pumpkin farm ’20

Posted on October 10, 2020 by tandem in love

the year of the corona. it didn’t stop us from going to the pumpkin farm.

everywhere you go…something has changed. so, we bought our pumpkin farm tickets in advance as they were only allowing a certain number of people to attend. i was excited we were able to get tickets for everyone and couldn’t wait to go.

it was supposed to be a beautiful day and it was. the sun was shining and the temps were supposed to be warm enough to not wear a jacket. soooooo i thought! ughhhhh! it was warm when we left the house and when we arrived, it was freezing! the temperature completely dropped and we were not prepared! so not prepared. even my hubby was cold…and that’s saying something! we only had cardi’s for the girls but they were running fools and didn’t need anything else to stay warm. where i was just standing around all cute and flipping cold. LOL

this is basically how it goes. our kids run around like crazy people exploring everything and us adults just stand around and talk and follow the kids wherever they go. hahaha! it works out perfectly!

once they explored all the rides, games, and animals…we decided to grab some grub and go inside to their open tent. the only place where it felt somewhat warmer. eep! hot cider, doughnuts, cookies, and all the fried greasy food you could eat! hc ordered a bunch of food for the girls and of course all ellie wanted was a cookie. she loves, loves sugar. especially chocolate but she won’t deny anything sugary.

once the kids were done eating, we were like peace out! we were cold and did not want to do anything else, after a couple hours of already exploring the entire place we were dunzo. i was hoping to grab a pumpkin or something festive to take home, high hopes before we got there but the cold just wanted me to run to the car. haha!

the girls had a blast with their cousins and we were happy! we got into our warm car and headed home to rest. our favorite thing to do!

[pete, rich, and terry]

[watch out everyone! ellie’s driving!]

[cheese!]

[corn maze!]

[peace out kim]

[she’s so fun]

[reagan is always so sweet with her!]

[trapped! they’re in jail!]

[pig race]

[yummy cider]

[the sweetest duo]

xoxo

pumpkin carving night

Posted on November 10, 2019 by tandem in love

ever since olive could paint a pumpkin, we’ve always invited our family over to our house to carve pumpkins. maybe do dinner and the kids would have fun outside {based on the weather} or in the garage and carve pumpkins!

this year, we decided to do it the weekend before halloween…as halloween fell on thursday.

everyone came over late afternoon and i had made a couple appetizers to tide everyone over while we waited for kim and famille to arrive with the chili. i was so geeked out to make my spooky charcuterie board! i pulled a sheet of white paper off the girl’s drawing roll…i kind of wished it was bigger but that was what i had, i used that as the ‘board’. i had purchased so much cheese and accroutrements that it turned out way bigger than expected, so there was no room for me to write out the components onto the piece of paper. bummer but no matter…i’m always extra anyways. LOL

i filled and filled and filled the sheet with cheese, crackers, and all sorts of jam. then made a spidery onion dip with chips. it all turned out so cute, if i say so myself! the apps were a hit and were quickly gobbled up!

slowly everyone arrived and we just hung out and relaxed. kim and terry finally arrived with the chili that was so delicious! hc started to prepare the toppings and soon we were all feasting on all sorts of yummy food!

the girls were the only ones who ended up painting pumpkins as no one brought over any pumpkins to carve. i was bummed as i love seeing everyone’s finished products! no matter, the girls had so much fun painting their pumpkins and everyone had full bellies and full hearts.

it was another successful family get together and so much holiday fun!

[bat girl]

[my charcuterie ‘board’…it did it on paper. if i had more time or space…i would have written out the make up of it onto the paper!]

[daaaaaaaaaang i look old and tired AF in this pic]

[boo bar]

[hc]

[buggy swizzle sticks]

[silly uncle dan and ellie]

[he had his work cut out for him…she’s persistent]

[boo cake]

[thuy super ‘angry’ she’s baking…just kidding. it’s all for play]

[nope…i don’t have enough pics of my charcuterie. not a chance. not enough at all]

[ba and dan]

[thuy and mom]

[bennett]

[brotherly love]

[reagan and kim]

[olive’s favorite person. LOL]

[olive’s is to the left and ellie’s is to the right]

H A L L O W E E N

[monarch butterfly…minus the wings]

xoxo

pumpkin farm ’19

Posted on October 29, 2019 by tandem in love

oh hello! we thought it was a great idea to go to the pumpkin farm the other weekend….uhhhh, that was a crazy decision. only one million people decided to go too and it was a hot mess.

first, it took us 25 minutes to travel one mile to get to the entrance of this farm. once we parked, it was another half mile walk just to get back to the entrance! oh em geeeeeee. thank goodness the girls were in great spirits and it was super nice and sunny out! the weather was perfect and it was in the mid 60’s!

we trekked our way through the dirt and dust…man, that stuff kicked our shoe’s behinds. our shoes were so filthy! once we arrived, it was a madhouse to enter but hc found the shortest line and we were inside in a jiffy.

we walked in and it was craaaaazzyyyyyy. so. many. people. we hit up the fun house first…which was super creepy but the girls enjoyed it. we settled on the idea of food {we were so hungry!} and oh my goodness…that was an event in itself. hc stood in the longest line ever to order, then once he ordered, he had to stand in another line to pick up the food. wtf. the most ridiculous process ever.

we ate our mediocre food and promised the girls we would do whatever they wanted and boy, we did. it was like great america {although i haven’t been there since i was 9, so i’ve been told what the experience is like}. we waited and waited and waited in line for all sorts of rides. the girls didn’t mind and we didn’t either. hc and i knew what we were getting into the moment it took us forever to initially get into this place.

after being there for several hours and doing all of five things, the temps were dropping and we were ready to go. the girls were satisfied with all the rides they were on and so were we.

would we go again next year? probably…maybe to a different farm but regardless of the crowds, wait, and nuttiness of the place, we had a wonderful time with our girls and their smiles and laughter was so worth every cringe-y moment endured. LOL

happy october my friends!

[she loved the dancing chickens!]

[always putting things in her mouth…]

[they were so serious about this. LOL]

[oh my goodness]

[ellie was so excited]

[they were having so much fun!]

[i love their smiles!]

[they’re so silly]

xoxo

pumpkin glow

Posted on October 16, 2019 by tandem in love

my sister, kim, suggested we go to an event called jack’s pumpkin glow on saturday, late evening. she sent us the link and all over the site, it was screaming ‘chicago, chicago’ and i thought, gosh, i don’t want to take the girls to a chicago event so late at night!? right? it’s too close to bedtime…the girls have been in a great routine since school has started and i kept thinking they would be super exhausted with us being out so late, even if it seemed like a really cool display of pumpkins.

well, hc looked closely at the website and he realized it was in the town right next us! they used chicago as a location for national advertising but it was local, to us! ahhhh hahahaha! well, ok then. let’s do this! we figured, even if we were out late past their bedtime, it was so close to home, we would be at our abode in a jiffy. that made much more sense!

we met up with my sister kim and bennett {reagan and terry were caught up at a game later than expected} and walked our way towards the event. okuuuuurrrrr, so the worst part about all that was, it was soooo stinkin’ muddy. like m u d d y. as in your feet sank into the ground and the mud splashed back up onto your leg. ellie started freaking out and wanted hc to hold her but hc refused as her boots were covered, dripping in mud. if he picked her up, she would wrap her legs around him and there goes his clothes. LOL

once we surpassed the corralling entrance, the path around the displays were mud free! hallelujah! then the show began and wow! it was awesome! everything you saw was made out of pumpkins. there were hundreds of carved pumpkins…individually lit and the artwork in the themed areas were stunning! true artists at work. there were so many pumpkins with intricate designs, pumpkins that formed harley motorcycles, snowmen, giant turtles, ladybugs, you name it…they carved it out of pumpkins! we were so amazed!

they had bugs, disney, haunted ships, motorcycles, dinosaurs, sport themes, portraits carved onto the pumpkins…so many cool designs everywhere you turned!

the girls had a blast! they were so amazed by all the artwork and how everything was made out of pumpkins. it was definitely worth it and so much fun for the kiddos! if you are going…i recommend waterproof boots, no strollers, dress warm, and be ready for big crowds. i had my hand attach to the girls at all times! it was dark, as to see the pumpkin glow better, so it was easy to lose track of your kids if they weren’t attach to you with so many people around you!

happy fall y’all!

[the coolest set ups everywhere!]

[disney inspired carved pumpkins]

[go cubs goooooo! yeah, chicago cubs!]

[our frightened pic. LOL]

xoxo

pumpkin carving

Posted on November 7, 2018 by tandem in love

every year my family and i carve pumpkins together! it’s a fun tradition that makes the holiday a little more special. we love ordering pizza or putting together a quick dinner and then carving pumpkins in hc’s heated garage.

the fam came over with apps and we noshed on food until the pizza arrived. we ate and drank and ate and talked and ate and hung out. after our early dinner, the kids were begging for desserts. i said no dessert until i was done in the kitchen {cleaning up, washing dishes, etc.}. i’m sure they were rolling their eyes in annoyance…hahaha! i have a process for everything.

fiiiiiinally we served dessert – festive cookies, ice cream sandwiches, chocolate ice cream, salted caramel cupcakes…it was all so yummy! olive thoroughly enjoyed her chocolate ice cream. i have to say, it’s the cuuuuuutest thing to see her admire reagan so much. she loves copying him and doing anything he’s doing. olive wanted a cookie but when she saw reagan eating chocolate ice cream, she had to have it too. i think she thinks he’s the coolest {literally}.

the kids and adults then went outside and carved their pumpkins. ellie colored hers {she was a pro!} and olive asked for a scaredy cat cut out {which hc obliged}. the boys wanted intricate designs and ended up just bringing their pumpkins home to finish. it was a school night and they had to go.

overall it was a fun afternoon! it always is with family. i love spending the holidays with them and they honestly make our world go round. life is good when it involves them.

[like wtf? hahaha!]

[just enjoying her ice cream]

[cousins are the best!]

[intense coloring]

[she was sooooo into it!]

[olive’s pumpkin coloring]

[the gang hard at work]

[i drew the outline and hc cut it out]

xoxo

pumpkin patchin’

Posted on October 18, 2018 by tandem in love

our annual visit to the pumpkin patch commenced this past weekend!

we decided to go to goebberts…it’s been a past favorite. it has everything there! gorgeous pumpkins, fun foods for the kiddos, and sooooooo many fun activities for the kids! it’s ‘gram worthy! ha!

hc dropped us off…the parking area was as bit redic, so we waited in the front for him but as we were waiting, kim, reagan, and bennett walked right by us! so we scadaddled into the farm with them.

we met up with lan and avery {who had been there for a bit} and soon we were all together. we were on a search for dan and agata…they had arrived earlier as well. as we text each other and tried to find them, we realized that they were at another pumpkin patch called goebberts 20 minutes away!!! we can’t believe that happened! we were so sad…we told them to stay there because we didn’t want them to drive all the way cross town, deal with parking, and then look for us inside this huge establishment. plus, alll these years, we had no idea there was another farm called goebberts!!!!

well, as you can tell through our pictures, we came, we conquered, and we left happy! it was a chilly day but not overbearing and the kids had a blast playing on all the activities! we’re so lucky to experience such fun fall activities and be together!

before i end my post…i have to type that ellie, for the first time, completely wandered off on her own. we were amazed and intrigued. we were standing by a pumpkin board game activity and watched as ellie started to wander. she walked 10 ft away, then further away, then she turned and started walking towards a play set with a slide. we watched her walk around the area and disappear behind the play set. completely unaware that we weren’t nearby and honestly, it looked like she didn’t care. hc ran over to ‘find’ her but didn’t reveal himself. he then finally walked up to her and she told him she wanted to go on the slide. she was not fazed. we were a bit shocked and amused that she completely wandered off on her own. it made me think if we were distracted or not paying attention, how far would she have gotten away from us? or worse, get snatched up by a terrible person!

oh ellie…so different from her beautiful big sis and so uniquely and fiercely her own person.

well, that concludes our annual pumpkin patch visit! i absolutely love going every year and the weather conditions were just perfect! a chilly, overcast autumn day! happy fall y’all!

[hey pumpkin heads]

[isn’t she so cute?]

[i think this paci thing has gone on too long…]

[the cutest cousins]

[oh these kids!]

[silly babes]

[she’s getting so big]

[love these kiddos]

[ellie: yeahhh, i’m outta here. no pics for me]

[just chillin’]

[corn maze]

[lost and trying to find our way out!]

[chillin with my babe]

[well, at least we’re looking at the camera]

[this is her rebellious i won’t do what you say kiki look]

[caught her just in time]

[they were fearless and climbed to the top]

[we climbed almost to the top]

[lan and avery]

[she loved her hog dog meal with a prize!]

[walking tacos]

xoxo

pumpkin carving fun

Posted on October 30, 2014 by tandem in love

haphaphappy hallow’s eve! oh my gosh…i can’t believe it’s heeeerrre! well, we decided to have a pumpkin carving party the other day. it was so beautiful out; it was a perfect time to get messy outside!

hc set up a carving table outside {after he blew all the leaves away and cleaned up the driveway} and set up all of our ‘tools’. he cleaned off our pumpkins and we proceeded to dream up some cool designs we wanted to do.

[hc with his jigsaw and us with our old fashion carving kit]

[our pumpkins…all clean by hc and ready to be carved!]

hc took his drill and cut out all the tops of our pumpkins, to get us started. on a whim, i drew out the words ‘oh baby olive’ and started carving. like water, i rush with my actions and kinda messed up the carving of the word ‘baby’. oops. but no worries. i recovered, as you will see down below!

[here we go]

[oh!]

i love carving pumpkins…it’s a must do every season. it’s so much fun, it brings back such fond memories, and i always love the finished product. no matter what design we carve. there is just something magical about candle lit pumpkins at night. it’s so festive, spooky, and cool.

while we were carving out our pumpkins, olive was having the best time in her new radio flyer wagon! hc and grace set out that morning to find her a wagon. we wanted one because you just have to have one of these! but really, it’s a great item to have for any place you go to {kids love riding in it} and we thought it would be a perfect ride for her when she goes trick or treating. well, they came home, successful, with this awesome wagon! hc put it together right away and he took olive for a spin in it around the house. she was totally digging it.

so, we covered the bottom with a fluffy, comfy blanket and added in her toys, books, and stuffed bear. she was super duper happy! she played with her toys, she ‘read’ her book out loud to us, and she snuggled with her bear. she happily sat there and played the entire time we carved our pumpkins. it was too sweet to see. she is so darling.

[olive enjoying her brand new radio flyer wagon // we got her comfy with a cozy, fluffy blanket and toys]

hc used his jigsaw to carve his pumpkin {pshh, cheater!} and grace and i did it the old fashioned way…with the cheap pumpkin tools you can buy at the store. they both did funny faces and i ended up carving out my words. they all turned out lovely! i couldn’t wait until it was dark outside to light our fabulous creations!

[not lit]

[lit]

[family selfie]

ahhhh, loving our pumpkins! they turned out fantastic. i love the eerie glow. happy halloween eve everyone!

xoxo

little pumpkin patch

Posted on October 8, 2014 by tandem in love

our morning started off very sweet. olive and i had our wonderful snuggle session and after that, i got a lot done around the house while olive played in the living room. cleaning and organizing, two of my favorite things to do {yeaahh, that’s right…boo ya}.

i put her down for her morning nap {as usual, she went down later than expected} and after she woke, we scurried on our way to meet dana for brunch. we were cruising but as soon as we hit the city, traffic was a mess. they closed down part of congress, so we had to detour down michigan ave. {yuck!!}. who the heck would ever drive down michigan avenue if you had a choice?! what a hot mess. we slooooowly drove down the avenue until we hit lsd. phew. finally! once we were on lsd, we cruised to our destination.

we had decided on brunch at mhenry’s. oh, how i love this place. it’s yummy and good. it’s a quaint little restaurant tucked away in andersonville. they seriously have the best pancakes {ok, it’s tied with the bongo room}, amongst other delicious breakfast/lunch items.

i parked the car and we ran towards the restaurant {eekkk! we were so late!}.

finally, we were reunited with our darling dana! we settled in and excitedly started our gab session. dana was so happy to see olive! she’s not a baby person at all but she adores little miss olive. so much so, we joke around how olive is really her baby ’cause dana loves, loves asian babies {well, at least, in this case half asian!}.

[my cutie pie]

i was totally feeling like an egg and bacon breakfast. so, a tasty omelet was in order. it also came with potatoes and fruit. annndd to wash it all down, i had ordered a mix of orange and grapefruit juice {my favoreeete, yum}.

[orange/grapefruit juice, leeks/dandelion/ scallion omelet, and a side of bacon]

[oh, she’s soooo silly]

well, here came the real test. dana has been so jelly of kt + kar‘s connection with the babes. olive, from the get go, has loved being in their arms and totes lets them hold her. hmmm, dana, not so much. every time, i mean every time dana has tried to hold miss olive, she has had a melt down. click right here and here for some proof.

after brunch, dana was ready to go. she was ready for the challenge. she was ready to hold miss olive and not have her cry! i passed little o over and ta da!! magic. miss olive was calm as could be. dana was super delighted and happy to be holding olive without her crying! so, of course, i went picture cray. yay! her bad spell had passed and olive was a happy babes in her arms!

[dana sUPer ecstatic that she is holding o and o isn’t crying!!]

[closing the place down]

[yum fresh baked cookies…i got mexican wedding cookies for myself and chocolate chip for dana!]

after brunch, we had a bit of time, so we walked over to gethsemane to peruse some of their flowers, plants, and october goodies. i wanted to get a head start with some fall decorating, so dana and i picked out a few fun pumpkins for the house.

[going to gethsemane flower shop]

after walking around the beautiful garden center, i purchased a bunch of cute little pie pumpkins {plus some white, some striped, and some gourds} and we parted ways. dana needed to get herself to a jnf meeting and i needed to get home {and olive needed her afternoon nap!}. it was a wonderful and successful afternoon spent with our darling dana. olive is her new bestie and we can’t wait to see her again soon!

xoxo

tandem in love

{life is truly beautiful and it should be celebrated + shared.}

Tag Archives: pumpkin

pumpkin farm ’20

pumpkin carving night

pumpkin farm ’19

pumpkin glow

pumpkin carving

pumpkin patchin’

pumpkin carving fun

little pumpkin patch