Unwrapped

This is the post where I flood you with pictures.

You know, the pictures I snap hastily in between shrieks and giggles.

The ones that capture smiles and "ooohhs" and "aahhhs!"

The pictures I compare each Christmas to the year before and catch my breath at how fast these men are growing and changing.

The ones that keep us laughing as we can hear the sounds and relive the chaos through each frame.

The pictures worth a thousand words, a thousand moments, and a thousand hugs and kisses from thankful giddy boys.

The ones that see inches grown, skills mastered, character developed, and relationships deepened with each Christmas.

These are the pictures I stole a few moments of Christmas morning to capture before I set the camera down.

Because the boys could care less about the pictures I'm snapping.

They care that I sit side by side huddled inside a huge pile of discarded wrapping paper and catch the excitement of each opened gift.

And so this post is filled with choppy moments of paper and lights, surprises and awe.

This Christmas my hands were full of hugs and bows and less shutter and lens which was good because there were a lot of toys to figure out, assemble, and find batteries for.

  This Christmas was the one Harrison got all serious about his gifts with hardly a smile in any picture as he took his unwrapping duty seriously.

   This Christmas was the one Jefferson decided to take half an hour playing with each new gift before possessing a remote desire to open another.

 This Christmas was the one Wilson ate pretty much every piece of stocking candy before breakfast and confiscated Matt's new football.

 This Christmas was picture perfect, richly blessed, and it couldn't have unwrapped in any better way.