The Alpha and Omega

 It has been three years since I started this blog. A lot has changed in that time. I started the blog as a way to share my experiences from my perspective raising Apollo, with my family and friends. At that time, I never thought there would be an Orion. One kid was more than enough for me and I never expected that to change, yet here we are with another little miracle turning our lives upside down.
  I originally named the blog Apple G after the name that Apollo was calling himself at 20 months old. It has come time to rename the blog to honor both Apollo and Orion since Orion has unexpectedly joined our little family and has graced the pages of my blog for 2 years now (pregnancy included).

  To understand the new name for the blog, Alpha and Omega, let me explain how we picked the names, Apollo and Orion. When picking a name for Apollo before he was born, we wanted a Greek name to pay homage to my Greek heritage. It was hard to pick between traditional Greek names, and family Greek names. We wanted a name that would stand out but not be too strange. Greek mythology was the key; we found the name Apollo, and it was perfect.
  When Orion came along and we learned that we were having another boy, we decided that we would need to find another name with the same parameters that would go along with Apollo. After all, we couldn't have Ian, Aden, Apollo, and Steve ( or Phil, or Mike, or Dave.) As all three older boys had vowels for their first letter of their names, it seemed only natural that we would need another name that started with a vowel as well.

When we came across the name Orion, it was equally as perfect. It came from Greek mythology, had the same amount of syllables as Apollo, started with a vowel, and since Apollo was my firstborn and Orion would be my last, they aligned themselves with the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; Alpha and Omega. It may sound a little silly, but these are actually all the things we considered in picking Orion's name.
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  So here it is, 2013; new blog title, new adventures and new beginnings. 2012 was a pivotal year for us. We started the year thinking that we may pick up and move again.
As the year unfolded, we decided to stick around until at least Ian and Aden were out of high school, and look for new and creative ways to change some of the things that made us think about moving in the first place while taking advantage of where we live. As we go forward, I will shed some light on our newest quest as they begin to unfold.

 We closed out 2012 with a camping trip to the coast to celebrate our 8 year anniversary and at the same time reflect on the year that ended and talk about the year to come. With a new perspective, new adventures, and amazing children that shape each and everyday, we welcome the new year with open arms.
Happy New Year!