Tuesday, January 17, 2012

New Sink

Ryan put in a new kitchen sink for us this weekend.  (And we were gone on a youth retreat all weekend--not sure how he managed it!)  I'll spare you any complaints about the old sink because I realize that having clean, running water is not to be taken for granted.  I'll just say that I absolutely LOVE the new sink!


The Plumbers


Love it!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

JANUARY 10th

Yes, January, not May.


The hat was over kill, but who sends their kid out to play without a hat in January?




The other reason (besides insurance coverage) we need a rail around the deck.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Playing in the Cupboards

Literally...








Jack's Drawer 


Oranges

Jack enjoyed himself an orange the other day.
What a deliciously sticky mess!







Monday, January 2, 2012

CHRISTMAS 2011

Our last guest was dropped at the airport yesterday afternoon.  We had a crazy, but super fun two weeks of celebration.  Kinda sad to see it end, but I suppose you have to get back to the real world eventually.  Time to start some laundry and make a grocery list.

Our Family Christmas
We decided to celebrate the Monday before Christmas, since we got to host the Richardsons on Tuesday night.  I failed to get pictures of Jack and his buddy Cohen, but I'm sure there will be lots to come, as Cohen will soon be just 10 minutes [or less] down the road...we can't wait!




Brinkman Christmas
The Brinkmans showed up Wednesday evening for "Christmas Eve" and "Christmas" on Thursday.


Don't leave your KU gear laying around my house...I just might end up wearing it! 



Skating downtown w/ the gang

Helmkamp Christmas
 We followed half the Brinkmans out the door on Thursday night to head to St. Louis, while a few stayed behind to clean up. :)  We got a good amount of time in St. Louis, which was a nice change from our usual short weekends.







A real live "Mer-man"!

Baby Shower
We had an "unofficial" baby shower on Tuesday night with a group of friends--three of which will most likely have babies before we see them again.  It was great to catch up again--can't wait to meet the little ones!  Forgot my camera...

Williams Christmas
On Wednesday we got to have the Williams Christmas at our place.  No offense to any of the "regulars", but this year was especially fun because most of the Georgia gang was up for the week!



We got to meet Madison for the first time--what a sweetie!
She's just a few weeks oder than Jack.


I think these two are going to be buddies...

Baby shower in Chatfield
The girls and I headed up to MN on Friday to see some of my cousins--one in from Boston, and the other from Burma.  The main reason for the gathering was to celebrate Jamie and Ethan's little guy who is due in a few months!  Some of the gals from the farm were able to come too.  It was fun to be w/ everyone, even though it was short.  Forgot my camera...big surprise! :(

New Year's
We rung in the New Year w/ some of the girls and Taylor.
Got a little mini hockey in with Taylor in goal.


Wednesday, December 28, 2011

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...