Covid Christmas

 We received the dreaded phone call last Thursday morning that Tuttle and Maggie had been exposed to Covid on the bus and needed to quarantine until a negative test this week. I knew it would eventually come, but it was such a bummer to happen the week before Christmas break that is always filled with all the fun activities and parties. Everyone was pretty bummed until we received a follow up call that the entire school was moving to digital learning for the final week due to an increase in positive cases all over the school.

Jacob was still able to enjoy his last week in preschool with all the holiday fun! Although I could not attend the party, I helped the teacher plan some festive games for the class. The reindeer ring toss was a hit with all three kids at home!

The biggest disappointment with the Covid exposure was missing my family's annual Christmas day together on Sunday. We just could not risk spreading any germs to such a large group. We had also planned to host Donna and Jim at our new house for drinks and appetizers, but we rescheduled for after the Christmas gathering. Luckily Gram, Grumps, Donna, and Jim felt comfortable coming over this past Monday to celebrate as a small group. I only snapped a few photos, but it was the perfect evening to start the official Christmas celebrations!

After a negative Covid test for Tuttle and Maggie, we braved the cold for our annual Atlanta Botanical Gardens visit to see the lights yesterday. It rained all day, but cleared up for the evening. Our first stop was Mellow Mushroom, and we did not leave even a crumb on our plates. One of the highlights of the evening was playing a Christmas memory cards game at the table. Everyone was able to participate, and it got pretty competive. I do not want to brag or anyting, but I did win one round. :)

The Garden Lights were set up a little differently this year to allow for social distancing. It was a smooth process, and the masks kept our face warm! Jacob requested me to take his picture several times since he was so amazed with the decor. Tuttle treated Maggie and Jacob to hot chocolate with his own money. It was such a sweet and memorable night, and everyone fell into bed as soon as we arrived home!

We are on our final day of digital learning before a fun movie day tomorrow with their classes. I cannot believe Christmas is one week away!