Lesson in Disguise

Hunter is 12 weeks old!! We got asked to play "Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus" in our church Christmas presentation. People got to walk around and take pictures, etc...we were the "Baby Jesus scene!" Hunter did awesome, everyone thought he was a fake baby!! It was during his nap time...so needless to say, he didn't move a muscle! He slept through the whole thing- who knew baby Jesus had a bright green pappy?! If you have seen "Four Christmases" with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, you'll know that Scott and I went into this thinking we were going to laugh at each other the whole time!

Scott and I thought we were doing the church a "favor"....in turn they did us a favor! Doesn't God work in funny ways! The first group that came through were adults and children with special needs...this is where the lesson in disguise began:

Lessons learned from people with special needs:
Lesson #1: Live in your imagination- They got real close to Hunter with an amazed look on their face.."THIS is the REAL baby Jesus!!?" They were so wrapped up in the moment and believed everything they saw...we witnessed true bliss and innocence! One man even shook Scott's hand, like he was saying, "Congrats on baby Jesus!" This reminded us to let our imagination take over sometimes!
Lesson #2: See the good in people- I think many people are so quick to assume the wrong and see the bad! These lovely people just thought we were wonderful, beautiful, perfect, and "awesome!" It made me want to be the "best Mary I could be!" Just a reminder that positive breeds positive!!
Lesson #3: Let your friends know you love them- The angel that announced the birth of baby Jesus had special needs, and Scott and I really clicked with her! Well, a group of her friends was coming through to see the presentation...and she was absolutely excited to her core! Her smile was ear to ear- she was almost shaking with excitement! Reminder to love our friends and get excited every time we see them...friends are one of the most special gifts!
Lesson #4:Don't take things for granted- My heart was breaking piece by piece as each person passed. Scott and I kept looking at each other, and I know we were thinking the same thing, "We are so blessed!" Reminder to be forever grateful for God's blessings...in whatever form they come in!

I'm sure I could go on and on...we learned so much! In all the seriousness, Scott and I had fun and laughed SO hard!! The "Joseph" costume was too short for Scott so you could see his Nike's. A few people commented, "I didn't know they had Nike's back then!" So, Scott put a sheet over his feet- good sport! To state the obvious...Scott and I have no problem laughing at ourselves or each other...as you can imagine, we had to be on our best behavior (the pictures below show why!!) Hunter loves our Christmas tree. He is mesmerized by the lights, and he laughs so hard when the lights blink! We push the button to set the lights on "blinking motion" and whaa-laaa "built in babysitter!!"