Happy Birthday Cayden!

We just celebrated Cayden's birthday. He's two years old now. He's constantly entertaining us with his dance moves, lip syncing, and other random stuff. He's constantly playing with his kuya Austin and copying his every move. Here are some photos taken from our little celebration.

House Sitting at Ninong's House

The kids playing at Ninong Jin's house while we were house sitting.

Below is Austin playing with his new legos. He recently learned how to tie his shoes on his own so this was a surprise reward.

Here is DJ Cayden dancing as usual while mixing it up. I think he was working on a remix of "Yo Gabba Gabba."

Just Another Day at the Park

This is how Cayden and I spend our time on Tuesday and Thursday after dropping Austin off at school. Since Austin's school is only three hours long, we stay nearby and sometimes kill time by playing at the park. Luckily the weather has been really nice the past few weeks so we're taking advantage of it.

Snack Time

So I decided to serve some new snacks for the kids. I was almost tempted to buy the ready made frozen mozzarella cheese sticks but then thought it would probably be healthier to just make it myself. The kids love it and Grandma too! It's now part of our rotation.

Two is better than one

Grandma and Grandpa

Dad came home for the weekend so we took advantage of getting some shots of both of them as well as a few shots with them and the kids.

What's the big idea?!?

Before taking down the Christmas tree, I decided to squeeze a few more photo opportunities with the decorations as the background. Here's a shot of Austin.

By the way, Austin is back to school now. He attends school twice a week and really enjoys it. He really enjoys building things with legos or blocks. He's also very imaginative with his drawings as he's always excited to show us his new artwork. Right now we have him doing math flash cards and Kumon workbooks. I have to admit, he's pretty good with math for a 5 year old. He tries to read as well and from time to time will ask us how to spell certain words. Currently, his favorite Nintendo Wii game is Super Mario Bros and Return of Donkey Kong. He's very good too and often times impresses me with his ability to pass difficult levels of the game.

It's definitely never a dull moment with Austin. He can keep a circus monkey entertained! His new saying right now is "hey, what's the big idea!?!"

Crime Scene

***** BREAKING NEWS***** BREAKING NEWS ***** BREAKING NEWS ***** BREAKING NEWS*****

The Chua residence was recently broken into. The crime appeared to be very targeted and malicious. The suspect was able to escape but fortunately a bystander photographer was able to capture these photos during the crime scene.

As seen above, the suspect appeared to use his super muscles to pry open the large safe (some refer to as a fridge), then like a monkey, he uses his acrobatic abilities to climb and reach for the most valuable item, milk. Lastly, he conceals any trace of evidence by closing the fridge while trying to avoid being caught. 

The suspect is identified as follows:

• Male
• Thin brown hair with Donald Trump comb over style
• Small, beady eyes
• Cute
• Funny
• Adorable

This villain should not be taken lightly. He is armed with dangerous dance moves and silly Yo Gabba Gabba & Elmo songs. He is also capable of spitting food without notice. We are urging anyone with any further information about this crime to please call the proper authorities.

So Playful

What's new with Cayden? Well, he's 19 months now, he loves watching Elmo and Yo Gabba Gabba, as well as various hip hop videos on Youtube. He's constantly singing and dancing and it's so funny to watch. Sometimes I'll watch him from a distance and be so amazed on how deep in concentration he is, as he tries to copy dance moves and sing along. He's also communicating really well and seems to comprehend simple tasks such as asking him to throw something in the trash or bring you something. It also seems like his appetite is picking up (finally). He is still a picky eater but he's now opening up to new food. The good thing is that he copies Austin, so if he sees Austin eating something, he'll want the same thing - perhaps not always but sometimes.

Overall he's doing really well and keeps us very entertained. Stay tuned for the next update. I'll be posting an update on Austin as well.

Motherly Love

Taken on New Years Eve, Lanie and Cayden showing their playful side.

Fun with Grandma

First Photoshoot of 2011

Here's some photos taken today at the house of our two little monkeys. It's quite the work setting up all the equipment but it's good practice and at the end of the day it's worth it to look back at these smiling faces years from now.

Happy New Year!

We're very blessed to have another year to look back on and a new year to look forward to. Goodbye 2010 and hello 2011! We've officially been in Vegas one year now as it's been quite the change for us but we're slowly getting used to Vegas life...well, at least I am.

Looking back, I am thankful for many things; my family, who is my motivation and is always supporting of what I do. I'm also thankful for the adversities I've been faced with, for it has been a continued growing experience in which I have learned to embrace even though I may not understand everything I am going through. A perfect example is my recent layoff in 2009, which led us to move to Vegas. If it wasn't for that incident, I may of never pursued my interest in photography, which I discovered is a true passion of mine. So it's funny how things work out and I'm grateful.

As far as what the future holds for 2011, well, that's mostly in God's hands. But for now I will be concentrating on school and watching the kids full time while Lanie works. And of course, I'll be doing my photography as always.

Speaking of which, here's a photo of the last rose of 2010.