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.