Our Christmas

WARNING: Very long post ahead. :)

The Thorne family had such a fun Christmas this year. We started off Christmas Eve with the family service at our church. 

I always try to get a photo of the family in front of the church Christmas tree. This was the best we got this year after SEVERAL attempts.

This year Tuttle was old enough to participate in the Nativity walk during the reading of the Christmas story. He was less than thrilled with his assigned role of a sheep. I know this picture will have us laughing for years to come!

The service was perfect, and we could not wait for the Nativity walk to begin. Tuttle was the cutest sheep that ever walked the aisle of Peachtree Road United Methodist Church!

The service ended with the singing of traditional Christmas hymns complete with candlelight. I would be lying if I did not admit to tearing up watching our too big babies hold their little candles. They just looked so innocent and sweet. :)

After church we headed over to Aunt Peach's condo for the annual readings by Grandaddy and Daddy. We ate a yummy dinner and enjoyed a peaceful evening before the craziness of Christmas the next day. Everyone looks forward to the poetry and scripture every year, and Tuttle and Maggie are really starting to recognize a lot of the readings now, too.

Jay and I were expecting the kids to be up extra early the next morning to check out their Santa loot, but surprisingly everyone slept until almost 8:30! Maggie and Tuttle were thrilled with their presents. Maggie was most impressed with her bike and helmet while Tuttle loved his Lego kits (big surprise!) and his costumes.

Grandmommy and Grandaddy stopped by for a few minutes before heading to Athens. Tuttle and Maggie were not shy about showing off their new presents!

We arrived in Athens at Granny's house about 2pm. I brought my predictable Rotel cups to share. The house quickly filled up, and we had a great time playing the White Elephant game. 

Maggie and Tuttle really feel at home at Granny's house, and that was exactly our goal. Neither met Granny before she passed away, but they talk about her like their know her. She continues to have a big impact on our family even today. :)

We ended our busy Christmas Day with presents at Grandmommy and Grandaddy's house. We are totally overwhelmed with everyone's generosity every year. Even Holland received several gifts this year and her own stocking. Next year will be so much fun with three babies on Christmas!

Tuttle especially loved his new scooter and his Star Wars action figures. Maggie could not get enough of her Bitty Baby Twins and their doll-size salon chair to style their hair. The star of the show was my new pair of Frye boots!! We were all definitely spoiled!

The next day I took advantage of pretty weather and an even prettier front porch to snap some photos of my little girls. I am in love.

We drove home late Friday evening with two tired babies that quickly feel asleep before we hit the interstate road. 

We ended our Christmas celebration with the Corbitt clan at Larry and Beth's house. I was itching to get everyone outside to take pictures because the light was PERFECT.

We missed Gwen at Thanksgiving, so Tuttle and Maggie were eager to play with her the whole time. They have really started to play independently together, and it brings back a lot of fond memories of playing with my cousins at the same house as a child.

Jay and I rarely take a photo just the two of us. I love this man. :)

After devouring a delicious lasagna made by Beth, we started opening presents. The amount of presents grows every year, and everyone was really exhausted after all the gifts this year! I guess that is a good problem to have! I was so excited to give Grumps his gift this year. He is 100% Republican and not a fan of Obama to put it mildly. I found a huge blanket printed with Obama's Inauguration Speech word for word. Now he can snuggle up to Obama whenever he wants! Hahaha

Gram did not hesitate trying on Maggie's Strawberry Shortcake wig from Anne. I foresee this photo making the family calendar next year! It is not the best quality, but the content makes up for that!

We had the best Christmas filled with family, laughter, and way too many presents! The best part is that if you ask Maggie and Tuttle why we celebrate Christmas they know the real reason: Jesus. 

Tuttle's Christmas Party and The Preschool Christmas Program

We had a blast at Tuttle's preschool Christmas party yesterday morning. Kristen, Emily (Gigi's Mom), and I were in charge of it, and everything was so cute! I made the snowman cups and the reindeer sandwiches.

The biggest hits were the reindeer headbands and the gingerbread men for the kids to decorate. Kristen suggested the decorating activity, and every Dragon student took the task very seriously!

I love celebrating the holidays through the eyes of Tuttle and Maggie. Everything is so magical and fun. :)

Today was the annual preschool Christmas performance. Daddy was able to work from home and come to the show. 

Maggie has been practicing her song for weeks now, so we were eager to see her in action. She had been BELTING out the song to anyone that would listen, but her performance was a little more reserved. Her class sang a song about the shephards to the tune of "Mary Had A Little Lamb."

The Pre-K classes had the opportunity to dress up as characters from the nativity. Tuttle proudly wore his shephard costume. The Dragon class sang three songs with the other Pre-K classes. 

Tuttle gets to perform again tomorrow, and I am subbing at the preschool, so I will get to enjoy his sweet contribution again. We love our preschool and all the ways the classes celebrate the holidays.

One week until the BIG DAY......

Maggie's Christmas Party and Santa

I had so much fun planning Maggie's preschool Christmas party this week. I tried to get all crafty and researched some fun holiday treats on Pinterest. I ended up making chocolate reindeer doughnuts and creating snowman cups for her friends' water. I was thrilled that neither ended as a Pinterest fail. :)

Maggie is usually not a big eater, but she LOVED all the Christmas food and ate almost her entire plate.

All the Pound Puppy babies are so sweet, and I am happy that Maggie has these friends in her life.

After the party Maggie and I grabbed Tuttle from his class and headed to Phipps Plaza for our visit with Santa. While we were in line, Maggie and Tuttle wrote their lists to Santa. Tuttle has me spell out "bike," "Star Wars Legos," "costumes," and "Star Wars watch." He has been kind of vague about what he wants, so I know he will be very excited on Christmas morning.

Maggie was interested in Santa until it was her turn to sit in his lap. I guess this is year two with a crying baby in our Santa pictures. She did not last long until she was running to me!

Tuttle stayed put and was able to chat with Santa for a few minutes. He told Maggie that he really is a nice man.

I was able to convince Tuttle and Maggie to let me take a few pictures before we headed to lunch. I just love these babies to pieces!

I found a random storefront with the perfect holiday setting for one last picture. :)

We ended our fun morning with lunch at Johnny Rockets. Maggie and Tuttle pretty much only ate french fries, but sometimes you just go with it during Christmastime! :)

Lights, Music, Action!

I had been looking forward to our family visit to the Botanical Garden Night of Lights since I purchased our tickets in October, so when Saturday rolled around, I was ready! We spent all day working in the yard, including Tuttle and Maggie who helped bag leaves, and we were ready to relax and enjoy the holidays.

We started our night with dinner at Mellow Mushroom. Jay tries to eat at MM every chance he gets!

Although the kids and I are regular vistiors to the Botanical Gardens with our membership, Jay had never been, so I was excited to show him around. We were all impressed with the lights and decorations. It was not too cold to walk around the gardens despite being December, so we explored all the nooks and crannies. Our favorite spot was the conservatory with the orchids and tropical areas. We couldn't decide if we were more impressed with the plants or the lights. :)

We even found a little spot for a quick kiss under the mistletoe.

I think Tuttle and Maggie's favorite part was the hot chocolate.

We all left exhausted and in the holiday spirit!

Sunday the kids and I went to church while Jay did a little Christmas shopping. Tuttle had practice for his Christmas Eve Nativity Parade after the service. This is the first year he is old enough to participate, and he will be a sheep. So sweet.

After church we rushed home for lunch and to regroup before the BIG event of the weekend. Tuttle's preschool class was performing at the church's holiday musical program, and Tuttle volunteered the play piano by himself as the gathering music. This was his first time performing for anyone but our immediate family, so we were so excited to see our little boy in action!

Grandmommy, Grandaddy, Gram, Grumps, Aunt Peach, and Uncle Drew came to cheer on Tuttle. He did so well and was not nervous at all. He played four songs and looked around after each piece to make sure everyone clapped for him. Jay and I could not possibly be prouder of our little musician.

After the program we went to dinner with the Thorne family members. It was the perfect way to end our weekend.