What's in a name?

I love names. I enjoy knowing the meanings of names and whether people are named after a family member, friend, celebrity, etc. I like the story behind a name.

My name is Emily Grace. I was going to be Sarah Grace. I'm Emily because my dad decided he didn't want Sarah at the very last minute. My mom, in near-panic, told him to pick a new one because we'd be leaving the hospital soon. He liked Emily, so he chose it. My middle name comes from my grandmother, my dad's mom. Her middle name was also Grace.
Emily means "Industrious, to strive or excel."
Grace means "grace of God."
I like my name.

David's name is David Goulding. He was named after his grandfather whose name was also David. For many generations the names Harry and David were alternated - David's great-grandfather was Harry, his grandfather was David, his father is Harry, and he is David. His dad actually asked us not to name our son Harry, for which I was thankful. I can't imagine having a son named Harry. David's middle name, Goulding, is his mother's maiden name.
David means "beloved."
Goulding, well, the only thing I could find on Goulding seeing as it's a surname is that it means "Gold" or "slope where marigolds grow."

Xander's name is Alexander David. He was named after his daddy, the best person I could think of to name our son after. I hope he grows up to be just like him. Handsome, smart, kind, generous, sweet, loving...
But I digress. David and I agreed wholeheartedly on Alexander, as long as he would be called Xander. David's not real fond of Alex. We both liked the name Alexander, so we chose it. I really like what it means.
Alexander means "defender of mankind."
David means "beloved."
Our son is the "beloved defender of mankind." Awesome.

Baby girl's name is....

Amelia Jayne

That's the one.
We've chosen it.
And we love it.

Our daughter is named after two of the most loving and amazing grandmothers ever. David's mom is Amelia and my mom is Jayne. It's perfect. We couldn't think of anyone better to name our daughter after. These women who have been such integral, amazing influences in our lives. The women who've been there for us, cared for us, given us love, support and comfort. Plus, they're best friends. How awesome is that? And amazingly enough, the name Amelia is a variation of Emily. That's pretty darn cool.
Amelia means "Industrious, to strive or excel."
Jayne means "God is gracious."
I LOVE this name.

God is so, so gracious.

Oh my gymnast!

I love this baby I'm carrying inside of me. In my eyes she's already perfect. I can just imagine her little fingers and toes, her beautiful little mouth, the little coos she'll make that will melt my heart. I love being a part of her forming - she needs a vessel to grow in and I'm the privileged carrier! How amazingly wonderful! Her little love taps and hiccups and larger love pushes have already won me over...

But sometimes I wonder - what is she doing in there?!? I really wish I could show you how it feels. I've been sitting at my desk (at work) for about the last 5 hours. With the exception of an occasional trip to the bathroom, water cooler, or quick errand around the library, I've been sitting the majority of the time. She has been going non-stop for the whole five hours! She's doing flips, kicking her legs and flailing her arms. I often think she's really practicing gymnastics. Or maybe she'll be a wrestler. Who knows. But she's certainly working on something in there.

Waumba Land

Xander at church - lounging. :)

Busy, busy!!

It's such a busy season, but a fun one, too!

In the past 6 weeks we've:
celebrated with friends the births of two precious little babies,
gone on a beach trip with the Little fam for a week,
gone to the lake three times,
celebrated three birthdays,
had two doctor appointments and two ultrasounds,
had two baby showers (for other friends)
and loved living life! Whew!

In the next six weeks we will:
go on another week-long beach trip this time with the Walkers (my fam),
go to the lake a couple more times,
celebrate three more babies being born,
paint Xander's new room and get it ready,
have two more doctor appointments including the gestational diabetes test,
do some things around the house to get ready for baby girl,
and RELAX! All while loving life. :)

Amidst all the fun and chaotic moments we forget about that last part, the relaxing bit. I've been running around so much that I certainly feel the need for it! In fact, I think I'm going to treat myself to a prenatal massage during the next six weeks!

Encouragement for Friday

Today is in God's hands and so are you.

His hands are strong and will uphold you;
His hands are great and will enfold you;
His hands are gentle and will embrace you;
His hands are protective and will cover you;
His hands are reassuring and will quiet you;
His hands are powerful and will defend you;
His hands are parental and will train you;
His hands are masterful and will conform you;
His hands are compassionate and will care for you;
His hands are healing and will renew you;
His hands are calming and will comfort you;
His hands are giving and will bless you.
The hands that hold you will never let you down.

-Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer

I like to clap!

These are kind of blurry - I was stopped at a stop light and quickly snapped these shots. Anyway, Xander has a favorite song that he sings at church called "I Like To." It goes like this:

I like to clap every day

I like to clap every day

I like to clap every day

because I know He loves me.

Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

etc...

The song also mentions liking to jump and dance. Clapping is easiest in the car. :)

Boat experience

I am so behind! These are pics we took at the end of May/beginning of June. We've been to the lake house, swum in the lake and ridden on the boat several times since then, but here I am finally getting them posted!

Aunt B and Xander driving the boat. 

 Mommy and Xander driving the boat.

Love doing fun things with my little boy! 

I think the boat makes him sleepy - he kept looking like he would fall asleep! 

We are so blessed that David's parents allow us to use their lake house and amenities (boat, jet skis, floats, kayaks, canoe, games, etc.) pretty much whenever we'd like. We have so much fun there! Xander absolutely loves the water so this is one of his favorite places!