One, Two, .... THREE Bears today!!!

Ryan took today off work and we spent the day at Wawayanda State Park with Ryan's parents and our friends, Karl and Jennifer. We let the boys play on the playground there and then began our hike around the lake. We probably got 1/4 of the way around and we came across 2 bears! One off to the right side of us and one walking towards us on the trail itself. It was almost the same spot that Ryan and his parents spotted the bear last time, only this time there were TWO! My adrenalin began to rush as I saw the bears only a few feet in front of us! How cool to finally see one. I've heard so many people talk about all the bears in New Jersey and now I finally got to see one! But I was also nervous as I was holding Carson and his friend, Isaac's hands. Needless to say, I turned right around and headed the other way with the boys. Ryan and his dad snapped a couple pictures. The bears didn't seem to be bothered by our company however, they are wild and I did not want to find out what would happen if we had gotten any closer! We headed back to the picnic table area and had BBQ hotdogs and hamburgers. Then wrapped up the day on the beach playing in the sand. Being a weekday, we practically had the park to ourselves. It was a great day and we are so glad we got to spend some time with Jennifer and Karl.

So why 3 bears? Believe it or not, on our way home (in Vernon, NJ) we saw a bear run across the road! Close enough to see it, but not too close to impact Ryan's driving. I recall Ryan's dad say, "Three Bears! It's our lucky day!" haha



Bear #1


Bear #2


So true!!!

Strawberry Fields

This morning we went strawberry picking at the Sussex County Strawberry Farm. They have 15 acres of U-Pick strawberries. Carson LOVES strawberries so much. At first he did a great job of picking. Paying special attention to picking only the red ones and leaving the green, unripe ones alone and placing them gently in our basket....but then he figured something out - he could eat them fresh off the vine. It was over from there! He had strawberry juice running down his mouth and all over his shirt. He was in strawberry heaven!

Tonight we will make a pie. Yummy!!!







Here's a video showing Carson's picking and eating skills!

Untitled from Ryan Chan on Vimeo.

Up Close and Personal with....a BEAR!!!

Last weekend I was under the weather so Ryan and his parents took Carson hiking at the Wawayanda State Park. They said it was their favorite park so far because it was so beautiful and had so much to do. As they were hiking along one of the paths they came upon a bear...yes, a bear. It's common knowledge in New Jersey that there are bears around, but most people I've asked have never seen one. Ryan and Carson were one of the lucky few I suppose. Once they spotted it, Ryan's parents swooped Carson up in their arms and quickly walked the other way. Ryan, on the other hand, had to stay behind to get a picture (or two) first!





The bear...not the best picture but you get the point. How would you like to run into one of these while hiking?!?! =)

Turtle Back Zoo

Today Carson and I took Grandma and Grandpa to the Turtle Back Zoo. It was our first time there and what a nice zoo it was! We got to see lots of unique animals, ride the carousel and even the train too!

Fun at the Park

Here are some pictures taken on Sunday. We went to a local park to play. We had lots of fun with the funny mirror. It made for some goofy pictures!

Wearing Grandma's sunglasses.




Look at my big head!


Look how tall I am!

Point Pleasant Beach

Yesterday we took Ryan's mom and dad to Point Pleasant beach. We grabbed some KFC for lunch and had fun playing in the sand. The water was still really cold but Ryan and his dad went swimming anyways. They both had fun riding the waves and I had fun burying Ryan in the sand!

Vacation - Part Three

Day 5: We drove up north to Washingtonville, New York for a tour and tasting at Brotherhood Winery, America's oldest winery. Brotherhood was established in 1839 and had some fascinating things to see in their underground cellars. Oh, and their wine tasted really good too! We all ended up buying some to bring home!











Day 6: Alan, Melissa, and Ethan went to Connecticut for the day to see Melissa's mom.

Day 7: Our last official day of vacation. We drove back up north to Bear Mountain State Park. We did a little more hiking and also tried to get some family pictures.













Our grand finale was Friday night. Dinner at our favorite restaurant - Cuban Pete's - to celebrate KuoHua and Melissa's birthday. KuoHua's birthday was today and Melissa's 30th birthday is next week! Here's a couple pictures of their cake and at the restaurant.





The week went WAY TOO FAST and unfortunately Alan and Melissa had to go back to Chicago. I guess they had to go back to work or something... =) But we had such a great time and Ethan and Carson LOVED each other's company. We are also very fortunate to get to spend another month and a half with Ryan's parents so there will be many more pictures and posts to come! Good night!