Christmas eve 2011.

This year we celebrated our first Christmas in Arizona. It was awesome!

Cooked dinner with my french doors open as my children frolicked in the desert. Yes, frolicked. Arizona has just what I love in terms of weather, (except for those pesky three months where I loathe it) windows down--doors open kinda weather. And! There is snow less than an hour and half away for the snowy dreams of a white Christmas.

This year we celebrated with our friends the Yorks. We feasted on my traditional dinner of: prime rib, mashed potatoes, rolls, and Yorkshire pudding. Usually I make creamed corn but this year I got wild and sauteed Brussels sprouts. Crazy, eh. The Yorks got to benefit from my dedication to this meal as it only became tasty these past four years, the previous five; well, safe to say, I have many good friends and family that will eat just about anything.

Apparently in non-Mormon culture on Christmas eve you give gifts to each other. Real gifts too! My kids couldn't believe it when they got to open actual presents on Christmas eve and toys at that! The Yorks kids got to open ----um, well, they got the wonderful gift of the knowledge that it is truly better to give than to receive.

I'm still waiting on my thank you note.

Danielle helping Lily open her Fairy Tinkerbell toy amidst the dinner mess.

Blah.

Thankfully Theresa was here, she and I pounded this out while the men watched TV. I'm counting that as one of my presents to Chad.

Dinner, decorating and music. Or just about every single day of my life.

Chad boiled it down to the three things I do most these days; Milking (I'm trying to not be offended), decorating and shopping. The milking is new, but the other two are kinda staples.


Dinner. Done. Super easy and makes you look like a rock star to children. I make Pioneer woman's meatballs. Her recipe makes a bunch, I double it and love myself later for it. I form the meatballs, put them on a cookie sheet and stick em in the freezer to chill. Once firm, I take them and stick about 20-25 in a freezer bag for an easy meal later. From doubling her recipe I usually get five freezer bags of ready to go meatballs! Hooray.


Then on a day like this at 5:30 when I'm in the middle of five different things I can still be awesome.


Katy and I turn her up, throw the frozen meatballs in my le creuset with some olive oil. Put a pot of water on to boil and get my Costco jarred spaghetti sauce. If I don't want to make my marinara sauce this one comes the closest to it.


Between turning the meatballs I kiss baby.


If you try to turn them before they properly brown they will kind of tear open. Be patient. Channel your inner zen.


Finish your decorating project with ample confidence in your mad skills. So confident that you make a red sauce with white lamp shade a mere three feet away.

I AM WOMAN.

Then, when this happens. . .

Never fear. You are in control. Master of your domain. There's no problems only solutions. Takes more muscles to frown than to smile.

That is all.

Luke is now seven.

We had a party to prove it.


In keeping with tradition there was a birthday crown. Luke, still my sweet little boy wanted to wear his crown to school. I love that about Luke. He doesn't care what other people think about him one whit. He has the confidence to do what he likes and be who he is.


Some brotherly love.

Doesn't Luke look absolutely adorable. I wonder how much longer I will be able to use the word adorable or for that, want to? He he.


For dinner, there was beef on a bun. Try not to be disgusted by the fat being thrown down the drain. This is a great meal. Easy, delicious and everybody loves it.

Beef on a Bun

3 to 6 lb chuck roast
4 cups water
1 cup sherry
1 cup soy sauce
3 large rosemary twigs
1/2 T kosher salt
1 T thyme

Put all the ingredients in a crock pot for 6 to 12 hours, depending on when you remember you want to eat that evening.

Remove meat from crock pot, separate the fat and put back in the crock pot over low heat. Remove some of the beef juices and put it in one of those fat separators.

Caramelize 1 onion

Slice kaiser rolls in half, top with meat, onions and provolone or white cheddar cheese. Toast in oven just till cheese melts.

Serve with a tiny bowl of the beef beef juices.

Viola. You are a genius.


Buy them, no need to get all crazy and make them.


This photo is in now way related to the birthday celebrations but someone is looking too adorable to ignore.

Yay! Once I can no longer call Luke adorable, there's always Jack!


Now back to the party. Balloons, cake, presents.




Wishes were made.

Lily to Owen, "I want tend (ten) of dem, de pwincess."


We take our wishis very seriously.


He wished for a thousannnnnnnnnnnd more wishes.

Chad informed him that that wish is against the wish making rules. He then changed it to a thousannnnnnnnnnd video games.


Gifts were guessed on.






Happy birthday Luke. You are very loved. You're seven year old self is incredible. You have your dad's charms. You keep us and everyone you encounter in stitches. You're always saying some clever/funny thing. Very very often you will say something hilarious then your dad and I will lock eyes to communicate something silently. No words are necessary, we just take a moment and look at each other. We both already know what is happening in that moment.

. . .how proud we both are of you.