abe’s first birthday party!

Posted on July 1, 2019 by tandem in love

my dear friend dana and scott’s baby abe turned one!

“baby shark a doo da doo baby shark a doo da doo!”

yesssss…it was a shark themed first birthday party but before this song became a fad, dana has loved sharks way before it’s current popularity.

boy oh boy did dana do a fabulous job tying this theme all together! and y’all know me, i love a well thought out, executed theme! just check out the pics below! the snack pails, the shark tail cupcakes, the shark fruit bowl, octopus veggie tray…it was all so darn cute and perfect! also, i can’t forget the amazing cake! helloooooo – it was a wondrous sight! the details, colors, and design of the cake was on point and beautiful, and delicious to boot!

the weather was beyond amazing…the most ideal temperature for an outdoor party and it happened to be one of the first nice, sunny days on a weekend in, what felt like, months.

the girls were super excited to attend the party but they were most excited over the rain play-set sitting on the lawn. holy cow…olive was obsessed. she was pretty much consumed by it the whole duration of the party. the only time she broke away from it was when tunes with tim showed up!

she throughly enjoyed the sing alongs, music, and the show’s finale with bubbles! what a great idea to have entertainment for the kids at the party! he was animated, the songs were catchy, and the kids and adults loved him!

after tim’s session, we all gathered around to sing happy birthday to mr. abe. it was so sweet and fun…first birthdays are always the best! the cake was cut and served and our girls ate way, way, way too much sugar! they both had a slice of cake and a cupcake. yowza!

after the hoopla and the guests dwindled down, hc and i were able to relax and mingle with the remaining peeps that were important! i was able to connect with dana too. during the party, she was running around hosting and i let it be. i definitely know what it’s like to host a big party…it can be stressful, hectic, blurry, and nuts. sometimes you almost can’t think or breathe because there’s so much going on. i am so glad we stuck around a bit after quite a few people left because we could finally visit!

it was such a wonderful afternoon celebrating abe. i love dana, scott, her family, friends, and everyone in-between. cheers to you little man. we wish you many years of love, happiness, and laughter.

[the birthday boy]

[they were obsessed with this toy!]

[olive could not pull herself away from this toy!]

[the prettiest beer can]

[my somber looking sweet peas]

[dana did such a great job with the themed food!!!]

[she had so much fun at the party!]

[octopus veggies]

[tunes with tim was a hit!]

[how sweet are these two?]

[scott, abe, dana, and emily]

[she’s so darn innocent, raw, cute, and sweet]

[the coolest cake! it’s so darn cute and perfect!]

[happy birthday to youuuuuu!]

[that unimpressed face. LOL]

[gimme some cake]

[oh they had junk and more junk and more sugar. that’s how we roll at birthday parties!]

[jeff and marcia]

[nom nom nom]

[rawr!]

[bubbles!]

[bubbles are alllllllways fun]

[they were intrigued by tunes with tim….and the bubbles]

[the hubs – scott and hc]

xoxo

e-party

Posted on August 8, 2015 by tandem in love

well, as y’all know, miss dana is engaged. i was super delighted to have received the invite to her engagement party!

it was held at her aunt’s house in the cozy neighborhood of highland park. we cruised up north and as we turned down the road where they live, we noticed groups of people walking down the street. we assumed that they were a part of the party and we were right! as we walked closer to the crowd, i asked if they were heading to dana and scott’s engagement party and they said yes! that is when i met scott’s sweet mom and dad.

we walked inside the spacious home and we were immediately greeted by dana! oh, how i love this girl. she was dressed all cute, natch. we were meant to be friends through our fashion sense. seriously. we somehow always manage to dress alike, in coordinating style, or similar color combos. like always. this time dana missed the pop of green but we definitely got the b + w down and our gold accent ankle strapped shoes.

hc and i grabbed drinks and started mingling with the other guests. when it comes to something like this…hc is not in his element! i am the social butterfly and the hubs is socially awkward. he doesn’t like breaking off on his own to start independent conversations like me. so, we usually move around together and i will be the talker and he will be the ‘add on a comment or two’ kind of guy. haha.

[whenever we get together, we somehow always coordinate or match]

[fist city chicago beer]

[everyone gathering around for the food]

[cocktail napkins]

[with the engaged couple!]

after a bit of mingling and several libations, dinner was served. everyone grabbed a bite to eat and continued to socialize. just a bit after the food was served, irina and patrick showed up! i was so excited to see them! irina and i get to see each other every so often and when we do, it’s fantastic to catch up!

the four of us sat down together and did a lot of talking. the conversation just flowed and we were having a great time hitting all kinds of topics. right after dinner, dana’s aunt and uncle welcomed and thanked everyone who came and made a toast to the beautiful guests of honor, the two lovebirds who were going to tie the knot! mazel tov!

dessert was served and i was on it. i went into the kitchen and piled my plate high. i couldn’t stop eating the reese’s peanut butter cups in a cookie crust. best ever. it was like heaven in my mouth.

[toasting to the engaged couple]

[irina and patrick]

[i couldn’t stop eating the desserts]

we had such a great time celebrating dana and scott’s engagement. it was fun and fantastic to meet and greet most of their family members and friends. weddings are so much fun…love, happiness, elation…the best celebratory emotions all rolled into one beautiful day. we can’t wait until the big day comes!

xoxo

we didn’t go to southport grocery

Posted on April 21, 2015 by tandem in love

i love meeting up with my bestie dana. our dates are always a blast. whether we just meet for brunch or hang out all day together, it’s always so nice to spend some qt with my girl!

we decided to not go to southport grocery. *gasp*! yes, it’s true. but no worries, my lovies, no worries. we will be back next time, i’m sure of it! we went to our other favorite spot, m henry’s! yum, yum, yum. i only order one thing from there and it’s their blackberry bliss cakes. it’s soooooooo good. nom.nom. of course, i get a side of bacon and a mix of orange and grapefruit juice to top it off.

when we were seated, olive was totally fixated on dana. just a dead stare. we sat down and the little babes couldn’t take her eyes off of dana. it was hilarious. the wonderful server {who immediately placed a water cup & fruit down for her} brought berries out for her and she really wanted to eat them. she slowly picked up a strawberry without flinching and slowly put it in her mouth without taking her eyes off of dana! hahahaha! it was tooooo cute!

[this cracks me up…olive couldn’t stop staring at dana but she really wanted to eat her fruit]

[still staring at dana, eating her strawberry]

[mid-action eating shot of the babe]

[americano]

[olive and i matching in our printed leggings]

after brunch, dana needed to do some errands. of course, we are always happy to tag along. plus, it was such a beautiful day {well, it turned out to be a beautiful day}. dana needed to pick up some essentials for the abode, so went traipsed through a few different stores to find the perfect items for her.

we always have the best time just hanging out, no matter what we are doing. it’s so relaxing and chill. after we found the necessary items for her home, we called it quits. it was quite the lovely morning and afternoon together. olive had a great time with dana {vice versa} and i had a wonderful time with the both of them…two favorite peeps of mine!