A Visit with Friends

We hope our friends and family are doing well and staying healthy!  On Saturday, we invited our Congolese friends over for the day.  We bundled them up in extra coats and took them to Labrador Unique Area to see the waterfall (Tinker Falls).  Their son, Robert, turned 13 on Friday and Robert and Ayson had fun goofing around in the snow.  Our friend Kate stopped over too (she introduced us to the Congolese family) and it was fun to watch her interactions with them :)

Tabaro with Adam in the background.  Marcelene (youngest daughter), Benigne (Mother), and part of Robert's coat are also in the photo.

Amy and Benigne

Tabaro is a carpenter and he now works at the Stickley furniture company.  However, on Saturday he was a hair stylist :)

It was fun to introduce the family to the waterfall, eating snow, Baby Shark on the piano (Marcelene LOVED Baby Shark!), watch the boys play catch, and watch the girls dance for everyone.  The two oldest girls were in a dance troop in Burundi, while they were in a refugee camp.

Hello 2023!

A short week with Monday as the New Year holiday made the week fly by for A^4!  We hope everyone has a wonderful 2023!!  Ayson helped with Addie's Girl Scout troop on Thursday, we celebrated Christmas with Adam's family on Saturday, and went for a hike and ice skating on Sunday.

Amy out on a site visit for work Tuesday afternoon - check out the entwined trees and the moss covered trunk!

Cool fog along the tree covered hill side.

On Thursday, Ayson and Amy assisted Addie's Girl Scout troop in the building of little robots that use code.  Thank you, Ayson!

On Saturday, we went to Aunt Julie and Uncle Dan's house to celebrate Christmas with the family.

The boys had fun playing on-line games...while sitting next to each other...haha.

Gift opening time!

On Sunday, we went for a hike at Pratt's Falls.

Addie showing Amy the needle ice.

While the boys checked out the archery range.

The wooden border fence was covered in moss.

The kids are never to old to step on a fresh area of ice!

Addie and Amy went ice skating Sunday afternoon while Adam and Ayson stayed home and worked on the kitchen (no pictures).

Ayson checking out the meditation bowl (a Christmas gift from Ms Annie and Mr Bob).

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to our friends and family!!  We spent the week at home and made sure to get outside during our stay-cation.  We hope that everyone is happy and healthy for 2023!!!

The 5th grade class with Ms McDonald and Ms Robyn.  Amy's friend and colleague gave a presentation on what it is like to be an Endangered Species biologist :)  The kiddos were reading the book "Hoot" about a burrowing owl and how the owl's habitat was going to be destroyed.

Addie's holiday concert - she is in the second row and all the way to the right :)

The village holiday scene that we received from Annie and Bob.

The kids opening the gift from Grandma Pat and Grandpa Roger - thank you!

Thunder is very interested in the pet stocking and cat nip!

Ayson really wanted a watch

While Addie's main gift was a cross between a cat and a peacock - a peacocat :)

Ayson checking out the Virtual Reality headset while Addie built a new Lego set.

We went to Green Lakes State Park on Monday

On Tuesday, Amy went with her friend Kate to help get the 15 year old daughter of Tabaro and Benigne ready for school that starts on January 3.  Kate and Amy braiding Deborah's hair:)

While Amy was with Kate, Adam took the kids to the "Tippy top" at Labrador Unique area.

Adam made a spaghetti sauce on the new stove and he is loving the counter tops and oven/stove!

We had a bit of galivanting on Wednesday and the kiddos REALLY wanted to go to the Chinese Buffet restaurant - so we did!  The kids were very happy!

On Thursday we went to Green Lakes State Park.  By the end of the day, the temps were in the high 50s and we lost all of our snow :(

A hike at Lime Hollow on Friday in Cortland

Thunder lounging on the stairs

On New Years eve, we all went ice skating at the same rink that Addie's takes lessons.  Addie has greatly improved and loves to skate! 

We hiked at Tracey Lake on New Years day after getting a few chores done around the house.