My phone decided to get a little buggy and hasn't been letting me take pictures on it lately, which is unfortunate, because Christmas is the time when I really REALLY want to take pictures of EVERYTHING!!
Today, however, as I was bemoaning my fate, I realized that that's what this blog is for--for me to take snapshots through my words.
So here are a few snapshots of what our Christmas experience was this year.
That moment when Mom Busch walked in the front room holding so many bags of gifts that we couldn't even see her, and then our kids (and we) spent the next HOUR opening gift after gift after gift. I tell ya, that lady makes Santa look stingy!
That moment when at the Busch White Elephant exchange, Andrew opened the gift I had brought and he and Jason were laughing so hard at my awesome wit that they were crying (mainly because the gift included a rare copy of the book "No More Playas" as designated bathroom reading material. Yup. I'm awesome like that).
The moment when Grandma Busch took Steve back into her room to give him one of Grandpa's cardigans.
The moment when I got to attend Jesterz with several of my Beecroft aunts and watch my uncle Jon perform--in case you're wondering, yes, he is hilarious!
The moment when we stopped at Prescott on the way home from our Busch Christmas party and saw Grandpa Busch's headstone for the first time. Such a peaceful, reverent moment.
The moment on Christmas Eve when we headed over to Grandma Flake's and saw what was possibly the world's largest nativity, complete with actual manger and approximately 82 4-year-old angels dressed up in anything from old tablecloths to grocery bags.
That moment on Christmas Eve when we all sit around my parent's dining room table and each light each others' candles while my Dad talks about the Light of the World.
That moment when Steve had dumped an extra box of pudding in my mom's homemade eggnog as a joke, so we had to literally chew our eggnog.
That moment when it SNOWED--albeit briefly--on Christmas Day!
That moment when our kids had gotten exactly what they had asked Santa for on Christmas morning, and Steve and I each wiped our brows in relief.
That moment on Christmas Eve after all of the gifts were wrapped, all the children were nestled all snug in their beds, and Steve and I sat in each others' arms on the couch, drinking eggnog to the light of the fire and the magical lights of the Christmas tree.
That moment when "Let it Go" started playing on my parents' Christmas Pandora Station and literally everyone in the room--from my 30-year-old sister to my 15-year-old brother--was singing along at the top of their lungs. Yes, my parents belted it out too. Maggie was beside herself with joy.
That moment when we drove to and from Winslow on Christmas Day in order to have dinner with Andrew and Julieann and their girls.
That moment when Jack tried on Reese's dress-up shoes and we all laughed so hard we couldn't breathe.
The moment when we drove home and, per request, we sang "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" at least 18 times, and the kids laughed harder each time as I did the chipmunk version of the ending-- "Merry Christh--Merry Chrith--Merry-- Uhhh....HAP-py New Year!!!"
That moment when Jack not only got his first loose tooth but pulled it out ON HIS OWN on Christmas Eve, so he got visited by not only Santa but ALSO the Tooth Fairy on the very same night!! (How often does that happen, now?)
The moment when I once again am blown away by my husband's thoughtfulness in the gifts he gets for me.
The moment when we got to Skype with my brother Levi and see his reactions to how big my kids have gotten.
The moment when we've finished opening presents and the house is trashed and the kids are all on major candy highs and we're just happy they're happy.
That moment I started looking through my Grandma Flake's life sketch, noting what a knockout she was as a teenager, and got sucked in to reading the entire thing in one sitting.
The moments--many of them--where I saw pure magic in my children's faces.
The moments of singing.
The moments of laughing.
The moments of tears--both good and bad, but always healing--that came up this Christmas season.
The moments of sitting around with my family at my house, watching Mormon Messages while we all bawled like little babies.
That moment when Molly and I sang "Silent Night" for a Relief Society lesson.
The moments of family.
The moments of love.
The moments of deciding whether or not to follow through with the threat I just made to a disobedient child.
The moment when Jack came running into the kitchen in a panic, only half-awake, in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, yelling, "MY TOOTH IS GONE!! AND ALL THE TOOTH FAIRY LEFT WAS THIS DUMB BOW!!" We had to explain to him several times that the money was attached to the bow before he finally figured it out in his sleepy head.
The moments of eating delicious food.
The moments of squeezing Steve's hand, happy when he was with me.
The moments of sitting around and playing games.
The moments of talking.
The moments of praying.
The moments of pondering.
The moments of listening.
The moments of feeling.
Moments. That's what our Christmas was made of.
How was yours?
Today, however, as I was bemoaning my fate, I realized that that's what this blog is for--for me to take snapshots through my words.
So here are a few snapshots of what our Christmas experience was this year.
That moment when Mom Busch walked in the front room holding so many bags of gifts that we couldn't even see her, and then our kids (and we) spent the next HOUR opening gift after gift after gift. I tell ya, that lady makes Santa look stingy!
That moment when at the Busch White Elephant exchange, Andrew opened the gift I had brought and he and Jason were laughing so hard at my awesome wit that they were crying (mainly because the gift included a rare copy of the book "No More Playas" as designated bathroom reading material. Yup. I'm awesome like that).
The moment when Grandma Busch took Steve back into her room to give him one of Grandpa's cardigans.
The moment when I got to attend Jesterz with several of my Beecroft aunts and watch my uncle Jon perform--in case you're wondering, yes, he is hilarious!
The moment when we stopped at Prescott on the way home from our Busch Christmas party and saw Grandpa Busch's headstone for the first time. Such a peaceful, reverent moment.
The moment on Christmas Eve when we headed over to Grandma Flake's and saw what was possibly the world's largest nativity, complete with actual manger and approximately 82 4-year-old angels dressed up in anything from old tablecloths to grocery bags.
That moment on Christmas Eve when we all sit around my parent's dining room table and each light each others' candles while my Dad talks about the Light of the World.
That moment when Steve had dumped an extra box of pudding in my mom's homemade eggnog as a joke, so we had to literally chew our eggnog.
That moment when it SNOWED--albeit briefly--on Christmas Day!
That moment when our kids had gotten exactly what they had asked Santa for on Christmas morning, and Steve and I each wiped our brows in relief.
That moment on Christmas Eve after all of the gifts were wrapped, all the children were nestled all snug in their beds, and Steve and I sat in each others' arms on the couch, drinking eggnog to the light of the fire and the magical lights of the Christmas tree.
That moment when "Let it Go" started playing on my parents' Christmas Pandora Station and literally everyone in the room--from my 30-year-old sister to my 15-year-old brother--was singing along at the top of their lungs. Yes, my parents belted it out too. Maggie was beside herself with joy.
That moment when we drove to and from Winslow on Christmas Day in order to have dinner with Andrew and Julieann and their girls.
That moment when Jack tried on Reese's dress-up shoes and we all laughed so hard we couldn't breathe.
The moment when we drove home and, per request, we sang "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" at least 18 times, and the kids laughed harder each time as I did the chipmunk version of the ending-- "Merry Christh--Merry Chrith--Merry-- Uhhh....HAP-py New Year!!!"
That moment when Jack not only got his first loose tooth but pulled it out ON HIS OWN on Christmas Eve, so he got visited by not only Santa but ALSO the Tooth Fairy on the very same night!! (How often does that happen, now?)
The moment when I once again am blown away by my husband's thoughtfulness in the gifts he gets for me.
The moment when we got to Skype with my brother Levi and see his reactions to how big my kids have gotten.
The moment when we've finished opening presents and the house is trashed and the kids are all on major candy highs and we're just happy they're happy.
That moment I started looking through my Grandma Flake's life sketch, noting what a knockout she was as a teenager, and got sucked in to reading the entire thing in one sitting.
The moments--many of them--where I saw pure magic in my children's faces.
The moments of singing.
The moments of laughing.
The moments of tears--both good and bad, but always healing--that came up this Christmas season.
The moments of sitting around with my family at my house, watching Mormon Messages while we all bawled like little babies.
That moment when Molly and I sang "Silent Night" for a Relief Society lesson.
The moments of family.
The moments of love.
The moments of deciding whether or not to follow through with the threat I just made to a disobedient child.
The moment when Jack came running into the kitchen in a panic, only half-awake, in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, yelling, "MY TOOTH IS GONE!! AND ALL THE TOOTH FAIRY LEFT WAS THIS DUMB BOW!!" We had to explain to him several times that the money was attached to the bow before he finally figured it out in his sleepy head.
The moments of eating delicious food.
The moments of squeezing Steve's hand, happy when he was with me.
The moments of sitting around and playing games.
The moments of talking.
The moments of praying.
The moments of pondering.
The moments of listening.
The moments of feeling.
Moments. That's what our Christmas was made of.
How was yours?
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