Christmas Holiday

Assen got to meet all his American cousins. He had fun talking to aunt Gail and cousin Emma. He enjoyed a singing Christmas hat very much from grandma Sandy. He got a camcorder and a digital camera for Christmas among so many other gifts. He sang Christmas songs with cousins Gracie and Jaelyn.

Assen is wearing glasses. He is just getting taller (51.5 inches) and he weighs now 61 lbs. He is attending Willow Wind summer school and he likes it. He also enjoys swimming in the weekends.

Asian Festival

Went to this Asian Festival in Des Moines on Saturday. We bought this Chinese hat that looks like a cone. Assen and Sophia were playing with this corn and soy bean when suddenly a bunch of pimples appeared on Assen's face. He was very itchy. We got some diphenhydramine in Walgreens and it disappeared...some allergic reaction... we went to this park and found a couple of geocaches. The playground looked very modern.
Assen's height: 129 cm (50.8 inches) long!

2009 H1N1 flu outbreak

We went to two parties today. Assen also had Tae-Kwan-Do class. The master said that if he practices, he can take his exam in a month and see if he becomes yellow belt! A flue outbreak hit Mexico City. Schools and government buildings closed. About 70 people have died and 1000 are infected. We hope they can control this virus and it does not any further have consecuences.

Bethany PlayShop

Assen and Sophia enjoyed today's Bethany PlayShop. It had a Russian theme. The kids started the day by doing bubbles. They ate pancakes, Leah read a book, played with baloons, and cotton balls! They had so much fun.

Rylee's Birthday Party

Assen went to Rylee's 7th birthday party. It seems like he was the only boy invited (again?). He took my walkman (without me knowing, of course) and he told the girls it was a "touch phone." They did believe him it was a cell phone! Oh My!

We sang Happy Birtday (including Sophia) and Assen blew out the magic candles on his cake! Ha! He had never seen magic candles before! He was scared the candles lighted again and again! He also got a Star Wars helmet.

My Seventh Birthday

We took cupcakes to school this morning and dad gave me a ride to school, so I didn't have to take the school bus. Mom and dad took me to Los Portales for dinner. The Mexican waiters sang Happy Birthday to me in Spanish and I got lots of ice cream. Mom gave me lots of gifts. I had a great day at school and also with mom, dad, and my sister Sophia.
Height: 51.5 in (131 cm).
Weight: 65 lbs (29.5 Kg).

Disney SpringBreak 2009

We just returned from Orlando. We spent the first few days at Disney. We visited Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. we also went swimming at the hotel pools. Then, we visited Cape Cannaveral. We swam in the ocean and also swam in the pools. Assen loved Disney. We also saw the space shuttle going up in the sky.

San Francisco

I spent five days in San Francisco and I missed Assen and Sophia a lot. Assen asked me what I brought for him and he was happy to receive a Hanna Montana bag. He asked me if we could play ball outside after breakfast. We played volleyball inside the house. We had never played together for so long before. I am sure he missed me and he really wanted to spend time with me. I helped him with his piano lesson. He IS learning, slowly but surely. We also went walking to Kent Park in the afternoon. H ekept telling me "hey, I AM NOT complaining this time!" He is awesome!

I was listening to a program in NPR this morning about these High-School students who were rejected for any opportunity of obtaining scholarships because of their citizen status. They touched "cruel reality" in this so-called land of opportunities. Althought their academic achievement was the same of higher than their peers, they were not eligible to compete for college scholarships because they were born in another country -you know which one. Well, I get to see this reality every day at work. Every single day. Students receive fellowships not because their achievements but because they were born in the right place. My fellow colleagues forget history. They forget one day, their ancestors were also "illegal aliens," as they call my compatriots who come to this country to work very hard in order to make a decent living.

Piano Practice

I took Assen to his piano lesson last night. I saw how his piano teacher directs him in class. I learned a tip or two. This morning, I applied what I learned yesterday and Assen did great! I put a book on top of his hands to hide his fingers while he played, so he cannot see his fingers and is forced to read the music. He did wonderful! We made a video of him playing Allegro.

Inauguration Day

Barack Obama became the 44th US president today. It is very exciting to see that we all have the opportunity to be what we want to be in this country. The US is still the land of opportunities, no matter what some people think. Hopefully, Martin Luther King's dream is coming true. We all need to work hard to make our dream come true.

"Life is like a book, those who don't travel read only one page." Assen did very well in his Tae-Kwan-Do class. His balance control is better and his kicks are improving.

Happy New Year! Outback Bowl

Assen got up singing with his microphone. He asked me to take him a picture and put it in his blogspot, so his grandma can see it. So, here it is. We watched the Outback Bowl. Iowa Hawkeyes beat South Carolina 31 to 10.