it was a friday night and it called for a dinner night out with the fam. after doing some fun holiday activities, we all met up at a restaurant in hinsdale called vistro. a cool vibe eatery by paul virant {owner of vie & perennial virant}. it was bustling and busy. we scored a close parking spot and cruised on in. we originally had a high table but that wasn’t going to work with ms. olive. so, they were super kind and accommodating to us! they quickly relocated us to a booth. i was quite pleased at how wonderful they were with our situation.
[olive doesn’t get a high chair…she sits on the table like a lady]
[famille]
[pouty]
we sat down and ordered some delicious apps and beverages. the crispy tuscan kale and brussels sprouts were soooooo good. i could have eaten those two dishes as my main meal. seriously. so yum. but i did not regret my burger. that was delectable as well.
i loved the vibe of the restaurant. it was quite cozy, warm, and friendly. the service was fantastic and everyone was so nice. obviously having a baby {who wants to move around} can be a challenge at a restaurant but everyone thought she was a cutie. duh, of course. olive wanted so badly to walk everywhere in the place…i tried my best to not have her interfere with other patron’s meals. we cruised around the tables and walked into the hallway where the bathrooms were and turned back around to our table. and then maybe start over again.
[festive cocktails]
[this brussel sprout dish was soooo tasty!]
[kim doing her best RBF]
we were doing pretty well throughout the meal but near the end, it was time to go! she started to get a bit fussy and it was close to her bedtime.
we had a great time being silly, relaxing, and noshing on some super savory food. it was a wonderful end to a great day.
our friends and family gathered together at 10pin for a holiday bowling party. nerdy hc and me decided to get matching bowling shirts personalized with our names on them {from strange cargo in wrigleyville…i love that store!}. ha! it’s a shame we have never worn them since. i guess that means we need to go to another fun, bowling party soon. dust off the duds and roll some balls!
we had just started dating here, barely together for two months in this photo! look at us! we look so fresh and happy; i’m loving our ‘looks’. anyhoo, we met up with everyone {my sisters and a bunch of friends}, bowled our hearts out, and noshed on some yummy not good for you food.
it was a swell time. we were loving our bowling shirts and loving each other. ah, the start of our relationship is so sweet to reminisce in. when we first met, it was quite rocky {at least on my part…as many of you know, i didn’t take to hc at first} and then we fell hard. december was a wonderful month for us. it was full of love, laughter, good times, and newness.
so, a bowling party like this was a fabulous memory we now revel in. we got all geeked out in our shirts and had a great time bowling with everyone. or at least i tried my best to avoid getting my balls in the gutter 😉
[heine and deuce]
what are some of your favorite memories with your significant other?? what holiday pasts have you done that brings you joy? hopefully nothing bad that the ghost of christmas past will remind you of {not scrooges allowed}!! i hope it brings a smile to your face when you reminisce! happy friday y’all!
many weeks ago was the first time in a looooong time since olive was introduced into this world, that i didn’t have her.
there were two times prior: one night when we were celebrating my sister thuy’s birthday, we left her overnight at my parents. that was nerve racking. c’mon…i’m a new mommy. every momma goes through that, right? the first time leaving your babes…you can’t help but have a little anxiety! i completely trusted my parents {it would not have been anyone else!}, but you do have your jitters, naturally. we were already out by my parents and it just made sense {logistically} to go back to the city and stay in the city without the babes and then come back the next day to get her. so, of course, that was a success and totally fine. olive was a happy camper.
the other time was when we moved into our house. i dropped olive off at my parent’s house so i could get some work done {aka cleaning} in our new house. this time around wasn’t as long. it was for maybe 5-6 hours, while i pretty much spent the entire time cleaning the dirty fridge {yuck}.
so, those were the two times prior and since then…it’s always been me and olive, like always!
i had a week of time off and my parent’s typically watch her on designated days. well, i decided i would let them have her and i would get to do things and get things done! it was, honestly, the weirdest feeling. i felt free but lonely at the same time.
i am racked with momma’s guilt when i’m without my babes {totes normal, right?!}. i know, i should have time to myself. i should feel good that i have a me day but i can’t help it! it is rewarding to be able to have a day to myself, or an afternoon. i can get stuff done, i can relax without it being interrupted, i can focus on projects without worries but i do miss her. i do. don’t get me wrong, i will go out without her. i will have someone else care for her so i can go shopping, do errands, or meet up with friends for lunch. i do get excited for such things and do enjoy the moments, even though it’s rare.
no matter what, i will always love sharing every second with my presh lil one. it will always be an internal war within me. maybe when she’s older, i might feel better or different? maybe it’s because she’s so tiny and i am relishing in all her cuteness? maybe it’s because she brings me such joy, so not having her by my side makes me sad? maybe it’s because she gives me hugs and kisses and it always makes me smile?
i know a lot of people are quick to give up their kids to have a day to themselves but it’s not the same for me. i do love having date nights with hc or if it is just me and the hubs without olive, i’m okay. it’s the only time i am ok with it. otherwise, i don’t foresee a ton of days or times i will be out and about without my olive.
well, i’ll let y’all know if any of my emotions changes in the next few months or years 😉 until then, the internal battle of feelings still rages inside…one day, i’ll have a day without the little babes and totally feel liberated! 🙂
we were so excited to have scheduled a visit with santa claus! so, dream works has created and built ten {i think it’s ten, or is it seven? anyhoo} led lighted santa clause houses throughout the u.s. and oakbrook center has one! it’s a good thing we made our appointment early because it is now booked throughout the season! we were so excited to have experienced this journey to see santa claus, what a unique idea it is!
we packed ourselves up and headed out to oakbrook. we were running a bit behind but that was no matter because, unfortunately, santa was also running sooo behind! we waited in line for quite some time {that sucked…especially since we made an appointment!} and it was so cold out…boo! the guest service folks were kind enough to let us step away and warm up inside a store and not lose our spot in line. we needed to because it was way too cold outside for miss olive! after a very, very long wait, we were finally up next! woo hoo!
[pretty cool, huh? the images actually change]
[waiting out in the cold for santa // coat by zara]
[red nosed reindeer]
[auntie kim making a pit stop by]
[fiona, donkey, and shrek]
[my little baby warming up]
they gathered us inside the ‘foyer’ of the house and we were welcomed in by a few elves. we waited there, another ten minutes or so, before we were finally greeted by another elf! she brought us into another room and talked about how we were going to meet santa! buttttt, santa had snuck away! shrek and donkey appeared and said we needed to go to the north pole to see santa, he had gone back and we needed to find a way to meet up with him!
[we are finally inside! waiting to see if santa is behind the curtain]
[nope, santa isn’t here!]
[shrek and donkey telling us that we need to build a sleigh to get to the north pole!]
our little elf then led us into another room, a top secret room where we could build a sleigh ride to fly to the north pole. we spent some time in there building our cool sleigh! it was so interactive and fun!
[building our sleigh on the computer!]
after we built our sleigh, we were then led into another room where our computerized sleigh came to life! we all jumped onto the sleigh and held on tight for our trip to the north pole. it was soooooo cool. we loved it! it was so realistic and fun. we flew through the sky with shrek, fiona, donkey, and other friends, they led us to the north pole.
[we were flying to the north pole! it was so awesome!]
after our sleigh ride, we finally landed in the north pole! we were almost there, santa was within reach! we waited in another room and waited our turn to see him! as you can see…olive was loving it {not}! i knew she would completely freak out once i handed her over. oh em gee. i could not stop laughing. my poor baby girl was having a freak out. and that santa…he was so stinkin’ cool. he didn’t break a sweat and handled her like a pro! the pics down below are too presh.
[this one is our favorite…ha!}
yay! olive’s first visit with santa was a success{?}. well, it was for us, although i think olive might argue that. hehe.
so, to top off this past fabulous year of life, we had olive’s pictures taken to celebrate her one year birthday! we have been going to patricia anderson photography since olive was in the womb! so, to have her capture olive’s one year mark was a no brainer.
it was just me and olive, hc was away on a business trip {he’s been at every session leading up to this one}. it was a good morning. olive was on track with her meals and nap but as usual, i was running just a wee bit behind. we then headed out to the city, everything was looking good until i hit the kennedy! ugh. it was so backed up but i wasn’t too worried. i was still on track to being 15 minutes late 😉 then this happened: barry {street} was under construction. what?! i had planned on parking right on barry, we always do…there is always a spot. but nope. not this time. i drove around and around trying to find a spot! of course, it had to be the day i go by ‘myself’ and have a whole bunch of props with me!!! if hc was with us, he would have dropped us off and it would have been easy peasy. so, i finally found a parking spot {quickly pulled the stroller together and grabbed our props} and hauled us at lightening speed to the studio.
i was carrying balloons, outfit changes for olive, her crown, banners, pushing her stroller, and fighting the wind as i flew through the streets of chicago. i finally made it! phew! tricia was worried we were going to be very, very late but we did it!
we got inside and got cracking on her photos. the first shots were of her in her cutesy zara outfit. you can’t really tell in the pics but the dress is this beautiful brocade. annnddd as i expected, olive was not amused. she gets uncomfortable and very confused {when the environment is foreign}, and when she feels that way, she clings to her momma! she then gets that serious face on that pretty little mug and won’t smile.
as the session led on, she was getting super cozy and comfy and started to lighten up. she then started to become a ham! woo, when she gets comfortable i then start to relax.
[dress & leggings by zara // gold bow hair clip by pink toast boutique]
[custom romper and headband // love her ‘not impressed’ look]
we did four outfit changes {tricia even had a custom yellow romper made for olive’s photo shoot!} and saved the best for last! her smash cake event! i was so excited, i don’t think olive had a clue what she was in for, or me, really! we dressed her up in her crown, tutu, hung her banners, and placed the balloons. it all looked oh so cute!
at first, she didn’t know what to do. i had to help her by sticking my finger in the cake and getting the frosting on her lips. she then smooshed her hand onto the cake and didn’t like it at first {she is so my child}. she didn’t like that her hand was dirty! she kept trying to get me to wipe off her hand…that’s my girl! but then she started to taste it and, boy, she started to like it! then the cake smashing craziness took over. she even used her foot to kick the cake…lol.
well, there you go! olive’s one year photos are complete and we were soooo happy with the end results. tricia does such an amazing job and she is so incredibly calm and great with olive. we love working with her…every time, our photos turn out absolutely perfect!!
christmas is upon us {woo hoo}! the holidays are a magical time. i’m so in the mood to decorate and be jolly {even after a few crazy whirlwind weeks i’ve had}! decking the halls is such a favorite pastime of mine. i love getting creative and thinking of different ways to brighten up the house in a very festive way. nothing feels better than a dressed up home, all cozy and pretty.
december is all about entertaining, having family and friends stop by {anytime}, and having a cup of peppermint hot chocolate ready for any of your guests! with all that in mind, i’ve been scheming up some grand ol’ ideas for a festive, fun winter tablescape. i love modern, earthy, and bright aesthetics. so, as you can see down below, the elements i picked out in my mood board definitely reflect my descriptive words!
i love the walnut table from modani. it’s the perfect foundation and color to the whole winter scheme. it lends to the organic feel of the decor and sets the tone for the entire holiday look of the table. i love the sleek, edgy, and clean lines of the design but it’s softened by the organic material of the table and warm color.
the next layer would be the fun and modern runner! how cool is that pattern?! i love the black and white stripes, accented by the gold dots. it’s like tim burton partnered with kate spade and they created this table runner! this pattern and color adds the perfect pop of pizzaz to your holiday table. i love this design because i want it to stand out, especially since the rest of the decor is more muted and neutral. this runner will perfectly balance out the look whole of the table.
this holla sign is a favorite of mine! it’s so fun and festive! it’s a conversation piece and adds the right amount of holiday charm to your table decor. i’d place this sign right in the center of the table, on the runner, and flank it with white candles in varying heights. i would then place the pine garland in and around the center pieces and extend it out to where you have enough room for your end place settings. i would then scatter and entwine the glass and gold ornaments into the pine garland to finish off the holiday look.
last but not least, to finalize your winter tablescape, i would then place these lovely gold chargers on top of white placemats {and white napkins with walnut colored wood napkins rings} and place white plates onto the gold chargers to balance out the look. i am so in love with these wood calligraphy name plates {they can also be painted gold by the seller or left natural}, it’s the perfect and final touch to your festive, holiday winter table spread!! one last idea…add/tie a sprig of thyme to each name plate to complete your table design!
viola! there ya have it! a beautiful winter tablescape that is perfect for any party this holiday season. *sigh* it definitely has inspired me to have a dinner party this month! i hope you have been inspired too. tell me my lovies, what’s your decor must have for the perfect winter tablescape??!
oh my oh my oh my! our baby girl is one year old!!! whaaaa?! already?! i’ve always thought about this day, i’ve always thought about her birthday party {so daunting & it turned out perfect!}, i have always thought about what she would be like at one year…and here we are. all these milestones and moments turned out to be exactly what i expected and also so much more spectacular than what i thought! she is so amazing, funny, sweet, loving, silly, cuddly, and goofy.
olive is so loving! she loves to give kisses and hugs. it just makes your heart melt. those pouty lips and chunky cheeks just get me. every. time. i love to say to olive, “kisses!” and she will lean in for a smack on the lips. she’s so cuddly and oh so loving! she loves to lean in for a hug. she loves to snuggle into my arms. she now likes to lay right by your side and chill. it is seriously so cool. she went from a baby to a little girl with a big personality {slow yer roll!}
olive is a healthy, hearty eater. she loves food. like loves it. she will eat anything you give her. i am hoping that this carries over throughout her childhood. i am an eater. i love food. i love trying new tastes, textures, and flavors. i get so much joy from it and i want olive to be the same. i want her to explore and widen her palate as much as i love it. so, we are off to the right start since baby girl does down anything right now. she loves spicy foods, veggies, fish, meat, fruit, cereals, and cake. yes, lots of cake…just like her momma.
she has been solid in her sleep. she hasn’t graduated to that one big nap a day yet…i think that will be in the near future. but for now, she is still hitting up two naps a day. she does go to bed pretty late {like mom like daughter??} and wakes up at a decent hour {typically around 8am}. she will nap between 10-11am and then take another nap around 4-5pm. i am still amazed that she has been so structured and solid in her sleep patterns since she was 4 weeks old! does that mean our next baby will be a crazy, sporadic sleeper??? olive tends to cry out at midnight every night {it’s like clockwork every night at that time, exactly 2 hours after she goes to bed} but only for a minute or two and falls back asleep. only once this past month did she cry out {around 3am} and didn’t stop for awhile. i got up to console my baby girl back to sleep but that definitely was an anomaly for her.
um, did i mention that she mastered walking?! yes, she finally took that bold step towards craziness. like i said before, i really thought she would be walking by ten months, but eleven months it was. now she is all over the place. it’s too cute. she just wobbles around just to wobble around. she has no purpose. she has no destination. she just walks around and around because she can. it’s so novel for her right now that it amuses me just the same. i love watching her teeter everywhere and giggle at how delighted she is that she is walking! she currently has the goofiest look on her face when she is walking everywhere. it’s way too presh.
well, last month i blogged about her crawling up the stairs {and not knowing how to get down}…she has now mastered ‘crawling’ down the stairs. yup, she is pretty good at it. a little over a week ago, she was going up my parent’s stairs and then she decided that she was going to go down. and down she went with such ease!!! from that moment on, it’s been up and down, up and down any set of stairs.
i am a bit sad because this will be my “last” monthly post of olive. the first year is so important, amazing, and full of delight. it was a fantastic way to document olive’s ever growing status and now it’s come to an end. waaaah. now don’t get me wrong…i will be blogging about olive’s future milestones but it’s bittersweet that this chapter is closing. but ya know what they say…when one door closes, another one opens. natch.
happy one year my dear, sweet olive. we love you to bits and look forward to so many more amazing years ahead. the best is yet to come.
i am thankful for sooooo many wonderful things in my life.
i am thankful for my hubby charming of 3/6+ years. he is the light of my life and i am so grateful for him. he {insert cheesy line} really does complete me.
i am thankful olive was born on this day last year and it’s been the best ride of our lives thus far. she is the most wonderful little person evah. she brings us so much joy, laughter, and love. i am still amazed that we did this…created the most perfect little human being.
i am thankful for my wonderful, wonderful family {my cooking crazy mom, my giving and loving dad, my two beautiful sisters, and my cool dude brothers}. they have been the most supportive people in my life. when the tough gets going, they are there for you. no matter how hard i fall, they will always be there to pick me up and i am incredibly thankful for them.
i am thankful for my fantastic in laws. dick and jane are the most loving parents and friends. they have always been there for us and we are so appreciative of them!
i am thankful for so many, many more things! i am grateful for my health and the health of my loved ones around me. i am thankful for the beautiful house we live in and how much more beautiful it will be as hc works so hard on the remodeling of it. i am thankful for grace and what an amazing big sister she has been to little miss olive. i am thankful for my friends, who love me for who i am and i get to engage in mindless gossip talk with them. i am thankful for so much beauty in my life. period.
stop yourself and think how wonderful this world we live in can be, stop to smell the roses, see the glass half full, enjoy the people around you, slow down and be kind and thoughtful.
this thanksgiving, count your blessings and give someone a great big hug to make their day a little brighter.
warning: total mom photos coming your way. a.k.a photo overload of pretty much the same thing – baby and me.
when my dear friends carol, dana, and andrea hosted my baby’s shower last year, dana had given me the cutest little sippy cup evah as a gift! i couldn’t wait to use it! i’m such a starbucks addict. yes, i will pay $4.50 or so for a fancy coffee. yeahhhh, a fancy coffee for a fancy lady {what grace used to call me…fancy}.
anyhoo, olive has finally reached an age where she uses a sippy cup. we actually introduced a sippy cup months ago but i finally dug out this ‘starbucks’ cup for her. oh, i was loving it. me with my starbucks cup and her with her version?! i was in heaven. i was gleeful and excited {wow…the simple things in life}. i could not stop snapping photos. i seriously thought it was the cutest thing {well, i still do}.
this was a morning where we had glorious olive and me time. we were loving life and having a grand ol’ time with each other. we snuggled in each other arms. she played independently, i did errands around the house, we would come back together and have more play time and just chill.
well, back to the starbucks moment. when dana gave me this sippy cup…i totally envisioned me and the baby strolling around, outside on a sunny day, starbucks in hand and her sippy ‘starbucks’ cup in her hands. we are enjoying our drinks and loving life. hmph, that will totally still happen but our first moment of bumping starbucks cups was just too perfect!
that was just so cute, non?! thanks dana for the best sippy cup evah! you know me too well {and the le petit prince livre is still my favorite!}. cheers to the daily guzzling of delicious coffee!
so, the day had come…olive’s first birthday party! oh em gee. i was feeling a bit stressed, excited, anxious, and bittersweet. my little babes is about to be one and it makes my heart melt. the first year is so full of many wonderful milestones and memories. each day possesses something new and fun. she is growing up so fast already…i can’t even take it! she amazes us every day; she brings so much joy and laughter into our lives! okaaayyy, so enough mommy gushing…okay, just keeding! i’m always mommy gushing! ha!
anyhoo. preparing for olive’s party was fun, crazy, time consuming, and very obsessive inside my nutty creative mind. i was scheming up so many ideas! i really loved the aesthetic feel of gold and light pink. i’m not a pinky kind of gal, well, okay i am but i’m not into piiiiinkkkk. for example, pink overload…like as if pink was to puke all over olive’s clothes. so not my style. but i was loving the idea of pink, albeit, a light pink {with pops of bright pink} for olive’s first birthday party! how perty it all sounded to me…pink and gold!
so, the day of her party was finally here! i had decorated, crafted, arranged, and tucked in many sleepless nights to get everything done. the guests started to arrive and we were just pulling together the final details of the decor. woooo!
[do you remember this chalkboard?? when we lived in chicago, there was never a place where hc could do any type of wood work or really do any type of reconstruction project. i had always wanted to redo the chalkboard i had purchased and my wish was fulfilled the past month! hc finally deconstructed the chalkboard and framed it in the white border that i had originally wanted!]
[her decorated highchair! // number 1 gold balloon & highchair banner {and most of the banners} by littledovie]
[my favorite…macarons and they were flown in from france!]
[owl treats by the krispie bakery // made especially for o{wl}ive]
[personalized first birthday book by i see me // add extra pages and have your guests sign in by wishing the birthday girl something special!]
[cookie favors by rpconfections and the biggest balloon evah!]
[monthly birthday banner]
[photo booth!]
olive was still napping when our first guests arrived. within a half hour, the guest of honor had arose! i gleefully ran into her room to greet the little babes and get her ready for her big day! i got her dressed, hair styled, and all purty for her party. she was ready to go in her graphic black and white dress, gold glitter tights, and a gold glitter bow hair clip. natch. she looked so cute!
olive and i greeted all our guests, while hc got all the food ready! libations and snacks were out and about, while our guests mingled around and explored. after visiting with our guests for a bit, the food was ready to be served and everyone grabbed a bite to eat. it was great; our guests relaxed, mingled, and enjoyed themselves around the house while olive bounced around amongst different peeps.
hc and i had cleared out the basement and made it a play area for the kiddies and boy, they sure loved it! they had a blast running around and playing downstairs. it was a perfect area for them to go wild!
after lunch and a bit of resting, it was cake time! we changed olive into her second outfit of the day. a birthday crown, ruffled white onesie, and a pink fluffy tutu! we paraded her around for a bit and then plopped her into her chair.
we lit her glitter candle, presented the cake, and sang happy birthday to her! she was so unfazed. she stared at the cake and didn’t know what to do with it! ha! so, i helped her along by poking at the cake and putting a little frosting into her mouth. yes, that got her going. delicious, sweet frosting on the lips will inspire any babes to dive into a big yummy cake!
it was too sweet {literally}. we let the birthday girl sit there and maul her lovely little smash cake, while hc and i sliced up her beautiful gold birthday cake. we served the cake and ice cream on pretty little gold speckled confetti paper plates by merimeri.
after the cake smash fun, olive was given a quick bath and changed into her final outfit of the evening {such a fashionista…three outfit changes on her big day!}! hc dressed olive in the adorbs outfit kt and kar had given her a few months ago!
once the cake was served, all the guests hung out, socialized, and had some super fun with our photo booth! as you can see in all the pics down below!
[mom and thuy]
[lexi and dom]
[yesss, her third outfit change…such a fashionista!]
[auntie kim and olive]
[bennett and reagan]
[aj]
[lexi, cam, and chaz]
[cousins]
[new fuzzy pbk chair by auntie karen and katie]
[dana and scott]
slowly but surely, all the guests went on their merry way. we were so blessed to have been able to celebrate olive’s big day with our wonderful friends and family. it was a day filled with fun, love, and laughter. we seriously had a great time, i know olive did! the whole party was a success! wow…it had come and gone and nothing but fabulous memories now remain {well actually the glitter and a bit of confetti are still lingering around!}.
thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate olive’s first big day! we can’t wait to celebrate her real {for reals} birthday on thanksgiving day with more of her family, this week!!! woo hoo!
