Friday, June 7, 2013

Painted Sky

Yesterday was my 25th birthday. It being a Thursday, nothing too eventful happened. I enjoyed lunch with my mom, I let myself off the hook on housework, my parents took the boys out for a while so I could have some time alone so I read a book. I got some wonderful gifts from my husband and my parents after dinner. I was relaxing and the kind of day that I really needed.

After dinner and before gifts I went outside with my little guys. They love the dirt. As I was standing outside I became suddenly captivated with the sunset. Colors of soft pink illuminated into orange in certain spots, surrounded by a grey clouds swirling together with the pinks. "How does he do that?" I wondered. He must just enjoy the ability to blow our minds everyday with His artwork. There is maybe nothing better about New Mexico than the sunsets. I can't imagine my life without them at this point, and yet, as common as they are, each one enchants me.

I resolved last night, as I was trying to take in every last bit before it drifted off into nighttime, that my Father had painted the sky for me. A reminder that He's there, He knows how to get my attention and He, the Creator of the Universe, wants to give me good things. He has the time. He delights in putting a smile on my face.

Anyway, I just wanted to drop in and say, you matter. Maybe people don't always know how to make us feel special (although my family did pretty good) but God does. Just look around, He will definitely amaze you.
-Lindsay

Thursday, June 6, 2013

I Wish I was a Professional Baby-Namer

That's right. If I could just make up a job and have people pay me for it, that's what I would do. Celebrities could come to me and I could help them set the trends for the year. I've already chosen the name for little Miss Kimye. Krimson. Krimson West. And when the name her Easton, I'm going to throw a fit and wonder why they did not come to me FIRST! So I thought it would be cool to do a post all about names that I think are awesome. Cause your name stays with you no matter what else changes, and I think that's powerful.

I'm throwing in some All American names and we'll do boys first:

1. Lyndon. Like Landon, but less common and presidential.
2. Harrison. As in Ford. How cool would it be to walk around knowing your named after Han Solo AND Indiana Jones? That's what's up.
3. Carson. I just think it's cool, and fyi it is currently ranked #85 in the US. Carson Stats So you see I'm slightly ahead of the trend.
4. Parker. It's preppy, it's crisp on the lips. I love it.
5. Noah. Had I been a boy, my name would be Noah. I've always liked it, it makes me think of The Notebook, and who wouldn't want their son to be that kind of man?
6. Arion. I obviously love Hebrew names. This one means "with melody." It would definitely work in our musical home.
7. Hosea. I didn't want to give away a personal choice of mine, but this biblical name, and the man he was, are both seriously overlooked.
8. Rhodes. I'm a fan of names after places. Charlotte, Sydney, Houston, Raleigh. I love them all.
9. Ryder. Only an extremely cool kid could pull of Ryder, but.. well.. I make those, so...
10. River. Ok, I know it's kinda earthy. I just love actual rivers and I think it's a great name. The runner-up was Forrest, which I also love, but all I can think of is "run Forrest, RUN!" For the rest of his life.

GIRL NAMES, cause we know you can get a little more creative with girls, so this should be fun.

1. Ember. I thought this would be a super unique name, but everyone else seems to think it would be confused with Amber all the time, and just get annoying. I still think it's pretty.
2. Carter.  I love names for girls that almost sound like boy names.
3. Hunter. Same theory as Carter. I think Hunter is good unless she really is a backwoods hunter. That just seems too predictable.
4. Winter. Season names are great. Except Spring. Spring is not a good name for anything but maybe a bunny.
5. Gemma. Meaning Jewel or precious stone. Who doesn't want their daughter though of as a Gem? and doesn't that make a really cute nickname?
6. Rae. One syllable, three letters. It just leaves so much room for her to be more than a long drawn out name. Simple is good.
7. Dahlia. Pretty, different but not foreign and, of course, the name of a flower.
8. Savannah. I mentioned that I'm a fan of location-related names. I'd also like to add that I used to take care of a little girl named Savannah and she was the sweetest little thing ever! Some names stick with you when you relate them with someone you enjoyed being around.
9. Sadie. I know it's been done, and done again, but I just love the name Sadie. It means Princess, so that's part of it. It's just so fun and spunky while still being very girly. Not getting over it. Ever. Deal.
10. Hannah. You cannot go wrong with a strong name like Hannah. The mother of Samuel, the woman strong enough to believe for a son. I love her. I would gladly give my daughter that legacy.

So those are my picks. If you're trying to name your baby, please consider these. Most of them are at the tail end of the top 100 list, meaning your kid would be slightly ahead of the trend. Happy naming! Love-
Lindsay