zoo date

Posted on August 22, 2016 by tandem in love

i was super excited for our zoo date with kim, brady, and brooklyn. it had been awhile since i have gone with olive and she is now at an age where she would really enjoy it!

it was a really tough morning…ellie was suuuuuper fussy {very unlike her} and i was having a rough morning getting things done with a crying baby. she was not happy. i was a bit stressed and i was running behind. kim said i could cancel but that would sooo be unlike me to do such a thing! i just told her i would be 15 minutes later than expected.

we finally arrived and it was buuuusy! kim and i had no idea it was a kid’s free admission day…oy! there were droves of people there! i was secretly hoping kids were in school and it would be quiet and easy for us to navigate around. ha! not the case that day!

well, our morning started off right. the animals were out and olive and brady were warming up to each other and having fun looking at the animals. we walked around and it was great. kim and i did our best to watch our kids and catch up with one another. brady was too cute…he so wanted to hold olive’s hand but she was not having it! hahaha! it was too cute.

we were able to see the lions, cheetahs, gorillas, giraffes, sea lions, walruses, and more! we were walking around for a couple hours and during that span, we sat down for a quick lunch. it was after lunch when everything spiraled down hill for me. ugh. and i mean UGH. i won the worst mom of the year award for being so absolutely unprepared! welcome to the world of having two kids and learning a few big lesson along the way!

like i said, it had been awhile since i had been to the zoo and when i did go to the zoo with olive, she was just a baby in a stroller. well, now she is a walking toddler and i didn’t think about how long we would be walking and how tired she would get, on top of how hot it was! i didn’t think it was going to be that hot, so the heat factor killed us!

so, not only was it steaming hot, olive was exhausted and i didn’t have a wagon or a double stroller to put her in. she had to walk and i felt like the worst mom in the world. she cried for me to pick her up but i could only do that for a minute or two before i had to put her down. i mean, carry a toddler and try to push a stroller with one hand?! i was not super women! olive would cry out of frustration that i couldn’t carry her. i felt soooooo bad because she was so tired.

here’s another reason why i win worst mom of the year award, i ran out of the house in a rush and i forgot her water bottle…so she didn’t have water. yes, i bought a bottle of water for her to drink but there was not straw so she didn’t gulp as much as she usually does and of course, i felt terrible! i also didn’t bring enough snacks. yes…who am i?! this behavior is sooooo unlike me!!!

then ellie needed a feeding but i couldn’t bring myself to feed her…it was too hot! i couldn’t fathom putting my baby under a hot cover and feeding her in this heat! i was stressed about that and to top it all off…ellie started to turn into a tomato. yes, it was so hot outside, she started to overheat. argh! i freaked out.

i told kim i had to leave. i needed to get both my girls out of the heat! i felt bad and told her she could stay but she insisted on leaving as well. it was the worst walk back to the car…olive wanted me to hold her the whole way back and i couldn’t. she had mini meltdowns along the way and a few times ellie cried out in hunger. this mama was sweating. we finally made it back to the car and i loaded my girls in and blasted the air. phew! we drove through a starbucks, got drinks for everyone and i fed my little ellie and we were all happy campers! woo hoo!

after this crazy escapade, hc purchased an attachment to our stroller that allows olive to sit down or stand up on it! woo hoo! so, next time we hit up the zoo, {after learning some valuable lessons} i will totally be ready and prepared to be there for a few hours and really enjoy our total experience!!

[me and my girl]

[these two cuties!]

[all the animals were out!]

[cutie brooklyn]

[beautiful kim and handsome brady]

[our little monkeys]

[look at that chunk! she was dancing to the music…she is so cute!]

[such a diva]

[having lunch]

xoxo

housewarming

Posted on August 18, 2016 by tandem in love

our friends andrea and jamie just recently closed on their beautiful house in chicago. andrea had contacted me about seeing the baby and i told her i wanted to see her new house, so to kill two birds with one stone, we settled on us coming out there with the girls. we get to see their new house and they get to see ellie! win win!

we pulled up and easily found a parking spot right in front of their house. we rang the door bell and andrea answered & greeted us. we walked into such a gorgeous home! oh my! it is so lovely, spacious, and fabulous! i was obsessed! the dark wood, the crown moulding…swoon! it’s so darn big! the house boasts 5 bedrooms and, i am probably wrong with this number, but it something like 4300 square feet in size. wow! plus, their backyard is amazing as well. they have a small back patio and an additional patio up above their garage. loooooove it!

they invited us over with jamie’s intention to cook. um, i never knew jamie was such a fantastic cook! he made the most delicious shrimp, risotto, salad, pulled pork, so many good eats and everything was so darn savory and good! i ate so much…i couldn’t stop because it was so tasty! they had also the most perfect cheese plate as an appetizer and plenty of libations to go around.

andrea and jamie’s neighbor stopped by, their real estate agent, kathryn, rebecca and her son julian, beth and patrik with their cute little baby boy, and few other folks stopped by to hang out. i loved meeting some new faces and catching up with the familiar ones. it was a great, great evening. olive had a blast playing downstairs in the play room and ellie pretty much slept most of the time there.

we ate, drank, and really enjoyed each other’s company. it was cozy, relaxing, and always so fun visiting with some really good people. i absolutely enjoyed my time there but alas, we had to get going. it was getting a bit late and olive didn’t have a nap that day and that, typical, resulted in a meltdown. poor girl. she didn’t want to leave all the wonderful toys downstairs in the playroom. she was soooooo stinkin’ upset. a bit hysterical, delirious, and in toddler fashion, made no sense in her rage whatsoever. hahaha! we finally pried her away, not without a lot of screaming, and got her to the car. whew!

anyhoo, thank you jamie and andrea for being the hostess with the mostess! it was fabulous to see you both and annabelle, and all your wonderful friends. we love, love your beautiful house and again, congrats on the new home!

[hi cutie!]

[cutest little baby gift for ellie]

[delicious cheese plate]

[love these babes]

[beth and her babe colin]

[look at that drool!]

[dinner alfresco]

[the happy toddler moments before her meltdown due to not napping. eep!]

[hanging out with miss ellie]

xoxo

brooklyn’s 1st birthday mermaid party

Posted on August 6, 2016 by tandem in love

i can’t believe little brooklyn just turned one!

we had a blast celebrating her first birthday! we did our best heading over to kim and mikey’s house early, i wanted to help kim out in any way with the party set up but she had everything down pat. it looked fantastic!

i loved all the details kim did with the mermaid theme. her invite was color coordinated and it had the cutest gold mermaid stamped on the outside. she had the same colors running throughout the decor, from the paper tassels, balloons, and the mermaid sangria bar. everything was way too cute! you know me…i am a girl about the details and it was adorable!

we just hung out and visited with everyone. slowly everyone trickled in and we said our hello’s. it was so great to see everyone, from her mom and dad, sister and brother in law, friends, and of course mikey, kim, brady, and brooklyn! i had a great time seeing a lot of people i hadn’t seen in a long time, so it was fantastic to catch up.

we, unfortunately, could not stay for the entire party because {our basement had flooded from the heavy rains the night before} we had to get back home to clean up downstairs. i was super bummed i was going to miss brooklyn’s smash cake! that is always the highlight of any kid’s first birthday! nevertheless, i was so happy to have made it with miss ellie {with her being only two weeks young!} and we were able to partake in some of the celebration.

happy birthday miss brooklyn! your party was beautiful and put together with much love from your mom! we wish you many years of happiness, laughter, and love!

[how adorable is her outfit? little ladies boutique romper and fancy free finery flower crown]

[fancy free finery balloon string…how adorable!]

[balloon and paper tassels? yes, please]

[fun party decor]

[sangria bar]

[kim’s niece, emma]

[my mermaid gift to brooklyn]

[mermaid decor]

[kim and her sister sarah]

[olive was a happy camper playing by herself]

[daddy engrossed with the cubs game]

xoxo

ellie’s visitors

Posted on August 2, 2016 by tandem in love

we were so blessed to have our friends and family visit little baby ellie!

first off, in the hospital, we had my family come say hi. kim, terry, and the boys stopped by to see miss ellie {although the boys couldn’t come in}, terry and kim said hi to the new babe! they brought little miss olive with them {they watched her all weekend while we were in the hospital} and she got to say hello for the first time to her new baby sister! it was the sweetest thing to watch! it totally melted my heart to see her intrigued, excited, & shy about the whole thing! you can see it in her face. my favorite picture is of her holding miss ellie! too precious!

we then had dana and scott {fresh from their honeymoon!} come to the hospital and visit us! we were so excited to see them. they stayed for awhile and brought the cutest gift for the girls. i laughed because it was so dana to get me a balloon that said ‘you did it!’…she seriously cracks me up with her quirky humor. she bought olive a cute little teddy bear, one for ellie, and flowers for me! how sweet are they?! love these two so much!

while dana and scott were visiting us, my sister thuy showed up! we all hung out in the hospital room together, talking about the baby, their honeymoon, the wedding, future vacation spots, etc. it was pretty awesome to have them all there.

once we got home on sunday, my family came over and reagan and bennett were able to meet their new cousin ellie. it was so sweet to see them excited to hold her! my parents were over, along with my sisters and terry.

the following day, we had rich’s parents, dick and jane along with grace come say hi. grace brought me flowers and dick and jane brought ellie a cute little gift. it was so sweet to see them with ellie! their new granddaughter and grace’s new sister!

we then had rich’s sister missy, nephew daniel, and rich’s aunt wendy come say hello! missy always brings the best gifts, especially for olive! she brought her a peppa pig set and she absolutely loved it! or loves it…because she still loves playing with it! well, if anyone knows olive, they know that her most prized possession in this world is her bunny blankie. a gift from her aunt missy. well, missy found another one and gifted it to miss ellie! i really hope she loves it just as much as olive does!

we also had lan, pete, and avery come visit! i really didn’t get a good pic of them holding ellie but nevertheless, it was pretty awesome to have them come by to say hello. they were over along with my family, again, and my brother dan finally made it over to see ellie. thank you so much for the awesome gift you gave olive! we call her dr. olive now! she absolutely looooooooves it!!!!

we then were blessed to have kim come visit us. we were so excited to see her! i love catching up with this lovely lady. she is just the sweetest and it always feels like there is never enough time between us! we always have so much to talk about and before we know it, it’s time to do something else, get somewhere, or time is just plain up! she also brought the cutest gift for ellie’s room. thank you so much for such thoughtfulness!

well, there ya have it. ellie’s first week and a half of visitors. we were so happy to have so many special people come by and say hello to our new baby girl in this world. thank you to our friends and family who were able to make the trip out to us!

[she wasn’t sure what was going on]

[look at her cheeky look]

[how precious is this? my heart is melting!]

[how beautiful, my sister kim with her niece ellie]

[dana {and scott in the background} and ellie]

[cutie pie on her way home]

[having fun with the presents]

[dying over the balloon dana and scott got me…plus flowers and a gift for olive, so thoughtful!]

[olive loves the song, ‘the wheels on the bus’ so naturally she said, ‘shhhhh, shhhhh, shhhhh’ to baby ellie as she cried!]

[cousin reagan and ellie]

[sweet bennett really wanted to hold ellie]

[grace and baby ellie]

[love the laughter and love shared between these two]

[papa and gramma loving ellie]

[flowers from grace]

[as usual…the baby is crying in auntie missy’s arms]

[vera bradley bunny lovie…hoping ellie loves hers just as much as olive does!]

[she was totally into the peppa gift from aunt missy]

[a gift from aunt wendy]

[cousin daniel with ellie]

[lan, pete, dan, and family visiting ellie & each other!]

[beautiful kim saying hello to miss ellie]

xoxo

marina’s visit

Posted on July 28, 2016 by tandem in love

i was super excited when marina texted me she was in town and wanted to meet up. pam had contacted me a few days prior to see if i could do lunch but i could not, so i was glad we were able to meet up outside of those initial plans!

marina said she could swing by to say hello before she headed on over to an old neighbor’s house for a bbq. i told her if her neighbor didn’t mind, i could go there instead so our time wouldn’t be rushed and too short. it worked out perfect! olive and i got ready and headed on over.

it was a lovely evening weather wise. olive and i walked up and immediately ran into ben, marina’s dad! we talked for a bit but i could tell olive was really interested in the bouncy house. poor thing didn’t have a swimsuit but she really wanted to go in. funny thing though, the closer we got and the more wild the kids became, she opted out. ha! she was like no way…i am not going in. she changed her mind, turned around, and walked away. that’s my girl.

i connected with marina, elva, and a few other people. it was fantastic meeting up! i was so glad that ended up being our plan. it was low key, relaxing, and it was wonderful catching up with the rodriguez’s and other folks at the party. everyone is so darn nice and olive was such a good girl. she’s so stinkin’ sweet. i really had a great time! oh gosh, how i miss these people!

well, i am hoping to catch these folks in the future sometime soon. i know it would be hard with ben and elva being in arizona and marina and family now living in boston! i definitely will take the random moments i can get with these wonderful families i have known for sooooo long! cheers to good times with friends!

[isn’t she a doll? baby amelie]

[mumma and amelie]

[me and my girl]

[marina, amelie, and poopie]

[the big water bouncy that olive wouldn’t get into]

[me and the pretty ladies, amelie and marina]

[mumma and poopie]

[hi corey! face timing the hubs at the party]

[my doll]

[people complimented on how sweet and behaved she was]

xoxo

a quick lunch

Posted on July 12, 2016 by tandem in love

i was super excited to have made lunch plans with ande. i last saw her at her cancer free party in february so it was awesome we could coordinate our schedules to meet up before this baby makes it debut!

i was super stoked that matt could join us! just knowing how busy he is unil the end of summer, i was surprised he was able to make it but it happen to be a window of time that worked out for everyone! unfortunately, last minute, our hvac broke and my dad {who was going to watch olive} had to come to our house to be around for the repair man and watch olive. so, naturally i was a bit stressed about it all and couldn’t stay out to lunch for very long but it just so happened to be the case for everyone else! ande needed to get back to work for a conference call and matt needed to go home to let his little peanut dog out for a bathroom break.

we decided to go to a bagel joint a block or two down from ande’s work. one, it was difficult for me to walk for…i get out of breath soooooo easily and two, ande was just worried overall because i was so pregnant! ha!

it was great, though. we were all able to connect, catch up, talk about life’s current happenings, and ande really wanted to hear all the baby news going on with me. i love this group of peeps. ande is such a doll! she is seriously one sweet lady! well, i just love my friends. they are all such great people for fabulous reasons. i am one lucky gal to have the best friends and family around me.

our get together was short and sweet. of course i could spend hours upon hours with these people but it’s always a good thing even if it’s a short meeting, nevertheless. well, i can’t wait to see them again soon! we agreed it would be a visit to me when the new babe arrives!!! yay! i can’t wait for them to meet our newest addition!

[chicago bagel authority lincoln park]

[love these peeps!]

xoxo

dana and scott’s gorgeous wedding

Posted on July 9, 2016 by tandem in love

the day had finally come! dana and scott got married!

gosh, i have known dana for a long time and i just absolutely love this girl. i recall dana saying something like it’s been almost 10 years since we’ve met; we totally clicked instantly! i love dana for her quirky nature, her love of sharks, unicorns, rainbows, and the most outrageous, cheesy movies. she is kind, oh so funny, and a complete sweetheart. she is such a laid back girl and because i am so crazy and type a…we have a wonderfully balanced relationship! ha!

we were asked to be there early because i was a chuppah holder. i was beyond honored when dana asked me to be a part of the ceremony. it meant so much to me when she asked me to hold the chuppah. i love weddings, i love dana, and i loved that i was able to be involved in such an important part of her day. i just waited around until i was summoned…it was her uncle david that came up to me and asked me to step up to get ready to hold the chuppah.

it was a circus trying to figure out where i fit in on the holding part of the chuppah. very comical. first, no one let me pick it up {being nine months pregnant}, then there was an issue with me standing in the sunlight, so they moved me from the left side to the right side. then the wedding coordinator thought that me being up front would hinder the bride and groom from getting around my belly, so then they moved me to the back left and that was my final position. hahaha!

i was the talk of the ceremony and reception. it was hilarious. everyone was so concerned, rightfully so…i guess. i am very pregnant but it wasn’t a big deal to me to hold up the chuppah! i was so grateful and excited to do so! dana’s aunt laurie came up to me to make sure i was ok and told me if i needed to sit down, all i needed to do was to wave her down and she would take my place. everyone was so sweet about it, though.

the ceremony was absolutely beautiful. i cried, dana cried, and i loved all the jewish traditions within the ceremony! i had the best seat in the house. front row, right next to them. i couldn’t have been more blessed to have witnessed them joining together as husband and wife.

after the ceremony, we headed back to the building for drinks and apps. after an hour, we were summoned inside and i loved all the decor. dana had succulents everywhere. it was so darn pretty! it was simple but impactful. i loved the classy simplicity of her decorations and details. dana has such a love for bright rainbow colors, i loved how neutral and muted everything was at the reception!

we seriously had such a great time! we sat at the best table with the best guests and enjoyed every minute of her wedding. we took advantage of the photo booth, we ate way too much food, and scarfed up the amazing dessert table! their dessert bar was heaven on earth. there was a plethora of choices and they had a freakin’ smokes bar! you roasted your own marshmallows and an attendant assembled it for you! whaaaaaa? amazeballs.

dana and scott, we wish for your marriage lots of love, honesty, laughter, love, silliness, discovery, forgiveness, love, and a lifetime of friendship. we love you both and we are so excited to see you both begin your life long journey together as husband and wife!

[loved their cute, modern program]

[it explained some jewish traditions within a wedding]

[chuppah holding diva]

[scott and his parents, gail and derek]

[the beautiful bride with her parents, marcia and jeff]

[oh so beautiful]

[first kiss as husband and wife!]

[the happy couple]

[independence grove]

[38 weeks pregnant and fabulous]

[the cutest little cheeseburger ]

[irina and patrick]

[gorgeous succulents on the card table]

[gift table]

[welcoming the bridal party]

[the happy couple…mr. and mrs.!]

[how gorgeous is this cake?? love!]

[cutting of the cake]

[dying over the centerpieces…so beautiful!]

[my name is finally right!]

[love this girl!]

[how cute is this pic? love her dad!]

[mini milkshake…seriously so yummy]

[with the handsome groom, scott]

[the horah]

[the s’mores table was divine! we roasted our own marshmallows!]

[the gorgeous bride and with her friends, lindsey, alyssa, and lashawn]

[dana and irina]

xoxo

baby sprinkle

Posted on June 23, 2016 by tandem in love

it was such a perfect day. i was so excited for my baby sprinkle, hosted by dana and olivia.

the weather and temps were amazing. it was so hot the days before the sprinkle and pretty hot the next day, so we lucked out with it being sunny and temps in the mid seventies!

olivia and dana came over to prep for the party. it was a very small, intimate gathering. i was so excited when dana offered to throw me a shower! we wanted it to be small and intimate. obviously, it’s our second baby and it’s a girl and we pretty much have everything we need for her! we didn’t register anywhere and i was happy to have a little get together to celebrate this new babe. i believe every baby first or third or whatever number should be celebrated!

the guests slowly arrived and we met and greeted with everyone. mimosas were served and soon was brunch. we sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather and conversations. the kids played…it was cute to watch them interact. reagan and grace get along so well and olive kind of did her own thing. she’s such a funny, quirky gal. i love her for it.

after brunch, cake was served and presents were given. baby gifts and cards are always so darn cute! i can’t believe we are going to have a little baby soon. a tiny little cute baby girl. it was surreal to see all the little things…how tiny the clothes are, how small the booties are, i remember olive being that small and now she’s such a big girl. wahhhhhhhh.

we lingered a bit longer, soaking in the sun and enjoying the wonderful company. i was so happy! my heart was so full being surrounded by such great friends and family. it definitely was a glorious afternoon celebrating our baby to be!

[pretty little banner!]

[getting the mimosa bar ready!]

[my favorite champagne!]

[hostess with the mostess]

[dearest dana, who coordinated everything]

[the yummy spread]

[the ladies]

[eating by herself, the other kids left her…]

[ready for gifts]

[pam’s music lamb]

[loving lan’s gift!]

[kissing the sweet lamb]

xoxo

simple saturday night

Posted on June 16, 2016 by tandem in love

we were excited to have olivia and aaron over for a simple saturday night dinner. we try to take turns to come into the city and they try to come out to the ‘burbs…since we are now suburbanites. {insert monkey emoji covering his eyes} so they wanted to come out to us this time!

we kept it very low key. we didn’t have olive this weekend because hc’s parents wanted her for a sleep over. so, we decided to throw some items onto the grill and buy some deli items to compliment it. voila! a simple, easy meal.

as usual, olivia and i secluded ourselves and just chitchatted the night away while aaron and hc hung out. as i have said in the past, olivia and i can talk, talk, talk the hours away. we always have endless amounts of topics to talk about. it’s seriously never ending! i love the comfort of our friendship and love that about us.

it was also the first time i really wanted to have a glass of wine. yup. hc poured us each a glass and i happily sipped on it. it was delicious! although, i only had maybe eight sips in total, it was perfect and yummy! for dinner, we decided to sit outside. it was a fantastic evening. not too cold or warm and very tranquil. we talked, ate, and then realized as we sat there, that the mosquitos were in full force! ugh! we gathered our dishes and headed inside.

we all hung out a bit longer and then olivia and aaron realized it was almost 10. omg. it’s like we are so old! we get tired so easily. what?!! yes, it’s true. so, they headed on out, back to the city and we retired onto the couch for the rest of the night! hahaha! such party animals!

it was a fantastic evening and we are so happy they were able to come out to visit with us! we always have such a great time with these two beautiful people!

[my look now a days. very simple and plain. eek!]

[you just can’t go wrong]

[these two…]

[my favorite…olivia knows me well]

xoxo

parker’s sporty birthday party

Posted on June 14, 2016 by tandem in love

last year i was working and i didn’t get to attend parker’s first birthday party. hc and olive went but i was super bummed i didn’t get to celebrate such a sweet milestone! but this year, i was the one who was able to go but olive was having a sleep over at her grandparent’s house and hc needed to work on the girl’s room to get them done for us to redecorate. it was on my list of a must get done or i might go nuts! haha, i know, i am already nuts.

anyhoo, i felt so bad because it was raining! parker’s first birthday was inundated by rain as well, so two for two! eep! as i walked up, i ran into pam’s bestie becky. i love talking with her…she’s such a sweetheart! it was great to see and catch up with some old acquaintances. i don’t get to see pam that often, let alone her circle of friends! when pam lived a little closer, she used to host a christmas trolley party where we would see the neighborhood lights but now we connect through parker’s birthday party…it’s when i can reconnect with her friends!

the good news is the rain stopped! yay! so, everyone shuffled out of the garage and into the back yard, where the kids jumped on the jumpee. i have never been to pam’s house {since she moved}, so she took me on a tour. it’s so nice and spacious! i loved how open it is!

after the house tour, i visited a bit more with ryan but then i had to leave. we had guests coming over for dinner that evening and i needed to get home to get ready! i was super bummed because when i was leaving, that is when jaime and liam arrived! i just couldn’t stay! we said our quick hello’s and goodbye’s and i headed out back home.

it was such a great time! i loved seeing pam, ryan, and parker and it was great to visit with some familiar faces. happy birthday parker! i am so glad i was able to celebrate this special occasion with you!