What's in a Name?

We've got COUSINS in town! (Madeline and Max from Washington, D.C. and Bennett from Montgummy, Bama). Hence, no blog entries the last few days. We're busy swimming and eating at all our favorite bbq and Mexican food restaurants and going to bed way past our bedtime...but here are a few things overheard lately.

Tonight, driving back from dinner:
"My eyeball hurts. That's my EYE. Sometimes I call it an eyeBALL."
A few seconds later: "This is my eye mustache." I looked in the back seat and she was touching her bottom row of eyelashes.

Also, Sophie has been absolutely attached to Max. She follows him around, pats his back, watches him play his Gameboy (now that's a true devotee), and introduces him to everyone we know: "This is my COUSIN!" Only she can't remember his name. And when she rubbed her shoe against his leg and he (quite rightly) told her no, she burst into tears. So several times today she asked me, "Where that boy who told me no?" Oh, Lord. Is she destined to be on a Women-Who-Love-Men-Who-Say-No show? She also calls him, "That boy who is with the Mommy that is the Mommy of Madeline" -- honestly, you can remember family relationships and pronounce the name "Madeline" but you can't say "MAX," Sophie?!?

She's starting to piece together the entire family tree in her head, though. Tonight she looked around the room and yelled out, "Where are the others? Where's Michael and Christopher?" Those are the cousins from my side of the family, but that's a bit hard to explain right now. Frank said, "Do you miss them?" Sophie said, "No, I USED them." Sigh. Women-Who-Love-Men-Who-Love-to-be-Used-and-Discarded.

And one more funny Sophie-ism before I forget...she has been trying to call our dog (Callie) by her full name (Caledonia), but she yells out: "Callie-Ca-donia!" And I laugh every time.