Big G

Lintu Art does an annual Dogs Around the Lakes series featuring a handful "regulars" from each of Minneapolis' signature lakes. Well, guess who made an impression and is gracing the cover of this year's Dogs of Lake Harriet?

Enjoy your 15 minutes of fame, Griff... Maya is already eying next year's crown!

Up nord

The McNerneys invited us and the Furbers up to the family cabin on Mantrap Lake in northern MN this weekend. While chasing E and Cohen around the cabin and pontoon all day did slightly (OK, significantly) crimp our style, we still managed to get in some fishing, swimming and enjoy a few late night drinks fireside. Evie absolutely LOVED being outside all day and had some fun swimming herself… although could’ve done without that annoying lifejacket.

Thanks, J & M. We had a blast!

15 months

Evie Jane hit the 15 month mark yesterday. Here’s the monthly update:

A few of Evie’s latest tricks include:

• Words, words and more words (E now tries to repeat everything we say… yep, including the f-bomb I dropped after botching an IKEA assembly!)
• Signs, signs and more signs (“poop”, “I’m mad” and “yes” are three of the most useful new additions)
• Napping on a “big girl” cot, and eating/playing at her “big girl” table and chair

A few of Evie’s latest favorite things include:

• “Row-Row” (rocking back-and-forth while hand-in-hand, singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
• Being outside (or “’side” to her… E constantly requests this throughout the day)
• Soda Pop, the neighborhood cat

Happy Father's Day

EJB treated her dear ol' dad to quite the day today...

Breakfast (crepes) in bed, a trip to REI, a stroll through the Walker's Sculpture Garden (pictured), a roast for dinner and homemade tres leches for dessert... and a bunch of new books and yard toys!

Love you too, Evs... and thanks for your help today as well, Linds! ;-)

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Linds started another new chapter today, joining the marketing organization at General Mills... specifically as an "Associate Brand Manager on Big G - Strategic Growth Channels - Target/DD&D" (or in layman's terms, she'll be worrying a lot about cereal... especially at Target).

For la familia Backer, it's beginning to seem as if the the only constant is change. Not that we'd have it any other way, of course. By my math, since we got engaged in 2005, we've collectively held 6 jobs, attended 2 schools and held 4 addresses in 3 states...

Oh, and added either a dog or a baby to the equation about every 14-15 months!

Amber & Joey's Wedding

Linds' cousin Amber tied the knot in Louisville, KY this weekend. It was great to see the Maxwell side, as it had been a while.

Sure, the bride was beautiful and all... but our little EJB sure did her best to steal the show. For two solid hours Evs raced on and off the dance floor and from table to table, busting a move or hamming it up with anyone that crossed her path.

Evie's other non-wedding related highlights from the trip included messin' with G'pa Bob and chasing the G'Ma Linda's cats.

Great to see you all. 'Til next time... ;-)

* Unfortunately I didn't capture this on camera, but my favorite moment of the weekend came when little Miss EJB was tearing it up on the dance floor and she spotted my cell. Evie yanked it out of my hand, stormed over to the DJ booth, plopped on the floor, turned the phone on and proceeded to have an angry conversation (with Lord knows who!) for several minutes... then set the phone aside and worked her way back on to the dance floor to rejoin the party [i should've left my phone at home, 'cuz this is a dis-aster] .

Memorial Day weekend

Beautiful weather and a visit from Nana made for quite the Memorial Day weekend around these parts. Linds and I took advantage of having a live-in sitter and snuck away to Stillwater for a day and Evie soaked up the sun playing at Auntie La's pool, strolling around the MN Zoo and goofin' with G'ma and the pups on the deck.

Thanks for coming, Nana. Miss you!

The leap

Linds, rarely the camera operator in this family, tried her hand at playing photographer while atthe Minnehaha dog park last week and caught this gem of Griff, My and I.