Today our church had a baptism Sunday, where anyone who wanted to be baptized could do so. Paul was baptized as an infant, but his study in the Bible lately has convicted him that he wanted to do an adult believers' baptism as a symbolic way to proclaim his faith in Jesus Christ to the world. The dipping into the water symbolizes dying the death we all deserve from the sins we have committed. The rising up from the water symbolizes the new life he has in Christ through the belief that Christ took the penalty for our sins on the cross and washed us completely clean so we can be in God's presence for eternity. AMEN!
Pastor Paul and Paul converse about why Paul is choosing to be baptized.
Paul asked me to help Pastor Paul baptize him as a way of supporting him in this decision.
My friend Kristine's favorite time of year is Halloween, and she decks out her whole basement with all sorts of decorations and hosts parties each year. Her basement looks so cool! This morning she had all the babies over for a costume party and we moms had so much fun taking pictures of our babies in their costumes! Here are a few pictures....
My little butterfly princess
Summer and Mommy
The side view of her costume ;)
Addison the "bee"
Adry the "strawberry"
Sidney the "Pooh Bear"
Summer's costume was a baby gift from Paul's Uncle Kelly and his wife Sheena. Thanks you guys!
Playing at the party
So fun to have new toys to play with!
Kaity and Adelyn "the strawberry"
Posing in the "pumpkin patch"--from left to right is: Rachael and Adry, Mommy and Summer, Kristine and Sidney, LaDonna and Addison, and Kaity and Adelyn. Jade and Brandon hadn't arrived yet, so they aren't pictured. Several of Summer's friends Faith, Noelle, and Lily were sick so they weren't able to make it. We missed them!
One too many pictures?!!? One baby fed off the other as they turned into a chorus of tears!
Kristine's amazing decorations!
Snack time! Pumpkin cookies, cheese, and goldfish crackers :-)
Jade and Brandon "the Viking" arrived!
We had such a fun time! Thanks for putting it all together Kristine!
Today was gorgeous! After this past cold week, it is nice to have a day to be outside again! We went to the zoo today. Here are a few pictures and videos!
Out of all the animals at the zoo, Summer has always loved the goats the most! I am always amazed that she is not scared of them! I suppose living with Tucker has trained her well for interacting with energetic animals! Here are a few videos of her walking around with them and waving at them!
Daddy and Summer get to spend most every weekday evening together while Mommy tutors. They have been having lots of fun reading, playing, and hanging out.
This is Summer's current favorite library book, Skippy Jon Jones. It is a rather different counting book because the chosen pictured items to represent the numbers 1 through 10 are quite different more unusual than you would expect in a kids book. "8 rolls of toilet tissue" "6 fuzzy pinatas" and "10 hot water bottles" to name a few! But for some reason, it is Summer's favorite! This was about the 5th time a row reading this book on this particular night, so Daddy decided to speed read through the book!
One night after finishing the dinner dishes, we peeked around the corner and saw......
She really has had a fascination with shoes lately, and loves putting them on!
Mommy helped Summer put on the other shoe so she could take a picture!
Look at me! I'm wearing daddy's shoes!
This past weekend Mommy went on the church retreat as a leader with the high school students, while Daddy and Summer partied it up back in Apple Valley from Friday at 5 until Sunday at 5! It was their first weekend alone together (and mommy's first time away from summer for longer than a few hours!) They sure had a lot of fun together! Here is a glimpse of their time together. On Saturday, they went to Afton Apple Orchard with a group of families from church.
With the pumpkins
Summer's first hayride!
**Next to Summer on the hayride is Lisa and her baby Max (3 months) who has been Summer's "practice" baby brother when mommy has babysat him for Lisa! Summer does a good job being gentle with Max.
Enjoying an apple!
Watching the goats
Being Silly at Culvers with Daddy
Playing with Auntie Sarah in daddy's shoes
Going to the park with Auntie Sarah and Uncle Ty
Besides packing in lots of fun to their weekend, daddy and Summer went shopping for groceries to make a special birthday meal for mommy. Homemade bread, salad, an amazing Italian concoction, and Reeses Peanut Butter Bars! When mommy came home from the retreat, Summer and daddy were all dressed up to serve mommy dinner, and she LOVED it! Here is daddy (and Summer??!) singing the Tommerdahl birthday song, and then the regular birthday song before mommy blew out the "26 + 1" candles.
As a side note, I had a great birthday that keeps on going, and going and going! Because I was on the retreat for my actual birthday, Paul and I went out the weekend before my birthday on a date night to an amazing Italian restaurant, bowling, icecream, and a trip to Walmart ;) It was so perfect and so fun to be out just us two! Then on my actual birthday, while on the retreat, the best present EVER was telling one of the youth girls about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Her belief in him that night allowed us to share a birthday--my physical birthday and her new spiritual birthday! The next day Paul and Summer made me dinner and that was so much fun. The celebration continued when my girlfriend Jade had a ladies game night and made delicious appetizers and my favorite dessert, apple crisp. Finally, this coming weekend, I get to celebrate with my mom, dad, and sister. Its the birthday that never ends! Thanks everyone for all the birthday wishes and love--you are all so wonderful!
Hi everyone! Sorry it has been a while since our last post! We have been very busy playing :-). Summer is loving to read, and walk, and talk! Her words are exploding as she tries to name everything she sees. Some of her newer ones lately are:
*NaNa (banana)
*Cheese (Cheese)
*Ga-ma (Grandma)
*Ga-pa (Grandpa)
*Na-na (Summer)
*Cock (Clock)
*Ight (Light)
*Swing
*Slide
*Elmo
*Cow
*Goat
*Baby
*Ruff Ruff (for what does a puppy say)
*All Done
*nonono (no) (used in conjunction with shaking her head back and forth vigorously!)
*Baby
*VroomVroom (Car)
*Truck
*Pane (Airplane)
*Ball
*Socks
*Shoes
*Nose
*Corn
*Egg
*Fries
*PIzza
*hi
*Bye
*Good (in response to "Summer, how are you?"
*Cucker (Caca for Tucker is now Cucker)
*Door
*"Come" , "Down", "Good Boy" ----commands we say to Tucker a lot!
*And many more that we don't always understand!
She is also understanding so much more than she can say. She can go find what we ask her to find and bring it to us. For example we will ask her to bring us a specific book, such as the "cow book" or the "baby book" or "Skippy Jon Jones"---her current favorite---and she will go get it. I can ask her to go find a diaper, or her shoes, and she will climb upstairs and go find them. I can ask her if she wants to eat and she will walk to her high chair. It is really fun to start to communicate with her.
She is also starting to be a really good helper. She can put something in the garbage when we ask her. She puts her clothes down the laundry chute. She puts her PJ's in her drawer and her blanket in her crib when she wakes up in the morning.
Grandma and Grandpa Tommerdahl drove down from Fergus Falls on Sunday to come visit We are so blessed to have such amazing grandparents on both sides that shower Summer with love whenever they come! Grandpa Tommerdahl is great with the camera (must be where Paul gets it from!) and took many great pictures, capturing a lot of fun "Summer faces". He said I could steal some of his pictures for our blog. :-) Thanks Grandpa T!
Hi!
Reading with Grandma
Ooooh, you're going to like this book, Grandma!
"Co-Co!!!!" (Grandma's dog's name is Roco, but Summer LOVES her "Co-Co"!)
Hanging out with Grandma is fun!
Summer still walks with one arm up in the air (just as if we were holding her hand as we did for so many months before she walked on her own!)
