Bros

For the love of Basketball

The day of Luke's Birthday ended up being one of the most miserable days of my life. I had the stomach flu and on top of that, I got to go and have a series shocks sent up and down my legs followed by 20+ needles poked up and down my legs. That's called a nerve study apparently. Not super fun...especially on top of a sick stomach. So Luke's party guests ended up being the uncles and Nana (who I was so grateful was here), along with brother, Dad and Mom. Luke's obsession with basketball provided a quick theme idea the day of. The original plan included Pirate Island and a pirate party. But we scrapped that idea and in a few short hours, the boys were taking swings at a basketball pinata and devouring store bought cupcakes and handfuls of candy. Then it was onto presents, also bought the day of the party. All these decisions included a trip to Toys R Us and Partyland following the nerve study, oh and I was still nursing that sick stomach... (I now know where the bathrooms in Toys R Us are).Gifts were easy. He loves to color & read books. Enter the new easel, chalk, markers, and books. My very favorite present was one inspired by Nana. While Ryan and I were out gathering things for a party, Nana passed on a Hassman family tradition that I had forgotten about. When I was little, every sibling in my family would find something of their own to give to the birthday sibling. I think we passed around the same stuffed animals for years. So Nana told Max to find something of his that he could give to Luke and she helped him wrap it (along with all the gifts we bought).

What was gifted?A piece of corn from his plastic food collection and a homemade card! And Luke was so excited. I am officially scrapping all future plans for over the top birthdays. This little 2 year old was just as happy as a clown with a pinata, some colors, and a piece of corn.

two

birthday: february 24

little boy,

there are so many things that we love about you.

the wild, intense look in your eye. the way you just sit and play in silence. how you are a go getter. you don't back away from a challenge. how innocent you can be. how not so innocent you can be. how you would spend a whole day coloring. you love story time. your intelligence. how you talk, talk, talk. it's hard to remember a time when you weren't saying something. how Max is your favorite person. God gave him two shadows, I like to say. you love sports. even watching them with Dad. especially hoops, and that makes mommy very happy. you would color and shoot hoops all day long. you make us laugh with all the goofy things you do. your cuddles. you are the most cuddly kid ever.

most of all, we love that you belong to us. you have blessed our lives in so many ways.

Isn't she Lovely?

Oh little sister to the south, in the great state of Texas.

With three crazy busy little kids, how do you find time to get yourself all glamourized and then document it? However you do it, you are lovely.

quips from a 4 year old

Max to Ryan: "Dad, you're pretty." --yesterday, age 4

Max to Mark: "Is Shari going to get a new man?" -- tonight at dinner, age 4

Age 4 is very entertaining.

L.O.V.E.

I saw this idea last year on Studio 5, and tucked it away inside my little head for a time when Max would be handing out Valentine's. This was such the year. Instead of going to church on Sunday, we stayed home and started with a little photo session... (okay, we weren't ditching. RSV is on the rampage in our neighborhood. Luke was sick and Max was just getting over the crud. Didn't want to chance it.)

This seemed to be the winner so we did a little editing.

(too bad I don't have a better camera and photoshop.

I realize it looks a little armature, which I am.)

Just happen to have a heart shape hole punch. Lollipops were 5/$1. Love that.
I liked them. Sunday evening Max decorated his Box.

It was a full day of menu planning & prep for my very special Valentine.

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup, Smoked Cheddar & Provolone Pannini's w/ cracked pepper Turkey & Ham, Fried Avocados with Ranch Salsa Dip, green salad, Turtle Brownies

Add a few pretty tablecloths, rose petals, candlelight...

Wha-Lah! Love is in the air.

note: 1st family candlelight dinner was a big hit with the boys.

Grandma, Jimmer & Making Memories

One of many things I just love about my mother-in-law: she is an obsessed sports fan. Especially when it comes to BYU football and basketball. She didn't want to miss an opportunity to see the fabulous Jimmer Fredette play live, so she just up and bought us all tickets to a game a few weeks ago. Love that about her. I was worried how the boys and my back would hold up for 2 hours, but all did well. The boys are still talking about the game, Cosmo, the Cougars basketball players, and of course, the treats. Max actually cried all the way to the car because we left a few minutes before it was over. He made us tune into the remaining 2 minutes when we got in the car. It's been non-stop shootin' it up at our house ever since. I think it's safe to say they want to go back. And so do I. Thanks for the great time Grandma & Grandpa. I love the memories you are making with the boys.

I like my Apples Shabby too.

So my darling, bestest friend from RVHS, Trinity, did a post about Shabby Apple. I hadn't been to their website in a while. Since Sunday afternoons are good for perusing blogs, I then jumped on over to Your HomeBased Mom, another blog I love. Ironically she had a post about a giveaway her daughter, Tessa, was doing, from Shabby Apple. What?!?! I didn't even know that her daughter had a cute fashion blog...well she does and she was contacted by Shabby Apple to do a giveaway and I really want to win. But I won't be greedy...you should want to win to, that is if you love adorable dresses like this one.

So here is the link http://totallytessa.com

Out with the Birthday Boy.

Ryan turned 34 Saturday. He isn't good at deciding what to do for his birthday. So I decided for him.We got a room at the Little America in Salt Lake on Friday night & took the boys swimming. They loved it. We never do stuff like this so it was new and exciting to them.

Saturday morning was spent working out and taking the boys to Temple Square for their first real tour-- the kid tour anyway. They are well acquainted with our wedding video so they thought it was pretty cool that we were there. Then we had lunch at the Nauvoo cafe. Ryan said it was perhaps the best turkey sandwich he has ever had. And he would know. He is a sandwich expert of sorts. Then it was home to catch the end of the BYU basketball game which depressed us so what do you do when you are depressed? You buy shoes.

So it was off to Alpine to Get Fit where Ryan found a killer deal of some new running shoes. Then it was home for pizza, cake and ice cream with the Uncle M & Uncle J, and the lovely Shari. I guess I am pretty good and planning how other people spend their Birthday. Ryan seemed to like it. I love that guy. If anyone deserves to have a better year than last, it's him. Hope he studies less, runs more, and stays healthy.

Play.

One of my favorite things is to watch Ryan play with the boys. He's really good at it.

Welcoming in 2011...

We don't have any set traditions for ringing in the New Year. But we like to take advantage of Jolea and Ryan every once in a while, so we invaded their house on New Year's Eve. I was kind enough to bring dinner since we totally decided to stay the night. Tradition has it you are supposed to have black eyed peas (the kind you eat, not the kind you dance too...although that would have been good too), and I don't think our family eats black eyed peas, so I brought edamame as a replacement, figuring that would be acceptable. We ate, watched reruns of Minute to Win it, ate some more, watched the kids play, kept eating, played Big Buck Hunter 2, ate a little more, and just entertained one another really. Discussions were had about the New Years kiss...you know how I couldn't wait to be married knowing that forevermore, I would always have someone to kiss on New Years...and how the lovely man I decided to marry could care less about the New Years kiss. Max made it to midnight this year. We watched the ball drop and all decided Really...is that the best our species could come up with? Then when it was perfectly clear that it was time to go to bed, we stayed up longer watching Pet Hoarders with Mom and Jolea.

And you think plain old Hoarders is disturbing.

Welcome 2011...

Prayers.

Max doesn't like much help with his prayers. But he hasn't been the best at wanting to say prayers lately either. In an effort to shave minutes off family prayer, he has worked out a system of not letting you help him, so that he can list off the same 3 things every night and call it good. Tonight it was his turn to say family prayer. After blessing us to be safe, blessing Mommy, Daddy, Lukey and Max and church he attempted to end his prayer to which Ryan quietly piped in...

"No Max, you say more."

Max: "Dad! I'm blessing the church!"

Ryan: "Okay, well you need to keep going."

Max: "Bless Batman...and bless Daddy's ears that he will listen. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."

A Lovely Loveless Christmas

Yes it was. A very lovely Christmas. Ryan had a little mini depression as I was taking it all down, as he should have. I really love decorating our home for Christmas...maybe one year we will actually be in our own house on Christmas! But in the meantime, we have thoroughly enjoyed spending every Christmas with either my Mom or Ryan's parents. We spent 2 nights in Tooele and it really was enjoyable. I think the only regret I had this Christmas was perhaps that we bought too much for the boys. I didn't think we had, because I starting shopping early and tucked things away, but then I pulled it out to wrap and I was like "What the heck?" The thing is, by many others' standards, we didn't even get them all that much. But, I felt it. I felt the pit when I saw the ridiculous amount of gifts under the tree. I don't want my kids to put such value on "stuff". Stuff doesn't make you happy, in fact, it often consumes so much of your emotional and financial resources that it really makes you unhappy in the end.

There were 8 kids in my family and let's be honest...unless my Dad owned the gas company where he worked, Christmas was always going to be on the lean side. But oh, how we loved Christmas. And ironically, the years that were really lean somehow are the ones that I remember being the most happy. I don't remember the stuff so much...but I remember all the little things that Mom and Dad did to make the holiday special. The kissing ball, made from pine cones and mini-plastic cups, all of Mom's little figurines she had collected through the years, the 'real tree' years, hanging all that tinsel on the tree and then Mom redoing it after we all went to bed, the Christmas Eve outing with Dad, Mom making every package look so perfect, Dad hanging all the lights, perfectly straight, with a star a top the antenna on the house, the jar of hard tack candy (the raspberry ones were my favorite), the dish of mixed nuts with the silver nutcracker, Dad always handing out the gifts, the company party at the Rec Hall, ...I could go on and on.

Perhaps that's why I am obsessed with making pretty packages. I know that many of them will likely go unnoticed, and worse, what took 15 minutes to make pretty, will be on the floor in 15 seconds. Mom passed that onto me. I like pretty paper. I like pretty ribbon. I like pretty packages. I like the lights on the house, and I want them perfectly straight, just like Dad did. I vow to find the hard tack candy like they used to make and to buy the nuts still in the shell, even if I am the only one who eats them.

And this is why my children will be getting less stuff. Do they deserve the world? Yes. And they want it given to them in time and attention and love. Toys cannot replace memories. And memories, as I've pointed out, are what last.

Christmas Afternoon

On Christmas afternoon, everyone descends on the Loveless home again for the family gift exchange. We draw names each year and swap them just before we all have lunch.mark gets a new buckleryan & scottbrooke & calli...loving matching bomber jacketsthe hosts--grandma and grandpa
sam & jesse--iTunes anyone? stacey & bryant
all the pretty girlsporter gets a new Greek gods & heroes book