"Side?..."

As of this posting, this is Elizabeth's favorite word--and favorite place, for that matter!















At first, she'll look up at us with one of those angelic expressions and say it like a sweet little question...and it means "Can we please go outside?"



But, if this earnest request is not met with an immediate and enthusiastic response of "okay, let's go" then, while her inflection remains the same, the intensity of her tone changes to more of a desperate and panicked plea that loosely translates to "Are you going to take me outside before I melt down into a huge hissy fit!?!?" It's kind of endearing and annoying--all at once.

For now, apparently "side" only refers to our backyard--even though we have explained to her numerous times that "outside" actually encompasses all of that which is not inside. But so far, the explanation hasn't sunk in. And even when we start out in the front yard, she heads to the back as though it is up to her to show us where "side" really is!


Once she is back there, she is nonstop busy!

She walks on the concrete path...then ventures out onto the grass, bends down to touch it...







climbs on the stone bench...


sits there for a minute...












goes back toward the patio...










climbs up on the furniture...










ventures toward the back steps, crawls around them to slide (or inch) her way down the slope...







crawls back up the steps, and meanders across the yard again!





All the while, she chirps to the birds, smells the flowers, talks to Mommy or Daddy, and even barks at the neighbor's dog!

How wonderful it is to live in sunny Southern California!