Fia played with these two kiddos for about 30 minutes.

Today is Fia’s 2nd birthday. We gave her the rest of her full name today – her middle name that is.

Sofia Amity Whelpley

Amity means “friendship” which she embodies like crazy.

We decided when she was born that we’d wait until she was 2 to give her a middle name that reflected the personality that she’s grown into. Yesterday during a layover at JFK she made friends with two little Saudi boys who were on their way to Disney world. She giggled, ran and climbed with the both of them and drew smiles and broken conversation from her parents and family.

We gave her a first name that we hope will embody her: Sofia means “wisdom“.

Her nickname, Fia, means either “firey” or “peaceful night” – she can definitely be both of those; which we like a lot.

For those of you that don’t know, Whelpley means “guarded pasture for small animals“. It’s rooted in the words “whelp” and “ley”. Whelp is easy to figure out. Ley is related to “lee” like the leeward side of an island, which is the side that is blocked from getting the strong winds. It’s safer to live there and farm there because of that protection. In our little branch of the Whelpley family we like to live this out by creating safe places for people who are in danger from the world around them, especially those who are defenseless on their own.