Hiking and Feasting

 A couple of weekends ago we took the kiddos hiking to Stewart Falls.  We started at Sundance and took the lift to the trail and hiked to the falls (ate a picnic lunch) and then hiked back to the base of Sundance...so basically the entire hike is downhill!  The perfect hike for little kids!  Plus the weather was amazing...not too hot, and not too cold.  It was so beautiful!

Stud.

That evening I planned our Back to School Feast!

I know I'm a bit late, as we've been in school for a month already, but it just seemed something came up every weekend!  So finally we got to it!

As you can see, I kept things pretty darn simple!  Ha!

But the important thing is that we dedicate the evening to a fresh school start and discuss goals for the year that each person wants to achieve.  It's never too late to make goals!!

 Gumballs are a major hit in this house!  My kids (and maybe Ryan) are obsessed with them! 

 We made personal pizzas for our feast.  And for dessert (which I forgot to take a picture) was personal pan cookies with ice cream on top...I seriously was looking forward to this dessert all week, Ha!

And yes, 3 out of 4 of my kids are in their pajamas.

It's not uncommon for my kids to come home from church or an outing (hiking) or school, and throw on pj's.  We're all about comfort in this house!

Our new saying for the year:  Stay Posi or in other words, Stay Positive.  

Always a good reminder to stay on the bright side when things get rough.

And our new glass star.

Hope everyone is having a great start to the school year!

Happy Thursday!

Back to School Feast 2016

Last night we had our 2nd annual Back to School Feast!

This is a time where we celebrate each of the girls and their brand new school year!

We decided to dine alfresco with personal pizzas on the grill.

 I gifted each of them with a new hair bow at their place setting.

We love this meal, yet I confess, this is our first time doing it this year!  Why haven't we been doing this every week?!  We'll never know!  I mean, we pretty much make pizza every week, but it bumps it to a whole new level when it's grilled...seriously.

We talked about goals for the new year (this was the only serious part of our conversation), then the girls giggled about analyzing dreams they've had, shows they've watched, and things that happened at school that day...all while listening to Disney music on Pandora (Haley's choice).

I must say...it was a pretty nice evening.

After dinner the girls got to open and see our new star for this year.

 They also opened the newquote that will hang in our hallway.

I have referred to this quote numerous times over the years with my children.  It's always comforting to know that when we screw up or had a super hard day, we can always start fresh tomorrow. 

You just can't go wrong with a "Anne of Green Gables" quote...there are so many!

I love these girls, so much!

Here's to a new school year, lets make it a good one!!

Back to School Feast 2015

On Wednesday we had our first annual Back to School Feast.

The idea behind a Back to School Feast is so we can honor the girls as they embark on a new school year.  I love this idea so much...they really felt special having a dinner dedicated to just them.

A couple days before the dinner I had them decorate their hats or "crowns" for the feast.  My kitchen table looked like a craft store exploded!  I'm still sweeping up glitter.  But they turned out really cute I think!

I gave each of them a cute headband as part of the place setting.

After we finished eating the girls opened what our yearly theme is.

 I wanted something simple, yet important.

"Have Courage and Be Kind"

Yes, straight out of the new movie Cinderella.

What can I say...it's perfect.

I just printed it up myself and found a nice frame for it...it will be going in the upstairs hallway for the girls to see every morning as they come downstairs.

I also ordered a glass star to represent this year and to remind the girls that they are "shining stars", "beacons of light".

I really love having a dinner to kick off the new school year...and who doesn't love another tradition?!

Menu: Grilled Salmon

Roasted potatoes

Strawberry and Spinach salad

fresh rolls

Magic juice to drink (flavored bubble water mixed with juice)

And for dessert: Sugar Cookie Bars.

Thanks to Stephanie Nielson for sharing her Back to School Feasts so I can pretty much copy her ideas.

What can I say...it's a good one. :)