Heaven, We're in Heaven...

Bonny Babe with her doting Papa.

That's right, Papa and Grammy are in Heaven. It may look like just some tiny, nondescript, not-so-special town in rural Alabama, but this place must be Heaven--because we are surrounded by ANGELS. We are here with our twin granddaughters, Bonny Babe and Kewpie Doll (the baby formerly known as Cutie Pie), and they are the most beautiful little beings you've ever seen: they have golden, downy-soft hair; peaches and cream-colored, velvety-soft skin; smiles that would melt your heart; and the biggest, brightest, bluest eyes you can imagine (framed by the longest, darkest lashes you'll ever find that haven't been created by a tube of mascara!). They are angels on earth--no exaggeration. They may act like puppies sometimes, squealing and rolling around and crawling all over whatever adult is sitting on the floor with them; but they are angels. You can take my word for it.

Papa is definitely in Heaven! Because the last time he got a chance to spend time with his beloved granddaugters, we were on a long, arduous road trip with them from Upstate NY to their new home down here, and with all the upheavals in their life, they were a little unsure of Papa. (They were a little unsure of any man who wasn't their daddy during that time period, though.) But this time, both girls warmed up to both Papa and Grammy almost as soon as we walked in the door yesterday. Just in the short time we've been here, Papa has fed them, put one of them down for a nap, walked with them from one end of the house to the other and back again while they held onto his hands (they really like to walk!), and acted like a human jungle gym, letting them crawl all over him and use him to pull themselves up to standing positions. He has gotten enough smiles from those two little girls already to fill his soul to bursting with happiness--and we still have three more days here. His soul will have to expand by the end of the week, I guess, to hold all that happiness in.

And this morning, Bonny Babe looked right at him and very slowly and deliberately said this: "Pa Pa." It may have just been a coincidence, but it sure didn't seem like it! (The girls are also saying "Na Na," so I'm considering changing my title from Grammy to Nana, just so that I can claim they've said my name, too!)

Stay tuned for more pictures of our little angels in the days to come! But for now, I'll sign off from our little slice of Heaven here in the South.