3 Fabulous Boys + 3 More Happens Today!

Well, it seems that we cannot just get on a plane and go.  I got up at 3:30 this morning to make sure that our family was ready to meet the 5:15 shuttle.  We got downstairs a little early and it was a good thing, too.  Our luggage (you know, the stuff I didn't want to pick up) about filled the shuttle by itself.  If we had waited for the 6am shuttle, we wouldn't have gotten on.  Our check in was remarkably simple and we made it to the gate.  I bought some pastries since we were too early to get breakfast at the hotel.  All seemed like it was going well and I started feeling a whole lot better about the whole thing.

We boarded at 6:45 after some confusion.  The good news is that we recieved vouchers for our troubles and since we haven't yet purchased our flights back to Bogotá (since we don't know when that will be), we're hoping that it will save us a lot of money.

However, after boarding, we sat on the plane at the gate for almost two hours.  As it turns out, since Avianca had added this flight to the schedule to make up for the cancelled flight, air traffic control wouldn't allow us to take off.  I am not wise in the ways of the airport but that just seemed idiotic to me.  The two ladies behind us were so fed up that they decided to get off... about 2 minutes after their decision was made, we got clearance to take off.  However, they still wanted to get off and now we had to wait for security to come check the plane and make sure they hadn't planted a bomb and then for the behind the scenes folks to get their luggage out of the hold.  I'm sorry, but it all seemed so melodramatic.  And does anyone really have enough money to throw away two plane tickets like that?

Anyway, after all that, the flight to Pasto seemed amazingly short.  The landing was a little hairy, as I was forewarned.  It's like landing on a mountain top... not it IS landing on a mountain top.  You look out the window and see the mountain peaks flying past and realize that you are flying in between.  But the worst was when you were finished and the plane turns around to go back to the terminal and you realize that the end of the runway just drops off the edge of the mountain.  I'm happy I couldn't see out the front window.  I would have loved to get some pics but the boys claimed the window seats.

And speaking of boys, may I just brag a little.  Through all of this, including a CRAZY ride from the airport to Pasto, in which one boy (the one that hasn't  been sick yet) got carsick, all the boys have held up like real troopers.  They haven't complained, they have pitched in and helped, and generally have had excellent attitudes the whole time.  I'm amazed that we were able to get our luggage into the airport today and it was all because they were so awesome and so helpful.  When the adults on our plane were getting upset and cranky about the delay, they weathered through with better attitudes than most.  I love my boys and I am so very proud of how amazing they are through everything that's happened. 

Now, I'd like to take some pictures of our hotel room and tell you a little more about Patricio, because he's been really fantastic.  However, they are coming to rearrange to beds while we are at our Encuentro to make sure everyone has a spot, so I'll take care of all that later.  We are meeting our kids at 4:30 so I'll just leave you with some pictures of what happens when the Yeatmans are forced to go against their biological clocks.

He tried hard to read Hardy Boys instead of sleep but it just wasn't possible.

Here's the one that swore up and down that he'd slept enough on the plane.

And then there's Daddy, our pillar of strength who made no big deal of slipping into bed with Rylan. 

Connor passed out from carsickness as soon as we got here and I was too busy unpacking to snap a picture.  As for me, I'm too excited to meet the kids... I can't sleep!