Happy Chinese New Year - 2014

I had every intention of sending this letter out during Xmas 2013, then New Year's Day 2014.  So now this is my last chance to send out our 2013 letter :-).  Happy Chinese New Year - Year of the Horse.  2013 was full of excitement for the Lapena family.

Isabel (Mei) started Kindergarten at Starr King Elementary in late August 2013.  We took this photo on her first day.  Starr King is a public school that offers Mandarin Immersion teaching.  The commute started out tough and we were concerned whether Isabel would adapt quickly.  Her preschool had a ratio of 1 teacher to 5 students and Starr King's ratio is 1 to 20.  Well, we didn't have to worry.  She loves her teacher, her friends, and her new school so far.   It is amazing how quickly she is growing up.

• She has already learned how to write over 50 Chinese characters and has gotten used to the concept of homework
• She loves to draw whenever she has free time
  
• She argues with pretty strong logic which makes our job of telling her what to do a bit harder - I can see my future when she becomes a teenager (not looking forward to it)
• She started playing soccer at Starr King.  Starr King is a huge soccer school.  Kindergarten has two teams of 12 kids each this past fall.
• She is an Orange belt in Karate and won the Northern California Karate Championship for her division. She is amazingly focused and intense when she practices.  Most of all, she is still having fun.

This past year, we have also learned to use the star system to motivate MeiMei to do things she doesn't like (e.g., finish her vegetables and fruits, finish her dinner, drink more water, etc..).  So far it has been working quite amazingly well.  I am crossing my fingers that I can still use this method for a few years. 

Alexis (Ling) has become quite a character.  She turned two this Dec 2013.  She is super social and almost always smiling.  She started talking well before two and now loves to sing and dance as well.  Both Isabel and Ling love the song "Let it Go" from Frozen. I must have seen them perform it 20 times already.  Alexis would even stump her feet as she belts out "Let it go, let it go.."

Alexis is well aware of her charm. Unlike Isabel who will pout when we say no to some of her requests.  If we say no to Alexis, she will simply come closer with a bigger smile.  Her hands would be clasped together.  She would tilt her hand, open those big eyes, and ask again with more earnest.  It's the most adorable thing and of course quite dangerous to us.  We will have a harder time saying no to her and I think she knows it already.  Yikes.

Alexis does have a temper and can get super feisty when provoked.  Since she is little, Isabel can't help but pick on her at times.  Ling has learned to shout a powerful "No" whenever this happens.  At least we know she won't be bullied when she gets older.  She is already a force to be reckoned with.

Jaime and I both had a big year.  Jaime took over the marketing team for Desk.com and started managing 7 people.  He is naturally good at motivating others, but it was still a transition.  As he moved up the ladder, he was not thrilled by the corporate politics he had to deal with.  In 2014, he will have to weigh the benefit of the golden handcuffs vs. the thrill of joining an early start-up.

I finished my Wells Fargo contract in Sept 2013.  It was a good run that gave me great work life balance and time to build my career success blog.  After much soul searching, I decided to take six months off to take my blog to the next level.  I just beta launched a new service called Soft Skill Gym - an interactive, online learning gym to help professionals develop soft skills over time and work smart.  It was a scary and exciting move to take, but so far I am enjoying the journey wherever it may take me.  :-) I already spent 40 years being goal oriented.  I want the next 40 to be more about the journey of learning and daring to experience new things.

2013 was also a great year for reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.  I think it's pretty hard to make new friends at our age.  We are set in our ways and have less time.  Luckily we have made some amazing new friends in 2013 from our work, from networking, and from our neighborhood in the city.

Agnes continues to be the core to our overall family happiness.  She loves the kids and also strive to

improve herself.  She is currently training for a half marathon. This girl will get up at 5:30 in the morning to do her run twice a week.  We are all inspired to work out more because of her.  Agnes is also a master decorator.  There is five of us living in a 1000 sq ft apartment.  We did a massive clean out and now our apartment feels bigger than ever because of changes Agnes designed. We are so lucky to have her as part of our family.

Overall, we are very thankful for our life.  During the week, we work, play games with the kids, help Isabel with her homework, but also have time to do workouts or go to happy hours.  On the weekends, we have play dates, birthday parties, family visits, soccer games, piano lessons. We are always busy, but Jaime and I are also blessed to be able to do date nights 3 weekends a month.  The older we get, the more we realize it's the simple life that brings us the most happiness.

2014 promises to be another great year of adventure, learning, and laughter.  We are jumping into it with open arms.  I hope this letter finds you well.  We wish you a very best and eventful 2014!

Lei, Jaime, Isabel, Alexis, and Agnes