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

toddler boy fall picks! hurrah!

Guys there are more and more yellow leaves popping up everywhere and I can hardly believe it's actually fall! The state-fair is going on, the cranes are in the farmers fields all around my house and it's getting down into the 40s at night. FALL.

I posted some of my favorite fall items for baby girls a couple of weeks ago and I'm finally getting around to post my favorite fall items for boys. But just from two shops because:

1) I don't like and of Old Navy's toddler boy clothes, they just don't fit Riggs well (short and wide).

2) if I included Crew Cuts I would have to include basically everything on their website, and well, that just wouldn't work.

So. Here are my favorite items from Gap and Zara. And if you have boys over 3, you are soooo lucky because Zara's fall line for big boys is amazingggggggg. I can't wait for Riggs to grow a little bit so I can just buy. it. alllllll.

GAP

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

5 | 6 | 7 | 8

ZARA

1 | 2 | 3

4 | 5 | 6

7 | 8 | 9

opening up shop!

Have you ever heard of an Instagram shop? I've been using IG shops to search for gently used clothes for Riggs for the last year or so. I think it's a great way to make a little money selling the pieces your children have outgrown so you can keep shopping for new ones! I don't know about you, but I find it frustrating to take quality clothes in great condition to the consignment store only to get less than a dollar per item. 

Anyway, I've been toying around with the idea of opening a shop, and now that I have two kids quickly outgrowing their clothes I've decided to go ahead and try it out! You can see my sales by following my Instagram shop account: @shopwilliamandgracie. I'll host the first sale once I reach 200 followers and go from there!

winter is coming, which means fall is coming even sooner!

It's hard to believe that fall will be here soon. That magical season in which everything cozy is king. Sweaters, jeans with holes in the knees, ponytails and rainboots, hot cocoa, and pumpkin everything. I've come to the realization that every season is my favorite in the weeks of anticipation leading up to it, but fall truly is my favorite season over all of them for one very materialistic reason. The clothes.

I love the clothes you wear in fall and winter. I love to wear them and I love to shop for them. It nearly makes me giddy with excitement when I open my favorite catalogs to see huge glossy images of their new fall fashions. I've been watching some of my favorite retail websites like a hawk, waiting for the new fall lines to revealed and I haven't been disappointed. I am so in love with so much of what I'm seeing, and I've been going through my clothes, Riggs' clothes, and even Raina's clothes to pick out things we've outgrown/never really liked as much as we thought we would to make room for some of the more irresistible fall pieces.

I've been hard at work in my spare time (which is very very limited right now) to organize and photograph the clothes my children have outgrown in preparation for opening an IG shop. I'll be posting more about this as I make more progress, but for now just know that I'm very excited about it! And I need to get on it, so I can add a little extra spending money to the current budget for kids clothes.

Today I wanted to share some of my most favorite new fall picks for baby girls. If you're a boy mom, don't worry, I'll be sharing some boy picks asap!

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4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9

I have loved j. crew for a very very long time and love them even more now that they have expanded their small, original crew cuts line to include full on wardrobes for boys, girls and now even babies. I am especially excited about their waffle cotton union suits for babies. I found a red one for Riggs in a thrift shop when he was a baby and then a pink one for Raina too at a consignment shop in Anchorage but until I saw them at j. crew I hadn't seen them available new for as long as I've had kids. These are my number one most favorite baby clothing items of all time. Just perfect.

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3 | 4

H&M is supposed to be opening a store in Alaska in the somewhat near future and I am basically freaking out about it. I love their simple styles and prices and the quality of their clothes. I didn't include photos of their wool long underwear (onesie & leggings) for babies, but I will definitely be ordering them for miss Raina. Riggs lives in wool in the winter (as does Steve, who can't wear polyester thermal layers because of his job as a power lineman) and stays so warm and cozy while also looking pretty dang adorable in his wool layers.

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3 | 4

I actually have that navy floral one-piece for Raina and I LOVE it. It's so cute on and it's very soft and cozy for her. They have a lot of really cute choices in the toddler girl sizes too this season.

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4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9

Zara always wins in by book with their baby clothes. They are just so classic baby to me. I can't wait to order some things for both Raina and Riggs from them!

Mother's Day gift ideas 2014

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Spring holidays are some of my favorite as I get older and more fully understand the reasons behind the celebrations. Now that Easter is over, I've turned my attention to Mother's Day and couldn't be more excited to celebrate the amazing mom's I'm blessed to have in my life. My own mother will be gone on Mother's Day (maybe for the first time ever?) and so I'm a little sad about that. But we will have our family Mother's Day celebration a little late once she's back (with our little sister in tow - freshly graduated and everything!). 

I rounded up this list of gift ideas and would love to read any other gift lists you might have posted on your own blogs, so be sure to comment and leave a link if you're so inclined!

basket full of goodies: toddler easter basket ideas

I had so much fun picking out Riggs' Easter basket goodies this year. This is actually Riggs' third Easter, a fact which just blows me away. I think it's going to be the most exciting Easter yet too, since we are hosting the family at our house for Easter festivities after church. I know Riggs will just love hunting for Easter Eggs out in the yard with his cousins. I am hoping it's warm and at least partly sunny so that we can all enjoy a little 'spring' weather outside before we eat lunch (pot roast, veggies, quinoa casserole, deviled eggs, broccoli salad, and cornbread plus vanilla coconut flour cake and lemon almond pound cake, yum!). 

Riggs' Easter basket:
basket | local craft store
liner | Pottery Barn Kids (these go on cheap, cheap sale after Easter so if you want to order a monogrammed version for next year, now's the time! I plan on ordering one for baby girl)
Peter Rabbit coloring book | Target dollar section
stickers | Target dollar section
mini colored pencils | Target, sold in stores. regular sized version here.
Home for a Bunny | Barnes and Noble, also a cute board book version at Costco right now or here
All Creatures Great and Small | local toy store (Classic Toys)
bunny card | Fred Meyer
bubbles | Target dollar section
chocolate bunny | Target dollar section
Annie's bunny fruit snacks | Target
Matchbox 5-pack | Fred Meyer

Click here for Riggs' basket from last year.

Bella Kids Consignment Sale!!!

I'm so excited for the upcoming Bella Kids Spring Consignment Event! I went to their fall event, but I think I went the last day so I didn't find much in the clothing section but did manage to get some shoes and Riggs' favorite pink car. I love how well it was organized and imagine it will be even better this year since the location is much better (Ravenwood Hall at the Alaska State Fairgrounds).

I was originally planning on renting a table at the AK Mom to Mom sale in Anchorage but they had to cancel because they didn't get enough sellers to register, boo. I was going back and forth whether or not I would sign up for this event, and finally this morning I registered. Nothing like waiting until the last minute haha. I've got toys and bedding and an Ergo carrier to sell, plus a whole heap of outgrown boy clothes:

If you live in the Valley, Eagle River, or even Anchorage you should definitely venture out to the sale! Here's the full schedule of days/times they're open. Hopefully I'll see you there! I think I'm going Thursday morning right after they open at 10 :)

Easter Sunday outfits for Girls & Guys

Easter is just around the corner and one of my favorite things is getting dressed up myself and seeing all the kids at church dressed up in their special Easter dresses and suits. I remember vividly being a little girl and being so excited to wear my fluffy Easter dress, hat, gloves and purse. 

Zara has so many beautiful dresses right now, and I am just in love with the print on this one. Also I think suspenders on little boys are perfect for Easter, making them look like dapper little gentlemen. I still need to find an Easter dress for myself (maybe this or this?), hopefully something I can wear throughout the rest of my pregnancy as the days turn warmer and sunnier. Do you still buy a special Easter dress for yourself or do you focus mostly on what your kids are wearing?

headband | dress | shoes

tie | shirt | sunglasses | trousers | shoes

Spring Gap Maternity Picks

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three | four

five | six

I'm finally starting to really feel pregnant. I tried to wear my jeans last week and while they did button, it was horribly uncomfortable to have the denim cutting into my bump. I was browsing Gap's website this week and was surprised to find quite a few basic wardrobe items that I would actually feel okay 'investing' in. 

Every time I go in a Gap store I feel like the maternity clothes are all geared more to work-wear, way too fancy for this stay-at-home mom. So I was thrilled to see some pieces that I know I'd wear on a daily basis, instead of just when I felt like getting 'dressed up'. 

I plan on grabbing the straight leg, boyfriend style jeans, the v-neck, capri leggings and the nursing top for sure. The chambray dress and shirt are items I love, but not sure how much wear they'd really get...maybe if they go on a really good sale!

Paddington Bear for Gap!

top: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

middle: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

bottom: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Last year about this time I was swooning over the Peter Rabbit collection that came out at babyGAP. This week they introduced their Paddington Bear for babyGAP collection and I'm swooning all over again. I just love everything! I will be watching like a hawk for my favorite pieces to be marked down, then you can bet I'll be grabbing them up! 

BabyGAP was probably my favorite go-to shop for clothes when Riggs was a baby. Now that he's grown out of their baby sizes, I tend to prefer the simplicity and long/lean fit of J.Crew crewcuts for Riggs, but I still love babyGAP. It was the first place I stopped to shop after we found out baby #2 is a girl. What's your go-to shop for your baby/toddler? I find that it usually depends on what fit your baby needs, since every retailer seems to be pretty different in regards to size and fit...

9 small business picks for black friday

Today is Black Friday. You were probably up at 3am getting read to go shop till you drop. This year I encourage you to shop local this year for the whole shopping extravaganza. I've chosen 9 shops with amazing black friday, small-business saturday, and cyber monday sales, I hope you take some time to go check them out!

1 | Little Hip Squeaks
2 | Keal Designs
3 | Kindred Oak
4 | Hello Apparel
5 | Arrow and Aspen
6 | Ryan and Wren
7 | Freshly Picked
8 | Salt City Emporium
9 | Bip & Bop

weekending

It's Wednesday and I'm just now posting a recap of our weekend. So much going on! Plus I woke up this morning sooo very sick. Sore/raw throat and a horrible wracking cough that I feel all the way down in my chest. Yay Thanksgiving, lol.

We did have a fabulous weekend, filled with fun family (on both sides!) visits. Steve's dad and brother spent the weekend hanging out with us at our house, and Sunday we went to Anchorage to welcome my little sister home from college with a lovely lunch a my parents house.

bonfire yay!

Monday we went to Anchorage for new tires (worst way to spend money!) and shopping with my little sis. I nabbed some perfect leather boots at Nordstroms by Sam Edelman. I'm so excited to finally have a pair of neutral brown boots that I can wear both in winter and summer.

Tuesday Riggs and I did our normal Monday chores and ran a few errands. I got to wear my new boots and Riggs had so much fun getting to walk by himself at Target. I wasn't in any hurry and it wasn't nap time so we tried the whole walking thing out. It actually went really well! I just can't believe Riggs is old enough to be walking in the grocery store with me:(

For the last half of our shopping at Target, Riggs tugged this wicker basket behind him, and I let him fill it with a few things that he really wanted and we 'needed' anyway. Mostly Christmas candy (that was discounted using the cartwheel app) and a letter 'R' ornament. The funniest part was watching other shoppers reactions as I pushed the cart with Riggs trailing behind dragging his basket. So funny!

I hope everyone has a lovely (and safe!) Thanksgiving holiday filled with good food, family and laughter. And also, I hope every one is ready for Christmas taking over my blog space...I've been waiting soo patiently!