Special Sunday Visitor

I don't know which my kids get excited about more....a visit from Santa, or a visit from Papa Don. From the time we met him seven years ago, our kids immediately fell in love with him. And not just one or two of them, but ALL of them. Papa Don has this unique way of being something to every one of us. He wrestles with the little ones, and plays silly little kid games like "Jail", and "Hide and Seek", making them all giggle til they nearly pee their pants. He plays smartsy games with the older kids, spending hours playing chess, Star Wars miniatures, or an online computer game with them. He has even been known to make a model with them over a weekend. To us adults, he is also great as a friend! As a bonus, he can even cook too! and well!!

He and Laura have a special relationship....he is her Godfather. Since she was an itty bitty baby, he has been able to calm her fiery-ness and make her smile regardless of mood. He adores her, and she adores him. Today, she was in heaven as we got to spend a few hours with him to celebrate Christmas. In anticipation, she talked about this upcoming visit all week. Everyday, she would wake up and ask me if we were going to church. After my answer, she would eagerly state, "Papa Don is coming to our house after church." Honestly, we heard more about Papa Don coming this week than we did of the upcoming present-opening extravaganza!

Despite snow and ice, and 50 MPH winds, Papa Don came to visit sweet Laura and the rest of us. We met at Crispy's hockey practice in Mound, where Crispy was thrilled to get the extra attention. Then we spent a short while at our house....Papa Don energetically playing all of the little games the kids have grown fond of. Our visit was cut short due to the bad weather, and we were all sad to see him go. We look forward to another great visit soon....after all, he still needs to see the awesome light display!