Evers Family: February 2012

Life Changes....

For those who haven't heard, I've chosen to leave my job with Procter and Gamble to stay home with the girls! My last day in plant is 4/5/12. I've spent almost 11 years working in a paper manufacturing plant and I've worked on Bounty, Charmin, and most recently, Puffs! I've been a Process Engineer, Machine/Line Leader, an Operating Department Leader, and an Initiative Leader (rolling out product upgrades). I've worked with some wonderful people, made some amazing friends, and had some awesome opportunities!
However, it's time for a change!

I've been thinking and praying for several months about whether or not i should quit work. I really felt like I should, but wasn't sure what was holding me back...perhaps the fear of actually doing it, perhaps the fear of change, perhaps the fear of leaving what has "defined me" for the last 10 years. Who knows! So I made lists upon lists of pros/cons and I thought about if I could work less days per week or less hours a day, would that fix my concerns. I talked to women who've left P&G or other jobs to do the same thing...and all of this still pointed towards me quitting.

From one of my 2am brainstorms, here are some of the things that are important to me:
-being there when the kids get on/off the bus (Makayla starts 4K next year, so this is on the near horizon)
-eating healthy family dinners (very tough when both kids are starving the minute we get home from daycare)
-being in-tune with my kids
-coaching my kids on the journey of life and providing them perspective (vs daycare or some other kids giving them perspective that I may disagree with )
-experiencing life with my kids and making memories with them that will last a lifetime for both me and them (things like picnics, swimming, playing in the first snowfall, visiting grandparents, etc)
-volunteering in my kids' classrooms
-givings the kids the opportunity to be in after school activities and programs (and not worrying about who's going to drive my kid somewhere)
-stop "rushing" and actually enjoy life. I am always rushing to work, rushing through my day, rushing to get out of work, rushing to get to daycare on time, and rushing home to get the kids fed!
-Embrace the opportunity that God has blessed me with to be able to stay home financially. Some people would kill to have this opportunity and I was just letting it waste away!
-In 20 years I think I'd regret more that I didn't quit work than if I did quit work!

Some other thoughts included the fact that I can always get another job or do a career change...both of which sound exciting at some point in the future. I'm close to being a certified math teacher and I've also thought about being a nutritionist or dietitian. Also, we want a 3rd child some day and it was hard to imagine juggling 3 in daycare and with morning routines. A nanny seemed like a good solution, but I always swore that if I was going to hire a nanny, I might as well just stay home....at least with daycare I can justify the fact that the kids are getting some social interaction and building social skills!! I had kind of been waiting for baby #3 to be my ticket to exit P&G, but decided to de-couple the 2 and enjoy time with Makayla and Lydia now!

I do know that I need to build in some personal time or "breaks" from the kids. I am still sorting through how to accomplish this, but it will be via evening work-outs or get togethers with girlfriends or even hiring a sitter for 4-6 hours a week! I know I need that built in for myself in order to not go crazy!!

So all in all, this was the right thing for me, for the kids, for our marriage, and for our family! It allows me to focus on being a mother and a wife and not have to juggle that with work! I've had a wonderful 10+ year career and I've learned a ton and grown immensely and am very excited and at peace with my decision to move on to the next phase of my life!

Fun with Cousins

We watched Chad's brother's kids one weekend. Brock is 6, Braden is 5, and Brielle is 4. The kids all had fun playing together!

Snack time!

Playdoh time!

Princess time!

Fun with Dad

The girls like to play dinosaur with Chad! Chad is the dinosaur and they get to go for a ride! :)

Potpouri

Here are some random pix and stories! First, some toddler talk....

Here's a breakfast conversation:

Makayla: Lydia's teeth are poking her....

Me: Yes, that's called teething

Makayla: No it isn't! That's when someone won't share their toy!!

Me (after some thought): No, that's teasing, not teething. Lydia is teething because her new teeth are poking through her gums!

Lydia: Mmmmmm! Gum!!

We were at the mall a few weekends ago and Makayla was gawking around and not watching where she was going.

Me: Makayla, watch where you are going! You're going to run into that pole!

Makayla...stops, looks at the column very closely, then asks in a wondering voice: Is this where Santa lives?!

Here's a dinner conversation:

Makayla says to Lydia: Will you be my best friend?

Lydia: No.

Makayla (in an astonished voice): But I'm your big sister!!!

A few other things to make you chuckle...

Makayla was "helping" me fold laundry. All of the sudden she ran off with a few things, including my underwear. She came back and had a mischievous look on her face and said: "I

am sneaky! I hid the clean laundry!" Hmm...not sure where she "hid" my underwear, but hopefully I find it before someone else does! LOL!!

One Sunday afternoon I painted the girls' fingernails and toenails. Monday morning I said to Lydia, "where did you get such beautiful toes?" She just looked at me like I was crazy and she said, "You painted them yesterday!"

Lydia's vocabulary has exploded lately! She can easily string 5-6 word sentences together. She is usually pretty clear with her words and she gets mad if we can't understand what she's trying to tell us.

Makayla has gotten rather bossy and sassy and likes to "mother" Lydia. Lydia typically does not enjoy this! However, the girls do play together nicely more and more often!

Now the pix!

Here are the girls snuggling in our bed watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse before bed! One of the moments that they were snuggling so nicely next to each other!