Box Girl

With the holiday season here, we have received a lot of packages recently. The kids tear into them, and then Tori likes to collect the boxes. She colors on them, glues things to them and uses them for her dolls. Right now, she has a stack of boxes higher than her head. We've had some clashes over the boxes, mainly me needing them and her not wanting to give them up. I took one box, and that led to a big fit and timeout for Tori. With Christmas coming up and Santa watching, she has decided that she will let go of the boxes very soon in order to make way for toys.

Speaking of Santa watching, we have been reminding the kids of that often. The tactic does not work on Christian. He knows who Santa really is. It does work on Tori and Eli, very well in fact. Last night, the two were fighting upstairs when we reminded them that Santa was watching. Tori was mumbling something about refusing to play some game with Eli. Huts yelled out Santa was watching, and we heard this exasperated groan, followed by “Dang it!” We burst out laughing, and it was some time before we heard any further grumbling.

Just 1 More

Tori had a great weekend with the kids that came up for Thanksgiving. She did not have a good time shopping. She was very disappointed to find out that the stores were picked over. She was hoping to find Trouble Dusty Trails, the little sister of Prairie Dusty Trails, LaLaLoopsy dolls of course. But there was no Trouble to be found. She was so disappointed I found her one online. It should be here in a few days, and then Tori can start making plans for the sisters.

So, my mom wanted to know if Tori really played with all of these dolls. Yep. I’ve seen her dress them all up and sit them behind shoebox desks while she teaches them in front of the chalkboard. I’ve seen her put them to bed and cram them into dollhouses. She rarely plays with just one. It is usually three or more. Poor Patch Treasure Chest, a boy, is wearing a sassy purple dress right now.

Long Day

Tori got up bright and early this morning without a complaint. She was ready in a flash, all in pink, for her day of fun with the girls at the sitter’s. She had two big bags of stuff to keep everyone entertained and her little brother, to boot. Eli seemed very pleased to have his sister along on the ride. No doubt they will tucker out around 9 tonight after 9 hours of play.

Both are excited about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the pie and cookie baking. They are also looking forward to getting the Christmas stuff out. Huts and I can’t remember what we have and don’t have, so it should be a surprise to us as well.  I keep saying we are doing to do the outside up right, but who knows. The woman across the street has us beat whatever we do. Her yard is covered in Christmas decorations!

Wiped Out

Tori made it to both friends’ this past weekend. Shaylee had a sleepover, and Tori came home happy but tired. She went to Brianna’s on Monday for a few hours for a birthday party playdate. She came home happy but really tired. She got a second wind, but woke up really tired this morning. Huts gave her a bit of caffeinated soda to pep her up on the way to school. She told me she wanted to go to bed early tonight. She must really be tired if she is suggesting that!

This weekend there is nothing on the agenda, and Tori is happy. She knows that we are cleaning house and preparing for Thanksgiving, and she could care less. I doubt there will be any moping about boredom this weekend!

Lalas to Come

Like her brother, Tori is looking forward to Christmas. She has targeted dolls this year, Monster High dolls and LaLa Loopsy dolls. She asked for Venus Flytrap, Spectra Vondergeist, Abby Abominable and Operetta Monster High dolls, plus their school. She asked for Harmony B Sharp, the first LaLa to sing and dance, and Bea Spells-a-Lot and her little sister, Specs Reads-a-Lot. Santa has done some shopping, along with Grandma Marie, and this is definitely going to be a doll year for Tori.

Jealous

Tori was jealous that Christian had so much to do recently.  Well this weekend, she is making up for it.  Tonight she is going to McDonalds and Shaylee's house for a sleepover for Shaylee's birthday.  Tori was ready to go!  She picked out several presents for her and seemed excited to go.  We've got to pick her up at 11 tomorrow and I'm sure she'll be exhausted.

On Monday her friend Brianna is coming to pick her up for a playdate for her Birthday on Monday afternoon.  Tori will be spending Veterans day at Brianna's house.  She can't wait!  Now she's the one who gets to have all the fun while Christian gets none!

Tori is also losing another tooth.  It is barely hanging on and has become a little discolored.  She won't let us yank it out though.  We are trying to get her to eat things that will help get it out, but she's not cooperating much.  Either by not eating on that side of her mouth or avoiding the food.  Eventually it'll come out, but not willingly on her part.

Weepy Girl

Tori has been very weepy lately. First, she thought Eli was going to die because of his broken leg. This morning, it was her pants. We paid a nice sum to get her school pants hemmed and she threw a major fit about them being too hot this morning. She got into trouble and the crying and stomping started. I let her know right fast that she was going to be wearing the pants all winter so she might as well get used to them. She settled down a bit but when I left school, she was sitting at a table with her head down. Tonight she gets to go to bed early for her antics.

Off to a Great Start

Surprise! Surprise! Tori missed just one on her spelling test. She got an A and also lost a tooth. Friday was full of excitement, and it just got better from there. Tori’s cousins stopped in for a visit on Saturday and Sunday, and the three of them had a lot of fun. Grandma Marie and Grandpa Steve took them to McDonalds and then to a reunion on Sunday. Tori got a bit sad when it was time for everyone to go, but she recovered in time to add to her LaLaLoopsy collection. She got the Candy Collection on Monday, four minis candy themed. Right now, they are spread out on her bedroom floor preparing to go into the dollhouse. There is one with licorice, one with marshmallows, one with gumdrops and one with bubble gum, Bubble Gum Smack N Pop is her name I believe. Her collection is forever expanding, and I am starting to forget some of the doll names. Too many I suppose.

Tori easily gets distracted. It does not matter what she is doing at home, she loses focus quickly and you have to rein her back in. Yesterday afternoon, she started telling me a story about school, but after a few minutes, she got lost in the DVD. When she got tired of that, she would return to her story. This pattern continued all the way home, and I really have no idea what the story was about. I lost focus, too, and gave up trying to keep track of who was doing what in the story. Good thing Tori did not quiz at the end of the story!

Fits, Fits and More Fits!

Tori is having a difficult time adjusting to the back-to-school routine. She goes to bed crying and wakes up crying, never wanting to go to bed. She throws fits throughout the evening and early in the morning. This morning, for example, she woke up, found out Christian was already downstairs and broke out bawling. She assumed Christian had the TV on the channel he wanted, when, in fact, Christian was on the iPad and Huts had turned the channel to what Tori wanted. She got into trouble, and the next time something did not go her way, she took it in stride. She wanted to move her booster seat to the middle, couldn’t and said nothing. That girl! I can’t wait for BTS night to see if Tori is avoiding fits in class.

Yes Please

Unlike her brother, Tori was gung-ho for her room to be repainted. She wanted pink and purple. I threw some teal in there to make things a little less over the top. So, a teal ceiling dropped onto the wall, blended into purple, blended into pink. It’s bright, it’s bold, it’s so girlie, so Tori! And, it works better with all of Tori’s choices. 

Weepy

Tori was looking forward to school. She wanted to see her friends and she was ready to be part of Mrs. Evans’ class. She was talking and skipping up until we got to her line. Then, she froze. I could not get her to get in line. Mrs. Evans saw us and told Tori everything would be ok, but there was no budging her. Finally, we got her into line, and Huts came and gave her a big hug and distracted her with talk of another person she knew. She was fine once she got into the classroom and was happy as a clam when we picked her up.

Then, this morning, Tori has another meltdown at latchkey. She was all excited about being there, but within a few minutes of me signing the sheet, she was weepy. Miss Lynn saw and started trying to distract Miss Tori Bud. I am sure Tori was fine within 10 minutes or so. Christian seemed a little miffed too, but I am sure he will be fine as well.

Sleepover

Tori had another sleepover this weekend with her friend, Shaylee. Shaylee’s mom called me on Friday night to schedule a playdate on Saturday, which turned into a sleepover. The girls drove the cats crazy and stayed up until 1 in the morning. They finally sacked out and got up at 11 on Sunday. Shaylee stayed a couple more hours before her mom picked her up to go school shopping. We were left with a really tired Tori, who was still dragging butt on Tuesday morning. No doubt she will be tired again after Eli’s birthday celebration tonight.

Park

The babysitter has been talking the kids to the park a lot this summer. They went again yesterday, as evidenced by Tori’s dirty hands and face. It’s been a while since I have seen her that dirty. Lucky for me, she and Eli took a bath without complaint and stayed in there for over an hour. They played with bubbles and cars, pretending to be all kinds of things. Then, they got out and continued the games, running all over with sunglasses, purses, hats and cars. I even got a picture of Eli in Tori’s sequined pink hat.

 

PARTY!

Tori had a her 7th birthday party this past weekend.  She had 6 girls come to the party and 4 stayed the night.  They played games, jumped on the trampoline, watched a movie while camped in the living room and smashed a Barbie pinata.  They all seemed to have a good time and Tori did well not to get upset at anything.  There weren't any fights (except for fighting over who gets to hold the cats).  Sassy was smart and hid for the evening after the pack of hands came for her.  Junior was a little smarter and went outside to get away from them.  Poor Squeaker had to be the baby.  He was consistently put back into the baby bed and covered up.  He had a hard night.  The girls stayed up until 11 and were up and ready to go for donuts the next day.  Squeaker was once again the baby, but lucky for him everyone left by 10.  All in all Tori had a great party and she is excited for her next sleep over.  Here's a few scenes from her party.

Front Tooth Out

Tori has had a loose front tooth for quite a while now. It finally came out on Thursday morning. She was flipping it around with her tongue and Huts pulled it out. She has quite a large gap, and she looks so cute without a front tooth. Christian never had that large of a gap. She got a couple of dollars from the Tooth Fairy and is happy to have her tooth out.

Skyping

This week the kids are at their grandparents’ house in Kansas City, and we are staying in contact with them by skyping. Christian is the master. He gets it up and going every night around 6 and the kids tell us all about what they are doing in KC. While Christian knows how to work it, Tori is the one who takes over the talking. She bumps the boys out of the way, sticks her face on the screen and starts chatting about any and everything!

She is very excited to be there, spending time with her cousins and aunts and uncles. She is so excited she can barely stand still. Usually she skips around, leaving us with glimpses of her face! What a silly girl!

Second Grader

Tori is now a second grader and is looking forward to having a woman for a teacher. She hopes for Mrs. Evans. We’ll see. Christian has Mrs. Evans and loved her.

Tori can’t wait for the trip this weekend. She wants to see my farm. I keep telling her there is nothing there but land, but she has to see it for herself. She wants to see the shed with the tree growing up through it. Hilarious.

Tori is also looking forward to time at Grandma and Grandpa’s. She is also taking some money to spend at the aquarium if permitted. She will have a ball there and will no doubt come back tired. She also has a week of summer camp when she returns, plus another week in July. Lucky girl!

Green With Envy

Tori turns 7 next month and she cannot wait. She wants the whole kit and caboodle, a backyard party with games and a movie and a slumber party afterwards inside. Huts and I think we were tired from this weekend…Anyway, she got a bit upset when Christian’s turn for a sleepover came this weekend. She started off the party all misty-eyed until we told her to straighten up and fly right. With the threat of having to go to bed early hanging over her head, she got her act together and played some by herself and some with the boys. I let her sleep in the living room with the boys, but on the couch. She, too, was al l ready for bed come Sunday night. She actually cheered when we told her it was time for bed.

Next weekend, Christian has a scout campout. Tori and Eli are staying home with me, and we’re having our own little campout indoors. Wish me luck. The green-eyed monster will probably take hold of Tori then too. Hopefully, she behaves tomorrow on her field trip to Wildlife Prairie Park.

Looking Forward to Grandma's

I have to do one last thing to settle my grandmother’s estate, and since we are traveling to and from St. Louis anyway, we thought we would ask Marie if she wanted the kids for a week. She does, and Tori, of course, was the first one to sign up! She has no qualms about going to Grandma’s, even if she had to go alone. Lucky for her, Christian has decided to come. He is looking forward to Legoland, while Tori can’t wait to see the aquarium. We are sending their birthday money with them so they can shop. As for Eli, the jury is still out. He says he is going but gets a little anxious when we tell him we won’t be there.

Speaking of birthdays, Tori has been planning her sleepover for months now. She has got all kinds of things in her little head as to what everyone can do. Christian, on the other hand, could care less. He did not want a party, just the kid next door to sleep over, until a few days ago. He decided he wanted a party/sleepover, and Huts and I have been hopping to get it together. We just sent out the invitations today—keep your fingers crossed that at least one kid can come!

In!

This week is Spirit Week at Charter Oak, and Tori is living it up. Monday, she wore a Hawaiian shirt for Hawaiian Day, Tuesday she wore a hat for Hat Day, Wednesday she wore totally mismatched attire for Fashion Disaster Day. Thursday she dressed like a teacher for Career Day and Friday she wore spirit wear for Spirit Day. She is having a ball! The week concludes on Friday with the carnival. Hopefully, Tori can last that long!

On another note, we have a play date next weekend with friends and their grand kids, and Tori is over the moon! She cannot wait to play with Jacey and has been asking me why it couldn’t happen sooner. She told me this morning she would have to play with her dolls this weekend to take her mind off the fun next weekend. She is such a hoot!

54 Lalaloopsy Dolls

Tori got a lot for Easter, another Monster High doll, plus a ton of mini LalLaLoopsy dolls. She now has every mini LaLa made, minus three holiday editions. The only thing left that she wants it a LaLa blanket for her birthday—Angry Birds blanket envy. Christian got a blanket, and now she wants one.

Tori played with Christian and his friend, Matthew, most of the weekend. She also went to see “Mirror, Mirror.” She colored and hunted eggs as well and helped me toss them into the gully for the raccoons to eat. She practiced more on her bike riding. She has got it down pat, minus the turning and getting herself off. She is working on that now, and you should see her, flying down the parking lot with the wind whipping through her hair and a big smile on her face. Eli ran into her and they crashed, but other than that, she has been doing well!

And She's Off

Unlike her brother, Tori is all excited about learning how to ride a bike. She has practiced considerably more and is about to get there. That’s our Tori girl. She tries, tries and tries again, giving it her all until she finally gets it. For two weeks now, she has been taking an advanced reading test every day in order to catch up and meet her goal. She has four tests this week, and if she meets her goal, we have told her she can have a little something. She is excited and ready to get her tests taken this week. She is also working hard on learning her spelling words. Every week, we practice and practice and practice some more. She is getting better at learning the words quickly. I admire her tenacity. Her kindergarten teachers used to tell us that they never worried about Tori because they knew she was going to get it, and they are right.

Sweet

Tori went to her brother’s scout banquet, and unlike her younger brother, she was sweet. She watched everything, asked some questions and told us she had a good time. She never fussed once, not even when it got boring or when the boys got to do things she couldn’t. She was a doll!

On another note, Tori has decided to try swim class again. She is also working hard to get all of her spelling words right this week. She is determined!

Valentine's Day Meltdown

Huts ran the party in Christian’s classroom this year, while I ran the one in Tori’s. Tori was happy to see me, but wouldn’t you know it, she was the last one to get a cupcake, and there were no more left with pink icing. The tears begin to flow from there, and it took some finagling to get her in a better mood. I had to remind her that she needed to help show her classmates how to make the monkey bookmarks. Eventually, she cheered up and everyone had a good time after that.

Did Tori love the waterpark last weekend? Absolutely! She was the last one out every time. Her poor little eyes were bloodshot from all of the chlorine, but she kept going and going. She also had a great time on the rides, one in particular that took her up high. I thought she was going to try the really scary ride that shifted you high in the air, around and around in circles. She thought about it but backed out at the last minute. Maybe next year.

Next week, Tori is showcasing her Lalaloopsy collection at school for an hour. I typed up a list of the doll names, and this weekend, we are deciding how many she is going to show. She has over 40 minis and 6 regular-sized dolls, not to mention all of the houses, cars, etc. There is a cultural theme this year, and the dolls work for that, as they are of different races and cultures. Wish us luck!

Shy GlobeTrotter Fan

Tori wasn't sure what to make of going to the Globetrotter's game.  Like Christian, she didn't know much about them either.  She liked the show, but her favorite part was half-time when local dancers came out and did flips, hula-hoops and tumbling.  When I asked her after we got home if she wanted to take a class to learn how to do that, she said no.  She's just as shy as her brother.


This was demonstrated the most during the game.  Flight Time came and wanted to sit by her.  At first she didn't scoot over and he almost sat on her, but I pulled her over in time so he could sit between her and the kid next to her (seen here - Best viewed as an image download).  Flight Time asked her name, she didn't answer, so I told him as Tori leaned farther away from him.  A few seconds later he asked if she could help him!  Tori could be part of the show!  What kid wouldn't want that?  Tori is that kid.  She said no, so Flight Time moved on down the aisle to another girl.  After Flight Time and the girls segment was over, I asked Tori if she wished she had done it and she still said no.  She could've skipped with them, gotten a ball and had them spin the basketball on her finger.  The little girl also ended up in the paper, but none of that mattered to Tori.  She was happy not participating.  


Like her brother Tori talked about the game for 2 days.  They talked the Before Care's supervisor's ears off.  It seems like it was a good experience all around and next time, I'm sure they'll enjoy it more.

Improving In So Many Ways

Tori is the Student of the Week this week. We found out before break, so it wasn’t much of a surprise. What is surprising is her vast improvement in skills. Her handwriting has improved tremendously, and she is catching on to her spelling words much faster. She is reading better, too, and she is now doing a lot of her homework on her own. By the time second grade rolls around, she should be much more self-sufficient as far as homework goes.

Tori's Best Gift

Tori loves all of her gifts, but her favorite seems to be the little purple alarm clock from Santa. Huts set it for her, and lucky for us, Tori uses it. She gets up, turns it off and gets dressed. No more having to wake her up. Unfortunately, we forgot to turn it off the day we got back and it woke her up bright and early on Saturday morning. Poor girl!

On another note, Tori has six dollhouses now, plus some smaller buildings, allowing her to nearly have her own town. We call it Toriville, but she hasn’t taken to that name yet. She’s got all kinds of dolls and critters residing in her town with furniture and cars of all types. The LaLaLoopseys are mixed in with the dolls, turtles, raccoons, etc. It’s pretty crazy and often turns into a huge mess—which she detests cleaning up. Huts and I have a great time sorting and putting things away.