Visitors from the South

This past weekend, the Helesic clan flew up to FMM for a visit. Our kids were both very excited about their friends arriving, and it was GREAT to have some extra hands to help out with Kate and Lauren. As usual, Ben and Maddie were great with the girls, and many hours were spent playing in the basement. It was even warm enough for a bit of backyard fun.

And, as typically happens when we all get together, there was way too much food, and an equal amount of beer/wine/rum/scotch/tequila. Below is a shot of our Saturday night dinner....in which Jeff and I, blizzard or not, attempted to smoke some chicken and ribs. The North wind would not allow us to finish all the way on the smoker, but a few hours in the oven produced some GREAT results. Truth be told, they could be the best ribs I've ever made.....maybe I should stick to more of the oven and less of the smoker. Below is a pic of the goods hot from the oven, and a group shot of them being consumed.

Another tradition with our group is the "Guys vs Girls Cranium Match".....where the girls have yet to win a game. That's right......many games played, zero won. Our first game was the same, expected result, with the guys dominating. Against our better judgement, we played a second game, and must have been feeling sorry for the girls....but we let them win. Consider it an early Christmas present. Below is an action shot of the girls working on a clue.