Colton's 1st haircut

Colton's hair has been getting SUPER long and scraggly ;)!  I tried to cut it once and it looked really funny, so I decided to take him in.  I definitely do NOT have talent in the hair cutting department, as much as I wish I did!  Summer was pretty excited to get her hair cut too, as we have been playing a lot of "hair salon" in the basement lately. 

The kids getting their hair cut

Summer got Autumn again, just like last time!

Colton didn't care for the hair cut much....but did ok!

Summer did great!

This is way more even than I ever could have gotten the back of his hair!

My two kiddos!

I put some of Paul's gel in Colton's hair :-)

He is starting to look so old!

Autumn put a pretty braid in Summer's hair

Sledding!

We took the kids sledding/tubing for the first time today.  We went to a hill by a nearby elementary school, suggested to us by Ms. Rachael and Adry (Adry's Daddy used to sled on this hill when he was little!).  While we probably spent as much time getting everyone bundled up as we did going down the hill, it was definitely worth it! Here is a little video:

Snow!

We had a beautiful snow this morning (although I know it didn't make Daddy's commute to work very pretty....sorry honey!).  During Colton's nap this morning, Summer and I had a snow date!

All bundled up!

Summer is standing on the driveway...we got quite a bit of snow!

We built a snow castle first

Then a snow tower

We had a bit of trouble making a snow man the normal way (the snow wasn't QUITE packing enough), so we improvised. :)

Summer supervised from her vehicle....;)

Our snow people

Our little Colton slept for 2 hours while we were in the snow!  We woke him up for lunch, and he had some pretty good bedhead!

Valentine's Day Date

Paul planned a super fun Valentine's Day date for us last night (Saturday)!  Auntie Kristin and Uncle Eric came and loved up our kiddos while we enjoyed a leisurely dinner and interruption-free shopping at Mall of America :-).  We had a blast just spending time together with the two of us.  I honestly can say that I love my hubby more and more every year.  The more we experiences we go through together the closer we grow.  This sixth year of marriage has been by FAR the best yet!  I love you, Paul Stuart Tommerdahl!

Kiddie Valentine's Day Party

We have (literally) been counting down the days until the Valentine's Day Party!  Summer will look at her sticker chart and see how many days until today....and then jump up and down in excitement!  We had a blast playing, eating, and celebrating the love of the great friendships God has blessed us with.  We are so thankful!  Here are a few pics and a quick highlight video of our morning :-).

My favorite "little" Valentine's

Adry, Rylan, Summer, Faith, Noelle, Leyla, Colton, Brandon, Addison

The baby brothers: Rylan, Colton, O'Neal, and Brody

 Video:

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tucker

Tucker doesn't get much blog time...or much attention anymore for that matter :-).  Nevertheless, I really do appreciate how great he is with the kids.  Summer will drag him around by the collar and enjoy bossing him around (obviously we try and minimize this but it does happen!) and Colton will pull his ears and grab his toys.  He is so great, never snapping, but just constantly loving.  What a good kid-friendly dog!  So here is a shout out to Tucker, along with two videos of him with each of the kids. 

A bit of Summer

Summer and I have been talking a lot about months of the year and when everybody's birthday is.   I found a little song on youtube that helped her memorize the months.  Today was the first time Summer was able to say all 12 months of the year. :-)  Here is a little video:

She has also been very interested in what happens to her food after she eats it.  Here is her explaining the digestive system ;).

She LOVES to sing and is starting to get a little bit of tone ;).  Here one of her favorites:

She has been doing great on her sticker chart and I am loving it way more than I thought I would.  We are in our third week of doing it.  I love that I can give her tangible encouragement when she does something right (she gets stickers for obedience and for being nice to Colton).  I love that it teaches her counting and the days of the week.  Most of all, I love that it helps me focus on all the great things she is currently doing instead of only noticing the "bad" things she does.  

Well, that's a little bit of Summer for you on this super cold and windy winter day.  Hope she brightens your day as much as she does mine :).

10 months

Colton is 10 months today!  WOW!  That is starting to sound really close to 1 year old--EEK! :-)  It was nice that he turned 10 months on a Sunday so Paul was home to help me get some action shots of our big boy. :)

ACTION
This month Colton has become extremely mobile, crawling all over...and fast!   He is pulling up on everything, and he has taken a few steps in between walking between Paul and me.

Here I come!

He loves using my legs when I am sitting down to get himself into a standing position

SLEEP
He is also now FINALLY starting to sleep through the night more often than not, without waking up crying--yay!  We still have our nights, but he is doing so much better!  He takes 2 naps a day, usually one around 10am and one around 2:30pm.  He sleeps generally 8pm-8am at night.

On his way "walking" to Daddy!

FOOD
He is eating 3 solid meals a day....usually oatmeal in the morning, mixed grain and banana or apple sauce at lunch, and chicken/veggie/rice combo at dinner.  He loves graham crackers and puffs and honey nut cheerios.

I'll catch you, buddy!

PERSONALITY
He is the most giggly baby I have ever seen--he will laugh anytime you do anything even a little silly!  I love his giggle!  He is pretty compliant for the most part.  If he starts crawling toward the stairs or touching something he shouldn't, if I say, "No-no Colton" he will most often turn around and stop doing whatever he was doing, which is super cute!  He is curious about everything and still loves putting everything in his mouth.

TEETH
He has 8 teeth--four on top and four on bottom.

FAVORITES

He loves bath time, watching the lights on the stereo, and reading books.  He loves chewing on sweatshirt strings.  He loves flipping through (and eating!) pages in books, listening to music or us singing, and jumping continually in his exersaucer.  One of his favorite toys is one that has five buttons that slide/push/twist etc that cause an animal to pop out.  He loves when we push the buttons and he gets to close the doors.  He loves walking ALL over the house while we hold his hands.

I love this little guy!

Happy 10 months, Colton!  We love you!

Superbowl

Summer and Daddy had a lot of fun going to pick out "special snacks" today.  Summer was so excited to watch the Superbowl and eat her special snacks!!!  She went down for her nap saying, "I love football!"  LOL!  We had a super fun family night of explaining football to Summer and eating lots of yummy food :-).

We put a table cloth down over the couch so Summer can eat on the couch :-)  Special for her, because we normally only eat in the kitchen :-)

Yummy!

Two and a Half

WOW!  My little girl is 2 1/2 years old today!  She is my little spark-plug!!  There is never a dull moment with this little gal ;)---constant singing, chatter, "questions", energy, and motion!

Two of my favorite phrases of hers right now are:
1) "A couple days a week ago...."  She uses this to tell me about something that happened in the past.
2) "Wadcha say, mommy?"  When she doesn't hear me or understand something I have said, she says this.


Here are a few traits of hers that stand out to me at this age:

CREATIVITY: She is one of the most creative little kids I have ever met--she can entertain herself for two hours during "naptime" by creating and acting out entire episodes and plays with simply a few blankets, dollies, and pillows on her bed....Her blankie can be everything from an umbrella, a snowsuit, a wedding dress, a balance beam and much more!  When I come to get her up from naptime, I love hearing the current scenario she is acting out!

MEMORY: She has a memory like a steal trap, especially when it comes to names.  She mastered all the letters and letter sounds and words that starts with each letter many months ago.  She knows all the days of the week and now is learning the months.  She loves talking about whose birthday is in each month!  She blows me away with how much she knows at this age!

CURIOSITY: She always wants to know what everyone is doing, where they are going, and what is happening.  She never misses a beat.  She seems to love science and is curious about everything from what happens after you eat your food, to what is inside of your body, where the sun and moon are if you can't see them, and how the rain "works".

HONESTY: She is so good at confessing everything she has done, right away.  It is pretty cute. 

INDIVIDUALITY: While she does love to "act like a mommy", for the most part she is completely her own person!  She thinks on her own, acts on her own, has her own opinions, and is not easily swayed to do anything!  While this can be frustrating at times, I love that she has an internal confidence and the ability to hold her own and I pray that she uses this to stand up for right and share God's truth with many!

LOVE FOR GOD'S WORD:  She loves her Bible--literally!  It is the first book she asks for during naptime and she loves reading it to me and to her dollies (it is quite entertaining!).  And she LOVES my big Bible.  She often asks me to read her stories (such as Mary and Joseph, the Firey Furnace, David and Goliath, or when "Saul wasn't a good listener") out of my big Bible (which has no pictures) and I am amazed that she doesn't get bored!  It has been quite fun to listen to her growing in her prayers...she will thank God for everyone we know practically and then always end with asking God to "help us honor you".  Adorable!

I love hanging out with my little girl and watching her grow into the little girl God is creating her to be.  I pray that he would work in her little heart and draw her to himself and I can't wait to see what big things God has in store for her!


I love you sooooooo much, Miss Summer Tenleigh!