Grandma Let's Live Outside.

*Grandma, let's go outside for a walk.* This from my Grandaughter Ariel who will be 4 years old in October. She has a lot of energy to burn and if she stays in the house 'visiting' and playing she just gets bored. She is a lot like me, she can only sit around so long before she has to move...even though biologically she is not my grand daughter...in my heart she is!
She loves being outside.
So off we went into the rather muggy humid Sunday afternoon. We walked down the road and discussed the important things in life.
Butterflies
Bugs
Colors of flowers
Mud
Gravel
Corn
Getting Lost
More bugs...

We eventually made it back to the house after looking at field corn and its roots and the pretty beetle that was on the corn stalk that towered above us. She wanted to go into the field and walk in between the rows but she had pink tennis shoes on...not exactly 'mudding' shoes.
I walked up towards the door intending to go inside to get some relief from the heat when Ariel sighed and sat down on the front step.

*Grandma? Let's just live outside. We don't want to go in the house anymore.* [I was game for this conversation!]
*Okay Ariel, we just live outside then forever?*
*Yeah, no going in the house okay? We just live outside. I don't like houses* [I think that meant she didn't want to go back inside and listen to adults talk.]

*Okay honey, if we live outside-- we sleep outside, where do we go potty?*
She thought a moment and then stood up to where her dog, Sammy, had gone in the yard and pointed. *Right here, we potty where Sammy potties.*

*In the front yard?*
*Yep, right there,* she pulled my hand and took me to show the exact spot she had in mind.

I said, *Golly, would people see?* She shrugged.
*They won't look.*
*What do we wipe with?*
Shrug...as if to say, it doesn't matter because in a 3 yr old's world, these are not important things.

I smiled. *So what do we eat, crickets?*
*Oh ... not the Jiminey kind, but we can eat bugs. I like hotdogs better.*

So we decided that we would live outside at least until it got dark or we got hungry for hotdogs. She was happy, I was happy, and we lay back on the cool concrete porch and discussed the world as a 3 [almost 4 yr old] would see it.

To tell you the truth, this was probably the best part of my weekend. [I can see those reading and saying...uh huh, she has the mentality of a 4 yr old?...No, it is refreshing to be with a child who can have great imaginations!]

Maybe, just maybe, I'll go live outside and eat crickets...but not the Jiminey Cricket kind.