It’s happening!!!!

Introspection turned to aaaaaack!!!! Yay!! Oh my gooodneeessss!!

Thank you to mom for bring us North (and C-big!) and driving our minivan home and all the general love and support. Thank you to our amazing overnight hosts (fail on no Dickson family photo-superb stay, 5 stars 🙂 and especially Caroline for the “keep your mouth shut” instructions.

Ticket agent: How long will we be in the Philippines? In Manila?

Us: Oh, we’re going to Puerta Princesa from Manila.

TA: do you have that flight? May I see it? Us:Yes, yes you may.

TA: ok, thank you

Us: (in our heads)…does she realize that is also in the Philippines? Please don’t ask…

And she didn’t. Yay. At least we’ll make it to Manila before they question where our waiver visa/ticket out of the country is. Oy.

And so we’re here! Now actually in the Philippines though much of this was written in airports on the way.

The girls have been dreams, putting up with the hurry up and wait and the forced family yoga in the terminal waiting area (thank goodness they’re too young to be mortified by their parents performing calisthenics in public in front of a bunch of strangers…just annoyed they can’t tuck into the downloaded games and books and shows on the kindle just yet). Alys just keeps saying “eeeee I can’t believe we’re leaving today! I can’t believe it!” And Marion hasn’t had a breakdown about being sad about leaving for at least 2 days. Or maybe 3…depending on what time zone we’re going by. I seem to be running on, again, fair warning some of this (possibly most knowing how I am) blog may be a bit tedious as it is more a journal for me/us and might be more info/rambling than a casual peruser wishes. Feel free to skip or check in on the Instagram and with time hopefully we’ll have a bit more excitement to report. It’s just so exciting for us on this end already! That long flights, foreign airports, and racing Marion on the edge of the moving walkways (that’s hands on moving rail and feet toe to heel on none moving ledge) already feels like an adventure.

We know you are all twirling through your own amazing adventures and hope you will share them with us too.

Whoops that was from the first layover, and now we’re here! And we made it through round two of the entrance exam…amazing side stepping of questions Chad!! Nothing but the truth from his lips 🙂

And Marion did lose her mind a bit for lack of sleep (fair enough on a day of 26ish hours of travel only getting 2-3hour naps on planes and airport floors).

But she recovered like a champ and she and Alys spent an excellent amount of time running backwards up the moving sidewalk thing and then letting foxy get a ride back on the railing.

We got some pesos and a SIM card (thumbs up) but that meant we missed our shuttle to the terminal our connecting flight was in (thumbs down). Just meant Marion got her first taxi ride (notes by her).

and this is a story written by Marion in said terminal: Once there was a tiny fairy princess. And she was lost in the woods and then she found her castle and her parents were in it and she had never met them until that very day! And she was just a three year old and that’s why it was so hard. The end (kindergarten is going great, ha!)