Our New Home

We flew into the Philippines last night (Tuesday) & landed around 10 pm. The flight from Tokyo was completely full, so the lines at the customs desks were unbelievably long. As well as the crowd around the baggage carousel. I watched our luggage go round & round several times before we could inch our way close enough to the conveyor belt to pull it off. Twice, I almost took out the poor lady standing next to me, because I couldn't get my suitcase off fast enough. Which brings me to another thing I have learned about Filipinos... they don't take into account "personal space". They will stand right next to you or right behind you if a line needs to be formed. For instance, when boarding our flight in Tokyo, we literally had to plow our way through the mob to get to the desk. Since we flew Business Class, they boarded our section first, but the throngs of people flying Economy were barricading us from getting to the desk. The poor guy in front of us got hit several times by the same lady pushing a kid in a stroller. She wasn't even boarding the plane at that time... just trying to get to the front of the line. They'll run you over to get ahead! It was a bit insane.

So, because of the crowded flight, we didn't leave the airport until close to midnight & got to our home around 12:30.

The kids did fantastic on both flights! We received compliments from both the flight attendants, as well as other passengers on their behavior. I did almost anything they asked for just to keep them happy & pleasant on the airplane & it was so worth it!

We are now in a 2-bedroom condo. The kids' room has a double bed, plus an extra twin bed squeezed in on one side. So, the boys are sleeping in one bed & Sydney is in the twin bed. They did really well last night & never woke up to come get into our bed. Now, everyone except me is napping. I think it's about 2:15 am in Texas, so we're all pretty tired right now. After I finish typing this up, I'm sure I'll join them all! In one month, a 3-bedroom condo will become available & we are scheduled to move into it at that time. We'll have a little more space to stretch out then. For now, it's nice to be close & cozy. Of course, it is just the first day...

The kitchen is completely stocked... with all glass dishes!! Not a good idea for a 2-year-old. And, as is to be expected, Nick has already broken his first glass. Luckily, it landed on the marble floor. But, we could not find a broom or vacuum anywhere. So, housekeeping came up to vacuum it all up. I'm not used to someone else cleaning up all our messes, but I think it's going to be easy to adjust!! Needless to say, we'll be shopping for some paper/plastic dishware this evening.

Here are some pictures of the twins at the Tokyo airport. (Nick was napping.) Lately, Sydney has embraced her "wild" side & it shows in every single picture! This happened after she spent a few weeks with her cousin, Melea. Hmmmmm...

Here are some pictures I took of Sydney while we were waiting on Daddy & Samuel:

Thank you for your prayers for a safe journey here. We truly do appreciate each & every one of them!