The first time we met Liza, Meg and I were sitting on the front porch waiting for Ryan to get home. Really, that's all we were doing. No fireworks, no acrobatics, just sitting. Liza jumped out of the van and yelled "are you our new neighbors?" I was so shocked I didn't even have time to think of something sarcastic to say about how we were just trying out the porch. I just said "yes." Liza LITERALLY (yes, I know the meaning of the word) started dancing, and shouting "and they have the cutest little baby" into the air. I couldn't argue with her there, so I just smiled.
Liza has now lived here about three weeks. Every time we see her, it's the same routine. We walk out, or she walks up. She shrieks and yells "you're out!" Meg screeches along with her. They both start dancing. Sally starts barking and running. Somewhere a unicorn smiles. It is truly a sight to behold.
Really, Liza doesn't even care what we are doing. Tonight Ryan was pulling weeds, I was blogging, and both of us were trying to keep Meg from eating dirt. After the traditional yell/screech/dance/unicorn smile, Liza had to ask us all about what we were doing. What plants weren't weeds? Why did my computer work outside? Did Meg like one kid of dirt more than another? Then she told me about school, and her brothers, and made Sally sit and shake hands before petting her on the head.
I am not a big fan of neighbor conversations. I like to be left alone unless something has been scheduled, or people are well aware of my "drop by" rules. However, there is something about Liza that is just so utterly enchanting. Maybe it's because kids are so funny. Or maybe it's because I watch how Meg watches her, and know I am getting a preview of what's coming.
Either way, I think Liz is pretty fascinating too.
21 comments:
THats pretty cool though. We just have a really weird kid that lives in our cul de sac. The day after we moved in, she tried to do ding dong ditch with her friend. She wasn't bright about it though, as we had all the windows open and my husband saw her ring the bell and hide behind our tree. We call her creepy taco bell girl.
Aww. They're going to be friends! That's always cool!
Fun! We have no good neighbors.At.All.
Kind of lame. I love watching little kids in their fascination of bigger kids. So cool.
My boss's 7-year-old son things I am the most fascinating person ever. I haven't tried to dissuade him.
I love seeing how kids react to older kids, trying to emulate them since I remember totally going nuts over my insanely cool cousins. I even wanted to steal my girl cousin's middle name since it would make me even cooler. It didn't work. I was still a band geek. Oh, and I played the flute and yes, I went to band camp.
Isn't great the way that kids just find everything so magical and wonderful? If only they didn't have to grow up. :D
She sounds sweet and fun! My neighbours are all old - and when you're 51 and you say that you know they are really old!!! Oh - and they are Italian and don't speak much English so our conversations can be amusing.
Adorable. I'm of course picturing a mini Liza Minnelli complete with glittery tap shoes doing that little dance.
So cute. We have twin boys who are only two months older then Mea next door. Almost daily, we have to go visit with Gino and Jordan through the fence.
One of them always asks, "Hey lady, whewere's your kid?" This is if I dare go outside without Mea.
I wish we had a Liza on my block. Instead, I get racist midgets. So unfair.
Just wait a month ... than I expect a "Point/Counterpoint" post.
Aw, love the little Liza dance.
Ellie
I have a slightly more aggressive but still utterly charming version of Liza on my block. She does occasionally like to look in my windows to "see what we are doing in there".
She can't seem to fathom that we don't live outside and sometimes have to take shelter during rain or maybe to get a bite to eat.
Still, love the kid and her excitement for all things mundane.
LOVE the new look!! And I think it's cute!! I like her already!
That is adorable. I hope she doesn't turn on you the way David Sedaris' neighbor girl turned on him.
;-)
She sounds adorable! We have the opposite combo here, where the one-year-old cutie boy across the street is in love w/ my six-year-old Girly. Too cute.
Aww! I want a Liza in my neighborhood! Cripes, it would be nice to go outside and have someone on my street be thrilled to see me. The ladies on my street are a wee but not at all neighborly.
Short people are magnets for other short people and they are more fun to observe than flying monkeys.
During my post-collegiate adolescence my parents had a neighbor with awful children. Every day I would walk the dog and she would say something new and insulting. "When I go to college, I'm going to move to France because I'm very smart. Is that why you don't have a job? Because you're not smart. you must not have gone to a very good college. That's what my mom says. She says if you went to a good school and didn't have so many boyfriends then you would have a job."
I'm like, kid? Really? What boyfriends?
Oh yeah, you're getting a preview all right. The other night, David and I were out to dinner and I told him the silence between our sentences was deafening me. ;)
Also, Jarrah is obsessed with the neighbors as well, and we had an awkward time where I had to train her not to run over there every time she glimpsed one of them. I could tell they were barely tolerating it...eesh.
This is so fun! I agree with unnecessary neighbor chatter. I'm kind of a grinch about feeling obligated to stand outside and shoot the breeze. BUT, about a year ago, George called me at work to tell me that one of his e-mail alerts popped up to let us know a registered sex offender was moving in to our neighborhood. Why does my husband get alerts like this when we live in a child free home, you ask??? Good question. I have no idea. He's a 36 year old dude that drinks Crown and goes to sporting events and likes wiener dogs. I had no idea the sex offender registry was any concern to him.
Anyway, turned out, the sex offender was our neighbor. Great. I was creeped out, and more so when I came home to see the guy standing outside without his shirt on. He was a HUGE muscular dude, with TONS of cuss word tattoos, and a shiny bald head.
I was sure we were going to have to move. I nodded without making eye contact and rushed inside, dialing George to tell him to contact a real estate agent.
Anyway, over time, I'd be letting the dogs out and the guy would want to chit chat. He eventually softened me up a bit and we became friendly. He was honest about "doing time", although never said what it was for, and would do all sorts of nice things (yard work) for us when we were at work.
I became so interested in his stories, sometimes I'd seek him out to chit chat. I was Liza. George would be like, "Uh weirdo, leave the poor guy alone!"
The guy moved about three months ago and our neighbors now always want to talk to me. So annoying. :-)
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