1st of January

Today we woke up to rain and it did not stop until the afternoon (just to clarify, we did not sleep in till noon - those days are over :-)).

So what does one do on a rainy day in the tropics?
Of course, you build a fortress and make chocolate chip cookies with friends!

 the kids displayed some rolling dough skills

Alia was a bit confused by the whole fort thing first

 but she quickly warmed up to it as it is perfect for peek-a-boo

When our friends came they even modified the house, so now it is a lot more culturally appropriate - 

the "front door" is wide open for guests to come in and there is a roof to protect us from the rain :-)