Last Day in Destin

Ending our day with some card playing


A family photo with Grandma and Papa Cairney

It is always so hard for us to tell Papa and Grandma good-bye after our week together. We all had such a wonderful time laughing, playing, relaxing and creating amazing memories together. And how lucky for us that we also got to spend the week at the beach! Thank-you again Dick and Celie for inviting us to spend some time with you while you were in the Destin area. We loved every minute of it and really appreciated all of your hospitality......we love you both!!! XOXOXOXOXOX

Miniature golfing - Destin style

Our rainbow while we were putt-putt golfing

Kate and I after our hole in one!

Grandma, Kate and Ben

Ben and I after our hole in one

the Cairney's in the HUGE chair at the Wharf

A Florida vacation would not be complete for us with out some putt-putt golf. We found this amazing course in Destin and had so much fun. After church, saying good-bye to the Paulson's, a walk on the beach, some shopping and a little rain shower, we hit the road in search of a miniature course. We found one and were immediately blessed with an amazing rainbow on the first hole. The rest of the 18 holes entertained us with an ocassional hole-in-one for all that were playing, some caves, waterfalls, jungle animal statues, a 3 hole hidden maze, and tons of fun! What a wonderful way to wrap up the week.

A Day with the Paulson's

Ben and Daniel - having some fun swinging

Ben, Daniel, Lindsey, Hilary, and Kate

the girls at the beach

the boys getting their castles started

Keri and Stephanie

Saturday was another exciting day.....after another great night of sleep, more pancakes, and more shuffle board, we were blessed to be able to spend the entire day with the Paulson family. The Paulson's (Scott, Stephanie, Lindsey, Daniel & Hilary) were in our small group at Hope until they moved to Gainsville about 1 1/2 years ago. We miss them so much and were very excited when they decided to drive over for the weekend to see us. Once all of the hugs ended, we ate a quick snack and headed toward the beach! The kids were amazing how they all just took to one another, and had such a blast playing all day and into the evening. The weather was another perfect sunny 60's day. That evening we headed over to the Baytowne Warf area for dinner and let the kids play in this huge play area that they have over there. Our awesome day ended with some yummy pizza and ice cream to top it all off. Thanks again Paulson's for coming to see us....we had such a great time and we love you all. I think Ben said it perfectly when he said, "Mom, Daniel is really fun, do you think that he could come over to my house the next day?".......we wish that he could - can't wait to see you again!!!!

Destin Vacation

Crazy Ben in the ocean

Edgewater Beach resort where we stayed

Doug and the kids - shuffleboard

Amazing sand art!

Mr. Ben, warming up for a bit under the cabana.

Florida vacation

One of our many creations in the sand

Kate and Ben - braving the water together!

Daddy and Ben, getting the castles started

The minute we arrived at Papa and grandma's, we rushed right out to the beach - it was a bit chilly, but we had to dip our toes in.....

Pilot Ben and co-pilot Kate in one of the many awesome planes that we saw at the Naval Air museum in Pensacola.

After endless days of winter here in DesMoines, we decided to head down to Florida and visit Papa and Grandma Cairney for a few days last week. They have been wintering in the Panama city and Destin area since January. We drove to Kansas City Tuesday night and flew from there into Fort Walton Beach airport on Wednesday morning. The flights all went very smoothe, and the kids did great! As soon as we got to Destin, to Papa and Grandma's condo, we had to rush right down to the ocean. The sun was shining, wind a bit breezy, but the kids immediately put their toes in. Ben went in a bit deeper being the dare devil that he is and mananged to soak his pants completely - OH WELL - he was having fun, right?? I was in heaven......sun, sand, ocean, & not a speck of snow in sight! Our annual tradition of card playing kicked in immediately that first night with Kate challenging Papa to war many times. Thursday, we headed over to Pensacola to spend the day at the Naval/Air museum. The kids had such a great time seeing all of the planes, replicas of navy ships, and I would say that their highlight was riding on a simulated ride with Grandma (flying with the "Blue Angels"). Doug and Papa said that they could hear them screaming and laughing outside of the ride the entire time. Once the door opened, Ben ran out with a huge thumbs up stating "that was awesome"! I think Grandma and Kate would agree. Friday was a perfect "Beach day"....the sun was shining, wind mild, and we enjoyed the day outdoors. After enjoying another stack of pancakes that Grandma made the kids every am, we usually headed out to either the putting green for some putting practice, or the shuffleboard court. We really enjoyed learning how to play this game, and it was perfect because we could all play.

Valentine's Day

Two of my Valentine's....Doug & Ben

Proudly displaying the layered jello heart dessert - and believe it or not,
they tasted good too!

Kate and I surprised the boys with X's and O's for our breadsticks with tonight's candlelight spaghetti dinner (thanks for the idea Stephanie (-: )

Kate was excited about the Valentine's that I made with the some special $$$ embelishments

We had a great Valentine's Day here at the Cairney house. The morning started out wonderfully with getting to sleep in until 6:30 and was then notified by Kate when I got out of the shower that daddy had shoveled me a surprise in the drive way. I opened up the blinds and there was a HUGE heart covering our entire drive - that was soooo sweet Doug! I Loved it! Of course, the snow was coming down way too fast for me and before I knew it, it was completely covered - BUMMER!! Maybe he will do it again for me - hint, hint.........then I will get the photo. I had made some valentine's for the kids and used some coins for the facial features - they seemed to enjoy those. Then off to church we went, grabbed some McDonald's for the kids for lunch, picked up the babysitter, and then Doug and I went to the movies. We saw BlindSide and it was an amazing show - definitely a must see or rental. Tonight we had a yummy dinner, complete with hugs and kisses bread sticks, heart jello for dessert and then a movie night. We watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.....from an adult stand point, it was OK, but I just love to lay there next to Kate and Ben and watch their little eyes light up, listed to their adorable belly laughs and just snuggle them as much as I can!!!! Faith, Hope, and Love, but the GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE!!!!!! Happy Valentine's Day everyone...Love, Keri

PS - congratulations again to Aunt Wendi and Jon on their engagement this weekend- we love you both!!!!!

Sunny day at the zoo

Kate & Ben proudly displaying the snow man that we made a few weeks ago.
Parts of her still remain in our front yard, but he had alot of melting this weekend.


Ben, Kate & Max

doesn't it look like this tiger is smiling??

This weekend it was so beautiful here, I found myself trying to pack in as many outdoor activities as I could. It was sunny, 40's and I was loving it! Our good friend Max was able to spend the day with us on Saturday so we went sledding in the morning, and then after Kate's basketball game, we went to the zoo. We had never ventured over to the zoo in the Winter, and were pleasantly surprised to see that the animals were enjoying the gorgeous day too!! The flamingo's were basking in the sun, the sea lions were enjoying a swim, & the bald eagles were as beautiful as ever on their perch! The lions and tigers however were the highlight of the day. There was one tiger in the indoor area and he was quite aggressive by the glass window. What an amazing animal he was to watch and so huge! The kids were very entertained and also concerned about why he was pawing at the glass so much and even at times, lunging at them! Definitely a moment they will remember for awhile. We finished out the weekend with helping out at church, hosting a brunch for our small group and then a long walk in the beautiful snowfall yesterday afternoon.