Playing Mary & Joseph + Sunny Arizona Christmas

This year at the annual Snarr family nativity re-enactment, Ryan and I got to play Joseph & Mary. While we're not the only expecting parents in the group, we were cast the parts because our baby is due the soonest. Plus, as Uncle Danny, the handlebar-mustached mayor, said to me, "You're looking BIG." (Yup, he's known for saying it like it is.) While our narrator read the Cliff notes version of the nativity, I could relate to Luke 2:6:

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

I can hardly imagine how Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem. Poor gal! It's hard enough for me at 34.5 weeks now to even sit in a car. Since I shared 29 surprises of pregnancy last month,* I've encountered quite a few new surprises: All my maternity clothes are too snug now, my fingers swell so bad they go numb in the night, and even walking is a challenge. Forget about bending over! I gained 10 pounds in a three-week stretch (ahh!)...but I'm trying not to think about that too much.

I remind myself as I feel our girl wiggling around and entertaining us with the waves she causes on my belly that there will never be another time in life it's THIS easy to take care of her. Right now she's well-fed, quiet, diaper-free, and I always know where she is. It's worth it. I'm willing to be uncomfortable for awhile so she can be a healthy, full-term baby.

As you can see in the picture above, we had the special treat of holding little four-month old Sawyer, Ryan's cousin's baby. Soft and sweet, she played a cheerful baby Jesus. She looked at all of us in our costumes, curious about unfamiliar faces. I couldn't help but say a few times, "We're going to have one of these soon!" It's exciting and somewhat surreal that sometime in the next three to seven weeks, we'll meet our daughter.

Sunny Arizona Christmas

The next day we left for Arizona for a week. It literally warmed my soul to replace Utah's 30-degree weather with bright and sunny days in the 70s. Ryan missed having a white Christmas, (we have clashing feelings about snow) but we'll have more than enough white for months, says I. Soaking up the rays, I spent happy hours outside, picking oranges and lemons from my parents' trees, and going on leisurely neighborhood walks.

It was so nice to see family and friends down south! Between school + work, we honestly don't get full days dedicated to playing games, catching up with relatives, and eating good food. We got pretty used to sleeping in, too. I wish I'd taken more pictures with my mom's side, but here are some highlights:

On Christmas Eve, we visited the beautifully-lit LDS Mesa temple. It was warm enough, my uncle wore shorts. 

With six kids + spouses + parents, it sure was a ginormous pile of presents. We're spoiled.

Was so nice to have ALL siblings in one place for Christmas - doesn't happen every year.

Yes, I know. I'm huge. Sigh...it's for the best of causes.

My sis Emily was pretty pumped to get her favorite Sariachi sauce. It's the little things in life.

What do you get a soon-to-be-grandpa who has everything? This year we opted for a shark fin for pool time. Big hit.

And that's a Christmas wrap folks. Hope you had a happy holiday. Wishing you well in the new year!

*One never knows who's reading out there, but my surprises of pregnancy post surprised me itself: It's had 1,382 views so far - a new Our Beck Treks record. Thanks for being part of our treks.