In Remembrance of Aerl Augustus Andersen

It's been over 2 months since Aerl left this world and I can't find the words to describe what this dog and faithful companion has meant to our family. Tears won't stop flowing as I type. Aerl was the best dog and we were very lucky to have him as part of our family. Everyone who met and knew Aerl, fell in love. AJ and I miss him terribly. We miss him when we open the garage door. We miss him when we go on family walks and hikes in the mountain. We miss him when we have left over corn dogs. We miss him when we watch movies. It's just not the same without him around.




Aerl Augustus Andersen
September 18, 2003 - August 31, 2010

He is your friend,
your Partner,
your defender,
your dog.
You are his life,
his love,
his leader.
He will be yours,
faithful and true
to the last beat
of his heart.

You will forever be in our hearts!
Scout the golden fields of heaven
until the day we are reunited.

April 2010 - A Broken Arm, Graduation, and a Vacation!

I have been so lazy lately when it comes to this blog. So I think I'll strive for a monthly post.

Here's what happened in April of 2010

We played outside when it felt like Spring!

Arlo broke his arm!! On April 18th, a week before we were to leave on our cruise, Arlo jumped out of the swings at Nana's house and fractured both bones in his forearm near his elbow. It was a sad day! It broke my heart hearing him scream in pain when they twisted and turned his broken arm to get x-rays. The first couple days with his new green cast were pretty rough, but as soon as he returned to school a few days later he was his old self, swinging on the monkey bars with his good arm and jumping on the trampoline. Nothing stops that kid! 4 weeks after breaking it, this last Tuesday, he got the cast off! We celebrated by going swimming with the fam! He'll be back to normal to enjoy a summer filled with gymnastics, swimming, hiking, biking, running, climbing, and jumping. Let's just pray that we're not back in the emergency room this summer. I don't think we could afford it!

On April 23rd AJ graduated from Weber State University!! He's still taking a couple classes this summer to finish up, but he did it! I'm sooooo proud of him for working so hard and balancing work and family as well. It's been a long haul but worth it. His whole family from Oregon came out for the ceremony and it was great to feel their love and support. AJ got his bachelors in Human Performance Management with an emphasis in Sports Management. He's going to continue his education and work on his Masters and after that his Doctorate! It's his goal to be a professor at a University and be the next Dr. Fun!

AJ with his dad, Arlo, and Grandma Lucy

AJ's mom, Debbie, giving him a big hug!!

AJ and his sisters, Tara and Jamie!

The Andersen 5!

Cache giving daddy a big hug and Cam waiting his turn.

AJ with his dad and sisters!

AJ's sweet mom sent us on a 6 day cruise two days after his graduation as a present!! Not only that, but she stayed the whole week to watch the boys!! SHE IS AMAZING!! And while she watched our boys all week, she and my mom, painted our kitchen! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Debbie for making this much needed trip happen for AJ and I! And thanks to my parents for their help and supplying us with 'Play' money. And to Tara and Jamie for the 'Tip' money. AJ and I had a memorable time with just the two of us! We missed the boys but loved the fact that we didn't have to get up with kids, or have mouths to feed, or diapers to change, or have no worries in the world! Here are some of my favorite pictures of our trip to Mexico:

Disneyland 2010

The first week in March we went to the Happiest Place on Earth! Disneyland!!! We decided to leave Cam at home with my sister and mom and just take the older 2 boys. We sure did miss Cam, but I'm glad that we decided not to take him. It was great to have an even number and one adult per kid in a very crowded place. We had a blast!! (not so much the 12 hour car ride, in which the kids never napped!) We can't wait to go back again, and next time with the whole family. I hope you enjoy the slide show.

Here's a little video of the boys on a Roller Coaster in Toon Town. I think we went on this 4 times in a row! Luckily the line wasn't long. Cache loved it!

After a long day at Disney we decided to go to dinner at Bennihana's. Cache didn't even make it to the table before he fell asleep and Arlo barely made it past the appetizer before he turned around and fell asleep on the back of his chair. AJ and I enjoyed a nice quiet dinner together!

Another night we went to dinner at Medieval Times! The kids and myself loved it, while AJ thought it was a bit too cheesy. We cheered on the White Knight, but he was the first to die.

Our last day before heading home we tried to take a Whale Watching excursion in New Port Beach. After leaving the harbor we had to turn back around and come back in because the wind picked up and the waves were to big. I was really bummed because I have always wanted to go whale watching. We did, however, see a couple dolphins next to the boat. We got lucky and got a full refund and tickets to go back within the year, thanks to another passenger who was threatening to get a lawyer if they didn't.

Because we weren't out on the boat for long, we had some time to kill. So we went and played in the ocean. It was cold, but that didn't stop Arlo from getting wet!

After our day on the beach we drove to Las Vegas to see a long lost friend, Heather, who was a roommate of mine at college. It was great to see her and meet her family. We had dinner and stayed the night, then headed home the next morning. Our drive home was very long, due to all the detours AJ took. We saw at least 10 rainbows on our drive. They were all so beautiful.

We all had a really great time and it was especially great to see Baby Cam after 5 days. A big thanks to my sis and her family and my mom and dad for loving him while we were gone!

Thanksgiving Week 2009

We had a great time this last Thanksgiving and were very blessed to spend it with family that we hold dear to our hearts!! (mush, mush) Nanny Lyly flew in from Oregon and spent some well needed time with us. After riding on a plane, bus, train and automobile she made it to our house in time for dinner. Wednesday we went to the park then headed to Ogden to meet my family for our very first Olympic Curling championship! AJ put together this fun affair and rented the Ice Sheet and a couple instructors to teach us the art of Curling. We all had so much fun and after all the trash talk the true champions were crowned. Eric, Amber, Dale, and Elaine! However I think the real champions were the 2 babysitters that watched all 12 of the cousins in one house! (11 of them under the age of 6!) Bless there hearts! We can't wait for next year when we'll be sporting jerseys and head bands and have an official trophy to pass around.








The next day, Thanksgiving, we ate to our bellies content, enjoyed each others company and ended the night with games. Friday, in my opinion the best day off all, was filled with many activities. We met everyone at the Classic Fun Center for bouncing and climbing. Then had dinner at Panda Express, then hit up Toy's R Us for some Black Friday shopping, then headed to Temple Square to see the Lights. Temple Square was amazing, as usual. It's such a special place and it's hard to not feel the spirit of Christ and true meaning of Christmas there. The boys were wonderful! They never complained about the cold and loved the Horse Drawn Carriage ride about the Square. (I did too, I've always wanted to do that!)
Thanks Nanny LyLy for a fun filled week!