the name game...

dear boys,

from the beginning of the process, we put so much thought into what we wanted your new names to be.  who would we name you after?  what would the name mean?  would it complement your personality?  would you like it?  what do we do about middle names?  never mind the legal implications...

as usual, it all worked out pretty smoothly.

Foday, we decided to name you after dad because you're the oldest boy.  his middle name is Nathan.  it also happens to mean "chosen by God" and you, my boy, are definitely chosen by God.  you are all things Bible and Jesus and faith, and the name couldn't fit you any better.

Abdulrahman, we decided to name you after dad's grandfather because he was a father figure to dad early in life.  his name was Edwin.  it sounds so classic and distinguished, but more importantly, it means "rich in friendship."  you have always been the guy who bounces around with a smile on his face and a posse of friends in your midst.  again, a perfect fit.

Sufian, we decided to name you after my grandfather.  he was the life of the party, the jokester, the happiest guy in the room.  his middle name was Bennett.  Bennett means "little blessing," and so it was perfect for you.

we initially decided to keep your birth names as your middle names, but you recently made the decision to drop those completely because they are Muslim.  i can understand that.  you want your names to be a reflection of your personality and faith, and Muslim names don't do that.  so we asked you what your middle names should be:

Nathan - "i will be Jayden because he is the red Power Ranger, the strongest Power Ranger and my favorite."  okay, WAIT A MINUTE.  let's not get carried away.  i know you live and breathe for the Power Rangers, but names are forever, and the day you turn 13 you'll be mortified that you chose the Power Rangers as your nomenclative inspiration.  so, we added a rule - as long as we agree with the meaning of that name, you may choose whatever name you'd like.  luckily, Jayden comes from Jadon, which is a Biblical name meaning "God will judge."  DONE.  that way someday when someone asks you, "why Jadon?" you'll have a good excuse to back it up and no one but me, dad and you will know it was Power Rangers!

Edwin - "i will be Michael because he is the blue Power Ranger, my favorite."  okay, minus the Power Ranger, Michael was the most awesome angel ever, so we ok'd that one.

Bennett - "i will be Emily because she is the yellow Power Ranger, my favorite."  okay, no, because that's a girl's name.  "okay, i choose Emily."  no, Bennett, that's a girl's name!  "but i want the yellow Power Ranger."  okay, but she's a girl.  he eventually settled on Moses, which we love.

in case you're worried about keeping all these straight, we've further complicated things by adding your African surname Bendu as a second middle name.  just for fun.

to sum it up:

Nathan Jadon Bendu Spillman

Edwin Michael Bendu Spillman

Bennett Moses Bendu Spillman

and there you have it.  some strong names for some strong boys!

love,
mom