Our Jam-Packed Weekend

Saturday morning we got up bright and early and headed down to Azusa, CA where our brother Adrian's family lives. We went to see Brittney's school (Lee) track meet. You might think an elementary school track meet sounds boring but its actually pretty exciting watching those little kids push themselves and race around the track. We would make bets on who we thought would win. Brittney's event was the softball throw (shotput but for elementary school kids). The meet was held at Azusa Pacific University. It was great to be with family :)

You really can't tell but Brittney is the tiny dot in red and about to throw the ball.


Mommy and daughter (Arlene and Britt), sitting in the stands.


Uncle Jesse, Britt, and Adrian


In case you couldn't tell, it was freezing cold that day. We actually checked the weather in Logan, UT and it was 73 degrees that day. Santa Clarita (where we live) was only 58 degrees, and Azusa was 63 degrees. Logan actually had us beat!!


After spending time with family, we went to visit one of my favorite people, Mark! We drove down to Carlsbad and had a wonderful time just hanging out. Mark has a gorgeous apartment located just a couple blocks from the beach. We went to the beach there and I recognized the spot immediately. It was where we had held our Parkinson family reunion right there. Crazy! Anyway, traditionally whenever I see Mark I make him play some songs for us. This is him jamming at his place. If you look right above his head there is a loft that you can climb up to and look down at the beautiful view. Next picture will show me peeking down from this very spot.


Very cool spot. I think next time I'll bring a sleeping bag and sleep up there. I just have to remember not to roll over and fall off. Its quite the drop down from there.


Our next big event was the Angels baseball game. Mom had a couple tickets she couldn't use so Jesse and I got to go to the game. Personally, I did not even know there was a team called the Angels in LA but I guess it makes sense.... Los Angeles, Angels. This picture is of the sweet suites across the stadium. They have hot tubs and a beach I guess you can pay a lot of money to watch the game from. You can see the water shooting up sky high. Pretty suite!


Good thing Jesse told me to wear red. We fit right in.


A pro ball pitcher throwing the ball. I'm sure if Jesse were typing this he would know his name. Sorry.


This is the view from our seats away up top! I like how they made the lines in the grass. Oh yeah, the Angels lost. I decided if you want a baseball team to win, don't invite me. I have been to a total of 6 baseball games in my life and I have never seen my team win. Its a curse. It was a close game though. We thought they'd pull through at the end but no such luck. The Seattle somethings won.

A Day at the Beach

In light of our most recent mishap, we decided to take a day to ourselves to reflect on our lives as one thus far. Thursday, after an appointment with our OBGYN and a blood test for Alicia, we headed down to Malibu to go to one of the more secluded beaches. As we laid in the sand, we thought about how much we had been blessed in our relationship with wonderful, supporting parents, friends and the rest of our family.


What a strange looking character!


She is adorable in this picture!


While at the beach, we met an interesting fellow (shown above). He was nice at first, approaching us and making small talk. However, we questioned his motives when we spotted him eyeing the bread we had brought for our sandwich lunches. Our suspicions were comfirmed when Jesse confronted him about his motives because he spread his wings and off he went. We never saw him again, but we did see much of his relatives.


Closer. . . . . .


Closer. . . . . . . . .


TOTALLY CHECKING OUT OUR BREAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Before Alicia's powerful, non-girly throw


After. . . Incredible


We counted 947 birds total, 689 seaguls, 258 pelicans.


Alicia's wings didn't work today.


We felt bad about not giving Dodo bread so Jesse tried to feed him and his family but they all flew away.


Stupid Dodo

On a more serious note, we decided that other than the upsetting events of the morning and night previous, we had the perfect day. It was the perfect way to regroup after experiencing this difficult juncture in our young lives as a couple. We want to give out a special thanks to those friends and family members who have helped us through this difficult time.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. -Romans 12:12

We wanted to say thank you to all of our friends and family who have been so happy for us during the pregnancy. This posting is not as happy as the previous two, but we are coping and feel very blessed to have such a strong support team behind us.

On Wednesday night I came home from work feeling very nauseous. I decided to take a quick shower since the water heater was finally working again. While in the shower I looked down and noticed a lot of blood in the water and knew I was going to faint so quickly I got out and laid on the floor. After waking up from a brief fainting spell I once again saw the blood and called Jesse who was just finishing football practice and wasn't at home. Just then, the doorbell rang and it was a couple of girls from church (visiting teachers) stopping by to say hi. I shouted downstairs that I would just be a minute and I threw on some sweats to go down and visit with them. Shortly after they arrived, Jesse came running at lightning speed up the walkway and rushed through the door to find me sitting in the living room talking with a couple girls. I think he was confused because just 15 minutes prior he received the panicked phone call from me. We sat and chatted for a little bit and as soon as they left I ran back upstairs and started to cry because I knew we had lost the baby. Jesse was so loving and patient with me as I cried it out. I started to have severe abdominal pains and the bleeding continued. Jesse called the doctor to see what we needed to do. He called us back and said for us to come in first thing the next morning and he would do another ultrasound but he did confirm that it was very likely I had miscarried.

The next morning we again arrived at the doctor's office, this time in not such high spirits. The ultrasound did not show our baby anymore, just the remains as my body was trying to flush the system. We are very fortunate to have an extremely caring and knowledgable doctor. He did an excellent job of calming my nerves and making me feel hopeful again. We found out that 99% of the time a pregnancy is unwillfully terminated it is due to a chromosomal defect, and it was determined at the time of conception that the body would abort the baby. This lifted some of the guilt I was feeling. I kept thinking that i hadn't been eating healthy enough or enough food because I had missed lunch that day. He said that he sees about 3 or 4 miscarriages a DAY at his office and it is extremely common so I should not be concerned. The good news is that we know I can get pregnant so we just need to be patient that the next one will stick.

We are still grieving our loss, but this has brought us closer together and we are going to keep trying after my body has had time to heal. Thanks again for everyone's love and the many prayers said on our behalf. We are hopeful that we'll have a successful pregnancy the next time around.

Go Saugus III

Church softball started and Jesse gets to play every Saturday and I get to be his biggest fan! This past weekend was a double hitter and both games were surprisingly exciting to watch! Our team won by 1 point both times! We are the champions!

This is all the guys before the game. It looks like maybe they're praying or something, I'm not sure...


Jesse hits the ball and makes it all the way back home, which means our team won! Way to go my cute husband :) As you can see Jesse is wearing regular tennishoes, not cleats. We didn't even have a glove so we ran to Big 5 Sporting Goods right before the game to buy one. Maybe next paycheck we can afford some cleats...


Standing on third, ready to run...


Another action shot, just before he whacks the ball! I'm so proud :)

What is the due date?

We have been getting a lot of inquiries asking how far along the mommy is. You can click on the poem below and I think you'll be able to figure out the due date. I was out the other night catching up with some of my old girlfriends and when I came home my amazing husband had cleaned everything and placed this sweet poem on my pillow. It was so sweet it made me cry (I am very emotional right now). I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have married such an incredible guy.

We actually emailed this poem to my parents and that was how we decided to tell them. This was the response we got:

"Very cool! Can't get much more thoughtful or better than that. What is the significance of Dec. 12th, 2008? or is it just a rhyme. Would be something if that date turned out to be significant. Then Jesse would be not only be a poet but a seer also. Thanks for sharing. I love getting emails or other forms of communication as you know. Jared and I just got off birthday cards to Adrian and Arleen and when we got home in the mailbox were cards from them to Jared! Glad to get it done. Since Jared was in a hurry I did not get the Ramya address yet or deposit the $50 but maybe tomorrow. Luv, MOM"

(hope its ok that we posted your email mom, its just so funny)

Mom and dad say they suspected the news but didin't want to say anything and be wrong. Hmmm....

The Exciting Announcement...

In case you've heard the rumors, yes they are true! We are very excited to be adding a little baby to our new family. This is a picture of what he/she looks like right now. Very adorable, we know! We couldn't be happier :)

New Honeymoon Post

...see January post. I have been meaning to put up our honeymoon pics but didn't get around to it till now. If you click on the January posting you'll be able to see pics from our cruise :)

Sunday with the Larges/ Rissers

This past Sunday (April 6th) I went over to the Larges to watch General Conference for church. I love it when I get to stay in my comfy clothes for church. All the boys in the Large family had taken a trip to Utah so Nancee was there with Kristy's family. She invited Jesse and I over to eat and enjoy eachothers company. I always love eating at Nancee's because she makes healthy food that is delicious! Jesse had to work so he missed some of the excitement.

When I arrived at the Larges', Jeremy had a ladder leaning up against the roof and was wearing a mask over his face. Nancee had a trenchcoat on and a shower cap on her head. I wish I would've had my camera with me at the time but I didn't. Nyah had been playing upstairs and noticed bees coming through the light socket in Brit's bedroom. Apparently a swarm of bees was trying to make the Larges' home their own home. Jeremy took the bee killer and we think he got most of them. That was the first excitement of the day.

(See the Large Family blog for pictures, you'll get a good laugh)

Next, we are all sitting in the family room watching conference, when Jeremy feels something on his foot. We lifted up the footstool and there is the tiniest, cutest little mouse you've ever seen! It ran in to the dining room so Jeremy and I cornered it with washcloths. I gently placed a cloth over the little guy and picked him (or her) up. I carried the little mousey outside and we watched it scurry around until it found a hiding place in a little plant by the pool. It was soooo cute, it made me want a little mousey.


Nyah and Sade made a fort in the living room so they were showing Jesse and just acting silly. I took a few shots on my phone since I'd forgotten my camera...




All the kids having a good time! They kept trying to tickle eachother but when they would tickle Jesse it was more of just touching him lightly and running off then doing it again.

And after all the silliness died down I think these two were beginning to get a bit tired! Time for a nice Sunday nap :)

My New Do!

Many of you may have noticed that there is something different about me, but maybe you can't quite put your finger on what exactly it is. For all of you who have been losing sleep trying to figure out what it could be... did I lose some weight?, try Botox treatment?, get colored contacts?, get a chin implant?.... I am going to end your puzzlement now so you can sleep again. I had about an entire foot (that's 12 inches, not the thing with 5 toes) cut off my hair! I have been wanting to cut my hair for a long time now, but wanted to grow it out until I was married so I could have my dream hairdo for my wedding. Now I am a married woman so I am all grown up and sophisticated so I got the new do to prove it! I really loved my next door neighbor, Cherie's hair so I asked her who cuts her hair. She referred me to a girl named Tessa at the salon called Della Stella (cool name). She did a fabulous job and I love it! I decided to donate it to locks of love so now I can make someone else happy and I get to spend less time drying my hair! Its a win win.

See? I'm so sophisticated and mature now :) Jesse took a bunch of pictures of me as I was posing and hamming it up for the camera.

And here is a shot of what the back looks like.

I think its even shorter than Jesse's hair in some places...

Yay!

My head felt so light I had to try a hat on to add some weight back to my head. I'm worried my neck muscles might start to weaken now.

And how do you do?

Yup, this is me all growed up and mature and sophisticated-like!!!

What A Mighty Good Man!

1. What is your husband's name? Jesse McAllan Yarger

2. Who eats more? Jesse, for sure

3. Who said I love you first? Jesse said the official words, "I love you,"... but before that I said, "I do, you know." He knew what I meant.

4. Who is taller? Jesse, thank goodness!

5. Who is smarter? Jesse will say me but that's a hard one. I'm better at math and number things, he's much better at writing. We're smart in different ways, which makes us a perfect match!

6. Who is more sensitive? Me

7. Who does the laundry? Jesse

8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Usually Jesse

9. Who pays the bills? Me

10. Who cooks more? Jesse

11. What meals do you cook together? cheesecake! does that count as a meal?

12. Who is more stubborn? me

13. Who is the first to admit it when they are wrong? Jesse, cuz I'm stubborn (See #12)

14. Who is more clean? Me

15. Who has more siblings? Me. I have 2 brothers. Jesse has one brother.

16. Who wears the pants in the relationship? Probably me most of the time, but we try to keep a nice balance.

17. What do you like to do together? We love to get out and go on dates- go out to eat, a movie, go to the beach, pretty much anything is awesome if we're together :)

18. Who eats more sweets? definitely me

19. Guilty pleasures? vacations, we are always wanting to plan travelling adventures but just dream about it usually cuz we're poor. :(

20. How did you meet? He was friends with a girl I rented a room to at my house in Logan.

21. Who asked who out first? Jesse did, lots of times :) I eventually gave in.

22. Who kissed who first? Jesse kissed me first. He said it was the first time he had been the one to make the move, usually he makes the girl kiss him first. I was stubborn though, I told him I'd never be the first one to make a move.

23. Who proposed? Jesse :)

24. Best features? Jesse has the coolest eyes I've ever seen. Also he has great hair, and an adorable smile :)

25. What is his best quality? He is an AMAZING husband! He is very loving and thoughtful. He gets along with everyone and is very hard working.

TAGGED by Lindi

I TAG- Kristy, Erka, Wendy, Lindy, Kandi

Hollywood, baby!!

Mmmm, sushi!! We went out to eat at a sushi restaurant located on Citywalk at Universal Studios, Hollywood. Jesse says he doesn't like sushi and yet he ate the majority of the California Roll without me having to force feed him! It really was delicious. We had an awesome night. I was only a little mad that the waitress there had copied my same haircut.


Its amazing Jesse was able to get this shot while I was going 130 mph. He must be a really good photographer.


I don't even know what to say. In no way do these sunglasses look good on me.


You can't see but Jesse has smiley faces in place of eyes.


Lovestruck Jesse. We had way too much fun in this store.


Look at Jesse running in the fountain with all the little kids... or that one little girl that he didn't even notice was right next to him. This pic was taken right after the water descended...


... and an action shot! Just as the water is shooting up! It kinda looks like snow, huh? Nope, no such luck!


And a souvenir photo in front of Universal. I'm sitting in front of the world instead of on top of it. I tried to climb on top but it was hard in those boots.


This would've looked a lot better if I'd realized my head was not all the way sitting on the body part. Oh well, Jesse is the real football player, not me!


Now this looks natural.


I'd like to thank my husband, my family, and all the people who supported me and helped me to win this highly coveted award.


Wow, I can't believe he can even hold up that heavy 24 ct. plastic! He's so strong.