Emily's Great Chistmas Gift

Today Emily had a tantrum.

We were amid the time crunch to get to the Christmas ever church service. Emily was refusing to brush her teeth for her mom. In steps Papa and soon Emily is screaming at me but brushing her teeth.

The tantrum continued after she was through. She told me to go away and never come back (grounded me to another house).

It happens that at the same time I had to leave to get us seats at church. Emily thought I was leaving because she had sent me.

Enter the Christmas miracle.

I told her that I needed a bye bye kiss. With a stunned face she began crying that she didn't want me to leave. I was leaving because she had sent me away??? She hugged me and held me tight so I picked her up as she snuggled into my neck.

When I did finally leave, tears welled up in her eyes.

Um, this is papa, not mama, what is going on here?

I told her I would save her a seat next to me BUT she insisted that she would sit in my lap. WOW. Unless you are around the daily struggle for mama's attention you have not idea how exciting this was for me.

In church she came right to my lap and never left save the time she sat in the seat next me head leaning into my lap as I rubbed her hair. Even when mama left with a loud Madison, Emily stayed attached to me.

I am typing this in the middle of what has to be the greatest Christmas eve of all time. As we opened gifts tonight I had little interest because I knew that I already had the greatest gift of all.