It's a Spring Party!

Spring break is here at last!  I think I heard trumpets blast and angels sing when I locked up my classroom on Friday.  We are heading to Oklahoma for a few days over break, just to relax and explore a new part of the country.  (And possibly see the land of Ree Drummond!)

​But first-- Spring Party!

Reed and I have spent the last few weeks ignoring the snow and planning a "Welcome, Spring!" party for his friends.  Honestly, I've never really been a person to throw parties or show hospitality.  My excuses were endless, but the top three were always:
3. I don't have time. (Excuses: work, school, parenting)
2. I don't have resources. (Excuses: house, space, money)
1. I don't know how. (I really just don't know how to show hospitality!)

Amidst my excuses, over the past year or so, God has been dealing with me about confronting this skill, this commandment, of hospitality. I picked up a few books on the topic like The Lifegiving Home and The Turquoise Table.  Sally Clarkson, especially, has been an inspiration and encouragement to me. After the long winter, I finally decided to take a baby step in the form of a Spring Party- Winnie the Pooh style!

I kept it low-budget and relaxed.  I bought a fold-out table, a couple decorations, a disposable tablecloth, plates, and napkins, and invited a few of his closest friends (whose mommies are my closest friends).

The kids ate PB&J, goldfish crackers, and apples.  I used bunny, butterfly and flower cookie cutters  cut their sandwiches into fun spring shapes.  I made a giant bowl of Simple Pasta Salad for my friends.  We ate the whole batch!  For dessert we had strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

"The Crew" (-1)

After dinner, the kids played for a little bit...

Meanwhile, we steeled ourselves for the egg-dying activity that some psycho (me) decided would be fun to do with four toddlers and two infants.

What could possibly go wrong?

Believe it or not, other than a few runaway eggs, there were zero (yes, zero) messes!  These kids are egg-dying experts!

The lady at the table took the gold medal for the most beautiful eggs (of course).  And look at how neat and clean her space is!

The boys took first place in the "how-many-different-eggs-can-I-dye-at-one-time" category.  Yeah, that cutie with the blue hands?  He gets his clean-space skills from me.

My cousin's newborn is a cutie-pie!

From the youngest to the oldest, we had a blast welcoming springtime!  Something so small to many was a big step for me, and I feel encouraged now to open my home to my friends, neighbors, and family.  This experience helped me see that it is not so much about impressing people (because nobody likes that), but that hospitality is about loving and blessing others with whatever we have.  I'll keep you updated on my journey!

Happy Spring, everybody!  Now if that pesky snow would just go away...

Take a look at some of our past Easter and spring activities!