When Padon was one we went to Picture People to get our family portrait taken and to get 1st year pictures of Padon. This year I thought it would be nice to get family portraits taken again but had been a little disappointed with Picture People over the last couple of sittings and so thought, having seen an ad and coupon for JCPenny that we would go there instead.
I had the most adorable Christmas dress or Sophia, a new suit for Padon and coupons to make the price of the sitting at JCPenny's reasonable. We made a mistake however in thinking that we could go to a friends house and party the night before, wake up with hang overs, get dressed in our best clothes, buy Walter a shirt, and get to JCPennys in time.
Well we did get up in time, did get dressed (Sophia, Padon, I, and mostly Walter), and to the studio just in time to get Walter a shirt but I had forgotten the coupon and had completely forgotten about how men's shirts are packaged. Between the slight hangover, and dealing with the pressed lines on Walter's chest and arms, I was slapped in the face with the $200 price tag for the sitting and picture package. Walter and I both stared at the register with this "oh my God!" feeling but still pulled the trigger. It was December 6th and we needed this weekend for the pictures to timely put together our annual photo calendar, that was also sent out as stocking stuffers for Leo and Mary Jane. WE NEEDED THESE PICTURES!!! I went into the bathroom to collect myself and wet down Padon's giant cowlick and felt better as Walter supported the decision and affirmed that everything would be okay. While it was more money then we had planned to spend we did have the cash in the bank.
I came back to the studio in time for our family to be called in and Sophia and Padon were wonderful. First off the holiday decorations they had us choose from were leaps and bounds better then Picture People. You get what you pay for. They had this little wood and antique looking chair with red velvet upholstery and Padon took to it like the narrator in Masterpiece Theater; leg crossed over his lap and everything. Sophia not strong enough to stand on her own could stand and hold onto the chair and placed her hands perfectly and smiled for the camera. We got shots of them together, alone, and finally all of us together on a backless couch as a family. In the end we had a lot of shots to look at, choose from, and we walked away with a CD of all the images. That rocked most of all. It was really hard to explain why we only needed one 8x10 of the family portrait and one 5x7 of each of Padon and Sophia (shhhhhh don't tell them I'm a graphic designer and I don't need them or their high prices and make prints at Bartell Drug for a fraction of the price), and that nope, don't need Christmas cards...
We left with two wonderful kids that were getting impatient because they were hungry. We awarded ourselves with a job well done; the pictures were wonderful and worth every penny, and went to the Claim Jumper. While in the Claim Jumper, Padon who was still discovering his skills at being potty trained, announced to me on the way back from the bathroom, with Walter, across the dinning area, that he had gone Pee and Daddy had too!!! Walter was so awesome to laugh while still being mortified as the very large table of roughly 12 gals burst our laughing at the situation and how cute this little boy was in his suit, vest, and tie.
We ended our morning by playing on the playground in Alderwood Mall. It turned out to be a good day and we got some really nice pictures. I think next year we will go back to the Picture People since family portraits aren't needed every year, and they are much cheaper; I just know now to bring my own props. I wonder how they would feel if I brought in a whole Christmas tree...just kidding.
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