Our letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

Soon it will be Christmas and we just wanted to make sure that you knew how good we have been. Each of us has tried in our own way to do what we should.

Peter has been so good this year, Santa. Not even really crying after he got his root canal and crown in July. Pretty good for a four year old, huh? He was nice to all the kids and made friends in preschool this year as well. He is the biggest helper with Matthew, giving him his toys and pacifier and helping his mommy feed him and change his diaper. Peter also sings him songs to help him stop crying until his mommy can come get him.

Andrew has tried super hard to be good this year as well! He even dressed like a superhero on Halloween with the rest of his family to show how hard he is trying to be good. As a three year old mechanic that loves to take things apart and see how they work, Andrew has been tempted a lot this year to destroy a lot of stuff but he has been good and hasn’t touch his mom’s toaster yet! He can usually fix all the things he takes apart and fix those things Mommy can’t!

Matthew, only being 6 months, has been exceptionally good! He is generally a happy baby that loves to smile and laugh, especially at his two big brothers! He hardly fussed when he cut his two bottom teeth and he always eats his vegetables that his mommy has started feeding him. Matthew eats so good that he now weighs 17 pounds and is 26 ¾ inches tall! He is trying hard to be patient as he learns to crawl . . . if he could only get his belly off the ground!

Mommy and Papa have tried really hard to be good too! Papa has even been working with the young men in the ward to help them get their Duty to God. Mommy worked really hard in the Primary until she got released and now she gets to make phone calls every month to see if people have done their visiting teaching. Papa also was really, really good when he had a root canal as well in August. He had to go to the ER and everything to get some medicine to make it stop hurting until a dentist could look at it and fix it! Mommy and Papa were very forgiving when they got really sick after eating dinner at that one restaurant! They were sick all day but they didn’t get mad at the people that gave them the food!

Santa, last of all we are excited for the early Christmas present in our Mommy’s belly! We can hardly wait to see it and we will try and be patient until July when it comes! It was such a surprise to find out that we got a Christmas present in the middle of November, even before Thanksgiving! Could you please send a sister? We don’t have one of those you know!

Thanks for everything and have a great Christmas!

Love,

The Tietjens

P.S. We have put in some pictures so that you can see how big we are! We know that you never really get to see us because we are always asleep when you come!

Family Winter Picture

Hope you like our new family winter picture.

Stop the Healthcare Bill

[Posted by Anthony]

Please visit this blog that I have setup: stop-the-healthcare-bill.blogspot.com. Watch the videos. Contact your senators!

http://stop-the-healthcare-bill.blogspot.com

Pine Wood Derby

The Elder's Quorum is our ward held a Pine Wood Derby race for the elders! Anything went, including a five pound weight limit! No jets or anything that would catch fire or push the other cars over! It was amazing what they came up with! Anthony had so much fun! He decided to design his after the cruiser in Star Wars, but everyone thought it was a spider! He drilled holes in it and filled with melted lead! It was one heavy car!

Anthony working on his car, trying to get the wheels on straight or something! My girl mind couldn't really understand the importance of everything he did to it!

Finished product!

The competition!

I thought that this one was so cool! A covered wagon complete with passengers!

Racing the Rat!

In the end, Anthony ended up with Third Place! He was so excited and I was so proud! His fastest time was like 2.12 seconds! It was a lot of fun! I got to know alot of new wives and that made it worth to me too! It was so fun to watch our husbands act like little boys! The guys would run over and declare, "Did you see? Did you see? I won that one! Watch!" It was awesome!

New Family Photo

Finally! We have a new family photo! One that Andrew doesn't look like a baby and one that includes our new baby! I took this photo at my parents and then my brother's family! My mom commented how glad she was that she hadn't removed that fence section! Ne ways... I am way excited to have a new photo! I have learned from this experience that it is much easier to have someone else do you family photo then to try and do it yourself with three squirmy boys! (You have to actually go to our blog page to see it! It's our new header! I only got one good shot! I'll post new pics of the boys soon! Promise!

Pumpkin Patch

A couple of weeks ago we went and got some pumpkins from a local pumpkin patch! It was aweseome! The boys were so excited and had a blast picking out their pumpkins! Peter kept running around and pulling them off the vines! He was trying to help us find ours! We did this last year and I think that it will become a family tradition! The best part is that the pumpkins aren't huge so that means no big dig outs!

Andrew with his pumpkin! He decided right after we got out of the van! He said, "That one! I want that one!"

Peter after Anth cut his! I was thankful that the pumpkin stem held and that we didn't have smashed pumpkin!

The results of our labors! I did take it landscape but for some reason blogger keeps turning it vertical! We ended up with five because Anthony decided he didn't want to share his with me. Sniff! Sniff! No really, I'm okay with it because then I get to use the biggest for a photo booth that I doing for Anthony's family Halloween party! Overall a great success!

We also got apples from the same farmer. They were fiji applese and they were huge! The one on the left and in the middle are the ones from the farmer! That it about the average size of the apples! I have never seen apples so big and they taste great! I had to go and get another box because they were so good!

How the Human Body Works

[Posted by Anthony]

Thought I'd post these links here for safe keeping!

• How the lungs work (Animation)
• How the heart works (Animation)

Online TV Shows & Cartoons

Here are some links to online tv shows and cartoons. The Netflix ones require a subscription, but the rest are free to watch.

Cartoons

• Arthur (Netflix)
• Bob the Builder (Netflix)
• Caillou (Netflix)
• Flintstones (KidsWB)
• Harold and the Purple Crayon (Hulu)
• Inspector Gadget (Hulu)
• Jetsons (KidsWB)
• Pebble And The Penguin, The (Hulu)
• Scooby Doo (KidsWB)
• Smurfs (KidsWB)

TV Shows

• Bewitched (Hulu)
• Dick Van Dyke Show (Hulu)
• Lost in Space (Hulu)
• Land of the Lost (Hulu)
• MacGyver (CBS)
• Star Trek: The Original Series (CBS)
• Mary Tyler Moore Show (Hulu)
• The Twilight Zone (CBS)

Is Summer over yet?

This has become a typcial response at my house this summer. Peter can't wait for summer to be over so that he had get on with fall activites. He will ask every couple of days if its fall yet. So this post is in memory of our summer that is almost over.

Peter has decided that he is going to be "a star! I'm going to get a stage and sing songs to people!" He loves to play Anth's guitar and make up songs!

The first of July, Peter had to get a root canal! That's right! You didn't read it wrong! His back molar had a huge cavity and because the molar would guide his later teeth in, we had to do the root canal and place a crown on it. Because of the size of his tonsils we couldn't do oral sedation and had to do a complete knock out. It was a over all good experience and Peter loves to tell the story. He was suppose to have this surgery on the day that I had Matthew.

Just a few of the home repairs that we have had to face this summer. Our fence blew down when a strong Idaho wind came through and a hole developed in our ceiling when we had a downpour. My brother reached up and touched the ceiling where it was wet.

The Fourth of July was pretty awesome as well! We had a lot of fun watching the fireworks and then playing with sparklers. An all time favorite!

Matthew's blessing day was perfect! We had a lot of family and friends that came to support us. We had a great day with terrific food. Matthew had the awesome privilege of wearing Anth's blessing outfit! The first of our boys to do so!

A new Monson was added to our family when my SIL had a baby almost three weeks after Matthew. Her name is Kaylie! Isn't she cute?

A four generation shot of Anth with his mom and grandma. Our summer has been filled with reunions! I think that we went to four! Crazy! At least for us! It has been a lot of fun to visit with family that we haven't seen for a year or more.

My wonderful husband, who always knows how to make me laugh! He has been an awesome support this summer with Matthew being born and taking care of the boys while I have some me time or a nap! This is one in a handful of times I have seen him wear jeans!

Bike riding as been a highlight of our summer! The boys love to ride their bikes and it makes for a great bribe when we need one. This is one of the pictures that I submitted to the county fair this year. No prizes this year but I had fun anyways.

Our summer has been busy and I have the feeling that life is no longer going to be as slow paced as it once was!

Life in the fast lane

That is exactly how I feel my life has been since Matthew was born....fast! Its crazy around my house right now! With feedings every three to four hours (both the older and young boys...husband included), doctor appointments, vacations, family reunions, holidays, church callings, I feel like I am constantly running. I have grown fond of the stairs in my house...its a split level so to go to the bathroom or to where the basement(where Peter and Andrew play) I get to go and then down or down then up! I am getting into shape plenty! I am doing good as well Matthew! He has gained five pounds since he was born and is sure to grow more!

Peter and Andrew love their brother and their new found freedom that comes from Mommy being busy taking care of "Mahew" as Andrew calls him. Flushing things down the toilet, making mud soup in the sandbox with Mommy's rice, salt, pepper, sugar, and what ever else they can get their hands on has, attempting to potty-train ourselves (poor Andrew...he wants to be so desperately but I am a little preoccupied), it has been an adventure at our house.

Peter (in order to get attention, we believe) has been flushing things down the toilet. We know for certain that their are two bottle caps, a toothbrush, and an excessive amount of toilet paper. Anthony was plunging it out and a bottle cap and nipple popped up! It has been frustrating but it is getting better. We are unsure about what else may be in there! Anyone know a good plumber?

Andrew can tell me when he needs to go to the bathroom but is not patient enough to sit for it to come. I think that must be my genes because I have an awful time being patient! I once prayed when I was single to help me to learn patience. The Lord, with his wonderful sense of humor, sent me three wonderful mischievous boys!! Andrew loves to talk to Matthew but is convinced that he is not a boy! Matthew is a baby! He is not a boy! Andrew and Peter are boys! It has been so fun to watch those two with Matthew! They definitely love him!

Matthew is continuing to grow and has started to smile! His favorite time to smile is at 1:00 am when Anth and I are tired and irritable about having to get up! He knows how to get out of trouble. He'll look up at us after eating a few ounces and give us a huge cheesy grin! The frustration just melts! He is such a special addition to our family!

Sorry about the wordy post...but I wanted to write down some of this stuff before I forgot what these days are like. I often hear myself repeating phases my mom would say. You know the ones..."I can't have anything nice!" "You're driving me crazy!" But most of all, "I love you!" Being a mom is tough but definitely worth it when I check on my boys before I pass out every night, and see them sleeping like angels.

He's HERE!!!!!

Matthew Ellis Tietjen entered this world on Friday, June 19th at 3:45 p.m. His mother, Alisha Tietjen, was awaken when her water broke early Friday morning. After a hurried dash to the hospital, it was confirmed that Tietjen was in fact, (FINALLY..remarked some of the bystanders), in labor! After 11 hours of labor and 9 pushes, Matthew arrived much to the relief and joy of his parents! His weight rang in at 7 lbs. 14 oz. and it was declared that he will be a future basketball player with a starting height of 22 inches. His hair color is a light brown with blonde undertones and what appears to be dark blue eyes. Both mother and baby are home and are doing very well. Visitors and well-wishers are welcome and desired!

Photo of New Parents with Baby Matthew (Doesn't the mother look exhausted but oh so happy?)

What a cutie! (Okay so I think I will drop the reporter thing!) Matthew has been an awesome addition to our family. We love him so much already!

Classic Mom and Baby shot! This was right before we left to come home. I spent two night in the hospital and I am so glad that I did. It gave me time to rest before coming home to house full of boys. Highly recommend taking as much time as possible in the hospital!
Finally the "Going Home" shot! He has a really cute outfit on under the blanket but he was screaming so much when I took the picture of just the outfit that this one became the only option.

Sweet 16!

My baby brother, Glen, turned 16 May 30th. Because he was getting ordained a priest the Sunday after, we came down a day later to celebrate! I can't believe that my baby brother is that old! Its makes me feel really old! We made him an awesome candy poster (forgot to take pics) that he loved! (I later found the cd that I was going to give him! Oh well!) I was assigned (volunteered) for cake duty.

I made an super easy but totally yummy ice cream cake! My good friend, BettyCrocker.com, shared it with me. It was so good! I ate way to much! (Especially because I'm "suppose" to limit the amount of carbs and sugar I have to keep the baby's weight down).

Glen is such a ham! He cracks me up! He is always pulling faces or telling us some kind of joke! My boys love him, that is until he gets them so wound up that they can't take any more! Good luck with the dating world, Glen! We were going to get him a little black book for all those numbers he is sure to get but Anth talked me out of it! He's too nice!

The boys fell asleep in their carseats on the way to my parents! Since they are both in boosters now, they don't have much head support! Good thing they can lean on each other! We are thinking of investing in some travel pillows or something since they always fall asleep in the van.

Yes, I did say van! This is our new mini van that we have had about a month now! It took us a while to find one that we liked but when we saw this one and drove it around we knew it was right for us. It's a 2002 Dodge Caravan and has lots of room and cool features! Its so much easier to get the boys into and to go shopping in! And there will be still lots of room after Matthew decides to arrive! We have definitely enter the family zone now!

Memorial Day Fun

My family came to celebrate Memorial Day with us. We were going to eat at a park but they were all full by the time that we decided to find one! Oh, well! I guess we learned a lesson for next year! We decided to have it at my house instead (boy, was I glad that I went on cleaning frenzy before they came) We had hamburgers, watermelon, chips, and a whole bunch of other great stuff. My Grandma came up with my parents! We have been able to spend a lot more time with her lately and it has been really awesome!


My mom filled up the boys pool and was playing 'Ring Around the Rosies" with them in it! The boys had so much fun kicking and splashing! Then we decided to put the pool under the slide and the boys absolutely loved it! Peter didn't like sitting in it but they had fun sliding in to it!

Their facial expressions were priceless! It's moments like these that make you feel like life is worth it! Brothers and sister and I had so much fun sitting around retelling stories from when we were kids. Since I'm the oldest, I have some memories that they don't and its always fun to see what I remember versus what they do!

We then took a walk (not me! Anth and I drove) to the nature park to feed the ducks! Too bad everyone already had! The ducks were quite rude and won't even pay us any attention! Good thing there was a turtle who was still hungry! He's kind of hard to see but if you look close you can see his head in the picture above as well as his body under the water. The picture below shows him under the water! (isn't it weird how we just naturally assume that something are male or female based on their name?)

Rachal's Graduation

My sister, Rachal, graduated from high school on May 21st! I can't believe that she is that old (or that I am). She has been an inspirtation to me and to countless others. She had to the say the opening prayer. She recieved a large amount of scholarships and will at BYU-I in the fall.

Rachal with the trophy from one of her scholarships! We were all so proud of her!

A group shot of all family that were there for Rachal! Anthony wanted to be there but got a stomach ache right before and so stayed home with Andrew. I am 36 weeks in this shot! Told you I was huge!

Rachal walking in to graduation. You can tell she is nervous!

After getting her diaploma! The look of relief is so evident!

Rachal with Peter! Peter did awesome for the most part! He wanted a drink and kept asking when it was done and how much longer but there wasn't any tantrums or really loud screaming! That's always a bonus!

Brotherly Love

A few weeks ago the boys were wrestling on the floor and lo and behold someone got hurt! Poor Andrew got scratched with either Peter's fingernail or toenail! It was pretty traumatic for everyone, mostly Andrew. He won't let me touch it or put a bandage on, till the scab kept getting ripped off. He now has a lovely scar above his eye. Hopefully, it will fade in time!

Mother's Day Smores

We spent Mother's Day at my parents house because my brother, Shaun, who is serving in West Virginia was due to call. Saturday night we built a fire and roasted marshmallows! The boys were so excited! We used the striped shortbread cookies instead of graham crackers and chocolate, which is just as good if you ask me! I got a new watch, so that I could time contractions when the need arises. We give my mom a photo collage of pictures that their wedding! I scanned them in and edited them and printed them off. It turned out pretty good! Over all it was a good day and it reminded me how much I love being a mom and how important that calling is.

Hamburger, everyone?

Last year my parents raised cows that later became hamburger, roast, steaks, and ribs. They decided that it was profitable enough to do again! They have eight baby calves that they are raising in order to have hamburger and meat in the fall. It has been quite the experience! The boys love to go and see the baby cows when we are down in Firth. It has made my sister, Rachal, and my brother, Glen, feel very rustic and country.

Alive and still kickin'

Sorry about not blogging recently, but I have found it difficult to sit at our computer to blog and to find the energy that I need to do it. I have also slacked in giving comments to others because I feel guilty about my non-blogging. Ne ways....this first post will be a short pregnancy update and then I will try to post others that will have pictures.

I am now officially 38 weeks! I am so big that people ask me if I am having twins! There is no chance of that, thank goodness but I am really carrying forward with this baby! He,(His name will be Matthew) is very high up and is constantly pushing on my ribs and lungs. There was a period of time that he was breech with his bum down and his head and legs up. I had to do what I call "bat exercises," which required me to place my legs on the couch or chair and lay on the follow for 10 minutes twice a day. It worked and he flipped! I have been tons of false labor with this baby and have been in the clinic twice with continuous contractions that eventually faze out. They have last up to 4 hours before. I have been checked and Matthew's head is so high they can't even find my cervix! There is a good chance that I might go over! To say the least, I am a little depressed and totally done with being pregnant, but am trying to have a good attitude. At least with all the rain and cold weather that we have been getting lately helps to keep the swelling down in my toes and fingers! I am so thankful for all the help and concern of my friends and family!

And in this Corner....

And in this corner weighing an outstanding weight of 35 lbs in Peter Tietjen. (Crowd noise...Ahhh) And in this corner with sporting a wooden ledge is the front window (Crowd noise again....Boo). Who will win this awesome fight?

THE WINDOW!

The Thursday before Easter Peter tripped and fell against the window ledge in our front room. Because the window is so big and low, he hit right on the corner of his eye. With Peter's past history, (he fell from a shopping cart at Walmart and cracked his skull, for any new readers), I panicked when it started to swell right away. I put shoes on all of us and we ran to Anthony's office. From there we decided that we need to go in and have his eye looked at. We were afraid that something might be broken...with our luck anyways! Luckily, there was nothing broken and the doctor told us that we were really lucky that he didn't need stitches! He got just a little bitty scratch from his glasses most likely. The doctor called it a Boxer wound! Peter continued to swell and get discolored! (Anthony took more pics with his camera then I did but I couldn't find it this morning) Now two weeks later there is only a little bruising left. Oh the Joy of having boys!

The doctor told us to ice it for the next 24 hours but Peter refused to use a normal ice pack (the old baggie with ice in it trick). So I broke down and bought him this Scrobby Doo ice pack. He loved it! He carried it around with him everywhere and it kept the swelling down! What we do for our kids!