We play fast and loose around here with our names. There are no hard rules about the hows and whys of titles.

Max is Max except when his sisters lovingly call him Maxi or we call him Maximilian (it doesn’t have to be just when he’s in trouble. We just like it.)

Philip is Phil and Felipe and Philip Augustine. There’s Tessie and El-Belle and Gem or Gem-Gem.

Lu most often goes by Luce and Luce-a. 

And Penelope. . . Well, we’re still working on it. Lucy is the trail blazer in this department. She started during Holy Week to call her Neppy. Sometimes it came out as Nempy or Nappy, but I really loved Neppy. I didn’t think there was much room for improvement but then, then, she started using Lumpy. I know it’s because of the final two syllables in Penelope but good golly, it’s the cutest thing ever. And I hope with all my heart that it sticks because Lumpy is a great nickname. It’s a character builder, unique and slightly outrageous. What more could she ask for? Lumpy forever!