We had no big plans for Valentine’s Day.
But, we did have a plan.
Inspired by a a blog post I read, the kids and I were going to surprise Chris with a fancy “restaurant” dinner at home. I was going to make dinner, and Evie and Mack would be the waiter and waitress. Mack was marginally interested in the plan, but Evie was over-the-top thrilled with the notion! She wanted to create a perfect romantic evening for her dad and me.
She handcrafted the menus:
She created a sign for the restaurant she named Piece of Love Cafe:
She trimmed the green beans all by herself:
She worked for half an hour curating a perfectly romantic playlist to complement what she hoped would be a perfectly romantic dinner for her parents:
I fed the kids their dinner while I simultaneously prepared spaghetti carbonara, roasted green beans, and chocolate mousse for me and Chris. When it was time for the restaurant to open, baby Ben put on his cranky pants. And Vivian decided she wanted to sit on my lap. And Mack wanted MORE mousse. All the while, Evie was manning the music in a desperate attempt to save a quickly unraveling evening. In a last ditch effort, she asked me to try one more song…
…I quickly referenced my Homemade Mothering Facebook page, where I had asked for some romantic music suggestions. A childhood friend mentioned “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds. It was a song I’ve heard only once before – at my friend Molly’s wedding 10 years ago. I loved it then – it brought me to tears – because Chris was deployed to Iraq at the time and I knew he was THE ONE and I missed him so much and I wanted him to come home to me. Listening to that song last night, as I sat eating homemade chocolate mousse with these wonderful people, I cried again.
I really am the luckiest.
As I tucked Evie into bed last night, I thanked her for doing so much to make the evening special for Chris and me. I really was grateful for all of her efforts, and I appreciated the time and energy she invested into the night. But, Evie sighed. She looked at me and said, “it just didn’t turn out like I hoped it would.”
My sweet Evie.
Ever since having kids nearly seven years ago, most things don’t go as I plan. I’m getting better every day at predicting how things will go, but kids are humans with their own ideas of how a moment should go, and they often aren’t shy about experessing their opinions. When I set out to have a romantic dinner at home courtesy of my 4 and 6 year olds, I think I knew deep down that it wouldn’t pan out.
But, it sure was fun to try!
“The Luckiest” – by Ben Folds
I don’t get many things right the first time
In fact, I am told that a lot
Now I know all the wrong turns, the stumbles and falls
Brought me here
And where was I before the day
That I first saw your lovely face?
Now I see it everyday
And I know
That I am
I am
I am
The luckiest
What if I’d been born fifty years before you
In a house on a street where you lived?
Maybe I’d be outside as you passed on your bike
Would I know?
And in a white sea of eyes
I see one pair that I recognize
And I know
That I am
I am
I am
The luckiest
I love you more than I have ever found a way to say to you
Next door there’s an old man who lived to his nineties
And one day passed away in his sleep
And his wife; she stayed for a couple of days
And passed away
I’m sorry, I know that’s a strange way to tell you that I know we belong
That I know
That I am
I am
I am
The luckiest
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This was my wedding song! It’s so beautiful. And true. 10 years ago, it was meaningful but now with 4 kids, it means so much more.
This is so beautiful. Evie gets it from you both.