what's in a name {Afton Cole}

many times we are asked where the name Afton came from. most think the name is a family name {the name Afton peaked in popularity in the years 1910-1920; it ranked 900th most popular-still not any where near the top but at least it made it on the list of top 1,000 names-Afton hasn't been on the list since the early 1970's} we did not know this fact when we picked the name but it makes us like it even more. we wish it were a family name but really, the story isn't nearly as cool. Brittney first heard the name when she was 12. In Utah, there is a family of Ballroom dancers who are all girls. All of the girls names begin with an "A" and one of the girls was named Afton. Brittney has liked the name ever since. There was no debate about the name of our first girl. We both loved it from the beginning. Since deciding on the name Afton, we have been blessed to hear of amazing women named Afton; we like to think that we named Afton after all these women! One of these women is my Grandma Parkinson's friend, Afton Moss. We hear amazing things about this kind woman and hope to teach Afton to follow in her footsteps.
when people ask us about the middle name, they seem a bit confused. we often are asked, "now she is a girl, right?" yes, Afton is a girl. But, Kenton and I have always wanted to give our girls middle names that are not only unique but ones that have meaning as well. Afton's middle name is very special to us and we love that she could be so lucky as the carry the name. Cole comes from Kenton's dear friend, Cole Benson. Cole was everything that we could ever hope for Afton to become. there are so many reasons Cole is an example to us. to name a few: Cole didn't seek the spotlight, he was quite quiet actually. He never expected anything of anyone but he gave all he had to every relationship. If it had been months since you had seen each other, he didn't care- you could just pick up where you left off. You knew he cared by the way he treated you. Cole was the kind of person that made you feel like you were an amazing person while encouraging you to be better all at the same time! He always stood up for people no matter the situation. If someone was talking about someone (whether that person was in the room or not) Cole would quickly and kindly stop the gossiping and change the subject. Cole was taken from this life very suddenly and very young {he was only twenty two}. But, like the saying says, "only the good die young"; Cole is no exception.
we feel Cole's presence often in our lives {in Afton's especially} we feel so lucky to have such an amazing guardian angel for our little girl.
we love you Cole and know that you are doing great things on the other side! you are loved!