Never Again

Yesterday had to have been one of the most embarrassing days of my life. What was supposed to be a fun and memorable event turned out to be nothing but pure torture! I decided to schedule us for family pictures, mostly of Sammy, but I wanted to get a few good shots of us too. We had not taken Sammy for professional pictures since his second birthday and wanted some updated pics to give to the family. Well as it turns out, Sammy had other plans.

We arrived at Dolphin Mall, which he was so looking forward to because he thought the mall actually had dolphins, and walked to the photo studio. Problem # 1, Sammy spotted the live bunnies. Little did I know at this point the role the poor bunny would play.

We were escorted to the back of the studio to change Sammy's clothes for his session. Problem # 2, his shirt is too "bluey". That's right, bluey. Not even a word in the English language, but my son manages to use this to describe his distaste for the shirt I wanted him in. How dare I take him out of his green alligator t-shirt? What kind of mom could I be? The poor photographer and I finally convince him that the bunny does not like green shirts. He only likes blue ones. After almost 10 minutes later, he reluctantly agrees to pose for some pictures, but not without the white bunny of course.

Ah, the poor bunny. He was taken out of his cage and handed to my son, completely unaware of his soon-to-be near death experience. I'm surprised animal rights was not called on us. The bunny was squeezed, chased, and dropped into a box from what must have seemed like extreme heights to him, all in a matter of 30 minutes. We thought he was dead after hearing the loud thump. Poor bunny.

Despite the bunny torture, the photographer managed to get some good shots in the "bluey" shirt. Sammy even posed himself for some of them. Problem # 3, time to change his outfit.
After the battle between the green t-shirt and the bluey shirt, I (fool that I am) attempt to change him into another completely different outfit. A long sleeve shirt and jeans. Problem # 4, he wants the green t-shirt again. Problem # 5, he doesn't want to change into jeans, Problem # 6, he refuses to take off his socks. That's right, the kid that's always barefoot is refusing to take off his socks. His sole mission for the day: to go against everything I desire.

This new outfit was for the family shots. After finally getting him dressed and a few fits and crying sessions later, we manage to sit for a few shots, but not without the bunny of course. The damn bunny is in our family shot just as if he was part of our family. I guess it was the least we could do for him after almost being killed!

The session was over when Sammy refused to sit for anymore pictures. We were supposed to end up with about 30-40 shots, but we only ended up with about 20. I was so upset at the fact that I was paying all this money and wasn't getting the full value because my son was acting up. I even told him that this eventually would come out of his allowance when he actually has one (not that he understood what I was talking about). I was so pissed and embarressed in the studio that I almost started to cry. I'm sure you've had the experience where you've gone somewhere and there's an abnoxious child wreaking havoc and you think, "gosh, what a brat!" Well, that was my child yesterday. I wanted the ground to swallow me and make me disappear.

And just when I thought it was all over, right before we leave, just to make sure he had made his mark, he spills a cup of orange soda all over the waiting area of the place. Yeah, enough said. They must have been so relieved when we left.

Here's the link to some of the pictures that were taken. Almost all of them are there, but a few are missing.
http://www.holdmymemories.com/borges

Enjoy!

It Was Perfect!

It was definitely worth the wait. Our Christmas this year was perfect. What Christmas should really be about. About family and the joys that come along with childhood. Yeah, Sammy still got way too many gifts, as usual, but he really appreciated all of them. And so did we. His reaction was more than we could have asked for.

It all started with a great Christmas Eve. My parents came over and we had an excellent dinner. We even made a gingerbread house before the night was over (I'll post pictures soon). Before Sammy went to bed, we made sure we put milk and cookies out for Santa. Sammy was super excited at this point and I was surprised that he went to sleep so quickly. I guess that's just how tired he was, he didn't even put up a fight.

In the morning, Sammy inspected the plate and glass. He made sure to point out that Santa left some of one of the cookies and some milk. We told him that Santa was in a hurry and had to leave some room in his tummy for the milk and cookies at the other houses ;) He then proceeded to open his presents, making sure to play with each one. We then continued exchanging gifts at my parents and Juan's parents houses, spending time with all the family throughout the day.

This truly was a perfect Christmas, and not because of any gift that was received or given, but because of the whole experience. I never thought that it could ever be more enjoyable than what it was when you were a kid. I've had some great gifts over the years, but this is the best one anyone could have ever given me. It's like I had the opportunity to see it all through a child's eyes again. I want to thank everyone that was a part of this special day and we are so glad to have you in our lives. Merry Christmas!

Bring It On!

It's finally here! My two week break for the holidays. Just one of the many perks of being a teacher. Although I plan on spending most of my time relaxing, I do have a few things that need to get done during this time. I'm going last minute shopping with my mom tomorrow and we need to do quite a few things around the house. Overall, I think it's going to be a productive two weeks. At least it'll be a change of pace. No students to deal with!

Why do these things have to happen?

Why do these things have to happen to children? They are innocent beings who do not deserve to suffer. Childhood diseases, cancers, and deaths have always caused me great pain, but I have never fully understood why they even have to occur at all.

A co-worker of mine has a family member who has cancer. Gaby is 2 years old with stage 4 cancer. I sat here crying while reading her blog on Gaby's progress. I ask you now to please pray for Gaby. You can check out her blog here: http://www.gabyzspot.blogspot.com/

It's Not Over Yet

I thought we were making some progress. I guess I was wrong. My mom tried to get Sammy to go in the potty today. He refused by saying, "No more!," and then proceeded to turn the potty over upside-down on the floor. I guess we'll have to try again tomorrow.

Christmas Count Down

I had Sammy pose today for a few pictures to use for this year's Christmas cards. He loved every minute of it. He is really excited with the whole Santa business. Here are a few of the shots for your viewing pleasure.

We're Making Progress

Sammy went pee in the potty today! My mom had taken off his underwear to put him on it after lunch, but he didn't go. He was still naked when she saw a few drops trickle on to the floor after they had gone into the other room. Then she saw him run off to the living room where the potty was. When he came back, he said "I pee pee'd in the potty!" She went and checked, and sure enough, it was full. He got the urge to go and actually ran to the potty to go there instead of on the floor. I'm so happy that he's finally getting it, even if it's still not perfect.