Christmas Morning

After playing in the snow Olivia wanted to watch Finding Dory

Going outside to play in the snow on Christmas morning

There were a herd of elk all over the yard all morning long they were looking for grass to eat

This Is Us standing in front of the tree at the recreation center in Grand Canyon


All in all it was a good day me & Olivia just had fun then took a nap and now we're waiting till everyone gets off of work so we can all open presents and have dinner. They pretty much all had to work today early in the morning so we can open presents. But me and Olivia have fun and relaxing day. There are videos on my Facebook of her playing in the snow if none of you have seen it yet. And Dad I just wanted to tell you we love you Merry Christmas and I'm the only one that can say this... I'm the only one of your son that has lived exactly half of your life. None of my other brothers can say that because it isn't true for them.

-The Jarnagans

Winter update/2016 a year in review

     2016 has been one rocky year. Starting in January Walmart cut my hours to almost nothing, so I started training as a cashier. Amber's job was really overworking her and causing stress. We hardly got anytime off together, but we made it work. I enjoyed being a cashier and actually talking to customers, but my legs couldn't stand it. Pun intended. My mother came to visit us in October and we had a good time hanging out and going places. Livvy loves her Granma Rose, she even has a pink owl that she says "gramma Rose gave this to me." It's so cute. But while Mom was visiting, we were told by our landlord that we have 6 weeks (till Dec. 1st) to fin a new place to live.
     For just over 3 weeks we checked everywhere in the quad cities are and beyond; Prescott, Chino, Paulden, Prescott Valley, Dewey/Humboldt and other places. We couldn't find a place that would work for us. So with time literally running short we made a plan- to live and work at the Grand Canyon. Anita, Luis and Amber all got jobs as guest room attendants. I am going to be a stay-at-home dad for the time being until I finish school. I may continue to get my bachelors, but I still haven't decided yet.
     Livy loves it here, we get to seer deer and elk almost everyday. Its pretty nice and relaxing here. I love it, it's as small as a small town can get but its in nature, and not a big city.

    So for the time being this is where we'll be. Amber and I are excited for this next year.

~The Jarnagans

Update for the past few weeks

Well these past few weeks have been quite busy and interesting... I don't even know where to start because it's been crazy. This week in particular started out with my niece going into the hospital because of an infection, and then I fell down at work and seriously hurt my wrist, and then to top it off our landlord wants us to be out of the house by December 1st. So it's been very interesting week and I'm trying to hold on to all the strength and faith I have. Well my niece she got better and her infection went away after a few days stay in the hospital and that was a prayer answered. And my wrist got better it is not broken and I can still walk around and do everything... I walk with a cane and use my left hand to walk with and it's my left hand that got hurt. So if it was broken I would have to be wheelchair-bound because I cannot walk with a cast on my wrist but thankfully it was not broken and it got better. And my sister-in-law she found a house she's going to go tomorrow to talk with the owner and see what options we have so I really hope it works out only bummer is it's half an hour away from Prescott so we would have to do a lot of driving but it's the only reasonable place nearby.
Olivia cute unjust melts my heart every day. This month we had to watch our nephew Alex because his mom works at the canyon and their babysitter is on vacation and if she needed help watching it so we agreed to help. Alex is just a very cute cuddly boy. He will just go up to you and give you a hug and then leave and come back and give you another hug. Kind of cute and Alex and Olivia get along most of the time... She does try to take his toys and she can if she's mean to him but we're trying to fix that and tell her I can't be mean to people just because you're older than them. She's only older by five months woo freakin hoo. There was one night last week granted Olivia was tired but when I said I had to go to work she just screamed and cried no daddy no. She said I could work with you I can work with you and I told her you cant bears you have to stay home with Mama. It was so sad she's never cried like that for me before it's about broke my heart but I have to go.
Then my mom came over. Everyone kept it a surprise for me even my brothers from California and my wife and her sisters and everyone kept it a surprise. They knew for a couple weeks before she flew out here I figured it out that last week because ever slipped up Smart Cookie I put two and two together. So these past two weeks have been fun just hanging out with my mom just like old times. We've gone to the store a few times going to Burger King with me her and livvy. It was a fun day Olivia really loves her Grandma Rose. I knew she would momma just so loving you caring. Even the other kids Natalie and Eli and Nathan they love her too and they even call her grandma.
That's all I can remember I guess and I will update you on my school progress when this semester is over but I passed these first two classes yay. Only one semester and a half left.

These past few weeks have been brutal.

     Between work and family- I'm pretty sure everyone wants me dead. My body is so sore... my arms ache, my legs , my back... everything. My aunt Shelly used to tell me to be glad for the pain, because that means your getting stronger.
     For the last 6 months I've been cashiering at work maybe once a week or every other week. Well last week they got super friggin busy... on a Wednesday and Thursday evening. Odd times to get busy, but they called me up front to be a cashier (I'm usually a greeter). I ha to go home early on Thursday because I just could not stand up anymore, I almost had a breakdown at the register... sweating and shaking so bad... But I felt good enough the next day.
     Fast forward to Monday, Labor Day. The girls' Dad David came out here, and he's neer been to the Grand Canyon so we went up there to have a picnic and see the cnyom. Well since it was labor day it was really crowed there, so we had to drive awhile to find a spot, we did... but the actual canyon was like 300 yards, uphill from the parking spot. Other places you can just park and there it is.So i grabbed Katie, she walked with me and talked. It was nice, and by the time I caught up with the rest of them they wanted to leave... well it was getting dark.
     So i had a couple day off, then worked and yesterday we had a surprise picnic party down at Lynx Lake for our good friend Deanne who graduated earlier this year with her degree in nursing. That was fun, and her mom made some of the best homemade Mexican food I have eaten.
      Then we came home and went the Prescott Fair. Lotta fun, Livvy rode on 4 rides, even the ferris wheel... I couldn't because I couldn't get in the darn thing. I'm not that fat. Livvy and her cousis had so much fun. It was great.

     Today we are having Eli's and Nathan's birthday party since grampa David is here.

~The Jarnagans

Fall semester has started

     Classes have started, next year ll reach my goal. On Monday we had a live class for for family law- it was an intake interview for a possible client in a divorce case. There were probably 18 people total, The teacher, 1 other student and I were the only men, kinda weird i thought there would be a more even distribution..
     Anyway I felt completely overwhelmed... most of these other students have experience in the field, and some have worked for law offices for years. I just sat there taking notes where I can. It was really kind of fun... the teacher dressed up in street clothes and acted like a nervous client. He was really funny- we were all laughing at his comments.

    Olivia is just as cute as ever, her favorite word now is Actually. Like, "Olivia did you poop?"
"Actually, dadda did." or "Olivia did you take my wallet?" "Actually, Eli did." I love her so much- she is the est thing about my life.

     I hope one day she realizes everything we're doing/ have done is for her.


~The Jarnagans

Very emotional weekend.

     We were finally ale to get a weekend off together, so we went to California. Michelle drove Amber, Olivia, and I while Kaity and her baby Alex tagged along. Those sole purpose of this visit was to visit my Dad, who after fighting a bad infection has been bed ridden and livig in a nursing home.
     Dad actually looks a lot better than I thought he would, and his memory is still good so we had fun catching up, and then Marshal, my baby brother came and we hung out for a couple hours. When we first got there, Dad was sleeping, so I walked up beside him- he opened his eyes and was confused, so he saw Amber and said, "Oh wow! You're here!" with a big smile on his face. Then Olivia gave him a hug and a kiss, and we started visiting. It really was neat.
     Olivia didn't want to sit still... she kept crying and wanting to walk. I guess there were squirrels and rabbits outside and she wanted to watch them play- Livvy loves animals. After we talked for awhile, we had to leave because Michelle ad to be at work in the morning, it's a 6 our drive back to the Grand Canyon (Michelles a baker for El Tovar restaurant/hotel)
     
     Dad wasn't doing well... hes stuck in his bed and either he refuses or the nurses won't get him up. He needs physical therapy, but hes not getting any. His friend Daniel sees him every other week and helps encourage him and does a bible study with him so that's cool. We also learned that a few family members have or might have cancer, and one of my good friends at work had a good friend die on Sunday because of cancer. And also a good friend from my old church is fighting cancer.

     I was just overcome with memories of my Grandpa Baker lying on a hospital bed when I was 4 or 5. He died of old age (92 i think) but it was still sad, because I wonder what Livvy will remember.

     Thank you for reading.
~The Jarnagans

Update...

     Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long...  I'm sorry. Let's see,  we celebrated the 4th in Prescott Valley at a city park. Which was real nice, Olivia really loved the fireworks. And we celebrated my mother in laws 50th birthday up at the Canyon, all the kids got to feed and pet a family of deer that was cool.

     And Pokemon Go came out... this game uses your phone to catch Pokemon in the world ground you. People say this is stupid,but for people like me who have grown up with Pokemon- we have wanted this for twenty years.

     Livvy is so freakin sweet, she loves her mom and I so much and isn't afraid to say it, like twenty times in a row. Usually every morning I take for a ride on my scooter which she loves... but this week has been a bit different and that's ok

~The Jarnagans

The rest of the week...

     Most of Wednesday and Thursday were spent hanging around the apartment, which was relaxing. On Wednesday we had an "ice cream party" and Michelle had a few of the interns over. This group was mostly from Thailand, except for Dante who hails from the great New Mexico... They are doing an internship at the Grand Canyon for college I think, or just to get some world experience I'm not sure- anyway it's cool.
     We ate ice cream and played some party video games, it was really neat watching them play. They all loved Olivia, and she enjoyed playing with them.

     On Thursday we watched the Navajo dances, which are always neat. I remember going to see them when I was 5 and we went on a long trip from California to Arkansas.

     Today (Friday)  we came home. It was really nice and relaxing up there, but it feels good to be home.

     Once again, I hope you had a great birthday week Amber, and congratulations again Will. Michele, we love you. You too Will.

Till next time

~The Jarnagans

Cameron Trading Post, and dinner

     Yesterday Michelle and Will took us t the Cameron trading post. It's an Indian reservation/tourist trap. They have an Inn and a beautiful garden, is really awesome. Again- more proof to how beautiful the desert an be. It's just a nice little slice of heaven.
     The trading post offers what Native American Vendors usually do- turquoise jewelry, hand crafted quilts, souvenirs, gemstones/geodes- only a ton of it. This little store is probably the size of a small Walmart.
     On the way home we stopped by the Little Colorado Gorge, this is a smaller version of the canyon. It is about a third of the depth of the Grand Canyon, but its still pretty deep.

    Dinner at El Tovar, not sure if its the fanciest place I've eaten (my dad used to take us to fancy restaurants before he got sick) but it probably is. There were quite a few options, Amber got the Filet Mignon, I decided to go with the stuffed roasted quail. I've had quail before- but not like this. I cant really explain it, but it was good.
     Oh, I was wrong on my last post about Wills award. It wasn't employee of the month, they do that every month for each department (Will is the Housekeeping manager at El Tovar). What he got is the Horizon award, which is given at once, quarterly. They take all the employees of the month and choose one to get the award. It's a lot bigger of a deal than I thought it was.
 
     So Congratulations Will, that is a big accomplishment. Thank you for taking us to dinner. Livvy loved her spaghetti.

     We have 2 days left up here, don't know what else we have planned- other than to watch the animals go by. We've seen Elk, Deer and I just saw a wolf I think... didn't look like a coyote... When we got back to the apartment last night there was a big elk standing in front of their door.


~The Jarnagans

~EDIT~ it was a coyote
   

Bearizona!

     Amber's mom brought us up t the Grand Canyon for a few days, her fiance got an award at work (they both work at the GC) and he got a meal ticket for 4 at El Tovar- the most fancy restaurant/hotel here. So tonight we are going to have the most expensive dinner we've ever had, prepared by some really great chefs.

     Yesterday they took us to Bearizona, which is basically a zoo. The first part you can drive through- the animals are in separate areas but are left to roam free and play. We saw mountain goats, big horn sheep, dall sheep, Alaskan wolves, some other type of wolf, bison, buffalo, burros and yes bears. Livvy loved the bears.

    The second part you can walk through. Here they have Foxes, badgers, porcupines,peacocks, beavers, river otters and a farm animal area with goats chickens and pigs. You can actually walk through the goats, its cool.

    They have this area where they have juvenile bears- 2-3 years old, where they get used to playing and used to the keepers. They also have a place for the bear cubs, where they just goof off until they are big enough to join the bigger bears.

     Livvys favorite was the big bears. She wanted to go out and pet them.... no, they are wild still.

I could definitely live here, it would be perf for me.

~The Jarnagans

Update

     Sorry for the lack of updates, been kinda lazy the last few weeks. School got out awhile ago, and while I didn't do as well a I hoped, I did ok- got Bs in all my classes. Not great but still good. I  also finished enough classes to get my Legal Office Clerk certificate. That's pretty awesome.
     About 2 weeks ago I had a couple of bad falls. Messed up my big toe, think I broke it... again. This will be the 4th time. But other than that, I'm just trying to take it easy.
     Olivia is so smart- she picks up on words s quick, but sometimes she doesn't talk clearly so we have to play a guessing game to get what she wants. She loves riding on my scooter  with me, she will say "dada, bye bye? dada store?" And that means she wants to the store.

     All of er cousins are with Auntie Autumn, so shes been the only kid in the house for thi week and next week... but Amber, Livvy, and I are going to the grand canyon for a few days net week, Amber and I took the whole week off- for dadas day and Amber's birthday. Hopefully we can have some fun.

     Dad, If you read this, I'm sorry I haven't come to visit in awhile, hopefully we can soon. I love you. Have a good fathers day.

~The Jarnagans

This Week in Nutshell...

Last weekend was Livvy's bid 2nd birthday party, and that was really a blast. Amber's sister bought her  little toddler trampoline which she just loves.

And seeing how summer skipped right over spring, everyday this week I've been leting her jump on it for a little bit. So is just so happy she get's to jump now... Her cousins have one but it is too big for her ad doesn't have a net.

Our friends also bought her this cute little tricycle, her legs are still too small to ride it but, she parks it next to her table and sits on it to eat. That is so funny, I wanted to take a picture but my phone was dying.

I love her so much, can't wait to see what this week brings.

~the Jarnagans

Our baby is growing up...

Today was Olivia's 2nd birthday party. Everything was Sesame Street themed, her favorite character is Elmo. All week we kept telling her (and she was asking, that this weekend was her Elmo Party. We decorated he house in a Sesame theme and when she woke up, she walked into the kitchen and went. "(gasp) Elmo Party!" It was so cute.

She s 2 now, and getting smarter everyday. She actually can communicate fairly well and understands quite a bit for her age. Like my mom, Grandma Rose, sent her a birthday card. Amber told her it's from Daddas Mommy, so she looks at me and sid Your mommy. I'm pretty sure she understands that.

I love being a Dad, it's great. When she randomly grabs my neck to give me a hug and a kiss- that's the bet feeling ever. And being an uncle is pretty sweet too, my niece Ava just cuddled up next to me to take a nap. It is really awesome the amount of love and trust little kids can show.

Update

Well, this past week has been the week from hell... I got real sick with norovirus, yeah... let's just say the crappy situation got crappier.

Well, it's been s couple days but I feel better. Did some school work, i have A's in all of my classes right now. Just 3 weeks left, got to keep those A's.

We bought our first car, it's about 10 years old but has only had 1 owner, no accidents and 90000 miles on it. That was a good investment, so well b taking trips to visit family n such.

Olivia is starting to say simple sentences like "open this please" and "Tee Tee not here" (Tee Tee is what she calls Auntie Anita). and she will repeat things if you ask her, she is so friggen cute.

Shell be 2 next month, going on 13... She already has that girl power attitude, when shes doing something hes not supposed to, and you tell her to stop she will look at you and say no.

So, I have been telling her her ill count to 3, then spank her. I count slowly, then say okay Time up, and I go get her. I don't have to spank her, she knows shes in trouble. This girl is gonna be a handful.

Amber and I just love her so mch. Olivia and I love Amber so much. I get the feeling that they may like me too...

~The Jarnagans

Disney Infinity.... ruined my life

A few years back, Disney came out with a video game called Disney Infinity. The base game is a "toy box" where you can interact with characters that Disney owns, in a world that is created by you. I started really getting interested when the 3rd edition came out (3.0) because of all the Star Wars characters.

Each character is bought separately, and the "cast members" or "towns people" can be unlocked. On my first week of playing, my characters were Asohka Tano and Anakin Skywalker from star wars the Clone wars, and I was having fun building my own house (Nterior) and running into different cast members like The Fairy God Mother, Belle, Arielle, Darkwing Duck... and more.

Now I have all 18 star wars characters, 3 playsets, 3 power disk sets, 2 expansion games and 3 other characters... Minnie Mouse, Baloo, and Donald Duck. This game is incredibly fun.

I found Buzz Light-years Jet pack, and a paintball gun... flying around as a Jedi shooting enemies is just hours of fun.

~the Jarnagans

That Adorable Age...

     Right in between learning new words and not able to string together is cute. Livvy will say Juice, Milk, Bear, Mouse, Doc, Elmo, More and Stuck but she can't use them in proper sentences. Yesterday she kept yelling Doc (she loves Doc McStuffins) so I put that on... as soon as came on she cried No. Elmo. So I put on Seseme Street, and She cried no, Doc! So I changed it and she kept crying... I did what any sensible dad would do... I put on MythBusters.

     She loves to play... on me while I'm trying to do my school work. She likes to climb on my back and hang on my neck. She also loves to give hugs and kisses now. It's just so awesome to see how I helped create that thing. Amber helped too... a little.

     Just kidding it was all her. I'm the one that helped a little.

     I love both of them so much, they are the focusing lenses i need to zero in on my goals.

till next time
~The Jarnagans

Sorry for the absence...

      Yeah, I lost my phone several weeks ago, then we went a few days without internet and I've been spending the past couple weeks making sure I pass my Real Estate class- which I did.  That class helped me learn abut what my Dad did for a career, he was a mortgage broker. All those contracts, keeping track of monies, and dealing with multiple clients has to be very stressing. Real estate law is something I don't know if I could do.

     Amber and I were called once again to be Primary workers. I love teaching kids, and learning from them as you teach. I was thinking about that this past week, how I choose to get a paralegal degree instead of a teaching degree; this way I can still teach in a much more relaxed atmosphere and be great at it. I do not think I could handle being a full-time teacher, so being a Primary teacher is perfect. Plus Amber said I'm a good teacher.

     Olivia is still freaking cute, and very smart. She knows most of her body parts, and will show you your eyes, nose, mouth and hair. And you better play along or she wont stop. She really likes coloring now- I bought her a box of crayons today, she just colored papers for a few hours it was very nice.

     Thank you for reading,
~The Jarnagans

Ten long years.

     It has been a roller coaster of emotions; depression, joy, sadness, extreme happiness, sorrow, confusion. These past ten years I have fought a continuous uphill battle to get to where I am today. 10 years ago today (Feb 4th 206) I went out with my friends, ended up in a race and took a turn too fast- several flips and rolls later I ended up in a coma. Hanging upside down by my seat belt, my friends pulled me out of the car. After emergency was called I was air lifted to the hospital, where I spent 8 and a half weeks in my coma.
     After I was "woke up" I was moved to a nursing home/acute rehab facility. A few months later I was sent to another rehab facility, and a few months later I was sent home. I was basically wheelchair bound at this point, and tried to go back to school. The year- 2007.

     Amber has been my rock, keeping me steady and focused the entire time. We met in high school, and finally started dating in 2007 (I graduated in '05), got married in '09. We spent some time in Indiana hen moved back to Arizona in 2014. Our daughter was born on May 3rd '14 and since then I got my first job in 8 years at Walmart.
     The whole way through Amber has been my support and my best friend helping me every way. Now Olivia is my focus, helping me zero in on my goal of finally graduating collage and bing the best father and husband they deserve.

I love you Amber and thank you.

`The Jarnagans

A nice surprise

     Well, the start of this year has had its downs... not scheduling me hours as a greeter, Livvy being sick, found out I haven't been paying my taxes, my knee had issues, and the sky fell down. Not really but i lost my phone a couple days ago coming home from Mcdonalds so it really felt like the sky was falling.
     I was doing my homework earlier today, while calculating exactly how any points I need to pass with an A in my professional business management class; and in comes Amber holding an envelope with a big smile on her face. Confused I asked her what it was and she showed me,



She showed me me that <----
It is an Academic Honors award. All that hard work, sweat and tears paid off. Now I fee like I can finish this year with a bang.

I won't make honors this semester, because the cut off is 12 credits and I'm only taking 11 so poo... But I feel a lot better.


     Someone keeps trying to show me I can do this, while at the same time don't give up. Amber is the best wife ever, here I am worrying about our money, our situation and our future and she told me, "You don't worry about money, I worry about money. You worry about school."

     Well, I will.  I will finish this semester best as I can, continue work and be the bst husband and father I cab be.


     Speaking of Livvy, everyday she sais new words... she said shoes, and cereal... and when the dogs bark she yells at them UP! Because we're all bad and tell them to shutup... we're trying to teach her that's not nice.

Til next time
~The Jarnagans

EDIT- after a typed this, I told Amber I love you. Livvy said Love you.
she also hugged me and called me bebe last night.

The Toddler Terror

     I know all kids go through the destructive "toddler" stage, and Livvy has een there for awhile, so don't think I'm new to this. I'm just commenting on the "fun" she's having at this very moment
     Yesterday I cleaned up and organized her toys. Well about 3 hours after that, she threw all her toys around the floor... She has a toy box in the closet, and today she was trying to pull the toy box out of the closet. I'm having fun here.. trying to teach her to take care of toys.
   
     We bought her these doll houses where the dolls talk to each other, they are kind of neat. But shes playing with an old back massager thing i bought for Amber some years back.  I don't get this kid..

Winter Update

     Well, holidays are over (school starts tomorrow) so figured I'd give a nice update. We are all better after that bug went around the house. Livvy is back to eating more, and Monty is fine.
     After Christmas, Amber's mom took us all on the Polar Express. If you haven't seen the movie, it involves a train ride to the North Pole. It was very fun, lots of singing and enjoying the season.
     I became a cashier at work, so I feel like I'm actually earning that pay. I'm still learning (there is a lot to learn)... like theres a code you put for a dozen doughnuts. I put the code in, and it asked for the quantity- so i put 12, duh. The price came up 59.45, and it took me a few minutes to realize that the quantity was 1. lol 1 dozen, yeah I had a blonde moment.
     We are workig on buying a car this year, then oving to our own place... so hopefully all that goes well.

     As I said, school starts tomorrow and hopefully everything goes well. Im doing real well with a 3.6 gpa, lets hope I keep it up. taking 4 classes this semester, each 6 weeks each. But 2 start tomorrow, when they end 2 more start. This should be easy.

~Til next time
The Jarnagans