Carson-isms

Just wanted to document some of the funny things Carson says these days. While his vocabulary grows every week, there are still some things that don't come out just quite right...and those are the cutest!

For example:
Pepper Pepper Pepper Poni = Pepperoni
Pink One = Penguin
Clunk = Clock
Wook Mommy! Wook at Dat!!! = Look Mommy! Look at That!!!
Mawee = Wall-E (the Disney character)
Paula Bean = Paula Deen
No tat time! = No nap time!

Past Carson-isms that he now pronounces clearly:
Orrrrrrnan = Gordon (from Thomas trains)
Meeps = James (from Thomas trains)
Momas = Thomas
Doop = Soup
Headphoons = Headphones
Onange = Orange
Oweevs = Olives

Christmas Blessings

Christmas is less than two weeks away and we just want to take a moment to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. We have so much to be thankful for this holiday season including an upcoming trip to Chicago and Elwood to spend time with our families. Carson keeps talking about his Grandma, Grandpa, and all his cousins. We can't wait to see everyone!

This year we are also very blessed to have baby #2 on the way. We are due at the end of April. It remains a mystery as to whether it's a girl or boy. Apparently it was too shy to show us at the last ultrasound. =) But most importantly, the baby is healthy and the pregnancy is going very well.

Here are some pictures that Ryan took in front of our Christmas tree. Happy Holiday everyone!!!

ABC's

I've been meaning to get this on camera for a long time. Carson loves singing his ABC's in his play microphone. My camera was too slow to catch the beginning but you'll get the picture. =)

ABC's from Ryan Chan on Vimeo.

Trick or Treat

This was our first year trick or treating in New Jersey so we weren't sure what to expect....like how many kids would go trick or treating in our neighborhood, etc. To our surprise, our doorbell rang at 1:30pm this afternoon with our first trick or treaters!!!! Unfortunately I had just put Carson down for his nap so he missed out on seeing our first visitor who just happened to be Thomas the Tank Engine!!! The doorbell continued to ring all afternoon and by 5:45pm we were out of candy! It's 7pm right now and I can still see children walking around in their costumes outside. Maybe next year we will be more prepared - and buy some major candy by the bulk!

The weather was rainy but that didn't stop Carson from having a good time. Here are some pictures of the little monkey. He really enjoyed going door to door, ringing door bells and getting candy this year.

Carson's candy of choice: Lollipops!!!

All ready to head outside...


Rain, rain, go away...

Halloween Cookies - Day 2

This morning we finished the Halloween cookies! I iced and Carson helped with the sprinkles. They are setting out to dry right now but in the meantime, I thought I'd show you the finished product...



Which one is Carson's favorite? The blue Thomas trains of course!!!

Halloween Cookies - Day 1

This evening Carson and I decided to get into the holiday spirit by baking some Halloween cookies. I pulled out my stash of cookie cutters from the basement and we picked out the ones we wanted to make. There were pumpkins, ghosts, cats, spider webs....and Carson also insisted on making some train cookies. We rolled up our sleeves, rolled out the dough, and baked some yummy cookies. Here are a couple pictures and a video of my little helper. Tomorrow we will ice the cookies!

Halloween Cookies from Ryan Chan on Vimeo.

Carson Is Going to be a BIG BROTHER!

It's official! Carson is going to be a big brother next year! We went to the doctor Monday evening and got to hear the heartbeat for the first time. I am 12+ weeks along and the due date is April 27, 2010! Many people have already asked if we are going to find out if it's a girl or boy. Yes! We are not ones to wait until the end so we will definitely be finding out. In fact, we should know in 6-8 more weeks whether Carson is going to have a little sister or little brother!

Since our family is growing we need to change the name of our blog. It's currently called "Watch Carson Grow" but that won't make sense after this next baby is born. Can you think of a catchy blog name for us to use? If so, post it in the Comments section.

Carson's First Big Boy Bike

Ryan has wanted to get a bike for Carson for months so this past weekend he took Carson bike shopping! They also had to buy a new helmet. Carson has a rather large head and can no longer wear his toddler helmet anymore. He can't even wear a 3T/4T one! They just don't fit on his big noggin! I think the helmet we ended up with is for a 5 or 6 year old.

So we took Carson to a big parking lot at the Hamburg Park to practice. (It was hard finding flat land in NJ to ride on! =) After about 5 minutes of practicing...he was off! Go Carson, Go!!!



Ringing his bell...


Concentrating real hard...




We had him stop for a quick picture but he wasn't a big fan of that. He just wanted to keep riding...and riding...and riding!


Can you tell that he wasn't ready to go home yet?

Fun With Grandma and Grandpa

What a fun week and a half we have had! My Mom and Dad drove out all the way from Indiana to visit us. Here are some of the things we did during their visit.

The first weekend we headed to NYC! It was the first time they had been to the big city so we hopped on a double-decker tour bus and took it all in. (Unfortunately I forgot the camera that day! =( Some of the sights we got to see were the Empire State Building, Trump Towers, Chinatown, Ground Zero, United Nations, Rockefeller Center, Times Squares, Brooklyn Bridge, and Central Park. We even stopped in the M&M store on Times Square to buy some dark chocolate M&M's for $12.99 a pound! Ouch!

Another day we went to High Point State Park so that we could see the highest point of NJ. At the top, there is a 360 degree view of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Here's a picture looking straight up inside the High Point monument. There are stairs, and stairs, and MORE stairs leading to the very top. No one was brave enough to make the venture to the very top! =)

My dad also replaced our kitchen sink that day. (THANK YOU Dad!) It was old and worn. Every time you turned it off it would drip unless you turned it just right. We LOVE our new faucet!

The following day we headed to Wawayanda State Park. The past 2 out of 2 times we had been to Wawayanda we had seen black bears so I was hoping my parents could experience the same. We went on the same trail only this time there were no bears. We walked and walked. This was the first time I had seen this much of the trail because in the past we had to turn around when we spotted a bear or two. Here are some pictures from Wawayanda:

Here's a worm that was 'floating' in the air:


Midweek we decided to do a little shopping at IKEA, Michael's, and JoAnn's. I started getting an itch to sew so my Mom gave me some lessons while she was here. I hadn't touched a sewing machine or even a needle and thread since 8th grade! My mom was such a huge help, showing me how to read the patterns and make Carson's first new pair of Thomas pajamas for this winter.

Thursday night we took Mom and Dad to Cuban Pete's so they could experience some Cuban food and to get a taste of Ryan and I's all time favorite restaurant!

Friday we headed to Vernon, NJ to walk along to Pochuck Trail which is part of the Appalachian Trail. We headed out mid-morning and boy was it hot!
Before you reach the boardwalk part of the Pochuck Trail, you first have to take a trail in the woods. A snake slid across the path right in front of my feet and boy did I scream. My Dad was startled by my scream and thought I had seen a bear or something. haha Anyways, it was fun and my Dad was glad that he could add that to his list of accomplishments. =)





By Saturday, Carson and I were about over our summer colds but had passed them on to Mom and Dad, so we took it easy and everyone rested up. We also watched a few good movies while they were here: 7 Pounds and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

This evening, I was feeling a bit disappointed that my parents didn't get to see any bears or deer while they were here...and wouldn't you know it...while we were driving home from dinner tonight a black bear ran across the street in front of us. Then on up the road, we saw not one but three deer. There was all sorts of wildlife out tonight!

Needless to say, we had a great time with my parents while they were here and Carson loved seeing and playing with his grandma and grandpa! They are heading back home tomorrow. We wish them a very safe trip back and can't wait to see them again soon!

NJ Balloon Festival

This weekend (our last weekend with the in-laws) we drove an hour south to the Solberg Airport to go to the NJ Balloon Festival. It was an awesome experience! At 6:30 that evening they launched 100+ hot balloons into the air. There were balloons of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the night.

NYC Bus Tour

Last weekend (July 18th) we took Ryan's parents on a double-decker bus tour around NYC. We were able to hop on and hop off whenever we wanted. It was a great way to see the city! Some of the sites we saw were Chinatown, Times Square, United Nations, Statue of Liberty from a distance, Ground Zero and lots and lots of skyscrapers! Here are some of the pictures from our trip:

Look Who's Two and a Half!

Carson turned 2 1/2 this past weekend. I cannot believe how fast the time has flown!!! Here are some of my favorites from his most recent photo shoot taken in Wawayanda State Park, NJ.

Carson's Day

As most of you know, Carson lives and breathes everything Thomas. He got 'addicted' to him this past Christmas and has played with Thomas and the other trains EVERY day since. He rarely plays with any other toys (except for when we are outside on his bike or playing with balls). So today Carson and his best friend, Isaac, went to a Day Out With Thomas. We got up early this morning to drive to Phillipsburg, NJ. We arrived at the train station around 9am and Carson was ecstatic when he saw "Big Thomas". The day consisted of a 30 minute train ride, straw maze, coloring, temporary Percy tattoos, meeting Sir Topham Hat, Thomas videos and mini trains, and lots of other fun activities. I can honestly say that today was one of the happiest days in Carson's life! He had a blast!!!

Pochuck Trail

On Friday I took the in-laws on a 3 mile hike to New Jersey's Pochuck Trail. The Pochuck Trail consists of a boardwalk and bridge. It is part of the Appalachian Trail. The weather was perfect and the sky was clear blue...a perfect day for a hike.

Here are some pictures from the hike:

Happy 4th Of July!!!

What a fun weekend it has been! We went to Wawayanda State Park yesterday (this time no bears!) and then watched fireworks in Vernon, NJ. It was a beautiful, clear, and chilly summer night. Made for some great fireworks!

Getting ready for the fireworks to begin...


Couple cool shots that Ryan captured...






Happy Independence Day everyone!!!

Goofing Around

Who says Mommy can't have a little fun too? =)

See the Resemblance?

Does Carson look more like his mommy or daddy?

Carson at One Year old...


Ryan at One Year old...




Ummm...Yeah...I don't even need to post my (Kathie) baby picture!

Swimming, Fishing, and Hiking

Sorry I haven't posted in a few weeks. What have we been up to? Swimming, fishing, and hiking would summarize it.

You won't find a swimming pool in our subdivision but we do have an old limestone quarry. They turned part of it into a swimming area and the other side for fishing. Ryan's dad took Carson out to swim and play in the sand.



A hot day = a good day to run around in your underwear, right?!?! Here's a shot of Carson sharing a banana with his Grandma out on the deck.



Another day we went fishing. Carson caught his first fish!



On Monday, Carson and I took Grandma and Grandpa out hiking at High Point State Park. It was a 2 1/2 hour hike and I was really hoping we would not come across any bears that day...luckily we did not!