We have arrived!

We are all here in the Philippines...together once again as a family! 

Alyssum, Kailee, Adams waiting at the airport

 Kailee, Alyssum, Adams, and I had a great flight over here earlier this week.  We slept for seven out of the nine hour flight from Anchorage to Taipei.  We woke at one point, but all felt slightly sick from all the turbulence...so we went back to sleep.  Finally woke for the last two hours of the flight, we all ate and felt much better.  With only an hour layover in Taipei we had to keep moving in the airport, but we made it to our gate with only 10 minutes to spare.  Aunt Marla met us at the airport in Manila. Thank goodness since our eight heavy totes were more than I could deal with myself.  The heat always surprises us when we arrive and takes awhile to acclimate!

Ethan, Tyler, Jonathan atop the boat

Ed, Ann Marie, Tyler, and Jonathan inside the boat

Tyler and Ethan enjoying the ride and the beauty!

Our totes in the canoe being transported to our home.  Amazing they made it from Homer to this remote island in the Philippines!

Ann Marie, Ethan, and Tyler with more of our "stuff" going to our home

Steve, Jonathan, Ed, Ann Marie, Ethan, and Tyler arrived in Manila from Puerto that same evening.  So good to all be together again and to hear their adventurous stories and see pictures of our new home!  What an adventure and they were only out there for a little over a week!

Our house being torn apart

Framing the walls

So much work has been done on the house and the whole team worked so hard to get our home ready for us!  Amazing transformation on the interior of the house as they tore out old walls and termite damage, and then replaced it with new walls of wood.  I have an amazing kitchen with a double sink and a five burner propane stove top surrounded by shiny tile.  The walls have been painted white in the kitchen and dining room.  The dining room now has a large table big enough for our family.  The bathroom has running water with a flushable toilet, sink, and a shower.  We have a room for the girls with plenty of room for bunk beds and a single bed, and a room for the boys with enough room for three beds and whatever else they collect!  There is a master bedroom, office/school room, and a large pantry.  Looking forward to making our house a home!

Bathroom almost finished

Kitchen being painted...so open and bright

Tyler celebrated his 12th birthday on the island.  Tyler loved his gift from Dennis...a local made bolo. 

We are spending several weeks in Manila with visa appointments, shopping to be done, meetings, and time spent with the Weissers.  We started school today to pass the time and time to be on a schedule!  School time is so different, instead of being cold and wearing layers, we sweat and have fans blowing the pages on our books!  Always an adventure!