There is a true romantic in the house!

No....it isn't Ted or me. Emma is the romantic that lives here. Our Valentine's Day celebration this year was truly unique! This year Emma emailed Ted and I several days before Valentine's to invite us to a Valentine's Day dinner at 7:00 in the dining room. A few days later she emailed us a menu and asked us to choose a few of our favorites, and she would then choose from our choices what she would make -- that way it would still be a surprise.


Valentine's Day arrived, and she and her friend went to work. They fed the kids and had them in the basement busy with other activities. Ted and I were banished to the upstairs while they busily prepared the dining room. When we came down the table was set for two with the chargers, china, and goblets along with candlelight and soft music playing in the background. The meal began with homemade rolls, then a Caesar salad. (The salad was presented with her offering to put fresh ground pepper on it - where did she learn that?) Following the salad she brought out our dinner of chicken cordon bleu, mashed potatoes, and green beans with candied almonds. Can you believe it? We couldn't. They had also made a no-bake cheesecake which they brought out for dessert.



As if all of this wasn't enough to completely make the meal special, Emma had printed out a few Valentine's Day poems for our reading enjoyment, and then at the end of the meal she played one last song and said she would keep all of the kids away so we could dance. It was so sweet the way she was making sure that our night was full of romance.


Of course, Tessa couldn't resist trying to run in and blow out the candles, and the boys wanted to see what all of the hullabaloo was about so they tried to sneak in several times, and with Emma and her friend working so hard in the kitchen to try and make our evening special -- who wouldn't feel the love?



Thanks for a great Valentine's Day, Emma, and a special thanks to her friend, Sarah, who helped with the food preparation and serving! It was wonderful!