Florida 2011 - Grandpa turns 90!

Back in October, we drove to Pensacola, FL to celebrate my Grandpa's 90th birthday!  It was a big family event and great reason to all be getting together (even though my grandpa kept joking he wouldn't be there).  The drive went fairly well both ways.  We arrived late Wed night, just as a cold front blew into town.  That meant we didn't do a lot outside, but we did manage a few fun things.

Bryce had to work both Thursday and Friday and most of the family wasn't arriving until late Thursday/early Friday. So, Oma and I had the day to spend with the kids. Thursday morning, we took a walk on the beach/dunes with the kids.

Later that day, we drove to Panama City to pick up Baba and Casey. We had wanted to go to the zoo, but they closed early and we didn't have time. Instead, we went to a small aquarium to kill some time.  We weren't there long and it was very small, but the kids enjoyed it. We got to see a dolphin show and reptile show along with other marine animals.

Ready for the dolphin show

Dolphins!

We also saw sea lions

This is Caitlin petting an alligator. She's brave!

Me and my little man

Oma and Caitlin admiring the penguins

We did make it to the beach on Saturday when the weather finally warmed up a bit. It was way too cold for me to get in the water, but we enjoyed some wading.  We also saw sting rays!

Evan having fun at the beach.

Caitlin enjoyed playing in the sand - water was a tad cold for her too.

Family photo!

And finally, the party! My mom reserved a room at a local restaurant for my Grandpa's party. The food was fabulous and the company even better. Unfortunately, Caitlin was very clingy as she was not feeling well.  Still, it was so great to see my family and especially be there to celebrate my Grandpa's 90th birthday. We hope we get to celebrate many more family milestones.

My Grandpa Duck with his custom bobble head

The "branch" - Cousin Bill, Uncle Jim, Cousin Ann, and the patriarch

Grandpa with his cake