Shaver Times

Free Purex Sample

2012-01-30T18:18:00.000-05:00

Check out my new button, which links to a Free Purex Sample. :) You are allowed 1 free sample each year, so if the Purex Triple Action liquid doesn't sound like something you want to try there will be different things every few months!! Enjoy!

Purex Cystals and Jockey Sports Bra Giveaway Ending Soon!!!!!

2012-01-25T14:22:00.002-05:00

Don't forget to enter my giveaway before Friday the 27th of January at 12:01am. I can't wait to see who wins!! Here is the link to the giveaway. Good luck!

Jockey Sports Bra & Tropical Splash Purex Crystals Review and a GIVEAWAY!!

2012-01-11T13:06:00.014-05:00

So, as a Purex Insider I was THRILLED with the prospect of receiving a free Jockey Tech Terry Performance Sports Bra and a full sized Tropical Splash Purex Crystals fabric softener. An important note is that I have NEVER purchased a sports bra (I was given one that I used in college, but it was a bit loose). I have NEVER played sports. We have a Wii fit plus, though, and I have been wanting to get started with exercising again. Soooooo. . .I thought this would be a GREAT opportunity to try out a sports bra. Now, that said, I KNOW the purpose of a sports bra. However, keeping things in PLACE, and squeezing SO hard that I can barely breathe are NOT the same thing!!! Apparently I measured wrong, either that or I am a WIMP because getting into the Jockey Sports bra was difficult to say the least. I wore it for about 30 min. before I HAD to get out of it!! Taking off the sports bra was IMPOSSIBLE. I literally had to get my hubby to help me. If not for the graphic nature I am sure I could have won a million bucks on AFV if I had recorded and sent them the footage. YIKES!!! I was left with quite the indent on around my ribs to say the LEAST.

Now as far as the Purex Crystals fabric softener. I have used them before and LOVED them. They are by far and away the BEST fabric softener. Even the hubby's stinky, greasy McDonalds uniform comes out smelling FANTASTIC!! That is a feat!! :)

So, I think the moral to the story is NEVER buy a bra without trying it on, even if it is a sports bra!!! I blame myself totally on this, not Jockey. I have no doubt that had I gotten the right size it would have been GREAT! The material did seem to breathe very nicely for the 30 min. I managed to keep it on.

Now that you have had a chance to laugh at my misfortunes, let me give you a chance to win a Jockey Tech Terry Performance Sports Bra and a Full Sized Bottle of Purex Crystals fabric softener of your own. However, allow me to recommend that you try on one of Jockey's Sports bras first. Just to be sure what size to order (if you have never worn theirs before) that way you don't end up with a scenario like mine. ;)

Please note that I was asked to test these products and was given them to try FREE, but the comments and opinions expressed are mine alone.

The contest begins January 11, 2012 and goes through 12:01am on January 27, 2012. You can complete different tasks to earn more entries in the contest. The winner will be chosen randomly using Rafflecopter on January 27, 2012 after 12:02am. You are entering to win a Jockey Tech Terry Performance Sports Bra and a Full Sized Purex Crystals fabric softener. This giveaway is courtesy of JOCKEY and Purex.

Don't forget to get your own 20% off coupon code for a sports bra!! This is one of the tasks to earn entries on Rafflecpoter!! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UPDATE: If you say that you commented, but your comment does NOT show up for me to moderate you will NOT be entered in the giveaway. Clicking that you did something on rafflecopter, but not actually doing it is being dishonest. Please be sure that you actually complete the tasks. Thanks!!

Cinnamon Sticky Rolls in the Crockpot (a recipe to try and a giveaway!)

2011-12-15T14:06:00.003-05:00

Head on over to http://blog.julesglutenfree.com/2011/12/cinnamon-sticky-rolls-oven-or-crock-pot-method/#comment-17247 for the YUMMY looking recipe for Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls in the Crockpot or oven. I HAVE to try this recipe out! We usually have cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, but it is a SUNDAY this year AND our first Gluten-Free Christmas. I thought we were going to have to let go of that tradition, and NOW it looks like I have another option. YAY!! Don't forget to enter her giveaway for some GREAT prizes. :) http://blog.julesglutenfree.com/2011/12/cinnamon-sticky-rolls-oven-or-crock-pot-method/#comment-17247

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Sorghum Bread

2011-09-25T12:25:00.004-04:00

After almost 7 months I decided I needed to be brave and attempt making homemade Gluten-Free bread. I REFUSED to continue to pay $5 or more for 1 loaf of GF bread!! After about 2 hours of perusing varies GF cookbooks, blogs, websites, etc. for tips and recipes. I combined tips and 2 different recipes. The result was WONDERFUL!!! Today I made my 4th loaf and I LOVE it! The family now begs for bread. :) Yay! I know man cannot live by bread alone, but after living WITHOUT bread essentially for 7 months you almost want to try. ;)

Here is my recipe:

Gluten Free Oatmeal Bread

1 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup certified gluten free oat flour (You can pulverize oats in a food processor to make oat flour. This is what I did and it worked GREAT! It added just a bit of texture, which we LOVE in our bread.)

3/4 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup white rice flour

1/4 flax seed meal (you can’t taste it and it adds fiber and LOTS of good nutrients!)

1 Tablespoon xanthan gum

3 eggs

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 packet active dry yeast+ 1 tsp granulated sugar for proofing yeast

1 Tablespoon molasses

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 ¼ cup hot tap water

1. Preheat oven to 200^oF and then turn off and crack the door. This is the perfect temp to let the dough rise in, but you wouldn’t need to do it if the house is really warm. J

2. Combine all the dry ingredients (I mixed it with my hands, but you could use a whisk.) in the bowl of your stand mixer EXCEPT the yeast and 1 tsp. of granulated sugar.

3. Sprinkle yeast and 1 tsp. sugar on top, but DO NOT MIX IT IN! Gently pour the hot water on top and let it sit about 5 min. (Make SURE that your yeast is still good, before you do this otherwise you will waste all those PRECIOUS flours!!)

4. Using the paddle NOT the bread hook, turn the mixer on low. Add in the eggs, oil, molasses and vinegar. Mix until combined.

5. Turn the mixer on high and let mix for 5 minutes (this is your kneading).

6. Grease your bread pan (mine is about a 9 inch loaf pan, but if yours is 8 inch than the recipe calls to use 2 pans).

7. Turn off mixer. Scrape paddle well. Using a rubber spatula put dough in greased pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and rise for 40 min. in a warm place.

8. Preheat oven to 375^oF (be sure you have taken the bread OUT if you were rising in the oven!). Bake for about 40 minutes (less if using an 8 inch pan). You want the bread to look dark (not black, but darker than golden).

9. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Then, remove bread from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

I dare you to wait until it cools completely to cut it! I have yet to be able to do so! J

Tips

Gluten Free bread will not be the same consistency as "regular" bread. The common mistake when making GF bread is trying to get it to the kneading consistency. Do not add more flour than the recipe calls for. Gf products need to be moist so that they do not turn out gritty. The dough should be about the consistency of thick cake mix. To knead Gf bread simply turn on your heavy duty mixer.
When adding yeast to your bread it is easiest if you simply mix up the dry ingredients, place them in your large mixing bowl and pour the yeast on top. Do Not Mix It In!! Pour the warm water on top of the yeast/dry mix and let it sit for about 3-5 minutes. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients.
Since you do not knead GF bread dough with your hands you need to mix it. We suggest beating it on high for around 5 minutes- so set your timer, turn it on and do something else while you wait.
Do not over proof your bread. This allows too much air to get into your bread dough and will usually make it fall once it is pulled out of the oven. When we make our bread we suggest only letting it rise 20 minutes. Even if it does not look doubled in size stick it in your preheated oven. It will finish rising as it cooks and when it comes out will not fall as easily.
Make sure you are cooking the bread at the right temperature. If you cook it at too low of a temperature the bread will need to cook longer and will turn out heavier and have more of a gritty feel, because it was overbaked. If your temperature is too high, the top and bottom of your bread will cook, but the middle will still be gooey. A good temperature for most bread is 375 degrees.
Cook your bread for the right amount of time. We have discovered for our bread recipe that large loaves only need to cook for 35 minutes rather than the 45-50 we put on the label before. Small loaves take about 25 minutes and English muffins around 20 minutes.
Once you pull your bread out of the oven let it sit for about 5 minutes, then turn it upside down in its pan. This also helps your bread to stay light and fluffy, instead of condensing on itself. If you leave it in the pan, the moisture in the pan will make the bread wet and cause it to condense or fall.

I want to say thanks to http://www.eatingglutenfree.com/recipes_bread/ for their tips & tricks segment.
And thanks to http://glutenfreemommy.com/baking-gluten-free-bread-millet-oatmeal-bread/ for this recipe which I adapted mine loosely from. :)

Gluten-Free

2011-09-25T12:21:00.001-04:00

As of February 2011, I began my Gluten-Free journey. Now we are a Gluten-Free family! Josh and Evrett don't seem to be affected by Gluten, but the rest of us are feeling SO much better!

31 Days To Clean

2011-04-27T20:47:00.002-04:00

So I keep seeing things about this book, and I NEED to read it!!! I am OBSESSED with having everything "just so", which is nigh unto impossible with 4 kids ages 6 years down to 20 months. Not to mention this bone contusion which I have on my shin from my escapade to find the new kittens on Easter Sunday. Ladders are NOT my friend! At least not when I climb one without unfolding it, or having someone hold it. Honestly, I know better, but I was just dying to see those kittens that I could hear on the shelf above. :{ 31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way is not only something to help me in my life for the long term, but VERY much in the here and now!! Can't WAIT to read it! I will keep you posted on how it helps!

Thanks Grandma "Boots"!!!

2010-07-13T21:10:00.004-04:00

New Slippers!!!!!

2010-07-13T20:58:00.005-04:00

Great-Grandma Boyer made each of the kids a pair of slippers. THEY LOVE THEM!!!!! Never mind that it is July right now, they HAVE to wear their new slippers in the mornings! :~) They especially enjoy "ice skating" on the kitchen floor. A VERY dangerous sport that I am not exactly fond of, but allow them to do until things get out of control, which usually only takes about 5-10 minutes. That is okay because my nerves only last about that long. : }

Evrett is MOBILE!!!!

2010-07-13T20:40:00.005-04:00

On July 10 (only 1 day after turning 10 months old) Evrett decided to join the ranks of the "on-the -go" in our house. He is at this point stuck in reverse when it comes to "scooting" on his belly. He can while sitting up spin in a circle, and lean forward, then sit up straight, and then repeat the whole process over and over until he is halfway across the room ( or able to reach WHATEVER it was that caught his attention in the first place!). It is soooooo funny to watch him! :~) He is very intense about the whole process, and doesn't stop until he gets STUCK. That is what most often happens when is goes backwards on his belly. I think that is why he prefers the "sit, lean, spin, reach" method best.

Evrett Joins the "Red Chair" Crew

2010-07-13T20:26:00.004-04:00

Evrett LOVED his first time sitting in the little red chair! He cried when I finally got him down, but he was getting so excited and bouncing that he almost popped out several times. Elysia was MORE than happy to have Evrett sitting in her chair, but Ethan, on the other hand, was not so keen to have Eoin in his chair. The funny thing is that Eoin has been sitting in Ethan's chair for almost a year. I think the root of the annoyance was that Ethan wanted to sit next to Evrett. :~)
Ethan managed to dethrone Eoin for 1 picture, but Eoin promptly pushed him back off after that 1 shot. I love my kids!

Giving Evrett His Red Bull

2010-07-12T10:32:00.009-04:00

The children always pick out a gift to get for the new baby. This time Ethan picked a Red Bull. Elysia & Eoin liked it too, so that is what they got for baby "Eagle". The plan was for the boys to wear their matching Eagle shirts to the hospital to meet Evrett & then all 3 of the kids would give the baby his bull. However, things don't always go according to plan, so they got dressed in their shirts and gave him the bull after we had been home a few days.

Evrett was "thrilled" with the red bull, as you can see! :~) He really does enjoy it now that he is older. According to Evrett "Red Bull" tastes really yummy! ;~)-

Here is Evrett wearing his OSU hat gift from the NICU. This picture cracked us up because it looked like he was saying, "Peace out, bro." Or, maybe, "Wazzz Up!" Also amusing, that the hat BARELY fits him!!

Here the kids are excited because we told them that we got them some surprises from the hospital while we were gone.

We bought them a Buckeye's Stadium puzzle from the gift shop, and brought them each a scrubber sponge from the NICU wash-up station. Ethan was informing us in this photo that Mimi had already brought home and given them each a scrubber from the hospital. We told him that was OKAY because you can NEVER be TOO CLEAN! (Wrong thing to tell Ethan! Over the course of the next few day we had to BAN him from using the scrubber because he was making a HUGE ordeal out of EVERY hand washing!)

We bought every a little pair of "kick-proof" booties at the gift shop. They really did work, too! At least for the few months he fit in them. :~)

This outfit was from Great-Grandpa & Great-Grandma Calhoun & Aunt Dawn. I LOVE it! It says "Mommy's Little All-Star" on it. It was also special because it was his ONLY newborn sized outfit. He only fit in it for about 1 month, but I enjoyed every wearing of it! :~)

"Is that food?!"

Welcome Home Evrett!

2010-07-12T09:31:00.010-04:00

The children were SOOOOOO excited to FINALLY get to meet Evrett. 13 days was a long wait to be together as a family.

Ethan & Eoin wore their matching Eagle shirts to welcome home baby "Eagle" , which they called Evrett the whole time I was pregnant. Ethan came up with that nickname when we found out we were having another boy. Ethan said, "What are we going to call our new brother?" We told him that we didn't know yet, but that it would be an "E" name. He responded with, "I know a great name that starts with an "E"! Eagle!!! And it is a really cool bird, too!" :~) And the nickname stuck with Evrett until a few weeks after we brought him home from the hospital. Now days they mostly call him "Ev".

Mimi was excited to get to hold Evrett for the first time, at last! :~)

Grandpa was happy too, but his turn had to wait because Evrett pooped out of his outfit. :~) Grandpa didn't mind waiting a few more minutes, especially if it meant a CLEAN baby!

Evrett's First 13 Days Were Spent in The Ohio State Medical Center NICU

2010-07-09T14:19:00.025-04:00

DAY 1

Within Evrett's second hour of life he began to struggle to breathe. He was taken to the NICU just as a precaution, since he was full term at 38 weeks the Doctors did not foresee any big problems. 98% of babies have fully developed lungs by 38 weeks. They said that often big, c-section, boys have a little "transition trouble" when learning to breathe outside the womb. They wheeled my bed in from the recovery room to visit Evrett before taking me to my own room. They told us not to be concerned because he would more than likely begin to improve and be able to go home by the time I was released. This photo was taken at 3:24pm (9-9-09) the afternoon of his birth. He was around 5 hours old.

Here he is at 8pm. the same night. Time to meet Grandpa & Mimi.

Grandpa's first look at Evrett

We were not able to hold him yet.

Evrett was only on nasal cannula oxygen at this point.

Precious Footprints

Meeting Mimi, and oh, how she wanted to hold Evrett!

They told us when we left the NICU that night for my room that they would contact us if he got worse during the night, but again assured us that they didn't foresee any major problems

DAY 2

At 5 am that morning (9-10-09) they came to our room to tell us that he had worsened and that they had put him in an oxygen tent in an isolet. He had developed a pnuemothorax (collapsed lung) in his struggle to breathe. They hoped the oxygen tent would be enough to ease his struggle and prevent a second pneumothorax in the other lung. This was our view of him at 6:45 when they finally allowed us in to see him.

We prayed he would begin to rally, and not get any worse. We were informed that in 50% of cases like this the baby will develop a second pneumothorax, so we should be prepared. If this happened they would need to put a chest tube into both lungs. If they had to do the chest tubes he would also need to be intubated and put on the respirator.

He did fall into that 50%, and later that morning they put in the chest tubes. He was almost exactly 24 hours old.

We were finally able to see him again later that afternoon around 3:00. I just LOVE baby feet.

Here you can see his heart shaped ear opening. How neat is that! Mimi discovered it the night before, and I needed a picture of it. All the tubes are part of the respirator which was easing his struggle to breathe at least somewhat.

Mommy is checking on her boy, and getting a first look at his tiny chest tubes, and ALL the tubing from the respirator.

Later that evening Grandpa & Mimi brought Ethan, Elysia & Eoin up to see Mommy & Daddy, and find out the new brother's name. They had been warned that they would not get to see their new baby yet, but they didn't understand why. We explained to them that Evrett was having a hard time breathing outside of Mommy's belly, and that he had to be in a special room in the hospital where they could help him breathe. We told them that only the Mommy, Daddy, Grandpas, & Grandmas were allowed to go in because it was dangerous for the tiny babies to have any germs come into that special place. We told them all about the special scrub brushes that we had to use on our arms/hands/nails (we actually brought a few scrubbers home for the kids, and they still LOVE to use them).

Just Daddy & I went down for a last visit with Evrett that night. We were given the encouragement that he should begin to improve very soon.

DAY 3

They called us around 6am to tell us that the Dr. believed that due to the blood they were having to draw to run tests Evrett had a very low blood count. They needed our permission to give him a blood transfusion. He was not yet 48 hours old. We asked if Joshua would be able to give blood, but they told us that by the time they could run the needed tests on Joshua's blood it would be days later. Evrett needed the blood ASAP, so that he would begin to his recovery. Here you can see the tiny blood bag behind the big tag. For some reason this scared me just as much if, not more than the chest tubes & respirator.

I longed to hold my precious boy, but that would not be possible now until his chest tubes were removed because he had to remain still. Moving him posed too great a risk of one of the tubes coming out.

When we came back that evening he had his feet crossed and propped up on the blanket roll. We thought that was sooooo funny. It reminded us how Eoin would sit on Josh's lap and cross his feet just like Daddy did. :~)

On our last visit there around 11pm we were told that he was very agitated (although he does not look like it in this photo). They thought it was all the noise & lights. They said that it would be good if we didn't touch him at this point.

DAY 4

When we returned the next morning around 9:30 he was resting better, so we were able to touch him again. That was an answer to prayer for sure!

The nurse let us choose a card to write his name on. Notice the tiny footprint cutout! Evrett certainly did not look little in that NICU. We saw many babies the size of my hand. We joked that although Evrett's first name was David he was truly the Goliath of the NICU.

That afternoon my parents came down to spend the night and then take the oldest 3 children to stay with them at the farm in MI. Here is Grandpa "Boots" meeting Evrett. My Dad was really worried about him after he saw him with all his tubes etc. He said, "is he really going to be okay?" We told him that the Dr. assured us that he should begin to get well soon, and that when he did he should do so VERY rapidly. Although we had yet to see evidence of this, we were trusting the Lord to heal Evrett.

Grandma Boots meeting Evrett, and wishing she could hold him.

DAY 5

The next morning my parents brought the children to say good-bye to us before they headed up to the farm. The children were again disappointed that they couldn't see their new baby yet. We told them that they would be able to see him when they came back from MI. They were excited that they were going to go stay with Grandpa & Grandma "Boots" without us for the first time! I was nervous about having them that far away. I knew it was best for them to be in a different environment so they wouldn't be missing us at home.

Early in the afternoon, they decided to take Evrett off the respirator and see how he did back on the nasal cannula alone. Mimi was happy to see him later that afternoon, and to see that he was not struggling to breathe like he was that first day. We talked about how severe he was retracting, and praised the Lord that it looked like he might be beginning to rally.

This was also my last day in the hospital. They could not keep me any longer because I was doing very well after the c-section, so the Dr. couldn't find any reason to prolong my stay any more. We were so sick at the thought that we were going to have to go home without Evrett. We also knew that even though I was doing well, my Dr. didn't want me traveling the over an hour trip to the hospital from home. In addition to that I had been pumping breast milk for Evrett, and taking it down to the NICU since he was born. How could I do that from home? Praise the Lord for my GREAT Dr. she said, "Oh, you will not go home! I will send the representative up to get your info, but you will be able to stay at the Ronald McDonald house." It was across from the Nationwide Children's Hospital, which even though Evrett was in the NICU at Ohio State, the drive was only about 10 minutes. Leaving Evrett there when I was discharged was the MOST DIFFICULT thing I have EVER done. The Doctors in NICU promised to call us if Evrett got any worse. We were still welcome to visit him or call to check on him anytime. Even though the drive was short, every time we came then left the OSU Hospital Parking Garage we had to pay a fee. It was small because we got a coupon from the desk each time, but it adds up. Thankfully, lunch & dinner were provided by various groups each day at the Ronald McDonald House. This was a HUGE blessing to us.

DAY 6

When we arrived that morning from our first night at the Ronald McDonald House and they let us into the NICU Evrett was not in his spot. My heart sunk. We asked where he was. They found a nurse who told us he had become much more agitated, and not resting. The Doctors decided that they should move him to a smaller room in the NICU. They hoped in decreasing the light & noise it would calm him. They really wanted to avoid having to sedate him, but he was really strong and all his thrashing risked pulling out his chest tubes. They also had to put him on CPAP(Contiuous Positive Airway Pressure). This is what he looked like when we were finally able to see him that afternoon. They put the "sunglasses"
on to block the light, so he would rest better. It was very discouraging to see him doing worse, but he was beginning to rest more in the new environment. This new room was really frightening to us though. It is where they kept the REALLY tiny babies. I mean TINY, smaller than my hand. I couldn't believe that they could live when they were that small. Their skin was translucent. Inside I hoped they hadn't moved Evrett there because he was that high-risk.

We stayed with him for a little while, but the all the riding and walking really wore me out so we only visited him the one time that day. It broke my heart, but I just couldn't go out again that evening. We called the NICU to check on him before we went to sleep that night, and they told us that there was no change. Again, reassuring us that we could call anytime to check on him during the night.

DAY 7

When we arrived we found Evrett back on the nasal cannula!!!! Yay!! He looked sooooooo much better, and was resting very well. At last! We hoped we had reached the point where he would rapidly improve. I so longed to hold him. I had only been able to hold him in the recovery room for a few minutes. It seemed like that was an eternity ago.

Daddy was really looking forward to holding Evrett too!

When we came back that afternoon they had turned on the biliruban lights because he was slightly jaundiced. Then we noticed NO MORE CHEST TUBES!!!!!!! Praise the Lord!

We left to go the pump room down the hall, and when we returned. . .

Mommy FINALLY got to hold her boy!!!!!! :' ) And yes, I cried!

"Mommy, all this being held is REALLY exhausting!"

Next, was Daddy's long awaited turn to hold his newest boy!

Leaving that evening was hard for a whole new reason. Evrett was finally doing well, and we didn't want to miss a chance to hold him!

DAY 8

When we arrived that morning Evrett had been moved back to the main room in the NICU!!!!!His nurse told me that they had just given him a bottle, but that if we came back around 1pm I could try to nurse him. I was THRILLED!!! This would be the first time outside of the attempt in the recovery room (he wasn't interested then), that I was allowed to do so. They put up this screen right there next to his crib, so we could have some privacy. Evrett did REALLY WELL!!! We were sooooo thankful, especially me because only pumping had been VERY time consuming and a difficult way to start out! :~) From this time forward anytime I was there near his feeding time they let me nurse him. Things started to seem a little more normal now.

A little grin for Daddy!

They still needed to make sure he was getting a certain amount of nourishment, so they asked Daddy if he wanted to try giving Evrett a bottle. Daddy was very happy to help! :~)

And Evrett was very happy to EAT (and has been from that day forward!!!) notice the contented slumber from his FULL belly.

DAY 9

Since Evrett had begun to quickly & steadily improve Josh felt comfortable with not being there with me 24 hours a day. Daddy went back to teaching his 3rd & 4th grade class at ZCS. He was still staying with me at the RMDH, but leaving around 6am to had back to Zanesville. He was able to leave school around 1pm after his last teaching period (his class had other classes until school was out at 3:15). We were thankful he did not have to stay for the full day. I was not allowed to drive yet, but was able to take the shuttle bus from RMDH to Nationwide Children's Hospital and then another from Children's to OSUMC. Thankfully this was a free service. I was only able to stay for about an hour in the mornings because of the shuttle schedules and when my free lunch was served at RMDH. I returned in the afternoon, and then Josh just met me there. It was very tiring for me, but thankfully my recovery with Evrett was by FAR the BEST recovery of the all 4 c-sections. We praise the Lord for His graciousness in that area.

I LOVE this photo because you can see Evrett's natural mohawk really well, and also how BIG his hands were! :~)

Later in the evening Auntie Rach & Annie came to visit us, and Evrett's nurse was allowed to carry him over to the window for girls to get a first look at Evrett (or "Dexter" as Anna nicknamed him because of his initials DEX). They knew they were not allowed to go into the NICU, but were pleasantly surprised to be able to "meet" Evrett at the window.

DAY 10

Here is Evrett just "chillaxin" with Daddy that afternoon when he got to see him for the first time that day.

That night when we returned after supper the nurse asked me if I would like to give Evrett his bath. YES!!!!! I was finally starting to do more "Mommy" things. :~)

True to newborn form, Evrett did NOT appreciate being unwrapped and sponge bathed.

DAY 11

At this point we were just waiting for Evrett to pass the carseat test. It monitors his oxygen saturation while strapped into his infant carrier carseat. He failed several times, so we were just praying he would pass if SOON. We were sooooooo ready to take him home, and the chilren were very ready to meet their baby. My parents were bringing them home from MI. the next day, so we hoped to be discharged by then. I LOVE this photo because I think Evrett looks ABSOLUTELY angelic. :~)

DAY 12

We were not able to make it home in time to see my parents, so they stopped by the NICU on their way back to MI. They were THRILLED to have a chance to hold Evrett, and to see how GREAT he was doing! :~) As you can see Grandma is very happy!

Grandpa REALLY wanted "Ehud Jeffrey" (that is what he said we SHOULD have named Evrett, so he call him Ehud?!) to wake up and look at him, but in spite of all Dad's tricks Evrett stayed asleep.

DAY 13

YAY!!!! Evrett FINALLY passed his carseat test, so we were cleared to take him home. UNFORTUNEATELY, they didn't do the test until AFTER Daddy was at school, so we had to wait until he got back that afternoon. We also had to finish white glove on our room at RMDH. I had done most of the cleaning, but the vaccuming and scrubbing the bathtub waited for Josh. :~) Although I was healing really well, we didn't want to push it, especially since we were going home at LAST! It took at while to get all of our stuff loaded, room finished, and checked out of RMDH. We arrived around 5pm at the NICU. Here is the picture of Evrett all dressed up and ready to go home.

Here is our traditional photo which we normally take the day Mommy is discharged and right before we leave the hospital. 13 had NEVER seemed so long before! We were getting ready to strap Evrett into the carseat when . . .

he decided he was HUNGRY!!!! We didn't want him to cry for over an hour on the trip home, so I gave him a bottle of pumped milk because it was faster than trying to nurse him.

Finally by 6:40pm we were on the road to HOME SWEET HOME!!!! Evrett did VERY well riding in his carseat (and to this day he STILL LIKES HIS CARSEAT, which is more than ANY of the other 3 have EVER DONE!)! Yay for Evrett!!!!

David Evrett Xander Shaver

2010-07-09T13:15:00.008-04:00

The Wait is ALMOST Over!!!!

This was the day before my c-section.

Our First Look at Evrett.

All 8 lbs. & 10 1/2 oz. of him! What a BIG BOY!

Mommy's First Time Holding Evrett

Precious!

Daddy's First Photo with Evrett

Does he look like a proud Daddy, or what! :~)

Time to Add a New Post

2010-07-08T15:21:00.002-04:00

Okay, this title should actually read WAY PAST TIME TO ADD A NEW POST!!!!! The crazy thing is that I was SURE I had posted since Evrett was born, but I guess I was mistaken! I am too tired to upload pics & type much of a post now, but my goal is to do so soon. :~)

Reading In The Little Red Chair

2009-08-05T07:36:00.002-04:00

My little Cheeser =)

Eoin was not sure what to think at his first time sitting in the Little Red Chair.

He wants to see himself in the camara. (He knows that he can see his picture in the back of the camara. Smarty Pants!!)

I asked him, "How big is Eoin?"

"Maybe I' ll pull out ALL the books!!"

Making Cinnamon Rolls!!

2009-08-05T07:07:00.002-04:00

We LOVE Baking!!!

Eoin likes to bang his measuring cup!!!

Mommy decided to be brave and make her first attempt at homemade cinnamon rolls on Friday. I never work with yeast because it makes me soooo nervous. My Mother-in-Law makes the best cinnamon rolls in the world, so I never even wanted to try because I knew mine would pale in comparison. The kids ask every day what we are going to do that is FUN. I decided that we would do this for fun and if the rolls were yucky that was O.K. Other than forgetting to put in the butter and egg they tasted okay, just were a little tough =). I made WAYYYY too much icing. I just started following the recipe never even processing that 9 cups of powdered sugar was a whole bag =} I said, "Oh, well, we will just have to make more rolls."

We made another batch on Monday using my new hand mixer with dough hooks, and remembering the butter and egg. They were much better =). I don't know if I will ever make them as well as the Master Baker next door, but we will have fun trying!

We still have half the icing left after 2 batches, and sharing the icing with Mimi (this is what the kids call my Mother-in-Law) for the cinnamon rolls she made. Maybe we will make some sugar cookie cut-outs and dye the icing fun colors?! Guess we will just have to wait and see what the week brings.

The Wonderful World of Imagination!

2009-08-04T07:37:00.005-04:00

Thanks for the new PJ's Annie (Aunt Anna)! Princess, Fireman, and Sherriff Who knew wearing PJ's in the middle of the day could be soooo much fun!!

There's a New Sherriff in Town ;)

What a Beautiful Princess!

Annie I Oakley with her little pet dog "Floxie" (She plays that Eoin is her dog Floxie at least once every day. He follows her around crawling and carrying his toy in his mouth. Soooo cute!)

One handsome cowboy!!

Annie I Oakley (This is what Elysia named her cowgirl character?And you better not leave out the I !!) & Cowboy Adam riding their helicopter (Not a horse, or bucking bronco, but their own personal helicopter??!!)

Crawling With Perfect Form

2009-07-30T08:13:00.004-04:00

Eoin is crawling everywhere. We thought maybe he never would, but when he finally did around 11 months he did so with perfection. He reminds me of one of those crawling dolls. His arms and legs move in perfect rhythm. Ethan and Elysia crawled, but with their own flare. Ethan did the army crawl, and Elysia her own version entirely. I love how each child is soooo different in each and every way.

Get Ready!

Get Set!

And He's Off!!

"I won!!!"

Changes!

2009-05-04T14:57:00.007-04:00

First, we are very excited about our fourth baby due in September! We are thrilled to be having a third boy!! This makes Elysia the official Princess of the family, a title and position she does not mind in the least. =)

Second, Eoin is mobile in a wierd way I guess. He rolls all over the house?! He can scoot backwards, but crawling on his hands and knees has yet to occur. He prefers to roll to wherever he wants to go because he gets very frustrated with being stuck in reverse. =) He can stand up if he is holding onto something. He really wants to walk, but just hasn't gotten the one-foot-in-front-of-the-other part yet. Eoin has his 2 bottom teeth now. He is soooo cute!!

Catching Up!!!

2008-11-13T09:35:00.000-05:00

Waiting!

This photo was taken less than 2 weeks before Eoin's arrival. We were READY!!

The Newest Shaver

Just Born!

3 Days Old1 month

Ivan Eoin Esmund Shaver was born June 23, 2008. He weighed 7lbs. 15oz. and was 20in. long. We were soooooo happy to finally have Eoin here! Eoin is the Irish spelling of Owen. We named him after Joshua's Poppy Ivan Wilson, and my Great-Grandfather Virgil Owens (he was Irish, hence the Irish spelling). Esmund means protected by grace. We chose this name after Joshua's car accident on Good Friday.

The Car

He was driving my parent's little car up to meet us at their house in Michigan for Easter weekend. My parent's picked up the kids and I in Lima, OH the Sunday before. They drove our van up and left their car for Josh to drive back up on Friday. There was a random snow storm that day. Josh was 5 miles into Michigan when he hit a patch of black ice. He lost control and spun around into a tow truck parked on the side of the highway facing on-coming traffic. His head hit the driver's side window. He was taken to The Toledo Hospital, and was in and out of consciousness for over 2 hours. He was relesed that same night, but we were unable to go and pick him up because of road conditions. The section of highway that he wrecked on was shut down only 10 min. after his accident. There were over 27 accidents in that same stretch of highway over the course of 1 hour. Joshua walked out of the hospital with me on Saturday afternoon. My Grandpa, my little brother Connor, and I were finally able to get through to pick him up around noon. Josh had scratches on his scalp, very bruised ribs, and bad whiplash. We continue to PRAISE THE LORD for his protection!!!

Mommy Meets Eoin!!After over a month of bedrest and being in and out of the hospital the Dr. finally delivered Eoin at 11:18pm. by c-section. I was scheduled for my 3rd c-section June 26th. The Dr. decided it would be best to take him early, since I was hospitalized for severe pain from my "gallbladder". Since then I have had numerous tests and procedures, and they have determined that the "attacks" I have been dealing with since May 2005 are not from my gallbladder. We still do not know the cause of the pain. However we certainly did not mind Eoin coming 3 days earlier than we planned =) .

We LOVE our baby brother!!!
Meeting Eoin Holding Our Brother =)Ethan and Elysia were and still are THRILLED with their baby brother. They LOVE him, and enjoy watching him reach every new milestone, no matter how small.

1 month oldLife is exhausting!1st Laugh Outloud =)Elysia was ecstatic the first time Eoin accidently touched her face, while she was staring only inches from his =).

I Love Eoin's Fat Cheeks!Oh, Yeah? Take that, Elysia!!
1st Rice Cereal

Rolled Over for the 1st time in my crib, while no one was watching!! Sneaky =)1st Veggie Hmm...I'm not sure about Green Beans?

I do, I do, I do, I do, I do so like Green Beans!!!

I'm a Big Boy in my Bumbo Seat!

Now the kids love that Eoin is able to sit up in his Bumbo seat and "play" with them. Mostly Eoin loves to watch the chaos ;) . Elysia is determined that Eoin needs to walk. "C'mon O'n-O'n (she calls him Eoin-Eoin, but it comes out more like this), like dis. Watch a'me!!", she squeals as she repeatedly "shows" him how to walk and sometimes even crawl. I am always amazed Eoin is able to do anything as he has SOOOO much "help" =) .

"Dross!!! I hate babysood Dreen Beans ={ "

Elysia insisted on tasting Eoin's 1st green beans. I think she may be cured of wanting to taste Eoin's food ever again. At least until he is eating table food =) .

The Many Moods of Ethan & Elysia

2008-02-09T10:20:00.000-05:00

My First Snowman!

Shy Girl?

Big Tease!

Mr. Fix It

Wild Woman

I Love Being Messy!

Can You Wash My Face?

Being Daddy

Being Mommy

Best Friends!

2007-08-14T11:58:00.000-04:00

Ethan and Elysia love to sit in their red chairs. (Elysia thinks she is big stuff!)
They love each other too!
Ethan often tells Elysia and others that Elysia is his best friend. We are very thankful for our 2 wonderful children. They are daily a blessing to us. We pray they will continue to be best friends as the Lord is sending us far from family and friends to a new home. We look forward to watching them grow. We also look forward to seeing them make new friends in Uruguay.

Pando, Uruguay

2007-07-27T19:09:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of Josh with a Ovideo, a pastor we met at teen Camp. He told Josh the next day that he was his new friend. He spoke a good bit of English. Josh played soccer with him and the teen boys at game time. He loved it!
This is part of the 50 teens and children at Sunday School the first week.
The teen girls begged me to come and play the piano for them to sing their camp choruses. Before long all the kids and Hector one of the teen boys were singing too. I loved every minute of it!

Joshua and I went on our missions survey trip to Pando, Uruguay from July 8-23. We stayed with Don and Pat Garwood a missionary couple from our church here in Zanesville. Don is 71 years old, yet he wore us out more with his running than do our two small children. We were able to visit several families from Iglesia Biblica Maranatha. The church consists mostly of children and teens. There are a handful of ladies who attend, but only one man. Josh was able to speak 4 times in the services there. I was able to speak 3 times. We both had to use translators of course. This was a first time experience for us both. We are definitely looking forward to being able to speak in Spanish for the lessons without an interpreter. The second week we were there a 14 girl from the church, Evelyn, was hit and killed by a bus right in front of the church. She was running to catch the bus to go to school, and failed to look the other way before running out. It was a very difficult time. She was saved as are her mother, Rosana, and little brother, Facundo. Her step-father, George, is not. He has raised her since she was a toddler and took her death very hard. He did request Don to have a funeral service. This is very uncommon in Uruguay as burials take place the same day or the day after a death. They do not embalm. He wanted there to be scripture and hymns. This was a huge testimony to the over 300 people who came to the graveside for the funeral. Please continue to pray for Evelyn's family, and that her testimony would continue to bring many souls to the Lord.

We absolutely loved it there. We are planning to begin deputation ASAP. We just received a brand new laptop computer from our home to church. This is a huge blessing as we were going to have to wait to begin deputation until we could afford one. Please pray for us as we begin to prepare our power point presentation, and deputation in general.

Grandpa's Farm

2007-06-05T16:24:00.001-04:00

We travelled to Michigan to see Rebekah's family over Memorial Day. Ethan was very excited to see family and the animals. All the way up there (5 hours) Ethan begged to listen to his "Farmer" CD. This is full of songs about farm animals. The first song is called "Down On Grandpa's Farm". We had to play this one over, and over, and over. . . (you get the point). Ethan and Elysia LOVED the animals. There was a new litter of kittens that Ethan begged to see about 100 times a day. Thankfully Rebekah's sister Katie loved to take Ethan out to see them. Elysia was amazed by the dogs. Every time she woke up, whether from a nap or nighttime, the first thing out of her mouth was "Daw-Daw-Daw" meaning take me to see the dog or I will scream =) She knows exactly what she wants and when she wants it, which is NOW of course. The dogs were not so enthusiastic about Elysia. Who can blame them? I would not want to be attacked by a squealing wild child, who liked to chew my tail! It is always nice to see family and farm. We wish that we lived closer. We miss our family very much, and I never realized how much I loved the farm until I moved away.

"I'm Your Father!"

2007-05-08T18:00:00.000-04:00

Elysia was on the floor finishing her bottle. Ethan ran over to hug her and to say, "I love you, Esia!" Then he proudly announced, "I'm your Father!" Josh and I started laughing soooo hard. Only to hear Ethan say as he rolled over next to Elysia, "Esia, you're my brother =)". We went on to explain Josh was both Ethan and Elysia's Father, but that Ethan was the brother and Elysia the sister. Ethan told us next that he "needs a brother, because I LOVE a brother!" I said, "Well, son, you do not have much control over that!"

Today Ethan was with Mimi (Josh's Mom). Mimi bought him a little green pair of gardening gloves. He wanted his own pair Monday, but had to borrow Mimi's instead. When she gave him the gloves he told her excitedly, "I prayed for these, Mimi!!!" None of us heard him utter such a prayer, however, Josh reported that he overheard Ethan talking as Ethan fell asleep last night. I fear for the prayer for a brother. I am NOT ready for that yet

The Queen

2007-05-08T17:31:00.000-04:00

Elysia always needs to observe all that anyone is doing at all times. She will squeal at Ethan if she thinks he is doing something wrong, or if she just wants his attention. She has been saying DaDa for quite a while to Josh. Saturday evening when Anna came over Elysia heard Anna's voice. She promptley said, "Auna Auna" with a huge smile. I tried in vain to get her to say Mama all day Sunday and Monday, but I have given up for now. She would only say "Dada", and Auna" and then giggle. As with everything else Elysia only does things in HER time. Oh, well, I guess she is yet another instrument to teach me patience =).

Ethan's "New" Bike

2007-05-07T17:50:00.000-04:00

We wanted to get a "real big boy bike" for Ethan this Summer. A few weeks ago the neighbor had a yard sale. I was able to buy Ethan a 2-wheeler with training wheels for $3. Praise the Lord! This is all we could afford at the time, and it was just what we wanted. Ethan was/is thrilled with his "new" bike. This picture is of Daddy's first time helping him ride it. They had a blast. I am ever thankful for God's provision in the little things, and for my precious family!

2007-05-06T00:20:00.000-04:00

Here they are the Dynamic Duo! Ethan and Elysia are soooo full of energy. We have loads of fun trying to keep up with there latest antics. This picture was taken before Sunday School a few weeks ago. Ethan kept jumping up off the couch. "I'm ready go to church, Daddy! Go out the door. Drive the car." We finally managed to get a good shot.

Hello Out There!!

2007-05-05T19:36:00.000-04:00

Wow! I am so excited that I finally found the time and the nerve to create a blog. I should apologize now for my lack of knowledge and ability when it comes to technology in general. I hope that you will at least be able to see some photos of my family, and get on update on how we are doing.