the oakbrook land of nod celebrated their 10th anniversary!
i was really excited to attend. i had received their email and the party looked like so much fun! they had balloons, a face painter, a photo booth, a children’s folk singer, and they had set up a whole bunch of teepee’s, tents, and blankets all over the grass in the front of their store. a perfect spot for kids to play in & lots of activities to entertain the kiddos.
we started the afternoon with some lunch at cpk. we put olive in a highchair {first time at a restaurant!} and she was quite content for a bit. i fed her some carrots and cauliflower. reagan was completely entertaining her and then she was liiiiiike, ok…i want my momma. she whimpered and whimpered, so i picked the cutie up to calm her down. i was able to wolf a bit of food down before we headed out to do some shopping before heading over to land of nod.
[reagan enjoying his sundae]
[auntie/godmother kim playing with miss olive]
we decided to hit a few stores kid’s stores before lon. it’s been awhile since i’ve purchased some cute clothes for miss olive! i bought a bunch of stuff at gapbaby, h&m, and carter’s.
of course, we stopped at starbucks for a pick me up drink! the boys got matching cake pops to nosh on.
[never without a starbucks run]
[cake pop twinsies]
[they had a children’s folk singer entertaining the crowds]
[holding on to her lon carrot rattle]
olive and i participated in the photo booth. it was delightful and fun. look at her face…so chunky and cute.
we also ran into our friends lan, pete, and avery! we were able to hang out with them during our afternoon of fun. small world, but then we ran into our friends larissa and thai and their family of three! a sunny day and a land of nod event brings out everyone!
[photo booth fun]
[avery having a blast with the campfire props]
the boys waited in line with auntie thuy to get their face painted. it was quite the popular spot! the line was so long but thuy and the boys waited oh so patiently to get their faces painted! reagan chose spidey man and bennett chose mario brothers. they loved it! it was so adorbs, after they had their faces painted, they looked so happy staring at themselves in the mirror. i love kids. so wonderful and innocent.
[reagan getting spiderman]
[mario brother]
[aren’t they so cute?!]
[i honestly didn’t know where to look at first…then we got it! isn’t she just the most adorable baby in the world?!]
[ending the afternoon fun with yummy goodness]
after an hour or so at the land of nod, we went to macy’s because the bro in law wanted to shop around. kim and i were a bit hungry, so we headed downstairs to the food court to grab a snack. well, a snack turned into more food and lots of desserts and a very full belly {there goes dinner!}!
we had such a great day lazily lounging around, shopping a whole bunch of stores, and participating in the l.o.n. party! it was such a fantastic afternoon with my lovely family! a much needed relaxing afternoon at a beautiful shopping center with my famille.
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!
pretty much my whole life, up until i was around 8 months pregnant, i was steadfast in my stance of not breastfeeding our baby. yes, it’s true. i didn’t like the idea. i didn’t like the thought. i didn’t care to do such a thing…it seemed weird to me. uh huh. yes, i said weird. it kinda freaked me out.
i wanted to bottle feed and didn’t feel like taxing out the boobies. oddly enough, i didn’t feel like it was natural to breastfeed. it’s truly how i felt…yes, mother nature intended us to breastfeed but that didn’t mean i should or would or wanted to.
then lo and behold, as i was nearing the end of my pregnancy, something clicked. i literally woke up one day and thought…i’m gonna do it. i did debate it in my head for awhile before the enlightenment and it came down to this: i didn’t really have a legit reason or argument on why i shouldn’t nurse my little one.
i knew it was beneficial. breastfed babies are linked to having higher iq’s. breast milk helps fight diseases. breast milk provides the perfect nutrients for your baby’s growing needs. breast feeding decreases the chance of illness. the milk is easier to digest for your baby. it’s free. it’s an amazing bond you have with your child. there are no bottles to clean up constantly. i also feel fortunate that i am able to nurse, some women who want to breastfeed struggle with it or can’t. i feel blessed i can.
what i love most about it…spending one on one time with my little olive. it’s just me and her. yes, giving her a bottle is spending time with her but breastfeeding her is so different. it’s intimate. it’s quality time together. it’s quiet time. it’s skin to skin contact which is very comforting for her. our connection is stronger. i feel satisfied she is receiving the best food for her growing little body.
[the most natural thing…but people see this & get offended]
so, with that, whenever i’m out with olive, i do nurse her when she gets hungry. for me, it seems so natural and normal to do so. i have never really thought twice about what i was doing nor did i care. if we were out at a restaurant, i’d feed her. if we were shopping, i would stop at a store, use their fitting room or just sit in their chair and feed her. no biggie in my mind.
then one day, grace, olive, and i were at the zoo. in the middle of us being there, olive needed a feeding. we found a bench, plopped down and i started to feed olive. grace ran up and down the area to check out all the animals, while olive ate.
in the middle of the feeding, a women walked up to me and handed me a card. she was smiling and said, “i never get to use these…thank you!”. i read the card and was quite touched. it really made me think about nursing in public. it never occurred to me it could be so faux pas. i’ve heard stories about people not allowing it or people posting pictures of themselves nursing and it has caused an uproar, but i never really thought about it.
this made me really think about how people are uncomfortable with it. it is truly the most natural thing a women could do and in some places and in people’s mind, it is frowned upon. not accepted. that is appalling. it should be acceptable and celebrated. it’s a joyous act. feeding your baby is nonnegotiable and someone shouldn’t dictate whether you can or cannot, nor where you should be able to feed her.
i was really touched by her act as she was affected by mine. it made me feel proud and it really makes me think how important it is to do this publicly. there is no question on when or where to feed olive. i would not allow anyone to tell me i couldn’t, or tell me where. this stranger felt that my act should be applauded, i feel great knowing that i will continue to feed olive publicly, proudly, and without hesitation.
i’m loving my baby girl growing up but i’m also sad at the same time. i love her being a baby! babies are so cute and i love so many things about her, she is just so adorbs…like her babbling sounds and her clingy nature and her chunky cheeks and her fat rolls and her just being so darn small and dainty. you can’t deny it, babies are so freakin’ darling, everyone loves a baby!
olive has had a great month. the biggest milestone so far? her trying to crawl! she started month six with the lunging. she would be on her behind and shimmy forward and back. then it became an action where she bounced from her behind forward and would sometimes fall on her face. now, it’s become a hands and knee push. she will be on all fours and awkwardly {kinda creepily too} crawl or drag herself across the floor. she’ll push and move her legs and arms but she won’t lift her head off the ground! she will drag her head across the floor but she will get from point a to point b…just moving her body and dragging her head! it’s so funny! sooooo, we will see how she progresses next month!
eating foods has become so fun! olive is loving everything. she has learned how to swallow, so now she is gulping everything down. she gets so excited to eat! she loves carrots, sweet potatoes, pears, cauliflower, butternut squash, pretty much anything. it’s awesome that she is loving it so much. she has graduated to eating two times a day and it’s tablespoons full of food. almost half a cup of food at a time. what a good girl!
the little babes has become quite the sleeper. we have tried to set a regular nap schedule during the day. she has been pretty good so far, she will usually go down around nine-ten, then again around one-two, and then she will take a small nap around six. she tends to stay up pretty late every night but she usually gets tired around nine, i will then feed her and she’s out! she will sleep for 9-10 hours a night!
she loves watching baby genius nursery rhymes on t.v. and she loves it when you sing to her. she’s totally observant. she watches everyone’s moves. she really loves paper, books, consumer tags on products, brown paper bags, anything like that to gnaw on. she has been very good at playing by herself, she will go for a long stint and when she is done, she is done! she will then want momma {she’ll cry out until i come over and then smile in my arms…trickster!}! i also love that she will lay around on the couch with us and just chill. something she never, ever did before.
her hair has gotten so long…those beautiful curls, i’m afraid they will go away. actually, they probably will. the hubs and i don’t have curly hair, so i know once {hopefully a long time from now} she gets a hair cut, the curls will probably be gone. i love to put hairpins and headbands in her gorgeous hair…it’s so fun & cute!
happy seven months baby girl! we love you so much and can’t wait for all the delightful events coming our way this month!
here we are, andrea and me, celebrating her birthday in january!
we met through a mutual friend, darrin. i worked part time at pottery barn, ages ago. darrin was my manager at the lincoln park location. he kept saying to me, i have a girlfriend you will love! he said we were so much alike and totally thought we would click and get along. after him constantly telling me about her, we finally got together….um, he was so right!!!! i love her!
andrea and i have been friends for a very long time and it’s, honestly, one of the best relationships i have. it’s one of those friendships where you can pick up were you left off, even if it’s been awhile since we last saw one another. we have busy lives, we respect and appreciate each other’s time but every now and then, we make time for each other. it might be in quick succession or our dates might be months in-between but no matter what the case may be, we take off where we last ended. a true, solid friendship!
a great pic to reminisce on! cheers to all the wonderful lady friends out there!
with life being so hectic, sometimes you forget to slow down {well, at least i don’t slow down very well} and revel in the moment.
hc and i were running around doing a lot of stuff during the day, as usual. life has been very chaotic for us since before our move. well, hectic ever since olive was born. we are constantly on the go, or working on a project, or trading time with olive so one or the other can get stuff done. if we are together, olive is usually in my arms or hc’s arms. we are always paying attention to the babes or trying, for a short moment, to relax when we get the few minutes to be able to.
it was one of those days where we were constantly on the go. life was just flying by. as we were driving home from being out and about all day, hc and i sat in silence. we were a bit exhausted but happy. it was a great day with family {although we felt like we were driving to all ends of the earth} and we were excited to be on our way home. nothing feels better than being home sweet home, right?
well, hc reached over, in the car, and grabbed my hand and held tightly onto it. it made me realize…wow, it’s been awhile since we have held hands! omg. what? yes, awhile! every time we are out, we are pushing a stroller or one of us is holding olive. we use to hold hands all the time before she was born. nowadays, our hands are holding onto something of olive’s.
this little act made me very happy. it made me realize to not forget the little things in our marriage. to always foster our relationship and take time out to care and love each other because that is the foundation of this family.
i need to remember to slow down and revel in small, special occasions like this. i should pause and give a hug because life is too short. i must stop and tell him how much i love and appreciate him. this little gesture from him made me fall in love with him again. how simple and small an act can be to remind you how fortunate we are and how special this person is in my life.
i love you to bits hubby charming. thank you so much for being the best husband ever and for always making me a better person with all your kind acts.
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!
marina and corey hosted some peeps over at their house, in celebration of carol being in town. we were blessed with great weather and it was fabulous to be able to hang outside.
i brought over some cookie desserts {yum} and corey was cooking the burgers. we mingled, ate apps, and swapped babies. i was excited to hang out with amber, chris, and the family! we don’t get to see them very often, so it was nice to catch up!
[me, olive, jaime, carol, and liam]
[the boys hanging out]
[jaime, amber, and carol doting on liam]
[the beautiful ladies]
[pretty food prep for the burgers]
[olive’s bestie – jaime]
we were all in anticipation for the arrival of parker! pam and ryan were on their way to the house with their new baby boy. they finally arrived and parker was passed around amongst all the ladies. wow…my how times have changed. we are all mommies now! so many of my friends have babies. what amazing milestones we have hit. i love stepping back and reveling in on where we are at in our lives. it’s so overwhelming to see the little miracles we are making and how life circles around.
[pam and parker finally made it!]
[how adorbs is this?! hendrix and parker]
[awww…parker allen]
corey grilled up burgers, we noshed on some good eats, and relaxed. we all just hung out and shared stories, mostly about babies and fun stuff like that 😉 well the girls did, while the boys hung out outside and talked about manly things.
[yum]
[rina and me loving life]
we set up the desserts…the kids went crazy over the cookies and cookie cupcakes. so did the adults…hello! we all need our sugar fix! after that, i decided to head home. baby olive needed a bath, a feeding, and to be put down for the night. hc stayed behind to hang out and off i went.
it was another wonderful evening with some great friends. as usual, it’s fantastic to see some old friends and have a grand ol’ time with the kids! it was the last time i would see carol for her stay here in chicago but it was quite a fun filled week together!
thanks marina and corey for hosting! i hope to see everyone soon!
i was finally able to meet jaime’s baby boy, liam!
it was a rainy morning that turned into a beautiful day. we all agreed to meet at noon, but as usual, it’s always on olive’s schedule and she was on a nap marathon. baby girl finally awoke, i got her fed, dressed, packed, and off we went to j’s house.
not too shabby…we arrived only fifty minutes late! i gleefully came inside, i greeted jaime, then her mom {who was in town for the week}, and then all the girls and the kids. i was so excited to see little liam! oh, i had already forgotten how small babies can be! liam had grown to a whopping 8lbs {he was born prematurely at 30 weeks}! that was olive’s size when she was born and he was so teeny! so delicate. i can’t believe olive was that size…awww, makes me a little teary eyed.
[carol and 8 mo old baby katie]
[everyone taking turns holding cute katie!]
us girls took turns holding each other’s babies and gabbed in-between. this was the first time olive was near anyone close to her age! katie was 8 months old and we set them down together for some play time. not quite successful…katie rolled her way over to olive and happily grabbed a handful of her hair on top of her head and yanked olive’s head down to the ground!! oh em gee…it was actually cute. olive whimpered a bit but it was adorbs because kids are kids, they have no barriers and katie was like, ‘i want to pull your hair ’cause i’m intrigued’.
it was a house full of kiddies! liz has three kids; ryan, matthew, and katie. jaime has liam. i have olive and carol has travis and mackenzie. it was quite a circus!
[yay! baby liam and liz]
[my babes]
[look at that face!]
[olive and katie playing]
[photobombed by olive and jaime! we switched babes! liam and i match!]
liz and carol started to prepare lunch for the kiddos while we conversed and watched over each other’s kids. once the kids ate, us mommies scarfed down our jimmy john sandwiches and chips. yeah…this mom ate standing up ’cause olive wasn’t having it, she didn’t want to sit in my lap while i sat at the table!
[baby swapping! olive loved jaime…her new bestie!!!]
[our quick lunch!]
after i ate, i warmed up olive’s food {pears!} and fed her. she loves eating! she has totally learned how to swallow her food instead of pushing it out and around her mouth. so now she is having a blast swallowing big spoonfuls of yummy goodness.
after lunch, carol lit two candles on two cupcakes to celebrate travis and ryan’s birthday! how sweet. they share the same birthday! yum is for tasty cupcakes!
[katie and ryan]
[celebrating travis and ryan’s birthday…they share the same date!]
[travis blowing out his candle before we even finished singing!]
[katie clapping for the first time!!!]
[matthew’s chocolate cupcake face! so cute.]
after the craziness of lunch, us gals relaxed in jaime’s living room {as much as we can relax!}. i was pleasantly surprised how calm and entertained olive was in my lap. she sat there for an hour, just chilling and entertaining herself with some toys!
after several hours at j’s house, i finally packed up my things and we left to go home to see the hubs! it was seriously a great afternoon! we had such a wonderful time hanging out with everyone. i was so happy to have met liam james and to have spent some solid quality time with the ladies!
