Good News!

(Before you read this post scroll down and read the first one from April 4th called "Kevin's Graduation". It will make more sense.) So the past few weeks have been crazy for us. As you know Kevin graduated with his masters on March 22nd. That same week we had Kevin's parents come out for a visit to attend graduation and Kevin got three calls for job interviews. He interviewed with all of them last week. He had one every day from Tuesday through Friday. Two of the positions were located here in the Denver area and one was at BYU-Idaho. The school flew him up there on Thursday night, he interviewed on Friday for half a day and he flew home on Saturday. Poor Kevin was arranging all of these interviews around appointments with clients and trying to do it without his current job knowing about it. It was tough for him but everyday the timing seemed to work out.

We had a feeling that we were going to have to choose between the three jobs and that was what ended up happening. All three jobs made him an offer. There were good and bad things about each job and we love Idaho as much as we love it here in Colorado so the decision was hard to make. It took a lot of researching benefits, pay, time off, etc. and after a lot of praying we have decided to take one of the positions here in the Denver area. It is working for the Department of Labor in the mining division (as in coal, copper, etc.). He is a Senior System Administrator, which basically means he helps run the computer network.

Most of the time he will work in the office but there will be a little bit of travel involved as well. Basically whenever there is a mine accident anywhere in the U.S. and communications go down, Kevin will be flown out to that site to set up a temporary communication station using satellites. This will give them access to the internet and other communication means. He only has to stay on site until permanent communications are restored. Last year there were about 8 accidents where employees were deployed so it doesn't happen very often. Kevin would take turns with another co-worker going out to the accident sites so he won't have to go to every one.

Anyways, the benefits are amazing and the pay increase will allow us to get into a house within the next year. Kevin will start the new position on April 14th. We feel so blessed and know that Heavenly Father has prepared this position for us. We have been praying for something like this to come along for a year now and it is finally happening. It is incredible to us that this has all happened at the same time he received his masters and we know that this is not a coincidence. Needless to say we are very excited for this opportunity. I am so proud of Kevin and am so thankful for the good provider he is for our family. It is such a blessing to be able to stay home with Sarah.

Curly Q

Just over a month ago Sarah's hair finally started to get longer. As it's gotten longer some curl has started to show up in her hair. The longer it gets the more it curls. It's adorable! People keep asking me where I got her hair cut and when I tell them it's curling from growing out they can't believe it. It really curls on the days that I give her a bath. All I have to do is use a pick and it flips up and curls! Here are some pictures I took right after bathtime, take a look:

Easter

This Easter was so much fun. First off there Sarah had a georgeous Easter dress. Amazingly I found it at Wal-Mart for $15 which is pretty good for the dress I got her. I also bought her a little sweater to go over it because it's still pretty chilly here. When we got Sarah dressed she strutted around the house and kept shaking her hips around to watch the dress move. It was so cute! I got some great pictures of her.

Now that Sarah is walking we did an egg hunt for her. I bought her a basket that is just her size along with some plastic eggs. There isn't a whole lot of candy she can eat so I filled the eggs with fruit snacks (her favorite). We then hid the eggs around the yard. Of course we kept them in plain sight so Sarah could see them. Kevin took her around for the first part of the hunt. He pointed out the first egg and she kind-of looked at him. Then he went over and put it in her basket for her. By the second or third egg she understood that she needed to look for more but she wanted to hold them all rather than put them in her basket. At one point she got up to three eggs in her hands at once. Finally she understood that they needed to go into her basket. After it was over I sat down with her and showed her how to open the eggs. She caught on fast once she realized there were fruit snacks inside them. We had such a good time. Here are more pictures:

Kevin's Graduation!

Kevin finally graduated with his masters degree on March 22nd. He received a masters in Computer Science with an emphasis in Systems Security. The ceremony was short and sweet, about an hour long. Instead of playing Pomp and Circumstance they had two bagpipes and a drummer leading the procession into and out of the ballroom. It was really cool. Here's a few more pictures.

Gnarly old Scottish dudes!

Sarah was fascinated with Kevin's tassle. He kept tickling her face with it. She could not get enough.

This was the hood they put on him when they gave him his diploma. The gold represents the degree of Computer Science.

Kevin's parents who came from Kansas

Kevin worked so hard for this degree. He was able to receive it in less than a year and a half. Kevin I am so proud of you. Thank you for all you do for our family. You are the best! Sarah and I love you!

Pig-tails!

Sarah's hair is finally starting to get longer. It hangs down in her eyes all the time. I have cute headbands and barrettes that I put in her hair but she always pulls them out. The other day I decided to try pig-tails. I was so happy to find that it worked! She looks like she has two little antennas on top of her head but I thought is was cute. She didn't bother with them until she took a nap. When I went in to get her after she woke up she had taken both of them out and I had to find where she stashed the hair-ties. At least now I can do something different with her hair and just in time for summer too!

Ode to Pinky

This is Sarah's bear, Pinky. She has slept with him (I'm not sure why we have decided that he is a boy but he is) every night since she was six months old. Recently she discovered that she can shred things with her front teeth. Unfortunately Pinky is getting the brunt of it. Every time I get her out of the crib I see little Pinky particles on the floor next to it. The worst part as evident by the picture is his nose. There used to be a little triangle of black felt among all that thread but she shredded that as well. This is all that's left of his nose.

We love Pinky. He is Sarah's comfort and when she wants him she says, "inky, inky". I'm afraid that he will not last much longer. Hopefully we will be able to find a suitable replacement when the time comes. In the mean time we are hoping that is still far into the future.

Which Austen Heroine are You?

Like many of you I love Jane Austen. I saw this link on a friend's blog and decided to take the quiz. Here is who I am like:

Take the Quiz here!

Take it yourself and find out who you are!