The Names I Picked

Well, if you know anything about me, you probably know that I love

names! The best part about not finding out the gender of the baby,

in my opinion, is getting to pick two names. Pretty much right from

day one I was inspired with two, Cash and Vale. (I was also pretty

certain from day one that it would be a girl...). There are few things

I like to consider when picking a name, which are consistency,

theme, etc.  I like everybody to feel like they belong together.

So our theme is sort of surnames (British isles/Irish), or place names,

for girls feminine sounding but not girly/frilly, for boys a little bit cowboy?

Each of our children have a permanent nickname, different than their

given name... all things I wanted to carry over in the naming of this baby.

Our boys carry on a tradition that my mom started with having three

names, the third name being a namesake. We have covered Brian's

Dad (and Brian's middle name) and my Dad with Brooks and Grey's

third names being James and David, so now we had to decide who

we would name the next boy after? Brian has no brothers and I have

too many LOL. It didn't seem fair to just pick one brother and leave the

others out. Using the name Brian was a consideration too. And although

there have obviously been many great-grandpas, there has only been

one alive while we've been married...my Grandpa Shantz.

His name is John Allan, and he goes by Allan. We decided our Cash

would be named Callan Asher John. In the end if the baby had been a

boy it is possible it would have been spelled Callen, because I think

Brian preferred it and we were still kind of back and forth on that detail.

I had preferred Callan Ashton John, but Brian liked Asher a lot better

than Ashton so that was an easy switch out, especially because of the

meaning, which I'll get to...

From the past: Brian picked Brooklyn from the list of Lleyton, Brooklyn

and Callum, after his birth. I was determined to have a Grey, and Brian

loves the name Gregory, so that one fit well too. Right near the end of

Grey's pregnancy Brian suggested, kind of in a joking way that he would

name his next kid Cash, because of how expensive kids are...

and I've been inspired by it since then, I love it!

Moral of the story don't joke around with names near me you never

know what'll stick.😝

Kennedy Shea - Kenna

Brooklyn Carson James - Brooks

Lleyton Gregory David - Grey

Callan Asher John - Cash

This time around I was very interested in the meanings of the names,

which is something I didn't consider at all with the others. This time,

I just felt the need to name them well, including a name with meaning.

When I came across Callan, and saw that it meant "battle or rock",

I knew that was the one. One of the great life lessons I've been learning

is just how much God cares for me - the lengths He will go to rescue me,

and tear down the idols that I hold tightly to. I've seen God fighting for

me first hand, not always in pleasant ways that I like, but in ways I need.

And it reminds me, the battle is not mine, no matter how much I

deceive myself into thinking life is all on me to control, it really is

all about Him. My rock, my refuge and my high tower.

Asher means "happy, blessed", and

John means "Jehovah has been gracious".

I felt the name, with all three of those strung together, told a pretty

good story. One that I'd be pleased if my son would come to

understand one day...

The lengths that God will go to rescue him.

And how worthy of praise He is, always.

Here is a musical/poetic adaptation of Psalm 91,

which is the passage I gave to the idea

of this name (Getty's, My Dwelling Place,  Ps 91)

"My dwelling place is God Most High

A present help in danger

I rest secure in love’s pure light

Beneath my Master’s favor

He freed me from the fowler’s snare

Where sin and shame had bound me

Deceived I’d made my refuge there

Till fearless He came for me...

My dwelling place is God Most High

I’ll never seek another

For I am His and He is mine

My heart He’ll keep forever 

I know the Name on Whom I call

He promises to answer

With life He satisfies my soul

And crowns me with His pleasure..."

And now for the girls name! Shaughnessy has been my favorite

name ever since I heard it when I was about 10 probably?

One of my brother's classmates had a younger sister named

Shaughnessy, and I thought it was wonderful. I married someone who

does not share my passion for names in a general sense, and specifically

does not share any sort of passion for this particular name 😕.

But, he's kindly consented it to its use, multiple times.

If Grey had been a girl he would have been Shaughnessy Aleah (Shaunie).

This time around, although I still love the name, I was wanting to use

it but being drawn away from it at the same time...a certain song lyric

and biblical idea kept coming to the forefront of my mind,

"My anchor holds within the veil" (My Hope is Built on Nothing Less).

A similar thought to the boys name meaning...I am His, and He is mine.

My refuge, my anchor. All is held together by Him and for Him.

And I looked up Veil as a name. There are 3 ways to spell it, each

one carries its own meaning. I don't prefer the look of veil, and Vail

has a meaning I didn't really connect with. But Vale.

It means "valley by a stream". I guess in a certain sense that's a

regular ol' "place name" meaning, but it immediately spoke to me as "hope".

Valleys are not always the desirous place to be in life, right?

It's the mountain tops we dream about. But the stream... the water

moving through means that its not a pit, or place of despair.

Not only does our anchor hold within the veil (Christ), it also holds

in the vale (valley), because of the hope we have in Him.

He is making a way for us, mountain top or valley - those things

are just circumstances. Tools for shaping us, if you will.

He is doing something new in us as He sanctifies us, and that is

something that I'd like my girl to know as she navigates her own

highs and lows over the years, with a faithful God who will never

stop fighting for her.

Shaughnessy is a variant of John, so carries the same meaning

"Jehovah has been gracious", pairing that with "valley by a stream",

I felt the story behind the name was a solid reflection of all the things

I hope for in this little life. 

"Wonderful, powerful,

My hope, and my defender.

Mighty God, Emmanuel,

My dwelling place forever" (Psalm 91 My Dwelling Place)

Kennedy Shea - Kenna

Brooklyn Carson James - Brooks

Lleyton Gregory David - Grey

Shaughnessy Vale - Vale

Brian chose Shea for Kenna (a family name on his side). This time

he didn't really have a say 😂, my mind was so made up he was

helpless against it. He's a very good sport, I'm grateful for that!

I hope I have achieved my goals - carefully selecting names that

"go with" all the others in the family. They're all Irish/British isles.

They're all surnames or place names. They all have a permanent

nickname. They all have double letters in their first names...

ok, that last one is just a fluke 😉

They all were my absolute delight to ponder over for 40 weeks.

I just love names so much, and the reasons behind them, too 💕

"...When darkness seems to hide His face

I rest on His unchanging grace

In every high and stormy gale

My anchor holds within the veil

Christ alone

Cornerstone

Weak made strong

In the Saviour's love

Through the storm

He is Lord

Lord of all" (Hillsong's Cornerstone)

****
She was born "en caul" which is also known as being born "in a veil". It's a very rare thing to happen (google it if you want!), and I thought that was pretty cool - good confirmation in my mind that I picked just the right name for her, all the way around 💕