Easter 2016

What a wonderful day to celebrate Jesus and teach our children about the real meaning of Easter.

Mark 16: 5-7

 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.

7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ”

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! 

We Are On The Hunt!

 We have been having fun at several Easter egg hunts this week! Maggie started with a sweet hunt and party with her preschool class on Wednesday. The parents hid the eggs on the playground, and the kids had a blast running around filling their baskets. (Maggie did tell me that it was my fault that she did not get more eggs because I did not put her in her "fast shoes." I promised she could wear them for the next hunt. I think she did not have enough room in her basket for more eggs due to all that sass! Ha!)

The Kangaroo Class enjoyed a little party in the classroom afterwards. Since it was early, the mom volunteers served doughnuts, fruit, and chicken mini from Chickfila. I might have sneaked some of the food for myself!

Maggie LOVED matching her little brother for the party! I was soaking up every minute of coordinating their outfits.

Today we all attended an egg hunt at Blackburn Park (Daddy's bootcamp location) for Brookhaven's Easter celebration. Despite the misty rain, Tuttle and Maggie gathered a basket full of eggs and had a great time!

Jacob smiled right on time for the picture! :)

The Easter Bunny even made an appearance. Even though I always find the costume pretty creepy, the kids were eager to sit with him.

Maggie and Tuttle were in different age groups to hunt. Maggie searched for eggs first, so I held her hand while she filled her basket. When it was Tuttle's turn, he was off and out of sight in the blink of an eye!

I know Jacob will join the Easter fun next year. I just love these babies!

We have TWO more egg hunts before our Easter festivities are over. Tomorrow Gram is hosting one at her house after church, and next week Tuttle's kindergarten class will enjoy searching for eggs. This is not helping my mission to lose the baby weight! :)

Three Cheers for Tuttle!

This is completely a blog post to brag on some of Tuttle's great accomplishments recently. We are so proud of our biggest boy.

#1- Tuttle had his writing selected for the school's Writing Wall. Only one student from each class is selected each month, and we were thrilled when Tuttle told us his journal about attending the circus with Gram was picked! Tuttle's writing has come A LONG way since the beginning of the year. He now wants to be an author and an illustrator when he grows up. (His teacher has been reading books by Tomie DePaola in class, and he loves him! He has become his idol since he is both an author and an illustrator.)

#2- Tuttle has been working to earn enough points to get his picture with the school's group of Accelerated Readers. After each book that he reads, he has the potential to earn points from quizzes based on the books. We have been reading books at home as much as possible for Tuttle to test on the next day. As of last week, he earned the points needed to make the wall with the Accelerated Readers. We are so proud of his determination and how far his reading has come! I know he will be a book worm just like I was as a child. :)

#3- Tuttle performed his first piano recital with his teacher and her other students at Oglethorpe Presbyterian Church this past Sunday. He had a large cheering section of Grandmommy, Grandaddy, Aunt Peach, Holland, Gram, Grumps, Mommy, Daddy, Maggie, and Jacob. He picked four of his best songs and confidently played. Jay and I loved that Tuttle had the opportunity to showcase all the work he has put into the piano.

His achievements do not stop there. Tonight Tuttle will test for his next stripe on his karate belt. Up to this point his attendance and participation in class have earned him new stripes and his orange belt. Now he has to demonstrate certain skills to prove that he is ready to advance on. He is excited and ready to perform for his instructors and karate friends!

Botanical Gardens with Gram

Since Maggie did not have preschool last Wednesday due to conferences, Gram and I planned a fun morning at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. I had been meaning to renew my membership, and the warm weather and blooming spring flowers made it a no-brainer to head there. Gram had not been in years, so she was excited to do something new! (Have I mentioned how much I LOVE having my mom retired???)

Although a big portion of the gardens were under construction, we still had a fantastic time admiring the spring flowers and soaking up some sun. I had my SLR camera ready to snap some pictures of my favorite people with my favorite flowers- tulips!

I absolutely love this shot of Maggie even though she looks way too old!

Jacob liked being out in the sunshine. He got a lot of attention from all the older women touring the gardens. 

We ate lunch at the cafe before heading home. Maggie even convinced Gram to take her home for the night. Maggie's favorite person in the world in Gram. She would leave me to live with her and never look back if I let her. I could not be happier that they have such a special bond since I am extremely close to my mom. :)

I think the spring flowers have us ready for Easter. With it being so early this year, we needed this fun field trip to put us in the Easter spirits! Jacob is ready to celebrate his first Easter holiday complete with a personalized basket from Grandmommy!

Mystery Reader

Tuttle did not have school last Friday, so we spent a few hours together while Maggie was at preschool. I have been dying to try the new gourmet doughnut shop nearby, so we headed there for a breakfast treat. Tuttle chose the cotton candy doughnut. I think he was a little overwhelmed! :)

We met Aunt Peach and Holland at the house afterwards to head to the Kangaroo Class for Mystery Reader. Maggie was thrilled to see Aunt Peach walk through the door when the teachers announced that it was time to read. The kids listened intently as Aunt Peach read Peter Rabbit to prepare for Easter.

We have spent everyday outside recently, and Friday was no different. We drove straight to our park after preschool. Holland loved our new playground, specifically swinging with Maggie!

Tuttle and Maggie ended their Friday watching Peter Pan. Obviously they needed appropriate attire.

The rest of our weekend was spent being outside as much as possible, especially since Daddy is stuck inside at work all week. We ate lunch at Pure and sat on the patio, car shopped for Jay (He is due for a new car next summer, but he is getting excited about finding the right one!), and attended a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.

Tuttle and Daddy had some bonding time on Sunday with Tuttle's flag football game and a FOUR MILE bike ride! Jay got a workout chasing Tuttle throughout the neighborhood. Who needs a personal trainer when you have an energetic five year old?

Daddy is back to bootcamp four mornings a week now, too. Mommy needs to get her act together to keep up with him! I guess this is the motivation I need to get serious about losing the baby weight! :)

Jacob Turns Two Months!

Jacob Corbitt has been a part of our family for two months now.

I cannot believe I am already writing our two month update. I feel like we just brought him home from the hospital. We go to the doctor next week, so I will update with stats then. :)

Jacob eats about 4 ounces every 3 hours. His nap schedule is getting a little more predictable, but he will still fall asleep everytime when we are in the car which is a lot with all our sports practices and school pickups. He wants to go to bed every night at 7pm and usually can fall asleep on his own. I dream feed him right before I go to bed around 10:30pm, and he will sleep until about 3am. After a quick feeding, he returns to bed until 5:30 or 6am. He will either eat or just snuggle in bed with me until 7:30 when our day starts. I think we are well on our way to him sleeping through the night!!

Jacob's favorite activities are riding in the Ergo with Mommy, Tummy Time on the bed, listening to Tuttle play piano, or relaxing in his swing in the dining room. His biggest milestone this past month has been developing his smile! He still reserves smiling for very select moments, but Tuttle and Maggie are starting to peak his interest with little grins!

Our little boy is in 0-3m clothes and Size 1 diapers. I am having more fun than I thought buying baby boy clothes, especially for summer. Jay asked me the other day where his "real clothes" were because his closet is filled with bubbles, jon jons, and diaper sets. I told him that Jacob was my last baby, and he was going to look like a baby for as long as possible! :)

I really feel like our family is complete with three babies, and Jacob could not be a more perfect addition. We love you, Jacob Corbitt!

Just Clownin' Around

Today was the annual circus at Maggie's preschool. All the students have the opportunity to dress up as their favorite circus character and parade in front of the parents. Maggie chose to be a silly clown this year. :) We put together her outfit this morning, and Maggie found the finishing touch of coordinating high heels. I thought she was the most beautiful clown that I had ever seen!

Jacob even joined in on the dress up fun! I know he will be participating in the parade before we know it!

Maggie did get a little shy during the clown's portion of the parade and decided not to do the forward roll that the other clowns did, but she looked fantastic clicking across the runway in her heels!

Maggie is definitely our funniest child. Her decision to be a clown could not have fit her personality more perfectly! She keeps us (and her teachers!) laughing constantly!

Melt My Heart

We successfully conquered another fun weekend! We enjoyed cheering on the Gym Dawgs in Athens, Tuttle's first sleepover birthday party, a beautiful afternoon at flag football, and running errands with three crazy kids in tow. 

I find myself taking pictures of Tuttle and Maggie interacting with Jacob as much as possible. There are two distinct reasons why. 1. I am an only child, so witnessing a sibling bond is something I have looked forward to watching in my children for as long as I can remember. 2. I barely remember Tuttle and Maggie as a baby. If it were not for the blog, I may not remember anything! I am trying to REALLY take a minute to stop running like a crazy person through life and watch my babies. I know I will forget the sleepless nights and messy house when they are gone. Hopefully I will remember their sweet moments together. :)

And just because we have been cracking up over this picture all weekend. We have titled this masterpiece "Rough Night In Athens." Enjoy!

Signs of Spring

As Maggie opened the door today to head to gymnastics, she exclaimed, "It's Daddy's favorite weather! Warm! We do not have to wear a jacket!" I think we are all excited that warmer weather is here!

Tuttle began flag football this past Sunday at Keswick Park. We decided to take a little break from soccer this season. The practices and games are both on Sunday afternoons which is a little more laid back than a soccer practice during the week and a game early Saturday morning. With a newborn I look forward to sleeping in a little on the weekends now!

I think flag football will allow Tuttle to learn the rules of football, so he can appreciate cheering for the Dawgs in the fall a little more! (Tuttle was not thrilled to take a picture for me after practice.)

Today was the warmest day this week, so I used the opportunity to take some photos for the clothing company that I am working for part time now. The owner asked Maggie to model the dress loading next week, and I snapped some shots at the Oglethorpe University campus today. Tuttle and Maggie always like exploring the grounds. Maggie was such a cooperative little model. I did not know what to expect when I explained to her that we needed pictures of her to promote the sale. :)

Check out Mary & Grace Clothing to order. It is a dream to work for the company because I absolutely LOVE every design offered!

Jacob has started smiling this week every now and then, and today I caught it on camera. I am eager for his personality to start coming through. Tuttle and Maggie will be even more obsessed with him once they can make him smile all the time!

I am looking forward to some time with my mom tomorrow morning. We are grabbing lunch and doing a little shopping for Jacob. Although the warm weather will not stick around tomorrow, the forecast looks promising for the days to come. Spring, we are ready!