The four RZ's.

It seems like yesterday that I promised to tell you the story of how our antique store got it's name.  To my surprise, a week has gone by.  Time flies when the kids are home for summer break.  But you are in luck today.  All three darlings have stopped fighting (for the moment) and are playing quietly in separate corners of the house.  So here goes. 

The story behind the name RZ's.

The day had finally arrived.  The day that we gave birth to our first son.

Skip and I woke up at about 4 am on April 18, 2001.  We drove to the hospital and anxiously awaited the next few hours while they prepped me for birth.  I couldn't believe we were about to see our baby boy. 

Our first child.

Finally, the moment arrived.  Our son was born and placed lovingly into my arms.  Tears of joy from Skip and I.  We were parents! 

The nurse gazed upon this new family.  She asked us what name we were giving our new baby boy.

We looked adoringly into our baby's eyes and said, "We shall name him Ralph."


UM, WHAT?!

OK.  OK.  It wasn't quite like that.  But let me explain why we did name our sweet baby boy, Ralph. 

The first Ralph and his sweet bride, Earlene.  Aren't they cute?

Skip's grandpa on his dad's side was named Ralph Zebedee Miller.  By all accounts, he was a gentle, loving man.  His family adored him.  I missed meeting him by just a few months.  Skip and I started dated after he had passed away.  His absence left a huge hole in their family.  All the children and grandchildren revered him.  I am so sad that I never met the man that filled their hearts with so much joy. 

Skip's favorite memory of his grandpa was that he always drove with a lead foot.  When he pulled out of a parking lot, white dust and rock heavily sprayed the area. 

Apparently, this was his signature move!

Anyway, he named his first son Ralph Zebedee Miller, Jr.  That man is Skip's dad.  Probably the smartest and most generous man I have ever met.  He has a tender heart where his family is concerned.  He is a work horse that could have retired many years ago from the family businesses, but is still going strong in his early 80's.  He has a deep passion for his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  If he isn't working, he is at some child's activity or sporting event.  He loves to see all his kids excel.

Ralph 2 surrounded by all his people.

Ralph, Jr. also loves to travel and has a heart for adventure.  He has planned 16 "Mystery Trips" for us over the years.  It is always a blast trying to figure out where he is taking this big crazy family after Christmas. We have been to some amazing places!  When he sees all the family together he always squeezes his wife's hand and says, "All I wanted was a movie."  Lovingly referring to their first date.  He is a special man.

Anyway, he had a son that he named Ralph Zebedee Miller, III.  Or, affectionately known as "Skip".  My husband.  And I am crazy about him. My life wouldn't be complete without my best friend.  He is such a good man, great father and a very hard worker.  He carries this family on his back. 

Every. Single. Day.

Anyway, Skip (Ralph 3) had a son that he named Ralph Zebedee Miller IV.  Or, as we call him, "Zeb".  Our first born son.

Ralph 2, Ralph 3 and the newest Ralphie.

Ralph 2,3 and 4 go walking.

This precious name has been in the family for over 100 years.  I hope and pray that it will continue with Zeb and so on down the line.  It is so special to Skip's family.

This picture is priceless.  I can only imagine what Ralph 4 was telling his papa.

Another thing that is special is the family business.  It started back in 1975 when Skip's parents moved to B-Town from North Carolina.  Back in the day, the family sold fabric and assorted merchandise to the B-Town tourists.  In 1988, they started the $1 Shops.  The first store of its kind.  Now you can buy quality $1 merchandise just about anywhere. 

Throughout the most recent years, the company has faced many hardships and cut backs.  Just like everything else in America it has weathered the economic storms.  The face of the company looks different this year, but the family is still thriving and working hard to bring it all back to the glory days.

Ralph, Jr is still the head of the company and many many family members are the arms, legs, sweat and muscle.  So when it came time to name the newest business (the flea market), Skip and his sisters went with the initials "RZ" to symbolize how important the Ralph legacy has been over the years.

And that, my friends, is the story of the four Ralphs. 

Funny side note.  I was laying in bed with Zeb (Ralph 4) the other night talking about this very thing.  I asked him if he was going to continue the name when he has a son. 

He said, "Yes, but I don't think Ralph will ever be a cool name."

He started brainstorming "cool" nicknames for the future Ralph 5.

He came up with "ALF".

Because naming a baby after a furry alien in an 80's sitcom is totally cool.

Eight.

What's in a name?

Raise your hand if you think Z-man and Loulabelle are the real names of my kiddos? These are fun names, but they are not the real ones.

Shocking. I know.

They happen to have, in my opinion, great names. But for the sake of the blog I keep them to myself.

Z-man was named after Skip's (not his real name either!!!) grandpa. It is a generational name that Z, Skip, his dad and his grandpa all share. This name is over 100 years old. When Skip and I were dating, he told me that his first boy would share the same name. It is a name of great importance to his entire family. It has been an honor to fulfill their desire. These are great men for Z to pattern his life after.

Loulabelle's name was more random. I fell in love with her name sometime in high school or college, not sure now. It was someone's last name, which is my favorite kind of name. Her middle name is mine, my dad's, and my great-grandfather's. We could not have picked a better name for her. She is fun and quirky and curly, just like her name. It fits.

The baby's name is very special to me. His first name is the ending of my maiden name. His middle name is my dad and brother's first name. My dad passed away when I was 20, after years of battling cancer. I was his little girl. I hope this name will honor him and his wonderful memory. He was the type of man that everyone adored. He was kind, and gentle, and hard working. The same traits that I pray over this baby. I think I will call him "Wing Man" on the blog.

One of the main reasons that I don't share the names here is to keep public opinion away. Since they are on the unusual side, we have received our fair share of negative comments.

When Loulabelle was just 1 month old a lady sent me into serious name regret. She walked up to me at the mall and gooed all over Lou. She told me how cute she was, yada yada. Then she asked me her name. Gushing with pride, I said the sweet word. The lady looked right at me and told me how weird that was, then walked away. I lived with Name Regret Syndrome for an entire month afterwards.

I have already had comments regarding this baby's name. Some love it, some hate it. It even took my family some time to adjust...and it's a family name!

The important thing is that we adore it. It is unique and meaningful. No one else has this name. It is actually a noun, but I am OK with that. We will say it with honor for the man he is named after was a good man.

(Whew. This is turning into a very long story.)

While Z-man was away at camp, we finished the baby's room. One of the first things he did was run in for a peek. He spent a few minutes looking around. When he came out, he was very quiet. Almost upset. Being sentimental, I thought he was just sad that his old room had changed and was no longer his. I asked him what was wrong.

"Do you not like the room?"

"No. I like the room. But why did you change the baby's name to WMM (pronounced whim)?"


"Oh, sweetie. Those are his initials."

"That's good. Cuz WMM (whim) is not a cool name!"

Everyone's a critic!

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Don't forget to visit my friend Pam and enter her fun GIVEAWAY!!!

Tag! Great name and great game.

Thank heavens! I have been tagged by Bee at Will Blog for Shoes--(you have got to check out this post of hers.) My bloggin's gone stale and needs a pick-me-up. So here goes.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?
1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

My middle name is RAE. I love this name. It was my Great-Grandpa's, my dad's, mine and now Loulabelle's. I love the way it sounds with a long first name. Janelle Rae. I like it.

R...Raisins are yucky. Give me chocolate or give me death! But don't ever try to sneak an Oatmeal Raisin cookie in on me. P.U.

A...Average. Average height, average weight, average shoe size, average hair length, average grade point. Average. The only thing above average about me is the way God loves me.

E..."Ever After" is my favorite movie.

Girls, join in if your bloggin is stale and you need some fun! I would love to know your middle names. Consider yourself TAGGED.

Blog Trouble

Try as I may, I can't get my picture to resize. I must have too many widgets, or something.

The beauty of the pic being so HUGE is that you can actually see snot under Loulabelle's nose.

Snot and Kisses...and everything in between! The joys of motherhood at it's finest.

Name Change?

OK...I am putting myself out here. I am risking criticism from all 9 of you. Please advise.

I was snuggling with my kids a minute ago. I love the moment when they are in their jammies. So sweet...like the day melts away. There is just that moment of pure sugar that drizzles over the rush and frenzy of the day. I live for that moment every night.

I thought I should re-name this blog to reflect my favorite time of day. I am thinking about Jammie Babies, or Jammy Babies, or Jammie Babes. L has a Jammie Baby. It is her favorite baby and appropriately named because it is dressed in...jammies. So the name change would still reflect this stage of life and also forever memorialize Jammie Baby.

What do you think??? Be gentle with me, this is not something I do often.