Night of the Tuna Fish

When I was a little girl, I got to be Sankta Lucia every year. I would wake up on December 13th and as a family, we would go sing to unsuspecting missionaries very early in the morning. I would wear my beautiful white Lucia dress with the little lace collar, the red sash around my waist, and the exquisite Lucia crown with candles in my hair. Although there were several of us children, I was the only Lucia. That honor goes to the oldest girl in each family and I secretly loved that I didn't have to share the privilege or even earn it. It came to me simply because of my "birthright"...and it made me feel so pretty and grown up. My sisters would wear their beautiful white dresses with tinsel crowns adorning their small heads and tinsel around their waists. Chip got to be "Steffan, the Stable Boy" with his own pointy star hat and wand...an honor reserved strictly for the boys of the family. And then there were the delicious Lucia rolls...big pieces of sugar on top and delicious gooey stuff wrapped up tight in the middle. They are memories I cherish. I never even questioned the Swedish Lucia song we would sing as we walked through the dark apartment with only the light from my Lucia crown lighting the way. To my 6 year old mind, it sounded as though we were singing "Night of the Tuna Fish..." and I didn't care as long as it meant wearing my pretty crown and eating sticky rolls.

And now many years have passed. My little dress with the lace collar no longer fits and I'm not sure what happened to my Lucia crown. This year my little daughter turned 6 years old and I had been thinking about what that tradition meant to me. I had decided to ask my parents if they would consider finding HB a Lucia dress and crown since they are currently living in Sweden. I wanted to share this tradition with my children and make it a part of our holiday celebration each year. More than anything, I wanted to share that breathless moment of putting on your dress, tying the red sash, and having someone light the candles on your crown. You feel so graceful and beautiful.

And before I could even speak my wish out loud, a box arrived from my sweet parents for HB's birthday.

And in the box was a beautiful white dress with a little lace collar and a bright red sash and a gorgeous Lucia crown. And just like that, we had our Lucia.

With a little help from the dress up box (in the form of a Jedi cape), we also managed to pull together two Steffan the Stable Boy costumes. The boys flat out refused to wear white nightshirts and the hats do look a little like dunce caps...so we Americanized our celebration a little bit. But we had lanterns with real fire and Ballerina Swedish cookies from Ikea...and our gracious neighbors allowed us to come do Lucia for them. I recorded a version of the Lucia song onto a CD (I didn't want to ruin the moment for them by making them listen to me and my little family butcher the Swedish language....or wonder why we were singing about tuna fish) and once I cued the music, down the sidewalk came my little Lucia gang. It was priceless!!!

No one dropped the cookies, we didn't set anything on fire, and our neighbors were so lovely and gracious. We even got delicious pieces of warm pie out of the deal! It was a night to remember.

And the following day, we repeated the whole affair for HB's kindergarten class...and then Jake's 4th grade class...and then Matthew's 2nd grade class. We were doing the Lucia gig all over the place...and having such a wonderful time. When HB did Lucia for her class, there was a little boy sitting on the rug watching her with big eyes who said as she walked by him, "Hannah, you are so beautiful. You are just so beautiful!" I think he said it 4 or 5 times before the whole affair was over...but it's true. You just feel so beautiful...and it made me think about the story of Lucia and the symbolism behind this tradition. Lucia was a young girl who sacrificed so much to serve others. She brought light in a time of deep darkness, not just physically but also spiritually. And today Swedes celebrate this holiday as a time of light during the darkest days of winter...and it ushers in the Christmas season, a time when we celebrate the Light of the World. And when we remember Him and have the light of the His countenance in our hearts and minds and souls, it makes us feel beautiful. We radiate from the inside out. In the darkest days of our lives, we can find hope and joy and beauty. And that is truly a Christmas miracle to celebrate.

I hope this season is filled with much to celebrate...I hope each of you feel beautiful, cherished, and have the opportunity to feel the light of our Savior Jesus Christ in your hearts and homes.

Happy St. Lucia Day!

Happy Gobble, Gobble Turkey Day

I love Thanksgiving. It is a relatively low key celebration with delicious food. I can definitely embrace a holiday where I don't have to do anything but cook and eat fabulous food! And this year we really took the bull by the horns and set our own terms for Thanksgiving...but I'm getting ahead of myself.

It all started with a blizzard that never happened. But the mere thought of the potential blizzard sent me into a packing frenzy and we left on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. Turned out to be one of the best parts of the trip...a heavenly night at Abby's house in Vegas. Oh how I adore the McCoys! Thank you for fabulous accomodations.

Wednesday morning we played at the McCoys for a bit and then hit the road. While driving through CA, Chris and I were seized by the urge to actually pull off the highway and see what this Calico Ghost Town was all about. We drive by it every time we travel to LA or San Diego and EVERY TIME we have a conversation about what it is and whether it would really be worth pulling off the highway to see...so this time we decided enough was enough...no more talk. It was time to go exploring!

(Cue music of Mo singing "Anyone for exploring"...)

And what do you know? It was such great fun! A real life silver mining town from the late 1800's complete with shops, mines, a school/church, and lots of old, old stuff. We spent a couple hours exploring and had a wonderful time!

Anyone remember the Devo song from the 80's about working in the coal mine? The song was stuck in my head the whole time...and yes, HB is wearing pink poodle pajamas.

Matthew couldn't stop trying to "mine".

So this year we went completely radical and abandoned the "real" Thanksgiving Day in favor of a day playing at Legoland. The Davies came with us and it was perfectly perfect!

Who knew you could make so many things out of Lego? It was really amazing.

Now I have to admit that I really was expecting the park to be very quiet...after all, it was Thanksgiving...and who gives up turkey for Legoland? Apparently all the Asians, people from India, Jehovah Witnesses and Carrs. It was not empty.

Spent some time in the Lego Store where I watched a man pay $300.00 for the Taj Mahal Lego set. It was awesome and I would have handed over the money in a minute for it if I didn't mind seeing my children not eat for a month.

Friday was declared our official Thanksgiving Day. We stayed at the Davies brand new house in San Diego and it was BEAUTIFUL! Courtney has earned sainthood for her willingness to move into a new house one weekend and then a week later host her family for Thanksgiving. It was so lovely and delicious.

A little disturbing when right before dinner the 2 little girls came down in leotards stuffed with foam breasts. I didn't ask whose idea it was. I didn't want to know.

Oscarson tradition to take a picture of delicious food. It was absolutely scrumptious!

I could've sat at the table all day eating. Next year I'm going to eat Thanksgiving dinner in a lounge chair so I can stuff myself, then recline to nap and digest, then sit back up for more feasting, napping, feasting, etc. Brilliant plan if you ask me!

After dinner, we held the traditional "Carr Family Thanksgiving Day" talent show. It is always filled with a myriad of talent...head stands, piano solos, ballet dancing, and a fabulous Carr version of the 12 Days of Christmas that included 2 awkward dates, some ballerinas, a few Ninjas, 5 gold engagement rings, and exotic cars.

On Saturday, I woke up and had a 6 year old. My "baby" is so big and I love her dearly. She is beautiful inside and out and makes me happy, happy, happy. She is smart and fun and creative and sweet and perfectly perfect. She is such a blessing in my life.

Oh, just side note. This is the house on Coronado Island in San Diego that I asked Santa for. Isn't it a gem? I've been so good this year that I'm sure I'll get it.

We spent the better part of the day on the beach in Coronado playing at the foot of the majestic Del Coronado Hotel. It was beautiful.

We watched a pod of dolphins playing in the water...it was breathtaking!

After the beach we drove to Old Town San Diego and visited the new Mormon Battalion Visitor's Center. It was AWESOME! AWESOME!!!! Did you know the Mormon church had a Disneyland ride to rival Pirate's of the Carribean? Really, it was that cool. Talking pictures on the wall (think Hogwarts), an Iowa campground, a general store in Kansas, and a Santa Fe desert where we were about run over by a herd of stampeding buffalo. It was incredible! Afterwards we wandered outside for a little panning for gold.

Courtney and I took the girls to go see the movie "Tangled" and then we headed back to the Davies' home in time to see the big spot on the ceiling where water was leaking through because the bathroom upstairs was flooding. Nothing like a flood in a new home to make your stress level go through the roof. AND it was the bathroom our family was using...makes you want to invite us right over doesn't it?

We did end the day with cake that Chris decorated...what this man can do with a Ziploc bag of frosting and some candy.

I will choose to skip the account of the drive home where there really was a blizzard this time and it took us an eternity to drive from St. George to our house. It was a nightmare.

It was the best of times! Thank you Davies family for hosting another smashing event...and for your enormous patience is having us. Thank you Emily for the Littlest Pet Shop gift that has brightened Hannah's whole world. Thank you for Legoland and the beach and dolphins and the Mormon Battilion experience that both humbled and strengthened my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am so grateful.

Hannah's Teaching Moment

HB had a chance to teach her kindergarten class a special skill. She chose to teach "how to draw a ballerina" (after asking her classmates to vote on whether they wanted to learn how to draw a ballerina or a princess...I don't think many boys voted!) In my humble opinion, she did a brilliant job! (And don't forget to look at the previous blog to see a brilliant example of a typical morning at home with Hannah!)

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Just Another Ordinary Day

Just another example of a typical morning with my darling daughter. I hope each of you spent the morning dancing in your glittery tutus!

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Life In A Minute

Wow.

So here is why I haven't had time to blog...in case you were wondering...and even if you weren't wondering...

I haven't had time to blog because we have been playing too much miniature golf...

 I haven't had time to blog because I've had numerous appointments at HB's "Fancy Schmancy" beauty salon where I get to sit on a chair padded with pillows and blankets and then have my nails painted, hair coiffed, and makeup touched up...all for a fabulously reasonable price.

 I haven't had time to blog because my son turned 8 years old and this boy needed some serious celebrating. There was a treasure hunt, a brand new bike, and of course, a fabulous cake. This year's birthday theme: SOCCER!

I haven't had time to blog because we were throwing soccer parties for 8 year olds. There was an abundance of pizza, cupcakes, soda, pinata candy, soccer playing, and designing and creating personalized soccer jerseys.

 I haven't had time to blog because for the first time in my 16 years of Utah living, we decided to go to Lagoon. It was fabulous and weird and fun and freaky all at the same time. One minute I was delighted and the next minute I was creeped out. It is a strange, strange place. The Wicked roller coaster was AWESOME! The Bucking Pirate Ship made me want to throw up and the "swings" made me want to wet myself. I am too old for that kind of fun.

I 

 I haven't had time to blog because we have been hiking the most glorious mountains in the world. Nothing beats Utah mountains in the fall. They are breathtaking.

And some day, when I have time to blog, I will tell you the story of the time our family hiked to Stewart Falls and instead of taking the trail back, our 2 sons climbed a sheer gravel cliff and the rest of us followed resulting in one son having to be rescued by his father and then another son having to be rescued by his mother and causing a small but painful rock avalanche. It was embarassing and scary. Moral of story...sometimes the road less taken isn't the best idea.

I haven't had time to blog because it is fall...my absolute favorite time of year. And that means our annual trek to visit the witches at Gardner Village. It involves good friends, donuts, chocolate milk, caramel apples, a scavenger hunt, lots of photo ops, tons of darling kids, and a wonderful afternoon of giggles and fun. It is one of my favorite fall activities...I look forward to it all year!

I haven't had time to blog because I got to go on a field trip with Jake's 4th grade class to Pioneer Village where we attended school, whipped up a few things at the blacksmiths, pulled some handcarts, did the Virginia Reel, and explored a wikiup. All in a day's work...

I haven't had time to blog because in the fall soccer season starts and I'm a big fan. We love soccer...sun, rain, wind, blistering heat or freezing temperatures, we are front row and cheering. 

I haven't had time to blog because there were pumpkins to carve and candy to eat.

I haven't had time to blog because I was fixing gross school lunches to freak out a few of my favorite kids. It was classic...even though it made my 2nd son cry and tell me that "he just couldn't get the pictures out of his head". Severed hand sandwiches, bloody water bottles with rats floating on top, and finger suckers...their reactions were PRICELESS! (And you better believe I was slinking around the cafeteria that day with my camera to catch their reactions...)

I haven't had time to blog because kids were dressing up for Classic Characters Assembly at school. (Refer to above photographic proof...if you can guess what character from a "classic" children's book Jacob and Matthew dressed up as, I will crown you as the smartest person I know. And if you can guess what Chris is, I'll send you $100.00!)

I haven't been blogging because it snowed and while HB forlicked and played, I stayed inside, refused to get dressed, and drank hot chocolate. Not quite ready for winter yet.

I haven't been blogging because it is Halloween...and Littlest Pet Shop bunnies, Commander Fox, and Dracula needed lots of supervision...it's a mess when Dracula starts biting, Commander Fox starts shooting, and the bunny starts crying.

And one of the last reasons I haven't been blogging is because Matthew got his Bobcat award and Jacob earned his Bear. So proud of my scouting boys!

And that is why I haven't been blogging...