Sankta Lucia

For those of you who haven't seen the "Big Show" in years and for those of us who have tried to peer out from backstage to see if our little "Tomten" are getting enough pepparkakor, here's what it looked like from the fourth row...You've just gotta love Dave's outfit! I really mean that Dave - it's awesome!

It's pretty hard to see who's who here, but they were all adorable!

"I Ett Hus" and then of course, "Tip Tap" sneaky little tomten snacking on the leftovers...

Somehow we didn't get any pics of the awesome gingerbread men (Grant and Max - AKA Run DMC - they had the coolest bucket hats!) or any of the incredibly talented moms and kids dancing around the tree. Guess we were so captivating, they didn't want to miss a thing by having to stop and take pictures!Here are all of the lovely Lucias and Starboys. It was Kacey's first year as a Lucia and I have to say I was so incredibly proud of her! She learned all of the songs and was so confident, I couldn't believe this was my little Kacey-Loo being a grown-up Lucia girl. And of course I got teary every time I heard her singing because it took me right back to when I sang those very same songs when we were in Sweden and of all the wonderful christmases we had there.
Two of the cutest little "Svensk Flikor"! (ok, my swedish spelling is really bad - give me a break, it was over 30 years ago and i was only 7!) They are really cute though, aren't they!?!Yay - we did it! Everyone had the right costumes at the right time, we sang the right words and did the right actions, and even though Dillon ran on stage at the wrong time...at least he had his clothes on!

Johnny Angel

We had a great trip to Utah, thanks to Becky and Brent, for John and Katharine's wedding! We were lazy picture takers but here's what we have to share.
Here's the temple at night from the 9th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building where we had the wonderful and fun dinner the night before the wedding.

My only picture of John and Katharine leaving the temple doors.
Congratulations hug from Mom.

All smiles from Evan, Angie, Julie and John.
More smiles. Anyone's cheeks hurting yet?
With Andrew, Mom and Dad, or is it Grandma and Grandpa? I never know.

It was a wonderful time and we were so glad we could be there. John and Katharine looked so happy and we were happy to meet her and welcome her into the family. We saw Amanda too, and so many cousins and relatives. I think I talked to them each for about 3 minutes a piece, but I always love being reminded that I'm part of a bigger, stronger family and not just out here in the dreary world by myself. What a blessing it is to have such a loving family.

Congratulations John and Katharine!

Scarecrow Festival

Scarecrow Festival 2008

In mid-October we all volunteered at the Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving Point.  It ran for 4 days.  Evan was the main "fry guy"--we don't know how many fries and fry-bread tortillas he made, but he was good at it!  Brent took food orders and cashiered, Julie was in charge of sodas and Becky and Linda helped with the children's games and ticket gate.  John and Katharine helped in the food pavillion, too.  Over 40,000 visitors came.  We had a great time and enjoyed being together!

Utah or Bust

Good luck to Becky, Brent and Linda on your new adventure to Utah, Take 2. We love you and know you'll all do well there. We can't wait to check out the guest room soon!

Oscarson Family Reunion in Utah

Well Elmer Jones arose at dawn and put his huntin' britches on and looked up at his shot gun on the wall... No reunion would be complete without Elmer Jones! What a great time we had at the picnic with so many of our family members that we hadn't seen for way too long! It was so great to see everyone - it had been entirely too long, but it seemed like just yesterday - family's great that way! The kids have all grown, but somehow we've managed to stay the same - right?? Uncle Paul and Aunt Bonnie worked so hard to make this weekend happen and I am so grateful to them for it! Emily made a new and improved Birthday calendar and Amy put together Mema's history for us all. I have truly enjoyed reading all about Mema's life. I have been staying up way too late for too many nights (apparantly I'm a really slow reader!) really getting to know this remakable woman. I am so grateful to be a part of this amazing family and am so proud to be an Oscarson. I wish more of you could have been there, but I am looking forward to our own reunion soon.

THE TRIP!!!!

Kacey and I had the incredible opportunity to spend the weekend in Utah with our long lost Oscarson cousins! We had SUCH a great time! Kacey was a little nervous about the plane ride at first (it was a bit too loud!) but after a quick prayer for help to be brave, she was doin' just fine! She loved looking out the window at the changing landscape (including the Grand Canyon), but the best part was the 1 1/2 hour layover in Arizona where we got to ride the moving sidewalk about a million times.

Once we arrived, Mom and Dad picked us up and took us to Temple Square where we got to see all the sights and take a ton of pictures. I thought Kacey would get bored or have zero interest, but I was quite happily surprised. She loved it all - the Tabernacle, Visitors Center and of course the park on top of the Conference Center.

After that we got to spend the rest of our time with our cousins in Bountiful. What a fabulous time we all had! It was so great being able to catch up with all of my cousins that I grew up with. And to meet all of their adorable kids too! It was so funny, they all came running in and I had no clue who belonged to whom - they all look like they could be siblings! Kacey had a ball with them - and with all of the dress-up clothes. Her favorite though, had to be the treasure chest full of gems! My favorite thing had to be the fact that I could relax and sit with the grown-ups not worrying that anyone was breaking anything, hitting anyone or running away and falling off the side of the mountain! (Kacey is so grown-up and responsible now!!) I did miss my boys (and I think they may have missed me too), but I really REALLY had a great, relaxing, fun time!!

Swedish Travelers

Becky and Julie had a great time together in Sweden! We walked all over Stockholm and Uppsala, drove through Dalarna, went to Carl Larssons home, and even saw Dave's pen display at NK.  Julie loved her BYU study abroad experience this summer!  

Food, Folks, and Fun

We had so much fun with Linda last week! On Thursday night we got together with the Lowe's for dinner. Here's Linda helping Andrew saute some mushrooms. That's her new apron that she made while staying with us! She loved Andrew's Texas flag apron and can do a convincing Texas accent on demand.
Matt may be getting some good Italian food on his mission, but check out this Chicken Marsalla Andrew whipped up, with a little help from Linda. You should have smelled it. It was absolutely divine. Not shown are the buttermilk mashed potatoes with fresh chives from Debbie's garden, zucchini and yellow squash, and rolls. We were so full of Italian goodness.

Lydia helped too by keeping Sam and Michael busy "cooking" too. I'm not sure what they made but I'm sure it was delicious!

Jacob got home after dinner from working his last shift at McDonald's this summer before he starts his senior year next week. I think he'll gladly trade his Big Mac's for some of Andrew's cooking. Michael was brushing everyone's hair in just before this picture and Sam is wearing a bowl "hat."
We said goodbye and met up again the next day for lunch in Georgetown. Before we ate our actual lunch, we found the new cupcake store and indulged in dessert before lunch. Michael can't wait to get his bite! This is how he asks for food - leaning forward with an open mouth. So cute.
A woman in the cupcake store recommended this nearby sandwich shop. Josh came from work and had lunch with us.

Lydia ate about 1/4 of that hamburger and took the rest home with all of the leftover fries. No one tried the Beijing special, in honor of the Olympics. No risk takers!

Here's the cousins waiting for the elevator to the garage at the mall. I think they had a lot of fun together . We realized that after Jacob's mission, he and Linda will both be sophomores in college. If they're both at BYU Jacob has commissioned Linda to help re-integrate him into post-mission society by introducing him to her girlfriends when he returns to Provo. There's some forward thinking! It was a short visit, but we all had a lot of fun being together and are grateful for our fun family! For more on Linda's visit, see my blog.

Cousin Linda

Cousin Linda arrived today, much to Michael and Sam's delight. We look forward to gallivanting around the DC toddler scene during the next few days and having fun together at home. They put on a real show for Linda all afternoon doing all of their tricks and being totally hilarious. More to come . . .

Brady's Walking!!!

He's been working at this for about a month now, but today Brady's really been taking off! Too funny that it's the day before his birthday - it's so exciting!!! Kacey has been praying every day that Brady will be walking soon - very cute! The kids are loving that he is becoming a kid and can play with them!

Sneak Preview

Here's a sneak preview ...save the date:  September 19, 20, 21!

These are some of the pictures from Mom and Dad's anniversary DVD.  Can't wait to see everybody!  Stay tuned...

The Kluba Kids

The Kluba kids have been enjoying their summer! We've been to a lot of playgrounds, the zoo, the pool, the mall, and eaten a lot of snow cones and slurpees! Kacey's been going to a camp and the playground by the pool. They go on field trips and get to swim 2 or 3 times a week. She started taking piano lessons this summer snd is doing really well. We play the chopsticks duet and I am just amazed that I have such a big girl! Dillon has been going to his preschool's summer school. We call it Happy Day Camp! He has a lot of fun there and it lets mom breathe for a few hours! Dillon's got a ton of energy and is very curious about everything. He's ALWAYS on the go and is a magnet to mischief as most little boys can be! Brady is getting to be so big! He's so close to walking - taking a few steps here and there. He's still most fond of mom, but survived a day and a half with out her! He stayed home with a friend while the rest of us went on a big family vacation to the Huzzah River for camping and a float trip this month. We had a lot of fun, but a day on the river with the kids was anything but relaxing! I think next time, we'll just camp! Dillon had a field day with all of the rocks and sticks, while Kacey was determined to catch a fish. She finally did, and put it in a water bottle with rocks on the bottom and a few holes in the top. Poor Amber, river fish need to stay in the river!

So that's our update in a nutshell. Just trying to survive each day with 3 little kids who are getting bigger each day! Well, Land Before Time is over, so I need too get back to work :) Thanks, Neen for gettiong this blog started. I think it'll be a lot of fun!

Brady's SO Big

And then there's Brady. He's almost one and is just getting to be so big! He's desperately trying to keep up with his big brother which scares me to death! He loves wrestling with Dillon, which is "all fun and games until someone gets hurt!" He still loves to be held by mom (exclusively), but is trying to walk, so likes to move around on his own a lot too. He'll climb all the steps at the playground and zoom down the slide on mom's lap. He's generally very happy and loves to clap his hands laugh when he does something he's proud of! He'll wave bye-bye (and even said it twice) and then bury his head in my shoulder, like he's all bashfull - it's very cute! He'll be graduating from formula to milk next week, but if given a choice, I think he'd live off of snow cones from Tropical Snow! It's our new favorite place to go this summer (although sonic comes in at a close 2nd). Luckily, Mr Brady is pretty easy going and can take his nap whenever or wherever he needs to and likes the stroller. I guess when you're the third child in a family that's always on the run, you have to!

Dillon the Super Slugger

Dillon started T-Ball this summer! It's been fun watching him! The team is made up of 3 and 4 year olds and a lot of coaches! They have one grown up with each of the players on the field. His first game, he went to bat once, hit the ball and ran after it towards 2nd base (he wasn't the only one to do that!) He finally made his way around the bases and decided that was enough and went down to the playground to play! His second game was a little better. He ran to first base and went to bat twice. He still had no interest in the outfield. Finally the third time around he got it all figured out. He now runs after every ball that is hit and runs the bases like he's in the big leagues! Soccer starts this fall and I'm so excited to watch him. He's got a lot of energy (to say the least!) and I think he'll love all of the running (which Kacey hated!).