h54f!

rather than my typical high 5 for friday post, i'm just gonna post about why i'm thankful it's friday! holden & i have had a pretty lazy week full of snuggling, some shopping and lots of down time at home. i'm grateful for weeks like this. we really just took it slow most of the week! grant has had a TON of projects to edit, client meetings, photo & video shoots and the last couple days he has attended an event at our church. all of that means long days for this mama! im grateful, like i said, but on weeks like this, i'm tired by 4 if we run around town like normal!

so, I'm thankful that it's friday because...

-holden & i had a lot of sweet moments at home. just the two of us!

- tomorrow is my bday and we have some fun stuff planned this weekend to celebrate!

-a dear friend of mine who is pregnant has had a hard week w signs of really early labor. i'm taking her back to the dr this morning to hopefully get news that the contractions have slowed. (prayers welcome!)

-being lazy & acting like he owns the place!-

i've got a list of errands to run and a bathroom that wants me to clean it (really, it told me!), but none of that matters when it's your birthday week! am i right or am i right??? :)

hope you all have a great weekend!!

the secret to dressing little boys!

before i had holden, i naturally found myself in the little girl's department at stores instead of the little boys! i didn't do it on purpose and there truly wasn't any part of me that wished i was having a daughter instead of a son, but the frills, lace, leopard print and bows just made my heart melt so much quicker than polo shirts and khaki cargo shorts! i know i'm not alone in this!!!

a friend of mine (who is prego w her 3rd babe, but first boy) recently posted something on facebook about how much harder it is to find cute baby boy stuff and it seems more expensive, too. i feel like that is a completely accurate statement... but once you find out where to shop, what to stay away from, it's easy as pie! i may pay a little more per item with holden, but i don't buy near as many things as my friends who have girls, so it probably balances out!!

my goal w dressing holden is to mainly buy pieces that i absolutely love. for now, we aren't big into the 'traditional' little boy attire: baseballs, fire trucks & monkeys. since those are the typical type of boy clothes, it can be tricky to find cute clothes! i try to focus on buying pieces that i can dress up or down, mix & match and he can wear many, many times. so, this means, that i will pay $15ish dollars for his skinny jeans at h&m. but, those $15 jeans will literally be worn for months. h&m jeans have adjustable waists, so he wears them on the tightest setting until he doesn't need them tightened at all. when they are on the tightest setting, we have had to roll them at times (which is totally in style & not lame, fyi!!). i literally cannot rave about the pants from h&m enough! holden is 21 mos and we just put away his yellow pair of pants that are size 6-9mos (h&m does run big, but not that big!).

since people comment on h's clothes all. the. time... i though it'd be fun to do a post some pics & tell you where i snagged the pieces from! i do buy some stuff second hand, but the pieces i always prefer to dress him in are things i've bought recently cause they are trendy!!

it prob goes without saying, but my number one store for little boy clothes is h&m. hands down. no competition. and, if you aren't lucky enough to have an h&m in your mall, they just opened their online store! after h&m, target & old navy are probably tied. and then i occasionally pick up pieces at kohl's, children's place & gymboree. we also have a store here called crazy 8 (a sister company of gymboree) that i've gotten a few things from. 

here's some examples of little boy outfits that are still totally boy without being lame (in my opinion!)!!

shirt: old navy, jeans (relaxed style): h&m

hat: crazy 8, shirt: old navy, pants: h&m, flip flops: babies r us 

shirt: carter's (got at kohl's), cardigan & skinny jeans: h&m, shoes: converse 

shirt: old navy, pants: h&m, soft shoes: ministar brand (target)

onesie: old navy, shorts (they have fishbones on them): children's place, dino shoes: target

shirt: children's place, bow tie: target (was $2.50!!), jeans: h&m, flip flops: babies r us

shirt, cardigan & jeans: h&m, dino shoes: target

bow ties are HUGE right now for little boys of all ages. my fav company to buy them from is on etsy: little gentlemen. they are spendy, so i don't get them often. however, i fully plan on him wearing them for years to come & on any future sons we may have!

moral of the story: little boy clothes may not initially be as cute or fun to buy, but i promise that everyone loves a well-dressed little boy! people comment on holden's clothes almost everywhere we go and i assume it's because i put a little bit of thought into dressing him! have fun with dressing your boys, mamas!! and splurge on a few key pieces that you love! it'll make all the difference!! :)

simple & easy weekend!

i love lazy weekends. as in love love love them. especially lazy saturdays. this weekend was pretty low key for us here in thompsonland and that is a-ok with me!

friday night, grant decided he wanted to go putt some golf balls at his parents' house (putting green) and decided he wanted to take holden with him! totally unexpected and totally welcome! so, after dinner, my boys left me. home alone. on a friday night! i was so giddy i didn't know what to do! so, like any normal almost-27 year old, i sat at home and browsed pinterest mindlessly! ha! it was wonderful! and hilarious. such as... 

boy do i know!!!

this is confusing beyond words! the placement... the verse... so wrong. 

i don't really repin the funny things i see, but i definitely get a good laugh out of them! 

saturday was nice & lazy, too! super low-key just the way we like it! and the best imaginable way to cap off a low-key saturday was a cookout w good friends! :)

snugs. my fav. 

my sweet happy boy. or not. should've been in bed...

a plate full of carbs. so wrong, but oh so right!

pre-church photoshoot! xoxoxo

did y'all have a good weekend?? hoping you get a lazy one soon to stop & enjoy the little things!

things i'm lovin!!

as if everyone hasn't already said this today... i'll say it, too. hooooow is it already august??? i mean come on!! this summer is almost over. in fact, there are schools in indiana that today is the first day of school. dumb. why does summer keep getting shorter and shorter?? whatever. it's been a little while since i've done a post of my recent obsessions! as always, post your favs in the comments so i can check them out!!

first, i love me a good candle. this isn't a recent fav, per se, as just a fav in general.  it's been my go-to candle the past few weeks (even though she's been a goodie for a long time! eucalyptus spearmint from bath & body works is where it's at! i do also love the orange ginger & lavender vanilla from the spa line!!

i feel a little bit like a hypocrite with my next thing i'm lovin. not really, but i wasn't quiet w my hatred towards jc penney's sales tactics over the last year. i thought they made a really bad move to eliminate sale prices and coupons. now that they're going back to their "old ways" and have revamped their entire store, i'm slowly becoming a big fan. i'm on the search for bedroom lamps and decided to give jcp a try. as i walked through the home dept, i promise i didn't even feel like i was in penney's. definitely stroll through next time you're at the mall!! sidenote: i actually found a couple shirts that i love, too!

i have been a HUGE fan of sara bareilles for years. she's hilarious, has a killer voice and is the best in concert! seriously the best. she just released a new cd and it's def been on repeat for me. check out her latest album, the blessed unrest. it has a little bit of a diff vibe than her previous albums, but i love it nonetheless!!

so, what are your latest favs????