The New Do &ct.

Oh where did my little boy go?  Poor Abraham gets so sweaty that I had to cut all his beautiful hair off!  We had a hair-cutting party with his friend Calder to assure the boys' good behavior. 

 

 Here's Abe excited to see his friend!

 Matching cheesy smiles!

 They were so excited to play they needed some run around time before sit down time.

They watched Veggie Tales and ate black licorice.

All of Abe's beautiful hair!  I could have made a wig out of it.
After the haircut, I was shocked for the next few days every time I would see Abraham, but he couldn't care less.  When we got home I plopped him in front of the mirror (he had already looked at his haircut at Calder's house) and he said, "Why am I looking in the mirror?"  

I guess we haven't posted in a while.  Here are some Easter pictures.

 

 

 

 

  

We had some fun friends over for a Portuguese-themed Easter.  What you can't tell is how hot it is in our apartment!  All four little boys were so sweaty by the end of dinner.  They were good sports, though.  I love Easter.  I think it's definitely under-celebrated.

And this awesome party is Maryland Day at the University of Maryland.  There was so much to do!  We had a blast.

 Ben and I in a canoe (Abe wasn't interested).

 Checking out the pulleys

 Painting an airplane

 Having a go at a pinata

 Digging for shark teeth

 Bouncin in the house

 Touching a sheep

 Ben fell asleep waiting for the free ice cream

 Don't judge me for feeding my baby ice cream.

Trust me, you couldn't have resisted either.

Planeteers Unite!

Happy Earth Day!

As we've done in the past here are some tips for saving the planet from the AA Team to you:

• Plant your Christmas Tree! Abe and I checked on ours last week, and it's doing great. Survived the winter and everything! 

When we planted it last December (yes, we dug the hole with a spaghetti scooper).

Last week!

• Take all of the clothes you don't wear to your local Thrift Town! We hauled out a couple big bags full last week and it felt refreshing! And we're finally rid of the TV we never wanted.

• Clean up your view! We love our view, but there's too much trash along the banks. A little clean-up can go a long way.

• Bike, walk, or run where you need to go! Next best options: carpool, bus, metro!

• Eat less meat! We have arrived to the point where we don't buy meat anymore at the store. We still eat it when we eat out--and yes, Five Guys still rules as Champion of All Hamburgers--but we avoid contributing to the waste that goes along with killing, packing, shipping, and selling all of those Bessies, Wilburs, and Henriettas.

What I order at Old Ebbitt, the real King of Burgs.

 

• Be in it! The more we're outside, the better we feel. The better we feel, the better we are. The better we are, the more we'll do to help where we feel better.

• There is of course a whole lot more we can all do (turn off electronics when not in use, use reusable bags, take short showers (or use less bath water in Benjamin's case), recycle, hang your clothes to dry, use compost, etc. etc. etc. etc.)

We know we have a long way to go, and that there's a lot more that people do to help save the earth.  But we want to be among those who are not left with the blood of the earth on their hands at the last day. Care of the creation is something for which we will account.

What tips do you have for us and others? How can we all be better stewards and beautify and take care of Heavenly Father's enduring creation?

Abe's 1K and Other Bug-capades

Two bugs snuck out last weekend to cruise around downtown and check out the Cherry Blossums! Thank you Capital Bikeshare!

Puttin' the Cherry Blossums to shame.

Three bugs came over to watch conference. Three bugs slept through conference.

Two bugs snuck out AGAIN to go to a wedding party of a dear ol' MPA friend. Congratulations to Brooke!

One happy bug.

Daddy-o bug and Abeug ran in both of their first official races last week! 1K and a 5K proved the perfect starting point for both of them. See pics and the video below.

Abe's friend Liam also did the 1K. Two awesome dudes.

Abe rockin' the limbo. I didn't fare as well.

Best baby bug ever.

Finally, the battle of the bugs. Abe and I caught a number of bugs over the weekend (in our apartment) and held our captives in a bug box. They didn't fight, which was a little disappointing, at least for me. They didn't eat the Chec I left for them. Also disappointing. But we did document it, in true Marshall fashion. Chex it out below.

Finally, I wanted to say thank you for the kind comments on the birthday post. I've been blessed to know the finest people that walk this good earth. My cube at work looked like this on my birthday (thanks to Lindsay for mobilizing!). I don't know if you can see, but I'm portrayed as Spidey, Michelangelo, a rocker, Bach, a Dunkin' Donuts aficionado, a musical theater performer, Harry Potter, and Bill Weasley. I love the people I work with, my work, and my job. And I'm glad the government is open for service. Okay, I'm done. Have a great week.