At Long Last

Seems like the kids have been gone forever, not just a week. Huts is just as ready as I am to see them. I think he has enjoyed kid-free TV viewing, but all good things must come to an end. The house seems so empty without them, almost too big. We need to fill it up again with the sounds of laughter, crying and tons of toys scattered all over.

Cleaning

"I'm cleaning, I'm cleaning," Tori says in the shower as she swipes her dad's puff down the walls. Give that child a rag and she will clean anything. The only bad thing is when she grabs the sopping wet rag out of my bucket and throws water everywhere. Then we've got a mess to clean up, and that's no fun at all.

Corn

Ollie and Tori went to some game place in Kansas City. Ollie won some airplanes while Tori won a unicorn, which she calls "her corn." Oh, how I miss her happy face and scrunched up nose. She is our little imp whom I cannot wait to see again on Saturday. Her grandma gave us some old prints, and I redid one of them. We painted the frame red and put in a new cat and dog in cups print. Huts is going to hang it on the wall tonight. That should excite her. She loves cats and dogs.

Bye-Bye

Tori was exhausted by the time we got to St. Louis but very happy to see Grandpa and Grandma. She hopped into Grandpa's arms and away she went, never once demanding to know where she was going. I am sure she enjoyed the Christmas tree, presents and all of Grandma's talking Santas. I sent the dancing pigs with the kids so they could use them to annoy Grandma and Grandpa. Going to be a quiet, peaceful week at our house, which is good considering how much nastiness this third one is giving me,

Big Sister

Tori has absolutely no idea that she is going to be a big sister. We haven't really gotten around to telling her, nor will she get it. Right now, we are preparing to start potty-training her. She will sit on the potty chair before her bath but has yet to go. Yesterday, she came home in shorts because her diaper worked loose while she was sleeping. We sent clothes with her this morning for the babysitter to keep just in case of another accident. More on this topic in April when I am nice and round.

Kailey...that was the name of the little girl Tori played with last night at the beauty shop. Kailey was just learning to walk and liked to run up to Tori and touch her. Tori got a little taken aback, as though the crawler at the sitter's had never touched her. Oh well. She is going to have her own baby brother or sister to touch her soon enough.

Pretty Girl

Tori got her hair cut yesterday. She is all cute again with her pixie cut. She woke up this morning and put on her sunglasses to show off. Off she went to the sitter's in her red corduroys and pink, red and white-striped shirt.

Talk, Talk, Talk

That's how Tori has done all weekend long. If she doesn't have your attention when she walks into the room, she most certainly will get it. She has got things to say and you better listen up. Sometimes, she sings, sometimes she chants, sometimes she just talks. She just likes for everyone to know that she has arrived and has things to say. Get ready for an earful when you see Tori running.

Round 2

Tori woke up in the middle of the night with a croup. I think she gave it to Nathan and got well, only to get it again. Ollie was coughing a little bit too. Here we go again. The only good thing about colds is that they tire Tori out and help her sleep through the night. We are supposed to go to a Christmas potluck next Wednesday, but I am not sure if the kids are going to be up to it. They should either be getting better or right in the middle of this thing.

Knock Down Drag Out

Tori has begun fighting back. After we got home the other night from the store, both Ollie and Tori wanted to play with the spare light bulbs from the the new outside Christmas decorations. They both sat at the counter on the stools with the spare light packet between them. Ollie grabbed them, Tori wanted them.

"No Owwie", she proclaimed as she smacked at him.

He smacked back while she was trying to grab the lights. In turn she smacked him back and then it started to escalate into a slap fest. They aren't the most coordinated fighters, but it was still funny to watch them try to smack the crap out of each other while grabbing for the packet of spare lights. I broke up the brawl and took the lights from both of them. Not much wailing over the grievance ensued and not long later, they were plotting there revenge on me! It never came as they were too distracted by the toys and the next thing to fight over.