An Unveiling: Christmas Card 2012

So as promised yesterday, today is the revealing of the annual Christmas Card. I look forward to this every year and every year I I look diligently through our photos for a solidly ridiculous picture. In the beginning of December, I begin hounding Husband about choosing a picture for the Christmas card. Every year he ignores me by falling back on his Deaf Ear Syndrome (DES) and I end up doing it myself. In his defense, he comes in like Mariano Rivera to close the game, usually taking my artful masterpiece and making it printer ready.

This year, 3 cards made the finals.

Let's review...  

Christmas Card Finalist #1(CCF #1) - With the cuteness that exudes Rafaella's very being, it was hard to not pick a typical, cutesie baby picture. This kid is so photogenic that when I stood her to the side this morning at the migration office to take her picture for her residence card she kept looking forward to the camera, chin down, eyes on camera, smiling big. She knows her way around the camera. And doesn't everyone love a cute baby Christmas card?

We have a baby. We're lucky if we sleep. We're lucky if we sit.

CCF #2 makes me laugh for a few reasons. First, I am not a napping person but I have learned that as a mom, sometimes I just gotta be. So with hand smashed up against my face, slightly opening my mouth to mosquitoes and dripping drool, I will share that this is not a fake sleeping picture. It's real deal. And the dogs love nothing more than when I finally stop and drop like a sack of papas so that they could snuggle with their mama. The next thing I find quite funny about this picture is that Husband isn't actually napping. With his GO,GO,GO coach attitude, always having to be playing volleyball or having a catch or being active, he decided this morning against his better judgement to go surfing. (No matter that I constantly tell him to listen to his body.) He went out for a wave, started swimming to shore, lifted his body to stand and SPAZZZZZ. His back went out! This is him after seeing the doctor and getting a shot of vitamin B in his arse to help manage the pain. Olive, faithful as always, stays by his side. And then of course, there's just something about a sleeping girl and her space rocket ship raft wearing a Santa hat, in a shades of pink baithing suit, with her bite me thighs that I find totally ridick!

We live on a tropical island. We go to the beach for my birthday. My birthday is in January. It's a nice luxury.

I love CCF #3 because not only does it show our life on this beautiful island, but floating space rocket ship Jersey is the single most ridiculous picture I took all year. We bought that raft for Rafa. She didn't take to it much. Her loss, Jersey's gain. He has since Detroit leaned in that raft on several beaches and the pool of our rented villa at Las Terrenas, DR.

And the winner of the Official Christmas Card of 2012

DRUM ROLL...

Christmas Card Finalist #2 - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen!

Husband wanted to keep this tradition silly, I don't want to be the parents that send cute pictures of their kids for Christmas. And I agreed. I love getting pictures of other people's kids at Christmas time but this tradition for me was never intended to be serious. It was started to make people laugh... I can't get serious now.

So while CCF #1 is toooooo adorable, in my biased opinion, and will get printed for grandparents and such, it did not get the Official Stamp of 2012.

CCF #3 I still believe to hold the most ridiculous picture of the year - what beats a dog wearing a Santa hat floating on a space rocket ship in the middle of the ocean? Just say that out loud and you'll understand the insanity of it. But besides that absurdity, the rest is a little too normal for me.

CCF #2 gets the official title of Christmas Card 2012. It is the perfect storm: finding pictures of each one of us sleeping at some point this year - not to mention that if you look close enough you could probably see drool dripping down my chin and Husband has yet to go surfing again.