The 4 Days of Christmas

Sure, packing the Element to the brim with kids, dogs, suitcases and presents and making a four-stops in four-nites, 300-mile tour of South Central Minnesota around the Holidays has it's downside... but we wouldn't have it any other way.  

Here's a time capsule of our Christmas 2012. 

The North Pole

Just before Christmas, E & S made a trip to the North Pole to see Santa's Workshop... and to sit on the St. Nick's lap to remind him to come by the house a couple days early, since we'll be touring southern MN around the 24th and 25th.

Happy Holidays

The Backer family's 2012 Holiday card.  All the best to you and yours...

Oh, and here's the card that almost was... taken after Holiday card photoshoot #1 (a.k.a. "the Meltdown").

Happy Birthday, dear Dad-dy...

Birthday breakfast in bed for dear ol' dad... a Backer family tradition.

Thanks, girls!  Love you!

Mary Lou II, too?

Like her big sis', Sawyer's a fearless gym rat... and zips on, off, over, under or through any piece of equipment her coaches put in her way.  

Shown above, S strikes her "patiently waiting for class to begin" pose from her favorite perch.

Flames

E had such a blast with soccer this summer, we signed her up for indoor season in the fall.  

While the league was supposed to be co-ed, and games were supposed to be 6-on-6ish... E's team's all-girl "core four" held their own with the best of them.

L-R: Amelia, Rosie, Coach Katie, EBGB & Katie

Movember, Take II

Once again, the men of General Mills rallied in support of an emerging grassroots men's health awareness-building and fundraising campaign called Movember.

In short, Movember goes like this: For all of November, "Mo' Bros" are challenged to let that upper lip growth run wild and become walking, talking billboards for the cause.  

This year, GMI's Mo' Bros raised $55K... $500 of which came from folks donating in my name.  THANK YOU to Mom & Greg, Dad & Dawn, Joe & Tisha, Joe & La, Bob & Linda, Jason & Michelle, Brett & Suz, Donna M, Allison P, Lindsay F, Danielle G and Anna E.

Sawyer's first haircut

Like E, Sawyer's first cut came on a Thanksgiving weekend, in Fairmont, during some downtime, after plenty of "this girl needs a haircut" from Auntie La and Nana.

Little S did great... holding the above stoic pose without moving, blinking or breathing for the entire cut.

Happy Thanksgiving

Lots to be thankful for this and every year, including friends, family... the good health of friends and family... and, the long weekend of endless turkey.