Happy Birthday Mom!

A very happy birthday shout out to my mother, and Max's Nana...I love you mom!

I think I need to watch more football...

Sometimes I find myself wondering how it is that I have come to know so much more about the game of football yet Ryan still knows nothing about horses or dancing (with me, not in general). Then he does things like clean the bathroom, dishes, laundry, dirty little boy bum--all in one day as he often does--and I think...I should be watching a lot more football with him. Then he surprises me with my favorite shake while he and Max are out grabbing some groceries for me. I think I will never catch up.

Craving...Addicted

I cannot get enough of the nectarines from Costco. I've been through a dozen already. Just bought another dozen tonight. I love Costco for many reasons, but this is my latest addiction. I suppose I could have worse cravings. I craved citrus fruit throughout my pregnancy with Max too. With him it was oranges.

Good Max, Bad Max

Good Max...

loves to play outside. He loves to go out back and pick strawberries out of the garden patch. He loves to watch his little shows in the morning and sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Blue's Clues, Wiggles songs, the Sunbeam song, Baa Baa Black Sheep, and many more. He loves to count to five (although out of order). He loves to bring mommy and daddy books to read to him. He loves to ask for and eat Popsicles with Dad at night and to shake his little booty to every jingle. Good Max loves to play with Uncle Mark and Jeff and all his cousins. He loves to give "loves" to all and wave to anyone driving by. He loves blocks and balls. Good Max loves to look at and softly touch his baby cousin, Cole. He loves going to the store and on any outings with his family. Good Max says all sorts of words now: Mama, Daddy, Mar (Mark), Jeh (Jeff), Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, all animals (although he refers to them my sound rather than by name), banana, strawberry, apple (which means all other fruits that resemble apples), Popsicle, cheese, juice, Show, balloon, vacuum, and pretty much anything else we tell him to say. Good Max helps clean up his toys when asked and is a generally happy child.

BAD MAX...

says "No" much, much more now. He will do the exact opposite of what you tell him all while staring you right in the face, or worse, wait until you turn your head and then do it. Bad Max pinches, bites, and hits on occasion...and not just when he is upset...he will do it when he is playing and excited. Bad Max continues to pick Mom's face, not just her eyelashes. He got a mole the other day and a bloody mess ensued. Bad Max still is having a hard time consistently sleeping through the night in his own bed...although he is doing better.



The other day Mom and Aunt Jolea went to Roberts to buy some craft paint. Bad Max opened a bottle and poured it all over his good clothes and Mom's bag. Mom had to strip him down in the bathroom and carry him out in his diaper. It was the one time I didn't pack wipes or an extra diaper. It got even better when we realized we were locked out of our house. We spent the afternoon at Jolea's...waiting for Daddy to come rescue us. The picture above shows what happens to little boys who ruin their clothes with paint and have to borrow from their cousin, Sarah.



Obviously anyone who has had a 21 month old knows that Bad usually just means curious. So while Mom and Dad have had to give and take a few more time outs than we would like, we love both Good and Bad Max. It is so fun to watch his little personality form and all the new things he is soaking up.

Where in the World is...

While my once very faithful blogging habit has somewhat wavered, don't think it's from a lack of worthy blog material. I have just been a slacker. Our home computer is a piece of junk so I have to wait to use the good laptop when Ryan isn't using it. By the time he comes home, the last thing I want to do is to muster up the energy to boot up, wait, download, wait, then try to get the creative juices flowing to post something even remotely worthy of reading. So here's my attempt to convince the rest of you that life for the Loveless' hasn't slowed and only gets more interesting as our Max nears his second birthday.

Outings: Yes, we do go places, other than WalMart and Costco...occasionally.

Swiss Days 2008

My darling sister, Jolea, introduced me to a little festival held in the mountain valleys of Midway, Utah a few years ago and I anticipate Labor Day weekend every year for that particular reason. It's full of cute boutique stuff, lots of food, music, parades, etc all in the middle of this quaint mountain resort town settled by the Swiss pioneers. This year Jolea could not make it so somehow I talked Ryan into going with me. He, Max and I got up early and we drove to Midway. I found a couple of cute things, we had a chicken and swiss sandwich, watched some entertainment and called it a morning. It was a good day.

State Fair 2008

My first trip to the state fair (if you don't count the Rascal Flatts concert I attended like 6 years ago with college friends there). We decided to go for family night last week. We knew there were going to be lots of livestock there; Max has a slight infatuation with barn animals of every kind right now. He knows all the sounds they make and we knew that he would love it. I was very tempted to devote an entire blog post to the many musings of the State Fair...I had to refrain from my natural instincts to pull out the camera for all kinds of blog worthy material including State Fair attire, State Fair love, State Fair crazies...you get the picture. So while I have only family fun to document, don't let that fool you. I went in part to capture the good trash that every State Fair provides.Max loved riding the pony as long as Daddy was holding on tight. He even showed off his rodeo royalty wave.He also had a strange fascination with all of these cut out boards. He loved them!

Max was begging for the big, yellow slide. While his face showed fear, he loved the thrill and wanted to do it again!

PJ's on...we are ready for the ride home! What a great night it was. Max was enthralled by all the lights and rides and Dad and Mom indulged in homemade ice cream and a caramel apple! I think the State Fair has won us over!

BYU FOOTBALL @ UNCLE MARK'S

Our weekly outing has taken us just five houses down the street. Since my husband's good conscience wouldn't let him buy season tickets this year (leaving his pregnant wife and son home for 6 or 7 weekends while he indulged himself in football heaven), we have made the weekly trek down the street where the entire family can indulge in our guilty pleasure...BYU football is back and is making us very happy. What doesn't make us happy is that our cable provider won't pick up the Mountain, the only station that televises all the games. Thank goodness Mark lives close. Max even knows where all the spatula and Tupperware cupboards are now. We feel very at home there. I have my husband and he has his family and we all have the game. Win, Win, Win.

Let me explain

Explanation for:
--no blogging
--no returning phone calls, even though I ment to
--sleeping in
--no housework
--roots (hair roots)
--bucket beside the bed
--no running of the 1/2 marathon I had been training so hard for
--passing out episode
--eternal stomach ache

3 months pregnant and counting. Still sick, but it's easing up. Due date is March 3. Ryan is a God Sent Angel. He's kept it all going around here for months.

The Best Kind of Busy

I remember at one time in my life thinking, "When I don't have to work anymore and I am just home with my kids, life will slow down." Now I know why every mom around me was laughing. It seems that since Max came, life has just been a whirlwind and I've never been busier.

As if parenthood in and of itself doesn't keep you busy enough, Ryan and I have both had very rewarding but very busy callings serving in the Elders Quorum and YW presidencies for over a year. Between his weekly meetings and special assignments from the bishop and my mutual activities, youth conference, and girls camp, we happily served and happily relished our 3 days a week we had to spend with each other.

About a month ago, our ward split and Ryan was called as the new EQ president of a brand new ward. We are excited for this opportunity for him to serve and while I dearly miss my calling in the YW, I am grateful for my new "Sunday only" calling as the Nusery Coordinator.

I must say I have such an appreciation for those families who have fathers and husbands serving in the bishoprics. And as much as I would like to have more evenings with my husband, I know that the Lord gives us blessings that are reserved for those who willingly sacrifice so much time for the church. Months ago, Ryan and I were both having one of those complaining moments, feeling like we were just being spread too thin. It didn't take long before we both realized we had better shut our mouths and repent, and always give thanks for the opportunities we had been given to serve.

While we are busy, it's a good busy. It's a happy busy. It's a fulfilling busy. Indeed, it's the best kind of busy.

10 years already?

Friends Forever

I had mixed feelings at first about going to my 10 year reunion. I really only have a handful of close friends from high school and luckily for me, I've had the opportunity to see most of them in the last 5 years. However, I knew that this might be the only opportunity for us all to be together in one place at one time so my very sweet husband consented that our summer vacation would be spent in in New Mexico and in Eagar, AZ (population less than 10,000).The Girls-clockwise: Me, Kacey, Trinity, Jo, Heather, Sarah Slade, Sarah Smith, middle:Savana
As Ryan grew up in Tooele, a short 45 minute drive from us, I have had the opportunity to meet many of his friends and see and hear about much of where he grew up, went to school, worked, etc. I was excited to share that with him. Trinity--my best friend & Class 0f 1998 President= organizer of 10 year reunion

Although I only spent the last year 1/2 of my high school career in AZ, it was the most influential time of my life. There is no doubt in my mind that the 6 people I called best friends in high school have helped shape who I am today and where I am today. I will forever be grateful for them.Rusty, Payne, Bryce, Lee, Kacey, Me
I think Ryan was pleasantly surprised as we approached Eagar. When I say that I graduated in AZ, I think people automatically assume it's a desert. But as we drove through the pines at 8,000 feet, he could understand why I loved it so much. Round Valley is a little secret oasis to me. My "Guy" friends: Payne, Bryce, Rusty
It was so fun to reunite with the gang, to see how we have all moved on but how we all still cherish so many memories and especially the friendships we made. I loved seeing my friends with their spouses and with their kids. We've all made it and while most of us have moved away (and some have moved back), I think it's safe to say our roots will forever be in Round Valley. My closest girls

Max loves GRAMS!

Max with his Great-Gram

As much as I wanted to live in denial, the fact that my 10 year HS reunion was held over the 4th of July weekend in Eagar, AZ was proof enough that I am indeed old, well older than I used to be. Ryan and I decided to make a vacation of sorts out of it and go to New Mexico first so that we all could spend some time with Gram.

Max on his first airplane ride

There was no way that we were going to be 4 hours from Gram and not stop in for a few days. We were so glad that we did. It was nice to have her all to ourselves for two days. Max acclimated himself very well to Gram's house and especially all her trinkets. He was in heaven with all that room to run around in. It didn't take him too long to warm up to Gram. She figured him out pretty quickly; all you have to do to be friends with Max is take him outside or take him to see a dog. Max loved throwing bread and marshmallows to Gram's dog Sadie each night. Gram of course was the perfect hostess and made her special breakfasts and burritos for Ryan and I. We were so glad that we got to spend some time visiting with Aunt Jo and with WC who had just drove in from San Diego for the 4th.

WC shows Max his "toys"

We also got to take Max to the cemetery to see Dad's grave. Although we were only there for a short time, it meant so much to me to be with extended family and to have Max get some one on one time with his great-Gram.Max & Mommy at my Dad's grave

Gram, Max, Me & W.C.

Life's a Dance

A few weeks ago, Jolea's little girl Sarah had her first dance recital. Carrie and her family came down as did my Mom and Eli. We had such a great time being together for the weekend. Jolea's new little one was blessed and we enjoyed the short few days we all had to spend time with eachother.

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