We're Baaack!

It's almost like we'd never left.  A few things have changed in eight months but for the most part everything is as it was.

We arrived around 4pm on Tuesday and our last flight was pretty good, until the landing.  Nicholas had finally fallen asleep (after about 21 hours awake) shortly after take off and when he woke up it was because he had to pee.  The poor kid was in agony and when the plane stopped taxiing before it got to the gate I did the unthinkable and took him to the bathroom.  The flight attendant was really nice and said it was okay, to just be careful.  She knew we had been flying for a long time.  Ryan didn't make things any easier by refusing to stay in his seat and keep his belt on as we landed.  I just held him while trying to comfort Nick. 

Once that was over with things improved greatly.  As we got off the plane Ryan was running around and flying high, despite the lack of sleep.  He was excited to see Nanny and Bumpy.  Nick was moving a little slower but soon perked up.  As we came out of the arrivals area where people wait for you I was scanning the area for a familiar face and was having trouble finding one.  Finally I spotted Dad and he noticed us so we ran over and gave him big hugs.  Ryan latched right on to him and started telling him that he was three and Nick was five and had lots of stuff to fill him in on.  Dad quickly explained to us that Nanny, Andy, Dale and Drew were at the airport but had gone to the observation deck to watch for our plane.  It seems the flight numbers were confused and our wasn't showing up.  They soon rounded the corner to see us with Dad and we had more hugs all around.  It was so nice to see them!

We grabbed our luggage very quickly and were on our way home.  Ryan was pointing out every new little thing and sounding very amazed at it all.  I must admit it was a very calm, relaxing drive with no horns or people cutting us off.  Both boys fell asleep on the way to Truro and I thought would stay that way as we took them in the house but Jeff and Brett were waiting for us at Mom and Dad's and when Nicholas heard Brett's voice, he woke right up.  They had a great time reconnecting.  Jeff got Ryan out of his car seat and for a few seconds Ryan woke up and spoke, smiling at Jeff (he looked rather drunk) then he went right back to sleep.  Jeff ended up on the recliner with him for about an hour and a half.

Soon Erin and Julia joined us and we had a nice time talking to everyone.  As I sat there relaxing and listening it felt like we had never left.  After a couple of hours I had to get to bed as I was going on 27 hours with no sleep.  Around 7:30 Nicholas and I finally hit the sack.  At 10pm Ryan woke up and wanted to know where Bumpy was so I took him out to the living room to sit with my dad.  At midnight I got up and went in search of him.  Mom had him but was wanting to go to bed so I took Ryan back to bed where we sat and watched television for a while.  We finally went to sleep only to have Nicholas wake up around 3am.  He never went back to sleep but Ryan and I managed to stay in bed until 7am.  What a night! 

After some breakfast we got the boys' Arctic Cat and Gator out and went down to the rink to see my aunts and loyal commenters, Darlene and Sheryl, my grandfather who reads my blog faithfully as well as some other family members. 

Darlene, God love her, prints off every one of my blogs for my grandfather and great Aunt Viv to read.  She is on her third large binder.  Someday I will sit down to read them all and relive our time in Shenyang.  It certainly looks different on paper.

We had a nice visit and while we were there snow started falling.  The forecast was calling for 20-30cm (nice homecoming present!) and by the end of Wednesday night there was about 35cm.  I had really been hoping to get to the grocery store in the afternoon but with the snow and the three of us being so tired, it just didn't happen.  Instead we had a three hour nap, supper then the boys went outside to play in the snow. 

Wednesday night wasn't much better as far as sleeping went with the three of us being up at 4am.  I finally made it to the grocery store on Thursday morning for one of the few things I can't get in China - Ezekiel bread.  It's the only kind I can eat and for over seven months I haven't had any bread.  Sheryl had given me some that she had in her freezer on Wednesday and it was devine but didn't last long.  I've had quite a few pieces now and plan on making myself sick of it so I won't miss it too much when I go back in two months.

So, how did I get to the grocery store?  I drove!  Despite the snowstorm, although the roads were almost all clear by then, I got in Mom's van and took some brave passengers into town.  I did fine and again, it was almost like we had never left.  Just like riding a bike!  Good thing we had those good Michelin X-Ice snow tires on though, one road we went down wasn't plowed at all.

As I was walking into the grocery store I was thinking about the differences between here and Shenyang, the biggest for me being the air quality but also the people and how they act.  I was appreciating being around my fellow polite Nova Scotians again when the man walking in front of me hocked up a big ball of phlegm and spit it out on the parking lot.  I guess some things aren't that different after all.

After the grocery store we went to visit Grammy and Grampy and their pups.  By lunch time the kids were getting cranky so it was time to head home for another nap.  This one lasted about four hours and we were all pretty groggy by the time we got up.  Ryan isn't feeling the greatest since he caught Nick's cold and has a slight fever so we just sat around while Nicholas went outside with Drew for a bit.  We had a delicious stew for supper (another thing we don't have in China since I can't find turnip or parsnips) then chilled out for the evening.  I went through all the stuff I have ordered online for Christmas while the boys watched a movie.  We talked to Tim - he is doing well but I think finds things a little too quiet - and stayed up until 11:00.  I was hoping that if we stayed up late enough the kids would sleep in a bit longer.  Well, it has worked for one of them.  Nick was up at 6am (getting better though) and Ryan is still sleeping at 8:40 this morning.  He and I were awake for a bit in the middle of the night but since he is sleeping so late there will be no nap today.  Maybe we will finally start getting on track.

Today is a special day here - it's Bumpy's (my dad's) birthday!  For the last eighteen or so years my dad and I have been passing birthday cards back and forth instead of getting new ones every year.  I think we are on our third or fourth card and luckily I remembered to bring our current card with me from China.  My birthday is in two and a half weeks so he only has to keep it safe for a short time while I am responsible for the rest of the year.  It's fun to go back and read the comments from previous year so I will have to come up with something witty today.  I'll see how that goes. 

Today we are likely going to go out and play in the snow for a bit.  At this point we have no plans to go anywhere although I would like to, just not with kids.  I'm hoping to get away to Halifax tomorrow for some retail therapy.  It's really nice to be home but I am missing Tim, Shenyang, Tian Ye, Lena, Ayi and the international friends we have made in China.  It's wonderful to be torn between two amazing places both with fantastic people.  We are so fortunate!

On Monday morning, before we left Shenyang, Tian Ye brought us some dumplings.  He said it is tradition when someone is going on a long journey to bring them something hearty to eat.  There was a large bag of frozer jiao zi and Ayi cooked us up a small batch.  They were delicious!  He and his mother made them and used hamburger instead of pork and no msg, because they know we like them that way.  It was really nice and since there were so many of them, Tim has had dumplings for supper every night this week.  He said they are the best he's had since we got there!

Ayi was sad to see us go.

The travellers are on the go again!  Notice the new seat covers Tian Ye put in the van.

Lots of helpers!

One last family photo

Our Pepsi plane to Korea

Waiting for our Limo Bus

It was a very nice bus.

Cool bridge we took to get to our hotel.



The front of our hotel - The Sheraton Incheon Airport Hotel



The back side and the beautiful building next door.

The lobby - it really was a gorgeous hotel.

We had a wonderful view.

Nick loves to look at magazines, wherever he is.



View at Night



We had a nice swim in the hotel pool.

I asked if we could be up a little high and the nice man at the desk put us on the 15th floor, the Preferred Guest Level.  I'm not sure if we were still "preferred" by the time we left.

No one felt like going out so we ordered room service.  Nick's response, "Room service is wonderful!".

We had a great sleep in the king size bed.

Room service again for breakfast.  My kids are going to be ruined!

And we're off again for the long flight.

A Korean Airlines flight attendant on the KAL bus back to the airport. 

There were lots of people out on the mud flats digging for something - clams perhaps.

The Incheon Airport has a great playroom, lounge areas and even free showers.

Flight attendants and pilot from another airline.

The travelling was finally catching up with Nick after the long, 12 hour flight.  He was chillin' at Pearson Airport in Toronto.



We're over Nova Scotia!



They boys had to check out the tree fort Nanny built them last year.

Having fun in the snow.