Since Amelia is now in kindergarten, I was pushed to write her name story (like I had done for Malan and plan to do for all the kids) so here it is. I love this picture of her. It captures one of her truest moments of being Amelia. Not sure that will make sense to anyone but me, but oh well!
Amelia comes from a family of mountain lovers. Her mom and dad met and dated mostly in the mountains rock climbing. Amelia and each of her siblings got their first names from mountain peaks. Amelia peak is located in beautiful Yosemite National Park in California and is named Amelia Earhart Peak after the famous adventurer and pilot. Amelia Earhart Peak rises 11,974 feet out of Yosemite Valley and offers a rewarding 14 mile hike to the summit. Amelia’s family hopes to hike all of the “name peaks” before the kids graduate from high school, but for now we practice on shorter hikes and love to camp and rock climb together. This summer, while camping, Amelia asked if we could sell our house and buy the campground and live there year-round. We probably won’t go that far, but we do need to camp more often and Amelia makes it a fun time for us.
Amelia's first name also happens (not accidentally) to be the name of my 3rd? great grandmother Amelia Eliza Slade Bennion. Amelia was a Mormon pioneer who's strength and courage have inspired me many times while reading her history. I hope someday my Amelia will cultivate the same strength and will for life that grandma Amelia had.
Amelia is the only child in the family that has a nickname that is used regularly. She became known as Mia (pronounced Mee-uh) when she was born and her then 20 month old sister Malan couldn’t pronounce Amelia’s full name and it always came out as Mia. I (Amelia’s mom) have spoken Spanish to her since she was born and mia means “mine” in Spanish, so even though most people now call her Amelia, I still call her Mia because she will always be “mine”.
Amelia’s middle name comes from her great-grandmother Pauline Beth Ostler. Grandma Ostler is cheerful and huggable like Amelia and is a wonderful cook. Her mostly-sweet masterpieces are loved and shared by all the grandkids, but I think Amelia has a special appreciation for those sweet treats (and food in general) because she is always asking for something to eat! Grandma Ostler is also an avid reader and Amelia seems to be following in her footsteps. Although she doesn’t read words yet, Amelia can often be found in a quiet corner with a stack of books “reading.” Grandma Ostler is Amelia’s last living great-grandparent and is now 90 years old. She and Amelia share the same birthday so Grandma Ostler is exactly 85 years older than her namesake.
Amelia’s last name, Ostler, comes from England where it originated as an occupational surname referring to inn-keepers. We don’t know if the family tradition started way back then, but in recent history the Ostler line is full of gracious hosts who love to make guests feel comfortable in their homes. Amelia continues that tradition in her own silly way by entertaining guests with crazy antics and spontaneous talent shows. There must be some mountaineers in the Ostler line as well because Ostler is also the name of a majestic looking mountain peak in the Uintah mountains. We look forward to climbing Ostler peak together soon also!
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