Giggles

For about 3 weeks, I'm helping take care of my neighbor's 6 yr old foster daughter while they're in the United States for Christmas. I think the day after Christmas might be one of the most universally difficult, tantrum filled days on the planet. The presents are all opened and played with, the candy and soda disappear, the lack of sleep wears on everyone, and it's just cold. So after a particularly difficult morning, and mandatory naps for both me and the kiddo, we had an interesting night. We laid down to read our favorite bilingual book, Noah and the Ark, and my sweet little one decided she wanted to read all of the Spanish parts! And she even read some of the English parts too. Then she started a tickle fight and we spent a good 10 minutes just laughing and giggling with each other. Around 1 am she had a bad dream and was freezing, so she jumped in my twin sized bunk bed with me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and was back to sleep in less than a minute. As a pseudo-parent, I'm convinced that God gives us those times of giggles and snuggles to help us remember to enjoy our kids. And at the end of a very difficult day, it was a welcome reminder!