Afternoon tea with the boys

Maybe it was because of the scones that the boys and I made last night. I am not certain. But today I was inspired to have "Tea" with the boys rather than give them an ordinary lunch after school. I have been trying to find little ways to brighten their days, ways to show them how much I love them, and am happy to have them in my life. It feels like we have been inundated with homework, and studying, and I wanted to spend a quiet moment with them. A moment in which I didn’t need to urge them to do yet more studying. I put on a nice table cloth, put the saucers and teacups on the table, started heating the kettle, made sandwiches and waited for the boys to come home. They were pleasantly surprised, and it was a nice interlude. They talked about the flavor of the tea, the merit of adding sugar, and various details about their day at school. It is amazing how much more you find out when you don’t say "So, how was your day at school?" I found out how Matthew did on his spelling test, and what Gabriel’s English teacher said when he didn’t have today’s assignment ready. Yes, I know... having tea is ordinary, but we don’t usually do it- and just look at their beaming faces!