Avril playing with daddy

If you want a good laugh...

Note: this baby is not Avril :) YET!

Sept Mois

This means that our baby girl is 7 Months Old!!!! in French. Since we gave Avril a French name I thought I'd give this post a French title :)


Today is her 7 month birthday and she is getting so big and so much fun. She now says "dada" all the time, and has decided this is a little more fun to say than "mama" so she doesn't say "mama" as much anymore. Rude! She loves to laugh and especially likes it when you play "peek a boo" with her. She is very close to crawling and loves to bounce up and down while you hold her up. She is such a happy baby now but still fights a pretty tough battle when its time to go to sleep. She just doesn't want to miss any of this exciting life. We love her so so much!!

Star Valley, Wyoming

We spent this past weekend in Star Valley, Wyoming at the Mortensen's AMAZING cabin! We are so glad they invited us because it was soooo much fun and I can't even describe how beautiful this cabin is. You can get an idea from the pictures but its much more incredible to see in person.


This is a view of the cabin from the front driveway.


A shot of the Yarger clan. This was taken upstairs in the cabin, where they actually have a huge bouncy house thing. This was Taggart's favorite. Avril liked it too, although she wasn't quite sure how to take it all in. She was so happy the whole trip, it was just a delight. She was constantly entertained and smiling, no tears at all! The Mortensens now must think we have a perfect baby :)


Margaret made the most delicious french toast I have ever tasted in my life. Serious. She said its a Star Valley tradition.


This family pic was taken at the golf course nearby, where all the boys went golfing on Saturday. We (the girls and Taggart) met up with them at Hole 8 by the lake.


Avril is making sure her daddy didn't miss any whiskers on his face when he shaved.


Taggart and Avril playing. They liked each other quite well, after some warming up. Taggart is going to be a big brother soon, so its good he got some play time with baby Avril :)


Avril's hat is a genuine Peruvian hat that my parents brought home from their recent trip to Peru. We love how it looks on her!

Below are some more fun pics:







By the golf course there is a library where you can sit and read while you wait. The cool thing about this library is that all the books are donated so you can just take them home and bring them back whenever you want. You can even keep them and donate your old books. Here is Uncle Jared playing with Avril at the library.


Just a video in the car on the drive back home. Avril is fascinated by the camera.

R.I.P. Brett Olson

Jesse is now manager for House 8 at Chrysalis, where he helps care for individuals with various disabilities. Jesse has been working with Brett collectively for over a year. He was one of the residents in Jesse's house. On Sunday, he passed away due to a head injury from a seizure. Our hearts are hurting right now and we're praying for comfort for Brett's family at this difficult time. I know he is at peace now, up in heaven.

Its Tooth Time!

I just wanted to write a quickie because of the monumental moment that happened today. This morning Avril was chewing on my fingers (just one of the many things she chews on) and I felt something sharp poking through her gums. I looked and could not believe I saw a little tiny breakthrough. Her first tooth! It is coming up on the bottom, in the front, right side. How exciting. Our little baby is growing up so fast!
She also started eating a little more solid foods. She LOVES the gerber banana baby food. Her friend Sophie introduced her to this and so we bought some and she just went to town! :)


Here are Sophie and Avril playing together. Although they both had identical rattle toys to play with, the other person's was always more interesting so they kept grabbing the other baby's toy. Sophie is about 9 months old here so she's slightly older than Avril.

Shelby's 18th Birthday Party!!

September 3rd was Shelby's 18th Birthday. I can't believe he's an adult now! :) We celebrated on Labor Day and had a super cool party at our house!! Thank you so much mom (Carme), for putting together this special event. The turnout was great, and the food was delicious. We had so much fun!!


Uncle Jared came over to fix our computer, and obviously was successful, since I am able to publish this post!! This has been the week of everything breaking. Here is the list: Jesse's scooter that he just bought (muffler thingy broke), Jesse's laptop computer (won't turn on anymore), this computer (viruses, freezes up), Jesse's cell phone (flashes on and off, had to get a new one), the car had a flat tire, and the DVD we rented last night wouldn't play! Isn't that how it always goes? When it rains, it pours. :)


Yes, I matched our outfits on purpose. I am a nerd.


My handsome husband pulling his "Blue Steel" face.


Karen, me, Jesse, Ina


Some shots from the party...


Some more shots from the party...

Avril says "MAMA"!!!!

Today I was working in the kitchen and talking to Jesse on the phone when I heard a "mamamama". I told Jesse, "I think Avril just said mama!" Jesse told me to quickly reinforce her so I got very excited and sure enough, she gave me another "mama!" I kept reinforcing her behavior and we got lots of "mamas". I ran upstairs to grab the camera and got a few clips of her "mamas." Avril was doing this all day long. We even had people over for Shelby's birthday party and she wasn't shy, just kept saying her new sound out loud for everyone to hear :)


Avril saying "mama"!!!!

Viewing for Barbara Hales

Barbara McGregor Hales killed in Monday accident

By Jennie Christensen

Story Created: Aug 31, 2009 at 2:37 PM MDT

Story Updated: Sep 1, 2009 at 10:10 AM MDT

An 80 year-old Logan woman was killed following an auto-pedestrian accident in the ShopKo parking lot Monday morning in Logan. Logan Police Captain Jeff Curtis discussed the accident involving Barbara McGregor Hales at an afternoon press conference on Monday.

Hales was being treated for critical injuries following the crash, but died at about 6:20 p.m., Curtis said.

Hales was walking into the north doors of the store just before 10 am Monday morning when she was struck by a small north-bound pickup truck. According to Curtis the 62 year-old driver briefly looked down at the items he had recently purchased at the store when he struck Hales. Hales was rushed to Logan Regional Hospital where she has been placed on life-support. The accident is still being investigated.

Hales was a retired professor of English at Utah State University. She taught children's literature, poetry and speech. She also ran a poetry festival held at USU in the past. Hales was also known for her love of books and frequently handing them out to students and Logan City council members.

On Thursday evening we attended the viewing for Barbara Hales. She is the mother of our Aunt Tracine Hales Parkinson. We are so sorry for their loss.

My parents are currently in Peru, so were unable to attend. My Aunt, Uncle and cousins flew in from San Diego, CA so we did get to see them, which was a nice little reunion. I could not believe how tall my cousins are now!

All the boys: Uncle Robert and his boys: Brian, Spencer, Sam, then of course my bro Jared Parkinson


Jared, Avril and I with Aunt Tracine

New Scooter!

You mean someone got a new toy and it wasn't me??!! That's weird! Notice her cute little hair clip, courtesy of Kristy Risser. If you like what you see, there's more at: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5742485 There's some free advertising for you Kristy :), from a very cute baby model!


And here is the new scooter for daddy! (baby not included)


Jesse thought it would be more economical to drive his scooter to/from work and school so he checked the ads on campus and found a steal of a deal. He's really enjoying this new toy. Now if only it had a baby car seat included so that I could ride it too...