Happy New Year!!

2008 in a nutshell:
Chris studying day and night * Moab trips * 4- day cross-country drive to Michigan * Summer in Kalamazoo * Eating lots of Kellogg's cereal * Cheez-its * Ruby learns to swim * Hanging with Mark and Kat in Chicago and Nauvoo * Chris on the set of Good Morning America * Learning of our baby-on-the-way * Meeting new friends * Saying good bye * 2 1/2 day cross-country drive home from Michigan * Announcing our pregnancy * Summer Olympics * Lots of mountain biking for Chris * Lots of being lazy for Sarah * Lots more studying for Chris * Celebrating our 2 year anniversary * The arrival of our new niece, Ginger * The announcement of another Backman baby * Finding out our "it" is a "she" * Lots of skiing for Chris * No skiing at all for Sarah * Sarah getting enormous...and terrified of getting any bigger * Utes go undefeated!!! * Chris being 3/4 done with Grad school!!! * Good times with loved ones * Much anticipation for the future!! * Farewell 2008 * Happy 2009!!!

Christmas: Part II

My dad's side of the family came into town on the 26th to celebrate Christmas and to have a family ski vacation. We usually go visit them in Atlanta for Christmas and I have been begging my dad for the past five years to come here and ski instead. It figures that my dream finally comes true and I can't ski!!
Me with my sisters Rachel and Lindsey

Dad and the girls

Chris and Tammy

The fam playing Texas Hold 'Em

Me: 29 weeks and as big as a house!

Christmas: Part I

Our last childless Christmas

Me: 28 weeks; Whit: 18 weeks

Chris' mom put candy cigarettes in each of our stockings. Here is Jeff lighting up.
My adorable grandma Maggie in her Christmas day outfit

Tacky Christmas Yards

I found this blog last year and thought it was pretty funny. The best part is reading the violations cited below each picture. Check it out!

Family Pics

I've really fallen off the blogging bandwagon lately and with my growing girth I am becoming less and less inclined to post pictures of myself...but this family pic turned out okay so I posted it, if for no other reason than to get out of my blog rut and move forward- so our readers don't forget about us.
Stay tuned for posts regarding a successful home science experiment and a story of our adventures with the A-Team.

Going private

I have decided to privatize the blog. It's sort of a scary thing to google your name and see your blog, with your family and basically your life's story pop up.
So please let me know if you would like access and leave me your email address, even if we don't know each other that well I won't think it's weird -I promise. (We all blog stalk right?) I will try to add most of my email contacts, but if you and I don't regularly email, please leave your address and I'd be glad to invite you.
Thanks!

Utah Sports

We were lucky enough this week to score tickets to the Utah vs. TCU game and also to the Jazz vs. Thunder game--thanks to the Backmans and the "Other" Johnsons.
The Blackout was probably the most exciting football game I have ever been to. I am majorly bummed that I left my camera in the car and was unwilling to go back for it. Seeing an almost full stadium of crazy Utes wearing black was awesome--and the fact that we won was even better!!--Thanks Mike and Whit!

Kailee, me (and my big 'ol belly) and Amy at the Jazz game

Aaron, Chris, and Thayne
--Thanks Kai and Thayne!!