Back into “real life”

It’s been AGES since we’ve posted a new blog! We've had our 6-week “summer” holiday from school, and it was a very full time!

In the next few blogs, I'll show you about our holidays. For now, here's basically where we're at:

Upon arrival back in Manila (end of August) we went straight into our new place. Luckily for us, our house helpers had unpacked EVERYTHING! We felt so spoilt, and very grateful, as Nigel was back to work the following day!

We’ve now had 3 weeks back in Manila, and life has (thankfully) acquired some sort of regular routine. We’re slowly getting our (very large) new house into shape, although our travels have left us broke, so we’re waiting till next month’s payday to get some of the big things we still need. Like a dining table. See the 'vast emptiness' behind Zoe here... She's having breakfast on one of her play tables. We use the coffee table...

We also still need to get some more fans & air-con units to make the house more comfortable. Apart from that, we’re really enjoying living in our new house. There are NO cockroaches! We have fresh air-flow, and LOTS of space to play, both indoors and out.

Emily has now started ‘real’ school. Being the British system, her first year of school starts when she’s four, turning 5. She is one of the youngest in her year group, but she’s absolutely loving school. What a huge difference from her first day at the nursery class last year! (see last year's blog entry here) This year there have been no tears whatsoever, and she says one favourite part of her school is having lunch in the canteen.

Zoe has started preschool at the local ‘Cambridge’. She has the same uniform and very similar routines to her last pre-school, which was the ‘Cambridge’ by our apartment. She enjoys this, and has also had no tears at all. She’s even made a new friend already, who we’ve had over to our house for a play date. She attends 4 mornings per week.

Tessa is doing well, but is still not sleeping through the night, at nearly 6 months. (the older 2 were sleeping through regularly by 3 months!) She’s had some issues with reflux, a little bit of teething (although no teeth yet), changing time-zones several times(!), changing beds and changing climates. However, she’s generally a happy, chubby baby, and she loves smiling at everyone she meets. (Here she is practising her dancing, and showing you the new playroom...)

We’ve also acquired a new family member, named “Freddo”. He’s about 4 months old, has 4 legs, and short, orange fur. He’s a real rascal, and we nearly gave him right back, but in the time we were ‘stuck’ looking for a new family, we have grown to like him. Zoe in particular, has gone from being frightened of him, to nearly loving him to death. She loves to pick him up, but hasn’t quite mastered the art of knowing where to put her hands. Surprisingly, he purrs whenever he is picked up.

Nigel’s well back into the swing of working life, although getting back the momentum was quite tiring! He’s also found a tennis partner (Zoe's friend's Dad), whom he plays with every Friday afternoon. We live just across the road from the village park, which has a tennis court in it, so it’s very handy!

I (Joanna) am starting to enjoy our regular weekly routines. With Emily gone during the whole school day, Zoe at preschool 4 mornings, there’s only Tessa to worry about, and so with a little help from Jenalyn (aka ‘Superwoman’) I’m finally getting some time to myself! I’ve joined two women’s groups –one on a Monday night, (with Zoe's friend's mum) which meets at a café just up the road, and one on a Tuesday morning, which is back closer to the city centre, but it’s with some precious friends I made last year. Both are proving very stimulating and energizing – exactly what the doctor ordered.