Grampa Ranks!

No, no...I know what you are all thinking about that title. I know that dad has a reputation in the "rank" department but we are not going to discuss that here...although, there are stories I could tell...
The rank he makes on today's posting is that between both our visit to Dillon and Val's as well as this past weekend when Brandi and Paul came, Dad was quite pleased at the reception of his little grand children. He and Sydney were just like glue on a Post It the first day we were down there and normally he only gets little flickers of her attention. In the past she and Zachary have been a little leary of him so they tend to keep an eye on him for a bit to discern his intentions before giving themselves up to his loves. I think it is simply because he has been gone and they haven't seen him as much as they have seen me. But over the past couple weeks, it seems that the barriers have all been broken and they have accepted him completely.
When Brandi and Paul came on Friday, Dad opened the door and Zachary came right to him for a good squeeze--until he saw me. Then, as would be expected by any grandmother who goes out of her way to totally monopolize the time she can get with the little critters, he reached out for me and gave me a very hearty cuddle. I don't mind sharing but there is nothing like a totally accepting sugar plum hug from a grand child to make you feel like you have worth and value on this earth.
During their stay Brandi and I had some very awesome visit time while the majority of the time that Paul and Duane had was in a mad contest of Mario Cart on the Wii. Zachary became quite involved in the game as well as he made the perfect sound effects and gestures to complete the scene. Of course, Paul, who is brand new to the game, out-did all of us and was able to unlock unknown levels of the game that will probably never been seen again until his return. It was a very fun weekend filled with a little tiny guy who totally rocks our world.