Of course, our {third} anniversary looked quite different this year. Usually we would go out to dinner + dessert, maybe make a full date day, or do a quick overnight stay-cation!
We now have a tiny person who is completely dependent upon on us for his every need. Having to celebrate our anniversary on our back porch was just as romantic + fun as doing any of our other regular choices of celebration. Why? We were celebrating the very thing, marriage, that gave us the sweetest blessing, who was just sleeping right inside our house.
After work, Lee picked up a delicious meal from one of our favorite Italian restaurants here in Fayetteville. I was wanting to make the outdoor patio "romantic looking", but was having to use what I had around the house because I couldn't run out due to a newborn baby who was still having acid reflux/tummy troubles. To my surprise, my sweet husband came home with wine, flowers, candles, and the cutest candle holders to decorate the patio table. I mean, the man went to Hobby Lobby....by himself....all to make the table special...for me. What a guy!
I wanted to contribute somehow to the evening. So, I decided a few days before I would make dessert. I decided on Chocolate Silk Pie from Smitten Kitchen's Cookbook. [Note: start this dessert day before because you have to let it chill in refrigerator for at least 6 hours]. I knew not to fool myself thinking I could just whip a dessert in an hour. You know, babies have a way of knowing when it's the worst time to wake up or cry...like when you have egg all over your hands or there is one minute away from the oven timer going off [therefore, things burn], etc. So, I started this dessert at 9:00am that morning. Yes. I want to be realistic here with [new] mommyhood. Guess when I finished it? 3:00pm. So don't you go thinking that I was whisking around the kitchen in an apron with my makeup done while the baby slept like a champ. I intentionally started it at 9:00am and worked on it during naps. In the end, the pie was DELICIOUS. So worth it. Therefore, I need to share the recipe [at the bottom].
Right as Lee got home, I was rocking Hudson to sleep. Perfect, right? Lee dishes up the food, light the candles, poured the wine, arranged flowers (oh yeah, he did...and it looked beautiful). I came out of the room, smiling "ahhh, baby is asleep". I grabbed a wine glass and what do we hear on the monitor? Baby is awake. We laughed and looked at each other and I said, "of course!" I went back into the room rocked him to sleep...Lee brought the food back in and covered it. I got Hudson to go back to sleep and we brought back everything outside to eat. It was a sweet dinner, sitting there, talking and smiling about how different this anniversary was but in such a sweet, blessed way. I mean, my goodness, here we are celebrating three years of life together as husband + wife with the sweetest blessing as a result in tiny human form. Just as we took our last bite and sipped the wine....baby woke up! Hey, at least we finished dinner :)
Why am I sharing the small details of that? Because I want to be realistic [and also remember the memories of our 3rd anniversary with a 5 week old]. I posted a picture of our anniversary dinner on instagram. I was thinking later how instagram/facebook/twitter are the highlight reels of our life. It's not a bad thing [I mean, who is like "everybody! Look how awesome I look with the flu!]. However, I know new moms out there [because I've done this myself] may have looked at that picture [and other people's pictures at different times] and thought "oh what a perfect, candlelit, backyard porch dinner......" when all in all, it wasn't as smooth as it may have appeared!
I would not have wanted to spend our third anniversary any other way. We were rocking, feeding, cuddling the very fruit of our marriage, which is what we were celebrating that day. We were celebrating real life together and the three years of it that we have done in unity, in oneness. What joy that brings me!
My husband, I would not want to do this real, day to day life with anyone else. You are our rock and you love and serve our family well. Thank you for being my fearless leader and now a fearless leader to a little baby boy, who will forever look up to you. Thank you for loving me past my faults. Going through this new thing of parenthood with you has made me fall even more in love with who you are!
I love you!
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Chocolate Silk Pie
Ingredients
Chocolate Crust: 1 1/2 cup chocolate-wafer crumbs, 2 Tbs sugar, Pinch of salt, 5 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
Filling: 12 tbs butter, at room temp, 1 cup sugar, 3 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted & cooled, 3 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract
Garnish: 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 Tbs sugar, chocolate curls shaved from bittersweet bar (optional)
Crust. Preheat oven to 350. Mix together cookie crumbs, sugar, and salt. Stir in melted butter. Press crumbs across bottom and sides of 9 inch pie crust pan. Bake for 10 min. Let cool completely.
[Note: I could not find chocolate wafer cookies, so I used the chocolate part of oreos. Warning: delicious oreo creme will be left over. Staring at you]
Filling. In mixer, whip butter + sugar together. Keep mixer going & slowly pour in chocolate. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 5 minutes after each egg. {this is SO important to the recipe}. Blend vanilla in. Spread filling in pie crust. Chill for at least 6 hours.
Topping. Right before serving, beat cream + sugar together until soft peaks form. Spoon onto pie and spread. Can add chocolate shavings if you would like.
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