In the blink of an eye, here we are. Senior year!
Whit’s school has the sweetest first-day tradition, with the senior class gathering at a church up the road and walking to school together. To give them a festive send off, and perhaps more importantly, alllllll the photo opportunities, I joined forces with a few other moms to host a luau themed Senior Breakfast the Saturday before school started.
We kept the guest list very loose. The kids invited friends and friends of friends, parents were included and we ended up with a wonderful crowd of about 50 people. It was exactly what I hoped it would be: casual, festive and full of kids and parents excited about the year ahead.
Aloha, Class of 2027
Between the porch and cabana, we strung a massive balloon garland that made the whole backyard feel like a party the minute you walked outside. When I ordered the marquee numbers for John’s Class of 2024 breakfast three years ago, I had the foresight to go ahead and order the 7 for Whit. Two miracles occurred. The 2-0-2 from 2024 were all still intact AND I managed to find the 7 three years later. Daddy-O assembled the 7 for us while we were in Spain, which saved so much time as we had to dive right into Senior year on our return.
The night before the breakfast, a group of boy mom friends came over to make the balloon garland. We had it done in no time flat between the four of us. Prosecco was definitely involved. Paired with the marquee numbers, it created the perfect backdrop and ended up being one of our favorite spots for pictures of friends, families and, of course, the seniors.
I was also thrilled that I didn’t need to purchase much new decor for the party. Other than the fresh balloon garland, I already owned nearly everything we used. We set up tables in the courtyard and I pulled out my Class of 2027 Birthday Butler banner, which I expect will get loads of use over the next year.
The ping pong table and my mahjong tables proved perfect for seating!
For flowers, I headed straight to my own backyard and cut every zinnia I could find. Their bright pinks, oranges and yellows were the perfect little pops of aloha color scattered around the party.
Painted banners are all the rage in the high school and college set right now, and one of the sweet girls in the friend group painted a fabulous custom banner for the breakfast. It was absolutely perfect and made another great photo spot.
Even better, after our party I was able to pass both the balloon garland and painted banner along to friends at another school who were hosting their senior breakfast on a different day. I LOVE seeing party decor get another life rather than heading straight to the trash after a few hours of use.
It wouldn’t be a party at the W house without some themed floats in the pool! I have a big tub of them in the basement and these were in the stash already.
The kids set up cornhole at the end of the pool deck, and otherwise we didn’t plan any entertainment. At this age, give them food, a place to gather and their friends, and they’re perfectly happy. The morning was mostly spent eating, talking, taking pictures and soaking up those last few moments before senior year officially began.
Breakfast for a Crowd
We made the food about as easy as possible and asked everyone to bring a breakfast dish to share. By the time everyone arrived, food covered practically every surface in the kitchen, and we had more than enough to feed the whole crew.
We decided to keep the buffet indoors because there was a chance of rain and, good grief, the flies have been terrible this late in the summer. It ended up working perfectly, with everyone filling plates inside before heading back out to the courtyard, porch and pool area.
One mom volunteered to handle breakfast drinks, and I set up another dirty soda bar for the kids. I still had all of the flavored syrups from prom, so it was an easy addition that felt fun and festive without requiring much extra effort.
I even created a Class of 2027 image for the Frame TV in the kitchen. I had every intention of changing it after the breakfast, but I’ve decided it can stay for all of August. Back-to-school month feels worthy of a little extra celebration this year.
The Donut Debacle
I did order one special breakfast treat from a local shop that makes the cutest letter donuts. When they asked what I wanted them to say, I replied, “WXX Seniors 2027 is what I’d want.” Seems clear enough, right?
A few weeks later, I sent Whit to pick them up. When he got home, we excitedly opened the three boxes and started piecing everything together since the message wrapped from one box to the next.
WXX SENIORS 2027.
Perfect!
Except there were a bunch of extra letters. I assumed they must have included extras in case something broke during frying or decorating and thought nothing more of it as I popped an oddly shaped donut hole into my mouth.
Then Whit started sounding out the remaining letters.
“Is…”
“What…”
“I’d…”
“Want…”
Y’all. They had made my ENTIRE MESSAGE. WXX SENIORS 2027 IS WHAT I’D WANT. And that oddly shaped donut hole I’d just eaten? The apostrophe in “I’d.” We laughed so hard we could barely get the words out. And, of course, once we recovered, we put every last letter out for the breakfast exactly as they’d made them. Honestly, “IS WHAT I’D WANT” may have been my favorite part of the entire spread. Sometimes the things that don’t go according to plan end up being the things you remember most.
And So It Begins
I remember John’s Senior Breakfast so clearly, and yet somehow three years have passed in what feels like five minutes. Now it’s Whit’s turn, and I know enough this time around to understand just how quickly this year is going to go.
There will be college applications and football games, golf matches and dances, senior traditions, lasts upon lasts and eventually a cap and gown. I plan to celebrate as much of it as he’ll let me.
It was such a joy to fill our home with this wonderful group of kids and their families as we kicked off what I hope will be an incredible year for every one of them. There is so much ahead, and I pray they enjoy the fun, lean on each other through the stressful parts and soak up all the little moments in between.
Here’s to the Wildcats Class of 2027! Senior year, let’s go!
Sources
- Balloon arch kit (we used two)
- Marquee Numbers: Two, Zero, Four (I did 3 foot)
- White Duct Tape for Marquee Numbers (assemble with hot glue, used to reinforce)
- Palm tablecloths
- Napkins
- Clear cups with lids
- Bubble / smoothie straws
- Umbrella Straws
- Flamingo float
- Pineapple float
- Flamingo stakes
- Tiki umbrella (similar; mine is old)
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