Busy

Tori has had an extremely busy weekend.  She went Christmas dress shopping with Eli and her Mom on Friday and did the bouncing thing at the mall while Christian and I went grocery shopping.  Then on Saturday she had her gymnastics class, a bunch of errands to run, Christian's lego league tournament and a sleep over all rolled into one day.  She was good throughout the day and Gymnastics made her hungry cause she ate her first 6 inch sub instead of a kids meal from Subway.

She was good for the errands and helped Eli mail all the Christmas cards at the post office.  After lunch with Christian and Tresa at the Lego League tournament, Tori and Eli spent the afternoon at Uncle Dale and Aunt Annies.  They had a blast and stayed until 4:30.

Once we got home, Tori jumped in the shower and headed off to her sleepover with her friend Shaylee.  I'm sure they'll have a great time together, stay up real late and Tori will be dragging butt when she comes home after lunch.  All in a very full weekend.

Halloween Carnival

This weekend, Tori got to spend some time at a backyard carnival with a friend who lives nearby. The friend’s cousins were in town, but they are all boys, so Nat asked Tori to tag along. They started at our house around 1 and then went to Nat’s at 2 for fun and games. Tori came back at 4, all happy with a goody bag in tow. Turns out Nat was also going to Wildlife Prairie Scary Park that night too. We did not see her, but Tori did run into a lot of frights, including a ghostly train ride full of volunteers jumping out at riders in costume. She held onto me tight and reprimanded me for laughing. Nevertheless, she had a lot of fun and can’t wait to do it again next year. I have a funny feeling she is going to love going to haunted houses when she is older. She likes to be scared.

Up, Up, Up

Last year, Tori struggled a bit in school. She had a very nice teacher, but it just wasn’t her year. She got caught up in the change in personnel and all of the drama at school, and things just did not go well for her. This year, everything has changed. Tori really likes her teacher, Mr. Romine, and she likes being in the same class as many of her friends. That, combined with a new principal, has got her motivated. She comes home, gets her homework done and strives to do well. No more pushing and prodding. She gets in there and tries to do her best. She works at her spelling words and her math, even going so far as to check her work. I see a tremendous change in her. She wants to learn and understand and lets us know when she doesn’t. That is really going to help her next year at Mark Bills.

Tori’s birthday is in June, so she is one of the younger kids in her class. As a result, she is still into dolls and dollhouses. While she is moving away from the LaLaLoopsy, she is still into Monster High and American Girl dolls. This Christmas, she has decided that she needs a large enough house for her American Girl dolls. 18 inches. It took some looking, but I think we have found a house that will work. She doesn't get it until Christmas, so she has plenty of time to decide where in the world she is going to put it.

On a trip

Tori, her Mom and Aunt Annie are off to St. Louis for the Hydrocephalus walk this weekend with Cousins Tyler and Kenna, Aunt Diane and Uncle Travis.  She's looking forward to the trip.  She likes doing new things and hopefully she'll have fun.  They plan on stopping at the zoo and maybe the arch after the walk is done.  She loves going to hotels, swimming and being in new places.  Sounds perfect for Tori.

Over Labor Day weekend.  Grandma and Grandpa Erickson came for a visit and Tori was dead set on going to Tanner's orchard.  So, we loaded the kids and grandparents into the car, plus the neighbor kid and headed out.  Luckily it was a nice day and we got a few video's/pictures from it.  We usually go at least once a year, but Christian seems to be outgrowing it a bit.  Tori is still in love with it, they just got tired.

 Every Girls Dream!

 Faster!

 Ready to Go

 Best Picture of the day

Don't Ever Grow UP!

One of the things Tori likes is to take video's.  She did so when the 3 of us (Me, Eli and Tori in the "Ready to Go" picture above) went for a ride. 

Then of course, I had to beat her in an individual race!

New Bed

For two weeks now, Tori has been waiting for her new loft bed. Finally, it is here, and her dad is determined to get it together on Friday night. I can’t wait to help her get everything back in order. Her room has been quite the mess. She is getting a desk and shelf with it, so maybe I can help put those together.

Tori has a small room, so we are hoping this loft bed helps with that. She has been wanting a desk for a while, so hopefully, everything suits her and works well for some time to come.

Short Summer

Since Tori's party, we've been busy with a few trips and more house work.  4th of July weekend we made a long trip to see many family members Tori's great Aunt and Great Uncle, Tori's Great Grandparents and Grandparents.  Tori stayed with her Grandparents for a week and had lots of fun.  She started that week off with watching the fireworks on the 4th of July.  Tori, Eli and her cousins enjoyed them.  While we went back home with Christian, she and Eli stayed the week.  They went swimming at 3 different places, went to World's of Fun, out to eat, on a boat ride and a few other activities.  They met us in St. Louis for the trip back home and we spent the day at the zoo.  That night we went to Dave and Buster's for video game madness!  Tori ended up with a stuffed Monkey with her tickets.  Finally she headed home on Sunday.

We found a present on her head when we got home...LICE!  Luckily the boys didn't get it because their hair is too short.  Tresa has been taking care of it.  Tori is getting to the point where she doesn't want anyone to see her naked anymore.  So, I'm out of a lot of situations by default.  She still gets embarrassed by her parents kissing and Eli running around the house naked.  He thinks it is funny, so her laughing just eggs him on!  The lice are 99% gone and it looks like we won't have to shave her head!  

This past weekend we built a retaining wall in the backyard.  TOri and Christian helped load 100 retaining wall bricks into the wheelbarrow and get them out once I got them down the hill.  They were struggling with the weight of 1, but they did it.  This weekend we are mulching that area and all 3 are helping then.  

Tori has a few plans still for the rest of the summer, but school is coming up quick.  Tonight she's trying Kuk Sool Won begrudgingly.  She's got an overnight party at a hotel with a friend in August and Eli's party too.  We've got a couple days home with them cause their sitter is taking a vacation.  Then school starts the 18th.  Not much time left.

Midway Through Summer

It’s hard to believe that school starts in about 6 weeks. It has been one busy summer. First was the laminate floor, which took about 3 weeks to fully complete. Then, Christian had an allergic reaction to some shots, Grandma moved out and Tori had a birthday party. Now, Tori and Eli are getting ready for their annual trek to Grandma Tip’s and their weeklong stay at Grandma Marie’s. Christian is done with the weeklong stays and is just coming along for the ride, looking forward to a stop at the Lego store on the way home.

Tori’s party went ok. We had a few injuries, starting with a splinter in a finger, followed by scraped knees, followed by a hurting side. Then, there was the broken nose in a beanbag incident in which no one really knows what happened. Two girls say one thing, and two say another. Thankfully, the little girl is going to be ok and will not need any surgery. Whew! No more beanbags at slumber parties and a lot more rules next time, including a decent bedtime. No more staying up until 4:30 a.m.

As though life has not been busy enough, we also got two new kitties. We were aiming for one, but Christian got suckered in fast. We have Princess Leia and Tater Darth Vader or Tater Tot King (Eli got to pick the middle names). Princess is a gray and white tabby, and Tater is black. They are so rowdy I like to call them Frick and Frack or Seek and Destroy.

The babysitter just got a pool, so our kids are going to get in a lot of swimming this summer. Don’t worry. The youngest kids can touch the bottom, and there will be adult supervision. Good luck to Sharon on keeping her house clean with that many kids in and out of the pool.

Happy Birthday!

Nine years ago today, our one and only daughter was born. She has grown into a lovely little lady with many friends. Tonight we celebrate her birthday with pizza, gifts and a few hours with her friends. She was a sweet, laid back baby, always smiling then and now. She’s our Tori, and we love her and wish her the best birthday ever! Happy Birthday, from Mom and Dad and your stinker brothers! And from the cats as well, including your new little Princess kitty.

Too Itchy

Today was school pictures for Tori and Eli. Eli chose jeans, an orange shirt and Snoopy. Tori got fancy and chose her glitter red dress, black tights and red shoes. I could tell she was not thrilled and urged her to go change before we had to leave. She resisted, but of course, she started crying when she got into the car. It was too itchy. Lucky for her, we let her change. She came back downstairs with the same thing she wore for her spring pictures last year. So, minus the teeth that are finally coming in, she should look the same. Oh, except this year, she brought her newest American girl doll. That girl! I told Huts she was going to change her mind. I could just tell.

Parent Teacher Conferences

This afternoon is Eli’s and Tori’s conference. We are getting them done early this year. We got lucky and got one of the first spots with their teachers. I am hoping for good reports, minus the fact that Eli cries a little too much. Tori may too. They are such sensitive children. Huts says it comes from him. Perhaps. Christian has grown out of it, for the most part. Hopefully these two will soon.

It’s a busy week ahead. Tomorrow night is Christian’s last night of scouts forever. He has had enough, and tomorrow night is the Gold & Blue Banquet. We are bringing chicken. With any luck, Eli will behave. Wednesday night is Eli’s first soccer practice. Huts has an assistant coach this time. A parent volunteered, so I no longer have to worry about sitting on the sidelines and helping substitute kids in and out. Thursday night is Christian’s student-led conference and then grocery shopping. Friday is eye appointments and then shopping in Bloomington. It is the kids’ first day of spring break. Yahoo! They are so excited about having all of next week off.

Sleep Over

Tori is having a sleepover next weekend. She has been to her friend’s house a couple of times. Now it’s her turn to host. The two want to go to Monkey Joe’s and run around and bounce, so that will probably be the activity for Friday night or early Saturday. Eli wants to go, too, so I guess he will tag along with them.

We’ve had a few warm days, helping melt some of the snow. We all seem to be tired of it, everyone but Tori. When I mentioned the snow melting, she says No! I don't know why she wants it to stick around. She refuses to play in it now. Says she is tired of that. Maybe she just likes the sight of it. It can be pretty!

Too Many Snow Days

Tori is suffering from school-itis. She has had quite a few days off from school recently because of all of the snow. That, along with the fact that there have been a lot of changes in school personnel and too much time cooped up indoors, has resulted in complacency. Tori isn’t interested in school, and she has been hurrying through everything, creating some messes and redos. Huts and I are trying to get her head back into the game, and the teacher is helping. She came home this week more focused than she has been in some time. She still complains every night about her class talking too much and having to stay indoors, but at least she is reading things and paying attention now. Keep your fingers crossed that there are no further snow days.

Tori may be having a sleepover next weekend. She has been over to Shaylee’s twice now. It is time Shaylee came to our house. Tori tells me. The two love to play with the boys and pull any and everything out of her room. They play with this and that, and make a lot of videos. I am trying to think of something fun for them to do, like the bounce houses or something else. They are getting bigger, so I am not sure what works for them now. Thinking, thinking, thinking!

Sleepover maybe

Tori has good friend, Shaylee, whose sister’s birthday is this weekend.  Her sister is having over four teens, and Shaylee told Tori that she might be able to have her over. Shaylee’s mom usually lets each girl have a friend over on birthday weekends. I will see them all tonight at the PTC meeting at school, so I guess we will find out then if Tori is invited or not. If not, maybe we can find a time for Shaylee to come over to our house. It is our turn to have her over.

Christian is also wanting to have a sleepover with the next door neighbor. He wants Matthew to stay the night at our house. I was hoping to wait for that until it is warmer, but I don’t think that is going to happen anytime soon. Guess I better find a good weekend for everyone to come over and have some fun. Maybe they can go sledding in the backyard.

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and the kids get to wear red or pink. Tori is ecstatic. She has a pink outfit all picked out and heart earrings. She got her valentines done last weekend, and her dad is going to help out at her party. I spent three hours last night making 48 brownies for her class and for Christian’s.  With any luck, Huts will get to sneak down to Eli’s class and check out things there. The kids are sure to have a good time and come home hyped on sugar!

Sims

Tori has discovered the Sims game and is having a lot of fun with it on the iPad. She has been making people, aging them and giving them unusual jobs and names. She has created her own little worlds, poking fun at whatever her heart desires. Her imagination is flying high right now, and she is on a roll.

On another note,,Tori has started getting up on her own in the mornings. She turns off the alarm clock, pulls out her own clothes, gets dressed and flies down the stairs. Sometimes she is the first to make it down. She is still a night owl, but she is a responsible night owl now.

Emma & Katie

Tori has no sisters sadly, but she does have two American Girl dolls, which she has now decided are Emma and Katie. Emma is the older one of the two with bangs and blue-green eyes. Katie is younger with silky straight hair and brown eyes. They do resemble sisters and Tori, too.

Along with Katie, Tori got many other things for Christmas. She is stocked with Monster High dolls and took a suitcase of those to the sitter’s. She also has enough mini LaLaLoopsies to choke a cow and enough of the larger ones to fill a trunk. Walk into Tori’s room, and you are in doll world for sure.

Tori’s teacher got married over break, and we are all now trying to call her Mrs. Turner instead of Ms. Roach. Her principal is still on leave, and an interim has stepped in. Her name is Mrs. Cushing, and apparently, she is very nice. Other than that, not much is going on. Tori still does not know what she wants to do this summer, but she did try roller skating over break and she was catching on to it. Christian, meanwhile, learned how to do it in school and is a whiz at it.