A Quiet Good Bye Day

Today we said good bye to Dominick as we quickly exited Alexander's car at the Doner Cafe, where we were meeting the Oborn's. I was glad they suggested getting together as it took the kids' minds off Dominick leaving. Matthew seemed to be the most concerned, saying several times over the past few days how he wished Daddy didn't have to go, asking when he would return, and then at the Doner saying he already missed him. It was mighty quiet in the apartment when we came back, but we will be fine and get into yet another new routine. I am glad Dominick is getting the break and will be able to go back to work for at least a few days to give our fantastic employees a bit of a rest. We couldn't be here without them, and are filled with gratitude for their friendship.

So...this morning Dominick got up and put a pot of water on the stove to boil and heat the kitchen up a bit. Remember I told you how bad the water is? Well, take a look at this photo, and this is not as bad as it was yesterday! No wonder we are having some tummy troubles! Of course we are using bottled water or boiled water for most things, but how would you like to have this coming out of your tap every day? Give thanks right this moment for the clear water running from your faucet today:

We had the girls here for a short visit this afternoon before we had to leave for Dominick's flight. We took measurements and had them try on Kenny's and Matthew's pants and shoes for comparison. I teased Angela saying I had made Matthew hold up flowery shirts and pink jackets for years to see how they fit him to gauge whether or not they might fit her. I told her I thought I was fair she got to repay him at least once by wearing his pants. She giggled at that one. I think we at least have an idea of correct sizes for them. Thanks to all our buddies who are willing to take over the shopping extravaganza so Dominick doesn't have to stand in the Girls Department of Target saying to holding up pink pastel underwear saying to himself "How in the world did I ever get in this fix?"...hahahaha!

When we came back we got in jammies and settled in for the evening. It is terribly cold here again, as our "heat wave" of above zero temps has left us, and we are back to the frigid temps of before. Face cracking cold is what I call it. How I wish it was warmer as we would really be walking all over town! So much we are missing by heing housebound to keep from getting frostbite! Sure, it wouldn't be all that exciting to most people, but it is fun to us to just wander the streets, exploring and seeing what is around the next corner. I know it is probably just another concrete apartment building but it would be a different one than we saw just behind us! Hahaha! I know...remember...we are from Montrose...it doesn't take much at all to excite us.

The boys and I are hitting the school work hard, starting this evening. Kenny and Josh read 40 pages of a science book together while Matthew was reading about the Cossacks. Then we put the Books on CD on the DVD player to read a Magic Tree House book with the boys, and Matthew heard the first sentence and asked "Hey! Can I listen in too?", so all three bundled up under the blanket, following along in the book while listening to the CD. They have all always enjoyed hearing books read to them. I hope that as language comes along the girls too will enjoy hearing a good book read to them. Angela has said she doesn't care for reading but I am hoping that we can change that with a huge library of books of every kind available to her...maybe Mia Hamm and soccer books?? Olesya has said she likes reading. It will be fun to discover what interests them, what gifts they each have, etc. We already know about Angela and sports...but what else is inside of her that has never been explored? And what is hidden in Olesya that will surprise us all?

Matthew has made a goal of finishing his entire math curriculum for 5th grade in the next month. He has halfway through it now, and he is excited about maybe moving on to 6th grade math before the end of the year. Kenny is going to try and read Farmer Boy all by himself and has started but it is extremely slow going as it is a real challenge for him with tons of new vocabulary and a much higher reading level than he is currently able to tackle easily. Little by little we will work through it. Joshie has blown through his math and all of his reading material, but luckily with Kenny bringing along lower level stuff than 4th grade and Joshie being a little ahead we have a lot of new material to challenge him with, and the two enjoy reading with each other. Matthew still has a biography of Ben Franklin, the Marquis De Lafayette, and William the Conqueror to read so he is set for reading material for awhile if we stretch it out.

As for me, I have 4 or 5 movies to watch that are my kind, but are not popular hits at all. I found a few in the Blockbuster $5 bin before we left which were Film Festival award winners which all looked very interesting to me. Here are the titles...have any of you seen any of these?: "Mother of Mine", "A Gentleman's Game", "The Wooden Camera", and "A Simple Curve". I also picked up "A Mighty Heart" which I had wanted to see but is probably not all that good. I watched "The Visitor" last night while Dominick fell asleep next to me, snoring throughout...hahaha! By odd coincidence, it is the film our church is showing for movie night this month. What a well acted, terrific little film! Loved this for many reasons. We also brought along "Radio" for the boys to see, which was a great story of compassion and understanding that had Kenny softly crying as he watched it. After all, there are only so many episodes of Bonanza one mom can handle! Hahaha! (And as I am typing this, the boys decided to play "Bonanza" and are running around pretending they are on horses and which one gets to play Adam, Little Joe and Hoss...what a riot!).

Not much else to report, thankfully. I'll admit I am quite happy with a little emotional down time and am hoping to get things back on schedule for school and sleep for all of us. It may not make for interesting blogging, but it sure is a relief!

Dominick...we love you!!!!