Merriest Christmas

We had the best Christmas this year with our little family. The kids were at the perfect ages to really find the magic in the day.

I had started to feel sick right after school wrapped up, but luckily after sleeping and staying in bed for almost 36 hours, I felt back to normal on Christmas Eve. I really think it was pure exhaustion from the busy week of parties, performances, and last minute shopping.

We went to the early Christmas Eve service this year. I look forward to this tradition every year. Bonus points that the church offers the nursery for Jacob, so we can really pay attention. :) The only distraction during the service was Tuttle holding his candle too close to the mom's hair in front of him. I told her afterwards that she received an early Christmas present this year since she left with all her hair!

We picked up pizza on the way home to eat before Grandaddy's reading of the Christmas story and The Night Before Christmas. We have resorted to Facetime the last few years since we only get together on Christmas Day now. 

Finally the kids decorated cookies for Santa and spread out some reindeer food in the front yard before heading to bed. Maggie and Tuttle were both eager to go to sleep quickly, so Santa could come!

The kids slept until about 7:45am this next morning and woke up to all their Christmas wishes come true! They must have been extra good this year!

After a few hours of playing, we got dressed to head to Athens for our family lunch and White Elephant gift exchange. Tuttle and Maggie both LOVED their presents from the game. Maggie stole a silver vanity set with comb, brush, mirror, and tray while Tuttle went home with a vintage camera from Uncle Luke.

Our Christmas Day was already filled with fun, but we still had Grandmommy and Grandaddy's house to visit! Everyone was ready for pajamas, snuggling, and a festive drink, so I did not take many pictures. The kids were spoiled with surprises including a John Deere Gator for Jacob, a new American Girl for Maggie, and an electric scooter for Tuttle. I received a new camera lens!

Everyone had such a great day! We are so blessed this holiday season. Merry Christmas to all our friends and family! And most importantly, Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Corbitt Christmas Times 2

This year we celebrated with my family twice before Christmas. I loved having two opportunities to visit with everyone!

The first gathering was hosted at Gram and Grump's house. My mom thought of the cutest idea to have the children put on a nativity play complete with costumes. I was so impressed with her creativity! There was a part for everyone even our smallest family member, Emma. Tuttle was the narrator reading Santa's Favorite Story, Maggie was a forest animal and an angel, and Jacob played another forest animal and a sheep at the manger. (Anne recorded the play on my phone while I helped dress the children, so I did not have any pictures-only video.)

I insisted all the grown-up children take a photo with the sheep mask that originally came in the mail for the play. We look like we are going to rob a bank. :)

Gram passed out nativity sets and ornaments to all the children at the end. It was the perfect way to start our Christmas celebrations. Our crowd is much larger now with over 30 people, and the Thorne family looks forward to many more memories!

Our second Corbitt event was held at Larry and Beth's house. We switched it up this year and drew names to exchange gifts. The children were given one family member to buy, and the adults received the name of another couple. Our family shopped for Gwen, Silas, Madison and Anne/Matt. The gift opening was much more organized this year, and everyone was really able to watch without being buried in boxes and wrapping paper!

Emily and Robb gave us the best gift- a date night! The extra surprise was a coupon for free babysitting. Even Jacob! I am still cracking up at that!

Tuttle, Maggie, Jacob, Gwen, and Silas have become such good friends. (Tuttle even insisted on wrapping up $1.50 from his piggy bank to give the Silas. The look of excitement on Silas' face was priceless!) I soak up each visit with them and think about the fact that my babies are making memories in the same house that I made memories with Anne and Emily.

This was only the beginning of our fun Christmas celebrations with family!

Three.

Good things come in groups of three. We experienced a few events over the past week times three. The fun began with Jacob's holiday program at preschool. His little class shook jingle bells while the teachers sang. Jacob looked absolutely adorable, but he got stage freight and just watched the action when he class performed.

Maggie's holiday program for the lower grades was up next on Friday evening at Chamblee High School. The kindergarten classes performed three songs, but Maggie's shining moment was during her piano solo. I was so proud of her for auditioning, being selected, and overcoming her shyness to completely impress the audience with "Jingle Bells." I was definitely THAT mom crying during their child's performance.

Tuttle finished our trio off with his holiday program on Tuesday. The children started with performances from the band and orchestra, and Tuttle's group also sang three songs. My proud mommy moments continued with Tuttle's piano solo of "Jingle Bell Rock." It was such a tough song, and Tuttle stayed committed to learning it for the past few months. Our boy has surpassed me in any ability to help him practice, and I love that our school gave him the opportunity to showcase his skill.

I also organized three school parties this week to finish out the first semester. Jacob's party was on Tuesday. Two other moms helped withe the celebration. The food, decorations, and goody bags were so cute! 

The grand finale was yesterday at the elementary school. Tuttle's party was first thing in the morning, and Maggie's party was the last one of the day, so Jacob and I pretty much lived at the school all day. Both classes have the most involved parents, so organizing any event is easy! The morning food was breakfast selections (doughnuts, fruit and Nutella, and latkas) while the afternoon food was Chickfila nuggets, fruit, and holiday treats. I setup a "Reindeer Food Bar" in each classroom, and the students loved it! Maggie and Tuttle are now prepared to feed the reindeer on Christmas Eve.

Maggie could not wait to give us her personalized calendar. Homemade presents are the best!

To say I was exhausted at the end of the day is an understatement. Jacob did not have the opportunity to nap, so he was extra crazy! :)

We now have THREE sweet babies ready for Christmas! We also have one mommy ready to sleep in, not make lunch boxes, and use the extra time not doing homework to snuggle by the fire!

Holiday Happenings

The countdown is on for Christmas! Only one week to go! We have enjoyed several festive memories this week to prepare for the big day.

Gram and Grumps came over for dinner on Thursday, and we exchanged our gifts. I prepared avocado Parmesan chicken, baked okra, and macaroni and cheese. Gram also brought a cake. The babies were thrilled with their presents, especially Jacob who squealed over his new tiny choo-choos until Daddy could remove each one from the box. I loved having a low key evening to celebrate with my mom and step-dad.

Friday was jam packed with fun. I delivered Maggie's teacher's gift early since she will be out next week for surgery. I arrived at just the right time to take pictures during the class gift exchange to share with the parents on our Facebook page. Each child brought in a $10 gift to swap with a classmate. Maggie brought a jewelry bead kit to share, and she received a new doll and bath bomb set.

Immediately after school the kids and I went to Phipps Plaza for our appointment with Santa. Tuttle and Maggie's lists have stayed consistent for weeks now, and they were eager to share with Santa when their turn came. Jacob was a little hesitant to sit with the man in red, but he quickly stopped resisting and just tolerated the visit with no expression. This year Tuttle asked for a laser tag set and a laser trap he saw in a catalog (Grandmommy is on that!), and Maggie wants a Fingerling, mini American Girl doll, and Sniffer Whiffers (scented key chains for her backpack).

Our next stop Friday evening was Maggie's holiday program for school. More on that in another blog post. :)

Saturday we attended a birthday party for Zanna's son, Alexander, at a local jumpy place. It was the first time in years that I had seen several of my close college friends. I loved having some time to catch up on their lives and meet their babies. Between my six college girlfriends plus me, there are FOURTEEN children and one more on the way! Although we were missing two friends and a few babies, we took a photo of the oldest to youngest at the party.

To add to our Christmas craziness, our furnace went out yesterday. Our poor Christmas tree had not been drinking water since we brought it home, so it was DEAD, and we decided to take it down early to make lighting the fire safer. Heat trumps decorations during a cold December. 

Our time before Christmas will be spent with a repair appointment, holiday parties, our last school music performance, and last minute shopping. Merry Christmas!

Brothers

Atlanta Nutcracker and Winter Fun

Although we were worried that Grandmommy and Grandaddy would have trouble driving to Atlanta with the snow, the temperatures were just high enough to melt the ice, and the entire family could be together for our annual Atlanta Nutcracker visit. This was the last year for this particular version of the ballet, and it was absolutely beautiful.

Holland joined the fun this year for her first visit to the Nutcracker. She was so well behaved and really enjoyed all the dances. It will be a few more years before I am brave enough to bring Jacob. :)

We dined that the Livingston inside the Georgian Terrace Hotel afterwards, and everyone was impressed with their meal. I will never turn down someone else cooking, especially at a special restaurant! 

I look forward to this tradition every year. It is an experience that all ages can appreciate, and I know we will continue for years to come.

Unfortunately our elf, Bockle, forgot to travel back to the North Pole on Saturday night. It was the first time he had neglected his responsibilities in five years. I think Tuttle might have accidentally touched him while he was hiding under the tree on Friday, so he wrote a letter to restore Bockle's magic. Monday morning the kids were happy to discover that he felt much better and was ready to return to work.

Zanna is up visiting family to celebrate Alexander's 2nd birthday, so she treated Jacob and me to the Georgia Aquarium with a gift card yesterday. She had never been to the aquarium, and it was the perfect day to go! There was absolutely no crowds, so the boys were really able to check out all the animals and take their time at each exhibit.

Thank you for the treat, Zanna and Alexander. We cannot wait to party with everyone on Saturday to celebrate our special TWO year old buddy!

The Thorne Family is starting to finish shopping, beginning to wrap, and get organized for all the class holiday parties next week. Christmas craziness is in full swing!