First Vacation!

We went on our first family vacation to Philadelphia and New Jersey to go visit Carter's great grandma Markle. Here's a bunch of pictures from our trip!

Carter surprivising while I laid out his clothes for the trip

On our way to the airport! Little bit nervous about being the people with the screaming child...Hanging out on the planeHaving some play time! Carter did really well on the plane. He cried a little bit on the way there when we were descending (pretty sure his ears started to hurt), but it was only for a couple minutes and not too loud. On the way back home he did awesome and didn't even make a peep! Much better than what I was expecting and we were so proud of how well he did.
In front of the Philadelphia Art Museum
We got into Philadelphia in the early afternoon, went immediately to get some cheese steaks and then did some sightseeing. We walked around South Street, headed to the Art Musuem and then walked down to Boathouse row. In front of the Rocky statue - it was funny/kind of sad that most of the people here seemed more interested in the Rocky statue than the art museum :)
Carter's crazy AuntsYep, that's right - he had to run the stairs. Here he is getting ready to start.
Dane and Carter at the top of the stairs

Watching some of the crew teams on the riverCarter enjoyed getting out of his baby bjorn and laying on a blankie in the grassGetting tickled under that chubby chin!After playing for a while he got hungry, sucked down a bottle and then proceeded to pass out - this was how he looked...Watching the crew teams go byWe finally made it to our hotel and Carter was enjoying the soft sheets and a place to stretch outTaking a dip in the pool at the hotelThe next day we headed over to the aquarium - Carter decided to take a nap before we got there.Looking at the small sharks in the pet a shark exhibitA huge sea turtleCarter really liked the aquarium - the bright lights and all the movement of the fish really intrigued him!Watching the penguins swim in an underwater viewing tankStarting to get tired and a little cranky...There was a really cool Hippo exhibit where you could see the Hippos underwater and watch them swim. JellyfishLeanne and Kristen in the sharkCarter meeting great grandma finally!The first night we made it to the shore it was pretty hot and humid. Carter finally passed out once we stripped him down to his diaper and let him lay under the ceiling fan. He also apparently decided that he was going to show off for great grandma and roll over from his back to his tummy for the first time. He's done it quite a few times since and is getting pretty good at it. He does get high centered on his arm and gets a little frustrated, but I'm sure he'll figure it out soon enough!We headed over to the boardwalk in Ocean City and wandered aroundDown by the beachMeeting Aunt NancyWe also went over to Cape May and wandered around and went to the lighthouse. I forgot my sunglasses, but luckily Kristen bought this awesome pair and let me borrow them :) Shucking oysters for dinnerSince it was Carter's first time to the ocean we had to at least dip his toes in the water! We took him down to the bay to let him take a feel. The water was pretty cold so he kept pulling his toes out - but at least he's been in the ocean now :) Carter did wonderfully on our trip and did so well being shuffled around all day without getting much rest. Everyone kept telling us he is such a good baby and I think we definitely agree that he's becoming quite a good and happy little man. It was really fun to get to spend so much time together as a family.