just a little news...

If you follow me on Instagram than you already know but, if not, we have just a little bit of news that we wanted to share...

Brandon, Natalie and I are so excited to be welcoming another sweet little babe into our family! Last time we told our families early after we saw the first heartbeat at 5 weeks and change and then waited a few more weeks to announce publicly. This time around, we opted to keep it hush a bit longer and told our families just before 7 weeks. It was fun to keep this a little secret between the three of us and our clinical team and had wanted to tell our families at Christmas but when Natalie told Ms. Cheryl, we knew we had to tell our families in case she slipped and mentioned it. [At pick up one evening, Cheryl told me that Natalie put a baby doll under her shirt and said she was having a baby like mommy, that kid is too much.]  We were hoping the news would really sink in before we shared it, but it has taken longer this time around to really believe this is happening. In fact, I am still not really sure it's happening even though I just had an ultrasound with a reassuring 178 bpm heart rate on Wednesday.

I will again be doing weekly pictures as a way to document this pregnancy and will share the first post next week! I always tell Brandon if I didn't do those weekly posts for Natalie, I'm not so sure I would believe I was ever pregnant. I barely remember the experience and I don't even recognize myself in pictures. It's a very strange thing for me. 

This next little Wilkinson is due to arrive in July and we are feeling so incredibly blessed and excited for this next adventure! 

Santa Train | Christmas 2016

Last year, I made the command decision that I really wanted to start a new tradition with Natalie and Tim that we take a ride on the train with Santa. After checking the mall website, I learned that Santa Train is the same cost as going to the mall, standing in line for an hour and then ordering the minimal picture package so I was interested to see how the train ride would play out. I began looking at tickets back at the beginning of October and I remember being surprised that some of the train dates were almost sold out! I made a mental note that we needed to get tickets early every year and I snagged some for us. That's right, we have had this reservation since October!  

We had an ice storm Saturday morning which made the roads a little rough and we were lucky that Michelle and Mr. Jon got to the train station early and assured us we had time because I was a little anxious that bad road conditions would lead to us missing the train! Somehow, we got there with, seemingly, plenty of time. While Michelle and Mr. Jon waited for Ms. Kim and B checked in, I got the kiddos on the train and we settled in. They were both beyond excited to see each other and even more excited to see Santa. 

This was an incredible experience. Santa came around and visit with each of the families before having the kiddos sit with him and tell him what they wanted. Natalie was a little nervous at first but she quickly warmed up to the big guy. She proudly asked Santa for paint. He asked if she was an artist and she said "no, I'm a girl." Bless her little heart. 

We tried to snag a couple cute family pictures but Nat was too excited.  The train ride itself was so much fun. The train cars were nice and warm and the kids had room to stretch out. While snacks were sold on the train, you were welcome to bring snacks and drinks.  Michelle remembered some snacks and B grabbed a couple chocolate milks before we left the house so it worked out nicely.  It was the least stressful Santa experience we've had to date. B and I agree that next year we should consider bringing some spiked hot cocoa :)

So needless to say, we are completely hooked on Santa Train and love this new tradition. When the train got back to the station, families were invited to come to the train station museum for hot chocolate and cookies. And while that would have been lovely, B and I had a lot we had to get done before our evening out so Ms. Kim gave the kids (huge) chocolate Santas and they were none the wiser :)  

2016 Stocking Stuffer Exchange

Y'all, I love a good blogger exchange and this is one of my favorites. It's super easy, inexpensive and fun! 

I was paired with Ashley from Perks of Ponder. Her likes were simple: chocolate, office supplies, gold, floral, coffee, cozy socks, note cards, make-up. Her dislikes were pretty simple (and minimal!): chewy candy, vanilla smell, candy/cookie/cake smells (I am right there with her on that!), neon and things that are too minty. With this in mind, I set out to the motherland (Target) to put together her stocking stuffers. 

The same day that I went out to get Ashley's things, her package arrived in the mail! I was so excited when I got home to see what Ashley picked out! She definitely hit the nail on the head!

I have been living in those cozy socks and have even worn them to work under my boots when I was feeling a little crummy and they definitely helped! Natalie has totally stolen the spray because it's pink and that's her favorite color.  The lotion is the most soothing lotion I have ever used and I told B that I need to find it in a full size version! It is definitely a perfect cure for the horrible winter dry skin! Not pictured: the itunes gift card that Natalie quickly snagged and stuck in her purse to use while playing grocery store. She reminded me when I tried to take it back that "it's important to share". Girlfriend has a steel trap memory when it comes to her benefit!

This was such a fun exchange and I loved being paired with Ashley!

Thanks Whitney, Amy and Jess for hosting!

Friday Five | 12-2-16

Y'all it's December. How did that happen? I cannot believe how quickly November came and went and I know this last month of the year is bound to go just as quickly! However, there is so much to look forward to in the coming weeks so I can't help but be excited :)

1. I love this Believe in the Magic raglan from The Blue Envelope. I just had to snag it on Small Business Saturday for our upcoming visit to Santa. (Again, seriously, how is it December?!)

2. Rent the Runway. We have the practice's big 25th Anniversary [black tie optional] Gala in 2 weeks and this week was crunch time on figuring out the dress situation. I have never rented from Rent the Runway but have heard really great things from so many people so I decided to bite the bullet and give it a shot. Between the Cyber Monday deals and my first time renter discount, I knew I would say money one way or another. Why have I not looked at this site sooner?! There were so many gorgeous dress options that it was so hard to pick!

3. Thanks to her big cousin, Tim, Natalie has been really into dinosaurs. Not in the whole I want to play with them way but in the I want them on my clothes when I hang out with Tim way. I guess she is seeking some kind of acceptance and approval from him and it's adorable that she wants to make her big cousin happy. I find it so sweet that she shows an interest in the things that he is interested in. She even tries so hard to listen to him when he rambles on about dinos... bless her heart. Michelle is watching Natalie the night of the gala so when I saw these awesome dino pajamas at Carters, I knew I had to get them for the very special occasion!

4. Wednesday pizza dinners. B surprised Nat and I with our favorite pizza as a middle of the week treat and I am not sure which one of us was more excited. I have had the worst sinus infection and the evenings have been particularly brutal as far as having an appetite and wanting to be productive plus it's dark when I get home and it's been rainy and dreary so pizza dinner was just what the doctor ordered. It's the simple things in life, y'all. 

5. Christmas everything. We have had Christmas music on all day in our office since Monday and it's been lovely background noise. There is something about Christmas music that just feels so right. Here's to hoping I still feel this way in a couple weeks :)  Although, now that I am thinking about it, I don't know that I could sit and actually listen purposefully to an album of Christmas music (except for Michael Buble... swoon). Anyone else immediately think of the movie Elf when they hear Sleigh Ride? 

If I am still feeling this crappy come tomorrow, I plan to snuggle up with Nat on the couch and binge watch Christmas movies and, of course, Elf will make the cut. I really need to really come up with a list of must watch Christmas movies for her. We've already watched the Grinch half a dozen times since Sunday :) Anyone have any suggestions that just have to be on there?!