I got a job!

Our original plan was for me to stay at home with Evelyn. We have been making it work for a while since I was laid off in April, but now with additional expenses with Evelyn and our savings buffer running out, we can't afford to live on one income. Eventually I would have to get a part time job or something to just allow us to get by.

How it all came about: Reuben was sent a job offer from a friend that sounded right up my alley. It was for Accounting, HR, and an Executive Assistant. So Reuben suggested I apply. Knowing it was right up my alley, I knew they would call me in for an interview. I had mixed feelings about applying because our original plan was for me to stay home with Evelyn. I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom but the way things were going, it was not looking like that was a possibility. Reuben and I talked about the job and we decided it would be a good opportunity if I applied and I did.

Monday I got a call from the owner and he asked if I could go in that day for an interview. I let him know I have a newborn and I did not have an option for daycare in such short notice. He said it would be fine to bring her in with me (not what I normally would have done for an interview). I went in for 45 minutes of an interview and it did seem like a perfect fit for a job.

Tuesday the owner called my last boss, James, for a reference. James gave him a very good reference basically saying, "Don’t let her slip through your fingers. She will be a lifer if you work with her and her needs." Then that night the owner of the job called and said he emailed me a job offer and to get back to him in the next couple of days if I wanted to accept the offer or not. Tuesday night, I opened my email and our jaws dropped to the floor. Not only did he want to hire me, but I would be making just $200 short what I made at my last company, and I would get benefits. On top of that, the job is literally 10 minutes from our house so no long commute.

The plan would be that we get my mom moved over here in the next month to Hood River and she would be Evelyn’s babysitter. That way we know Evelyn would be in good hands, loved, and cared for and also we would not be spending a fortune on babysitting where Evelyn would just be a number in a sea of children. I would also be able to go home for lunch and be with her for that hour. Reuben only works Monday through Thursday so he would be home with her all day on Fridays and get great Daddy bonding time.

We weighed out the pros and cons about me taking the job and not being home with Evelyn as planned. I talked with my family about their thoughts, could they help us out in the transition and so on. We prayed about it too. It was a very long thought out process in only a few days time. Looking at it all, the offer was too good to let slip past us. I will not find another job here in Hood River that is exactly what I do and pays what I was making before (and no commute). It just won’t happen. It was a very difficult decision for me, because I have always dreamed about being a stay at home mom, and I was on that path for a little while and loving it. But Reuben and I just can’t make it work financially on just his income alone. If I didn’t take the job, we could penny pinch it for a few more months, but I would still end up having to get a job and it would probably be a crappy job like waitressing or something like that just to pay the bills. Though I would be with Evelyn for a few more months (maybe max 3), I would eventually need to get a job just to get by and not be very happy about it. Another job like this probably won’t come around again; I have been looking for the last year.

With taking the job and us not changing our current spending habits, we will be able to pay off our debt and start saving for a house here in Hood River. We think that we can be mostly debt free and have a down payment on a house within two-three years just in time to expand our family with one more. That would be such a blessing for our family. It would also put us in a position to allow for Evelyn to enjoy the activities she wants to. We could afford dance classes, music lessons, sports, etc. Whatever she wanted to do, we would be able to afford it. I did not have the opportunity as a child for many extracurricular activities because my family just could not afford it. I have always wanted to be financially stable that my children could enjoy the things I never got to do. With this job, we could be able to do this.

All that being said, with pros and cons, I took the job offer and I start Monday, March 1st. Evelyn will be just one week shy of two months old. That is not as long as I would have hoped to stay with her if I had to go back to work, but that is just how it is. We are working hard at getting my mom here. Reuben’s parents have offered to allow her to stay with them for 4-6 weeks while we are in transition so she can watch Evie and we can find her a place. I know something will come up on that end eventually and those pieces will come together. My Mom will be our babysitter for Evelyn Monday-Thursdays from 8-5 and Reuben will have her on Friday’s while I am at work. Weekends she is with us.

Logically it all made sense for us to accept the job, get out of debt, and be able to financially look at our future and Evelyn’s future and see it being much more plentiful than if I did not take the job. Emotionally I am having a hard time with the fact I will not be with Evelyn all day. I am sad that our plans for me staying at home just are not working out, but I am very excited for the job. I know in time, and when new schedules are in place, it will become easier.

We are praying that the transition is easy on our family and that we made the right decision. We pray that we can find my Mom a place to live here very soon and make her transition easier (she is happy about the whole thing). We feel that the Lord is guiding us on this new path and it feels right. Additional prayers would be helpful. Here goes a new chapter.

Today show with Jane Pauley

Reuben’s parents are going to be on NBC’s Today show on Tuesday, March 9th at 7:00am.

Jane Pauley was here interviewing Connie and Thomas and Reuben and I got to go over and get our photo with her. It is Evelyn’s first celebrity photo!

You should check out the clip of them on the 9th. It is about their farm.

Cooing Time

She is starting to coo and I got a little on video. Enjoy!

This is my Little Black Dress

Here is Evelyn in her onsie that says "This is My Little Black Dress". My Aunt Peggy got it for her.

She is starting to coo and I just love it!

Grandma Bauer and Grand Aunt Peggy were here to see Evelyn!

"Baby Bump" Session 9

Monthly "Baby Bump" Session 9 - January 31, 2010
Photos taken by Silvia Flores

Visit her website at www.silviaflores.com/

This is the last session for the series. We just loved taking these photos to capture my pregnancy. It is strange to think that Evelyn fit in my belly. What a miracle the gift of life is!

Evelyn at 3 Weeks Old - Continued

We got the rest of the photos from the photo shoot with Laura. Here are some more of our favorites!

Check out her blog and her website.
http://elleimages-laura.blogspot.com/
http://www.elleimagesphoto.com/

Evelyn at 3 Weeks Old

On Friday, January 29th, Laura came out to photograph Evelyn at 3 weeks old. Laura was our photographer for our wedding back in 2008 and we loved her work then. She is an amazing photographer and is able to capture great moments. We enjoy spending time with her while she does her work.

Here are the “Sneak Peek” photos of her. We will be getting the rest in the mail here soon. We will defiantly have Laura take other photos of Evelyn as she gets older.

Check out her blog and her website.
http://elleimages-laura.blogspot.com/
http://www.elleimagesphoto.com/

Love me. I love back.

When I was little I wore this same outfit Evelyn is wearing. On the front it has a walrus in a shirt that says “Love Me” and on the back it has the back of the walrus with a shirt that says “I Love Back”. I love the photos of me in this shirt and I just had to get Evelyn in it too before she grows out of it. She is such a precious girl.

Play Date and Hanging Out

I needed to get out of the house and get some Adult conversation so Sarah and I met up for lunch with our kids in tow and then hung out at her place for a while. I had knitted a hat for Justin (Evie’s boyfriend) and one for Evie. We put them on the kids and had them sit together for a photo shoot. At first they both started crying, but then they warmed up to each other. I think they will be lifelong friends. I enjoyed having some Girl/Mommy time with Sarah. I need to do it again soon.

Kristin and Evie

Then in the evening we went over to Dave’s house and chilled there for a while. Evie got to hang out with more of her buddies (Dave, Jay, and Mindy). I very much needed the adult time. Talking to a baby all day long can take a toll on you. I am going to try to find some play groups to start meeting new moms around here.

Peace out Home Slice!