April 26th/Day 40-Stake Conference

Alex and I are enjoying a quiet Sunday afternoon.
We did manage to find church. It was Stake Conference and we shared a headset with English translation with Troy Keller. He was there with his three children and his facilitator.

I also saw the couple I saw at the embassy, little did I know they were LDS. They had sweetly given me pointers about the upcoming medical exam. Apparently they live here for his work? The church meeting was great (what we understood). When it was our turn with the headset, Amy and I used my headphones from my IPod because they split apart-I just had to remember not to reach into my bag for items to entertain Alex as it would pull the ear bud out of Amy's ear.

I came home and put in a roast with carrots and potato's. (One of the first American meals I've tried to cook in weeks!)
First I had to figure out how to light the gas stove-which was no easy task but after buying matches (as the spark thing they provided wouldn't work) and then lighting it in four different places and pounding on the element until it was entirely lit, we have a oven!

Troy stopped by for about 45 minutes and our kids ran around throwing balls at each other-I'm thinking I'm pretty lucky to have a one to one ratio as opposed to Troy's one to three! But he's handling it so well. He was better prepared for church then I was as he had fruit snacks and fish crackers. (American one's, not nasty fish snacks!)

Amy went to pick up Mary but her flight is delayed an hour so I'm hoping dinner won't be over cooked. I have no idea what temperature it is actually cooking at as there are no numbers on the dial-I'm just hoping for the best.

We're hoping to make chocolate chip cookies tonight. The cooking utensils in the place although cleaner than my last place, are lacking greatly. We have ONE fork. I told Amy whoever cook's-gets the fork!

We found tin foil at the little downstairs market by our apartment (James we're in the same building we were in just on the other side.) and we're going to have to use that to cover the rather disgusting broiler pan for a cookie sheet.

Of course cookies are pending the arrival of chocolate chips-which we have coming via Horlachers and Mary. (Just in case we want to make more than one batch!)
Last night my Alex got frustrated with the Game Boy and started crying. He's so tough about so many things (like the big scratch on his hand today) and yet things like trying new food or not mastering Lego's or the Game Boy bring him to tears. I tried to comfort him, get him to laugh, hug him, nothing. Finally he just feel asleep in his sad state and this morning he was sweet and sunny. (Right now he's Game Boying and I can hear huffs of impatience and sighs of exasperation-unfortunately when it comes to electronic games-I am not the parent to turn to for instruction or secrets. I don't even know how to turn the dumb thing on!)

I'm hoping to get Alex in to my doctor on Friday so we can register him for school on Monday. That's so weird to think-next week he could be in school and I could be living my normal life, brushing my teeth with tap water, folding warm clothes from the dryer, understanding the television programs and street signs, driving my car, (I hope I haven't forgotten), cooking in MY kitchen, and hugging ALL my kids!

With any luck and good fate, we'll have Alex's passport in hand tomorrow night and faxed to the embassy during the day. If that happens then Tuesday we'll do his medical exam and then head back to the embassy for our appointment and then....dadoma America!