Up, Up, Up and Away

Last week Matthew turned 2!!!  It was a crazy weekend, with Father's Day and us getting ready for a week long vacation, but it was fun!! We decided to start out the festivities by attending the free admission day at the Legacy Flight Museum.  What a great place! So many cool things to see (and take pictures of...haha). Here are just a few of the memories!  (They are all unedited! I didn't have time to edited them all and by the time that I do, it will be way ancient history!)

Watching the helicopter taking off. They were selling ten minutes rides for $20! Anthony really wanted to go but luckily no cash.

It was really windy...thus cold...outside but at least the sun was shining!

They even had some old cars there! I really loved seeing all the history that was portrayed! They had old planes that had flown in wars and stories about their pilots! I was in heaven!

Matthew has a tendency to scratch when life isn't going his way or if he doesn't want to share. Julia was standing at the gate that blocks the entrance into our kitchen, and Matthew didn't like the idea of sharing that position and thus...a beautiful mark!

The birthday boy in his carriage!

Standing by the Hoover plane! They had a platform that you could climb and see and inside the cockpit and they had the engine panel off so that you could see how it works....(I still don't know and kind of mumbled through something for my boys sake!)

I couldn't believe how big these things were! It's taller then Peter!! I never really thought about how big those must have been!

We finally let Matthew out of the stroller! He climbed right up into the plane and said cheese! So cute!

Then he wanted to try out the jeep!

Way cool 1925 fire engine!!

My stud....doesn't he look hot?

After looking at everything and being half frozen, we decided to head home and get the house presentable before my family came over for a party for Matthew's birthday!

Peter and Anthony trying out Glen's longboard!

My parents gave Matthew this cool sprinkler! At least we thought it was cool...

Matthew not so much!!!

He was okay after he got some cake!! 

Happy Birthday Matthew!! You bring so much laughter and adventure into my life!! I love your kisses and your hugs and the way that you shout Mommy when I walk in the door! You have such a curiosity for life that  constantly keeps me on my toes but I won't change you for anything!!! Hooray for surviving to 2!!!

Its Reunion Time!

Last weekend was the Tietjen Family Reunion. There was exactly 60 1/2 people there!! That is just Anthony's brothers and sisters and their kids!! It was a lot of fun and lot of noise but awesome! My wonderful inlaws put it all together, doing a total rad 50's theme! They turned the room that we usually eat in into a diner and had this awesome menus made up!

 Andrew, along with the other kids, loved the hulu hoops that were given out! Might have to get some of these! Hours of fun wrapped up in a plastic tube!

 There was some canoeing along the flooded banks of the slough. The boys loved it!!

 Cool airplane flying by Uncles!! The kids were so exited by all the activities!

 My personal favorite was the candy counter that was set up with all the old time candies!! The kids were each had to pay with coins that they got for helping out or from the stash that their parents had. Unless your the totally uncool mom like me and forget the stash at home in the pants that she had worn the first day of the reunion. Opps!!! Thanks for letting them have it anyways!

One of Anthony's nephews having a "swinging" good time!!

 Our first meal was hamburgers and hot dogs that were delivered to us by waitresses dressed in 50's garb!

 Julia in the "kiddie" pool! This was the only way that we could let her play without getting ran over by one of her 36 cousins or without eating dirt or  getting into more trouble!

Me and my girl!! My only baby that will let me hold her!! I'm going to enjoy this time because its going to be over sooner then I'm ready for it to be! 

 This little dude was a handful! The question "Where's Matthew?" was constantly coming out of our lips! With the water being high, I think I'm justified in being paranoid!

 Doesn't like getting wet!!

 Notice the harness....we got smart! He didn't like it but at least he was safe!!

 Peter dressed as Jim Bridger for the Talent Show and program of 50's remembrances! Looks kind of scary huh? Don't want to get on his bad side! LOL!

No reunion won't be complete with playing in the water, even if it was only 60 degrees outside and none of the adults dared to get wet!!! Oh to be young and un-freezable!!

There was a lot more adventures and pictures but I don't want to completely overwhelm you!!! Hahaha!

Memorial Day

What to do on a rainy day that should be warm and sunny and filled with fun? 

You can almost see his wheels turning....

Hot Wheels is always an option!!! This has been on the best Christmas gifts that we could have given our boys!! 

 Monsters!!! Can you guess how many kids are under there?? FOUR!!!

Picture taking in the rain!!! 

Remembering what the day is really about...

 those that have sacrificed all for us.

Graduation

The end of May was awesome! My baby brother, the last to the leave the nest, graduated from Seminary and High School! And my first baby graduated from Kindergarten the same day of high school graduation! I never felt so old or proud in my whole life. I was nine years old when my brother was born and so I feel that I had a great deal to do with taking care of him...big bossy sister syndrome...(I'm a recovering addict! LOL!) My mom would often remind me that I was not the mom...sigh...good thing that I married into such a big family...lots of siblings to boss around....wink, wink!

Couldn't get a decent smile from him, but that's my brother!! 

Whole family...minus Anthony who was watching a sleeping baby and Shaun who is Moab!

Won't ya know that Glen's seminary teacher would be a guy from Anthony's ward growing up? FYI: There's a running joke that everyone we go, we always run into someone that knows a Tietjen. The proof is the picture!

Here's my all of sudden little boy walking into his graduation! Now, I am not the type to go all out for Kindergarten Graduation...I actually think that its kind of unnecessary.  But, what can you do? Ne ways....

They sang about five songs...very well...I might add! I was so proud of him!! Peter is usually a very shy kid in crowds and I was proud that he has improved in this area!

Peter with his awesome teacher, Mrs. Jackson! She is amazing! Peter absolutely loved every minute of school and learned so much. 

Peter with some of his friends!!!

Won't you know that only the baby could get away with something like this?  My parents would never have let me, as the oldest do something like this, but then again, I also won't be caught dead doing something like that! Not enough guts!!! 

My dad happens to be on the school board and was able to hand my brother his diploma!

The support!!!

All the family that was there! Julia feel asleep during the ceremony and is still sleeping at this point!

 The refreshments!!! 

So proud of all the graduates!!!!