Why Stefan Peter?

Why Stefan Peter you ask? Let’s start with the middle name. Peter is my Dad’s name, and first and foremost we wanted to honour him. Before we even started trying for baby number 2, we knew that if we had another boy, his middle name would be Peter. My Dad is THE most amazing father (seriously... I don't even think that's a biased opinion). Growing up, he ALWAYS made time for us. Even with his extremely busy work schedule, he would always be home for supper (even if it meant going back to the office after we were in bed- which it usually did). He took us on individual dates, he took us travelling, and he was constantly taking pictures and creating albums for each of us (like, big ones... and several of them). He was keen to participate in any activity with us and teach us the basics for every sport under the sun. He valued safety (he still checks our tire pressure etc!), and showed us what it was to work hard but still have fun and love well. Most of all- his love for my Mom has always been obvious. He supports my Mom in her ministries and they serve together. He makes the bed as well as gourmet porridge every morning, and does the dishes every night! They DO things together: daily exercise, weekly date nights, regular random excursions etc etc. My parents hold hands, kiss, break into spontaneous dance in public… all things that used to make me cover my eyes and/or drop my head in humiliation, but now I couldn’t be more thrilled. I have never doubted my Dad’s intense love for God, my Mom, and us kidlets. My Dad is super intelligent, talented, wise, dependable, sensitive, loving, hard-working, caring, musical, helpful, athletic/health conscious (although there's ALWAYS room for dessert), humble, generous, hospitable, FUNNY (once you break past the shy exterior!), and just overall a genuine man of integrity who I am SO PROUD to call my Dad.

And that's just scratching the surface. It doesn't even include how amazing he is with his gandkids!

My Dad was named after his Om (Dutch for Uncle) Peter, and when Om Pete passed away, Dad was given a small inheritance. With that money, he purchased a “P” ring, so we felt it only appropriate that his name sake be photographed with it…

 

 Both of our kids are lucky beyond lucky to call this man Papa!

And now for the first name: Stefan (pronounced STEF-uhn). As with Fraser, our criteria was that the name had to be uncommon/unique but not crazy. We decided on Stefan because it met that criteria, plus it honoured two very special people in our lives. One being our close friend Nicholas (whose middle name is Stephan). He is one of the most hilarious guys you’ll ever meet. He is hard-working, generous, ambitious, enthusiastic, adventurous/athletic, kind, loyal, helpful, and above all else, he has a heart of gold. PURE GOLD. He loves with his whole heart, and this handsome brute of a man is never afraid to embrace you in a good strong hug. Plus, his wife is one of the bestest friends I’ve ever had (Chelsea), and his son, Nico, is Fraser's BFF- so extra points there!

Lowell’s cousin, Stephen, is the other person we wanted to honour (as Stefan is in fact the German form of Stephen). Lowell and Stephen grew up together and they have always been close- they stood up at each other's weddings. Stephen is a wonderful loving husband and father, and has dedicated his life to the service of God and others. A great, disciplined, wise man of integrity, he is, and genuinely KIND.

We thought his name was pretty straight forward but have been somewhat surprised by the number of people who mispronounce it! Again, it’s STEF-uhn. Not Stef-ON, not Stef-AHN, not Steven... STEF-uhn. We decided to spell it with an ‘f’ rather than ‘ph’ for three reasons:
1.    We didn’t want it to be confused with cousin Stephen (as they have the same last name),
2.    We thought it would make the pronunciation more straightforward (but apparently not haha), and
3.    It looks nice beside the name ‘Fraser’, and they even have the same number of letters in their entire names (Fraser Brian and Stefan Peter). Very aesthetically pleasing (it’s the little things that thrill me).

Basically, Stefan Peter has been named after three WONDERFUL men in our lives, and if he turns out to be even half the man that any of them are, then we’ll count ourselves lucky.

PS- the professional shots were done by none other than Jen of La Di Da Lane Photography, and the adorable owl hat was made by my very own sister, Shareen!