The nativity with a gently used Virgin Mary...

So last week I promised a post about our nativity...for those of you who've been waiting patiently here it is.

The first week of November AG was recovering from surgery and had a virus so we spent a week inside cooped up. That Tuesday he discovered a box under his bed that contained hisLittle People Nativity Set. Since he found it I thought we might as well go ahead and open it. I set it up in the den where we keep all of his toys...he enjoyed looking at and holding each of the pieces he also enjoyed making the angel play "Away in a Manger". After two days I noticed that AG had singled out one piece in particular...the Virgin Mary. He carried her all over the den and kitchen. So I commented to Andy as he got ready for soccer about my observation. Off he went to soccer and dinner from Moe's arrived via Jess and Aunt Caro. (They brought it to us since AG was sick and we couldn't go to college night.) As we were sitting down to eat in the dining room I notice Samson chewing vigorously on something...now knowing good and well that he is out of bones (because I hadn't made it to Sam's that week to pick up a new bag due to my sick child) I knew he had something he shouldn't. So I grabbed his collar and pried opened his mouth with one hand to reveal a slobbery, half eaten Virgin Mary!

I'm not going to lie...I was pissed. Really, there is no other word to use there. When Andy came home I showed him what was left of Mary...despite having no hands and half a head she was still smiling...bless her heart she couldn't help it. My husband, always finding humor in my frustration, informed me that now it was even more of an immaculate conception. Ha. I went on and on for the last month about how mad I was because it was a gift from some dear friends. And because you can't call Fisher Price and request a replacement Virgin. Or so I thought.

This past week I came home from our last college night at Moe's of the semester to find sitting on the window in the kitchen a "gently used" Virgin Mary...right alongside the half eaten one that I hadn't brought myself to throw away. I did a double take when I saw it and looked at Andy and said where in the world did this come from. My amazing husband spent quite a bit of time scouring eBay for a replacement. He finally found one and bought her. She's slightly smaller than the current model and shows she's been played with. I could care less about either of those points. I'm just happy that we have a new, gently used, Virgin Mary for AG to play with.

The lessons I have learned from this humorous little story are...1) I need my husband. Simply put. He is my other half. He finds humor in my frustration and he goes the extra mile to serve me. AG wouldn't have noticed much less known what was missing from his nativity but I knew and it bothered me...Andy found a way to fix it for me. So thank you Andy for all you do for our family. I couldn't do it without you. 2)Even when I'm frustrated I need to laugh. Our life is only going to become more wild and wooly as the years pass...laughter is a great way to let off steam and realize this moment is not what defines us. It's just a moment to laugh at and retell years from now when our kids are older. 3) You can buy pretty much anything on eBay...even a gently used Virgin Mary. :)

Ps-On Samson's behalf I will say that this episode was totally out of character for him. He has only chewed up a hand full of items since we've had him. I think he was frustrated at his lack of exercise, being cooped up, and not having plenty of bones to chew that week.