A Romantic Dinner For Five, Please

We have enjoyed a gloriously, if not uncharacteristically, warm week here in Michigan. We got all the way up into the 60s and it lasted long enough that ALL the snow melted! There has been sunshine to clear away the gray skies and it has been a much appreciated mid-winter break.

Yesterday morning however, winter made a comeback. It was only an inch or two of snow, but for some reason it was really slippery. Adam called on his way home from work to tell me that he had slid off the road and needed me to bring the snow shovel. We arrived and got him out, then made our way back home to have our Valentine pancake breakfast. The kids thought it was really fun that Cupid turned our milk pink with his magic arrow!




When they got home, the kids went down to play and Adam and I prepared our fancy dinner at the fanciest restaurant we were willing to take three kids--home! We set the table with a table cloth, candles, and goblets that we haven't used once since we received them as wedding gifts. The best part? There were no plastic plates or cups (except what we gave Meredith--fancy does have limits, you know) and the kids used their fanciest manners. Parker even brought some pennies from his piggy bank so he could pay the handsome waiter (a.k.a. Dad) We had salmon, rice, and grilled vegetables--and the kids ate everything! I'm thinking we might need to break out the "fancy-ware" more frequently if it gets results like this! To top off the meal we enjoyed cheese cake. It was a really fun night and is the beginning of a great family Valentine tradition.

When Meredith saw me preparing the cheesecake she pulled up a chair and got her apron down and before I knew it, I had a helper!

When Parker realized that we were having a special dinner, he wanted to be dressed for success so he went and put on a button-up shirt.

Happy Valentine's Day!