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Friday, December 2, 2011

CHRISTMAS CARDS!

It’s that time of year…Christmas music, red Starbucks cups, shopping, tree cutting, ornaments, wreaths, and CHRISTMAS CARDS! 
Ever since our first Christmas with a child, I have been obsessed with the Christmas card thing!  Little Man’s first Christmas card is still the cutest freaking thing I have ever seen. 
I remember that “photo shoot” like it was yesterday.  My mom and I put clothes on him, took clothes off him, dressed him like Santa, laid him on his belly, sat him up, put him in a wrapped box, made him hold ornaments, sang and danced like idiots to make him smile….the norm for every parent who tries to get a good pic of their baby who doesn’t understand one f’ing word you say (or maybe they do and they just can’t believe what assholes we look like). 
He certainly was a trooper that day!  We were at it for well over an hour and I got a gazillion great pictures of my little Gerber baby.  That night, I sat in bed for hours looking at all different cards personalized with all different images.  I finally made the decision and we ended up with the BEST XMAS CARD EVER:
I couldn’t wait to order them and get them out to my list of 115 people!  I quickly realized that this shit costs a small fortune but I didn’t care one bit.  I wanted to show off my new beautiful baby to everybody I had ever met. 
It was also the first year that I was strangely excited to get holiday cards from everyone else.  I never gave a crap before. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated getting cards in the past but it wasn’t like I couldn’t wait to open up the mailbox kind of thing.  Now, I just LOVE it and even took on a Pinterest project that would display all of the beautiful cards this year! 
We used an old louver door that was in my mom’s house for 30+ years.  We painted it, threw a pretty silver wreath from Target on it and voila, a nifty little Christmas card displayer thing-a-ma-jig!  Love it.   Can’t wait to fill it up with cards from our wonderful family and friends!

Anyway, I got off track a bit.  Since Little Man’s first Christmas card experience, it hasn’t been so pleasant and easy to say the least.
The very next Christmas we had a new 6 month old baby that we added to the crew.   That baby didn’t put up with any shit!  He was NOT going to pose naked for me.  He was NOT going to smile. He was NOT going to look at the camera. He was NOT going to sit still.  He was NOT going to stop crying. 
So the first Christmas card of the two boys together was ridiculous.  The entire family spent hours trying to pose them in front of the Christmas tree at Auntie’s house.  Again, ‘Head, shoulders, knees and toes’ was belted out (with the motions, obviously) about 10 times.  Not one good picture. 
I ended up taking a semi decent picture of Baby and Photoshopping his head it onto a not so hot picture of him sitting next to his brother.   It came out pretty bad but that was our 2010 Christmas card.  And even though I didn’t love it, I still loved it if that makes sense.  It was our new amazing family and I was so very proud. 
This year was another fiasco. 
Again, at Auntie’s house (she decorates before Thanksgiving).  The boys looked so handsome.  They took naps.  They were happy. We all had our bribes (candy) in hand.  Let’s do this!
Ya, didn’t work out as expected.  I didn’t get that cozy, cuddly, ‘I love snuggling up with my brother in front of the Christmas tree’ shot I was hoping for. 
I used about 7 different “candid” shots for the card and I have to say it came out pretty darn cute.  What do you think?

Our real names!  I am hoping there aren't any psychos stalking my blog!

They are all signed and sealed.   Now they just have to be delivered. 
I have to say, I am feeling like Miss Organization this year.  It is December 2nd and my cards are going out today!  Yipee!
Next up….cutting down the Christmas tree! Should be pretty eventful!
The things that used to seem so simple have become total chaos with the little ones around.  But being able to share all of these special moments (especially during the holidays) with them totally makes it worth the complete and utter confusion. 
I am just loving this holiday season with our little stinkers!!