Ya sure! Now he's a Yooper, eh!

Eli made his first trip to da U.P.  He's not an actual "Yooper," they say, unless he is born in the U.P., but he's just so darn cute that I think the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has just adopted him anyway.  Preparing for our first trip to see Jason's family and friends was quite the challenge.  We thought we had a big enough vehicle until we started loading up the baby swing, the stroller, the baby suitcase, our suitcase, two dogs, a baby, and the two of us.  By the time we were done packing the car to the brim, it became clear that the vehicles we have will just not work for the amount of traveling we do.  I fear that we are giving in to something I promised myself I would NEVER do...we are looking at buying a minivan.  Why, you might ask, is this such a travesty?  I guess for me, a minivan signifies what I have in my adult life tried to escape...the cookie-cutter life of the suburbs I grew up in.  The whole idea of becoming "just another soccer mom" is something that makes my stomach turn, but as the 4th, 5th , 6th hour passed on the car ride to the U.P., my willpower began to diminish as I realized how much more comfortable these trips would be with a bigger car.  So, let the minivan shopping begin!  We'll start looking this weekend.

Okay, minivan rant aside, the rest of the trip was a blast.  On Friday, our wonderful friends threw a little pizza party at Jasper Ridge so everyone could meet Mr. Eli.  It was fun to see all of our friends and their growing families.  There were tons of kids running around which gave us an idea of where Eli will be in just a few short years from now.  It's great to know that Eli will have oodles of friends to play with on our trips back home!

On Saturday, Sharon and Jack invited some family over to the house to meet Eli.  Aunts, uncles, and great aunts came over to meet our little man.  Sharon baked some delicious goodies (she makes some of the tastiest desserts!), and Eli got a chance to meet some extended family.

Then, on Sunday, Eli had his very first Easter.  Can you believe that the Easter bunny knew where to find him even while we were on vacation?!?  I think Grammie and Gramps gave him the heads up!  He doesn't LOOK that excited, but Daddy sure was excited when he saw that big chocolate egg and realized that Eli isn't quite old enough for chocolate yet!

And the rest of the weekend was absolutely relaxing!  We spent lots of time with Grammie, Gramps and Uncle Joshie playing around the house.  Eli has really started interacting with us.  He smiles all the time, kicks when he gets excited, and loves to blow bubbles!  Here are some of the best pics (there are tons) of Eli loving it up with his family:

Eli loves his uncle Joshie.  He hadn't seen him since he was first born, so they had to catch up for lost time!

Eli and Daddy playing.  He loves it when you blow lightly on the top of his head.

Eli and Gramps have the same eyes...so warm!  Their smiles start in their eyes :)

And on the long ride home, we even got to stop and visit with Uncle Braddy for a little while.  The whole trip was just wonderful.  We always look forward to heading up to da U.P. for a little R&R.  Hopefully, as Eli grows older, he'll fall in love with these trips home as much as we have.