A Tribute to Max's Dad

Belated Fathers Day Blessings

I am so grateful for the fathers in my life. For my own father for teaching me to be respectful, the value of hard work, and to always be true to your word. He taught me that if you work hard first, you can play even harder later. I learned from his example how to take care of your things and to make them last. I miss him, his laugh, his pratical jokes, his maticulous yard, and the way he loved us.
I am grateful for a brother who set such a good example for me by serving such a good mission and then coming home and watching out for me our first years at Ricks College; his wisdom helped through some tough things.

I am grateful for bishops and home teachers who looked out for me and counseled me in my youth and my young adulthood; they gave me opportunities for growth for which I will always be grateful for.

I am grateful my father-in-law and for my brothers-in-law, on both sides. I have been so blessed to have them in my life. I will always feel indebted to my father-in-law for the things he taught his sons. He taught them how to truely serve others and how to be dependable and responsible. He taught them the gospel and what it means to honor their priesthood. He taught them how to respect women and how to treat their mother. I watch how he treats his own sweet wife and it is truely one of the greatest examples of selfless love I have ever seen.

Today, I am most grateful for my husband, Ryan--the father of our son and the best example of a dad I can think of. My mom reminds me often of just how lucky I am to have someone who hasn't ever fathered out of obligation, but out of sincere love for Max and for myself. He changed the first diaper, he takes over when he comes home from work so I can have a break, he cleans up after dinner, does bathtime, does chores, and his best parenting ablility--plays with Max every spare minute he has. Ryan has often said that when he is away from us, his thoughts are always how he can't wait to get home to us. I am so blessed and Max is so blessed. I will never have to worry about our children being raised right, being taught the gospel by their father, or having a righteous example to look up to. What a good feeling that is...I love you Ryan!

Runners High & 100 Bucks

Post Race Pic-- Me, Ryan & one very ready to get out of the stinkin' cold, Max
I've often heard others describe runners as a "different breed" or just plain "crazy". I often dismissed the remarks as I considered myself somewhat of a runner and thought, "I'm not one of those runners". Then I met the Loveless' several years ago. Then I married one and witnessed obsession first hand during their marathon training and it all started to make sense. Still I never considered myself one of those crazed obsessed runners. You wouldn't find me in sub-zero or 100+ temps getting in my miles. I have my limits.Grandpa, Grandma, & Jeff wait out the cold for the prize give-away

Saturday was another Loveless Family tradition--the Nestle 5K in Springville. Last year it was blazin' hot. This year it was about 40 degrees and raining. As we were parking in the rain, I was watching all these crazy runners warming up in the rain...for a little 5K no less! I thought to myself "these people are crazy" followed by a very quick after thought "and I am one of them." That's right. We bundled Max up in the jogger, put the rain shield on, handed him off to the grandparents (who walk with the babies every year), and Ryan and I jogged on over to the starting line with beads of rain pelting our face...at 7:30 am no doubt! I did hear voices saying over and over again "Why are you doing this when you have the comfort of a treadmill at home?" But there's just something about the race vs. a run. I guess I know why people are crazed with running and racing. It's the high that you get when you push yourself, when you train, and when you are sprinting those first 100 m with about 2000 others. I set a goal to finish around 24 minutes and did just that. Ryan, who could easily have finished 2-3 minutes faster than that, was kind enough to stay with me to help me keep pace. I love him for that.

Mark keeps Camilla warm after the race

After the race, is about 1 hour prize drawings. Before the race became so popular, someone in the family would win every year. (I believe a certain tool set we own came from the Nestle 5K prize give-away). The past three years have not been kind to the Loveless family. However, I am beginning to believe that my luck is changing...first the pots and on Saturday they called #1423 and I won $100 cash!

Max cheers for Mommy winning $100

Was getting up at 5:45 am, driving to Springville, running in the rain, shin splints, and sitting in the freezing cold waiting for a 1-in-who-knows-what-chance to win something worth the runner's high and the $100?

I suppose you can call me one of those crazy runners because I'd do it again tomorrow.

Mr. Independent

I have to admit that I have not been the best at letting Max tackle specific foods on his own. While he has been eating anything that I can tear or cut up but that still remains in solid form for months now, I've been slow to let him dig into the "messy" foods. Ryan on the other hand will take mashed potatoes straight out of the pot and plop them right onto his tray, no dish required. When we went to my mom's house for a few weekends ago, she made spaghetti and said I needed to let my little boy use his own utensils and dig in. Since it was at her house and over her floors, I conceded.

Needless to say, he loved using his own spoon and fork and ever since, he demands feeding himself, utensils required.

Memorial Weekend in Idaho

Mom & Max have fun with the horses on a very windy day
Nana & Avery
Jim gives his horses their meds
Ryan looks good hangin' on a round pen
Daddy & Max enjoy watching Jim work his horses

Father, Son & Gardening

With the rise in food prices, I am very thankful that my husband has such a love for gardening. This is the 3rd year we have planted and every year it gets a little better. Ryan's Dad always has a great garden and he must have passed on his love for it to his boys because although Ryan can't eat a lot from the garden, he sure likes to plant it and care for it. About three weekends ago he planted the entire garden with tomatoes, green beans, peas, lettuce, cucumbers, green onions, bell peppers, cantaloupe and watermelon...and I got some great pics of him continuing that father son tradition with one very interested little boy.

Just Living

The beautiful mother's day bouquet from Ryan, arranged by him

Forgive me for my lack of posting...here's a little of what has been going on. I have absolutely no good excuse for my poor blogging.

Beginning where I left off...the pots arrived the day we left for Mom's for Memorial Day weekend. They are everything I wanted them to be and more.

Memorial Day in Idaho---absolutely relaxing and wonderful. Despite the fact that it rained almost everyday we were there, we loved getting to spend some quality time with just us and Mom, Eli and Kelsey. It was great that Max didn't have to compete for his Nana's attention. He acclimated himself very well to her home and toys. We even got to spend a little time with Jim and his girls and we finally got to meet the newest additions to their family, Pace & Chance, their yearling horses.

Have been doing the gym thing for about a solid month now (even though last week was very hit and miss). 5:30 am comes stinkin early, but I'm doing it. I do one bootcamp class, and 2 muscle toning classes. The other 3 days of the week it's all about running.

Long Runs with Ryan and Max on Saturday mornings have actually become something I look forward too. We have a great trail that runs along the river. Since Ryan is in primo condition, he gets to push Max, which slows him down just enough so that I can keep his pace.

Provo River 1/2 Marathon:August 9th--it's official. I just registered. Only two months to complete my training. I didn't think it was possible to get more blisters on my toes. I'm thinking it's time for some new running shoes...again.

Max is developing quite the strong personality. He has no problem letting us know how he feels about any given thing. He communicates to us daily his strong desire to live outdoors. Perhaps I will set up his bed in the backyard. That way we both win...he gets to live outside and I can get some sleep. That's right, he still wakes up during the night and wants to come get in our bed. Not every night, but it seems to go in spurts of good and bad nights. I blame ourselves completely. I've just conceded to the fact that we've really screwed him up.

Counting down the days to my 10 year reunion trip to Arizona and New Mexico.

I WON....

I won $440 in Saunte Cookware. It's all cast iron with red enamel coating on the outside. I can't wait to get it. Thanks to all who took time to catch my 3 minutes of fame!

My Deal or No Deal Debut!

So I entered a contest a few weeks ago. Today I got a phone call letting me know that I had been selected to play Deal or No Deal on Studio 5 tomorrow at 11 am. While I realize that I won't have a shot at winning a million bucks, nor will I get to meet Howie like my good friend Spanky, who played the real game (by the way, his episode airs June 11th), I am finally realizing the blessings of being a somewhat loyal viewer of Studio 5. Ryan always thinks I am ridiculous for entering such things, which I can slightly understand because I am clearly the most unlucky person on the face of the planet. I cannot even manage to win a free 16 oz cola from a twist off cap (aren't those like 1 in 3?). However, tomorrow my luck is changing, because I am guaranteed a prize. Sadly, the one I really wanted was won today--a $1000 shopping spree to Engh Gardens. So I think I'm going for the day spa retreat. All the other really great ones were taken as well. There are only like 5 of 20 cases left. I will be playing via phone call so wish me luck!

Stairs are good for something

A Tribute to my Mothers

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie."--Tenneva Jordan

My mom, and Nana to Max and 15 others

"I remember my mother's prayers, and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life."--Abraham Lincoln JoAnn, the greatest mother-in-law in the world and Grandma to Max

"The future destiny of a child is always the work of its mother."--NapoleonMy adorable Gram, and Max's Great Gram

"Why did God make mothers? To teach us how to love Him. To teach us how to love."--Larissa Carrick The ultimate party thrower-Grandma J. & Max's Great Grandma J.

"The successful mother, the mother who does her part in rearing and training aright the boys and girls who are to be the men and women of the next generation, is of greater use to the community....She is more important by far than the successful statesman or businessman or artist or scientist." Theodore Roosevelt

i am a Mother

"I think my life began with waking up and loving my mother's face." --George Eliot

I Am Amazed

I've always known that my mother was amazing, not in the cliche sense of the word, but in it's truest, purest meaning. She amazed the world by bringing 8 children to it for starters. She amazed my father by the ease that she cared for them with. Meals were made, the home was kept clean, the children always looked nice when they needed to and dirty when they didn't need to--you know, just the way children should look. She amazed Dad even more that she could do all this on hand-me-downs and a farmer's budget. She amazed a West Texas community with her dedication to our minority faith. A 50 mile trip, one way, was just part of keeping that faith. She had that suburban on auto pilot. It knew how to get her to Primary and Relief Society presidency meetings, Sunday worship, mutual, and WalMart. It also knew to stop at Albertson's on Saturday nights for a dozen glazed donuts for the trip home. She amazed the little league by getting 4 to 7 kids uniformed and in pigtails, while simultaneously, running the concessions for the entire league, all while cheering for every base run, point scored, and out thrown. She amazed me by her ability to see everything I was doing, and everything I was doing wrong. I still don't know how she always knew. Were there not 7 other children to be minding to? The fact that she ran a household of 10 with only one bathroom is amazing in and of itself.

When she became a single mother at age 40, moved her family to AZ on her own, reentered the workplace, then became a full-time student again after 20+ years, my amazement of her seemed as if it had peaked; through it all she was still mothering her children through cheer, basketball, dance, fights, break-ups, breakdowns, college, marriage, and playing Nana to 16 grandchildren.

That is until I had my own son, and became a mother myself. It's one thing to watch a mother, appreciate a mother, recognize a mother for her life of selfless service. But it is when you experience being a mother that your amazement becomes awe and then quiet and reverent respect. It is now that I truly know what a mother's love is. That depth only humbles me more, for now I know just how amazing my mother really is.

Happy Mother's Day Mom. I Love You...and no, I won't remove this post, and you can't do anything about it.

Stop That or I'll Take You to the Car Wash!

There is a cry that every parent comes to know. It's different from any other cry. The cry of true and sincere fear is very distinguishable. There have only been two things that have caused our little Max to emit such a cry. Early on and now when caught off guard, the vacuum cleaner has been the suspect. The other is a new suspect; the car wash. We took the jeep through the car wash on two different occasions a few weeks ago and Max freaked out. He is not a fan of a dark enclosed space with a big machine shooting gallons of water and soap at him, followed by the deep roar of a gigantic dryer caressing the car. Today we took the 4-runner through a quick wash. It was confirmed that all the memory functions are working right on cue. The jets hadn't even started up yet and he was already shaking. I felt so bad. After a few short minutes we we're out and the horror of the $4 Express Wash was over.

We drove over to a little boutique to pick up a few mother's day presents, and as we tried to put Max back in his car seat he started throwing a fit (a common occurrence these days). In a very "I'm going to be as collected and firm as a push over Daddy can be" voice, these were the words that came out of my husband's mouth: "You had better stop that or I'm going back to the car wash."

Some people threaten their children with time-out, others with going to their room, and good parents probably don't use threats. Well, the Loveless' have the car wash, and Daddy's not afraid to use it.

Licensed to Drive

Questions:

How long do you have to signal before changing lanes?

What is the leading cause of death in America for the age group 1-24?

If you drive for two consecutive years without any traffic violations, how many points are removed from your driving record?

How long must a person under the age of 18 drive with a permit before being eligible for a license?

What are the four criteria for using a roundabout?

...just a few of the questions I was asked today...by the DMV computer...as I was testing...for a new license...since mine expired...in 2006. Thank you Mr. Macy's Department Store man for bringing it to my attention. Unlike AZ license (which is good for like 25 years), in UT your license is only good for five years. And apparently those 5 years don't start over just because you got a new license when you got married and changed your name. It's been 14 years since I took Driver's Ed. Today I am grateful that the state of Utah allows those of us who might occasionally experience a lapse in memory function the use of the driver's manual...and also for Larry, the very nice man at the DMV that humored rather than humiliated me.