Little Jake

Jake's full names is Jacob Duke Rhoades. This name is a long story. I've always had a great obsession with John Wayne "The Duke." after we had Sammy I told my hubby that I thought the name Duke was great and we should save it for our next baby. He agreed. The name was Duke James (after one of my favorite great uncles). Some people liked it most didn't. I was CONSTANTLY told how it sounded like a dogs name. Although this is not a good argument considering I have 2 cats named Jerry and George and I've seen dogs named Sophia. But this is why you should keep names secret until the baby arrives.

My mom was always giving alternate suggestions for names. But we held fast to Duke for a while. We had 3 miscarriages before finally getting pregnant with Jake and each one was going to be Duke if they were a boy.

When we got pregnant with Jake my mother suggested the name Jacob. And I though Fine I'll change the name. She was not the only one feeding me alternate names and everyone I met seemed to comment on it being a dog name. UGH! Well since my inspiration for the name was John Wayne (but I'm not a fan of the name John) I picked Jacob from one of my favorite John Wayne movies. And his middle name was going to be Luke (my Dad's middle name and my grandpa's name). After we found out he was a boy my poor husband asked, very cautiously, why I was crying. I was so in love with the name Duke and was worried I'd regret my whole life not naming him that, but was devastated (give me a break I was pregnant) that no one liked it. So Jesse said we should just make Duke the middle name.

So there you have it, Jacob Duke! It's perfect for him. And that's how Jake became Jake.

Why Sammy is Sammy...

I just read a blog about how a mommy picked out the name of her baby and thought I'd do the same! This one will be about Sammy!
Sammy's full name is Samual Lee Rhoades. When Jesse and I first found out we were going to have a baby we decided we'd pick out both a boy and a girl name. The girl name was quite easy. I'd mentioned how I like when a first and middle name can come together to make a popular first name like Abby Gail or Emma Lee. My husbands middle name is Lee(it is also my father-in-law's and my mother's middle name) so he loved Emma Lee.

I decided to stick with Lee as the middle name for the boy's name as well. And after Jesse vetoed every name I had picked out since I was a little girl, he mentioned that for the last few generations in his family the first born son had an "S" name. And he liked that idea. Thus, my search began.

Surprisingly, there aren't a lot of "s" names. I looked through all kinds of baby name apps and books. So I went to our family tree. I figured if I found a name I liked it would have some meaning behind it. Well I did....Samuel. Lots and lots of Samuels on both sides of the family. And Jesse really liked the name. I of course decided that since we had so many in the family he needed a bit of a change so that he could stand out. So I took it and spelled it a little different. Samual.

We had to battle a few individuals who didn't like the "misspelling" of the name. But they can kiss my fanny. They said that people would constantly be spelling his name wrong. I said that it's better than pronouncing it wrong which wouldn't happen. He's already going to always have to spell out his last name for people. Why not his first, too?

Now we call him Sam or Sammy. I actually don't use a nickname most of the time. I thought I would. I'll be interested to see what nicknames he acquires throughout school and as he becomes an adult. I personally think that Sam Rhoades would make a good name for a lawyer or scientist. :-)

The many hats I wear...

I actually don't wear hats but I do carry many different bags... And it's the same general idea. It's sometimes a tad overwhelming so some of them don't nessicarily get the attention they deserve. That makes me quite sad sometimes. I am a wife, a mom, a student, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. Not to mention a cook and a maid,

Since becoming a mom almost two and a half years ago, I have struggled to find a balance between wife and mom. I sometimes treat my husband as though he's another one of my children, and its mostly because, as a stay at home mom, I play mom all day and it's hard to turn it off. Jesse is quite understanding and I do appreciate his presence and conversation. Although I feel sometimes that he'll drive me crazy, I know for a fact I'd go crazy without him.

I'm now a mom of 2. Two BOYS! My everyday is consumed by them. My struggle? Making sure they both get enough attention. The attention they deserve. Jake nurses every few hours, and of course that is always when Sammy decides to tell me he's hungry or needs a diaper change, so he has to wait. Some days it fees like the only attention Sammy gets is when hes getting into trouble. And I'm sure the reason he's causing so much mischief is because he wants more attention. I try to keep my house nice and clean as well. So that is another thing that takes me away. If I don't keep at least the living room clean Sammy trips over the stuff on the floor and hurts himself. I'm working on spending enough time giving both of my boys the time and snuggles they need and deserve.

Did I mention that I'm in my second year of grad school? I feel as though I'm spreading myself too thin adding this to my life. My school work probably doesn't get the attention it deserves. I have weekly readings that, for the most part, don't get read. Skimmed over perhaps, if I'm lucky. I need to start on my proposal for my thesis and choose a committee but that has all taken a spot on the back burner. And the longer I leave it there the worse it will be. In a few weeks I'll need to add teacher to my list of bags that I carry. Oh lord. This load is getting quite heavy...

As a daughter and a sister who lives far away from her family, I do try to stay in touch. We use Facebook, facetime and phone calls. Plus 2 week long trips home a year. God bless FaceTime or i'd feel like a failure in this arena too. I do struggle to make sure I call my mother in law as well. Jesse is not a phone guy so that responsibility falls to me. But that's ok I love talking to my mother In law. It seems as though this is the only area where I have found a good balance.

Most of my friends live far away. So Facebook and phone calls are how we keep in touch. But I don't have a lot of time left after everything else, and when I do... I can't seem to time it right because I rarely get answers. So Facebook is where my friends live. Yet another part of my life I wish I could devote more time and energy to. But there's just nothing left of me. I have made many local acquaintances and one awesome friend. I find it difficult to even find time for them.

I feel bogged down sometimes with all the bags that I carry. They get heavy. In time, I hope, I can find a balance that I'm satisfied with. hopefully I can lighten my load.