I remember precisely the day when I first knew I was pregnant. Mom and Dad took my husband, the girls and I out to Olive Garden. Nothing on the menu sounded good. Odd I know, I mean it's Olive Garden folks!! Then the moment I just "knew" was when a server walked by with a tray of plates for another table and I was overwhelmed with nausea. The smell of the food ruined my appetite for my lunch completely. Smells don't generally make me nauseous. As a former CNA and a mom, I've smelled it all.
I am so excited and anxious about the impending arrival of our 3rd child. July seems so far away, yet I know it will be here before I know it. Our lives will change once again. I will go from being a mom of 2 to a mom of 3 and try to juggle them all. I know there will be days when I want to pull all my hair out, as I sometimes want to do now; however the moments of love, smiles, cuteness and snuggling make up for those times many times over. I cannot wait.
The Speaks Family
July 2011
Monday, December 27, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Christmas Traditions
Growing up I cannot remember one holiday tradition that my immediate family partook in on a regular basis. We did not have a lot of money and I don't remember a Christmas that stands out in my mind as being great or spectacular. Is that because I didn't get great presents or any presents at all?? No. Is it because I didn't get Christmas pajamas or make Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve??? I've never asked my parents about this and perhaps I should. I'm sure there are things they did to try and make Christmas special for us that I just don't remember.
I vowed when I got married that I would always make Christmas special for my family, and for my children whenever God chose to bless up with them. And so it began. We decorated our apartment for Christmas as soon as we returned home from Thanksgiving in Lafayette. I went to JoAnne's weekly to look for sales on Christmas decorations and decor. I remember we gave each other $100 to spend on the other. I spent hours in Kauffman's (which was going out of business in our mall) looking for the perfect gift. I don't remember what all I got, but I do remember these amazing leather driving gloves that were lined with cashmere for like $11.00 or something crazy.
I knew that when we had children I had all sorts of fun things that I wanted to do with them to make Christmas such a fun time of year to look forward to. Our first Christmas with a baby, Eden was just a few months old and we didn't do much with her besides drive to look at Christmas lights. She wouldn't have been able to appreciate it. The following year Eden was 15 months old and Adaleigh was just one week old. We started that year with three simple traditions. The first was a picture of the girls in their Christmas pajamas in front of the tree. The second was they had their own little 2 foot tree with all pink decorations and the third is we drive to the town of Rossville where a man puts on a huge Christmas light display at his home.
This year my daughters are 3 and 4 and it is so incredible to see them getting excited about Christmas. They ask about the things that are coming up and request to see pictures of Christmas's past. Our traditions have grown and will continue to grow as the years go on. I dread when the girls are too old or too cool to get excited about our Christmas traditions. I dread the year when they do not squeal in excitement about going to Purdue University to see the largest indoor Christmas tree they've ever seen and a gingerbread house that's big enough for them to walk inside of.
I believe that even if you are dirt poor it is the Christmas traditions that your children will remember and not what they got for Christmas. If every year on Christmas Eve you attend Christmas Eve service as a family and then go home to bake and decorate cookies in Christmas Pajamas, get a pic in front of the tree and read the Christmas story- then that is what they will remember.
I vowed when I got married that I would always make Christmas special for my family, and for my children whenever God chose to bless up with them. And so it began. We decorated our apartment for Christmas as soon as we returned home from Thanksgiving in Lafayette. I went to JoAnne's weekly to look for sales on Christmas decorations and decor. I remember we gave each other $100 to spend on the other. I spent hours in Kauffman's (which was going out of business in our mall) looking for the perfect gift. I don't remember what all I got, but I do remember these amazing leather driving gloves that were lined with cashmere for like $11.00 or something crazy.
I knew that when we had children I had all sorts of fun things that I wanted to do with them to make Christmas such a fun time of year to look forward to. Our first Christmas with a baby, Eden was just a few months old and we didn't do much with her besides drive to look at Christmas lights. She wouldn't have been able to appreciate it. The following year Eden was 15 months old and Adaleigh was just one week old. We started that year with three simple traditions. The first was a picture of the girls in their Christmas pajamas in front of the tree. The second was they had their own little 2 foot tree with all pink decorations and the third is we drive to the town of Rossville where a man puts on a huge Christmas light display at his home.
This year my daughters are 3 and 4 and it is so incredible to see them getting excited about Christmas. They ask about the things that are coming up and request to see pictures of Christmas's past. Our traditions have grown and will continue to grow as the years go on. I dread when the girls are too old or too cool to get excited about our Christmas traditions. I dread the year when they do not squeal in excitement about going to Purdue University to see the largest indoor Christmas tree they've ever seen and a gingerbread house that's big enough for them to walk inside of.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
The Mind of a 4 Year Old
As my husband and I have begun to talk to our girls about the little one that's on the way it's amazing the questions and concerns that have arisen from our 4 year old Eden.
~"Dad when you go to the store please pick up bottles and baby food? We don't have any yet."
~"Mom, when we have your baby party it should probably be in the spring time. Because since the baby is coming in summer time it will be hot and I don't want you to be getting really too hot for your party, okay?"
~"Mom, don't forget when you buy me and Addy Christmas pajamas to get some for the baby, okay?"
~"I'm going to feed (him) and rock (him) and even change diapers mom because that's what good sisters do. And if they are stinky I will just hold my breath."
Today I heard Eden in her toy room throwing things around. When I asked he what she was doing she replied, "I'm throwing away all my toys to make room for the baby's nursery". I went in there to find her with a huge trash bag stuffing all her toys in it. She was convinced that the toy room (which is being moved downstairs so that room can be converted to a nursery) is not going to be ready when the baby gets here. I tried explaining to her that we had PLENTY of time to get the nursery ready. She was not convinced. "What if (he) comes early?" she said.
It's so crazy to me that at her age she feels responsible. She feels the need to make sure that the baby has everything it needs before it arrives even with its arrival date many months away. We have moms and dads that put themselves before their children every day. Parents who find it of a priority to buy cigarettes and fast food than to clothe and feed their unbathed children. How is it that a 4 year old knows what's important when it comes to taking care of a new baby, and parents to whom that instinct should be completely natural lack it entirely.
~"Dad when you go to the store please pick up bottles and baby food? We don't have any yet."
~"Mom, when we have your baby party it should probably be in the spring time. Because since the baby is coming in summer time it will be hot and I don't want you to be getting really too hot for your party, okay?"
~"Mom, don't forget when you buy me and Addy Christmas pajamas to get some for the baby, okay?"
~"I'm going to feed (him) and rock (him) and even change diapers mom because that's what good sisters do. And if they are stinky I will just hold my breath."
Today I heard Eden in her toy room throwing things around. When I asked he what she was doing she replied, "I'm throwing away all my toys to make room for the baby's nursery". I went in there to find her with a huge trash bag stuffing all her toys in it. She was convinced that the toy room (which is being moved downstairs so that room can be converted to a nursery) is not going to be ready when the baby gets here. I tried explaining to her that we had PLENTY of time to get the nursery ready. She was not convinced. "What if (he) comes early?" she said.
It's so crazy to me that at her age she feels responsible. She feels the need to make sure that the baby has everything it needs before it arrives even with its arrival date many months away. We have moms and dads that put themselves before their children every day. Parents who find it of a priority to buy cigarettes and fast food than to clothe and feed their unbathed children. How is it that a 4 year old knows what's important when it comes to taking care of a new baby, and parents to whom that instinct should be completely natural lack it entirely.
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