As most of you already know, Autumn is my very favorite season of the year. We always have fun activities going, and I love many of the traditions we have established. This year, we added hosting a "Harvest Party" for our church family to our schedule of activities.
Not too long after our successful Backyard Back-to-School Bash, Chris and I decided we wanted to host a similar backyard party for our church family. Most of them had never been to our new house, and we loved the idea of inviting everyone over to roast hot dogs and s'mores, visit, and spend time together outside.
We initially scheduled the gathering for Friday, October 6th. However, several people already had plans that weekend, so we moved it to Friday, October 13th so more people could join us.
The twins and I spent most of the day on Friday cleaning and getting ready for our crowd. I didn't do any special decorating because many of the decorations from our back-to-school party were still up. The girls were big helpers and were so proud of our clean garage that they insisted I take a photo to send to Daddy :-).
The menu for the evening was chili, hot dogs, and s'mores (provided by us), and sides provided by our guests. It worked out great! We had a nice turnout of guests and an abundance of food! Most people ate outside as the weather was just perfect.
Russ, Vance, Dan, and Dan
We set up a small table just off of our patio for guests to eat at, as well. One unexpected issue we did have was with mosquitoes. Who would have thought mosquitoes would be a problem in the middle of October?!? Unfortunately, they were an issue for several folks, so part of the guests stayed indoors most of the evening.
Michele, Darla, Pat, and Dicie
Dana and Marcella
Lisa, Caroline, Chelley, Tia, Ross, Dicie, and Rebekah
Caroline and Chelley
Tia, Caroline, Chelley, Rebekah, and Lisa
We had a fire going in our fire pit for those who wanted to roast their hot dogs and/or make s'mores. A few of our guests never left their station by the fire (Doyle :-), and Brenson definitely spent most of his evening down by the fire, as well!
Despite the mosquitoes, the kids stayed outside most of the evening (which is exactly what we wanted to happen).
Brooke, Hayden, and Brecklyn
Brianna, Caroline, and Brooke
Brianna and Caroline
Of course, the playhouse got lots of love! It's always a favorite spot for the kids.
Avery, Sadie, Brooke, and Hayden
Despite not having too many photos from the evening, it was certainly a good time! We're hoping to make this an annual event, maybe adding a few activities as the years go by. I told Chris that I had been a little bit nervous prior to our back-to-school bash because we were hosting several families that we didn't know very well and that had never been to our house before. This time, though, I told Chris I wasn't nervous at all because this was our family. And I truly feel that way!
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