The life of the Fitzgerald's

FINALLY!!!!!!!!

2011-07-17T17:23:00.000-07:00

Finally, I got a job working for Deseret Industries. I started on June 17 (been there a month now) and I'm glad to finally have some steady income coming in. I work 7-3:30 Mon-Thurs and 8-4:30 on Sat. I get rides on Mon and Tues., so it just leaves Ian and my in-laws to take/pick me up Wed., Thurs and Sat. I LOVE staying busy and I LOVE the opportunity that it provides for me to get to know other people. I thought when I started that it was only members of the church that worked there, that you had to be referred from your bishop. I have since learned that there are people who walk in from off the streets and apply, and they come from all walks of life. I work with people who are active, inactive, druggies, homeless, smokers, drinkers, preparing to go on a mission, or the parents that are trying to provide a second income for their kids.

I work in Clothing Production, which means I sort through all the bins of clothing that come through on a daily basis. I'm on my feet for 8 hours, and looking through dirty clothes (seriously, some people don't look through their bags before they give them to us), to gently used clothes, to clothes with tags still on them. We have a criteria of what we can put through (nothing with stains, holes, gang indication, sex indication or drug indication), and it makes me proud to know that we are only putting out the BEST of quality. Even if something is clean but it's faded or is starting to ball (another term for when the cotton is washed so much that little "balls" form on the shirt), we still put it in a bin to be sent to UT. Then it is either sent to food banks to help the homeless or third world countries.

I'm excited to finally have steady income coming in, and to be making as much as Ian. This will help us to put money away (which we haven't started yet) for the move, and to feel more comfortable financially. Yes we went through some rocky times, but I appreciate the love of you (my friends) and my family, to support me through the times of unemployment, and to help to give me the faith to stay strong. I love you all and miss you tons.

Hopefully I'll be able to post pics soon of our staycation that we took in July. We didn't make it to UT since money was tight and I had just started working. The girls are growing up fast and I need to learn to cherish my time with them better. Until next time......

Where is the faith?

2011-05-24T16:32:00.000-07:00

It's almost June now, and still no job. We've paid tithing twice now, both of which times it bounced in our bank account. I am going through some personal trials with the church right now, and I am frustrated with how things are going. Money is flying out the window (despite not having to pay rent), and we are running out of options. Despite living with the in-laws, we still don't have daycare available (county won't pay for daycare if we live with the providers). I'm applying everywhere and nothing is coming up. It's hard to stay strong when you're praying, reading your scriptures diligently (as to not having read them before), and going to church alone (because Ian is now working 3-4 Sunday's a month, missing all of church).

On top of all of this, we also have a trip to UT coming up in July. I have a family reunion on my side and we're going to research housing expenses and availability of income. Our other option is IA which we'll research in November. Our savings account is draining (due to having to dip into it every 2 weeks just to get by because Ian's income is less than our bills all together), and i'm running out of faith. We can't afford for Ian to be off for a week of unpaid vacation with no money coming in, and then pay for gas to go to UT for a week. We can't move in 7 months with no money in savings account.

The most frustrating thing, is that we're not even paying all our bills. We pay cell phone (so we can keep in touch with friends and family, because we don't have a home phone), storage (that's where all our stuff is), 5 credit card bills (one of them we pay, because it went to the attorney, the other 4 are in collections), gas for our van, car insurance, and we also pay Ian's mom and dad for the difference in utilities (normally about $30/mo). We still have 3 more credit card bills that we don't pay (no money), and we have a student loan (from me in 2003), and a car loan from the Honda (I totaled it in 2009 so I stopped paying it). I'm sick of living like this every day. I wake up trying not to be depressed but have no idea how my day will go.

I've tried to do Pampered Chef, and was going strong until January, and then I hit a dead end and haven't had a show since then. I don't know that many people that want to host a show. They're either too shy or their place is too small, or they're worried about who would come and who wouldn't, etc. So many excuses and I don't push it. I figured it would be a money maker, since more people are cooking at home. I guess if you have a good network of people then you can succeed.

Well, off to take the kids to the park. I guess I'll finish my thoughts later.

On the Home Stretch

2011-03-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

Yep, we're on the home stretch to move from CA to IA. We still have 10 more months, which may seem like a long time, but in all reality it flies by a lot faster than you think. We're in March now, and then there's April. April brings our anniversary (6th), General Conference (2nd and 3rd this year), and a swap meet where i'm putting up a table for Pampered Chef (22nd). April also brings the mother in law's birthday (26th), the in-law's anniversary (22nd), Easter (24th), and a family celebration at Ian's grandparent's house (23rd). Then we have May, which brings the end of Ian's semester at school, the father in law's birthday (5th), McKenna's birthday (6th), Mother's Day (2nd Sunday of month) and the warmer weather for parks and swimming.

June brings Father's Day (3rd Sunday), my dad's birthday (29th), more warmer weather, and having Ian off school for the semester. July brings my sister's and my BEST FRIEND'S birthday (love you Lacey) on the 2nd, a fun food holiday (4th), and this year it brings a Family Reunion in UTAH. Yay for us being able to travel and see family, most of whom we haven't seen in 10 years since the last big family reunion in AZ. August brings my birthday (2nd), Ian's birthday (24th), my brother's birthday (11th), more warmer weather and the start to Ian's last semester of school EVER!!!!!

September brings cooler weather as it heads into winter. October brings another round of General Conference, Halloween, and more cooler weather. November brings Thanksgiving and Black Friday. December brings Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Eve. It's also the last month that we're in CA so it will be the busiest. Ian will graduate with his AA in December and we'll be finalizing paperwork on where we'll be living and making sure everything is lined up.

So you see, even though it's still 10 months away, it'll fly by faster than we know. Hang on for the ride of your lives.... Stay tuned for happier updates from me as I figure out who I am and what I want in life, and how to take things a day at a time.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-25T14:54:00.001-08:00

Here are pictures from Christmas.

New Year, New Us Video

2011-01-25T12:57:00.000-08:00

New Year, New Us

2011-01-25T12:16:00.000-08:00

Here are the pictures I finally promised. Sorry they're taking so long, it's been a long and hectic winter with no internet, Ian and I both working, and other things.

It's still January, here are my goals for the year:
1. Losing 20-30 lbs. That would put me between 140-150, which is a comfortable weight. I was 140 in college and a size 8 jeans. I don't care that "America" wants me to be 119.5. Not happening...;
2. Reading scriptures more often, even if it's only a couple verses, or 1 topic each night (tithing, fasting, whatever I may be struggling with);
3. Saying personal prayers more often, and really giving myself to Heavenly Father when I pray to him; listening more rather than closing out the prayer and climbing in bed. He listens to us, why can't we take a couple minutes to listen to Him;
4. Having debt paid off to tuck money away for the future;
5. Get settled into our new place after Ian graduates, and staying settled down. I would LOVE to not be moving every 6 months-1 year of our marriage, like we have been. The girls need stabilization. Hunter is almost ready for school, and I don't want to keep moving her;
6. Build a happier family for us by spending less time watching tv or on the computer, and more time at the park, pool, walks, mall, or whatever it may be that the girls want. They're only young once.

I'm excited for what this year has to hold, and rather than dwelling on the negatives that have happened (Ian's hours will drop in February, I just lost my job yesterday, we're having to move to keep from being evicted, Ian's taking 3 classes while we're living with his parents, and working through some recent struggles in our marriage), I want to focus on the positive. HE will bless us if we are true, faithful, positive and try.

That's all. Enjoy the pictures and little videos I took.

Light at the end of the tunnel

2010-11-17T13:58:00.000-08:00

After a rough start in August when we got moved to Rocklin, we have finally come to a point in our lives where we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Or at least I am... It's been 2 months of rough living, but we're starting to do better.

We moved into our new apartment which we call "home" the end of August. We had our Jeep break down 2 days after moving in. We had a mechanic working on our Jeep, who somehow blew the sensor for the oil light and didn't tell us. We found out we were low on oil the day after moving in, and put oil in that night. The next morning, Ian started driving to class and had a rod blow, which put a hole in the engine. We didn't owe anything on it, and had no money for a new engine, so we sold it to the shop that it was towed to.

Ian started back to school at Sierra College in August. He is finishing up his AA in Computer Tech. He will then take a semester off (I think), and go for his Bachelor's. He will be done with his AA in July, which is good since our lease is up in June. He had a rough start with his grades, but he's doing better week after week, and got a 90% on his first set of midterms. Finals are the first week in December, then he's off until January, when he'll go back for his 2nd Semester.

I was let go from Sears the end of September, at the end of my 60 days. I went back to the law firm in Lincoln, and I'm working 2 days a week there. It's not much, but it helps us out. I've also started doing Pampered Chef, which helps us out a lot. I LOVE the business and the products, and the commission is awesome too.

Here are some pictures of the girls from Halloween. I'll make sure to take pictures of our new place, and some new pictures of Ian and I with our weight loss. Those will probably be posted this weekend.

McKenna dressed as Tinkerbell, Hunter as Cinderella and Lucy as Silvermist. Lucy is Hunter's BEST FRIEND, and she lives upstairs from us.
McKenna smiling big for the camera.

Hunter smiling big for the camera before we left to go trick or treating.

Facebook status/my insomnia

2010-08-04T23:54:00.000-07:00

I watch this show every week about a young couple who gave their daughter up for adoption, to give her a better life. They also have a semi-open adoption just like I do, and tonight's episode the boyfriend/fiancee was having trouble coping with the adoption and how to grieve properly. Their daughter is 1.5 and they've only seen her 1 time, as they were handing her over to her new parents outside of the hospital. They get pictures and e-mails just like I did, and they're 17 while I was 19, but still....

Watching him cry made me cry, and yet McKenna was asleep on my lap, Ian was in the bedroom, and Hunter was in her bed. I had no one to talk to. I sometimes wish that our next baby will be a boy, so I can see what I'm missing. I don't want to live my life thinking "what if... I would've kept Andrew", "what if....", but deep down I know I made the best decision. I gave Andrew 2 parents that could love him, and then created the opportunity for them to have a family of their own with their own biological kids, so I essentially was the missing piece to putting Kortnie and Kaitlyn in the family with David, Jami and Andrew. I was the missing piece to give David and Jami the gift of Andrew, after their loss of Kiley, and creating their lives and the births of Kortnie and Kaitlyn.

Deep down I know there's a son out there that will be born to Ian and I, that will help me to grieve, and help me to grow and heal after 5.5 years of not having a chance to. I don't regret my decision to place Andrew with David & Jami, cuz I know they have given him more than I could've even tried to give him being a single mom. I just wonder... when is my time??? When is Heavenly Father going to give me a second chance to raise a son of our own/my own?? One that I can take home from the hospital, one that I can raise with Ian, one that will be Ian and mine, not someone else's??? Will that ever happen????

And on to another crying fit, so I can't type anymore. I'm sorry if I put any of you to tears, I guess I just have a lot in my head and a lot going on. We have a move that we're not financially ready for, but we know it's for the best of us, we have a marriage without temple recommends (and who knows when bishop will feel like we're ready for them), we haven't been to the temple in AGES... like 3 years...., and yet that's the thing that I need the most right now, and I can't even have it....

I want the best for our girls, and I want us to be out of this financial hole that we're in. I want to be OFF assistance, both from the church and the state, and yet every time I'm ready to cut them off, something happens and we're right back on it.... will this ever end??? Will I survive tomorrow, with having to get up in 7 hours for work, and then a day of packing, shopping and more packing, and oh yeah, dealing with 2 kids that get into everything??? Will Ian and I ever go to the temple??? Will Ian and I ever have a son??? Will we ever have our own house, and be happy with where we're at?? Or will we always be moving every year???

I know the best answer is to pray, and yet I feel like I can't. I feel like I need Lacey, like I need my mom, like I need someone that can talk to me, that will know what i'm going through... I need my cousin Sharon, cuz I know she can help me, but I don't have her number. Why is it when you need someone the most, no one is there for you???

And yes, we're trying to get you pictures of the girls up on the blog. Ian packed up the cords for the USB cable to hook the camera up to the computer, so you'll have to wait even longer. Sorry....

My love to all.....

July ups and downs, and another weight update

2010-07-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, so after me venting on Facebook these past couple days, I think i'm good. We have had some trials come through, but we've also been blessed. On Saturday we had a truck back into us in the parking lot of our apartment complex. He told us that he wasn't looking and didn't see us, but that he would take care of everything. We exchanged information and went on our way after taking pictures. On Sunday I called the insurance and turned in the report of the accident, and on Monday we found out the driver of the truck is not insured. Our insurance told us that because we have uninsured motorist coverage, that they will still be able to compensate us for our losses, and that the driver of the truck will need to pay the insurance company back. We took it in for inspection yesterday, and found out there's at least $1600 in damage just from that "small dent" that he created when he hit us. Ian was able to get a rental car for free (courtesy of our insurance policy coverage) and now we have a rental through Monday, at the very least. We got a call this morning and found out that now there's at least $2200 in damage. So, there's about $2200 in damage, plus the $500 deductible that he owes since he's uninsured, plus the replacement of McKenna's car seat.

We also had a small set back this morning when we woke up and opened our blinds to our patio. We discovered that our cans and bottles were missing. We had 4 Garbage Bags FULL of them, and then 2 grocery bags full of cans and bottles. We got mad, tried to figure out who would do this to us, then exercised it off. After exercising, eating breakfast and getting dressed, we went over to the apartment office and talked to the manager. She is letting us out of our lease a month early (our lease was up Sept. 30 and now we'll be out August 31). I'm excited to be moving sooner, and hopefully have a new place where Hunter and McKenna can play on the park. The park we have outside our door continues to be graffitied, and I don't feel right letting Hunter play on it. I know that you'll always have problems of some kind wherever you live, but I also know that enough is enough. When it comes to vandalism and stealing, you shouldn't have to put up with that, no matter where you live.

We're excited to be moving sooner, and save on gas for when Ian starts school on August 23. I'm excited that I got the job at Sears, and we will have more income coming in now. I'm also excited for Ian and I's weight loss. Here's the stats:

Ian BMI: 31.00
Ian weight: 228.8

Jenn BMI: 30.95
Jenn weight: 168.2

That's a total weight loss for Ian of 11.2 lbs since we got married 4 years ago, but a total weight loss of 31.2 lbs since we started the Wii Fit in February. When I met Ian, he was a size 40 jeans and a size XL shirt. Now he's in a size 38 jeans, and a size Large shirt. There really is a HUGE difference in the two of us.... It really does work, if you use it in coordination with the healthy lifestyle and correct food choices. Who knew losing weight could be fun???

I have lost another 3 lbs or so since I last posted, but I'm down 21.8 lbs since we started in February. Every step counts. I am now in a size 12 shorts/pants, and in a size large shirt. When I met Ian, I was in a size 14 pants and a size XL shirt, and I weighed 8 lbs less than my current weight. Interesting how that works out...

I should be posting pictures of the girls this afternoon. Stay tuned...

Job interview

2010-07-06T16:10:00.001-07:00

Yep, I have a job interview on Saturday for Sears. It is for part time hours, and only minimum wage ($8/hr), but it would be something steady. Hopefully, because of the experience that I have with the company, it will give me more hours. Also, with the holidays right around the corner, the hours will go up. Yes, it scares me to work Black Friday again (I don't do well physically waking up early in the morning), but we would be living closer to the mall by then.

As far as the weight goes, I am at: BMI - 31.36 and weight of 170.0. I have only lost .8 lbs since my last post, but I also have been going up and down due to not watching what i'm eating. I have vowed to get back on track, so I can still be down to 160 at the end of summer (1.5 months).

Look for more posts where I will hopefully put up pictures of McKenna's teeth (she is working on 3, 4 and 5 right now) and a video of her walking. Sarah, thanks for leaving comments. I appreciate reading them, and it makes it easier to update since no one else leaves comments.

Placer County Fair and weight update

2010-06-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

Here are the sheep that were being shown at the Placer County Fair, and the kids from 4H would place them in contests. It was interesting to see young kids at work caring for their animals.
Hunter wearing her Home Depot apron with her name on it, her sunglasses, and her new butterfly wings from a balloon artist. The apron and the butterfly wings were free, and the sunglasses she already owned.
Here is McKenna playing in the pool of water that was in this playland for kids to play in. It was free and allowed parents to let their kids get cool, do some coloring, and enjoy being a kid, without paying for rides...
Here is Hunter "watering" the pool. She loved this playland and her and McKenna were the only ones in it for 20 min.

Yesterday we went to the Placer County Fair, since it was free parking (if you parked on the street) and free admission. We spent 2 hours there, and only spent $15. We didn't buy any food or drinks (we ate before we left, and brought snacks and drinks for all of us in our bags), and only played 1 game at the booths. Ian LOVES turtles, and since I wasn't able to get him a Father's Day present, I thought I would let him play for this turtle. He got it cheaper at the fair than he would've if I would've bought it for him for Father's Day. Then we got him a glass Superman block, that you put on a light base, and it lights up the picture inside. It's pretty neat. I'll have to take a picture of it and put it on here.

As for a weight update, my BMI is 31.35 and my weight is 170.8. I'm slowly going down, and I hope to be 160 before the end of summer. As for the work situation, I am still on call at the law firm, going in to work for 3 hours in the morning on Ian's days off, or on the days when he works nights. This makes it so we are not paying for childcare, or using up lots of gas since it's still close to where we live.

Summer days

2010-06-11T10:56:00.001-07:00

I've been home for 2 weeks now, with no work. I'm starting to get bored being home, yet when I'm working, I long for a day off. How does that work?

June is almost gone, and then July will be here. Our lease is up October 1 (we thought it was up Sept. 1, since we moved in Sept. 4), and we HAVE to be out of here. I REFUSE to bring my parents to this complex when they come to visit. I don't even like having in-laws come over. We can clean the place like crazy, and it still seems trashy and not homey. Oh well, here's to hoping I get a good job soon...

Ian's work is doing well, in fact, he'll be working more day shifts, thanks to an assistant manager that started whining, and now she'll be on nights. It will be nice to have him home for dinner.

The girls are growing up like crazy. McKenna has 2 teeth (take a picture when I can get a good one), and she is starting to take steps. Ian even has a pair of pink sandals on clearance for her at work that will be $10 after discount. I think he's getting a little excited to be buying shoes for the girls.

Well, that's all for now. Will update when I have more to talk about.

Almost there

2010-05-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

I exercised this morning while Ian was still sleeping, then weighed myself on the Wii Fit (I do love that it serves 2 purposes). I lost more weight.

I am now: 171.6 lbs and BMI is 31.60. A BMI of 29 will put me in the overweight category and no longer in the obese category. According to the Wii Fit, I only have to lose another 9 lbs. Let's get going....

Ok, so I finished my last 2 weeks of work, and am now job hunting. I will be applying at RC Willey (have a longtime friend of my parents that works there) and Babies R Us (saw that they were hiring when I was there today). Then, I will also be meeting with my case worker to see if he has any job listings for me. Hopefully something will come soon so we have a better place to bring my parents to in October. Honestly, i'm ashamed to have them stay here, so it is my goal to be in a new place by October 1st at the latest.

Hunter's artwork

2010-05-14T21:00:00.001-07:00

Here is Hunter displaying the flower that Ian made me for mother's day out of balloons,

and then displaying her tub artwork. We bought her crayons that are specially made for the tub, so they wipe off. She decided to draw some tonight while she was taking a bath. Enjoy!!!!!!

Weight Loss

2010-05-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, so my friend/sister (she's close enough to be a sister, and her younger brother I call my brother) told me that I should post pictures of my weight loss. I don't know if you can see since it's so far away (maybe if you compare it with the professional pictures we had done at Christmas or this spring that are also on my blog), but here are my results so far:

Starting weight in February 2010: 190
Current weight 05-14-10: 174.6

Starting BMI (Body Mass Index): 36.9
Current BMI: 32.13

On the Wii Fit Plus, it measures both of these, which is the only way that I know how much my BMI is. My goal for right now is to reach BMI of 29, which would take me out of the OBESE category. I believe that's another 10-20 lbs down.

Love you Lacey!!!!!!!!!

Bubble gun

2010-05-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

Here's Hunter with her new bubble gun that she got from her grandparents for Mother's Day. I guess they had seen a boy with one at the fair the day before, but the fair didn't have any left. So, they went on a hunt at Target to find one, and found one for her. Enjoy!!!!!

Guest bathroom

2010-05-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

Here is the guest bathroom.

Master bedroom

2010-05-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

The prior post of the girl's bedroom is the other floor plan. I will post a new one that will show you their bedroom. It's the same, except the window is set up differently and the closet is bigger/deeper. For now, here's the master bedroom that Ian and I will have. On the sides, you notice 2 closets, and then the master bath, and yes, there is a ceiling fan in our room too (even if it's not in the video). Enjoy!!!

Girl's bedroom

2010-05-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

This video is of the girl's bedroom. Yes, that's a walk-in closet and yes, that's a ceiling fan. ONE of the many reasons why we like it...

Comments, please...

2010-05-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

Back patio. Hopefully this gives you an idea of how long and how big it is.
This is the dining room. The deck comes in, so it cuts out on wall space, but it will work for us to still have our table, chairs and be able to sit down.
Part of the kitchen. This is the first place we've seen that we can afford that has faux granite counter tops, built in microwave, and oak cupboards. It also has double the counter and cupboard space of what we have now. Plus, the appliances are updated.
Here's the other half of the kitchen, which has the freezer with ice maker (we don't have that now), and more room in the fridge since it's bigger than what we have now.
Here is the master bedroom. It's a bad picture, but it's bigger than this.

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Here she is discovering her cupcake.
Hm, this frosting is pretty good.

What??? You told me to eat the cupcake.
This is for taking tons of pictures of me.
McKenna looking at grandma...
She has a frosting moustache.

Yep, I think she enjoyed it. Happy Birthday, McKenna. I love you and look forward to more moments with you.

McKenna's 1 yr birthday

2010-05-08T18:48:00.001-07:00

Sadly we didn't take our camera to her 1 yr. birthday party, so you will have to wait until I can get pictures from other family members. I did take some pictures on my cell phone of her and her cupcake, so we'll see if I can get those loaded. She enjoyed the cupcake, and needed a bath at my grandparents because she had it so bad all over her. The rest of the party was nice, and it was nice to enjoy the weather outside and talking to family I haven't seen since February.

Here are some pictures I did capture, though, of her a couple nights ago. Look for an update in a couple days of what we've been up to.

Hunter

2010-05-06T21:24:00.001-07:00

Cute pictures that I took of Hunter tonight.

Pink eye :(

2010-04-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

Sunday we were at church, and Hunter was brought into Sunday School from the nursery leader. She said her forehead was warm and she wasn't feeling well. She also had a runny nose. McKenna has bad allergies right now, so we figured Hunter had allergies as well. Hunter didn't want to stay with us in class and she didn't get why she couldn't go back to nursery. I took her out into the hall and tried to get her calmed down. She started crying so hard, she hyperventilated, started gagging and I ran her to the couple of yards down the hall to the bathroom. She made it into the bathroom and almost to the toilet. I had to clean up a little bit on the tile floor but the most of it was in the toilet. Poor girl :(. So, I got her all cleaned up and went and got Ian from Sunday School. I explained to him that we needed to take her home because she had thrown up. We went to get McKenna from a friend of ours who takes her to their Sunday School class, and then went home. We made a quick stop to CVS down the street to get a thermometer, and found this: forehead strips that take your temperature. She fell asleep on the way home, so we took her inside and got her changed. We decided to take her to Ian's parents for family dinner, but warn them that she wasn't feeling well. That night as we were there, she started getting gunk in her eyes. Not thinking anything of it, we went home after we were done visiting. It got worse as the night went on and was bad the next morning. Her eye was swollen and she continued to get gunk. We took her to the doctor and found out:

She has pink eye. So, I called into work and stayed home with Hunter and McKenna, but not before going to CVS to get the drops. She laid down on the couch most of the day, and only threw up after having lunch. We kept her on bland foods (bread, pancake, crackers, etc), and she slept on the rocking chair that night. Tuesday morning came and she was doing better, so I went in to work to make up some hours. Ian was off, so he was home with the girls. I got off around 1:00, then we went and ran errands. We were at Kohl's and looked at McKenna's eyes and....

She has pink eye. Go figure :(. So, we started her on the drops and kept on our way running errands. We went to the grocery store, then to Ian's parents house to drop the groceries off, then off to the mall to meet them there. We enjoyed some shopping at the mall, then went back to his parents for dinner and came home. McKenna slept all through the night, only waking up once to get a bottle. I called into work again this morning since McKenna is contagious. I am hoping Ian and I don't get this pink eye since we can't miss any more work. We need to be saving up money and getting ready for the summer.

Look for pictures of this Sunday when we celebrate McKenna's birthday with the family.

New hi-lites

2010-04-24T08:12:00.001-07:00

Oh, I made i-spy kits a couple weeks ago with a sister in our ward, who just happens to be the bishop's wife. We had a blast and I got to know her even better and found out we have a lot more in common than I thought.

I got new hi-lites done yesterday (first ones in my whole life). Let me know what you think. I love them, and am grateful to the lady in our ward who did them in exchange for service work. I love her salon and her work that she does for others.

Not much new going on. Still narrowing down the list of places that we are considering to move to when our lease is up. I'm praying that we can stay in the ward, but probably won't happen since rental houses normally want 3 times the rent to qualify, and we'd only be making 2 times the rent :(. Hopefully we can find a complex that gives us a backyard or BIG patio of some kind. Otherwise, I don't know what we'll do. Hunter needs room to run around...

Trying to keep my blog updated more often. Ian is down 16 pounds since we started hard core in February. I'm down 11, but I know that girls lose it slower than guys do. I'll try to send pictures later of our progression when I'm happier with how I look....

April.... enough said

2010-04-14T16:04:00.001-07:00

March came and went and I only blogged once. I swear one of these days, I'll get the hang of blogging more often. March was busy with us enjoying the missiona ries (yep, still the same ones since December) for dinner, d rop by visits to check up on us, work, school and takin g care of the girls.

April is here and already half gone. We celebrated Easter morning here at home enjoying conference and then had Ian's parents over for dinner. McKenna and Hunter opened their baskets when they woke up, and I think Hunter w as more excited with her stuff, then McKenna was since McKenna is still too little. She's getting bigger though and will get the concept next year, definitely.

I'm in the 3rd trimester of school and will be done June 4th. I'll finish my internship middle of May and will stay with the company until I find something different. I am looking to go into financial services of some kind (bank teller), or be a receptionist at a medical office which I would love too.

Ian is still working at Famous Footwear and should be starting to work days in the next couple of weeks. This will be easier on us as he'll be home for dinner and be able to spend more time with the girls.

Ian is prepping to go to a sleep study for his sleep apnea on the 20th. He'll get there at 7:00 P.M. and will get 8 hours of sleep. They have you go to sleep between 9-10:30 as it's an 8 hour sleep study and everyone must be out of the office by 7:00 in the morning. They will hook him up to monitors the first 4 hours of the night, then hook him up to a sleeping mask the last 4 hours of the night to see how he sleeps. It will be interesting to see how well he sleeps, and how long it takes before he's able to get into the doctor to get a sleep mask. I'll be grateful (and I know he will too) when he's sleeping better as he'll wake up earlier (sleeps for 10 hours now and still groggy), happier, and wanting to do more activities with the girls without getting headaches as easily. Hopefully this will help his body aches too as he'll be sleeping better, and I know sleep has something to do with body aches.

Look for more updates as Ian goes to his sleep study, I get blonde highlights (yes, I said blonde), and McKenna turns 1 (YIKES!!!!!!)

Where did February go?

2010-03-06T14:18:00.000-08:00

Here we are in March and I'm trying to figure out where February went. It was filled with Valentines Day, Ian's first month of working, Hunter's birthday and me staying busy with school and work. It's been a busy month and March will be over before we know it, too.

So, we filed our taxes, got our federal return back (still need to file IA state since we didn't file CA state with only a $4 refund electronically). We paid some much overdue bills and went from $21,000 in debt to just under $8,000. That was only 2 credit cards too. We settled for a heck of a deal on both credit cards. It would've been $8,000 to settle alone on the 2, and instead we only paid $3500. We also bought a much needed computer and I am so enjoying it. Thanks so much to my dad for his patience as we spent countless hours looking at Best Buy, online, Fry's Electronics and finally stumbling upon something at Fry's.

We hit a milestone this month. This was the first month since we moved away from IA that we have paid rent on our own without the help of the church. Though finances are tight this week, i feel good. Let's hope that it continues. This month is also the month that we go off of state aid, so we're on our own. No more food stamps, no more cash aid for help with rent. Let's pray that things go well as we continue to pay tithing.

Hunter's birthday

2010-02-16T16:44:00.001-08:00

Hunter looking pretty for the camera.
Here are some of the presents that she got, and her cupcake cake.
Her cupcake cake courtesy of Safeway bakery. Hunter picked it out herself, and wanted it to say "Happy 3rd Birthday, Princess Hunter". She even picked out the coloring of the floaties and the writing.
Here she is watching us as we sing to her.
Still waiting. Ian didn't get a pic of her blowing the candles out.
Hunter got a snare drum with a strap to go around her neck, a tamborine, harmonica, and one other music thing (that pink thing next to the tamborine).
Here I am showing the people on the couch her new Dora dress.
Here's a spring hoodie that she got from aunt Leslie and uncle Kelly.
Summer top for this summer. It has a chick on it and says "Sweet Chick".
Here's another hoodie, only in orange.
Here's 1 of the 2 pairs of shoes that she got for her birthday.
Sock monkey won everyone over, including her.
Here's some pj's from Aunt Karsten and Uncle David. It says "Dance, Smile, Dream"
Here's another set of pj's. She's going to be 1 styling girl, that's for sure. Everyone asked what she wanted for her b-day, and I said clothes. Boy, did Hunter have a fun time opening all of the clothes.
Lastly, a cookie monster HUGE coloring book with stickers in it. It's pretty tall, and she loves it.

All in all, it was a good birthday, and we even showed up and had a surprise visit from Aunt Patricia and Uncle Steven, who are in town from San Jose area for a week.

Dang computer

2010-02-14T21:20:00.001-08:00

The computer is having problems loading the pictures. I go to click on browse, to pull up the files with the pictures, to upload them on my blog. When I click on "browse", it does NOTHING. It brings me back to this screen. I don't know if it's a javascript error, or what exactly is going on.

So, until Ian can get a chance to look at it tomorrow morning (Monday), I can't put up any pictures :(. Sorry mom, I'll get them up tomorrow morning, then put up the ones from the zoo tomorrow night. Love you.

Catching Up

2010-02-14T21:14:00.000-08:00

I was talking to my mom and dad tonight, to see if she had seen a good money saving/making deal at Target in the ad. She mentioned that I needed to keep my blog updated, I told her I'd try, so here I am updating my blog.

After Christmas, life got busy with me going back to work (had 4 day weekends for Christmas and New Years), and Ian starting "county hosted" job searching classes. I was keeping up with facebook, but neglecting my blog. I'm sorry everyone. I know it was my New Years resolution, to do better with my blog. I promise now that I have fun things to report, that I'll update my blog more often. If not, you can hunt me down for it..... lol.

Mid January, Ian had a job interview for Assistant Manager at Famous Footwear. He was hired on the spot, and started the week after. He was promised 30 hours/week A@ $9/hr, but has only been getting 20-25 hours a week. I can't complain though, since it's still money and still a job for him. Hopefully things will pick up when the manager goes on maternity leave, and people come in to start buying shoes.

K, off to put some more updates up and put more pictures up.

New Year

2010-01-26T18:56:00.000-08:00

I just looked at my blog and realized, I didn't do so well in 2009. Here's to doing better in 2010 (ok, so January is almost over).

Christmas was amazing. I worked the week of Christmas, but was lucky enough to have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off. Ian got a job at UPS for December as a driver helper. He brought home tips, butcher meat, and chocolate. It was a fun time for him, but unfortunately, that job ended Christmas Eve. It was back to looking for jobs for him.

Christmas Eve my brother-in-law Shane drove up from Southern CA. He stayed with his parents, and we got to spend the day with him after Ian got off work. We went up to Dutch Flat to spend time with Ian's family. It was a very nice night with orderves (sp?) and talking. We came back down to Rocklin and walked around the neighborhood to look at all the Christmas lights and decorations people had in front of their houses. I walked that neighborhood 3 times and never took pictures :(. You'll have to wait until next year.

Christmas Day I was up at 5:30 A.M. Yes, I was up before my 2.5 yr old. I stayed in the bedroom and looked at e-mails and facebook on my phone. Hunter woke up at 7:30, Ian woke up shortly after that, and McKenna was the last to wake up. I took a picture of all the presents in front of our tree, and will post that this weekend. I didn't take any pictures of presents being opened since I played Santa. Family came over at 9:00 for breakfast and presents. It took us 1.5 to open all the presents (a lot of them were for Hunter and McKenna so it took longer, and we have a tradition of opening presents one person at a time). We had eggs, biscuits and gravy for breakfast with yulekaka bread and Goat's cheese with it. The family took off so Shane could get dressed, and they could take a nap. That afternoon we headed up to Dutch Flat again for dinner. It was a nice dinner with more orderves (sp?) and lots more talking. I always enjoy going up there.

The New Year came and went. We had the missionaries over for dinner, then played games with Ian's parents. They left at 11:00 to get home before all the traffic got bad, and we put Hunter to bed. I fell asleep on the couch at 11:45 with McKenna on my stomach. I tried so hard to not fall asleep, to make it to midnight. Ian came to wake me up at 12:00 to give me a kiss, wish me a Happy New Year, and told me to put McKenna in bed and come to bed.

Since the New Year, Ian attended 2 weeks of County supervised job workshops. The last day of class, Ian got a call for a job at Famous Footwear for Assistant Manager. He gets $9/hr and will work 30 hours a week. We were happy for him.

I promise to put pictures up this weekend of the girls (they're getting so big). Until then, keep being who you are and remember we love you.

P.S. Losing weight this year. Lost 10 lbs since November. Let's hope I'm more healthy in 2010 than I was in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Jeep

2009-12-21T18:28:00.000-08:00

Our dash displays. The top is the CD player, the middle are the temperature knobs and the bottom display tells us if we need to service the Jeep, doors are open, or if light bulbs went out.
This is the backseat looking to the rear hatch.
Side view

Full view.

Free earring giveaway

2009-11-13T20:52:00.000-08:00

My friend is doing a free pair of earrings giveaway on her blog. One of the ways I can win is to link this site to my blog. She has her own jewelry business. Check it out...

http://skydivingthroughlife.blogspot.com/2009/11/sassy-jewels-giveaway-2-winners.html

McKenna scooting

2009-11-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

Here's another video of McKenna scooting. I have also included a pic of her new crib.

McKenna at 6 months

2009-11-06T16:51:00.000-08:00

Ian took this video of McKenna giggling last night and so I thought I'd pass it along. Hope you can all see it.

Halloween

2009-10-30T21:31:00.001-07:00

Me as Satan's wife. You can't see, but there are horns on my wig.
Hunter's a lion.
Ian's a devil with horns.
We had our ward trunk or treat tonight, so here's the pics.

Our new place!!!

2009-10-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Our master bath. The shower is on your left, not shown in picture.
Our master bedroom closets.
Our master bedroom. The other white chair that was given to us that has clothes on it, waiting to be put away. As you can see, we're still not fully unpacked.
This dresser we brought from CA. It's only 3 drawers so we separate the girls clothes into 2 dressers.
Girl's bedroom. McKenna sleeps in pack n play on your left. Hunter is on toddler bed straight ahead. Dresser that you see we found in front of our dumpster.
Card table that I use for ironing.
Our computer desk and computer.
Our office. White chair and bookshelf also came from members of our ward.
Girl's tub.
Girl's bathroom.
Girl's bathroom.
Washer and dryer. We wouldn't look at a place unless it came with it...
Living room. The huge hutch was free, and couch was off craigslist. Coffee table was from freeceycle. Everything else was from IA.
Dining room. This was a free dining room set from members of our ward.
Kitchen

Fall funnies!!!

2009-10-24T19:54:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of McKenna and Hunter.

Hunter in black and white. I love it....
She's such a happy little girl...

What more???

2009-10-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

So when we thought our life was going well, it did a 180. We are now without a vehicle as our van decided to stop running in front of the DMV yesterday. It wasn't the battery as we tried to get it jumped. We are at our wits end since it hasn't even been 30 days. It just bites because yesterday was a month to the day of my accident with the Honda, so it wasn't a good day for me already. Then we were excited about getting our licenses and couldn't even get that done. We got the van towed to a tow yard for free since Ian's parents were in Reno for the day, and they were the ones with AAA. We called Enterprise and got a rental set up, then had them come and get us and all of our junk that was inside the van. We got set up with a car and proceeded to drop the girls off at daycare. We went home to grab some lunch, let Ian get changed for his internship interview, then went to school. I e-mailed the sellers to let them know we were through putting money into a piece of c***. We'll see what they say....

So for now we are using Ian's parents car since we only had the rental for a day. We'll return it Wednesday night and hopefully that will give us time to figure out how I'm going to get to work each day until we get another vehicle.

Update: Ian didn't get the internship. It turns out they were looking for a kid to mentor rather than an intern, but he did get referred to a graphic design company who might need an intern. Both the state farm employee and his friend that does graphic design are members of our stake. Hopefully something will come of this, as we still have NO JOB. Remind me why we moved from a stable life in IA to having everything go wrong in CA????

I will get pictures posted soon, don't know when but I'll do it sometime.

New internship

2009-09-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

I got the internship at Adams & Hayes Law Firm. I will be starting on Thursday, October 1st. This gives me a week from tomorrow to come up with some dress pants for work. I have the proper shoes and shirts, just need some pants. Luckily it's not too formal of a job where I have to wear a pant suit, skirt, or dress. I'm grateful for that...

Other news. Ian and I have found a replacement vehicle. It's a 1994 Plymouth Voyager. It's grey with tan interior. We had some mechanical problems with it in the beginning, but have since gotten it fixed. Luckily it was cheap enough, or we would've sold it back to the previous owners for selling us a lemon car. We're excited to have a vehicle of our own, and the best thing of all is we don't have any payments.

We are slowly getting things unpacked and into place. Send pictures of the apt later when it looks orderly.

View with Discretion-Honda pics

2009-09-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

Here are pics of the Honda from the accident. The claims representative from Progressive took these so I didn't have to go to the tow yard myself. I'm grateful as I think I would've crumbled. Can you not look at these and tell me God didn't have a hand in helping me to walk away with just scrapes and bruises, when I was supposed to die???

Aren't they cute???

2009-09-15T18:55:00.001-07:00

Accident pictures

2009-09-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures of Hunter and I from the accident. Look at these with your discretion. The marks on Hunter are on her neckline on the right hand side. You can see a red mark/scratch/abrasion. The other pictures are of my face, my 2 legs, and my left arm.

Pictures of the damage to the car are coming when I get them from the insurance company.

I GOT THE JOB!!!!!

2009-09-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

Yep, I got the internship at Adams & Hayes Law Firm. Will post more details later when I have them.

9-11

2009-09-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

It's 9-11 today. Where were you 8 years ago?? Do you remember what you were doing when you saw the news or heard about the plane hitting the World Trade Center? I had just woken up for seminary my junior year, and was watching the news. My mom was in the sewing room working. I turned on the news and they were just showing recaps of the plane hitting. My mind was in a daze trying to figure out if I was dreaming. This is huge to have a plane crash into both WTC's and the Pentagon!!!!!! This was the beginning of another war, when we already had troops out in Iraq... this was the beginning to several men and women dedicating their lives to helping to serve our country, some of them not making it back alive... some coming back injured for the rest of their lives...

I remember going to seminary and being one of the few students who knew about it. My sister Sara was going to school with me that day (she graduated when I was a freshman), as she wanted to see her choir teacher (who was my choir teacher). By the time I got to school, kids were just learning about the crash. In 1st hour I had history. 2nd hour I had Geometry, and by 3rd hour it was prep. I knew when I walked into 3rd hour that we would be dismissing early. A good portion of the students at our school lived on base (Luke Air Force) and they would be locking it up. Therefore, come 10 min into 3rd period prep, the intercom came on and the principal said that the buses would be here to pick us up, get rides home from parents, and go home. The rest is history. I remember going to choir after school let out and meeting Sara, and my choir teacher had just learned that she had lost a family member as a result of the crash. To see her break down and not know how to console her was hard...

9-11..... A day I'll always remember..... A day that will make the history books when our kids enter school.

Internship

2009-09-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

I just got news that I have an interview for an internship with an attorney's office. This is a big deal to me. True, I have a sister that has worked for an attorney before. I will probably call her over the weekend to get tips from her. I have my instructor (Jared) and Ian's instructor (Jan) that both gave me an excellent recommendation to the hiring manager. The hiring supervisor was a prior student of Jan's, and both Jan and Jared have a good feeling about me getting the internship. I will be interviewing on Tuesday, Sept. 15th at 9:30 A.M. I will send out an update that day at school if I know any update. I will be working with Jared today and Monday in class to personalize my resume and cover letter for this specific internship. This will allow me to specifically point out the skills that I have that are valuable to the company. This is a non-paying internship at first, but could lead on to be a career where I would get paid.

So much happening. We went and got the girls car seats last night at Target, and McKenna is now in a cute pink and brown flowered car seat. We found Hunter a booster seat that has a back to it so it looks like a car seat. However, when she gains another 10 lbs (around 4-5 years old), then we can take the backing off and it's just a booster chair. She loves her new car seat, and I feel safer knowing they're in brand new car seats.

The car front is coming along. We found a 2000 Mazda van that has 117,000 miles on it. It's selling for $5495 which sounds like a lot of money for a 9 yr old vehicle. However, since we wouldn't be taking it anywhere long distance (we would fly and rent a car on any vacations), then it works for us. I'm hoping to get it paid off in no time before it completely breaks down. We should have the van in our possession by tomorrow, and it has been cleared for inspection for prior accidents and other damages, and there are none. That makes me reassured that we're driving a reliable car.

K, I need to work with Jared now on my resume and cover letter. Look for pictures this weekend on my blog that will have pictures of the accident, and I promise to include happy pictures of the apt. Happy 9-11 everyone. It's been 8 years.

Eventful weekend

2009-09-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

If any of you are friends with me on facebook, you'll have learned that I was in a car accident over the weekend. I was in the Honda with Hunter and McKenna in the backseat, with Ian in front of me and his dad following me. Ian had already merged on and I was checking my lanes. I saw that a black car was moving from the #2 lane into the #3 lane (far right). To avoid side swiping him, I pulled onto the shoulder. For some reason, I ended up fishtailing and couldn't get a hold of the car, and smashed head on into the concrete divider that divides East and Westbound lanes of the freeway. Luckily the car stopped and didn't break through the concrete. For some reason the black car didn't stop or even slow down. Ian and his dad both saw me swerve out of control and crash so they pulled onto the shoulder and ran across traffic to help me out. I put the car into park, turned it off, and then climbed out. I had 2 drivers that were headed Westbound that stopped, jumped the median and helped me out of the car. Then the guy put me on the other side of the concrete with his wife while he got Hunter out. Ian, in the meantime, was able to carefully get McKenna out. Police were already there and so were the firefighters. They began to check me out, they put a neck brace on me, and then waited for the ambulance for a backboard. Ian's grandma came up since she had stayed home, and she proceeded to call Ian's grandpa since he had left 15 min before us to go get Ian's uncle to help us move. They came back up the hill and helped with the clean up. When the ambulance arrived, they put me on a backboard, then put me on a stretcher. They loaded me into the ambulance and loaded Hunter in as well since she had seat belt abrasions.

Ian and his dad stayed behind to give a police report since they saw everything and I had blacked out and couldn't remember. They waited for his grandpa and uncle to get there and clean out the car since Ian and his dad were busy talking to authorities. The tow truck came out and towed the car, then Ian and his dad loaded up McKenna and headed over to the hospital. I was checked out for a sprained shoulder, wrist, bruises, back and neck pain, and was released 5 hours later with a prescription for Vikadon.

We called the insurance when we got home and filed the report. Luckily we're covered for rental car coverage with nothing out of pocket, car seat reimbursement (which will save us $200 since we have to replace them), and they'll pay off the damage total of the car. Since this number happens to be more than what the payoff value was (the remainder of the loan), then we'll get a check for the difference. They're also going to send us to a car dealership that deals with Progressive clients like us that have no car and no job. They will help us to find a car and get a loan. This way we'll be able to get a small enough percentage APR to pay the car off faster, so we're out of debt faster.

Will post pictures tonight. We're all okay. The car has been totaled due to the damage, but we walked away with just scrapes, bruises, and a bit of pain. I thank you for all your prayers. I love you all and I'm grateful that the Lord was watching out for me and the girls, and kept us from any physical SERIOUS harm. The car is replaceable; that's just a possession. However, Ian can't replace Hunter, McKenna or me.... I had a long prayer that night to the Lord giving him my thanks for keeping us safe from harm. It made me realize how fast life can change....

Until next time....

Updated pics

2009-09-01T15:47:00.000-07:00

McKenna laying on our bed, smiling.

McKenna in her pretty church outfit.

This was a month ago when I decided to have all 3 of us match. Ian didn't like it, but we got a lot of comments at church.

Hunter standing out on the front deck, looking cute.

McKenna laying on Ian's grandparents bed. His grandpa took these pictures.

Hunter smiling for the camera eating her Strawberry Shortcake. The only way she'd eat it was to pose for the camera.

*Blowing a kiss*

"I did it"!!!!!!!!!!

Announcements, Announcements, Announcements

2009-08-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

So we finally got approved for the apt at 455 Joiner Parkway#65 in Lincoln, CA 95648. Supposing that the previous tenants leave it in good condition on Monday when they move out, then we will be moving in on Friday, Sept 4 after school. We are SOOOOO excited to finally have our own place. We move a week from TODAY!!!!! Wow, so many things to get ready.

Ian and I have started college classes. I'm taking Financial Services and he is taking Computer Technology now (instead of Digital Communications). We are both being placed into internships in 3-5 weeks. This helps us to be at school at the same time, but have less baby sitting money being paid out. So now instead of being gone 8:30-4, we're gone 11:30-4. When we get moved next Friday, we'll be right around the corner from the school, so it's only a 5 min drive there and a 5 min drive home. We'll go to church on Sunday to find a babysitter for the girls, and I hope Hunter takes to them well. I don't want to leave her with someone when Hunter's screaming her head off all day and they can't calm her down. Let's pray for someone who knows how to distract kids.

With the internships from school, Ian will probably be interning for Staples. I found out last night at Back to School night that I will be placed as an Accounting Assistant for the CHAMBER OF COMMERCE!!!!! Seriously, people???? I'm so scared out of my mind, but know that my instructor has faith in me and I'll excel well. I'll get paid $10.75/hr for 4 months while someone is on maternity leave.

Ian and I are also on cash aid (which gives us money to pay rent, bills, buy household items otherwise not covered on food stamps). We have applied for unemployment, so we'll see what happens.

I need to get going for school soon, just thought I would update. Look forward to more pictures posted tonight after school.

Happy Birthday to me

2009-08-02T16:02:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to me. I woke up, got the kids ready and we went to church. Came home and Ian's parents said they were going to pay to turn our cell phones back on for my birthday. What a wonderful present!!

So many good things to look forward to this week. Stay tuned....

2009-08-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

Yay!!!! Good news!!!!!!!!

2009-07-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

We had our interview this week for food stamps. We found out that we have $991 in food stamps. Then starting August 9th we'll get $668 each month until we go over the income bracket. The $991 was from June and partial July.

We also found out that we'll be getting at least $500/mo in cash aide which can be used like a debit card so we can pay bills and buy diapers and other household items. This money combined with whatever jobs we get will help us to pay our credit cards, get our phones turned back on, and MOVE OUT!!!!!!

"Moving on up, to the east side... Du wah deluxe apt in the sky...."

Slide show

2009-07-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a slide show that Ian put together. Some of these you've seen, and some are new. There's a picture of my mom with Hunter in there (they're sitting on the couch). There's a picture of Margaret, Hunter and I (outside a restaurant), and a picture of Terri and Hunter (she was our attendant on duty at the laundromat). Otherwise, it's pictures of Hunter, McKenna, Ian and I. Oh, I forgot the pictures of Hunter with her grandpa Fitzgerald. There, that should answer all your questions.

2nd round of pics

2009-07-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

Here's the blackberry, raspberry, etc bushes. I love having fresh berries in the morning with cereal. And we get them with dessert depending on what we're having.
Here's the little bit of grass that they have. This is on the side of the house.
Here's the fruit bushes again with rock landscape in front of it.
Here's the back of the house. The door on the bottom puts you at the bottom of the stairs. The deck puts you at grandma and grandpa's room.
Here's a picture of the side of the house. The 2 sliding doors are for the living room downstairs (left) and the food storage room (right). The sliding doors that are covered on top by blinds is the side entrance to the living room. Under the deck next to the sliding doors is a storage area for their trash cans, recycling cans, and burn cans.

More pictures to come hopefully tomorrow.

Pics I promised

2009-07-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

Ian was playing with his balloon and took a pic of the Spiderman hat he made. He looks so serious.....
I'm holding McKenna and Ian has Hunter. My mom made the dress, as it was mine, then Hunter wore it, now McKenna.

Here's the pics from McKenna's blessing. I'm sorry it took so long to post these. Left to right: Ian's dad, Ian, McKenna, friend Scott, bro-in-law Scott and friend Paul. These were the guys that were in the circle not including the bishopric.

On a happier note, I found out that a Sears nearby is hiring, and I tried to fill out an app. It told me that since I worked there less than 90 days ago, to contact HR to set up an interview. I got home and called and got it set up. I'm having the paperwork faxed over today and hopefully when I call on Friday, they have something for me. We could both use this good news, and the money.

Thanks for all your support from the previous post. I'm glad that I have so many viewers of my blog, and I'm happy to report that things shoud get better from here on.

How much more?????

2009-07-15T23:48:00.000-07:00

The question for the week is: How much more can we (or me) handle??? We started off Saturday with Hunter getting heat stroke, so we drove home after having driven 40 miles to the storage unit, for a 10 min. job. Then on Sunday we found out we had a flat, but luckily we had a road hazard warranty so Sears would cover it. Monday we put on the donut and drove the 40 miles to Sears (yes, we really are in the middle of nowhere) and had them put on a new tire. Since it wasn't repairable but it wasn't a total blowout, we still had to pay $25 for a new tire. Not bad when it's a $60 tire but still more money than we had. Ian and I headed to the mall across the street (the Sears auto center isn't connected to the Sears). I had my job interview for Destination Maternity and Ian was going to let Hunter play in the playyard in front of the store and twist balloons too, to see if he could get some tips from doing balloon animals. After 2 hours, he made $10 and I had my interview where I was told to wait for a phone call by Friday.

Tuesday was an okay day. We didn't do much, except go to the library and Hunter's doctor's appt. After her appt I decided to call Addy (our landlord from the condos) to check on the deposit. Here's what she said: "I'm really disspointed in you. I showed up and there was trash on the front porch, the carpets were completely stained, the oven was dirty, the blinds were filthy, there was trash in the garage. Plus, I got a report from the complex that you left mattresses and furniture (which isn't true, by the way) and now i'm being sued. I have a board meeting on Wednesday and I'll know more how much s*** I have to put up with and then I'll send out a letter explaining where your deposit is going". Needless to say I started crying. Though Ian and I didn't ever pay his parents rent to live there, nor did we pay for the security deposit, that's $2,000 that his parents will never see. The carpet is cheap and we've TRIED NUMEROUS times to clean the spots with carpet sprays, we did a Rug Doctor from Stater Bros. If she wanted to, she could have the carpets cleaned by professionals and it would be cheaper than replacing them, but no she's just going to replace them and cost us more money. The blinds were cheap and never worked right in the first place. We had 2 of them that tore off and so they wouldn't hang. We did PLACE some small furniture items by the dumpster (lamps, bookshelves, etc) but we didn't put them IN the dumpster. When we took more trash out 10 min. later all the furniture was gone. We only had 2 people come to help clean, bless their hearts, you know who you are. I WISH I would've planned it ahead of time so I could've gotten some definite commitments from people from church. We were at the condo 'til 10:30 trying to clean it up, and we still had to leave it a mess. We ran out of time and energy, had a 10 hour drive the next day and still needed to check into the hotel. It scares me that it'll hinder us being able to rent again. We're not filthy tenants, and it hurts to hear that.

Wednesday (today, well okay for the last 5 min it will be Wed) we headed to the library. I had called using grandparent's home phone to reserve 2 computers since they only have 2 computers in the whole library, and Ian and I both needed them. We got ready and headed out, but were running behind so I thought i'd call to let them know we'd be a little late. Dial the number and I get this message: "your phone has been temporarily suspended". Of course I told Ian and he wasn't too happy. We did our thing at the library, and we came home. Ian was upset at that point, because we have $9 to our name, 4+ accounts in collections (between credit cards and our electric bill from IA that still needs to be paid), a little under 1/2 a tank of gas left, and now our cell phones have been turned off. How are we supposed to get a job if the employers can't contact us???? How are we supposed to turn our phones back on if we can't get a job???? So, Ian and I have spent the day being depressed and trying to figure out what to do. Ian can go to restaurants on Friday nights and do balloon animals for tips, but that requires a 20 mile drive each way. Then Saturday he could go to the mall and playland again and make some more tips. Again, that's a 40 mile drive each way. How does this all work out???

How many more trials can we endure?? We're doing our best filling out job applications for ANYTHING, we're trying to help out around the house, look for a place to live, etc. This also doesn't help since the 2 places we really want to live won't take us or want too much from us. The income restricted apt. complex wants the following documents: birth certificates from each member living there (those are in storage which aren't accessible right now and we don't have McKenna's), and the last 2 years of tax returns (to make sure we didn't make over what we can make to live there.. those too are in storage SOMEWHERE. I'm not good at keeping things filed). The 2nd apt complex needs us to have a 6.0 score or better when they check our credit. They want to make sure that we don't have any evictions, we don't have ANY accounts in collections (we failed that one), and we have a certain credit score (which I know we don't).

Please tell me when the good things will start coming around. I really need some faith right now, cuz I'm scared that we won't get out on our own until September. We've been married 3 years and 4 months now and we've only lived on our own for 1.5 years. How much longer are we going to live with family?? We have worse arguments that turn into yelling matches when we live with family, and our marriage is in shambles. We need to be out on our own, but when will that be???

Please help... I miss all of you tons and wish I could have all my friends in one place.... Hopefully I'll have some better news next time I update on here.

We're here

2009-07-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

We're here in Dutch Flat, CA (but this blog comes to you from Applegate, CA) and loving the weather. It's been in the 90's but being in the deep woods it doesn't feel like it. It's been nice feeling secure at night with the sliding glass doors open, the windows open, the cars unlocked etc. The weather is nice and cool at night with it in the high 50's to low 60's. The weather this week however has been in the 70's during the day which makes it nice to sit out on the back deck with grandma and grandpa and just relax.

We've been here for 8 days now and haven't stopped moving. We slowed down for 4th of July weekend since most of the apt complexes and businesses were closed. We enjoyed a parade on Saturday where it goes around the town twice because it's so small. The fire truck even drove in the parade and tossed a teddy bear to Hunter, and she loved it. Of course an 8 yr old girl thought it was hers, so I had to snatch it out of her hands. I let her have all the candy though. I promise there's lots of pictures to come when I can get them uploaded. We had a bbq on Sunday at Kelly and Leslie's and then started again on Monday. We've been to the Galleria mall in Roseville three times and still haven't walked the whole mall.

I have a job interview Monday at 12:30 for Destination Maternity, Co. which includes Motherhood Maternity and A Pea in the Pod. They were the only store in the mall that was hiring out of the 10 applications that I picked up for other stores. Ian however is still looking for jobs. He's been applying online for Kaiser (which is a doctor's office/hospital in CA), Hollywood Video, AT&T, Best Buy, FYE (For Your Entertainment), and some other stores. He's also working on getting himself enrolled at Sierra College so he can finish up his AA and do some web design classes. Then he can get himself a career and we'll be on the ball then with a steady career and hopefully by then I can stay home with the kids. But, that's still at least a year down the road.

We're taking it day by day, and now that I know where 4 libraries are that are close to us, I promise to update my blog more often and I promised my Aunt Joy that I would put up some pictures of where we're living and the kids.

Until then....

2 days left 'til moving day

2009-06-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know I said I would put pictures up with my last blog, and I'm sorry. With the move getting closer, I got busy and forgot. We re-took the blessing pictures so I was going to send you those but they ended up on the camera and not on the memory card. With the USB cable packed up, I had no choice but to wait. So, you will be waiting until we get moved this week and then I will send the pictures.

We've got all the packing done except for the last minute things like the computer, last minute kitchen utensils, etc. I'm hoping we get enough Relief Society sisters here to help clean, since I'm the only one that can clean while the guys are loading stuff. Mary will be taking care of McKenna and Sarah (bless her heart) will be taking Hunter to the pool to splash around in. Thanks a TON Sarah, I'm glad you'll be able to help.... I owe you. I'm glad we got to hang out with you the last couple of weekends, and I'm glad you've gotten some good quality time with McKenna. I appreciate it.

So, with only 2 days left I bid farewell. At my grandparents there isn't DSL internet as they can't get the connection, so they are only online for a little bit. I will have to update my blog and facebook when we go to the library to pay bills. Wish us luck in finding jobs and getting a place and money saved up to move out.

Wish us luck in the drive as I'll have both girls in my car, Ian is driving the U-Haul and Mike and Mary are driving their car. Until then....

1 week and 5 days 'til moving day

2009-06-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

Yep, we're down to almost a week left before we pull out of Southern CA for good. Though we'll miss people from our ward, and we'll miss our friends, it'll be good for us. This will give us a fresh start and a new place to live. A new place to live our lives and raise our children. It'll give Ian a chance to go to school and for me to work and also raise the kids. I'm grateful that we both have family up there so we know we'll be busy during the holidays.

Ian is still working Sunday nights with Shane at Event Masters. He only works for 3.5 hours but it's more than we had before we got here. His parents have been busy with his mom finishing up work and us getting the bills paid and errands run to prepare for the move. Mary (Ian's mom) finally finished after 23 years of teaching and she is OFFICIALLY retired. Thursday was her last day at Bloomington High School. Now she'll look forward to watching McKenna and Hunter while we work, and is looking forward to spending more time with her grandkids and in-laws. Mike (Ian's dad) will be looking for work along with Ian and I. I am hoping to go back to Sears but depending on the hours that they can work me and requirements for working Sunday, I may be finiding a different job while I work Sears. I'm also debating taking schooling to become a secretary of some kind. I work well with people, excellent on the phone, profficient in the 10 key, and love customer service work. So far I've done cashiering but that's the closest i've gotten besides working in the Hardware department selling tools, which also gave me the chance to work side by side with customers and to satisfy their needs. I don't know if I'll get around to it anytime soon, but it's a dream...

McKenna just turned 6 weeks old and she had her first check-up. She weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz though you wouldn't know it since she's still in preemie clothes and diapers. Ian and I are enjoying her smiles to get us through these stressful times. Hunter has her good days and bad days, but we enjoy her good days a lot better. We cherish them and can't wait for the moves to be over (I'll explain in the next paragraph), so she can be back to her old self. She senses the stress of all of us which causes her to act out.

We have 2 moves coming up. We are moving from Grand Terrace to Dutch Flatt to live with Ian's grandparents. After we raise enough money, then we'll move from Dutch Flatt to either Roseville or Rocklin where we will finally be on our own. Ian and I are hoping to make it out of his grandparents before my birthday (August 2nd). Prayers would be much appreciated....

Look for updates and more pictures to come soon.

3 weeks left

2009-06-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

We only have 3 weeks from Tuesday before we're packing up in the cars and U-Haul and leaving Southern CA for good. I can't wait to get back to work (still need to call and see if the store in Roseville is hiring) and bring in some income for our family. I pray that Ian can find something that will also help bring in income, will be steady and hopefully day-time hours, and that he'll get into school soon. He knows what he wants to study, it's just a matter of getting the funding and then getting started. He wants to study web design and major in computer science. It's something that he's good at and he enjoys doing. Why not make a living out of it? His dream is to have me stay home with the kids and live comfortably.

Other than knowing where we want to go with our life, we've been trying to hang on here. Ian is only working one night a week for 4 hours helping his brother Shane. His paychecks aren't much so we've been having to push back credit card payments, car loan payments, car insurance, cell phone, etc. We've been able to pay some credit cards but it all depends on how much the minimum payment is. I've been able to check both our credit scores for free without doing it as an inquiry (thankfully) and my score was a shock to me. It was A LOT lower than what it needs to be (i've closed 2 credit cards in the last year), so when we are living on our own and more stable financially, that will be my goal. If we want to be able to get a 2nd car so we can have more kids, and move into a house to have more kids, then my credit score needs to be higher. Ian's on the other hand is actually not too shabby, though it too could use some work.

We've been looking at places to live and we've found 2 complexes that we like in Roseville. Now we're just waiting to see if they're in a safe neighborhood, and go from there. Of course we're only halfway there financially too, so it's not the only thing we need to work on. Maybe if we get lucky we could rent a house. But then again, who's dreaming???

Enjoy some pictures of McKenna taken this week. She would've been 4 weeks old (turned a month old today, though).

Hmmmm, what to do next????

Let me tell you, Mommy......

4 weeks left

2009-05-29T09:23:00.001-07:00

We have found 2 potential places in Roseville (close to Rocklin and we're hoping in a good neighborhood). They're both under $900/mo for 2 bed, 2 bath, which for CA is unheard of unless you're in the slums. That's why i'm praying these 2 places are in a good neighborhood.

Ian is still sticking to working for Event Masters with Shane and helped him out yesterday. He'll be helping him Saturday at an event in Irvine (I think) and then strike (popping the balloons) on Sunday night. This week he'll have more hours so the money will be more coming in. This paycheck coming up next week should allow us to get caught up on bills for the month that we've been pushing back. Then hopefully things will stay steady enough that we don't have to ask for any more extensions.

McKenna is 3 weeks old (as of Wednesday) and she's still so small, but has been getting a little bigger. Still waiting for Medi-Cal to kick in so we can take her to the doctor. I delivered her at Kaiser but won't be able to go to Kaiser due to not having correct insurance (Kaiser or IEHP). Will try to get pictures of McKenna posted this weekend.

4 more weeks until the move. We'll be loading up a U-Haul trailer that will hold our stuff and his parents stuff. We'll get it on Friday (26th) and try to get it loaded that night. Clean on Saturday and turn in key and leave for Northern CA on Sunday (28th).

New pictures, still no job

2009-05-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have new pictures of McKenna that I will post. As for an update on us, Ian still has no job, except working for a couple of hours on Sunday night with his brother. We leave June 30th for Rocklin and I wonder if we will get caught up on bills by then. I hate being behind and not having money come in. Makes for some hot days at home with 1 fan in each room and no AC on, due to trying to keep the bills low for his parents. I pray that we will get everything ready for the move and have the condo cleaned in time to bring in potential renters. Since it's a private property, the landlord sends people over ahead of time to look at our unit before they move in. This means the carpets need to be cleaned, the walls, the bedrooms, etc. Time will fly by fast so hopefully his parents get in gear and get their part done.

Here's pictures of McKenna since being home. Our friend Becca is holding her, and the other picture is of her and her husband Scott.

Coming home

2009-05-12T00:20:00.000-07:00

She will be released tomorrow, pending her tests come back okay tonight. She was supposed to be released Sunday, but her belly ruben test came back too high so she was put in an incubator with the lamps over her. She was taken off this morning (Monday) and she was eating 50 to 60 cc yesterday and today.

We are grateful for all of your prayers, love and support. We couldn't have gotten through this without all of you.

Have more pictures, but will do a separate post when she gets home.

Pictures and Update

2009-05-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

She has been in NICU for 3 days now and she has improved a ton. She is off the IV and breathing tube and drinking 40 cc of formula. She passed her blood tests and car seat stress test with flying colors. Now they're just waiting for her to drink 45 cc of milk every feeding for 4 feedings straight before they'll discharge her. Here's some pictures for you all to enjoy...

Fine daddy, i'll open my eyes for you....
I like this picture of Ian and McKenna. She has him wrapped around her finger already. It's hilarious....
I kept switching her from one arm to the other so she's a little mad at me. She did calm down seconds after the picture was taken though..
I'm keeping an eye on you, daddy..

She's here

2009-05-07T22:49:00.000-07:00

McKenna Joy Fitzgerald came into the world Wednesday, May 6th at 10:41 am. She weighed in at 6 lbs, 7 oz and 19 1/4" long. She has lots of hair that is dark, but at least she has hair. She is currently in NICU for some fluctuation in her heart rate. We are praying for her to recover fast enough for her to come home soon.

Now for an update on her. I have called the NICU nurse and McKenna was sleeping (imagine that at 11 at night, duh!!). The nurse said that since i've been home today she has finally decided to drink some formula and her breathing has normalled out. This means that she's able to be swaddled since they're not focused on looking at her chest anymore when she breathes. If she continues to eat 30ml or more and keep it down, she will be off the IV. This means there is a possibility that she will be released this weekend or Monday at the latest.

Prayers would be much appreciated. Thanks... Oh, and stay tuned for more updates and I will also post pictures of her.

Heading to hospital

2009-05-05T22:14:00.001-07:00

We are headed to the hospital in an hour. I have been having contractions for the past 2 days, but after being examined, i'm only 1 cm dilated and 20% efaced. That was yesterday (Monday). Today we walked the mall to check on job opportunities for Ian, and ever since after dinner I've been having 1-3 minutes apart and they've been getting more intense as time goes on. The bags are packed, his parents have Hunter's car seat, and we're headed soon to get examined. Stay posted.

We've arrived

2009-05-03T16:15:00.001-07:00

We are in CA (got in Saturday night just in time for dinner). It was a nice trip and I'm grateful to Ian's aunt and uncle for helping us into the house at 2:30 Saturday morning. Then getting up 5 hours later to make breakfast, and even taking care of me when Braxton Hicks got out of control. I even got to take a bath in a spa tub which was nice. Thanks Polly.

This week will be filled with getting food stamps switched over and WIC checks set up for CA. Then getting in for a check up at the hospital since a dr won't touch me with a 10 ft pole. Ian also needs to be looking around and hopefully get some interviews for this week. It will be good to have Ian home during the day.

I'll post more later when I have an update on how McKenna is doing. So far still pregnant and I'll be 36 weeks on Tuesday.

Almost here

2009-04-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

We are less than 2 weeks away from the move. We have the ABF Pod reserved to get delivered on 29th during the day. We'll load it up that night and then finish last minute items on 30th. We've sold the furniture that needs to get sold on craigslist, and we're just listing some other miscellaneous items that we could live without. We're excited to be back around family but I will miss my family. I know that this is the best decision for our family (Ian, Hunter and I), and I pray we succeed there in CA.

On the pregnancy note, I'll be 34 weeks on Tuesday and my doctor's appt is that morning. I'll get my last round of shots done and will get measured to make sure i'm doing okay. They'll also check the heartrate of McKenna and make sure everything is okay. Then they'll hand me the paperwork for me to carry on the road and they'll also fax it to the dr there in CA (which I don't have one). I work at Sears Monday night and Thursday night then i'll be done until I have the baby and can get back to work.

Moving update again

2009-03-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

We will be moving in May instead of July, so now comes the stress. Our landlord called me Tuesday morning while on spring break, and informed us that there were people that wanted to rent OUR apt on May 1st. If we wanted out of our lease early without paying a penalty, this was our only chance. We needed to give him a decision by Friday, so we had 3 days to decide if this was plausible.... After telling Ian and us discussing it while doing laundry that night, we decided to go for it. We called up family and asked for their opinions, and they just wanted to make sure we would be safe and were doing what was best for "our" family. So, on May 1st we'll be driving straight thru to Southern CA with a quick stop in UT to drop off a friend. She'll help with gas and driving, and I just need to make sure I have my paperwork on me from doctor's office just in case... Plus, this will help me to get in to doctor sooner rather than later before I deliver. I'll be 35 1/2 weeks when we move, and I had Hunter at 37 weeks. My doctor wants to make sure there are no complications on the road. This will require me getting up and actually walking around every 4 hours, but that will be about when we fill up with gas too, so I'll use it as an excuse to go to the bathroom and change Hunter.

I pray that our car will make it to UT and CA in safety with no problems in the middle, and that McKenna will be delivered in a safe environment and hopefully with our old doctor and hospital. We'll see. Keep looking for more updates....

Health inspection

2009-03-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

The health department came out Monday (not Wednesday) and found that we have high levels of carbon dioxide in the apt. Carbon Monoxide is what will kill you which is why you normally have a detector for it... Carbon dioxide will still kill u, just not as fast... We put a coat on Hunter and opened up all the windows and the levels went down. He suggested to leave the windows cracked 1" for every occupant in the room, and deal with it for now. He didn't even suggest getting it fixed or talking to landlord. High levels of carbon dioxide will cause vomiting, headaches, diarhea, etc. which is what Ian and Hunter found. He said by the time u get to a doctor or hospital, u wouldn't be able to trace it as you would've been outside and it would've left your system. I'm glad this visit was free and our questions have been answered...

I had a brief hospital visit Tuesday morning as I was having cold chills Sunday night and Monday night. Having Friday, Monday and then Tuesday off from babysitting, I finally decided to cave in and figure out what was wrong with me. I found out I have a 2nd UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) and so I'm on medicine to cure that. I will then be on medicine every day until I have the baby to make sure it doesn't come back again...

Update

2009-03-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, so without having internet at home for the past month, it's been harder for me to do an update. So, here I am with internet access and a day to write one...

The past month has been crazy. Ian and Hunter have both been in and out of hospitals or doctors. Ian was getting sick but it wasn't viral, however the doctors couldn't figure out what it was. Hunter was getting sick and not producing the diapers they wanted, but it was happening every once in a while and not consecutive. They chalked it up to viral and we didn't think to push the matter any. After her running a fever of 102.8 for a day, then down to 101.9 for 2 days, we decided to call the health inspector to have them come out and check our apt. They will be coming on Wednesday and we'll see what comes of that.

Ian is finally doing better and after having several tests run for IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), blocked arteries, pancreas, appendix, etc. they came up with nothing. He has had fun experimenting with different foods to see what makes him act up. So far he's found chocolate cake, but yet he's fine eating brownies, white cake, ice cream, etc. Hunter is also doing better for now.

On the pregnancy note, I am 28 weeks along and plan to deliver in the next 8-10 weeks. Lots to do to prep including trading in our single stroller at a consignment for credit towards a tandem stroller. We still need to get a car seat as well (Hunter's rear facing is in CA and will cost more to ship than to keep it there and have us get it when we move), and then we should be set except for diapers. We have plenty of clothes thanks to my sister and sister-in-law. We have a pack n play from Hunter, so we are just needing diapers which we'll start to stock up on as they go on sale. I have a doctors appt in 2 weeks and will let you know how I'm doing. So far McKenna is in good health and I anticipate for that to continue....

Bye for now....

All better

2009-01-29T07:42:00.000-08:00

After going on 4 days of no throwing up, or having the need to, I am happy to report that Ian has made a full recovery. At this point we're thinking that it was just a BAD 7 day bug :( He's back to sleeping normal and has his energy back at work. Now he's just struggling with wanting to quit at work for several reasons. We need all of your prayers, please, so we can make it through these next couple of months before we move. Although no one in IA wants to see us move again (especially our bishop), this is something that we need to do to better our family. Though the cost of living is cheaper here, and the life is slower paced, Ian isn't feeling himself out here like he thought he would. He's at a dead-end job with people that don't care about him, and think he should know how to read minds so he knows what his job is everyday. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how to read minds, so it makes him feel small when his co-worker won't fill him in on what they're doing for the day. Also, his boss has called him a child and a liar on several occasions, and this doesn't help Ian to want to wake up and go to work every day.

I'll keep you updated, and I pray that the work situation will become easier for him so we can prepare for our move this summer knowing we have the funds to do it.

Videos of Hunter dancing/jumping

2009-01-24T15:04:00.000-08:00

Here are some videos we managed to get of Hunter jumping/dancing to cartoons. Enjoy!!!

Sick season

2009-01-24T06:50:00.000-08:00

Ian's come down with some kind of flu that's been kicking him all winter. Since he grew up in Southern CA where it doesn't normally get cold, he's been having to adjust to this cold weather. He served a mission in Canada where it snows, but he's been home for 7 years that his body has had to readjust. So, when he wasn't getting any better (and actually worse, we thought), we took him to Urgent Care on Tuesday night. Since he doesn't have any insurance, this was the cheapest way for him to get care. He's had problems with his stomach feeling empty immediately after he's eaten, as if the signal from his stomach isn't connecting to his brain.

We found out it was digestion problems that have to do with too much spicy foods, stress, and too much weight gain. So, we stopped at the drugstore and bought the generic brand of Prilosec OTC. He went to bed Tuesday night and woke up Wednesday morning trying to throw up. After no success but being white as a ghost, he decided to stay home from work. We had dinner Wednesday night (mashed potatoes and pasta), and same result Thursday morning. Friday he woke up and was able to go to work, but was off early (2:30). We're praying that he gets better over the weekend so he can be in full recovery for work next week.

Pictures from Christmas

2009-01-13T17:50:00.000-08:00

Here are the pictures that we had done from a friend that took Ian and I's pictures when we met in December of '05. Since she's no longer working in the Portrait Studio at Sears, we decided to try out her business at her house. Here are the pictures that came from this session. I won't include all of them, just my favorites... ALL of them are on Facebook for you to enjoy.

It's a girl... and other things we've been up to

2009-01-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

We found out yesterday that we are having another girl. We have picked out Savannah Joy, McKenna Lynn, and McKenna Ione. We'll wait until she's born and then see what name fits her. Until then, we'll enjoy knowing what we are having (Hunter didn't want to show us) and be happy that she is healthy.

We'll be preparing for the move soon with saving up money and making sure that we have the funds available to move. We're excited to be back out in CA and luckily not out in the hot weather this time. I'm excited to be closer to Ian's grandparents, aunts and uncles so I can get to know them better.

Ian's still working for Buresh and will be looking for another job soon that he can transfer with to CA. While Buresh makes him enough money for us to pay the bills, there is too much stress and degrading of character for him to stay there until we move. Wish us luck and keep us in your prayers that we may be able to find him something that he enjoys, where they are also located in CA so he automatically has a job when we move, and that it will help to pay the bills. We also pray that he will have the chance to advance in his career and finish the schooling he needs to make his job a career.

I will put pictures and videos up tonight (I promise this time), so look forward to those.

The holidays

2008-12-15T07:42:00.000-08:00

Ok, so you know it's bad when a friend of yours from out of state catches ur mother-in-law in Relief Society, and mentions that you haven't updated ur blog in 5 weeks. Now I feel bad :( Sorry Sarah. I'll try to do a better job. I've been busy working the Christmas season, and have no time on my nights off. With Christmas approaching, the nights at work will get later. I'll be grateful for the New Year to come around so I can go back to shorter shifts and hopefully not lose lots of hours in the process.

Ian and I were able to celebrate Thanksgiving by staying home and having ham slices (bought them pre-sliced), veggie tray, stuffing, orange rolls and mashed potatoes. We had a relaxing day so we could prepare for me being at work the next day early in the morning. I managed to get past that week, and now I'm preparing for Christmas. It seems like just yesterday we moved into our apartment (and that was September).

With the baby coming in June, I'll be busy next year with babysitting, doctor's appts, watching Hunter continue to learn and grow. The time will go by and then we'll be on our way to the move that will hopefully be one of our last for a couple of years. I pray that Sacramento will be the place for us and give us the jobs that we need and the housing to put our family together. I want to have lots of memories and create memories for my in-laws with our kids. I know it will be a good move for us, but something scary as we won't know anyone in that area besides family.

I will try to keep up with the blog as the holiday approaches, and hope to get pictures posted of Hunter on Christmas morning. We are also blessed to be able to know a photographer that will be doing pictures of us and putting it on a CD, so those will be shown both on facebook and on here. Watch for those to come.

Stay tuned for more news from the Fitzgerald household....

Update on Hunter

2008-11-03T18:53:00.001-08:00

It has been almost a week since she threw up last, and I'm happy to report that she is almost back to normal. She still has her cuddly days, but she is playing with her cousins again and eating solid foods that have flavoring. We are keeping her away from chocolate and meat (fat), but she is eating toast, waffles, crackers, and chicken nuggets, along with mashed potatoes and other bland foods. She did go out trick or treating on Friday night and had a BLAST. We got a TON of comments on her costume and she even learned how to say "trick or treat", though it doesn't sound like it. Also, I went with my sister-in-law while Ian stayed back at the house with David to hand out candy. Since their kids are still small (under 6), we took the wagon that they had and put the kids in it. After every house, Hunter would jump back in the wagon head first (thank goodness for blankets and plastic made wagons) and then giggle as we went down the sidewalks. I'm excited for next year when she can say more, and to see what other costume we can get for a good deal. Why spend TONS of money on a costume that kids will only wear one night their entire life?

Hunter's Halloween costume

2008-10-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

We took pictures of Hunter in her costume inside the apt in case she can't go tomorrow night. If she goes out, we will include more pictures in a later post. Enjoy.

Hunter's hospital visit

2008-10-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

Hunter was taken to St Luke's Hospital Monday night (27th) for flu symptoms. She had been vomiting and had diahrrea for the past 36 hours. After waiting 2 hours to get into triage, they diagnosed her as being dehydrated and having the flu. They put her on an iv to give her fluids, and because she hadn't had a wet diaper in 12 hours. At 2:30 in the morning they came and told us that they needed to admit her to watch her, and have her go through 1 more iv bag. They wheeled Hunter and I up to Pediatrics in a wheelchair with her still strapped to the iv from triage, and Ian followed us on foot (as fast as you can walk at 2:30 am). I slept on the bed with her to make sure that she didn't bend her arm while she slept, as that would allow the iv machine to beep. Ian had the choice between a reclining chair and a window seat with a backing on it. Needless to say, he didn't sleep well that morning. We woke up at 8:30 to breakfast and watched tv all day as they monitored her. Once she was keeping food (chicken nuggets and crackers) and liquid down, they released her. Unfortunately, she threw up again that night and threw up this morning at 4:20 am. I have called the doctor to tell them that she isn't getting better, however they're still convinced that it's the flu.

With Halloween coming up, I pray that she will be well enough to go out and have the experience of dressing up and going door to door. Even if she won't eat any of the candy. We ask for your prayers that she will recover soon and be healthy enough for Stake Conference on Sunday. We pray that she will be healthy and return to her normal self soon, without any harm or accidents coming to her.

I have attached a picture of Hunter at the hospital in the infant gown that they have in pediatrics. She looks tired and sick, but she still looks like Hunter.

Ian's life

2008-10-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

Ian started working for Sears when we moved here in June. He started working for Buresh Rentals in August, and he likes it. He's been off on Saturdays, and he literally works 8-5 Monday-Friday. It's been nice for him to have a set schedule, and I've been off Saturdays too so we've been able to spend the weekend together.

He says he's been cranky, busy with work, and going more gray. We'll keep you updated on his life as it changes.

Hospital

2008-10-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

I ended up in the hospital last Wednesday (8th) after rupturing a cyst on my ovaries. I had just gotten back from taking a co-worker to lunch, and decided to stop in the bathroom before heading home. There was a co-worker who happened to come into the bathroom and found me laying on the bathroom floor in the stall in pain. She asked if I needed help and I said no, but then the pain didn't get any better. I managed to get up off the floor and get Hunter and I (it was my day off from babysitting) to the couch in the lounge area. Another co-worker walked in from Human Resources and asked if I was feeling okay. I told her no, she went and grabbed the hiring manager from HR, who then called Ian (I had the car and Ian was at work) and went to go get him. She had another manager come and stay with me and play with Hunter, until Ian was able to arrive. This helped it so I could rest and not worry about entertaining Hunter. Some other co-workers stopped in as they had heard about me, and came to wish me well.

Ian came shortly and took me to the hospital where they warned me that with the symptoms and early pregnancy, that it might be an ectopic pregnancy. That worried me cuz that means that the baby wouldn't survive. They did an ultrasound with a smaller machine but weren't able to find anything. They put an iv in me to give me some morphine for the pain, then sent me upstairs for a better ultrasound. They checked my appendix and saw fluid around it but not inside of it, and decided to check my uterus. Indeed the heartbeat was there and beating, and that was cool to see. They did some more checking and that's when they discovered the cyst. They discharged me 3-4 hours later and sent me home to rest. I was back babysitting the next morning and went to work that Friday night. I'm doing better since (it's been a week), and hope that the pregnancy will continue to be worry free and free from any problems.

Sorry for the long story, but I haven't written in a while. Thought I would update you on what I've been up to. I'll write another one tomorrow night on how Ian has been doing.

Smokers

2008-10-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this weekend was General Conference weekend. We stayed home on Saturday to clean since we were at work all week, and I had a friend coming over. We woke up on Saturday grateful not to have an alarm. I opened up the blinds, changed Hunter's diaper (she woke me up), and started on dishes. After I finished dishes, I started on breakfast. Ian joined me later in the kitchen to help me finish breakfast, then we started cleaning the living room. Since it was a nice day outside, he decided to open up the windows. As soon as we did, we smelt a wave of cigarette smoke. We went to open our apt. door to take trash out, and smelt a wave of marijuana. Either there was someone smoking something illegal in their apt. with the door open (you can't smoke in the hallway or the laundry room), or they were burning incense. With me being pregnant, it annoyed me as ever. Then thinking that the smell would go away soon, we heard people talking outside using colorful language. After about 5 minutes of trying to clean with them talking and yelling outside, I decided to close the windows up and turn on the air.

Now the question is, if we live in such a "strict" complex, why is it that I feel like we're in a scum complex? We haven't even been here a month, and things are already getting to me. We still have another 10 1/2 months left (signed an 11 1/2 month lease instead of a 12 1/2 month lease), and part of that is my pregnancy. I really hope that as the weather cools down, that people will begin to be considerate and keep their doors closed if they're going to be in their apt. Or if they're going to smoke outside, go farther away from the door than the park bench. The most frustrating thing is that it makes Ian and I gag, and it's not good for Hunter's lungs. And, I'm supposed to be bringing a newborn into this complex? Why is it that we have to suffer more from second hand than the people smoking the cigarettes?

Sorry if this is such a downer blog post, but I really don't want it to be like this everytime we're home on the weekend, or it will be a long 10.5 months.

Thursday's Thrills and Chills

2008-10-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

So it hasn't really set in yet that I'm pregnant, except that I'm limited until I'm 12 weeks along as to what I can do at work. Last night I was severly limited on the skids that I could pull with the pallets of Christmas boxes on them. The skids already weight a lot empty, and then you add boxes that are 7-12 lbs a piece, and it makes it heavy. I'm still not really telling everyone at work either, I guess that's just cuz I'm waiting to go to the doctor to make sure this is all real. We have a long list of everything that we'll need to get again, so we'll start doing that after the holidays.

Not much to say today, just thought I would write down my thoughts.

I'm PREGNANT!!!!!!!!

2008-10-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, as the title says it, I'm pregnant. I found out yesterday morning when I took a test at home, not expecting it to come out positive. We went through 5 tests with Hunter, so this threw me for a loop. Ian and I have both been working so it hasn't really set in for us, but I'm excited to be starting a new addition to our family. Our lease is up in August, which means we'll be moving into a house to create more room for us.

I'll keep a daily blog on how Ian, Hunter and I are doing in our lives, and try to upload pictures along the way. I have a friend that posted a lot of pictures throughout her pregnancy so friends and family that lived far away could be involved. I'm hoping to do something similar.

That's it for now, just wanted to share my big news.

Our new place!!!

2008-09-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

So we've moved into our own place, and have lived on our own for 3 weeks now. It feels good and we love the space that we have. Let me introduce you first to "we"....

Ian and I met in 2005 and were engaged February 14, 2006. We were married 6 weeks later on April 6, 2006 in Nauvoo, IL. Oh yeah, did I mention I met him online and I lived in IA while he was in CA? Needless to say we didn't spend much time together. I left my job at Sears to move to CA and be with my husband. We lived on our own for 6 months, then moved in with my in-laws for 1 1/2 years. There were some roller coasters, but we all love each other. Hunter was born February 15, 2007 and she is 19 months old now. She is a blast to be around, and I love being there to watch her discover new things and say new words. I have been fortunate enough to be able to stay home with her, except when we moved from CA to IA where I went back to work at Sears.

So, we now live in a 2 bed, 1 bath apt with 920 sq ft. We have an open kitchen with LOTS of room in it for cupboard space and room to cook. We can even fit our table and chairs in there and STILL have lots of room. Our bedroom is nice and huge, Hunter's room is pretty big too. I love our sunken in tub in our bathroom, and the storage shelves that we have in there for a linen closet. Though we probably won't be in the apt long enough to renew our lease, it will be good to create some memories. It's nice that Hunter has her own room again and we can provide for ourselves.

This is it for now. Still new to this thing, but I have a lot of friends in CA that have blogs, so I thought I would start one. Try to update daily, if not every other day.