Arriving in Cairns

Today's a crazy day that's gone on and on. We really didn't sleep much on the plane, just dozing a bit here and there. As a result yesterday has melted into today and we're not really certain what day it is or what time it is.

I think we all took a nap after lunch (not sure about one son who napped earlier in the day). But thankfully the sun is starting to get lower in the sky (it is 4.30 pm) and we can look forward to going through familiar evening routines and get a proper night sleep.

This is where we're staying. Taken from the Tree
Tops Lodge Cairns website:
http://www.treetopslodgecairns.org.au/photos.html

This morning we were warmly and thoughtfully greeted at the airport by a friend who's lending us the family's second car for the week. She came with their other car as well to help with getting all our luggage to our lodging for the week. 

But she also unexpectedly brought us some basic groceries, which meant we didn't have to face looking for some breakfast at a commercial establishment. So thoughtful. Then when she read on Facebook that we were having a bit of trouble getting everyone synced (one child wanted to stay "in" and sleep, the others had too much energy to settle), she offered to go walking with us, her boys (who are similar ages but don't know our boys) and dogs down along the Cairns esplanade. That was great. Allowed the boys to connect with some boys in Australia (something they crave in the early days of a cross-cultural move), me some stimulating conversation with a friend, and David some time to do some errands. A little bit of dog-therapy too. We're so thankful.

Oh, a bit of outdoor Australia was great too. It really is a bit surreal still. Part of that is the lack of sleep, I'm sure.

So, how are the boys coping? Pretty well, considering. This is not an unexpected move, it's something they've known about for a long time. Mostly what we have now is emotional roller coasters and, at times, hypersensitivity and irritability.

We're looking forward to a basic Aussie BBQ tonight. That's one of the big things the boys were looking forward to in Australia.

For something of interest, check my post this time five years ago, when we did pretty much the same thing: flying into Cairns for a holiday before moving to Brisbane.