Christmas in Indiana

Ryan and I were excited that we could make it back to Indiana for Christmas this year. Alan and Melissa drove down from Chicago to spend the weekend with us. Here are some pictures we took of the boys.



We also had a fun afternoon at Mike and Kim's house to celebrate Christmas with all of the Hiatts. It was great spending time with my family and watching the kids open their presents.

Happy Early 2nd Birthday Carson!

We had a very fun and busy week in Indiana! We arrived at midnight Christmas Eve and drove back to NJ on New Years Eve. We were busy visiting friends and family, moving out of our Fishers home and taking care of last minute things before the new owners closed on our house. While we were in Fishers, we decided to have an early birthday party with some neighbors. We gathered at Pizza Hut. The adults had fun chatting while the kids got to wear their Thomas the Train Engine hats. Here are lots of pictures from our little celebration.

Fried Hotdogs?!?!?!?!

I don't mean for Carson blog to turn into a food blog but I do have to tell you all about the restaurant we ate at last night. It's called Rutt's Hut in Clifton NJ. They were showcased on the Travel Channel about a month ago for their famous fried hot dogs.



Once inside, we were a bit surprised to see no tables to sit at. Only long tables to stand at while you eat your dogs.



Once we got our order we headed out to the car to eat our meal. The hot dogs were fabulous! Each hot dog or "ripper" is deep-fried in vegetable oil, which makes the outside skin rip open when fried. The result is a crispy outside layer and a soft, juicy middle. If you are ever in the area, I would definitely recommend Rutt's Hut!



NO. All the hotdogs in this picture were not just for me! =)



To our friends and family...watch out! The next time you see us we may have gained some weight with all this good food in New Jersey! hahaha

Bath Time!

Holiday Cookies...the quick way

Carson and I had to cheat a bit while doing some holiday baking today. All of my cookie cutters and gadgets are still at our home in Indiana so we had to take a shortcut today...Ready To Bake Cookies! Doesn't get any easier than that! =)



Here's a video of Carson helping out with the cookies:

Holiday Baking from Ryan Chan on Vimeo.

Chef Carson

I thought I would share my love for cooking with Carson tonight... so we made a pizza! Here's how it went...

Climbing, Riding, and Burning off Energy

We have officially been in New Jersey for 1 week and 1 day now. The first couple of nights were difficult putting Carson down for bed but he has since then adjusted well and is back to his normal self. We only brought a small amount of toys to keep in our 1 bedroom apartment so I thought it was time to find an indoor playground. Somewhere to let Carson run around and burn off some energy. We drove about 20 minutes to Rockaway, NJ this morning to a place called Giggles Play Station. We were there from 10am-noon and were the only ones there! We had the entire place to ourselves. (So much for trying to meet new friends! =) Carson had a blast! Here are some pictures and videos from today.



Here's a video of Carson driving a bulldozer and figuring out all the controls. Maybe he can help Grandpa on the farm next summer. =)


Driving a Bulldozer from Ryan Chan on Vimeo.

Here's a video of Carson climbing up part of the jungle gym. He LOVES climbing and going down big slides!


Jungle Gym from Ryan Chan on Vimeo.

Elmo

Carson's new best friend is Elmo (since Peighton no longer lives across the street from us). Carson will play with Elmo a lot throughout the day. Today I caught Carson trying to share his juice with Elmo so I thought I'd get it on video.


Thirsty Elmo from Ryan Chan on Vimeo.

Ho Ho Ho

Carson and I checked out the Willowbrook Mall this morning so we could get outside. While we were strolling about the mall we came across Santa Claus. Carson has never sat on Santa's lap before so I thought what the heck, let's give it a try. He did really well and enjoyed sitting on his lap. Here's a picture to capture the moment.

Cuban Pete's

Carson (and Kathie) had their first Cuban food last night. We drove to Montclair, NJ to enjoy some Cuban Pete's and boy was it tasty!!! Some of the best food we've ever had. Ryan had flank steak and Kathie had crispy shredded beef with onions and lime. On the side were black beans, rice, and plantains. Carson enjoyed the food just as much and munched on a little bit of everything. Here's a picture of the restaurant.