My n ew favorite baptism outfit pictures

Maverick and I did another photo shoot in his little baptism outfit (before he outgrows it!)

Bringin' in a paycheck & teeth shot

Well, after a 6 month hiatus from being actively employed, I started a new job today. I had a really tough time deciding what position to accept, but am excited to be the new Kansas City-based campus recruiter for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Yes, it is one of the other Big 4 accounting firms, and a direct competitor of Ernst & Young (my old firm). I had a relationship with the St. Louis based recruiting manager, who contacted me about my position when she heard the news of my lay-off. In EY's defense, they aslo ended up offering me a position to return to work with them, but after much thought, prayer and consideration, I chose to take leap of faith and try a new firm.

It is a part-time position where I will be working 1,000 a year, which is basically 20 hours per week; however some weeks will be more like 30 and others 10, evening out over the course of the year to 1,000 hours. I am excited to have one foot back in the working world and the other still at home with the boys! There is limited travel - yeah! My main campus of focus is KU (35 minutes from my house). I will also spend a limited amount of time at K-State, Mizzou, Rockhurst & UMKC. I think I'll spend 1 night in a hotel in 2010. :)

We found a wonderful nanny (Alicia) to watch the boys while I'm working. Today was her first day and although Maverick was a little fussier than normal due to his budding bottom teeth (see below!), they seem to have fared well! Mitchell is spending some time with Grandma and Grandpa in Minneapolis, so she'll have some time to get used to Maverick's schedule before she has to tackle both boys at the same time!




Overall, I am very excited about my new role. I am anxious to get back on campus, doing what I love....connecting ambitious students with challenging opportunities...just selling a different brand this time :)

Maverick's Baptism

What a special day :) We had little Maverick bapitzed this morning at our church. As usual, he good for the service...and so was his big brother (whew!). Our regular pastor was on a mission trip this weekend, but Pastor Karen did a great job.

Maverick wore the same little outfit that Mitchell wore for his baptism back in 2008. They were both around 6 months old.

We were SO blessed to be surrounded by family for the occassion!

Our family of 4 :)

Jacob's Mom and Stepdad drove up from Oklahoma for the event! Pops is so playful with the boys...and Gran is so patient and helpful. We always enjoy their visits!

My Dad and Sherri with the boys.

We are lucky enough to see them all of the time! Can you tell? :)

Such a happy family :)

My sister, Kelli and Mark drove down from Minneapolis. Mitchell talks to Aunt Kel on the phone about once a week and always talks about Mark!

Mitchell's sidekick, Grandma also made the trip from Minneapolis. The two of them are currently sleeping together in Mitchell's bed. :)

We were very excited to have a visit from my Grandpa too! My cousin, Aunt & Uncle drove him up from Fredonia, KS. Here he is with his FIVE granddaughters and the man of the hour.

We had a little BBQ for our family on Saturday night, followed by the actual baptism ceremony on Sunday morning. What's a celebration without a cake!

I now understand how special the bond is between a mom and her son :)

My cousin, Erica and her boyfriend, Chris. They are both teachers and are so good with kids! We are happy to have them as a babysitting option now and then!

The "dimple" twins

Mav with Aunt Kel & Uncle Mark

Even good boys can only stay clean for so long!!!!

First trip to the Zoo!

We finally made our first trip to the zoo! We've been to plenty of zoos in other cities, but never to our own. We joined a few other moms and kiddos today for a hot, sweaty day with the animals.

Mitchell really enjoyed himself...and Maverick was a trooper as always!

Mitchell at the zoo entrance



"I can't ride the real thing...so this one will have to do."




Conversation with a baboon (yes, there's glass in between)



The three of us on the train right before we left. Not the best picture of us (especially me!), but what do you expect after 5 hours in 90 degree heat! Not all of the wetness on Mitchell's head is sweat; he had just finished playing in front of the mist fans to cool off!

Kodak Moments

My recent favorite kodak moment - I am so glad I had my camera in my car! The boys and I went to the pool today. In typical fashion, Mitchell didn't want to nap today, so he was exhausted. I had to run by the store to pick something up really quick and Mitchell feel asleep in the cart. Yes, you may notice that he has rain boots on. He demanded to wear his "fire boots" to the pool "because they can get wet"...makes perfect sense, right? :)

So here he is...in his pool gear, sleeping in the grocery cart using my purse for a pillow with his rain boots on the wrong feet!
Sweet little Maverick is just an innocent bystander. :)

We recently joined a playgroup. Our neighbor and friend was already a member, so we tagged along to a few playdates and enjoyed ourselves, so we joined. Today's event was a "Treasure Hunt" in the sand at a local park. Here he is checking out his treasure!

I really thought Maverick was learning to like his cereal more and more...but he's taken two steps back again. He will digest some, but doesn't seem overly interested in it. We'll see what happens when we switch to veggies & fruits in a few weeks! He may not care for the cereal much, but he sure looks cute posing with his spoon!

Potty training woes....ugh....frustrating! After a little web research, I decided to put Mitchell thru what I like to call a potty training "boot camp" on Sunday. I had Jacob take Maverick out, so that Mitchell and I were alone in the house for 5 full hours during which time we focused on nothing other than the potty. At 4 hours and 53 minutes, he finally went pee-pee for the first time in the potty. It was a long day, to say the least. I was worried about what today might bring...and my fears came true. He did not use the potty once all day :( I think we're back to where we started. I guess he's just not ready yet :(

Here he is yesterday "showing his bear how to potty" and being rewarded with a push-up popsicle.

Here he is in his favorite Buzz Lightyear underpants....apparently he doesn't like them enough to keep them dry though!

Mitchell rewarded his bear with a red jellybean...but the poor bear couldn't eat it off of his eye!

"How do I get these things back up?"

Are you tired?

If it were up to Mitchell, he would NEVER nap. He HATES to miss out on any fun....but he can't always hack it through the entire day without a little shut eye.

I took this video around 4pm. He wanted a bowl of cereal for a snack and had a hard time keeping his eyes open to enjoy it!

As you will hear, the little man will NEVER admit that he's tired...even if his eyes are already closed!!!

I did feel bad for the little guy too...especially after he starts crying. Don't worry, I put down the camera and whisked him off to bed for a nice long nap.

Up on all fours!

Look who's up on all fours these days! He is starting to rock back and forth like he wants to crawl, but doesn't have the stability to make a move quite yet. I'm not sure I'm ready to chase him yet!!!



"I'm up, but I just can't get going!"






He is still a happy guy for the most part....but his incoming bottom teeth are trying to get the most of him.

One bottom tooth is all of the way through (as of July 15) and the other is on its way!

Steamy July Day!

I tried to get a few pictures of Aunt Darci (my sister) with the boys before she headed back to Iowa this morning, but my camera fogged up due to the humidity! This was at 9am! We had a great visit and can't wait to see her again!





Just how Mitchell likes things.....with all eyes on him!

Kansas City Pictures

My sister Darci is visiting us right now. It is so nice to have her around...even if it is just for a few short days. She just bought a new house in Dubuque, Iowa and wanted some pictures of Kansas City to hang on her walls, so we spent yesterday driving around town to fun locations shooting some pictures. Here are some of the fruits of our labor:

Skyline from Liberty Memorial

Famous Plaza Fountain

Fountains at Crown Center

Western Auto Building (duh!)

Mitchell at the Vivion Rd. Fountain

Vivion Rd. Fountain again (Mitchell is the red dot on the far left)

Downtown from the East Bottoms

Old firestation in East Bottoms