butterflies in the zoo

it was going to be a beautiful day {as in not HOT}, so we decided to do a zoo day. those 70ish degree days are absolutely perfect for a day of walking around outside {and not sweating, feeling sticky, and exhausted}.

the kids kicked off our adventure with a ride on the carousel, while olive insisted on getting her face painted. oh my goodness…face painting takes forever! LOL hc came over and asked us if we wanted to experience the butterfly garden and i said yes.

once olive was finished {she was so happy with her choice…a unicorn swirly concoction of white, pink, glitter, and purple}, we walked over to the butterfly exhibit {which was two seconds away from where her face was painted}. first, you had to wait for someone to open the door and let you in. once inside, the girl gave clear, strict instructions on how to behave once inside. she then turned on a fan, blowing air straight down in front of the door and we walked inside.

ohhhhhh, it was so beautiful and awesome! the plants and flowers were gorgeous and the butterflies fluttering everywhere was like a dream come true! it was so magical and the girls were amazed! olive and ellie loved it! it was so cute when olive said to me…”kiki, did you know that the fairies paint the butterfly wings?!” oh my goodness…i love her so much!

we spent a lot of time inside the garden. the girls were having such a wonderful time being so close to the butterflies and loved seeing all the different types. i felt that we could have been in there for another 10-15 minutes but our other half of the party was waiting for us, so we reluctantly left the magical garden.

we traipsed our way to the dolphins, then the sea otters, then to get food, then to the playground. we have gone to the zoo with the intent to see the lego set up but every time we go…one thing leads to another and time gets aways from us and yet again, we haven’t seen the lego displays yet.

well, after the playground, we walked around a bit more but kim, terry, and the boys had to go to lacrosse practice. wah wah. ellie was so upset they had to leave and cried about it for a bit, she kept saying, “bennett. bennett…”. it was so cute…she really missed them! after they left, we decided to explore a little more of the zoo, so we headed over to tropic world to see the monkeys. once we were out, we explored a bit more of the zoo with the intention of heading on our way out. ellie was getting tired and a little cranky from not taking a nap.

it was another awesome day at the zoo in the books with the family! we had so much fun exploring and the butterfly garden was our most favorite part of the experience. i love how it’s a fun, different adventure every time we go to brookfield!

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[can you spot reagan and bennett?]

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[where’s ellie?]

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[ready to get her face painted]

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[she chose a unicorn design]

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[she was so good at keeping her eyes closed…even when she didn’t have to! LOL]

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[her finished look!]

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[the beautiful butterfly garden at the zoo!]

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[can you spot the black swallowtail?]

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[can you see the zebra longwing?]

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[hanging with my peeps]

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[beautiful monarch]

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[a plethora of julia’s]

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[peeking]

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[black swallowtail]

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[a great southern white landed on reagan’s hat!]

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[admiring the beautiful butterflies!]

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[i think this is the gulf fritillary]

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[sisters – can you spot olive?]

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[reagan was our photographer!]

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[besties]

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[we took a similar picture like this on this exact statue when we i was a few years old!

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[the boys]

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[monkeys grooming each other]

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xoxo

fourth of july 2019

i feel that the 4th of july is the height of the summer season and then it goes downhill from there. not in a bad way but it’s real chill afterwards and then august hits and it’s back to school! eep!

we did our usual the morning of the 4th. we {as in me and the girls} scrambled to get up, ready, and out the door early enough to nab a parking spot at madison school and traipse our way to the usual spot. a spot my sister and brother in law reserve every year with lawn chairs the night before. the girls were excited for the parade and even more excited to see their cousins.

we greeted some familiar faces, particularly helen, and chatted up with a few people already there and waiting. bit by bit, terry showed up, the boys, kim, and then thuy. we were all excitedly waiting for the parade to start and soon, we heard the sirens…signifying that the parade was on its way!

the girls were ecstatic! they shrieked and laughed as they saw cool and funny things walking/driving by! when it was time for the soldiers to walk by and fire their guns…the girl’s reactions completely define them. BOOM! it was so loud and there’s ellie…not jolted by the noise but curious and walks forward to see what it is and where it’s coming from. now here’s olive, running the opposite direction screaming in fear. LOL. yup, that’s them!

folks threw candy, random items, flyers and more candy! the girls walked away with quite the stash! olive’s philosophy on it was, if they’re giving to me…i must eat it now. i had to stop her after her second lollipop! she was like, what? they’re giving it to me??? nice reasoning cutie pie.

after the parade, we ran into hc’s friend max and chatted with him for a bit, while thuy swept the girls away once more. i wanted to stay and hang with max but we needed to get home because we had guests coming over.

we drove home in the jeep and hc dropped me off to get the party started while he grabbed ice and any other random items we might have needed. our guests slowly arrived {my family each brought over an item or two} and our gathering was in full swing. we had apps and drinks going and then finally kicked off the grill and cooked hotdogs, burgers, corn, with pasta salad, all the fixings {grilled onions, avocado slices, tomato, condiments}, potato salads, fruit, etc.

the evening began to cool off while the kids played with some ‘fire’works outside {really just some snappers and sparklers}. we served desserts and then all the kiddos had a water balloon fight! it was so cute to see how they all interacted…the boys chased each other, ellie did a little chasing, but mostly threw water balloons onto the grass to watch them pop and olive cried. uh huh. that’s what they did. hahaha!

our day was super lovely and fun. as always, we had the best time celebrating america’s birthday with our family!

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[they’re so sweet]

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[we saw this lab as a puppy last year!]

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[with uncle terry]

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[she’s such a ham]

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[they hear the sirens! waiting for the trucks!]

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[old school firetruck]

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[here come the fire trucks!]

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[with dada]

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[he’s been walking in the parade for years!]

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[helen, kim, me, thuy, and olive]

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[i love the way ellie is holding onto olive for the picture…she has no idea her hand is on her face! LOL]

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[with their super auntie…they always love being with her]

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[fourth of july desserts]

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[barbara and terry]

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[dan and olive]

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[festive cupcakes]

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[happy fourth!]

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[thuy, barbara, agata, lynne, and kim]

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[walsh family]

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[grand  kids]

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[the cheeky ones]

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[apps]

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[red velvet cake]

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[red, white, blue and stars ice cubes!]

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xoxo

rotary fest {aka…heritage fest}

come summer, come festivals. oh, it’s one of my favorite things about summertime!

what wasn’t a favorite was the cold, cold temps! ughhhhhh. it was so chilly the evening we chose to go. for me, a jacket wasn’t even warm enough while standing outside for hours. i saw people in short shorts, tank tops and sandals and here i was in layers, long pants, and i was super cold!

we met up with lan, avery, thuy, kim and the boys. olive and ellie were so excited to see their cousins! ellie was all about holding my hand leading up to us meeting them. as soon as she saw the boys, she wanted to be a big girl and refused to hold my hand. LOL she did her best to keep and be cool. oh my two year, going on twelve.

the kids were living their best lives – playing games, having fun, winning prizes. us adults just walked around with the kiddos as they picked what games they wanted to play. the girls were having a great time! the best part of the fest was when the boys and olive rode on the bumper cars. hc went with olive and she had a blast! giggling, laughing, and hc was a pro steering the bumper car and smoked everyone in there.

after a couple hours there, we had made dinner reservations at a restaurant right downtown, just a few minutes away from where we were. we walked right over and enjoyed the rest of our evening in the comfort of warmth.

if the weather was better, we probably would have eaten some yummy festival food and sat on the sidewalk but we wanted to be comfortable {not freezing our tushies} while we ate our dinner.

despite the cold weather, we still had a wonderful evening out at the festival. what was most important was that the kids had a blast, memories were made, and we, in the end, still ate yummy food!

yay for summer!

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[olive said, “kiki! kiki! look…a big lemon!]

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[everything is so bright and over the top!]

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[we chose and only had time to go to the fest friday night and of course it was freeeeeeezing. the next day was super warm. go figure]

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[so many plushies, so excessive!]

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[pop a balloon and win a prize!]

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[i told ellie to look at me]

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[then i said, “look at reagan”. look at her adoring stare]

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[my sweet babe]

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[i love her sweet looks]

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[our crew]

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[oh these two]

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[this girl and her poses]

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[girl gang]

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[everybody wins!]

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[dada helping ellie out]

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[did you win ellie?]

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[their prizes…pink unicorns!]

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[toss the rings]

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[i’m not sure how long he was able to hang in there for]

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[i think thuy got to 75 seconds!]

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xoxo

another pool day

pool time has become our summer day staple. i am so happy we joined a neighborhood pool. it’s the greatest solve for too hot summer days!

on this day, i got the girls ready, not as early as i was hoping for because we love to sleep in! we had a very, very late and slow morning. these summer nights and mornings have been so late, late, late! late nights and very late mornings! i am definitely enjoying it though!

i rounded them up, my little sassy gals, and headed to the pool. not many folks hit up the kids pool so it’s nice and not crowded for us when we are there. it’s only when they have adult swim, do all the older kids come barreling into the pool. yikes!

when we first got there, ellie was in complete observe mode. it was hilarious to watch her. she just strutted around and stared at everyone through her pineapple shades. what a little diva! her chunky thighs and cheeks and the sunglasses that didn’t fit the nose bridge she doesn’t have, was so glorious to see. hahaha!

we decided to bring a bag of toys with us, this time, but that was a big mistake. each time adult swim happened, it resulted in a large group of kids raging into the baby pool, then quickly dissipating, but slowly, each time, the girl’s toys would disappear. so with each adult swim, by the time we left the pool, olive and ellie had two fishes left out of their whole spread of toys. olive lost her fishing net, her tinker bell doll, her nemo toys, and so forth. wah wahhhh.

after lunch and some more swimming, we headed back home. after giving the girls a bath, my sister called me and asked if olive could go to the pool with her cousins. oy vey. well of course! so i dressed her in another swim suit and out the door she went for another early evening of fun!

happy summer days!

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[dancing fools]

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[i love these babes]

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[she was cracking me up! she looked like this the whole ride to the pool]

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[but seriously. i can’t even with her]

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[not impressed]

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[dem cheeks]

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[lunch time]

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[beotch, don’t even]

xoxo

swim class

we enrolled olive into swim class, again {she started over a month ago, in early june}. she took classes when she was two? i think she was two, maybe a little older than that but not by much. we, unfortunately, stopped after that. i highly recommend any parent to always continue with lessons once you start and start early. your kids will most likely be more confident, not so afraid of the water, and more advanced in their skills.

olive’s first lesson was tough. she was afraid, didn’t understand some of the trainer’s concepts, and was super timid with trying anything that caused water to touch her face. um, that’s a problem.

her coach was great, though. she was super patient, kind, and really supported olive in the way she needed it. i was happy with her style and happy to see olive attempt a few things she wasn’t feeling confident about.

we wanted ellie to try out swim lessons too but that was a complete debacle. she didn’t want to be in the water and clung to hc and cried. oh well, there’s always next year for this little girl! we all attended olive’s first lesson…ya know those firsts! it’s always special in our books! of course i watched from the sidelines while olive practiced and hc carried ellie around in the pool. after olive’s first lesson, we needed to head back to get after the plans we had for the day.

overall, it was a good first day of lessons. i am hoping that she gets her aha moment and progresses quickly! it’s so important to me that she becomes a strong swimmer! for my sanity and for her safety! so, here’s to a good run for the rest of the summer!

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[she’s about to start!]

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[kicking the legs]

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[ellie wasn’t not into swim lessons at alllll]

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[her attempts at jumping into the pool!]

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[we got a smile!]

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[me and my clingy babe]

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[we were all twinning the RWB!]

xoxo

happy 4th 2018

boy oh boy, it was a hot one!

we draaaaaagged ourselves out of bed {at least us girls, hc gets up early every day} and quickly got ready to head to the 4th of july hinsdale parade. i knew it was going to be a warm day but dang!!! the humidity was BRUTAL. we just sweated and sweated at 9 o’clock in the morning.

we parked hc’s jeep and walked our way to our usual meeting spot. hc had made ‘special’ beverages for us but little did he know, i am not a rum kind of gal. eep! i wish i was ’cause it was so warm and i needed a cool drink! it was a little bit miserable for the girls. i don’t know if it was too hot, they were not feeling good {because they were very sick the days prior}, or whatever it was, they were grumpy. ellie wanted to be held the entire time {holy hotness} and olive was super whiney {she kind of is in general but we won’t stress that part}. so, before the parade ended, we left. it was just too much. the heat, the sweat, the crying…it was time to go. although i still had a great time watching the parade, as i do every year!

once we got home, we wiped off, we cooled off, and everyone felt so much better. phew! hc and i started prepping a few things. we didn’t have to do much with everyone coming over, because our 4th parties are usually: everyone bring something, so it’s less stressful and so much easier!

i made festive ice cubes, frosé, and a mozzarella salad. we had a lot of salads on the menu. we had potato, mixed greens, coleslaw, pasta salad and i am sure i am forgetting another salad of some sort! hc had the fun task of grilling the burgers, corn, and dogs on the hot, hot grill. yay! what a trooper!

we stayed inside to stay cool, we hung out, and eventually the kids lit some ‘fireworks’ outside. olive was not a fan. she’s so sensitive! she was so afraid and worried someone would get hurt! she ran around screaming.

despite the high temps, it was a wonderful day! it started out hot and stressful but ended up being relaxing, fun, and very enjoyable. plus, it’s always fun to be with family! it was another great 4th on the books!

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[waiting for the parade]

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[ohmergawd i was sweating soooooo much]

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[we ran into this cute little family]

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[sister sister]

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[summer loving]

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[go cubs go!]

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[my sweet, spunky girl]

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[she loves dogs…animals]

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[checking out the parade]

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[my festive babes!]

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[festive ice cubes]

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[frosé]

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[tomato basil and mozzarella in balsamic oil]

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[cousins]

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[aren’t they sweet?!]

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[french macaron thief]

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[i love, love, love these two]

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[so much love]

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xoxo

ice cream date turned festival fun!

my sister, kim, text me asking if we wanted to meet up for an ice cream date. well, yes. the only place we ever go to is everyday’s a sundae. so, we hustled, got ready within a few minutes and out the door. as we neared the downtown area, we saw that heritage fest was going on! oh my! we were so unaware.

i called my sister and we were in a pickle. we didn’t expect the crowds and the crazy parking, so we weren’t sure if we wanted to stay or go to another place to get some ice cream.

well, we decided to stay and we met in front of the shop. we discussed our options, get ice cream or walk the festival. we decided to walk the festival but needed to get out cash, so we walked to an atm and hit up the grounds.

we started backwards, the kids grabbed ice cream first, then dinner. hey, it’s summer and it’s festival season! we perused our food choices and decided between corn dogs or corn dogs or corn dogs. hahaha! festival options are limited, yummy, and greasy!

the evening weather was beautiful. the temperature a bit cooler than usual but still lovely. we walked around, sat down to eat, the kids ran off to play games, and i took a gazillion pics. the kids were so cute together. olive was loving the games and prizes and just followed the boys around. game after game after game, we called it a night after the last one they played. it was the high striker and olive really wanted to play. the mallet was heavier than her! the women running the show reassured me olive would do well. hint hint. as olive tried with all her might to swing the hammer down on the target, the women hit the weight upwards and rung the bell! that was so sweet! olive, excitedly, picked out a prize!

we walked back to the car, loaded the girls into the jeep, and told olive to hold on tight to her huge plastic blow up barbie doll {it was probably three feet tall}, so it wouldn’t blow away in the wind!

it was such a fun night…impromptu and full of fond memories. i love life moments like these. cheers to summer nights!

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[she was so excited…i’m not sure for what – the jeep ride? the ice cream? seeing her cousins?]

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[my silly girls]

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[she’s so cute]

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[she was being sooooo silly]

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[rapunzel]

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[she loved her princess dress]

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[my babies]

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[rotary fest]

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[the crew]

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[they love each other]

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[i caught this cutie pie trying to catch up to the group. it was so cute to see her hustle]

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[she’s all caught up to the group]

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[olive loved the blow up character behind her]

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[gosh i looooooooove her. them. my girls]

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[eating ice cream]

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[kisses for her daddy]

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[eating corn dogs and fries]

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[overwhelmed by the plethora of prizes]

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[picking out prizes]

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[showing off their prizes]

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[she was so excited that the bow lit up!]

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[games, games, and more games]

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[the mallet was heavier than her. the women running the game was so kind. she hit the bell so olive could win a prize!]

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[what makes these kids happy…]

xoxo

summa time

the few weeks before independence day can be so intense! there are so many things going on, i don’t have enough of me to be able to enjoy all the fun summer activities!

to kick off summmmmmma time, our neighborhood friends invited us to a local jubilee. that weekend was a h o t one. sizzling! we decided to watch the live bands and enjoy the festivities on the coolest night of the weekend, although is was only 90 degrees and humid that day. eep!

hc and i took the jeep there…the most perfect weather to do so! we left the same time as our neighbors, dianna and todd, and we all walked to the jubilee together. our other neighbor friends, john and laura, had already secured a spot for us by the stage.

naturally, the boys hung out and us gals hung out. we gabbed and the men talked about their manly things. after a bit, hc and i wandered off to do my instagram ‘things’ and then grabbed some grub from the healthy section of the jubilee. hahaha! cheesy tater tots, hot dogs, and other bad things for my summer bod. bahahahhhhhaaa!

we actually, really enjoyed the music! the first group was a little bit country and the second group was a little bit rock n’ roll. the latter group was a great cover band! the musicians and the singer nailed popular songs of the past! hc made a comment about how some cover bands try to add in their own twists but we love it when a cover band nails the songs as we know them {and this band did just that!}!

after a few hours, i nudged hc to go. it was after 9:30 {oh, we’re so old and with children} and we needed to get home to put the kiddos to bed and send my sister home {always so thankful for her being available to watch the kiddos!}!

we are so grateful for our awesome neighbors! we really had a wonderful time with our SE crew! cheers to more fun summer festivals!

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[me, diana, and laura]

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[all the healthy food you can eat!]

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[heart attack on a plate]

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[hc, john, and todd]

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[summer time]

xoxo

lazy pool day

we love our lazy pool days! although the weather hasn’t been on our side the last week or so. any day i had available to go to the pool, it rained or it was too cold. what?! such a bummer!

so, we finally had a beautiful day and off we went! we got ready in the morning, sprayed on copious amounts of sunblock, and packed up our things! the pool was full but not crowded. we headed to our favorite kiddie pool {the one and only!} and the girls got right in. there were a few kids in the pool and olive was scouting out some new friends. once it hit noon, a huge group of women in this area, with their kiddos, all left to have lunch. the kiddie pool pretty much cleared out and olive was so bummed. my girls and maybe one other kid was in the pool and olive wanted to go home. whaaaaa?

she seemed a bit sad all the kids left but i couldn’t seem to convince her that it was only temporary and that they were all coming back after they ate. well, she wasn’t buying it and i was indifferent, so we gathered our belongings and left. as we drove away, hc drove right by us!! oh em gee! first, what was he doing home? and second, we had to convince olive to go back.

it didn’t take much for us to say to her to change her mind, and ta da – we headed back to the pool with hc! yayyyyyyy! we chilled {with tasty libations hc concocted} and olive met another friend and was having the best time! ellie just moseyed around in the pool, doing her own thing.

we then walked over to the food area and ordered lunch. then the funniest thing happened. while ellie was sitting next to me, enjoying her food, she proceeded to pee the biggest puddle on the bench. whatever…they clean it anyways, she was soaked from the water, and we were at the pool! i was dying. ellie stopped eating, looked down at the puddle, and then continued to finish her food. hahahaha!

the rest of our pool time and afternoon was so relaxing and splendid! it was such a wonderful surprise to see hc and have him spend the rest of the day with us. it was the best kind of lazy pool day!

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[on our way!]

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[she’s so silly]

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[snack time]

xoxo

memorial weekend

it was a wonderful weekend. a really wonderful weekend.

thank you to the men and women who have given their lives so we could live freely. we are forever in debt and grateful for your sacrifices.

sunday was very impromptu and perfect. we decided, last minute to hit up the pool. fabulous idea! then we invited our family over, last minute, for a grilling evening adventure! oh, it was just what we needed!

pool time was fantastic! we packed up our things {well, hc did a majority of the packing! thanks hubs!} and jumped into the jeep and arrived at the pool club we just joined! we were so excited to check it out. we shopped a few places last year and this year, we decided to join a swim and racket club. we loved that it is private, well kept, and offered quite a few amenities. plus, it was time. it was the right time for the kiddos and we were ready to join a place!

olive was such a diva. she picked out her heart sunglasses, asked to wear her hat, and strutted around like a boss. haha! ellie loooooooooved the water. she’s a mermaid!! she was having so much fun! it was the cutest thing to see! olive is more reserved and was bothered if the water hit her face. oh olive! ellie didn’t care! she dipped her face in the water and ‘swam’ around like a pro.

we were having such a great time! we loved the pool – it was clean and well kept. the grounds looked very well manicured, the parking lot was freshly sealed and painted, and the tennis courts looked so nice! we’re so excited for summer!

after the pool, our family came over for a fun alfresco dinner. hc cooked up a storm, we made pink vodka lemonades, we ate outside {it had cooled down to a perfect evening temperature}, and the kids played. it was a lovely ending to a great day.

honestly, if every day could be this good, our life would be utopia.

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www. tandeminlove.com

it was a wonderful weekend. a really wonderful weekend. thank you to the men and women who have given their lives so we could live freely. we are forever in debt and grateful for your sacrifices.

[we’re ready for the pool!!!]

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[i love them. so, so much!]

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[pool ready]

www. tandeminlove.com      [hiiiiiiiiii! we’re so excited to be at the pool on this hot day!]

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[my water baby!]

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[the sweetest profile]

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[she was too cute in the water]

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[olive lounging and drying off]

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******

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[pink vodka lemonade]

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[agata and ellie]

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www. tandeminlove.com

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[look at the plane]

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[i loved that my dad purposely kicked up his feet for the picture]

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[really dan?]

xoxo