february snapshots

Posted on March 15, 2016 by tandem in love

february was a great month. we had a lot of fun doing festive activities. i must admit, i was glad valentine’s day was mid-month because it meant the last of the holiday creativity was coming to an end. don’t get me wrong. i love getting festive, creative, and doing fun things with olive but i felt like it was non-stop since before halloween. we aren’t huge st. patrick’s day fans so it is nice to coast through this past month and not worry about deadlines, creating stuff, and just have fun together regardless of occasions!

anyhoo, we loved this past month for many great reasons. we had our gender reveal with our family and friends! we had so much fun creating boxes for everyone and sending them out through snail mail as a special surprise.

olive finally had her one year check up and it was a good one! she was toooooo cute and it was pretty cool to see her so grown up and very understanding of what was happening!

we also did a fun set up for the gender reveal through social media! it was great and oh so cute! we had balloons, festive outfits, banners, and each other! the pics turned out so stinkin cute! i loved every single picture we took!

well, those were some highlights of this past month. it was fabulous, fun, and filled with lots of love and laughter. i really am blessed. i am always thankful for mine and everyone’s health. i am so grateful for my wonderful husband who is the most fantastic partner and father. i am so thankful to God for my little olive and her, soon to be here, little sister. i am surrounded by friends and family who love us. life couldn’t get any better than this. truly.

[she’s so silly]

[bath time with this silly girl]

[love this sweet pea]

[sticky little fingers]

[she’s a riot]

[gender reveal]

[family outing]

[it’s a girl!]

[she’s a lovely doll]

[she’s the sweetest]

[my favorite salon]

[making her own valentine’s day cards]

[yummy treats]

[peek a boo!]

[my favorite macarons]

[super bowl sunday]

[i love her]

[valentine’s day breakfast]

xoxo

january snapshots

Posted on February 5, 2016 by tandem in love

helloooooo february! oh my. january was a tough month for me. well, december was a very tough month for me. january was a bit better, concerning fatigue, time, and sleep but overall, it was a long two months of a lot of things. obvs, i didn’t do a december snapshot {or a november}, i couldn’t keep up with my blog posts, i was just too plain sick and tired to maintain everything, although i did my best, attempted, and tried. i think to an outsider, one might think i still did a lot but personally, i slacked on a lot of things.

i am so glad the first twelve weeks of pregnancy is behind me and i have had positive feedback on the growth of our baby {grow baby grow!}. man o man, did the first trimester of pregnancy during the holidays kick my ass! january was still a little rough because the sickness didn’t dissipate right away {which sucked} but i felt so much better and much more energetic.

january was very low key and very relaxing. we didn’t do much, i didn’t do much, and i was aaaaaaaa ok about it! i wanted to slow down a bit, not post as much, blog as much, and go out as much. i craved sleep {and still didn’t get much of it} and most of the time, i wanted to go home and put my pj’s on. how exciting, right?! anyhoo, here is a gathering of january photos. enjoy!

[happy new year! yay 2016]

[the moment she was done taking pictures]

[her new thing, watching her cartoons on my computer in our bed]

[celebrating this wonderful lady]

[my favorite time of the day…morning snuggles]

[stuffed animal heaven]

[having lunch with uncle huy]

[love these two]

[her favvvvvvorite thing to do at target]

[chillin at the grandparent’s house]

[with my better half]

[celebrating this lady’s baby girl]

[interesting way to eat a hot dog in a bun]

[love my silly girl]

[being super silly, she loves selfies]

[cutest pic everrrrrr]

[watching dada take down christmas lights outside]

[happy birthday thuy!]

[cheer to finding out the gender of the baby!]

there ya go lovies. what a wonderful past month. such great memories, such great times. cheers to a fabulous february!

xoxo

september snapshots

Posted on October 16, 2015 by tandem in love

bye bye september…hello october!

it was a glorious month. lots of fun activities and lots of great, great weather. we were so blessed with such a wonderful month filled with lots of memories! the highlight of this past month? apple picking! yay! it was so much fun {albeit the super warm temps}. i love watching olive explore and experience something new. it’s always new to a child, non? ’cause i know this baby girl has no recollection that she apple picked last year. hahaha!

we had a great month filled with brunches, brand repping goodness, craft fair fun, family fun filled days and nights. september is such a good month…a perfect transition into fall, when the weather is still warm and you squeeze in the last few activities outdoors {where you don’t freeze!} and throughly enjoy the fresh air.

anyhoozle, please enjoy the pics below! a few that summed up our fabulous month {in rewind}!

[my pretty princess]

[sunday night ice cream trip]

[big pink balloon]

[oh, just hanging out and messing things up in my crop top]

[twinning at the apple orchard]

[working the cheese snack]

[a refreshing treat]

[seafood crab night]

[my doll]

[nom nom nom on her bunny blankie]

[her first time picking apples]

[renegage craft fair]

[lemon tee shop]

[out to lunch with olivia]

[i found her one morning with her shirt down by her waist]

[funny selfies]

[my most favorite picture]

[homemade pie]

[wee monster skirt and shirt]

[anniversary dinner]

[kid + kind tee // kidssuaveapparel pants]

[first braid]

[baby in a box…how hc rolls with olive]

[olive and cheeks tee // the twisted knot bow // little big dreamer shorts // the little wears socks]

well i hope you had a fantabulous september yourself and that you it was relaxing, enjoyable, and that it was filled with laughter and love. cheers to an outstanding october! happy fall y’all!

xoxo

august snapshots

Posted on September 14, 2015 by tandem in love

ok, that just flew by and passed me up. i was sitting at home, thoughts passing through my head when i realized that i didn’t even think about doing an august recap! not one snippet of thought. i am usually preplanning, pre-thinking, pre-doing anything to get ahead and be prepared. it’s in my nature. then all of sudden – bam! it’s mid-september and i was like whaaaaaaa??!!

it had birthday{s}, parties, fun, family time, lunches, brunches, and vegas baby! it was the first month of the summer were it didn’t rain every.day. ok, it rained sometimes but our summer was seriously plagued by constant rain! it was consistently warm and mostly sunny…a recipe for success.

we were so excited to have gone to vegas. we love going every year and this year was no different. we always have the best time vacationing with our dear friends matt and johann. we love the heat, the shopping, and the pool time the m o s t!

[don’t let this pic fool you! every time is said “bedtime”, she would turn her head to the side and pretend she was sleeping. as if that would delay me putting her down. haha!]

[hi baby olive]

[c’mere my cute baby]

[chicago beer]

[pout, pout, pout away little one!]

[pool time!]

[dana and scott’s engagement party]

[always on the go]

[sweet face]

[such a cool babe]

[so happy]

[wedding shenanigans]

[happy birthday b!]

[black and white]

[happy birthday kim!]

[mmmmmm chocolate]

[vegas!]

[big foot]

[playtime]

[cousin love]

[cubs themed birthday party!]

well that was our august in rewind. we had the best time this past month. i really do love my life. i say that because i count our blessings every day. i am grateful for our health. i am grateful for my family. i am grateful for God. i am grateful for my hc. i am grateful for our precious little olive. the simple things in life are truly the best.

cheers to a fabulous september!

xoxo

july snapshots

Posted on August 12, 2015 by tandem in love

oh july. it’s always so bittersweet. it’s the month that signifies the ‘end’ of summer. it was super warm {finally} and super fun. we had the best time celebrating america’s birthday, grace’s birthday, and lots of summery stuff in-between.!

july was a complete whirlwind. i must admit. it came and went in a blink of an eye. it went by way too fast. i thoroughly enjoyed every day, every moment of july. i love the long days and warm nights. the ice cream cone moments. grilling and eating alfresco. the fireworks. birthday celebrations and overall shenanigans of these long summer days.

here is our july in pictures:

[my silly girl hanging out on the floor of the grocery store]

[grace’s 13th birthday]

[happy fourth of july // romper by littleladiesboutique]

[she loves the jersey she received from her cousins]

[stuffing her face with crackers // shirt by greatgreenroomclothing]

[photo booth at grace’s birthday]

[stoic moments while shopping // skirt shopjunepark]

[happy birthday america!]

[bang bang pie]

[hanging out, putting on lip balm]

[her new favorite thing, hiding behind the pillows then popping out and roaring!]

[eggs over easy at eggs over easy]

[hanging out and shopping]

[starbucks baby // shirt by masonblakeapparel]

[cubs win! cubs win!]

[first swim lessons]

[fourth of july goodies]

[cousins = besties]

[eating alfresco on a beautiful, sunny day at bang bang pie]

[enjoying her hot dog]

[cubs game!]

[pool time!]

[goofing around]

[happy baby…]

[because she is eating chocolate!]

[fourth of july chalkboard]

[cutie pie // shirt kidandkind]

[concert in the park]

there ya go lovies! our past july in a slew of snapshots. again, it was an amazing month of goodness. i am blessed and lucky to have such a wonderful, simple life. i am thankful for my friends and family around me. cheers to a beautiful month of august!

xoxo

june snapshots

Posted on July 21, 2015 by tandem in love

i remember june. warm days. rain. brunch dates. photo sessions. sweet time with olive. family time. a whole lotta goodness.

some of the highlights: cubs family day. we had such a blast going to that! we love the cubbies. it was fantastic to explore wrigley field and not just experience it from the seats! we were so happy to have attended the gay pride parade in chicago…especially since marriage equality became a federal law! woot! woot! we enjoyed many get together’s with friends and outings with the family. life is good. it’s summer y’all! woo!

june’s weather was interesting. not too warm and at times, too rainy and cool. but honestly, i will take it over the cold. i do love winter but nothing beats summer and the long sunny days. ahhhhhhhh.

of course, there were so many precious moments with olive. she’s so amazing and i enjoy every moment with her. i’m such a sap…i cherish, cherish, cherish every second i have with her. i soak in every hug, kiss, and sweet smile she gives. i savor every word. every look. every quirky action. my heart breaks every time with sadness and happiness because i never, ever want her to not need me. i look into her eyes and hope that she becomes solid, strong, powerful, and finds happiness in life. the love is so overpowering and my purpose in life is so intense with this little one in it. the circle of life is pure awe!

anyhoo, please enjoy our june’s snapshots! muwah!

[she loves crawling into our just made bed…]

[dorito eating babes // i’d like to add that she was under hc’s care at this moment]

[kt and me]

[hi morning bedhead]

[sprinkle doughnut anyone?]

[holding bunny’s hand]

[starbucks mini]

[i love this pic…jodi’s face and olive’s face…]

[cubs family day]

[mmmmm ice cream at auntie kim’s]

xoxo

may snapshots

Posted on June 15, 2015 by tandem in love

yay! somewhat on time this time! hahaha! may brought us warmer weather and a lot of rain! isn’t suppose to be april shower brings may flowers?! it was like april coldness brings may showers :p

well, we celebrated mother’s day this past month, as well as our mom’s birthday! every few years, my mom’s birthday will fall on mother’s day or right around it, so sometimes it’s like a double celebration in one! we had a wonderful time on mother’s day, we hosted my family and my brother in law’s family at our house. it was sweet, relaxing, and a blast to decorate for. it was a fun time, indeed.

there was a lot of hanging around outdoors. we ate a bunch of dinners alfresco, we were able to go to a flea market we have had our eyes on for a bit, we had brunch with our friends at restaurants with outdoor open dining spaces…so many fun things to explore when the weather is nice!

as you can tell, my most favorite thing to do is eating outside when it’s warm at night and ONLY if there are no mosquitos. when we were in the city, it was so easy to do so, because there weren’t many, if any mosquitos. but here in the ‘burbs, they thrive so it’s a challenge and a battle to be able to sit outside and relax without getting bit!

anyhoo, please enjoy our may snapshots:

[i love this photo of her checking out the lady next to her!]

[peek a boo under the pillows]

[antique shopping]

[my dad’s favorite way to hold her]

[the classic oh baby olive look]

[she crawled into bed with me and fell asleep by my side. *sigh*]

[holding terry’s hand at a point where she wouldn’t hold anyone’s hand]

[eating alfresco]

[observing the scene]

[goofing around with her cousin]

[this cutie waking up from her nap on mother’s day]

[these two cuties!]

[mmmmm, waffles]

[dad’s birthday]

[sleeping away]

[hc and me!]

[her first starbucks drink! vanilla bean frappucino]

[hanging out with her favorite sister]

[me and my soeurs]

[hanging out at target]

[ahhhhhhh!]

may was a blast and i can’t wait to share all the joys of our month of june!

xoxo

april snapshots

Posted on June 8, 2015 by tandem in love

oops, i totally forgot to post my april snapshots. i mean, like i never even bothered. i didn’t remember. i never realized it until about a few days ago, so i thought, eff it, i’m going to post one anyways. only because i love to keep order and document everything!

it’s so funny to type about easter and such, because it feels like it was soooo long ago! my how time flies by. it was a fun month of trips, holidays, and get togethers. a few of april’s highlights were our trip to antique archaeology, visiting andrea and jamie to see their newborn baby girl, easter, and hc’s birthday!

we also hit the first anniversary of buying our house! what a milestone for us. it’s been an amazing journey buying & living in this house. it’s had it’s ups and downs {the remodeling drives me bananas!} but in the end…it is our home and there’s nothing better than home sweet home.

anyhoo, april was a busy busy month for me and olive. we had non-stop activities, lots of photo sessions, and plenty of play time together {hello pto!}. i love spending my time with this sweet baby girl. well…here’s our april in rewind!

[it’s blurry but i love this pic!]

[bubbly bath time]

[sipping water and watching the telly with dada in our hotel room]

[her easter basket]

[little chunker watching her favorite movie]

[in-between her photo sessions]

[our beastly, only pretty in spring, bush]

[i love this little bugger face]

[baby annabelle grace]

[visiting our favorite antique shop]

[one of my favorite pics of late]

[she makes my heart melt]

[lunching with dada]

[hc’s birthday]

[opening up her easter baskets]

[nom nom nom…strawberries]

[black and white theme]

well there, my april snapshots are done. haha…now it’s time to post our may snapshots! i swear, i won’t post it in july! or maybeeeeee. april was a great, fun month full of lovely activities.

xoxo

march snapshots

Posted on April 14, 2015 by tandem in love

march was a much slower month for me. i had all these fun ideas but honestly, i just didn’t have it in me to execute them all! i was tired! i consciously made the decision to slow down and told myself it was okaaaayyyy to not do everything! it was hard not to action on all my ideas but hey, c’est la vie.

this past month was a lot of chillaxin’. it was peppered in with some brunches, parties, and some fun outings on sunny days. with warm weather on our side, olive discovered the outdoors with her two, little chubby legs. it all started with a casual walk hc took olive on one day after he picked her up. then all craziness broke loose. she was beyond ecstatic to have such free range of space with her itty bitty legs. she was gleeful, giddy, and excited to have so many things around her that she could explore. she loves to sit outside with her dad {while he works in the garage or the yard} and play in her own little world while he tinkers with his ‘toys’. it’s a whole new world for her and we love that she loves it so much!

so needless to say, we have spent a lot of time outdoors as of late. c’mon warm weather, don’t be scared!

anyhoo, please enjoy our pics from this past wonderful month!!

[chunky monkey face]

[she loves being in the garage with daddy]

[doing her best rocky impersonation]

[the first time the babes crawled back into bed with me and took a nap with me]

[our favorite brunch spot]

[bellylicious]

[eating a super ripe banana and loving it]

[i told her to go sit with dada and this is what she did…hehehe]

[cousin love]

[andrea’s baby shower]

[motorcycle riding]

[noodle eating silly girl]

[first time riding her rocker!]

[this past month, she’s become so intrigued by the tele]

[pretty flower garland]

[these kids are so silly, olive loved being pulled around in a sack by reagan]

[she loved being pushed around in her vw]

[driving the jeep]

[mmmmm i love pho]

[her first walk outside resulted in skinned knees…i love her chub legs!]

[silly nephew]

[she’s so silly]

[morning brunch]

[my shopping buddy]

[those eyebrows and forehead are just like her daddy]

[love her little baby feet]

[she loves reading books]

thanks for stopping by! ‘spring break’ march has come and gone but april showers will bring may flowers {woot! woot!}! i can’t wait to share some snapshots of april!

xoxo

february snapshots

Posted on March 23, 2015 by tandem in love

february was quite the busy month for us. although, it did finally start to slow down near the end of the month! phew! buuuttttt, i didn’t do any better getting my snapshots post up any earlier! haha.

i honestly try my best to separate my instagram photos from my blog photos {just to keep it freshy fresh} but it doesn’t always happen {sometimes the same ones sneak it, only because it was most likely a very cute photo of olive or something of that sort}. obvs, it’s very heavy on the side of olive but i do try to capture my surroundings or something else outside of olive {i said i trrryyyyy} to round out our monthly life in pictures.

as i was downloading photos for our past month, i did chuckle out loud because it’s all about miss olive. natch. i guess, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it but i will do my best to sprinkle in more moments of our environment to tell our story better!

february was a whirlwind. i promised myself, for the month of march, and go forward to slow down a bit. i’m always thinking of something different to do or bake or decorate and i find myself rolling and rolling and rolling into the next thing {a bit exhausted and overwhelmed…which are all totally self inflicted} but i do love the challenge and i do love to stay busy. it’s so my personality and style. i don’t like getting bored {do you notice the internal battle in my head??} but sometimes i have to remind myself to s l o o o o w it down a bit. just ask hc. hehe.

well, we had a great month. olive’s second valentine’s day was a success. we crafted, we baked, we decorated, and had a ton of fun together. i love that little girl to bits and doing everything together is pretty awesome {except when she’s having a conniption // example photo down below}. we also celebrated dick’s birthday, did a lot of reading together, playing together, and photo shoots galore. overall, it was a pretty damn good month…check it out in our pictures below!