January 21, 2015

I have 4 awesome nephews and nieces who I love to the bones.

Their dad, my eldest brother Lyle, has been working in the UAE since 2013 while the kids stayed in the Philippines. It’s been a tough ride for him, but this year we’re bringing the family together!

Airport check-in

4 kids and their mom on standby travel.

After waiting for confirmed guests to get it, they were issued boarding passes for the first flight. But thanks to the efficient staff at the travel tax counter, they got left behind by the plane.

Dear NAIA airport staff, it would be great if sometimes, you’d be a bit sensitive and sympathetic to travelers especially those on standby. They are the last ones to get tickets while the rest of the guests are already boarding. They need time to pass through immigration and baggage scans.

Sam and Zion cried a little when they learned they got left behind by the airplane.

Immigration 

They waited for another 6 hours, hoping to get in on the second flight. And they did, but this time on separate seats. This worried my sister-in-law because they were still kids and it was their first time to fly.

They passed through immigration without a fuss (hurray!) and ran all the way to the boarding gates.
ONBOARD ETIHAD

They were the last ones in. I have to thank this cabin crew who went the extra mile and asked other guests to switch seats so Zion and Nikki can sit closer to their mom. I’ve been working on etihad.com’s Flying Nanny page for the past 2 years and it feels nice to see the friendly service come alive. Thank you, Etihad.

I also appreciate passenger who are willing to trade seats for the benefit of others. Whoever you are, thank you for making these kids happy.

Ever since I came to Abu Dhabi in 2010, this little boy had always wanted to fly with me. As soon as he sat down, he began reading and inspecting everything.
8 hours in the sky.

Touchdown at 6:00 AM. Hugging their daddy, who is red and not at all crying 😛

The family reunited.

They stopped by our home before heading to my brother’s place in another emirate. As soon as I heard tiny voices from outside our door, I jumped out of bed to welcome them.

Woke up like this!

The favorite uncle.

We had fun listening to their airplane stories.

“No matter what you’ve done for yourself or for humanity,
if you can’t look back on having given love and attention to your own family,
what have you really accomplished?” – E. Hubbard

Welcome to the UAE, Lucasi kids.