she’s got quite the arm!

as a newborn, olive would stare intently at everyone. almost if she was seeing right through you. she’s very interested in people but won’t go near anyone. nope. she does.not.like.strangers. but she is always curious. she loves looking at everyone and is intrigued by what they are doing or even how they look. i love that about children. always curious…until they can verbalize what they are thinking and then you are running around apologizing for your kid’s frankness and crazy talk!

alrightly, olive in a nutshell. a summary of her last three months! wow. she is so fun. it’s so amaze to see her grow. it’s just the best! i’m looking forward to see what my little girl will learn, do, and entertain us with in the next couple months!

xoxo

wrigleyville date

Posted on March 9, 2015 by tandem in love

after two strikes, i thought i was going to get called out with my girl time with dana. but we fiiiiinally got together and did our usual routine. i’m going to say that dana was at fault for the both times prior we couldn’t get together for a brunch date 😉 the first time, she was sick {okaaayyy, i forgive her} but it did snow quite a bit and no one wants to go out when it’s snowing…a big pain in the behind. the second time, she just plain forgot. yup. she forgot about us. i texted her the night before and asked about our plans and she was like, ‘whhaaaaaa?’. yeah. she had last minute changed her work schedule and didn’t tell me!

anyhoozle, it worked out great because olive had a wellness check up {not too far from where dana lives} and it’s always easy peasy to jet on over to southport from where we were.

[at the pediatrician…she was excited to be signing her own paperwork. that is until the nurse came in with needles…eeeekkkkk!]

after olive’s appointment, we drove on over to wrigelyville {which is less than 5 minutes} to meet dana for lunch. of course, we met up at southport grocery! it was a full house but we were seated right away {sweet}. we ordered our usual dishes and dana had a lot to share with me! so much new news and possible changes! oy, i was having a blast catching up with dana, as always. we only had a few hours together because she had to skadaddle to a purim party later that evening that she was hosting for jnf.

[in our ‘hood…our favorite place to be: southport grocery]

dana was super excited that her and olive were having these amaze bonding moments. their relationship was rough from the start. from the moment olive came into this world, she had been skeptical of dana. she wouldn’t let her hold her. olive would barely let her look at her! it was a work in progress and they made leaps and bounds this past date!! yay!

they were like buddies. best buddies. holding hands, giving hugs & kisses, and she let dana hold her with ease. wowza…my baby is growing up 😉 olive was so amused by dana. she liked copying her and playing fun peek a boo games together. it was pretty awesome to see.

[dana loving olive…]

[studying her crayon colors]

[work of art]

[me and my beautiful babes]

[can you see me? now you can’t. can you see me? yup, that game]

[simple plating…boisterous flavors]

of course, after brunch, we headed on over to our favorite place, anthropologie. olive was in heaven. she ran around and around and around. she smiled from ear to ear and happily bounced everywhere in the store. her and dana just walked side by side and giggled at each other.

[yeah, since we were walking two doors down, we wrapped her in a blanket and barely put on her hat. dana was dying over her cuteness. she was loving olive so much]

[she was like, ‘wait, do i walk around with this blankie on me??]

[she was soooo happy running around everywhere]

[she discovered a bunny]

[and then became one]

[then found a little chickadee]

[then became a funny bunny again]

after anthro, we hit a couple of more stores and called it an afternoon. we had a great time chit chatting, eating, having fun, and building memories together. i loved seeing olive and dana together. it warms my heart and makes it so full!

xoxo

flashback friday

Posted on March 6, 2015 by tandem in love

today takes us back to 2009.

look at sweet baby bennett. how adorable is he?! he’s giving me the side eye and a smirk. toooo stinkin’ cute!

i can’t believe how big he is now and so sweet. he’s such a funny guy. when olive was born, he wasn’t too keen on her. he just wasn’t interested. a baby? it did nothing for him but now…miss olive can play and have fun, so they are good together. it was quite adorbs to see their journey together and how bennett has grown to love his little cousin. vice versa.

bennett is goofy, sweet, and clumsy. from the moment he was mobile, there was always something in his way. ya know that kid that always runs into something? the kid that always trips over something? the kid that always bangs his head on something? yuuuup, that is our darling little b. it’s so endearing and comical at the same time when i see him do something clumsy. i’m totally filled with love and laughter when he runs into something…is that weird?? whatevs, weird but true.

it’s been wonderful to see him grow and become such a good little boy. i am most excited at the fact that olive has the best cousins ever and that they will grow up together and hopefully be best buds. i always wonder what bennett will be like when he grows up but i am fiercely wishing that he won’t cause i love them cute, small, and innocent. i really do wish they would stay small and sweet.

it’s amazing how babies can evoke such happiness in us all. the purity of a child is truly a blessing from God! well, my lovies. i hope you think back to a time when your little one or niece/nephew was this tiny and precious and it puts a smile on your face. happy friday y’all!

xoxo

momfessions

Posted on March 5, 2015 by tandem in love

oh being a mommy. it’s surreal. i’m totally going to revel in it within this post. those with weak stomachs, please stop reading now, ’cause you might puke with my over the top rants on motherhood.

[grumper mcgrumps]

it’s magical. yes it is. magical. looking at olive everyday overwhelms me with love and joy. she’s amazing. she is quirky, funny, and loving. i can’t hug her enough. i can’t kiss her enough. i can’t stare at her enough. it’s never enough. of course, unless she is having a tantrum 😉

she teaches me to be more calm and less angry. yes she does. and yes i do get angry {over the silliest things sometimes} but her sweet face always puts me in my {happy} place.

it still amazes me that i am a mom. it was a world that existed all around me and i, honestly, had no clue about it all. clueless, i tell ya. obvs, until little miss olive came into our lives. i always say to my friends without children {now being on the other side of the spectrum} that they will never truly know the joy of having a child until they are in the same shoes. people with kids always threw words or thoughts at me about the wonders of having kids and it never, never sunk in until i had miss olive. well, this next thought i’m about to type up will be a little rough & tough, a bit of a 180 from what i was just speaking about.

i used to roll my eyes {well, maybe not physically but at least mentally i did} at people who droned on and on about their children. in my head, i thought…isn’t there something else to talk about besides your kids? yes, i was that person. kids that screamed…eww. babies on planes…eeekkkkk! children in restaurants…ugh. annnddd strollers! strollers were like a nightmare coming at me…so big, bulky, and so in the way! yes, yes {chuckle} i was such a beeeeotch about it. it annoyed me. i never oooohhhh’d and ahhhhh’d over anyone’s kids {of course, unless they were my friend’s children…i could make do with their offsprings for a short moment}, i just didn’t find babies all that cute {do i sound like the devil yet??}. honestly, the only exception before olive were my nephews. now i love, love them to death! even then, i still didn’t change their diapies or do anything very motherly when they were babies.

well, well, well. my, look how much has changed. i’m a sucker for an angelic baby face. i coo over every child i see. i want to and will converse with the mom like she is my best friend! we will compare stories, milestones, notes, and ideas with one another and have a connection because we both feel like being a mom is the best.thing.ever. on this planet.

i see another mom with a baby on a plane and i want her to know that i support her, that i am there for her, and that i understand how overwhelming it can be to bring a little baby onto an airplane in hopes that he or she will remain quiet & calm during the plane ride. i hear a child scream and it actually softens my heart. my motherly instinct kicks in and i want to console the upset child and have them understand that they are loved. i walk into a restaurant with olive and i’m excited to see other moms out lunching with their babies too. i see a women coming with her stroller and i am the first to jump at the door to open it for her, so she can easily maneuver into the store.

i love being a mom. i love having a child. i love that i love it. i have now become that person. i jump at any opportunity to talk about my babes. i drone on and on about her cuteness, like when she giggles and how it rocks my world. or i will talk about her quirky nature and find it the most interesting story evah. or blab on about a story of how she dances and talk about it like it should be broadcasted on the nightly news because it’s that entertaining and important. extra, extra: olive shook her booty and mom almost exploded with love, tonight’s channel 5 top topic. 😉

anyhoo, and that is my momfessions of the moment. how i am now the dorky mom with the silly thoughts and goofy actions 😉 {although i still like to think i am still somewhat the stylish & sophisticated dame, non?}. being a mom is the best job any women can have. i am so fortunate and lucky to have been blessed with my beautiful, healthy, little, sweet olive.

xoxo

a few of my favorite things

Posted on March 2, 2015 by tandem in love

i love shopping. yes i do. it’s something so good and fun that can really be a bad thing! 😉 eeekkkk! so, i am currently loving these fabulous items!

bebe’s favorites:

[flower headband // gem pillow // leather crown // fox dress // fringe boots // watermelon purse // cross blanket // gold moccs // bowie romper // unicorn hook]

let’s start with this flower crown. oh em gee. i am so in love with this beautiful headband. it’s made with such details and care. olive looks so pretty and delicate with this headband on. i love the colors and how feminine it makes every outfit look that she wears. it’s a definite must have for any babes wardrobe.

how adorbs is this gem pillow? a perfect accessory to olive’s room. i love quirky, fun pillows; they can make any room, couch, bed look 10x better! everything in olive’s room is whimsical and unique, so this pillow is the perfect addition to her chambre!

this crown. *swoon* it totally reminds me of where the wild things are. it’s full of imagination and fun. it’s made by stitches and soles {my favorite shop!} and olive looks so stinkin’ cute in it! it’s beautifully made, soft, supple, and it’s just the cutest thing when she runs and prances around in it!

i die over this fox dress. i didn’t post the fox socks that match this dress {c’mon…i have so many items posted already!} but if you saw them, you would freak out! soooo cute. anyhoo, this dress is ah-maze. i see olive with her hair in pigtails and slippers, frolicking around in the grass on a warm summer day.

these fringe boots are too cute. i love the two tiered fringe on them. boots like these and in this color are the perfect complement to any outfit. any dress, pants, outfit will be complete cute shoes like these!

okaaayyyy, i keep on saying this but gawd…this purse. oh.em.gee. it’s the cutest mini messenger bag evah! i envision little miss olive shopping with me and carrying around this cute satchel {stashed with lipgloss, money, and her favorite toy}.

this cross blanket is great either in olive’s room or in the living room. i love the graphic pattern and the neutral colors. it’s a vibrant and cool throw, a perfect accent to any room in the house.

i dig these gold shoes. they are from stitches and soles. again, the best shop ever! alena is so sweet and she seriously makes the best products out there. these gold shoes are neutral enough to go with any outfit but add the perfect sparkle and shine to her cute little baby tootsies.

have you ever seen such a fantastic romper?! it’s david bowie!!! such a unique piece. it’s from a shop based in australia and the shop owner makes the cutest kids clothes. once i laid eyes on this romper, i had to have it for olive. summertime {yes, i am constantly talking about summer…we can’t wait} would not be the same without a bowie romper on olive!

this sweet unicorn hook is adorbs. i was thinking that it would so lovely in the playroom {that we will eventually have} so the kids can hang up their stuff or anything that they want to use it for. it’s whimsical, sweet, and functional.

momma’s favorites:

[striped pillow // flower cupcake liners // calligraphy name tag // alice in wonderland book // tank top // wood console]

we have been slowly, i mean slowly, decorating our living room. it’s been such a long drawn out process but we have finally decided on pillows! yippee! here is one of the pillows we love. it’s the perfect design and color to tie our curtain and rug together. now only if we can get something up on our walls!

i love cupcakes and i love fun cupcake liners! these have been around for awhile but i will always love them. they are great for parties {to hold candies or other fun trinkets at a sweets table} and make any cupcake t h i s much more festive.

i have mentioned these awesome calligraphy name tags before on the blog but i am posting it here again because i really love them! you can have this etsy seller make any word into something cool and rad for any party that you host. whether you want to label your food or sweets table, or identify signature drinks at your next fete, these will add pizazz to any party decor.

as y’all know. i love rifle paper co. anything rifle and i am game. so, when i took a peek at their website recently, i flipped out over the fact that they are creating the cover of the alice in wonderland 100th anniversary book! yowza! i’m in love.

this tank top is da bomb. it’s so me. and probs every mom or non-mom out there! who doesn’t rock a top knot and tank top?! it’s my staple every summer. fer shizzle. need i say more?

this wood console/bar cart/media table is pretty nice. we bought this with the idea that it would be a bar cart. or really, a multi-use table. hc will eventually put casters on it so we can roll it anywhere in the house {it is sold with casters but hc insisted on putting it on himself…}. i really, really wanted a table like this in the kitchen and the fact is, hc can make this himself but it came down to time and that we didn’t have for this, so we purchased it instead. i love it. it’s perfect and the perfect height and width for what we need it for.

well, there ya go. quite a few of my favorite things! this post ended up being bigger than expected {i almost broke it into two parts but decided not to}. that’s what i get for liking so many items! natch. yeah, next time i won’t pick as many items and temper it out! alright, my typing fingers are dunzo. i hope y’all like/love/lust over my favorite things! i sure do!

xoxo

flashback friday

Posted on February 27, 2015 by tandem in love

today takes us back to 2011.

this was the year that we got married but it was also a year where we had 9 weddings to go to, including our own! it was quite the year of wedding! this picture was taken at our friend jaime’s wedding in june. carol was a bridesmaid and, obvs, i was a guest! ooooohh, and we were so tan from the summer already!

it was a little bit of a cray summer for carol. not only were j and i getting married {she was a bridesmaid for the both of us, my matron of honor} and she had to to pick and choose what she could attend because she lives in seattle!

i love this picture of us because we are and look so happy. who doesn’t love attending weddings?! it’s always fun and filled with love. plus, it’s a big parteeee! socializing, drinking, eating, dancing, and vivacious behavior is widely excepted. i clearly remembered it being a very warm, humid day. it was, overall, a perfect day to get hitched.

ahhhh, warm weather…hurry up! chiberia temps is just too much! well, i hope somebody out there is going somewhere warm this weekend, i’ll just live vicariously through my old summer/vacay photos! dreaming away…

xoxo

january snapshots

Posted on February 26, 2015 by tandem in love

oh yessss, i am soooo behind with this one! aren’t i? well, as i always say, better late than never!

january was quite the busy month {i know, i know. i do say that a lot}. but, isn’t january a month where things slow down? i guess, not in my world {or at least in my head}.

the highlight of this past month was our trip to L.A. to celebrate my sister’s birthday. it was wonderful to get away and soak in some warm weather. the temps were ah-mazing! i had no kid, no hubs, {although i greatly missed them!} just me and my sisters. it was awesome to relax and explore the city. the bonus part is that my brother, huy, lives there with his girl, tashina, and it was purty awesome to hang out with them the whole weekend!

of course there was a lot of oliveness going on in january. my cutie is becoming wiser, funnier, and is as quirky as evah! oh, she blows my mind every day. not only with her cute, cutie, cute face but her growing personality. being a mom for the first time is so novel and i can’t even imagine i could possibly bring more cuteness into this world!

anyhoo, here are some fun shots of our past lovely month of january:

[shopping…what we do best]

[olive with her goofy cousin b]

[what a goof]

[mmmm, portillo’s // my girl olivia]

[our typical morning…relaxing together after she nurses]

[cookie monster]

[gifting marina with a little sprinkle]

[bottega louie // L.A.]

[first big snowfall]

[apple head]

[her favorite eating nook]

[the tired mom look 😉 ]

[cat baby // discovering her reflection]

[my love]

[my two favorites – coffee and breakfast]

[morning routine]

[her favorite toy]

[kicking back in her toy basket]

[caged animal]

[watching t.v. together]

[my sweet babes]

[breakfast on our last day in L.A.]

[funny gal]

that was our january in a nutshell! i hope y’all had a great past month as well. february is looking pretty awesome so far! i can’t wait to share…hopefully not so late in the game next time! woot!

xoxo