As part of our April 9 Easter celebration, we joyfully blessed nine babies with a ritual and a promise to support them as their community for their whole lives. We asked the parents of the babies to share about their names, and you can find their answers below!
Leo Henrry Alexander Alonzo – parents Marta & Jon Alonzo
His middle names are in honor of his paternal great-grandfather and maternal great-grandmother, Alessandrina. His first name was chosen because of the fierce way he came into the world!
Tyrnabrae Electa Lamb – Parents Christopher Watkins Lamb and Amber Lamb
In choosing a name, we had a few priorities: Honor Amber’s mother Myrna Remember Amber and Christopher’s Scottish heritage Include a bird that we felt drawn to Match Wrenowyn’s name somewhat in style and intention Choose a combination of sounds that we enjoyed speaking Tyrnabrae honors Myrna Hill Lamb by including her name, switching out only the M for a T. Brae is a Scottish word ‘hillside. This invites the image of rolling hills, which we both love, and invokes the Hill line, including Myrna’s grandfather Hugh Hill who came from Scotland and settled in Maine. Electa is the name of Myrna’s mother, Amber’s Grammie Hill. For our little one’s bird namesake we have chosen the incredible tern. Terns are migratory super-birds, tracking across oceans and continents, some all the way from one end of the planet to the other. The Arctic tern may see more daylight in a year than any other animal. The Tern’s black cap is reminiscent of Tyrnabrae’s arrival, her head a mass of dark-looking hair as she was brought up to Amber’s chest. Terns are water birds, sharing a family with gulls, and prefer seas, rivers and wetlands. Parents and chicks can locate one another by call, and siblings also recognize each other’s vocalizations from about the twelfth day after hatching, which helps to keep the brood together. Our family also uses calls to find one another. Terns often move in large flocks, keeping good company. May the gifts of the tern bestow our daughter with strong community, a sense of belonging and knowing her own name, a special connection with water, sunshine year round, and the strength and skills to find home across any distance. May the gifts our Scottish ancestors, indeed all her ancestors, be with her. May she feel connected to the beautiful Foothills we can see from our new backyard. May Myrna’s love and life continue through this precious little one.
Gia Nova Crimaldi Katsimpalis – parents Emily Crimaldi Katimpalis and Cory Katsimpalis
Gia is a beautiful Italian name picked to honor Mom’s Italian (Sicilian) heritage and Nova means bright star, which we love, and is very fitting for our bright girl.
Leon Thomas Crimaldi Katsimpalis – parents Emily Crimaldi Katimpalis and Cory Katsimpalis
Leon means lion in Greek and honors Dad’s Greek heritage. Thomas is paternal grandpa’s name, as well as great Grandpa’s. Dad’s middle name is also Thomas. Crimaldi is mom’s maiden name
Jasper River Nelson – Parents Richie Nelson and Erin Valenti Nelson
Jasper is his great grandfathers name. It’s also the name of a gemstone with nurturing qualities. River is because we believe water is Life. Water holds all of the colors, the memories, it brings life & destroys. It teaches us to flow with life.
Tallulah Pepper Racey – Parents Noah Racey and Natalie Miller
Tallulah is named for Tallulah Gorge and Tallulah Bankhead. It embodied beauty and strength for both of us, for different reasons.
Isla Kai Racey – Parents Noah Racey and Natalie Miller
I have spent a large portion of my life living on islands (Orcas Island, and Manhattan), and both Natalie and I are partial to Islands. We also had been mildly obsessed with one of my cousins naming their child Izzy, we thought it was the coolest name ever! That’s when we came up with Isla. As with Tallulah, we knew her name wouldn’t be decided until we had a chance to meet the little bugger. When we did, There was no question, the sound of her name in the room as we held her for the first time, clearly felt like the beginning of her song.
Everett Douglas Shobe – Parents Kara Shobe and Michael Shobe
Everett is a name of strength, Douglas is a family name on Kara’s side of the family
Elora Joan Clarke – Parents Lotte Clarke and Tyler Clarke
We lovingly know her as “Rory”, Joan after Lotties grandmother the strongest woman in our family and also a Leo!
Katie believes the best things in life are the result of collaboration and diverse perspectives coming together to produce something greater than any individual could. She is passionate about systems, efficiency and collaboration for better community outcomes. She loves dreaming up the big picture and drafting the roadmap to make it happen. She has a background in operations, fundraising, communications and program development, as well as over a decade of nonprofit management experience in Northern Colorado.
Her greatest joy in life comes from her family. Her husband, Steven, a principal at Wellington Middle School, and daughters Emmaline and Esmae are the lights of her life. Together they love mountains, music and all kinds of food. She is passionate about women supporting other women in all stages of life and especially through the critical moments that make or break us. She believes that one of the most important things in life is to be kind.
Being outdoors makes her soul come alive. It always roots her in gratitude and is one of the reasons she loves living in Fort Collins.
