Today as we were driving home one of my sons asked what his name meant.  Being the think on your feet kind of Mom that I am I said something like strong soul.  Well that spread like hot fire throughout the car.  When you have six kids I can’t remember exactly what each name means.  My oldest son chimed in that his name meant brave warrior and I agreed.  This is true.  Something about the first child, first name, you just remember.

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My middle son asked me, “Mom what does Ryan stand for?” ‘Gentle Soul I responded.”  He smiled.  Then my son Sean asked me what his meant and I said, “Royalty, like a brave king.”  There was a twinkle in his eye.  “Hey Ryan I am a king!” he proclaimed.  Ryan responded, ” I am a gentle soul, do you even know what that is?! That is a gentle heart and not a selfish king!”

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Ok game over.  Moments like these I wish I could bottle up.   The comments and expressions.  You can’t recreate it.  Letting them know how special they are by putting a definition next to their name.  In between the mundane of the day, those moments are pretty special.

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We spent a lot of time thinking about what we would name each one of them.  Their names not only have a definition but they have a whole lot of love wrapped up in them.  It is hard to believe those names grew up into 6 strong human beings.

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My husband and I had a little date night to the celebrate of the opening of the sweetest children’s clothing store in Chicago.  My friend Monica Royer and her brother Andy, along with an amazing team of Moms, opened their first Monica + Andy store tonight and I can not wait to share all the details with you.  Check back tomorrow!

OXO Katie