Jason & Josiah made a much needed trip to Roosevelt Barber Shop this weekend. I had decided it was time Josiah got a “big-boy” haircut and told the barber cutting his hair and make it “high and tight”. Well, he listened and now Josiah has an adorable new “butch” haircut. Check it out:

And from the side:

The 2 cowlicks above his temples add an interesting flair to this cut:

And of course it wouldn’t be my kids if they weren’t running around naked:

Doesn’t he look like such a big boy now:

And here are a few other pictures of the kids just goofing around.

Happy Sunday night!

We have been busy enjoying the beautiful weather. We have had an occasional rain shower, but for the most part, the weather has been just great. Friday night we kicked off the weekend with our first fire in the fire pit and had some smores with our neighbors, Brandon & Erin. Jason & Anya also hung some orange slices out on one of our trees hoping to attract some Orioles to our backyard–haven’t spotted on yet, but you can rest assured Anya is keeping her eye out for one!

Saturday we went to the Farmer’s Market and it was a beautiful morning. We stood in a very long line to have a guy make both kids balloon shapes. Anya got a ladybug bracelet and Josiah got an “eye” hat. They were both so excited although Josiah was having no part of wearing his hat. He was more interested in taking it apart and by the end of the morning, he had succeeded! After the market we had lunch at Bruegger’s Bagels, went to the mall and several other shops and then ended the day Goode’s Greenhouse. We got several more plants and flowers to plant along with a few more vegetables to add to our Topsy Turvy garden. Sunday we went to church but it was our week to work in the nursery, so we got to hang out with Josiah and two other little girls who are both about 5 months old. Josiah thought it was so fun to look at the babies and he even pushed one in the swing and said “rocky rocky rocky” while he did it. So cute!

After church we came home and took a few hours to just hang out. Josiah took a mega-nap and Anya & I laid in her bed while she watched a movie on her DVD player. I ended up falling asleep and had a much needed 1 hour power nap. After everyone was up from their naps, we headed outside to plant our new flowers/vegetables/plants and chase Josiah back into our yard. It is definitely a new ballgame having him up and walking (or more like running) as we spent more time chasing after him than getting anything else accomplished!

The kids have had a blast being out and about so much with the nice weather. They pass out at night, but then again, so do Mom & Dad! We don’t have any big plans for today. We are going to grill out, plant a few more flowers and have a relaxing day.

We hope everyone has had a fun weekend. Here are a few pictures of what we have been doing.

….should have tried 4 in a bed….now THERE is a crowd! Actually it is a fun crowd though….all of us comfortably squished on the bed together. This has become our Sunday morning ritual–at the first sound of consciousness from either child, we throw them in bed with us and hope for the best (and for another hour of sleep )! There really is no better way to start a Sunday…really makes a mom feel lucky for her great family (and for her king-sized bed)!!

I finally have my computer back, so I am back to the blogging world. It is amazing how much I missed my computer. For those of you that don’t know, I am a “google” junkie. I probably google at least 20 random things a day–something I see on TV, hear on the radio, something relevant to the kids–you name it and I have probably googled it. It can be a blessing and a curse at the same time–one thing I have learned though is I simply CANNOT live without my computer and my google. I would get stupid without them!

We have had a pretty quiet couple of weeks. For Mother’s Day, we went up to Ringsted to celebrate. We went to a fantastic brunch on Sunday with my grandparents and G’ma Barb and Papa Jim and Jason, Jill and the Miller kids. It was fun to have everyone together although I think the Elks Club was relieved to see us go as we were quite the spectacle with all the kids and excitement they can add to a meal eaten in public.

Otherwise our days are spent outside when it’s nice and inside (wishing we were outside) when it’s not. Jason has mowed the yard a few times and fertilized and boy is the lawn looking good. Anya is having fun watering the “matos” (her nickname for the tomatoes in the topsy turvey) and has maintained her love of watching birds and trying desperately to catch one. We have 2 robbin’s nest in the in wood supports of our deck, so she is keeping a close eye for any baby birds she can turn into a family pet! Josiah is a “man on the run” these days. He went from stumbling through a few steps by himself to basically running here, there and everywhere. He does take frequent trips to the floor, but it doesn’t seem to slow him down or break his determination to get to wherever it is he is going!

Tonight we start a 10 week Alpha course at our church and are so excited. It is something we have wanted to do for several years now and glad this time it will work out for us to attend.

Here are a few pictures of our last few weeks. I know this is late, but I hope all the Mothers out there had a great Mother’s Day!!

I know it has been awhile since my last update. Unfortunately, my computer is in the shop getting a little maintenance work done to it. So, I am sneaking on one of Jason’s computers downstairs for a few minutes and thought I would blog quick that all is OK in McArtor world. Hopefully my computer will be back tomorrow or Monday at the latest.

Have a great weekend everyone and I will update more as soon as my laptop is back!

Our weekend was pretty much spent outside and that was A-OK with this family. We started the weekend off right by going to the downtown farmer’s market and it was such a beautiful morning to be out and about. We had our usual breakfast sandwiches but quickly learned that 3 sandwiches shared between 4 people is just not enough–we won’t make that mistake again

After the farmer’s market we headed to West Des Moines to hit the mall for a little bit (Jason was in a bit of a panic because he hadn’t bought any new hawkeye shirts lately….) and then we went to Costco to check it out because we had never been there before. Lets just say 3 hours later and a trunk full of oversized items packed away, we were headed back home.

Once we were home and Josiah was finally taking his nap, Jason, Anya & I headed outside to get some work done in the yard. First we had to get started on our massive lego cleaning session. After they were cleaned and drying, Anya & I weeded the area underneath our deck while Jason worked out installing our topsy turvy tomato planters. We have been wanting to try these tomato growers for several years now, but they have always been sold out once spring came around. So this year I was on the ball (finally) and got some ordered ahead of time. Anya & I planted the tomatoes (we choose cherry and roma tomatoes) and now we have to just wait and see how they work. We are keeping our fingers crossed that they work as I have read mixed reviews. Never know until you try I guess!!

Sunday we went to church in the morning and then came home and spent the rest of the day just playing outside. We planted a few more flowers, watered the ones we had already planted and pulled a few more weeds. Once we finally came inside we had a delicious dinner Jason made for us….country style ribs and homemade cheesy, garlic mashed potatoes….YUM. He is so good to us!!

After all the outdoor excitement, both kids were tuckered out by the end of the day. Anya couldn’t even make it all the way through her bedtime book….and that NEVER happens. Here are a few pictures we took while out and about.

It has been lego land around here ever since we got a bin of legos for Josiah’s birthday. We got just a starter set that had 71 duplo blocks (the legos designed for ages 18 months-5 years) and a nice little case to keep them all in. Anya has really enjoyed playing with the legos….she and daddy will sit on the floor and build all sorts of things and she even entertains herself with them several times a day. Well, all was good in lego land for the first week or so, but then Jason realized we just didn’t have enough legos to build EVERYTHING his crazy, creative mind can dream up (and for those of you that know Jason, you know JUST how creative (and crazy) he can be)! So, I just happen to be at a garage sale last weekend and found another set almost identical to the one we had at a fairly decent price and, even though I was already sick of picking up legos several times a day, I bought the set because I knew Jason wanted more pieces. Little did I know that Jason had already taken matters into his own hands….

So, to make a long story short, we are now the proud owners of over 1300 legos (that is more than 35 pounds, just in case you were wondering…) via ebay. We have every shape, size and color of lego block, every animal, creature, character and person, every vehicle, airplane, helicopter and house that has ever been made by lego. The loot arrived today and it was like Christmas around here. So, we got busy and soaked all the legos in bleach water and spread them out on blankets on the driveway to dry. Yes, our neighbors officially think we are crazy!!

Here are a few pictures of our lego load. Oh, and just in case you are wondering….Jason has graciously accepted the position of “official lego picker-upper”…….I bet you can’t guess who nominated him for that