vegas girls trip

I went on a girls trip to Las Vegas with my mom and Raina after Thanksgiving and it was just what I needed. It was my first time leaving Riggs overnight and I was pretty nervous about it, but it went just perfectly, he had a blast with his cousins and also got to have some one on one time with Steve. I was happy to have alone with with Raina, it's so rare with second children! Of course, it was also so much fun to hang out with my mom. We had soooo much fun.

We got there Wednesday and checked into our hotel right away. We were staying at the Aria, and neither of us had stayed there before (it's a newish hotel) and so we weren't sure what to expect. Other trips our family has stayed at the Bellagio and we really like it there. But we were pleasantly surprised by the Aria and really loved it by the end of the trip. It was really nice to stay in a new hotel where everything worked well in the rooms.

We got lunch and then took a nap - we were tired from flying all night, pretty sure Raina was the only one who got any decent sleep on the plane, my mom and I got about 30 minutes of actual sleep, and that's being generous, haha. Once we woke up we were excited to get out of our room and eat some dinner, so off we went.

My mom was in classes Thursday and Friday so I spent those days with just Raina, soaking in the huge tub in our room while she napped in the morning and then shopping the afternoons away. Friday my mom and I ate dinner at Johnny Rocket and shopped at the Fashion Show Mall after she got out of her class. Saturday we checked out of the hotel and went to shop at the outlet mall by the airport before heading home.

It went by way too fast, like vacations always seem to, but I was glad to be home to my boys. I can't wait for our next girls trip though, that's for sure! It's always fun to get away and have some time alone with my mama.

o u r   t r i p   i n   p i c t u r e s

checking in at the airport - someone was excited!

on the plane and snuggled into grandmas lap

(in first class...thank you mom!!)

she slept the majority of every single flight

and didn't cry on any of them. A little fussing

when she woke to nurse, but a little milk in her belly

and she was back into dreamland.

the lobby of the Aria...so pretty!

cloudy and rainy Vegas...a first for us.

the view from our hotel room on day one and then

on the day we left. of course it was sunny then, of course.

she slept so so good while we were there. I think that

might be what I miss most about our trip hahaha

(she hasn't been sleeping well at all since we got home,

waking every two hours most nights after 10:30pm)

all dressed and ready to do some shopping!

our favorite place to eat is at Olive in the bellagio

if you're lucky you can get a table out on the balcony

and watch the fountain show while you eat

we were right at the edge of the balcony, it was beautiful!

cozy in our solly baby wrap

when the carseat/stroller combo got old she was so happy to snuggle in with mama

her first taxi ride

the grounds of the Aria are beautiful

this photo doesn't really need a caption, does it?

dinner and malts at Johnny Rockets

I love my mommy so much. we loved lounging around

in our robes and wished we could have stayed longer.

she was such a happy girl while we shopped and shopped and shopped.

happy girl even though we were checking out

looking back at the strip from the airport

why did it have to be sunny and warm on our last day?!

pampered first class baby on the flight home

wish list: victoria's secret

It's windy and rainy out tonight so I've cuddled up with my laptop to do some online window shopping. I really want a new swimsuit, and I am about *this* close to ordering one from Victoria's Secret. I went to their website tonight and saw that until May 7th, you get a cute VS tote bag free with any swimwear purchase, so that might just sweeten the deal enough for me to actually order the stuff that's in my shopping bag.

I want a bikini with underwire in the top. I never feel like bikini's have enough support up top without underwire, and I love the styles and patterns they have at VS. Anyone I've talked to has loved the swimwear they've gotten from there too, so that helps. 

I've mostly purchased swimsuits from Gap and J.Crew in the past, and I actually haven't been very happy with how any of the Gap suits have held up. My latest one has been worn less than 10 times and is already all faded and weird on the back of the bottoms. Not attractive at all, and they weren't exactly cheap enough to justify wearing out so quick. 

I've loved all the J.Crew suits that I've gotten, but none of their new ones really stand out to me. I do have this one from J.Crew still but it's too big around the rib cage and doesn't offer enough support for me.

I have my eye on two suits from Victoria's Secret, and I'm debating whether or not I should just get one or both. It's nice to have variety but we are going to Hawaii this winter and there are lots and lots of suits there and it would be fun to pick a few out in person. So maybe just one for now? 

Here's the two I have my eye on:

I love the black with leopard trim but I also love that the green one has a little bit more coverage. Any feedback would be appreciated, tell me which you like better!

Homer Trip Part 3 - Kayaks and Old Friends

Sometimes I have such a hard time writing down my thoughts. It's such a struggle to accurately transform my feelings into words. Our Homer trip was so relaxing, so therapeutic, and just so enjoyable. Everyday we were there, the serenity and slowness of it all just soothed my soul. And once again, as I sit down to write this post, I find that words can't begin to do justice to how I felt waking up everyday, looking out over the water softly lapping at the rocky shore and hearing the calls of the wildlife right outside the door. To say that I felt happy is such a pathetic understatement, but it's true. Each day I felt so wholly, solidly happy.

Saturday we kayaked over to the spring for some water, and it was Riggs' first time in a kayak. Kayking is somewhat of a family legacy for Riggs, although he doesn't know it yet. Steve and his brother basically grew up in these kayaks - tagging along with their parents and guests for guided tours. At sixteen, Steve was guiding groups of guests himself - giving them the official tour of the islands, pointing out the various types of wildlife, responsible for their safety as they paddled around the bay. 

little Stevie and his dad Rick

It was beautiful blue skies and sunshine when we went out in the afternoon on the water run. Riggs went in the kayak with Oma and Opa on the way there, and then rode back with me and Steve. He did so well for not being able to move with all the layers and the bulky life-jacket, I think he's going to be a natural:)

You can't even begin to imagine how peaceful it was that afternoon in the back lagoon, literally no sounds except for a bird here and there and the whisper of the paddles in the water. I breathed it in deeply, and then quietly told Steve that I felt like we were the only people in the entire world. I can feel the stillness in my heart when I close my eyes and try hard enough. 

{It's actually one of my favorite things about our new house, the quiet stillness. We live on a dirt road in a quiet area outside of Palmer, and in the summer I can sit on our front porch and just soak up the peace and quiet and the sun. Usually all I can hear are the sounds of dragonflies buzzing by and sometimes the neighbors chickens clucking and pecking around.}

Steve paddled me over to this group of Harlequin so I could get some closer pictures of them, but they startled and flew off just as we were approaching. I did manage to get these beautiful pictures of them taking flight, their movement is so graceful for how quickly they move.

When we got back to the spring in the back lagoon where Steve's dad gets his drinking water, we all got out to stretch our legs and enjoy the sun. I love the back lagoon, there's never any day breeze like there tends to be on the beach in front of the cabin. It was probably about 35 degrees that day, but back in the lagoon it felt like it was at least 50 degrees, so warm!

On the way back to the cabin Riggs got a paddling lesson from daddy and then played around with me in the front for the rest of the trip back. Riggs found some sea lettuce to eat - he loves it, I'm not really a fan. It was such a nice way to spend the afternoon, and I can't wait to go back this summer so he can paddle around some more without quite so many layers.

Steve and his dad came up with the idea to make some sort of a swing in the house for Riggs. First they toyed with the idea of a buoy, then they tried to rig up some old net and ropes. Finally they grabbed an old dipnet and attached some rope and bungee and called it good. I was a bit skeptical that he would actually get any enjoyment from it, but judging by his huge smiles and squeals of delight I think he liked it;) He played in it quite a bit over the weekend, and nearly fell asleep in it on Sunday before naptime.

Monday we went over to Greg and Sandy's, who live next door to Rick. They've lived there forever but recently built a new house, which is just so lovely and filled with beautiful things that they've hand picked and collected over the years. I swear I could have just sat in their warm, sunny living-room listening to everyone talk and catch up for forever, content to just be there soaking up the beauty of the surroundings and the friendships.

It was such a lovely day, and Riggs even took his first steps there in Greg and Sandy's living room. Of course I didn't manage to catch that on camera, even though I tried the rest of the afternoon, watching him like a hawk with my iPhone camera ready. Sandy had given him a big exercise ball to play with, and he was standing up, pushing the ball in front of him. Then it rolled a bit further away then he expected and he just walked on over to it, about four or five steps. We were all so shocked and it excited, I think we scared him with our loud exclamations.  

Now that we're home he hasn't seemed too interested to try taking more steps, but you can bet I've been watching his every move, ready to see it when it eventually does happen again.  

part one of our trip

part two of our trip