and her name is....
{ holland taylor }
i'm not sure why we didn't announce her name on our blog sooner because ricky and i had her name picked out back when we were dating. i guess we were waiting for a special way to do it! we did a maternity shoot last saturday and this is the only picture we have seen so far! can't wait to see and share the rest!
{ what's in a name? }
if you know ricky, you know that he loves holland (yes our baby girl but also the province!) this was the place he served the lord faithfully for 2 years on his mission. he fell in love with the country, the language and the people. he is also extremely proud of his dutch heritage. we came up with the idea 7 years ago that holland would be such a cute little girl's name. we just pictured a blonde-haired little girl in pigtails wearing tulips- we knew that she would come someday. that someday is almost here!
one of the greatest experiences in my life was being a san diego charger girl. i loved sharing my passion and cheering/dancing/performing on a professional level. i had learned of a sweet 7-year-old girl named taylor. she lived in utah and was a relative of my grandmother's neighbors. her family had heard i was a charger girl and let me know of their niece who wanted nothing more than to be a cheerleader and meet a "real" cheerleader. taylor had been diagnosed with leukemia and they weren't sure how much longer she was going to live. the make-a-wish foundation contacted her and wanted to grant her a wish. she wanted nothing more than to meet and be a cheerleader. everyone thought that was sweet but hey, a trip to disney world would be way cooler, right? so they convinced her to travel to orlando and spent a week at the magic kingdom. they had a blast, but on the way home, her mother asked her, "taylor did you have a good time?" tears started to swell in taylor's eyes and she said, "yes mommy, i had a great time but, i still never got to meet a cheerleader."
that touched me so much that i knew i had to get up there and meet her. the charger girls also coordinate the "jr. charger girls" program which raises money for the make-a wish foundation, it's really a great thing. my best friend alex and i decided to travel on our own to logan, utah and surprise her. it was snowing outside but we still dressed in our uniforms and made our surprise entrance! my cousin allyx wore her high school cheer uniform and came with us. we brought lot's of goodies for her- pom-poms, jr. charger girl attire, autographed posters-everything to make her feel like a real cheerleader.
we made taylor our honorable jr. charger girl!
when we walked into the house, her face was priceless! she was so surprised! her mom invited her friends over and we had a blast! i wasn't sure what to expect when i saw her, but she melted my heart. she was darling. she didn't look like a cancer patient. she had lot's of energy and was eager to learn. we taught them cheers and a dance routine. it was so much fun and then we had her change into the uniform we brought her and they performed for us. it was such a sweet night that i'll never forget.
the following year, ricky and i went to visit my relatives in utah and made a stop at her home. she had just undergone chemotherapy and was missing all of her hair. i couldn't believe how strong and courageous this little girl was. she was my hero. her doctors also couldn't believe how brave she was and that she survived and fought way longer than they thought. we had a nice visit and talked about cheerleading and she remembered the cheers we taught her. this would be the last time i saw taylor. about a few months later, ricky and i got the phone call that she peacefully passed away. i looked at ricky and told him that it would be special to name our daughter's middle name after her- her cheerfulness, bravery and courage are all honorable attributes i'd hope our daughter would have too. he absolutely agreed and there you have it.
miss
holland taylor hartpence
it's always special when there's meaning to a name and we think it's pretty special.
