card reveal ...

As I mentioned previously, I have had about a decade+ of intense annual christmas card smackdowns photo sessions all in an effort to get that elusive 'perfect' shot.  I've been so fortunate to have a winning shot each year and consider myself blessed to have a full decade of happy smiling joyful card photos.  In fact, this is the shot that started it all - the very first Christmas card shot of my two ladybugs ...

circa 2001, ages 6 months and 3

But this year was different.  Completely different.  After ten years of hard labor to get the perfect shot, this year I had no expectations whatsoever for our photo.  I went into our annual session with my bar set low.  Really really low.  In recent years I've reached a tipping point with the whole card aspect of Christmas.  In short, I'm burning out.  Heck, I've had ten great years in a row - all were stellar cards to be proud of - cards that I painstakingly handwrote by the dozens and dozens (we were up to 135 last year - it's ridiculous).  Until just last year, I was still stuffing empty border cards with actual 4x6 photos and in some years I was even tying red plaid ribbons into bows on each and every one - I look back at that poor overachieving mom and shudder to think of all the time and I stress wasted on those cards and said 'enough!'.

So on a sunny Sunday morning in early November, I decided to try for a picture.  It started like any other year - little ladybug was whining about not wanting to wear a headband and big ladybug made it known that she hated that green sweater ... this is where that 'I could care less' attitude really served me well.  I ignored the whining and asked them to nestle into big ladybug's giant beanbag chair (from last Christmas if anyone remembers) for some warm-up shots, there was some beautiful light coming into her room at the time and I just wanted to try a few shots to see how the pup would do.  And this is what I got just five shots into it ... 

Miraculously, I caught all 3 of them looking right at the camera ... the girls are smiling and natural, the pup is adorable with her ears perked and the paw up, that ethereal white light behind them is heaven-sent (thank you, sweet gigi) ... screw the fact that we hadn't gone outdoors yet, or that technically we hadn't even gotten started ... this is the shot!

So in an unprecedented 'I could care less' year, we ended up with this as our 2011 Christmas card ... 

... and in less than 10 minutes, too!  Man, I should really care less more often!