Spring 2018

Chad and Anne came for a visit :)

:)

My friend Julie invited me to go to the Big XII Men's Basketball Tournament with her in Kansas City.  If anything was on my bucket list, it was this.  We watched a LOT of ball.  You don't find another gal who loves watching college ball as much as you do every day--what a GREAT weekend!  The only down side was a Cyclone loss in the first round.

Amazing seats!

Poor Cy...took the loss hard.  We spotted him walking
all alone down the street after the game.

Grand Cayman with Jack & Beth

Hiking out at Valley Water Mill

Some of Marie's flowers-all picked from our yard

Lost his first tooth biting two LEGOS apart

The Warricks came to spend the weekend and celebrate Easter with us.

A good days work out behind the shed :)

Making slime at the Library

Star Wars day at the library

Kids' Free Fishing Day at Brenton Springs

Vacation to Wichita, KS to see the Hircocks

and then some site-seeing and camping in NE Oklahoma

in the Osage State Park.

Old Cowtown with Marcie and Blake

What the heck...it's vacation!

Swing bridge in Pawhuska, OK, after a quick stop
at the Pioneer Woman's Mercantile-(mom's stop!)
After this we drove a prairie loop to see some buffalo.
(It was fun, but after seeing the Dreesman buffalo
so up close, it's a little anti-climatic! :))

Everything tastes better when cooked outside!

Hiking

We saw these two turtles on our way to Fellows Lake,
so we stopped and put them in the car.  We were pretty
excited, but a few "locals" we told about it were unimpressed.
Later we realized why, as they're all over the place that time of year!

The York & Helmkamp boys
8-7-6-5-4-3-2
(yrs old)

Birthday Party for Kristen

Regan & Jesse

Cake with friends :)

Winter 2017-18

Mom and Dad spent Thanksgiving with Marcie and Taylor in KS,

so Jana & Billy hosted the rest of us.

Bedtime story with Billy

Farm Cousins!

We made a trip to the farm after Thanksgiving

to see Grandpa and Grandma-little did we know

how thankful we would be to have made the trip,

as it was the last time we saw Grandpa Phil.

Pit stop to hike at a state park
on our way home.

I just want to be sure I don't forget this pigeon
the boys brought into the kitchen to show me.
After hand-washing and some gloves,
they proceeded to burry it,

Out at Fellows Lake

Early Christmas with the Helmkamps

Best bath in the world! :)

Papa teaching Jack how to shoot his new BB gun

Back to Iowa for Christmas-

stop for an overnight with Alisa.

Pairing up to put together new LEGO sets

Gingerbread houses

After Christmas, and saying good-bye to Grandpa Phil,

we met the rest of the Helmkamps in the Wisconsin Dells

That's Chase and Lane under there!

I love this picture of Jack-captures him well :)
(I'm pretty sure he was shooting at one of his boys!)

Back in Springfield

Hiking out at the Nature Center

Helping dad gut the master bath

Eagle days at the Nature Center

Jack turns SEVEN!

Still influenced by Lakeside's VBS 2017, he wanted a knight theme.

Dragon pinata, ready to be attacked with swords!

Castle cake

Birthday breakfast in their "fort" in the attic.

Trip to the Art Museum

Itty Bitty City

Back to Iowa to give Ryan a week of focused study.

Des Moines Bucks game with Alisa.

You don't get this in southern Missouri!

An overnight with Laurie and Alan in Ames on our way home.

Upwards Basketball

Lane turns FIVE!

He chose a Native American party.

This is supposed to be a buffalo head...!

Lane doesn't like frosting, so he had chocolate
whipped cream, and ice cream to go in the "Tee-pees"