November 2017 Deer Kills

Dwight & Renae each got their biggest bucks so far, both 8 points and both shot on DE opening day.

They couldn't find Renae's deer.  She was very disappointed because she was sure she made a good shot.  Two days later, when walking near the general area where she shot, she saw turkey buzzards. So she followed them and sure enough.... there it was.  She was very happy, but it was sad to see the meat wasted on fox & turkey buzzards.

Lyn got this nice buck on opening day in MD.

9 point, 20" wide.

The freezer is full and we have given away several does that Lyn has shot since these.

No Shave November

Dwight first attempt at growing a beard.  It was nice to see Dec. 1 arrive!

Home away from home

Darryn & Ericka are back at Rosedale Bible College.  They are both on staff this year.  Darryn is the Men's RD (Resident Director) and Ericka the Women's RA (Resident Assistant), which basically means they oversee dorm life as well as other campus activities.  Ericka will be taking half time classes and working about 15 hrs. a week with Enrollment Services.  Darryn is only going to be taking about 1 class a semester (He only needs one more to graduate.)  They are excited about their new roles and looking forward to a good year.  Since I forgot to take a picture of them before they left, they humored me and sent me these.  Glad they have these opportunities!

Back to school

This is Dwight's senior year.  I picked the picture where he is looking good (his eyes were closed on the others) even though the others are goofing off.  Renae is a sophomore and Devan an 8th grader.

Surprise

So this year, on Aug. 8, marked 25 years since Lyn & I said "I do."  We wonder where has the time gone?  Our kids decided to throw a surprise party for us.  They almost pulled it off, but Lyn got suspicious the night before and when you are suspicious, you notice things that you normally wouldn't.  We were good sports and didn't put them on the spot, and then someone accidentally leaked it in church that morning to confirm our suspicions.  They got us away by having Rob & Jen take us out for lunch and then a stop at Cabelas.  The kids went all out by getting the Aunt's to help with food, and had pictures and nice decorations up.  It was held down at our pavilion and everyone was patiently waiting for us to return.  (Rob had a hard time getting Lyn out of Cabelas.)

Making our arrival

The cake table

They even made us do this....

I was going to be nice..... until I had frosting on my face.

They had invited a wide variety of people and it was really a nice evening. Thanks, kids, for doing this for us, and thanks to everyone who helped them and to everyone who came to help us celebrate.

Held on Aug. 20, 2017

Skyline Drive

On the way to Virginia for our Byler family reunion, we decided to head out early and take a hike on the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.  We convinced some other family to join us.

Our family plus Krista, Rob, Jen, Kayla & Riley

Look what we found sunning itself on our Little Stony Man Cliff hike.  The right side went down pretty steep and the left went up.  After throwing some rocks at it, it curled around and gave us a rattle show.  Rob was our hero and with a very long stick flicked it down the bank, and then stood guard while we all slipped past.

We enjoyed a nice family reunion as well.  It was with Lyn's siblings and nieces & nephews.  Think there was around 125 there and some were missing.  Hopefully I can get a group picture to post later.

Vacation....Iowa

On the way home from MN, we went down to Iowa for Mom's Miller family reunion in Kalona.  We made a slight detour and stopped in Lakefield, MN and toured the Cozy Heat Fireplace manufacturing plant which is a line of stoves that we sell in the stove shop.  That night we slept in the Lake Okojobi area in northwestern, IA.  The next day we drove on to the reunion in southeastern IA and had a nice time connecting with Jolene's aunts & uncles.  Not too many cousins were there so we were very glad that Bill & Tammi and 3 of their kids were there too.

Mom's family had the most people represented.

9 of the 12 living siblings were present.

We went to the house where Mom lived as a girl for lunch.

On the way home, we stopped at Antique Archaeology from the show American Pickers since it was not far out of the way.  The show itself is much more interesting then the actual shop was, but it was kinda cool to say we've been there.

LeClaire, IA (near Davenport and along the Mississippi River)

MN Vacation

We had a very special reason to go to MN this year.  We had our first wedding on the Helmuth side of the family.

 Congratulations Rachael & Colton!

All of Jolene's siblings, their spouses, and the grandchildren were together for a short time.  We were focusing on the bride and groom and did not get a picture as proof.  We did get this nice picture with Mom and her kids later on.

Mom (Ida) with Joy, Brian, Bill & Jolene

Our family was able to reserve a small cabin on a lake about 3 miles from Grandma's house.  It was very nice to be able to stay there.  We were still able get together with family for at least one meal each day.

Altogether, 47 northern (we kept 7), 1 walleye and a bunch of panfish were caught.  These northern that Renae caught were 21" and 22" long.

Naptime

Although this was the only picture, we did spend a lot of time with cousins playing games, spikeball, and relaxing & tubing by the lake.

And we took a drive to the little cemetery where Grandpa Helmuth was laid to rest over 9 years ago.

Look at this!

Yes, it's a pink lady slipper/moccasin.  There is one lone plant down by our swing set. A long time ago I saw one there but thought it had died.  I wish I knew how to get it to spread.  I wonder if it would like cow manure.....??

Spring Break in WV

Lyn has been wanting to go to WV trout fishing for quite some time.  We decided that we would go for 3 days/2 nights during spring break.  We found ourselves a little cabin to stay in.  The trip, unfortunately, wasn't very successful as far as fish is concerned.  I think the final count was Lyn 4, Devan 1, and the rest 0.  It was still a nice get away and one of the saving factors was our own outdoor hot tub and free wifi (which we could only get in certain parts of the cabin).  The weather was nice and it's such a pretty part of the country.

Renae & I got in some reading.  (She fished too.)

We were wondering who would have to dry out....

We stopped by Black Water Falls on the way home.

 One of the prettiest parts of the trip was the red bud & dogwood trees blooming.  Both of them grow in the wild but the red buds trees especially were all along the roadways.

March Birthdays

Quick....while we are still only 1 month past.... here are a few pics of the birthday celebrations.  Darryn & Ericka were home mid March so we celebrated with them a bit early.  Thanks to Aunt Erma for a scrumptious layer chocolate cake.

Darryn - 22 yrs. & Ericka - 20 yrs.

17 years

For the first time since he was born, Dwight got to celebrate his birthday without sharing it with Darryn.  He has a Dairy Queen ice cream cake.  Ymmm.

Happy 15th Birthday, Renae!

We just celebrated Renae's 15th birthday.  She is growing into a fine young lady and adds a lot of spunk to our household.  She just wanted clothes, shoes, a jacket, and more clothes so that's what she got, plus a $50 gift card to go shopping. It's not so much that she "loves" to shop, but she does like to pick out her own clothes.  We love you, girl!

Not sure what was so funny!

Our "baby" is 13!

We don't like to refer to Devan as "the baby," but today is an exception.  Last week, Dec. 28, he turned 13 years old.  Where has the time gone?  He has always added such spice to our life.  His latest passions include flipping water bottles, pestering his older brother, and playing video games.  His voice is changing and he is at least an inch taller then his mom, which he loves to point out.

Happy Birthday, Devan!