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.

A tribute to all the dads in my life

First of all there is my father. He was an amazing father, the best I could ever ask for. He taught me the value of working hard, family time and loving the Lord. I have fond memories of working in the yard together, I am sure I was complaining the entire time. But looking back I treasure that time together. I spent many hours in the truck with him on the way to jobs, being quizzed with math facts. Sadly, that did not make me any better at math, and I'm not sure if any of it has stuck with me over the years. I loved going fishing and camping with my dad. I never loved baiting the hook, but that is what a father is there for.
I have not always been close with my father, and for that I am truly sad. But I can honestly say as I have grown up and have a family of my own, I have realized how blest I am to have my dad. I don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful father in my life. He is a true hero! His love for the Lord and for the gospel is so vast and I am in awe of his understanding. He always honors his priesthood and teaches with love. I am mostly thankful that he married my mother in the Temple. Together they have reared six children all of whom are sealed in the Temple and are rearing families of their own. I love my siblings and am so thankful to be part of the Boyd Cardon family. I love you dad! And I miss you so very much.

To my father-in-law, I am thankful to be a member of the Robert Wayne Larsen family. I know that Eric is the man he is today because of my second father! He welcomed me into the family when Eric and I were first dating and for that I am thankful. He loves my children and I know he has a testimony of the Savior and his church here on this earth. I have not always felt at ease around my in-laws, but I have always known that they love me and my family. I am thankful that along with his wife LeeAnne, they taught Eric in love and righteousness, resulting in Eric serving a mission and then coming to Ricks. I love my father-in-law and I could not have asked for a better one. I am so lucky to have him in my life.

Now, to the love of my life...Eric. Words are not adequate for how I feel about this father. Next to my dad I have never seen a dad more dedicated to his family and more involved with is kids. Eric would do anything for his boys, they are his world. It seems that every night he is helping them with some sport or school project. He has always coached them in sporting events. He has always helped with them at night when they were babies...not always happy about it, but he did it anyhow. Eric is in my eyes and in the eyes of his boys the greatest father there is. Eric honors his priesthood and his calling in the church. I know he has a deep love of the Savior and he has great desires to serve the Lord in every way. Eric is the head of our home and he is a wonderful leader. I don't know what I would ever do without him. He is my entire world and my heart and soul belong to him.
He has been gone for a week now and my heart just aches to be with him again. He is a wonderful provider for our family and I am so thankful I'm able to stay at home with our children. I am thankful that Eric wants me home and not out in the work force. For all that know Eric, they know how wonderful he is. He is amazing! I'm blest to be his wife.

Missing Eric

Eric headed off to Texas last Sunday. It has been a busy week and I'm glad he is going to be home Monday night. The boys are in need of some male attention and wrestling...they are going a little crazy.
Robbie and Kamren attended a wrestling camp in Idaho Falls this past week and really enjoyed learning some new moves. Robbie was complaining of a tooth ache for a few days and then on Wed. woke up with a swollen face/jaw. He looked like he had a tumor, of course Eric has the camera so I don't have pictures. It looked painful. I took him to the Dentist and they pulled a tooth. The Dentist was not really sure what was wrong, it looked like the nerve was in knotts and the root was absorbing. So, we pulled the tooth and are praying that is the problem. The swelling has gone down over the past few days and we are thankful.
Eric's sister Katie spent most of the week with us and that was wonderful to have another adult in the house so I didn't go crazy! Today the boys have all been loud and fussy, so I am really ready for Eric to come home. I am not cut out to be a single parent. I just could not do it!