Halfway through January!

We hope that our friends and family are doing well and are keeping warm!  A^4 had a good week of fun and family time.  The kids received their last Mail Order Mystery packages over the weekend and were disappointed to know that no more packages would be arriving in the mail for them.  Amy may need to check out another Mail Order Mystery option for the kiddos for their March birthdays!

 Ayson reading the secret message that was hidden behind the postage stamp!

Thunder rubbing all over Adam's "cow clothes" that he wears to helo milk cows everyone Monday night.

Ayson working on the puzzle that Grandma Collene gave us AND the flower that Ayson gave Amy is starting to bloom!

Addie received the third piece of the heart necklace from her Mail Order Mystery story about a sleeping Princess, a Knight, a Troll, a Dragon, and a Librarian :)

The kids under a fort that Ayson made in the play room.

More progress!

Shadow thought the fort was an excellent place for a nap.

On Friday night, Ayson and Amy went downhill skiing at Song Mountain - no pictures but both had a great time! 

Saturday was COLD with temps around -5F - perfect for throwing boiling water in the air and watching it turn into a vapor.

Addie playing with her slime and putty kit: magnetic putty!

Meanwhile, Ayson had fun with circuits.

Saturday!

Gingered Butternut Squash pie :)

Sunday!!!!

Addie opened her final Mail Order Mystery package...

A book about the Princess and how Addie assisted in helping the Princess wake from her 699 year sleep.

A thank you note (from the princess) in the book.

The creek in the orchard covered in ice

Interesting ice crystals.

Onondaga Creek has eroded the far bank.

Ayson working on his Mail Order Mystery Spy challenge.

Decoding a cypher that uses transposition of the alphabet.

Ayson's last Mail Order Mystery package contained a safe disguised as a book.  To get the safe combination, he had to decode one last cypher.

Checking out the contents of the safe: a spy certificate, spy ID card and...

A Whoopie Cushion!  hahaha.

The kids had SO much fun receiving the mail, working on the puzzles, and then WAITING for the next package to arrive :)

January 2022!

An uneventful first week of January for A^4!  We are sending good thoughts to all of our family and friends and hope that everyone is doing well!

Amy only took pictures of the cats during the week but did manage to take photos of the humans during the weekend:)

On Saturday we went to Lime Hollow Nature Area in Cortland the high was in the upper teens - brrr but we had a good walk!

Ah, break and snack time!

Addie sitting in the perfectly curved tree trunk and Ayson doing a dead bug impersonation.

Addie the sloth

Kids...

On Sunday we went back to Tracy Lake.  The kids WANTED to hike at Tracy Lake.

Why?? They wanted to throw stick and snow on the ice.

A beaver has been hard at work!

The paperwhites that Addie received from Ms Annie and Mr Bob have bloomed!

Ha.  The plant is now taller than Addie.

Ayson and Adam made General Tso Chicken from scratch!  Ayson frying the chicken chunks.  The boys said it was awesome!

Happy New Year!

We hope everyone has an amazing 2022!

On Wednesday, Auntie Julie, Uncle Dan, and the cousins came over and so did Grandpa Chuck and his friend, Marie. 

Addie introducing Sage to the cousins, Grandpa, and Marie.

Headbands!!

Addie decorating the narwhal bank she received from the cousins - thank you!

Ayson and his spy glasses.

Ayson, Auntie Julie, and the cousins.

We took the family for a hike to Tinker Falls at Labrador Unique Area.

More games.  The kiddos also had fun playing hide and seek and Frogger.

And another hike (in the apple orchard) on New Years Eve.

Grandma Collene and her friend Mike came over for a visit on New Years Day.

Ayson made ice cream using ice and salt to cool/mix the half and half, sugar, vanilla, and salt.  Addie was at a Disney on Ice show for a friend's birthday party.

A Sunday hike at Tracy Lake! The kids trying to throw sticks on to the ice in the middle of the pond.

Addie would not give up.

The kids received another letter with more riddles and ciphers that they needed to figure out.  Can't wait for the next clues to arrive!!!