Christmas Card Chaos!

Ever wake up one day and feel like you've been cast into the movie Ground Hog Day? I do!! Instead of reliving the same day over and over I'm reliving the same December scenario over and over. Without fail, EVERY YEAR, the first Christmas card from Ireland will arrive in the week between Mari and Julia's birthday. Without fail, EVERY YEAR, Patrick will open said card and after sharing the news start a never ending mantra of "We've got to get going on the cards to Ireland! You know we need to leave transit time don't you?" Without fail, EVERY YEAR, I stand my ground that nothing is happening until AFTER the birthdays are over. Usually by Julia's birthday he has so trampled my last nerve that I snap and inform him of my COMPLETE lack of relatives residing in Ireland and that since it is his "people" that are needing said cards that maybe he should consider writing the cards himself......you'd think he'd get the hint? Today two more cards arrived from Ireland....the birthdays are over...it's unavoidable....it is now time to slam these babies out and have them posted by Wednesday!! With that goal in mind I dressed the girls up in their Christmas PJ's, wrapped them in their Christmas fleece blankets, topped their heads with Santa/Elf hats and commenced a photo shoot....my favorite activity ever...NOT!!!! For the 110th time, I am not a photographer!! This was so not the 'lighting' effect I was hoping for and then I started noticing the busy background. The subjects were not really 'into' this as you can maybe tell?!? Mari is in a 'self-conscious' stage so it was taking a while to get her to 'warm up' to the photo shoot but Julia was now on board! Except that Julia has this thing about CLOSING her eyes in pictures!!!!!! We had itchy noses, sneezes, and various other interruptions along the way! Then I get one I like and am ready to call it quits!...until Mari decides she doesn't like it?!?!!? So we try other poses and my lame photography skills literally shine through! Some poses were just too uncomfortable to bear.... and then there's the need to adjust the hair... when again I think I have a keeper!! But noooooooo Mari just HATES her hair!!!! So we're back to stilted smiles and busy back grounds! Winner #3 in my books! Horror of horrors!!!!! You can see her braces!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not sure at this point if I'm going to lose it more on Mari or on Patrick for his insistence on getting these darn cards out every year!! Bad pose when there's only one tiny present under the tree so far! Sisterly love making for another shot for the discard pile! Oh so close....until Mari started the giggling.... and then the one I reject because Mari appears to have only one eye....she ADORES?!?!!?!?!?!? We briefly lost Julia at this point because she had simply HAD ENOUGH of this whole venture so I tried playing with some settings on my camera to see if I could get the lighting effect I had 'hoped' for in the Christmas card shot. Awwwww, now why does she wait to be alone to give me this natural smile?? ....and then I asked to try another setting on the camera and she looooost it!!! But unlike a toddler, she can recalibrate and repose in short order (: Then the green eyed monster got to Julia who reappeared with the Little Elmos joining the photo shoot too! So before I go to sleep tonight I have to make one heck of an executive decision! Do I go with my fave and deal with Mari's pouting once she finds out which one I sent to the Irish relatives...or do I send the one Mari likes and let Patrick do the explaining on why our elder daughter has lost an eye? Either way, one of them will be at the camera shop tomorrow getting printed out so I can address those envelopes and be at the post office before it closes!!!