A very nice Christmas Eve and day

Complete with sant a visiting and eating our cookies and drinking our milk ;-) Kids were delighted to see santa gave them each 3 gifts. ;-).

via http://youtu.be/mNr7K5-LLts

Happy Holidays from Lei & Jaime

We have learned to become more and more silly every year. Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!  2016 was a fun year full of adventures and new learning for our family.   Isabel is now eight and a half and Alexis just turned five.   There is constant sound in our household as both kids are non-stop talkers.  We wouldn't have it any other way. :-)

Jaime and I continue our travel tradition without the kids.  We opted for long weekends this year - New Orleans in Feb, San Diego in August, and Miami in September.   We are thankful to have adult time on weekends and on vacation.   We also did a few family trips to Livermore, Houston, China, and Tahoe (twice).   Isabel and Alexis LOVE hotels.

Isabel is become quite a young lady.  She is in 3rd grade now.

Adapting to doing homework everyday took a bit of sweat and tears, but finally we got into a good rhythm.  She agreed to manage her own homework schedule on the weekends, which has been working well.   She still plays soccer, goes to Gymnastics, take swim lessons, and go ice skating.   She also chose to take up Piano lessons again.  Our deal is at least 2 -3 15 min practice between lessons.  We will see how long that will last.   I took Isabel to China for the first time this summer.  It was a bit stressful but quite awesome at the same time.  Her Mandarin is getting much better.  She loves joking with her aunt in Chinese.

I also took Isabel for the first time skiing just last week.   She also loved it, although she is already requesting "free ski" time instead of more lessons.   We will see.

Alexis is a constant charmer as usual.  She just turned five on Dec 15.  I can't believe it.   She goes to Mandarin preschool twice an week and can count to 100, do some basic addition, and write some Chinese and English.  Like her sister, she loves puzzles and board games.  We have over 20 games at home for family night.  Her favorites are kids charades, sequence letter, zingo number, stone soup.  

Alexis takes "Tumbler class" every week and really loves it.  It's like Gymnastics for smaller kids.  In late October, she decided she wanted to learn how to hola hoop.  So for two weeks she practiced daily for 100+ times a day.  It was so cute to see her enthusiasm.  Soon, she became a master.

Jaime continues to love his start up life.  Now he is head of Marketing and head of Culture for a small

Start-up called FuelX.  He loves it.  I know as I never hear him complain about work and he doesn't have the Sunday blues.   I wish we can all be so lucky.  He stopped doing Jiujitsu and is now in search of a new sport to love.  While he searches, he enjoys binge watching Homeland, House of Lies, The Wired, etc...I guess I have learned to share him with our multitudes of TV entertainments.  We still go out most Fridays and Saturdays nights for dinner and hang out with friends or enjoy a movie.  We also still "go clubbing."  It seems to be our MO on vacation - Stay out late to enjoy good music and dancing plus eat great food.

This year, I learn how to do a handstand, cartwheel, and snowboard badly :-).  I am glad my kids constantly inspire me to learn new things.  I am also still learning the piano and did my first recital during Halloween.  It went poorly but it's okay.  I am learning to enjoy the journey vs. dwell on the results.  I have more experience now to do better at the next recital :-).

I am still at Wells Fargo, but changed jobs in April.  Thank goodness, as I probably had some of the worst bosses in my career before then.  Now I love my leader and my team.  Life is good.    I still wonder whether I should move to a smaller company. We will see in 2017.  For now, I am happy with my 8-5 job where I have autonomy and impact.   In my spare time, I still write my blog - Soft Skills - Ask a Wharton MBA.  It's been my passion since 2010.  I love being able to help people I don't know navigate their careers.  I now have 6K subscribers and 30K readers a month.  It's fun to tinker with this blog and test new services.  I am thankful I found this passion to help others and learn at the same time.

Agnes continues to be part of our family.  She has become a master cook, so we are quite blessed with good food at all times.   She also works out 3-4 times a week at Wheelhouse.  She also inspired me to try a few morning class.  Waking up at 5:30am is not easy!

We also continue to do races together.  This year, we did the 15K in Jan, 10K in September, and 5K on Turkey day.  We have another 15K Jan 8 next year.  Yikes.  Haven't been training yet.... Yikes.  wish us luck.

Alexis and Isabel continue to love hanging out with Agnes.  Next year is a big remodel year for our rent-controlled apt.  We aspire to have a shed on the balcony so we can put all the toys away and make more space in the living room.   Also looking to get a queen trundle bed and customer built closet in the kids bedroom so they can have more room during the day and tons of sleeping space at night. :-)

Best wishes to you and your family in the New Year!

Lei, Jaime, Isabel, Alexis, and Agnes

Winter office festival

We had a huge potluck and decoration competition. Made the new office space we are in festive and colorful. I am also playing with the new memories feature on my iPhone. Super addictive. Hehe

via http://youtu.be/E5KKmiTU-tA

Happy 5th birthday - Alexis

We had a small party for Alexis at Chuck E. Cheese, her new favorite place. She had a blast with her cousins and friends.

via http://youtu.be/9PnkVFKky6c

Teamwork day @ Tumblers

Teamwork activities @ Acrosports Tumblers.

via http://youtu.be/-uDKxsnaj2Y

Chef Lexi is in!!!

Chef Alexis is making a burger and hotdog sandwich!

via http://youtu.be/ktc32o-ESRs

Our little train under the xmas tree

Yaya got this last year and I can't believe it still works. Look at it go.

via http://youtu.be/riqf0imGo8E

Just put up the xmas tree

Tonight we worked together to get the tree up. It was fun decorating and setting up the train under it as well. Isabel and Alexis were great little helpers.

Jenga creativity

Isabel's new master piece with jenga pieces and shopkins

"Masterpieces" from Alexis and isabel

A close up

Isabel teaches Alexis how to draw

It's so awesome to see them draw together. Isabel was patient and imaginative. Alexis was eager to learn getting upset several times that she can't get it perfectly. But at last, masterpieces from both. ;-).

Isabel ice skating

Isabel gliding gracefully on ice!

via http://youtu.be/94HJ4M58lRc

Alexis 1st time ice skating

Ice skating with mommy!

via http://youtu.be/U3hiplPoq6E

Daddy's Girl

Alexis getting pampered by Daddy.

via http://youtu.be/9XbIOtkdck4

Youngest hula hoop champion

Alexis went from not knowing what to do to being the star in hula hooping. She loves it so much and it's so cute to watch her. :-)

via http://youtu.be/Cgx-ueMdYkc

Isabel still loves soccer

Yesterday was the end of fall season soccer for the Starr king falcon team. They had fun taking pictures, eating donuts. I can clearly see Isabel enjoying herself. They also have improved a lot, learning their positions and passing the ball. They will also be honored at school next tuesday leading the morning parade. :-)

Even Alexis love going to the game, more to hang at the playground nearby or in yesterday case playing with a friendly dog.

Isabel learns hip hop - street dance festival

We came out of piano lessons just in time to see a Chinese dance festival followed by some hip hop dancing. They concluded with a lesson for anyone so isabel jumped in. She looks so shy now but had a lot of fun.

via http://youtu.be/pj_-Ja-R4Ac

Halloween photos

For the first time, I dressed up for Halloween at Wells Fargo. I guess I finally found a team that is cool enough to handle it. ;-). We agreed to do more next year as our charlotte office has a full on cube decorating war and being the kids in for trick or treat. :-)

That evening we went to our usual neighborhood pizza party and trick or treat. Finished pizza just before rain and kids scored 2 full bags of candy. I will need to slowly throw away or take to office. Hehe. They had a good time even in the rain

Isabel Halloween party at Jackson

Isabel told me this year she no longer wants to be an vampire. So I let her chose her own costume on Amazon. She chose vampire and interestingly enough many kids her age did as well.

Isabel's 3rd grade portrait

Isabel has grown so much.  I can't believe she is in 3rd grade already.  We just got her 3rd grade pictures today.  She will always be my baby no matter how big she gets.  

Lei

Alexis learning to hula hoop

She has probably tried it 50 times in a row now. If only we had this spirit as an adult when we are learning new things

via http://youtu.be/XZGxkTfK1x8

Girls weekend in vegas for Tamara birthday

Four of us, Judy Alby Tamara and I flew to vegas for Tamara big bday. It was a quick and awesome trip.

Highlights
- ghost bar Friday night
- Tao beach party beach ball volleyball in the pool
- awesome food. All we can eat sushi lunch and southern food dinner at yardbird. Great servers Adonis and James
- Baz starred crossed love. Unexpected entertaining show. Great emotion acting singing and sexy dancing
- XS club. Free Vip guest list. ;-). Reg price $75 for gents and $40 for ladies. Wow. Had a great time dancing to the celebrity DJ skrrlix
- late night food after dancing. Yum!.
- Venetian suite was comfy and nice.
- we talked about work, religion, relationship, life, food and everything.

All and all a Great trip. Time to go home to kiss hubby and my babies. Next get together. Seafood Chinese restaurant in Oakland followed by massages. Not sure when yet. :-). Great to have girlfriends and get away.