Working our way back to August in Photos

A few highlights from the collection. 

Halloween...A bit late, Sorry

She was a skunk for Trick-or-Treating but it was a very warm night and a very hot costume.  We hit six houses and by then she had the hood off and the top completely un-velcroed.  I hadn't put a shirt on her and when it started to rain, she looked like a cross between an Orlando-area stripper and roadkill.  Needless to say, we have no pictures of this.  However, for the pre-school parade and the previous night's haunted barn party, she went as a cowgirl.  Whether it's smores or sugar babies, this cowgirl likes her sweets.  She also prefers to wear her hat in the extruded crown style.  And for those who haven't heard the story, her horse is named Jackson Pollock.  Yep, that's right, Grace named him Jackson Pollock.  Hats off to former pre-school teacher Ginger, who focused on a few key artists in February of 2009.  Certainly left an impression on Grace!   Ironically, the horse is a paint.

Pics follow:

[Note:  Haunted barn a bit scary.  She was concerned that the skeletons might eat her.  I noted that they can't eat anything anymore, as they don't have stomachs.] 

In line for Santa....

She was great.  It was late at night, close to 9 pm.  Lots of children waiting in cheerful outfits, lots of parents in sweatpants and sloppy shirts.  Grace told us that she was going to ask for "another Audrey" (favorite doll) and wanted to tell Santa she could go to the North Pole to help him make presents.   She was excited and pretty patient.  A cute little 15-month old boy ahead of us discovered he was no longer shy and persisted in trying to hug Grace, but our girl played coy (or more like Lucy to Charlie Brown's football) and dodged little Gabriel every time.  Finally, just as we got close to Santa's big chair, Gabriel burst out crying at the sight of Santa.  Grace ran forward and gave the little guy a nice hug.  He was all smiles then, at least long enough for one good pic for his parents.  Then it was Grace's big moment.  She said "Santa!" and ran forward, scrambling into his lap.  And then....nothing.  Just like the Easter Bunny in 2008, or the Santa later that year.  Silence.  She stares off into the distance, looking as though she had just eaten a raw frog.  Finally, she climbed down and came to us.  "I didn't feel like talking," she explained.  That's okay, Santa knows.

Santa, Baby!

Grace - born in the The Year of the Fire Dog

I re-read G's zodiac description and now, with her personality in full swing, I find it even more appropos!  I draw your particular attention to references that would validate her tendencies toward quality control and her night-owl (or should I say "night dog"?) habits.  Oh, and with respect to the final sentence below, let's not forget her favorite question -- "Why?"

Here's one take on Fire Dogs (quoted below from http://www.astrologycom.com/firedog1.html) :

The Dog in Chinese astrology expresses its principle qualities of loyalty, faithfulness and unselfishness. The Dog is active and honest and is appreciated by his superiors and those under him due to giving priority to the collective interests of all rather than his own. His best role is as a prophet of future events and he barks to draw attention to the events of the day as well as to the injustices of the world. He does look to how wrongs can be corrected. He's forever on guard to look after his property and so anxiousness is a characteristic of his personality. Money is important for his family and so he will earn it to support them; however, he thinks of it as mere 'paper'. He delights in anything to do with the occult, the mysterious, the bizarre and the unusual so he yearns to investigate these things in his life.

Wild and Romantic

The Dog's favourite places are wild, romantic landscapes and the remote regions of the world. He feels at home in the wilds of Tibet or Mongolia, the windswept islands of Scotland and the jungles of the Amazon. For this reason he is an explorer, but he also prefers the comforts of peaceful evenings by the fire where it's far from the business of the everyday world. As a profession he is suited to be a manager or head of companies, but he cares very much about the quality of the work environment

. He can be a priest, nun, missionary, teacher, nurse, magistrate, judge, lawyer, doctor, scientist, researcher or preacher. More than any other animal of the zodiac, the Dog is always asking itself, "What am I doing here on earth and what is my purpose in it all?"
A special feature of the Dog-born person is that he or she is the one who sits at the gates awaiting nightfall, wherein the Dog will prowl and keep watch. He is a faithful watchdog and is the guide and guardian in the underground invisible worlds and thus, lying at the gates of the underworld, is a figure of the subterranean world of life and death and is symbol of initiation into the rites of death and rebirth. He pleads mankind's cause with the gods and especially brings questions for us all about our life purpose. Cerebus, of Greek mythology, was the dog who lay at the cave entrance by the River Styx, the river that souls crossed in their passage from life to death, guarding the Gates of Hell and Pluto's underworld. In the Egyptian Book of the Dead it was the dog who guided souls on their journeys into the next world. This year then, will bring a certain edge to us questioning why we are all here.