Christmas Card 2009 (for all those who I don't have addresses)

The year 2009
Sure was fine.
12 Chickens came to stay,
Sadly, Koda passed away.
All are busy and doing well,
Here is what we have to tell!

Indoor soccer, coaching football,
And traveling move of the Fall.
Elders Quarum Secretary,
Wishing he had a fairy,
to finish his car,
that does not move far!

Raspberry, strawberry and huckleberry
Picking seemed to make her merry.
Canning, cleaning and painting,
wants a goat that is fainting!
Young Women Secretary and Wolf Den Leader,
Wishes her car was a two seater!

Piano, football, wresling and such,
Boy I think this kid does too much.
Turning ten next year,
not much does he fear.
Scouting, science and good books,
Robbie sure has good looks!

Winning State wrestling, working hard
Kamren is always on his guard
Started piano, played sports a lot,
Reading and good grades he sought.
Funny, cute and in second grade
This kid has got it made!

Loves to hug, scream and shout,
David is even known to pout!
Rides his bike and makes a mess,
a true red head, none the less.
Loves books, sports and cars,
Can this boy really be ours?

Growing liks a snail,
Abraham can fit in a pail!
Adorable, sweet and a little rough,
I think his brothers will make him tough.
He is our red headed wonder
Who can sream as loud as thunder.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Love,
Eric, Chell, Robbie (9 yrs) Kamren (7 yrs) David (3 yrs) and Abe (1 yr)

State Wrestling (folkstyle)

Robbie


Kamren

Robbie...I don't have any still ones of Kamren

Robbie, again!

Robbie, Kamren and some of their friends that are on the team.



When Robbie was in Kindergarten he wanted to wrestle, but the only team we knew of was in Rexburg and I was not about to drive up there to wrestle...boy have times changed!
In first grade Robbie read the note that they had wrestling in Rigby, so Eric and I gave in and let him try. We did the practices, but not the meets the first session. Then Robbie talked us into doing the meets for freestyle, we have been hooked since.
It is crazy to think that Robbie has been wrestling for 4 years now and Kamren for 3 years. Robbie is a two time State Champion in Freestyle and Folkstyle and Kamren is a two time State Champion in both styles, he was also Eastern Idahos Outstanding wrestler of the year, and won another trophy from a Bantam festival.
Robbie attened a Kael Sanderson camp this summer in Heber City, UT, and that has made wrestling blood boil in him! He has never really loved folkstyle, but this year he could not get enough mat time. He lost two matches this season. He really earned this State title this season. The boy he wrestled for first had beaten Robbie every time last year but once. Robbie lost to him at State freestyle last spring. Needless to say Eric and I were a little, or a LOT nervous about this match. Robbie got into the zone, pumped himself up and went after this kid. It was fun to see Robbie come into his own. He pinned the boy in the third round! IT WAS AMAZING! I do have to say I was proud of him. He had worked so hard for this.
Kamren only lost one match this year, it was when he wrestled 55lb. Once he went to 50lbs he was undefeated. He was the animal that we all know Kamren to be. It was fun to have two State Champions last week.
Our team as a whole took 2nd at State. It was wonderful to participate and we look forward to taking State in Freestyle. For now we will just enjoy the holiday season and then we will hit it hard back on the mats! How our boys love the mats! If anyone is interested here are some links of State, not all of the matches are here but some.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l22xUYvbAwY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXy469SbbO8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7q0ykL7uhs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19RFF9nbd00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf3V0cK0uUY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUBu7TJdGxM
To the boys....we are so proud of you! We love how determined, strong and full of life you both are. Keep up the work!

Clair E. Gail Wrestling Meet

Kamren wrestled twice and pinned both times in the first period, he took first place. Robbie had 11 in his bracket and wrestled 5 times, 4 wins and the final match was a loss...by ONE point! He has beaten this kid before so he was pretty upset with himself. He did a great job! He took 2nd place, the kid he lost to took 3rd, so he really should have beaten him. A lot of other coaches were watching his matches, Robbie is the one to beat. So, the kid from Madison that beat him was so excited when he won, so was the Madison coach. Everyone was shocked! When we were sitting on the bleachers afterwards some coaches were passing by talking and we heard them say, "did you see Robert Larsen get beat?". It was bitter sweet for Robbie. Both boys did amazing jobs. I was so pleased with them both.

Halloween

Halloween is so much fun! But it is also a CRAZY time when Eric is gone for most of the month and we are trying to get the yard/house winterized. This is the first year in 2 years that Eric has been here for Halloween! We had a ward party, which was fun, you can acutally wear a costume that can be seen. The school had a carnival, Eric took the three older boys and I stayed home and canned apple sauce! Halloween we had a trunck or treat in the neighborhood, nice way to do it with little ones. We were done around 5:45 and then headed home for dinner and a movie night with the boys. What a great Halloween.
Now we are gearing up for Thanksgiving. I think this will be our first quiet one in a long time. Erics family usually comes up, except when his mom has to work. This is one of those years when she will be working and Bob does not want to drive back up...he is taking the boys to a BYU football game the weekend before Thanksgiving. Here are a few pictures of Halloween. Abraham was a lion and a pumpkin (depending on what day) Kamren was a nerd, David was "just David", until Eric told him he could not go trick-or-treating if he didn't dress up, Robbie...a punk! He would make a cute girl! They all had fun!

How to Host a Murder Game Night

We have had a game group for a few years now. Some people have moved and so we bring in new couples. Eric and I have enjoyed this so much. We take turns hosting the night and we have started a few traditions along the way. Around Halloween we do a How to Host a Murder Party...always a blast. This year the Montano's hosted it and it was so much fun. We were super heros, Eric and I were Blue Blaze and Nerdon, The Montano's were Electra and Vampo, Bezzants were Stingmata and Jester, Brownings were Red Wonder and Wishes and Neads were Mr. Fabulous and Shiver. It was a blast and we love gettting together and making these great memories. We always look forward to the next month to get together. I do have to say, Eric was the best and we could not stop laughing...his hair is a real cut we gave him two days before. What a sport he was, enjoy the laugh!

The passing of our dear Koda

Most recent photo of Koda, with darling Olivia!

Proud Koda.

When Eric and I purchased our first home all Eric wanted was a dog. He had talked about this since we were married, the first thing he wanted after a home was a dog. So, in March of 2004 we purchased our home here in Rigby, Idaho, and we also got our chocolate lab, Koda. Robbie and Kamren were so excited, but Eric was the most excited.
Koda has been a true Lab, he was full of energy and love. He learned to play fetch very soon after we brought him home. He was a crazy dog with problems, as most dogs have. He had a tumor removed that was bigger than a softball...he had a hyper active thyroid and was on medication for a long time.
He had a great friend, Sadie, a female Chocolate Lab that lived next door. They would play for hours together. One day Sadie was hit by a car, she suffered a few stiches and was healed in no time. Koda, was scared by this and began chasing cars.
He even ran into a car, which we got to pay to have the dents pulled out and painted! So, Koda was a pain at times, but we all loved him so much.
He loved to lick everyone, he loved to just be with the family. The boys loved taking him to the river and they loved playing fetch with him. He was a great companion and we will miss him dearly.
On Saturday he ran off, which he has done before, but he usually does not venture out of the neighborhood. We rode bikes around trying to call him, looking for him, and praying he would come home to us...today he was still not home and a dear friend said her son spotted a dog on the side of the road. I went with her to check it out and it was Koda. Eric came home from his trip later and went to verify...to our horror and sadness. Our home has been full of tears and heartbreak. With time I know our hearts will heal, Koda will forever have a place in our home and hearts. He will never be able to be replaced...we miss you and love you Koda.
May you find joy in heaven as you chase all that moves. We know his body is free from all his illnesses and that he is happy. We pray that our hearts will heal.
Robbie will miss hiking with him.
Kamrem will miss playing catch with him and going on walks with him.
David will miss being the boss of him.
Abraham will miss him licking him and will miss his gentle disposition.
Rochelle will miss him walking the boys to the bus stop, watching him with the boys and just the joy that a pet brings.
Eric will just miss his first true pet...Koda has left a hole in our hearts.

Abraham is ONE!!!

OK, firs off the photos are all over the place and not in order. I don't know how to rotate them, so just rotate your computer! I'm just amazed that I got the photos up. Some day I may learn how to get them in order and rotate, but for now, I don't have the time.
Our dear sweet Abraham Heath Larsen
















I cannot believe that our little baby boy, Abraham, is already one. Yes, this happened about a month ago, but it has been a VERY crazy month. So, here is Abe's life in a nutshell.
He was born Aug. 11, 2008. He is our only child that has an odd number in his birthday! He has been such a wonderful baby and a joy in our home. He is loved by all his brothers and they smother him at times, but I think Abe is used to it. Abraham Heath is named after one of Eric's heros, Abraham Lincoln, and Heath is Eric's maternal grandfathers middle name. We were going to call him Heath, but David could not say it, so we went with Abraham. The name had to grow on me, but now I LOVE it and it suits our little man.
Abraham has not wanted to gain weight or grow on the "normal" charts. He is healthy and moves around like crazy, he does not want to be left behind. Yet, he does everything on his own time and with his own flare. He now weighs a whopping 13 lbs. 6 oz and is 27 inches long. He is just little...makes it easy to tote around!
He has always been a very content baby, sleeps well, eats well and just loves life. We are so glad he is part of our family. He is so spoiled with love.
Everyone loves his smile, his giggle and of course his wonderfully curly hair! I don't think we go anywhere without someone commenting on how adorable he is and how much they love his hair.

Kamren is 7 years old

I really wanted to put a bunch of photos of Kamren, but my computer is acting up and I don't have the time to fiddle with it. If I get a chance I'll add some photos of when he was a baby...but don't count on it.
Kamren was born in Roseville, Calf. Nana Larsen was there when he was born, and she did a wonderful job of documenting his birth! Kamren was born at 12:03pm and was 7lbs. 10 oz. and was 21 inches long. He was a cute baby and was loved by his older brother at first sight.
Kamren loved to eat when he was born, he thought he needed to eat every two hours or so, he was a good sleeper and was a great baby.
When Kamren turned one he had rosiolla, a form of the measles. We took him to the ER because he had a fever of 106, they could not tell us what was wrong, gave him some Tylenol and sent us home. We went to the pediatrician after the weekend and she diagnosed him. He was vomiting on his birthday, poor little guy. All his b.day photos he looks so sad.
When Kamren was two we moved to Idaho. He loved having a big yard to play in and living near his cousins. When he was three he broke his arm jumping off a couch at his aunts house. When he was four he cracked his head open at another aunts house... do you see a trend here?
Kamren loves Robbie. He loves sports, wrestling (he has been state champion, eastern idaho outstanding wrestler, and placed first in most meets), he loves football, soccer and wants motocross. He enjoys riding bikes, playing cars and catching bugs, snakes, mice and holding our chickens.
Kamren is a funny boy, he keeps our family laughing and wondering what he is going to do next. He loves family time. Playing games is a favorite. He likes to read. I could go on forever about Kamren, we all love him so much and could not imagine life without him. He is our little cuddle bug and I cannot believe he is seven today. I don't like that one bit!
Here are a few photos, no particular order or reason. Some show his crazy and silly personality.

David turns three, better late than never.

David you are our third little boy! You was born on a rainy day in June. Daddy and I were the only ones at the hospital for his birth. My parents were on a mission in Mexico and dads parents were at their home in Calf. You were born at 3:20pm and had red hair, which came as a shock to us both. Later that day you had many visitors...all my sisters came at some point in the day!
Since your arrival into this great world you have made your presence known. You have loved to make noise, messes and scream! You had great curls all over your head so everyone had to stop and look at you.
You are now three and I cannot believe how time has gone my so fast. You are starting to dress yourself and you tell me you are a big boy. Even though you will not go potty on the toilet! We just hope you are potty trained by the time you go to school!
You are a crazy little boy who always has us thinking what you will do next. You like to read books, color and play cars. You love being with your older brothers and you like to hold and kiss your little brother Abraham.
You have been a wonderful addition to your family and we all love you so very much. You are a crazy kid who will always keep us on our toes. Happy very late birthday my little red head with attitude.

Just for fun

Just some fun pictures of the boys! Abe fell alseep on the living room floor. It was so cute! One is David helping make his Mac and Cheese, he is so happy about being a helper. The older boys were in a parade for wrestling.