Hi Heather,
The thing that stood out for me in his response was instead of asking about his kids and whether they were going with you, he asked about the ANIMALS??? Not "Are you taking my children, whom I love so dearly, so far away?", nope, he asks about the dog and cat! Not to mention the dig about "..no matter how goofy...". Yeah, he sounds like a guy just chock full of bright ideas!

Getting yourself and your kids away from that waste of a man is the best thing for you and them! You're going to do great. Isn't Watertown the place where those Amish kids were abducted recently?