First Words?

so we've officially entered into the world of talking for better or worse. a few weeks ago, eli started saying "da da" and at first i wasn't sure if i had heard him correctly. but sure enough, after the 100th time it seems as though he's discovered his first "words". one thing we've realized is that he doesn't really say "da da" in reference to anything but sometimes we pretend he's calling joel "dada". we were lucky enough to catch his talking on video, so enjoy!

Road Trip!

we've been busy these past few weeks. joel has been traveling quite a bit for his job lately which means eli and i are holding down the fort. so far it hasn't been too terrible, though i am learning that i need a break from eli at times. so for me, working has been really good. it has provided me some time away from the house and away from eli and i find that i am much happier to see him when i get home. one fun thing about joel's travels is that we have joined him on the road. last week joel was in hudson, wi so eli and i drove up to stay with him. it was quite the road trip for the two of us! on our way through we stopped in eau claire and visited grandma anderson and grandma ruthie drove from duluth to visit. it was wonderful to see both the grandmas dote on eli and give him some well deserved attention (as if he gets none of that at home!). it was also very nice to have a break in driving as i can only listen to so many episodes of this american life.

since we were so close to the cities, we spent thursday at aunt jess and uncle ryan's house and eli tested out their nursery for their little one. eli demonstrated his approval by taking a 2 1/2 nap in their crib! hopefully their little one is okay with sharing his/her bed! it was wonderful to talk with them, eat with them and gush over jess's beautiful belly. i'm so excited that some of our closest friends are having a baby. i just wish we lived closer so our kids could play together more often.

on our way home on friday, eli and i drove through la crosse and had coffee (well soda) with gillian, my best friend from high school. it was so great to sit down and talk with a good friend. every time we get together to time goes by too quickly. hours fly by like minutes and i long for more conversation but realize we have to part at some time. another perk was that the drive was absolutely beautiful, i love that part of wisconsin.

i'm sure you're wondering where joel is in all of this goodness. well, he had to work 12+ hour (more like 13+) days so we only saw him late in the evening and early in the morning. all in all, even though we didn't see him all that much it was good to be with him. we are hoping the travel dies down a bit after july if not, we'll make sure to keep you posted on any other adventures.

Our Daily Bread...

I have always wanted to bake weekly bread. Though, with working and now being a parent I didn't really have any time (or energy) for the endeavor. Now that I am at home more I decided, this week, to give it a good ol' college try. I used a basic whole wheat bread recipe from The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book. I like this book because it really explains how to bake with whole grains and has simple recipes. Well, I think it turned out all right! The loaves rose and proofed just like described in the book and after baked they don't taste like bricks. Next week I think I will try my hand at making whole wheat oatmeal bread. We'll see how that turns out. I tried to take some pictures of the process but I only managed to take pictures of the very beginning, I think I got too distracted later on to take pictures. (Sorry, no pictures of the final product!)

Photo Shoot with Aunt Momo...

Aunt Momo came and visited a few weeks ago and while I was either showering or taking a little break she and Eli had themselves a little photo shoot. Well, the pictures are so cute I just had to post them, so enjoy!

Is my baby high or something?