National LampKoons Vacation '10: A Teaser

While on vacation, it's my quest every year to capture that one picture, that one moment, the one where personalities shine thru, best features are accentuated etc,  that ONE that will be the holy grail of photos...the one for the annual Koons Christmas card. 

Let's just say that sometimes my family isn't always thrilled with my incessant need to constantly photograph them, especially when they are trying to relax and enjoy their vacation.  I try to tell them that taking pictures of them is how I relax and enjoy but it falls on deaf ears. 

As you will see, when I finally reveal the much anticipated (or so I'd like to think) vacation post that I attempted to take the annual Christmas card picture no less than 999 times.  I thought this one was the one. 

Check it.

An appropriate amount of cheesiness?  Check.
All 3 children seemingly happy and somewhat smiling?  Check.
Pretty background representing something we love or something we did during the year?  Check. 
An appropriate amount of little Mexican boy WHO WOULD NOT GET OUT OF MY PICTURE?  Check. check.

I took this same picture approximately 15 times, each time hoping that Pedro would be on his merry way right out of our picture but alas that was not to be.  I was trying to be calm, level headed, but seriously this was my CHRISTMAS CARD he was messing with!  Finally, I couldn't take it any longer so I yelled out in my nice but stern mom voice to him, "Hey, think you could move over a bit I'm trying to take a picture?"  And what did he do?  Looked right at me and stayed right where he was..no habla ingles perhaps?  Rather than get really frustrated or move my children who were already nearing their picture posing limits, I decided I would just embrace the moment.  Meet Pedro our long lost 4th child, who tans much better than any of us...not fair. 

And this my friends, is basically how our entire vacation went....just "THIS CLOSE" to being perfect but there was always a little something to keep it interesting.  And I promise to tell you all about it very soon. 

*Disclaimer:  He actually was Mexican and I am quite certain I heard someone call him Pedro.  I am not being racist.  Remember I was once a minority (wannabe) too.