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.