Names

Gideon Kruize Olson

We were given a huge blessing when Gideon's birthmom said that she wanted us to name him. Ole likes good, strong biblical names and I like unique names, so we were looking for something that fit both. We also wanted something that is easy to pronounce and spell. We settled on Gideon by reading through a concordance. Gideon means, "mighty warrior." As soon as he was born we realized what a perfect fit this was for him, as he needed to fight to breathe and get better. I pray daily for him to grow up and be a mighty warrior for God. I wanted a name that would honor his birth family heritage, and he's from the Kruizenga side of the family...so Kruize it was.

Stella Pevensie Olson

Finding a girl name seemed a bit tougher. Stella ended up being suggested by Ole in the last month or so, and we both decided it fit. She had plenty of other names before we decided (...some people may or may not call her 'Sheniqua'...), but once we picked Stella, that was that. Stella means 'star,' which reminds me of Philippians 2:14-16, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life." Stella is a far more popular/trendy name then I ever imagined giving our daughter, but it's exactly right for her. Pevensie is the last name of the kids in the Chronicles of Narnia, and I've always wanted that as a middle name. I've liked it so much that I considered if for a first name, but I decided it was just a little too confusing.