Picture This!

My friend and fellow blogger - Doctor Sardonicus - over at Pole Hill Sanitarium posted this and tagged me to participate in this meme. Here are the rules for this:

Today's subject matter comes in the form of a tag from our good friend Amy, aka 24 Crayons. The rules are that you find the fourth picture in your "My Pictures" folder and post it, no matter what it is. Then you write four things about the picture, and tag four more people.

I'm a little bit late in doing this as he tagged me to do this I think two, maybe three days ago, but man, I've been busy as well as forgetful about doing it too, but "better late than never" has always been my motto. So here I am today, following the directions -or at least as I perceive them!

Now, since I actually have two folders with photos, I wasn't sure which one to pick from, so I decided to make up my own version of these instructions and picked the fourth photo from the first group -my Kodak Pictures Folder -and then, from my "My Pictures" folder as well.

This is a picture I didn't take -for openers -as Mandy took it and it is of Katie, the almost 17-year-old stepgranddaughter (who no longer lives with us), Maya and Kate's girlfriend, Erin. This picture was taken in the bathroom at the high school as Mandy had taken the girls up there to wait for the bus to arrive that would take them and the rest of the members of the school marching bad to Florida for a much anticipated trip to Disney World. Our band has been fortunate on several occasions in that they have received invitations to perform in the parade there -I think it is over the 4th of July, if I am not mistaken.

Kate and Erin are not musicians in the band but get included as part of the band because they are both majorettes. I'm really pleased that the kids -all the band kids, that is -through their hard work and great direction from our band director -had this fantastic opportunity to travel to Florida and got to go to Disney World and Epcot Center. Truly a fantastic learning experience for them and a great honor for the band, as well as our school!

Now, from my "My Pictures" folder, the fourth picture in the first folder there would be this one:

This picture holds so much special meaning for me -as well as for Mandy -because it is of Maya at Christmas two years ago. This was the first Christmas that Maya actually paid any attention to her gifts and things like that and it was also the first Christmas that she was talking.

Because her attention span was fairly slim then though, we had her seated in her high chair and gave her each package to open while sitting there. This particular gift was one she got from her half-sister, Sierra, who lives with her maternal grandmother along with her brother and Maya's half-brother, Shane.

The package contained a set of "princess" dolls -Barbie-type dolls, each dressed in the trademark gown of various storybook princesses. As Maya opened the box and withdrew each doll, she immediately named which princess each doll represented -Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Ariel and now, I can't remember who the fifth doll was supposed to be, but whoever it was, Maya recognized it!

Needless to say, we were all astonished that she recognized each character and named each one correctly! That gift was one of the best presents -ever -that Maya has received as she played with those dolls, over and over and over! Still has a couple of them to this day too!

And, because hearing her identify each doll, correctly, meant so much to all of us too, it was this picture that we used last year as our Team Photo for our participation in the Cure Autism Now Walk for 2007 in State College, PA!

Today, as I write this post, Maya is seated on the living room floor, with her Barbie carrying case (which I might add is filled to the brim to overflowing with variouis Barbie dolls and oodles of clothing items) and playing quietly with her Barbie dolls!

Personally, I never cared for Barbie dolls for my kids. Never had them for myself when I was growing up because I was too old for dolls by the time they were introduced so I never was addicted to them. But I never liked them when my girls wanted them as I felt it was another way that society and manufacturers were pushing more grown-up things on little children by getting them all wrapped up in appearances, clothing, styles and such at very young ages. I always liked regular "baby" dolls much better for my kids and would have preferred that too for Maya until I saw how much she not only enjoyed them but how much she was learning from playing with them too. She has now, just recently, become interested in the old-fashioned "Baby" dolls -kind of has the toy thing a bit reversed there you might say -but whatever works as far as she is concerned is now what works too for me!

But if anyone would like to come and try to help me remind her that "good girls pick up ALL their toys" when finished playing with them or when Gram tells her to do so, feel free to stop by and give me a hand later.

I'll supply the coffee along with your choice too from my array of pies made for dinner yesterday - Apple, Blueberry, Mincement or good old Pumpkin! Leave no good deed unturned you know is my motto and anyone who can find an easy way for Maya to learn and remember about the "clean-up" process, I'd probably even fix you a five or six-course meal too!

Happy Picture Posting now to anyone who would like to participate in this little meme! I'm not normally one who likes and does memes but every now and again, one might happen my way that I feel comfortable about doing and this was one of that kind!