It's a...baby!

As promised, I bring you baby names!

We are going to wait 'till little "Tic Tac" arrives to find out their gender, but we have picked out names and are super excited to start wondering who we are going to meet in a few months!

You get to share in our excitement and suspense as we guess blue or pink, but we want to share our chosen names because we have thought about them for so long and they are special to us.

We decided to pick names that had specific meanings, so I will include the meanings too!

So, without further ado

Drumroll please.........

If it's a girl:

Ariel Grace

Ariel (along with being the only redheaded Disney princess) is a name that has so much meaning. It is a hebrew name meaning "Lion of God." Through this name, I want my daughter to know the power she has through a relationship with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. This is such a strong name and I want my daughter to know she has the ability to make great change in this world!

Grace is defined as "elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion or action." Is is important to remember that although strength and power are wonderful characteristics, without graceful actions (compassion, empathy, consideration, wisdom, etc.) power and strength can be brutal and unloving. To make a lasting difference with your life you must have strength, power and grace.

If it's a boy:

Elliott John

Elliott is derived from the Greek version of Elijah meaning, "my God is Yahweh." Yahweh has much history as well, but it was the name of God considered the most holy and therefore not even spoken, only written. As a man, I pray this name will remind our son who the True God is and that the decisions he makes should be a reflection of the God he loves. Christianity has some bad (and untrue) stereotypes floating out in the world when it comes to "being a man," but if you truly follow Jesus' example, you will live a life of humility, love, compassion and kindness. These characteristics in a man are true strength.

John has so much meaning to us as it is a family name. My father's name is John (along with many other men before him) and Patrick's grandfather's name is John. Not only do we find it an attractive name, but we love how it honors the men in our families. On top of that, John also means "Yahweh is gracious." This is once again another reminder that grace should be a part of who we are just as it is a part of God.

Our family is so blessed by this pregnancy. I know that God has chosen each and every child that we will raise, whether that be for a long time or a short time, and we want to honor God with the names we choose for the children that we get to name.

We hope this satisfies some curiosity for you as we wait eagerly to find out if we are meeting Ariel or Elliott in just a few short months!