Good times so far

Hello from the Philippines! :)

We are having an amazing time here and really loving the chance to experience such a wonderful country and meet so many new friends from all over the world.
Big thanks to Brian and Julie Woolery (check out their Woolery Wanderings blog on the right hand side for more info on what we're all up to) for letting us stay with them for the first couple of nights we were in Manila. It made a huge difference being able to stay with friends and be welcomed immediately, and it gave Max and Justin a chance to meet and make friends before leaving for the conference out at Rizal.
They get on ok, although Justin is a little nervous of Max since he is a bit bigger and very enthusiastic in his greetings (hugging and high-fiving). They mimic each other and do have fun being around each other though, and are cute to watch for all of the delegates.

Max is fitting in really well, as Cam has posted. I was a little worried about how he would handle sleeping in so many different places and beds, but he is so good at going to bed and even asks for it when he is tired, and is happy to lie still until he falls asleep and then sleeps very soundly both for his daytime naps (sleeping roughly 3 hours each afternoon, which is better than at home!) and 11 or 12 hours at night as well.
This gives me a great chance to join in on the activities in the evenings after he has gone to bed. I've been very encouraged and inspired to see the vision and energy and passion that the people here and worldwide have for Jesus and for the youth in their churches - it's a real privilege to participate. There are some photos up on Facebook that others have posted - see here to have a look.

Not surprigingly, Max is loving the food and always surprises us with his appetite, especially for rice which is served at every meal. I am also really enjoying the food, which is tasty and healthy and really excellent at the campsite. It's a great way to try some of the Philippino food without having to guess at what to order from a restaurant.

Today we went into one of the neighbouring towns called Lipiw which is famous for its shoes. We soon saw why - every second shop in the main street sells, you guessed it, shoes! Unfortunately both Cam and I have feet that are too big and so couldn't find anything to fit us. Hopefully we will have more luck in some other markets or in Boracay, which is where we head off to on Sunday after the assembly finishes.

Highlights - Days 3 &4

• The weather has been hot and steamy but Max and Jo have been having big swims and using the waterslide.
• The food continues to be excellent. I was speaking to the lady who runs the kitchen and they bake the bread from scratch every day. She gave me a tour of the kitchen and it was compact but well run.
• We saw today why they called it the wet season. We have had a couple of tropical down pours. Just like home, I even saw something that looked like a canetoad tonight.

• We are meeting lots of new friends and spending time catching up with some old friends.
• Tomorrow is the megalongday where the schedule runs for 20hrs straight as we start video conferencing with the states.

We will update in a couple of days again.

Cam, Jo and Max

Highlights - Day 2 & 3

• We survived the 3 hr trip to the conference venue. Driving is very different here.
• We stopped at a lookout and approached by some children selling quail's eggs
• Max has had lots of attention from our group and other groups at the conference venue.
• Max is swimming lots and even enjoyed the water slide.
• The food is very yummy we are growing in our appreciation for their cuisine.
• Max asks at every meal if he can eat more rice. He is fitting in nicely.
• Cam has caught up with friends from all over Asia-Pacific
• We have a family tradition on going to the snack bar on campus for a ice cream before Max's shower and bed. 2 ice creams for under a buck!
• Cam was asked by a local Filipino delegate if all Australians were as huge as him. The same day he was told by another delegate that he was physically intimidating in a good way because he was so muscular. I am not sure how positive that is.

The conference starts tomorrow so the updates may be a few days in coming. We will see how we go.

Highlights - Day 1

Some highlights from our first full day include:

• Dinner at restaurant called Max's. Very good chicken!

• We all had a ride on a motortrike to get to the Seminary. Max had so much fun he cried when he got off.
• Cam rode in a Jeepney with the locals and nearly hit a local when it stopped really quick and Cam could could not stop.
• Max rode on a small kiddy ride for 10 cents and had a blast and got lots of attention from the locals.
• Cam rocked up to Dunkin Donuts and the clerk looked at me and said " Are you having the 15 pack of donuts sir?" I must admit I did buy 15 Dunkin Donuts for $5.

• Whilst at a suburban ATM I had a gent pull out a bowie knife with built in flash light and tried to sell me the knife and a machete and meat cleaver as well. I politely declined.

That's enough of for now we will update when we can.

Cam. Jo and Max

Safe and Sound

Just a really quick update to et you all know we arrived in Manila safe and sound. Max did really well on the plane. He cried on and off for the last 10 minutes or so as he was frustrated from being on the lane for 7 hours.

We got to our digs after an hour or so and it was a little amazing race at times but Max settled quickly.

We will update ore when we can.

Yo Gabba Gabba!

This morning Max and I (through a very well-connected Daddy) scored good seats at the first live show of Yo Gabba Gabba, which is a kid's TV show. Although neither of us was really looking forward to going (me because, well, watch some of their clips :)) and Max because he is a bit too young to explain that that's what we were about to see. He was excited about going in to visit Daddy at work and going to a concert, even though he didn't really know what that was!

I think we were both pleasantly surprised when the show started. They had a live band who played well, and the show was bright and colourful and had a good pace so that Max never got bored. For the first 10 or 15 minutes he just sat still on my lap and watched both the stage and the audience spellbound, since it was like nothing he had ever seen before, plus he recognised the characters from the TV show.

At intermission Daddy came in to check how Max was liking it, and we went for a walk down to the stage and the drumkit, which Max was very impressed by. During the next part of the show we went down in front of the stage for a while again, but this only made Max upset because he wasn't allowed actually onto the stage with the 'teddies'. He did enjoy the rest of the show from our seats though.

I DON'T want a cuddle Daddy! I want to play the drums!

Special guest Darren from Powderfinger doing the 'Roo-bot' dancy-dance

As a special bonus, due to Daddy's good connections with the event organisers, after the show we were allowed backstage to meet the characters from the show. We thought Max may have been scared by the big characters in their colourful suits, but he loved them instantly and had to be dragged away from them so that others could get their photos taken with them. He had no hesitations about going right up to the show characters ('cuddles!', 'teddies!'), but was quite shy and hesitant about meeting Daddy's other work friends in their uniforms.

Great timing from Daddy meant that he could be in the photos as well. Thanks to everyone who helped us get there and make it a fun time for Max!

A new cousin has arrived!

On Thursday last week (14th May) I got a wonderful phone call from my sister Amy to say that she had just given birth to a new daughter - Ingrid Leah Mutzelburg! She was born at about 6.30pm and weighed about 3.4kgs, or roughly 7.5 pounds, and has many very excited relatives!

On Saturday, after a busy morning buying fruit and veggies from the markets, cleaning the church, and going to a birthday party for some of Max's friends from church, Max and I dropped in to the hospital to visit baby Ingrid. We managed to arrive at the same time as my parents, which worked out great since Max not only got to see his new cousin but Grandma and Pa as well. Max was a bit shy at first but when he saw us all cuddling the baby he definitely wanted a turn too, and he was so gentle at holding her, patting her and kissing her. The inevitable pointing out of her features (eyes! nose! ears! hair!) wasn't quite as gentle as I'd have liked but he was really trying and did a great job of welcoming his new cousin the only way he knows how.

Grandma and Pa also showed great foresight by buying not only Ingrid some presents, but Max and the twins some stickers as well, so he had a great time helping Pa put them into the book in the right places, and also playing outside with Pa on the playground while I got a nice cuddle of my little niece.

We got some good photos of Ingrid being cuddled by various relatives, including Max, so here they are.

Congratulations to the Mutzelburgs and welcome to little Ingrid!