Updates & Reflections

What’s new with the Dobrow family?  Well, a lot, actually!  I am finally done with school – In May, I completed my graduate program at Columbia College and am the proud recipient of a Master’s degree in Elementary Education!!! That’s not the only wonderful accomplishment that this family has to be proud of, though.  This spring, a main reason I didn’t have the time to post, Jeff was away in Alabama working hard and, In June, he completed Officer Training School.  My husband has his commission and is now a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force (So proud of you Babe!J). 

Now that he has completed his training to become an officer, he is away once again and we miss him something awful!!! L That being said, we are excited about the new opportunities that we will have as a result of these small sacrifices as a family!  Six days ago Jeff left for Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California, to attend school for his job as a Missiles Officer.  After Christmas, just a few short months from now, we will be leaving Missouri and making Great Falls, Montana, our new home.  Once there, Jeff will begin his new job and I fully intent to begin shaping young minds through my teaching and experiencing all that the great state of Montana has to offer. 

All the craziness aside, and after my husband’s graduation from Officer Training School, we were able to have him home on leave for 5 weeks and enjoyed a much-needed vacation that was full of fun and we made some lasting memories as a family!  Some may call us crazy, but we embarked on an in-your-face, no personal space, three-week-long road trip to California.  Before getting to California, though, we picked up our oldest son, Jaydon, from Offense-Defense football camp in Kansas City.  After four days of practice, three practices a day, every day, in the Missouri heat and humidity, he learned a lot and grew from this experience (although his appreciation of the value in this was temporarily overshadowed by exhaustion and a sore body).  We are so proud of him and the young man he is becoming!  

Jaydon, running the ball

After picking Jaydon up from camp, we were ready to officially begin our chaotic and fun-filled summer vacation!  The first major destination for the family was Disneyland.  We couldn’t go all the way to California without first stopping off in Phoenix to spend some time lounging poolside at my dad’s house.  This was my first time at his new house.  We really enjoyed ourselves and the time we were able to spend with Papa Jojo! 

Laney, Jaydon, & I

Quincy & Papa Jojo

Following some very quality time with my dad, the Dobrow family headed toward the happiest place on Earth – Disneyland!  The kids were so excited, Laney and Quincy especially.  They were just babies the last time we went and didn’t remember it as vividly as Jaydon did.  

Jaydon, Laney & Quincy

That being said, Jaydon, Jeff & myself were also very excited and had equally as good of a time (I am a serious kid at heart!!!).      

Jaydon & I

 I learned something about my family – when it comes to vacationing, Jeff and the kids treat it like an extreme sport!    I teased them and told them that our trip to Mickey’s world should be termed “Disneylanding”. 

Jeff & Jaydon in Minnie's House

 Three days was plenty - I don't know if I could have endured more than that!  Once we completed that portion of our journey, we were off to celebrate Jeff’s Grandmother her 80^th birthday.  For her birthday, Grams wanted the whole family to get together at Silver Lake Family Camp – a place she has been bringing her family and making memories for years and years.  So, it was off to Silver Lake for some Dobrow family fun & celebration of an amazing and inspiring woman!  We had so much fun and were able to see the entire family at one time – even Jeff’s brother, his wife, and kids - Layla & Cyrus - were able to come all the way from Japan for this special occasion.  Here are some pictures of our time at Silver Lake.  

Laney & Grams

From Left: Layla, Laney, Cyrus, & Quincy

The Whole Dobrow Family

This was an amazing vacation and we had a blast – so much fun that I really needed a vacation from my vacation just to recover from all of the activity!  I look forward to sharing our adventures that are yet to come as a family and throughout our next few months, as we embark on this new chapter in our lives.  Here’s to the future and the unpredictably, crazy, and joyful life we lead!
 

Book Review

This story makes even the most squeamish readers look at this likeable cockroach in a whole new light.  Maybelle, a cockroach who dreams of tasting a morsel from a plate, is consumed with how to get access to the finest foods.  Maybelle goes for it despite what her friend Henry, a flea who dines on the family cat, says to warn her.  This story is a very vivid description of the adventures that Henry and Maybelle experience as a result of her craving for food - off of a plate! 

It's Been A While...

It sure has been a while since I have last posted - months, at the very least!!!! I have been so busy!  Since my last post, I have completed my student teaching, earned my  Missouri State Elementary Teaching Certification, I am closer to my Master's Degree - one 8 week class away - and I went on a much needed vacation to New York City with the love of my life! I love you, Jeff!!!  That's exactly what I want to talk about, my trip to New York.  While there, I had a great time, relaxed, and enjoyed wonderful food, friends (yes, we knew people there), and unique opportunities.  While we were there, I kept thinking of my students and of ways that I could thread what I was experiencing into their education somehow - I really wanted to share what I was experiencing with them!!!

Below: This is a picture of my husband and I at New York's Museum of Modern Art

 Below: This is a beautiful ampitheater in Central Park

 Below: My hubby & I - a rare gem, we don't get many of these because one of us is usually the one taking the picture!

 Below: Me, in the "chair" outside of the theater where we saw Wicked on Broadway.

 Yes, this is our PLAYBILL from the Broadway show Wicked - as we are seated 5 seats away from the stage!

Left: Our tickets to the show!

 Above: Our visit to the 9/11 Memorial - what a touching experience!!!!!! I can't be honest unless I say that it moved me to tears more than once.

 The survivor tree... this tree was one of the few survivors of the attacks on our World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. This is a callery pear tree, planted in the 1970s, a true survivor and testament to our strength as a nation.


It has been a wild ride this past few months and now it is time to get back to some sense of normalcy & blogging about my life, inside and outside of the classroom. 

Imagination Station

With the heat here soaring above 104 degrees, and a forecast of 105 for today, the need for creative indoor activities is higher than ever!  We have been STUCK INSIDE for the past couple of weeks and are running out of ways to reinvent the fun in the toys that we have.   Yesterday, however, we succeeded in our attempt to find something fun for the kids to do.  What can you do with boxes,  a hot glue gun, some clothespins, pillowcases, and random odds 'n' ends?  We made the "imagination station" - a puppet theater, drive thru stand, lemonade stand, or whatever inspires the kids and/or the moment requires.  It is still quite plain, but we will paint it today.  I am so excited to see what it turns out to be like when the kids "put the paint to the palace", so to speak!

Visit to Mt. Rushmore

This summer, in addition to many other summers prior to this one, my husband and I have stuffed our three children into our aging, but very capable, minivan  (lovingly referred to as the "cheerio wagon") to drive and visit some family in Spokane, WA.  This year was different for a couple of reasons.  First, our children are older and that adds an entirely new dynamic to anything.  Second, and because our children are older, we decided to let go of the idea that our drive was a marathon sprint to get to our destination in record time.  Instead of racing to get there, we took our time and enjoyed this as part of our vacation as well.

One of the stops that we made along the way was in South Dakota to enjoy the views that are so breathtaking as you stare up at Mt. Rushmore, and into the eyes of presidents past.  My excitement was very obvious as I spit questions in rapid-fire succession at my husband - "Do you think it is as big in person as you dreamed it would be?", or "I wonder who the next president will be to have their face carved in stone...".  As we got closer to the monument, I could see the faces and the excitement just intensified for me!  Once we parked, got out, and began to walk closer to the Grand View Terrace, I became one of the many tourists snapping endless pictures and resembling a paparazzo chasing an exciting story.  I couldn't believe that I had grown up, gone on endless road trips, and have never stopped to see this amazing work of art!

Here are some of my pictures that I took while staring up into the faces of Jefferson, Roosevelt, Washington, and Lincoln - an experience I will never forget!

This is my family.  Look how close we are to the mountain.  It almost felt as if you could reach out and touch their faces from where we were standing!

This picture is one of my favorites.  As you walk closer to the Terrace, you walk under individual states' flags that are flying high from large pillars that are carved with the dates that various states joined the Union.  I love the patriotism and the memories of our country's history that overcomes me when I look at this picture.

We are getting closer to the terrace now and are almost as close as we can be to this beautiful monument.

This is the view from Grand View Terrace - I can't believe how close we got!

Literacy Jenga

At the Dobrow house, we are ending school & starting our summer break.  My younger two are still young and, with one heading to first grade and the other to kindergarten next year, they are all about anything that involves learning - or "getting smarter" in their words!  So, to keep the excitement alive, I have transformed our family Jenga game.  I would like to introduce .... Literacy Jenga.

On one side of the blocks, I have written some two, three, and four letter sight words (keeping in mind the age of my children) in a fairly large print for easier reading.  These are some of the high-frequency words that my son has been using in kindergarten, and words my daughter will encounter next year when she starts school.

On the other side of the blocks, in a different color and smaller print, I have written larger words that are encountered in the early elementary years as well.  I chose to write out the words for numbers one through twenty, the days of the week, as well as the months of the year.  These are going to be challenging, but with practice and continued exposure they too will be mastered! 

What Have I Read Lately?

Today, I finished a beautiful story that my husband's grandmother gifted to my oldest son for his birthday a few years back.  It was lost in his bedroom, only to surface when he was forced to clean everything - including the back of the closet and all other "black holes" that exist in a pre-teen bedroom!    He brings this down to me and asks where he should put it, knowing that I would absolutely DIE if he just got rid of it or put it back in a drawer somewhere where it could never be enjoyed by others, and I snatched it up as future reading material! I expected it to be a sweet story because Grams shares a special bond with Jaydon around books - she has since he was small.  I curled up on the couch that night and readied myself for an adventure through this book.  I read through most of it that evening, enjoying every page, and picked it back up today to read the final five pages.  It ended in the same sweet way that it began, a sweet and moving story between a writer and a reader!

 I love this book for so many reasons!  First, it is a beautiful way to illustrate the relationship between writers and readers - there is a direct line of communication, a pure conversation, that exists in this relationship and this book.  Walter, a rat that devours any literature he can get his tiny paws onto, has begun living in the Long Island home of Miss Amanda Pomeroy.  Miss Pomeroy is an old lady that is that does little more than write books and stay inside her home by herself, no family that is mentioned throughout the entire story.  Walter and Miss Pomeroy develop a very unique relationship through letters and small gifts that they leave for one another, each making an impact on the life of the other in an unexpected yet heartwarming manner! 

When trying to teach students about fantasy, about various literary elements, or just simply trying to give them something to connect to when teaching them how literature is a direct line of communication between a writer and a reader, this book is it!!!! So cute, a new favorite in my literature collection!