Are we gonna do this all day?

Gerred, my son, was about three or four years old and it was about ten days until Christmas.  I was an altogether too busy and involved teacher, cheerleader sponsor, home decorator, mediator, and frazzled individual. 

I came home from some event, probably a basketball game,  and I opened a card from another family with small children. 

Alas! Out fluttered a photo of the children.  What!  How could I have forgotten?  While I had cards, this was slightly before the digital age, and there was no way to take a photo of my beautiful son and get duplicates made in time to send them.  I was such a failure! 

So, "never say die, say da--." Was my grandmother's motto.  I struggled out to Walmart  and plunked down my credit card.   I bought ten boxes of Polaroid film and ten bars of flash cubes.  Yes,  I was going to send 100 pictures! 

I set my boy down in a new sweater in front of a bear claw quilt made for him by his great-grandmother. I popped two Steiff bears under this arms.  One had come from one grandmother on a trip to Germany.  The white one was a gift from the same great grandmother  who just wouldn't be outdone with the bear and made the quilt and wouldn't say die!

He posed and smiled. Along about shot number 50 I heard him query through smiling, clenched teeth... "Mama? Are we gonna do this.... all day?"  

Here is one of the results.  What is that ad? Polaroid film, $100. STEIFF bear imported,  $200. Grainy smiling boy photo,  priceless. 

Happy Christmas  memories.