Lowe’s birthday was four months ago. Let’s just say the South Pacific is not a great place to try and score the electronics that are on your kids’ wish list. So, at 12 1/3 years old, Lowe finally got to rip open the gift he’s been waiting incredibly patiently for.

August birthday presents lead right into Christmas tree decorating. Safe to say this is going to be a very good December for the kids.

Ouest and Aunt Katy taking charge of things.

We were happy to find out that the local rink has open skating for a couple hours every day.

The lake looks good and frozen, but it’s been way too warm for venturing out much beyond the shoreline.

I wonder if the deer laughed at their friend when he slipped on the ice.

The snow lasted less than a day. This would be the only time it would feel like it was actually December around here.

More skating. One of the benefits of home-schooled kids is the ability to take advantage of 11:00 ice times with absolutely nobody else around.

Additional benefit is that I get to relive my high-school glory days and embellish my exploits for my kids.

Now I’m really wishing there was snow on the ground. Yard work in December?

Ali and I out for a night on the town in Minneapolis. A million years ago we lived right down the street to the right in the Warehouse District, and both worked a short walk away. We always reminisce fondly about that period in our lives, but also laugh about how we were too poor at the time to enjoy any of the things the city offered. It’s hard to comprehend how quickly life went from there, to Chicago, to moving onto a boat to sail around the world. It all happened in the space of five years.

Dinner downtown and then back across the river to Dinkytown for a concert.

At one point the group standing in front of us turned around and asked us to take a picture for them. When I was handing the phone back the guy paused a beat and then asked, “Wait, do you live on a boat?” We’ve said it a million times, but it truly is a small world.