Taiwan 2016, Part One: The 13-Hour Flight

Our flight took off at 2am on Monday so we had the kids sleep at their normal bedtime that night and woke them up at 10 to head to the airport. Strangely, Izzy resisted any sleep beforehand and I was stressing out big time because of it, fearing that she'd fall asleep before we board and be wide awake on the plane. But thank God, she was a happy camper all night and fell asleep without any trouble after we took off. A huge praise: our flight wasn't full so Izzy got her own seat despite being a lap baby!! It was a huge relief and I was seriously so thankful for God's gracious provision at the moment we needed it the most. The big kids were so good the whole time - they loved the flying experience. It had been 2.5 years since our last Taiwan trip so everything feels very new and fun and exciting for them.

The toughest part about flying alone with 3 kids was potty time. Like, when Izzy finally fell asleep with her head on my left forearm, and right then it was when Nathan had to go #2. In those moments I was definitely not the most patient self. There were also many times I had to apologize to the big kids for not being able to help them much, and had to tell them to figure things out on their own (mostly just TV stuff haha, but still)

All in all, everything went smoothly and we were all in happy spirits when we landed! Praise and glory to God for watching over us and answering our prayers, and of course a huge thank you to everyone who remembered and prayed for us.

A sweet friend dropped off an encouragement package for me before we left. I indeed was so encouraged by her thoughtful gesture and felt instantly more brave :)

All the stuff I packed for entertainment on the long flight. Another sweet friend made individual craft kits for Z, N and Iz. It was a huge hit! Oh what would I do without my wonderful mom friends?

Some pictures before we boarded and during our flight:

Waiting to board, I surprised Izzy with a new, more real-life like babydoll and it was the best money I've ever spent on a toy!

Waiting to board, singing a Chinese fish song on the floor

Happy to have her own seat!

Unlimited kids TV!

All seated and ready to take off!

Peaceful time for mama for a few hours

We made it to Taipei!! I chose to pack the ergo instead of a stroller this time so we could travel lightly. Hard on my shoulder but it was worth it!

My sister woke up at 5am to pick us up at the airport. The kids were soooo happy to see her.

Silly selfies were of course required at the airport :)

My sister drove us to the high speed rail station to catch our ride to Kaohsiung, where my families live. N loved these fake windmills

A cute resting spot at the train station

Waiting for our train to Kaohsiung

Checking out the country views

3 peas in a pod!

They can craft everywhere :) I love it

At long last, home with my parents! Izzy reading and playing with her favorite person which is my dad, aka gong ♥️