Mini Hockey

Mini Hockey is a sport of its own in the Helmkamp family.  The season runs from January 1st through December 31st.  The league's players range in age from mid-60's to 11 months.  Jack was the latest player drafted when he received his first mini hockey set at Christmas this year.  Let the checking begin!

Checking to see if his stick's curve meets Uncle DD's standards.

Practice starts early in the morning...

A Lesson in Sharing

Jack isn't the only one who plays with his toys...

(This was by me :))

We're just making sure he knows how to share. ;)

Little Helper

Jack actually WAS helping here...the spoons & door kept him entertained for a good 5 minutes, which was VERY helpful.

I walked around the island and back and he was on his way in.  He's starting to climb.  Might be our own fault for having the slide in the play room for him to climb on.

Mom's Terrible Shooting Percentage

My dad used to always call for "one shot, one shot" when we were shooting in the shed as he headed out for chores.  If my memory serves me right, he probably shot about 95%.  After hitting nothin' but net he'd say, in his best attempt at being cocky, "Old man's still got the touch!"  I clearly cannot say the same...and Jack finds that hilarious.

Lainey and Jack's "Merry Christmas Party"

Jack and his friend Lainey hosted a little Christmas party today at our house.  (That will either make you laugh, like it does me...or roll your eyes...one of the two.)  Lainey's an old pro after hosting a Halloween party of her own, so Jack and I recruited Lainey and her mom, Theresa, to join us.  (We did  steal their idea after all.  Plus, Theresa makes super cute treats!)  We had a full house  for snacks, chatting, and playing.

I failed to take more than a couple pictures, so you'll have to imagine cute kids and cute reindeer treats, etc. cause this is all there is.  I didn't even get a picture of the host and hostess together! :P

Party favors

Having snacks with his buddies Larae and Beckham.

Checking out his toy inventory after his guests left.

(OR: getting a little time to himself after the craziness!)

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Duck report from the deck.

Somebody's got an itchy trigger finger!

DADDY'S BOY

A few of his faces...

A Little Look into the Future

After posting those last pictures, I looked out the window and couldn't help but see the sorry state of our future Christmas trees.

Next year...

(at least it resembles a triangle)

The next year...

(not sure of any redeeming qualities here)

And the next year...

HA!

Ummmm.....we might be going to the tree farm! :)

I told you I chose the best one!

Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

We have a handful of very sad looking pine trees on our property that never really had a good shot, as they are under some big walnut trees where they get almost no sun.  We'd talked about needing to take a few of the really bad ones out when I decided we might as well take advantage of having a mini, and quite pathetic, "tree farm" right here.  So Ryan went out in the yard with a hack saw on Saturday and cut down the tree I'd 'selected' in less than a minute flat.  (It's only going down hill [quickly] from here--this was the best it gets!)  It may look a little sorry, but as long as I think of it as our "Little House in the Big Woods" tree, I love it!  Bring on the tin cup with a peppermint stick and a penny! :)

Decorating the tree with "Jack's help"

Our little star is a bit heavy for the teeny little top of the tree, as you can see by the slight forward tilt!

"New" Dresser

My latest project was redoing a dresser that was left in the shed by the previous owners.  My mom gave me an eye for seeing the potential in old furniture, however Ryan was a bit skeptical!

BUT...

$8 later...

(a couple cans of spray paint and rolls of drawer liner)

it was approved to be brought into the house. :)

Perfect Setting

Something we didn't even think about when we bought this house was the perfect view we would have of some amazing sunsets from our front porch.  We get a good view of the sunrise from the back deck too, but the sunsets are what have been pretty amazing lately.

And for those of you who are really only interested in seeing Jack...

OCTOBER

We've had some camera issues, so here are a few pictures from the month of October or possibly before--it may actually be ALL of the pictures we have from the last month or so.  Oh well, not everything needs to be documented, right?!

Jack is a BIG daddy's boy these days.  He practically crawls out of my arms to get to Ryan when he sees him.  He sits w/ him at his desk sometimes...lots of good paper to rip and crumple, a computer, cords to pull on, and a calculator and cell phone...perfect!

All excited that he gets to stay up late to watch the presidential debates.

(No, we did not actually keep him up...are you kidding me?!  He happened to wake up, so we spoiled him and let him stay up w/ us for awhile.)

...listening carefully...

Visit from Grandma Bette & Grandpa Phil 

What a blessing it was to get time with them.  So thankful they made the trip down for the day.

A little Birthday hike out at Jester Park

And finally, our little Jack-O-Lantern on his first Halloween.  Is there going to be a theme for Jack's costumes you ask...ABSOLUTELY...until he's old enough to rebel that is!

Clever suggestions are welcome. :)

Stayin' Hydrated

Jack was getting quite the kick out of watching Ryan take a drink & then taking a drink himself.

We're first-time parents...naturally we were getting quite the kick out of it as well!

FALL...

...and a few of the reasons I love it...

FALL COLORS &

OUR ANNUAL FALL KAYAK TRIP
This year it was on the Root River, near Chatfield, MN

The Vinson Outfitters took great care of us, providing kayaks, drop-off and pick-up, babysitting, meals,  a place to stay, and a great time.  Thanks guys!

COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND TAILGATING

We got to enjoy it with Darren & his family this year.

           

POSTSEASON BASEBALL

Go Cardinals!

HARVEST

on the farm

BIKE RIDES & WALKS

Fall weather is the best!