Surprise Saturday with Grandpa Kelly

Jen was out of town this weekend, as she and a handful of friends went to Deep Creek (in Maryland's panhandle) on a little retreat sans husbands and little ones. However, as Jen was en route (and while the children were in the temporary care of their ever-gracious Willis grandparents, who live about 72 seconds away) she received a rather unexpected call from her father who, it so happened, was in our driveway.

This came as somewhat of a shock, as Jen's father lives in Bountiful, Utah (which is far away) and lately has been spending much of his time overseeing one of his company's projects in western Florida (which is a bit closer, but still pretty far). It turns out he was more-or-less in the area and decided, to our delight, to stop in for the weekend. Of course, this left Jen with some mixed emotions, as his plan was to leave on Sunday morning, prior to her return home. But father convinced daughter to follow through with her original plans, and son-in-law ultimately convinced father-in-law to stay an extra day so he could see his daughter and spend a little more time with the rest of us.

In the meantime, grandpa has made his always appreciated "monster pancakes" and two batches (and counting) of his near-famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. He also took the children (with the help of their father) to the Dutch Farmer's Market in Burtonsville, Maryland (run by a group of Amish farmers from Lancaster, PA), where, after years of searching, I finally found a cream-filled doughnut like those offered at Peter Pan Bakery in Moorestown, New Jersey. After the market, we were off to the playground at Peter's preschool.

It was a wonderful weekend for four grandchildren (and their parents) who only wish they could see their Kelly grandparents more often.



Not a bad picture, considering Abby took it.

The Dutch Farmers' Market -- before the doughnuts.