Papa

One of my favorite times of day is the quiet time before the kids fall asleep. This is the time when their minds wander and you really never know what they will ask or say. Last night, Keely had me in tears (literally, and yes I do cry sometimes!). The conversation went something like this:

Keely: "Mama?"

Me: "Yes, Keely?"

Keely: "I wish Great Poppy was still alive."

Me: "Me too, sweetie."

Keely: "If he was alive, what would he like to do?"

Me: "He liked to read, play golf, travel...and he loved to be with his granddaughters...and he would love, love, love to spend time with you and Quinn."

Keely: "Would he tickle me?"

Me: "He probably would."

She has obviously never met Poppy, but we talk of him often. I do so wish he could have met his great grandchildren because I know he would have doted on them and loved them like he loved me and Annie. So now before I start crying again, I need to get to the actual reason for this post.

Tomorrow Nana, Papa, and Annie are coming to visit. Keely always, always asks for her Papa to come visit but he doesn't come as often as Nana. Last Mother's Day, it was a surprise to all of us that Papa was at the airport. This year, I have known but the kids did not know. Keely kept saying maybe it will be another surprise like last year. Tonight Quinn eavesdropped on the phone and found out for sure that Papa will be on the plane tomorrow night. They were so excited, and both cheered. They are always excited to see Nana and Annie, but they got an extra added dimension of excitement to know that Papa is coming too. I guess that was the point of mentioning the story about Great Poppy, because Papa is his son and he's starting to look more like and act like Poppy. I do hope that the kids continue to have that special bond with their Papa, and it will make me have more fond memories of my childhood spending time with Poppy!