PawPaw Pete!

My father lives about an hour and a half drive away from our house although with bad traffic it can get significantly worse than that because he has to drive through or around the city.

So everytime he comes to visit the grandkids (who he ADORES), we make sure to make the most of the time. Typically, Grandpa will walk in the door and my son will greet him with an enthusiastic "PAW PAW PETE!" to which my dad responds by tackling my son and wrestling with him until he's in an absolute frenzy.

Then we will usually walk down to the park by our house (less than a quarter of a mile down the road) and run the kids around the playground for a good hour or so. My dad likes to chase the kids through this little people's chutes and ladders set up. Amazing how agile he is.

On this particular day, Kelley and Julie weren't with us because the girls went to get their hair done, so Matt, Dad and I played some basketball and then went to the park.

The other part of the ritual is a trip to what my daughter refers to as "the Blue Restaurant", Culver's. Kelley will order a Grilled Cheese Sandwich. I get the Bacon ButterBurger Deluxe Gut Buster Bomb Basket, and Julie and Dad get something different every time. Matthew never eats anything until it's ice cream time. Then, he suddenly finds his appetite.

Last but not least, we head home and typically we'll sit on the couch as the kids are usually pooped out and watch some sports on TV until it's time for Grandpa Pete to go.

See you next time, Paw Paw Pete!