Ow side?

“Ow side?” Outside?

“Ow side, pees?” Outside, please?

Outside, please? is a question we have been hearing in growing frequency. Our Isla LOVES to be outside. All the time. If she is not outside, she is likely trying to think of a way to convince us to go outside.

The winter chill is slowly departing from Shanghai (hooray!), and the mosquitoes have not returned in full force just yet, so we are actually able to enjoy some time out in our backyard. Isla loves to kick the ball around with her daddy and toddle along, testing her balance on the bumpy bark chips and observing the foliage. “Bamboo!” she squeals excitedly. Isaac showed her the bamboo growing along our fence and she enthusiastically points it out whenever we are in the backyard.

We go out for walks as often as we can in the afternoons and evenings. Our strolls take us past several parks in our compound, so we usually stop for a few minutes of play. Much like the sound she makes when going down the slide, Isla calls the park, “Weee!” She asks to go to the “weee! pees” (park, please) often. While she enjoys the slide, her greatest interest at the park is the stairs. That kid could climb up and down the stairs all day.Sometimes we leave the stroller at home and have Isla walk around the neighborhood with us. Being the curious little explorer she is, Isla always enjoys the time to roam around a bit.We pause for impromptu “yogo” (yoga) breaks when the mood strikes. I will post more on Isla’s recent new-found interest in yoga soon… it is insanely cute!Warmer days are just around the corner and the flowers are starting to bloom. Hooray!Stopping to smell the flowers with Daddy. “Mmmm!”Isla attempts to hug every cat we see. She follows after them, saying, “Bao bao! Hug!” (bao bao is Chinese for hug) Sadly, the neighborhood cats are never quite as eager as Isla is for snuggles.“Where did he go?”

Greeting a neighbor.

As it often happens in the spring time, the rains have returned with greater frequency, and that makes going outside a lot harder to do.So we find ways to keep ourselves entertained indoors. Like coloring. We “cuhyer” a lot!And more yoga.

And snuggles.

And silly time with Daddy.

And lots of cuddles with Rat and Piggy, Isla’s best bedtime pals.Thankfully, it does not take much for us to find ways to have fun and giggle together! We love Isla’s playful, happy spirit. She is such a gift, and we cherish each moment with her, whether we are inside or “ow side.”