great grandpa love.
>> October 10, 2010
Our main reason for taking a family vacation to Florida was to visit my grandpa and have him meet Carter. My grandpa is Carter's only living great-grandparent and Carter is my grandpa's only great-grandchild. It was so special to have them meet each other and even more special watching them interact all week. Carter loved exploring my grandpa's house, looking at old pictures of when I was a baby and smacking grandpa on his feet and knees. Grandpa adored Carter. He would just sit, smile and grin from ear to ear. I'm so glad we were able to take this trip...such wonderful memories.
Here are a few of my favorite pictures of the 2 of them during the week.
Grandpa got a haircut while we were there, so he looks a little different in some of these pictures!
As with any cute beach condo, the place was filled with wicker furniture and beach themed trinkets (not very baby friendly). So, we did a little re-arranging to make the place feel more like home.
Carter went swimming for the first time and LOVED it. So, we went every day after that. And, when we got home I signed him up for swim lessons! This kid loves the water.
He looked pretty cute in his crocodile towel too!
The beach was literally just a step away and we took full advantage. We took 2 early morning walks, 2 late evening walks and plenty of walks in between. 
We took a day trip to the Tampa Zoo (which I highly recommend to anyone visiting that area). It was a very hot and humid day and Carter did fantastic in the heat. The animals were beautiful but the highlight of Carter's day was riding his first carousel.
Another amazing view from our condo.
We spent another day taking a drive down to Indian Rock Beach. On the way we drove by some beautiful beach mansions. We had heard that Hulk Hogan owned one of them, but he wasn't around that day. Carter liked meeting this pirate on the boardwalk.
Another beach picture. It was just too beautiful. 
Carter took a turn playing in the ocean. Too bad all he cared about was eating the sand. 
We tried to eat at as many locals places as possible all week and were not disappointed. We found an amazing cafe for brunch (which had the best french toast with cinnamon sugar butter I've ever eaten in my life. Not kidding, I talked about it all week!), a yummy Mexican restaurant, and our favorite little ice cream shop. We probably went here 3 times!
At the end of the week we headed back to Orlando to spend the day at Downtown Disney. 
We couldn't resist bringing Mickey home with us!
After a long week, we were pretty excited that our first family vacation had gone so smoothly. We can't wait to go back!!
Even though it cost $10 to park and $22 for us to get in, it was so much fun!
Trying to be brave and stick my feet in the water. 
So was Aunt Joy!
On Saturday, we spent part of the day walking around some of the worst gift shops I've ever seen! We found a few hilarious sweatshirts too!
Classic.
Carter was a little unsure about his "puppy with flowers" shirt.
Matt and his wolf shirt. Awesome.
Carter had a great time playing and even learned how to climb up the stairs while we were there! 
Ignore the mismatched pajamas!
Such a good helper in the kitchen!
Carrie and Brandon waiting in the terminal to board the boat. 
Matt and Carter.
Carter checking out the view from the boat. He loved looking at the water, walking around the ferry and smiling at all the girls.
Family pic.
Matt and Carter on the ferry heading home. He did such a good job despite the fact he was hot and sweaty and stuck in a stroller for most of the day. 
