All In A Name

When we were in St. Louis celebrating Christmas, somehow the meaning of names had become a topic of discussion.  My six-year old niece was devastated to discover her name Mara meant "bitter", and I started to worry what Alexa and Grant might mean, as Damon and I had never considered that when selecting names for our kiddos.  

I had to laugh when I looked up the meaning of Alexa - "protector of men."  It's quite an appropriate association for Alexa, as she is a tough little girl and has always been fiercely protective of her Daddy (i.e. calling me out for trying to use "Daddy's mixer" in the kitchen) and baby brother.  I'll always remember when I would pick Alexa up from school, carrying Grant in his infant car seat, and Alexa would watch the other children like a hawk as they came over to see "her baby."  She was always proud to introduce him and would remind the kids to wash their hands or sanitize before they touched Granty.  Alexa was quite the protective big sister of Granty; I'm glad to know that he's watching over her now :)

I don't think Damon or I could have picked a better name for Grant - his name simply means "great."  I can think of a million adjectives to describe my beloved baby boy, but I think "great" sums it up pretty well.

Alexa with her favorite "protectee."

Loving every minute of one of their last visits together.
(Yes, I'm bawling as I upload this photo....)