Lucas "Talking"

Lucas "talks" and "sings" in this short clip!

Lights, Camera, Lucas!

Here's a short clip of Lucas intently focused on the video camera.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Now reading Khaled Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. Hosseini, who authored the 2006 bestseller The Kite Runner, returns to Afghanistan as the backdrop to his novel.

Whereas The Kite Runner focused on fathers and sons, and friendships between men, A Thousand Splendid Suns focuses on mothers and daughters, and friendships between women. Whereas The Kite Runner got off to a gripping start and stumbled into contrivance and sentimentality in its second half, Splendid Suns starts off programmatically and gains speed and emotional power as it slowly unfurls.

It's a superb read, though not quite as good as The Kite Runner, it still provides a glimpse into daily life in Afghanistan.

Eleven Weeks Old

Lucas is eleven weeks old this week. He is gaining weight, but not as fast as before. But, he's now talking back to us and smiling a lot more too. And, he's sleeping a lot longer now, averaging around 4 - 5 hours between night feedings. The other night he slept for almost 8 hours straight! Here are several shots from this past week.

Father's Day and Ten Weeks Old

This past Father's Day was my first so we had a special celebration with Lediya's family. We hosted a barbecue and we had tons of good food. We enjoyed carne asada, grilled vegetables, Thai spicy salad, curry, garlic meatballs, and shrimp skewers. We also had four first time dads there: myself, Peter, James, and Josh. Our babies also got together for the first time: Matthew, Lucas, Aiden, and Madison.

It was a fun first Father's Day with family and fellow dads. It was also Lucas' 10th week! Click here for more pics.

3 Easy Ways to Make $100

1. Earn interest on your idle cash.
Open up a high-yield savings account that links up directly with your existing checking account and pumps up that piddly interest rate you're getting now. At 5% APY, with every $2,000 in cash you can make $100 more in interest a year. Banks with local branches like Washington Mutual and Citibank are even in the game. Currently, we are taking advantage of the 6% promotional offer at FNBO Direct.

2. Get cash back whenever you make a purchase.
If you are responsible with credit cards, you should really use a credit card that gives you cash back or other perks when buying everyday purchases like groceries, gas, dining out, and everything else. You can easily get back $100 a year without changing your spending patterns. Last year, we received almost $800 back by charging nearly every purchase. What we currently use:

• Chase Rewards Plus for gas, groceries, and drugstore purchases (5%)
• Costco Amex TrueEarnings for dining out (3%), travel (2%), and purchases at Costco (1%)
• Fidelity 529 College Rewards for everything else (2% into a 529 account)

3. Save on monthly expenses.
With just a simple phone call, you can save at least $100 a year on monthly expenses. Example, I just saved $120 for a year by haggling down my high speed Internet bill, and it took all of three minutes to do. Also, you can drop that landline service and save $25 per month by switching to VoIP phone service (I'm currently looking into this possibility).

After Dark

Now reading Haruki Murakami's latest novel After Dark. Taking place over seven hours of a Tokyo night, it intercuts three loosely related stories, linked by Murakami's signature magical-realist absurd coincidences.

It's a good book, but not as good as Kafka on the Shore. Still a worthwhile read though.

Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree

Picked Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree up last night as an advance Father's Day gift and I must say it's been a lot of fun! This sequel to the award-winning DS version is a brain workout - the mini-games focus on brain activities such as identification, computation, analysis, memorization, and visualization. The three multiplayer modes are also very exciting and intense!

Highly recommended for the Wii owner!

Lucas' Birth Announcement

We finally received Lucas' birth announcement. Here's the draft (close to the finished product). Look for yours in the mail!

Lucas And Great Grandma

Lucas' great grandma arrived last week from the Philippines, and he got along well with her right away. He is glad to meet great "lola Mama" and that he enjoys her lullabuys cause he falls fast asleep right after she sings it to him. Lucas loves his great grandma very much!

Kaelyn's 1st Birthday Party

Last Saturday we celebrated Kaelyn's first birthday at the Irvine Park Railroad. It was a good time! There were lots of food, a pretty and delicious cake, and best of all, the birthday girl enjoyed it all. Lucas was mostly asleep though.

Our grandmother from the Philippines also came and it was great to see four generations all in one place.

Lucas Exercising

Here's a short clip of Lucas exercising his neck muscles. He absolutely loves his Gymini Super Deluxe 3-D Activity Gym, with lots of hanging toys, a mirror, music, and lights.

2 Months Old

Lucas is two months old today! Yesterday, he had his 2 month baby wellness check and according to his pediatrician, he receives an A+. He's now 11 lbs, 1 ounce and 23 inches long. He's in the 50th percentile for his weight and in the 75th percentile for his height.

The best part was how he took his four immunization shots like a champ! He cried for all of 10 seconds - this after both of his arms and thighs were injected. Next up, his four month wellness check.

Here's a picture of him right after the vaccinations. Seems pretty happy!

Kaelyn Is 1 Year Old Today!

We visited Kaelyn today for her first birthday. She had a red velvet chocolate cupcake from Sprinkles Cupcakes. It was her very first sweet treat. Happy first birthday, Kaelyn! We can't wait to celebrate this Saturday!

The Children of Húrin

Just started reading J.R.R.Tolkien's The Children of Húrin, published in April 2007. Quoting from the jacket flap: "The Children of Húrin takes the reader back to a time long before The Lord of the Rings, in an area of Middle-earth that was to be drowned before Hobbits appeared, and when the great enemy was still the fallen Vala, Morgoth, and Sauron was only Morgoth's lieutenant. This heroic romance is the tale of the Man, Húrin, who dared to defy Morgoth's force of evil, and his family's tragic destiny, as it follows his son Túrin Turambar's travels through the lost world of Beleriand..."

It's a good read so far, have to get used to reading Lord of the Rings-type language again.

Eight Weeks Old

Lucas' Uncle Steve was in town for a visit. Click here for more photos from the weekend, including Lucas meeting his cousin Madison for the first time!