Like a postcard...

BORACAY: White sandy beaches and crystal clear water....it really was just like a postcard! It was truly paradise....what more can I say?These are pictures of the resort that we stayed at called "Fridays". We literally walked out of our hut and onto the beach!

The is the hut that we stayed in on the beach...complete with it own hammock! It was actually very nice!! They had mosquito netting over the bed, which made it look very romantic. But we soon discovered that it wasn't just for ambiance!! :o) We woke up the first morning with a few bites each (we haven't been taking our malaria meds)....so we slept inside the netting after that!






The sunsets were amazing on the beach! The pictures really don't do them justice.

We went sailing, snorkeling, and "Filipino fishing" (which consists of a plastic bottle with fishing line wrapped around it, and a hook and sinker at the bottom). The Filipinos that took us were catching fish left and right! I would love to say that that we caught that whole bucket of fish, but sadly it ain't so! They were all caught by the Filipinos...that is all except for the ONE hubby finally caught!! We asked them what they were going to do with the fish. And they said they would take them back to their house to eat for breakfast!

These are some huts/houses built on a hillside right on the ocean. We were told they were built by very wealthy people, and most of them are vacation homes.






It was crazy to watch these tiny Filipino kids all piled on this canoe out in the ocean! Some of them weren't any bigger than Addie!

These are the big sandcastles they build along the beach. The resorts hire people specifically to come build a sandcastle on their beach. Now that is a job *P* would LOVE to have when he grows up!!! Can you imagine....getting paid to play in the dirt! Isn't that every boy's dream job!?! The one on the right is something that the Filipino kids built at night and put candles in. I'm sure they're future sandcastle builders in the making!

We really did have a great time in Boracay! I had forgotten how much I love the beach and the ocean. I would have to say that my favorite part was definitely sailing! Although, the mango shakes there were pretty good too! :o)

Could it be....the tooth fairy's finally coming?!?

*P* finally had his first lose tooth! Actually, he had a lose tooth for over a month. But it was finally really lose and about to come out! All the kids in his class have lost tons of their teeth. He is the ONLY one that hasn't. So this was extra exciting for him!

The only problem was that his tooth decided to get really lose the night before hubby and I were flying to Boracay for the weekend w/o the kids. And I was not about to miss my oldest child losing his first tooth!!! So we all decided we would pull it out that night since we were leaving the next morning. That way we could see what the Tooth Fairy brought him before we left! :o) The problem is that the thing would NOT come out!! We tried and tried and tried...for over an hour! *P* was VERY brave! It was just not quite ready. So we gave *P* clear instructions to not wiggle his tooth at all until we got back! And if it did happen to fall out while we were gone for the 2 1/2 days, he was to write a note to the Tooth Fairy and put it on his door telling her that she could not come until we got back...or else his mom would be REALLY sad!! :o(

Every night we would call from Boracay to tell the kids goodnight, and my first question to him each time would be, "You didn't lose your tooth yet, did you?" And the answer was always , "No mom, I'm not even wiggling it!" And I guess my prayers were answered because it didn't fall out while we were gone! In fact, it took a whole other week of wiggling to get the thing out! It was one stubborn tooth!!

It finally fell out on April 22nd after church. It just so happened that we were having a potluck that day at our apartment and I had a ton to do to get ready. So of course that would have to be the time his tooth would come out. He actually ended up pulling it out himself! He was so excited! And of course I had to stop what I was doing to take LOTS of pictures!!! :o) *P* showed everyone that came to the potluck his missing tooth! He was so proud!

And sure enough, the Tooth Fairy showed up that night! He wrote her this letter. The Tooth Fairy wrote a note back saying that she was really proud of him for pulling out his own tooth, and would tell him where she lives when he pulls out his next tooth! She also left him 50 pesos ($1) and 3 pokemon cards.

So if any of you ever got a note from the Tooth Fairy when you were little telling you where she lived, we'd love to hear about it! :o)

Ouch!

We don't exactly know what happened to *A*'s nose. It happened at church during Primary...right in the middle of the opening prayer. Apparently *A* was fine before the prayer and was sitting next to *P*. After the prayer, she was on the floor whimpering. No one knows what happened (that's a good sign that all the kids kept their eyes shut during the prayer though!). They thought *A* was just sad because she was supposed to say the prayer that day and they had accidently asked 2 kids the week before. When the primary president went over to talk to her she saw blood--and a lot of it! She freaked out and ran to find me, but I was teaching my marriage class and we were right in the middle of our opening prayer as well (and let me tell ya, Filipino prayers are LONG!). So she found *B*. After the prayer was done *P* came running into my room yelling, "EMERGENCY, EMERGENCY, there's an EMERGENCY with *A*!!" It was quite the Sunday, let me tell ya!

*B* ended up taking *A* home while I stayed to teach. After church he told me that he cleaned her cut out with rubbing alcohol because he was so worried about the germs at church! OUCH!!! The church really is not clean though! Sad, but true. We try to avoid the bathrooms at all costs...especially since there was a rat in the toilet one Sunday!

*A* was okay though, and once we got it cleaned off we realized that it probably didn't need stitches. So luckily for us, we don't have to experience a Filipino hospital yet! :o) I'm sure that day will come soon enough though!

Easter in the Philippines

The kids and their friend, Paige, getting ready for the egg hunt!

Our apartment building had an Easter party for the kiddos complete with a petting zoo, easter egg hunt, and WAY too many cheezy party games (that Filipinos LOVE).

The kids loved the petting zoo, although I was a little nervous about it since this IS a third world country and you never know where the animals
have been?!?

You can bet I broke out the hand sanitizer for this one!!! :o)

They had baby chicks, baby bunnies, goldfish, goats, chickens, and even turkeys.

Some kids were sitting on this bench taking pictures when this turkey just jumped up beside them. And he wasn't going anywhere!! I guess he wanted some camera time too. Notice how nicely he smiled for our picture! :o) We couldn't get *L* to sit any closer....she wanted a picture with him, but only from a safe distance!

Gathering eggs

I hate to say it, but in the words of Junie B. Jones, there were some serious "cheater pants" at the egg hunt...and they weren't kids! As if the ya-yas (Filipino nanny) don't do enough for some of spoiled kids here: like carry their backpacks, get them dressed, clean their rooms....(I could go on and on and on), they all thought it was their "job" to pick up eggs for the kids too! And they didn't just pick up a couple either....there were ya-yas with armfuls of eggs!! We're talk'in like 30 eggs each! Meanwhile, our kids got 2 or 3 each by doing it the old fashioned way and finding the eggs themselves. It was a little shocking to me, although really, nothing about ya-yas should really shock me anymore. I've heard and seen so much....I definitely know we aren't getting a ya-ya EVER! Unless of course we decide to have a baby here...then maybe?!? The extra sleep sounds very appealing! :o)

Life in the Philippines

I thought I'd add a few pictures so you can see what things are like here. These are some pictures we took on the way home from Subic. Things in Manila are WAY more crowded. These pictures are from out in the Provinces. Many "helpers" (maids, drivers, yayas...that's what they call nannys) that live in Manila for work, go home to the Provinces to visit their families on the weekends or on holidays.

Rice fields

The jeepneys lined up waiting for passengers. A jeepney ride costs 7 Pesos...or 15 cents!

A trike: these are illegal where we live, but are everywhere out in the Provinces. They have the same rights on the road as cars. It is really annoying to get stuck behind trikes and not be able to pass them. *B* and I rode in one.....he barely fits! It is quite the adventure!

This is what many of the open markets look like that the Filippinos shop at.

Poor area near Manila

Our trip to Subic Bay...

Subic Bay was once the site of the largest U.S. naval base in Asia. The base was even used during the Gulf War. The last U.S. ship left Subic in 1992. Subic has now become a tourist area.

The view from Ocean Adventure

We stayed in Subic for 2 days. The 1st day we went to Ocean Adventure. We saw the aquarium, a dolphin/killer whale show, and a sea lion show. There is also a place to swim with the dolphins and whales. We didn't do it this time, but may have to go back and try it!

Ever had a sea lion wink at you?!?

*L* at the Aquarium

Our "helper" Agnes with the kids and her neice (our driver's daugther), Ika

The second day we went to the "Zoobic" Safari, which is part of the old US Naval Base. It was kind of neat to see the old buildings and bunkers and think about what it once was. There was a zoo-type thing on the base (if you can call it that). They used some of the old navy buildings to house the animals. There were a bunch of animals in way too small of cages though...or just wandering around outside the cages. There were different animals than we have in the States, so don't get me wrong, that WAS neat to see. Zoobic just wasn't the cleanest/nicest place I've ever been to though--which nothing here is clean, so I should really learn that by now! The big joke between us Expats is "Lower your expectations" and it will all be okay! :o) Low expectations are definitely a MUST here (as is LOTS of hand sanitizer)!!!

By far the coolest thing at Zoobic Safari was the tigers! We rode in a caged jeepney out to where the tigers roamed freely. We bought about 5 dead chickens for like 50 pesos each ($1) to feed to them through the trap doors on the jeepney. It was awesome!! The tigers would climb right up onto the sides of the jeepney to eat the chickens. We had some pretty crazy Filippinos with us that were pulling the chickens back inside after the tiger would get ahold of it. I thought one of them was going to get their hand bitten off! *L* wasn't scared at all...she was growling back that the tigers! :o)

The Jeepney we rode in (Jeepneys are the local transportation here....

minus the cages of course!)

Tiger cubs sleeping at entrance to Zoobic