Back To School Feast 2018

Inspired by Stephanie Nielson and her blog we have started a new tradition this year: Back To School Feast!



It's a fancy little party thrown for everyone in our house starting a new school year.  I cooked and baked all day, decorated, and wrapped little back-to-school presents for the kids- all to honor them and their hard work and courage to start this new phase of life!

Audrey 

Kindergarten

Excited for:

-learning to read
-making new friends
-trying to be the first kid (or at least one of the first 3 or 4 kids) in line everyday

Not excited for:

-bullyheads

(her own words)

Hannah

Preschool 

at home

Excited for:

-time alone with mom

-baking days

-learning all the new stuff about pencils 

(or something like that, in her own words)

Not excited for:

-Audrey doing something without her

-cleaning with mom

Elijah

Napping...

...all three hours till Audrey gets home

So here is our first annual Back To School Feast!

Back to School Feast menu:

Lemon Garlic Butter Tilapia 

with Asparagus and Spinach 

(one of the only family-wide favorites in this house)

Rice

Tiny Salad with Croutons 

(a bag of tiny shredded lettuce with salad toppings- the kids are 

way more interested in salad when it's small pieces like this)

Homemade Bread

Blackberry Sparkling Water 

(that the kids thought was soda)

Strawberry Shortcake 

(homemade biscuits, 

Magnolia Table cookbook)

We also chose a family theme to focus on this year.  We also started another special tradition that I think we will keep to ourselves for awhile to see how it goes.  Mostly I just hope I can remember to have us do it every year and not forget!

I love these kids so much and even though times get hard here at home sometimes, I have moments where I am so proud of each of them everyday.  I want them to know they are special, that they are the most important things in the world to us, and that they can be excited about a new thing coming their way, even if it's a little scary.

I felt very inspired to start this tradition based on this quote from Stephanie's blog:

"Many have wondered why I put so much effort into this feast.  

I do it because I believe in the power of tradition.

I believe it strengthens and binds family relationships.

 I want my children to know they mean more to me than anything else in my life, and they deserve to have a fancy dinner.

I want them to know they are worth all the time and energy it took 

(whew, it was a hot one outside too!) to walk up the hill behind the ranch 

house 50,000 times with plates, silverware, goblets, candles, 

decorations, food, etc to make it just perfect for them because

 these children belong to me as gifts from God and by golly, they deserve it!"

 When I read this I felt

"by golly, my kids deserve it too!"

They are great kids each with their individual strengths and weaknesses that they are learning from even at such young ages.  

Audrey is happiness, sensitivity, and enthusiasm personified.

Hannah is determined and steady and passionate about anything and everything she's doing everyday.

Eli right now is finding his role in our family as the aggressive, observant, and loving little boy in the house.

They are so individual.  And they all try to be good, so good.  They don't always succeed- disobedience and fighting are daily, hourly even, around here

...but we are all learning and like I said, I can always see that they are trying.  And I know they do it because they can see that it makes me happy and makes Andrew proud.  So we are happy and proud parents.  And tired ones too, of course.