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

Christmas Morn

Can you guess which elf didn't sleep much last night?

A slide from Santa! An autographed copy by Pres. Monson for Mark Ah, Christmas love for Luke! Color, Color, Color!

His very own camera...maybe he'll leave Mom's alone now.

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas with Ryan's family this year.

Christmas Eve started out with yummy food followed by a talent show.Sarah plays the violaMommy and Boys give a finger puppet Nativity playMax gives his best rendition of the Hulk, followed by an explanation of superheros and their powers

Then it was on to Stupid Human Tricks where we learned that Ryan can wiggle both ears, the Pankratz kids can touch their noses with their tongues, and Brooke can fit her entire fist in her mouth.

Of course there was Christmas Bingo......with loads of prizes to be won, including false eyelashes.

Then in was time for Christmas PJ's and lights out for the little ones.The big ones stayed up to decorate packages...

(okay so only I did that because I have this weird need to make packages pretty)...and to arrange and rearrange all the gifts.
Then it was lights out for the big ones finally around 1:00 a.m.
We didn't want to keep Santa waiting any longer!