Crab Cake

Tori appears to be getting molars and sticks close to the sitter and her parents. She wants to be held a lot and to sleep with us. If we give her medicine at the right time, we can usually avoid some of the crabiness. She has moved tot he bigger car seat now and is very happy with that. Unfortunately, she would rather be sitting where Ollie does behind the passenger seat. Doesn't like sitting behind Daddy. The fights are increasing in number and Tori is no stranger to yelling and crying about them. She does not like to share and gets into serious trouble for that. We finally found a costume for her, of a pink fairy. She enjoyed playing in it this weekend. Huts should be posting that photo soon.

Daddy Mine

Tori is a Daddy's girl. She always goes to Daddy first, and when Mommy embraces Daddy, she comes running to break it up. "My Daddy," she tells me, Last night she snuggled into his arms, and every time I tried to hug Huts, she would embrace him too and push me away. Daddy, it's all about Daddy.

Tori has also been using the words, "Mama" and "Daddy" a lot lately. It is strange to hear her say them. "Hi, Mama." she always says to me after work. "Daddy, this, Daddy, that." Chatterbox #2.

Tori the Sourpuss

Tori did not fare as well as Ollie at Grandma Vickie's. She didn't sleep well at all at night and her naps got cut short. She also wasn't too keen on Mom and Dad holding the twins. i had to give up Alivia once to hold Tori. When she was in a good mood, she ate well and played somewhat with the kids. She got a bit upset when Amber for using the swing. Oh well, it was Amber's swing.

Anyway, the weekend is over and Tori can now relax and get back into the swing of things.

Familial Visit

Grandma and Grandpa Erickson came for a visit this weekend. They brought along Great-Grandpa Dean. Tori was a bit shy in the beginning, but as soon as the gifts came out, she was over her shyness. She was immediately attracted to a pink sweat suit and had to put it on right away. It was a bit big for her yet, but it fit right over her jean shorts she was wearing. Her shirt came off and she had to have it zipped up. Luckily, she didn't try to run or she might've tripped over the legs. She'll grow into most of the winter clothes this year.

Once everyone got up from their nap (grandparents included), we went out to eat at Logans Steakhouse. Tori got to sit at the head of the table and ate a lot of her macaroni, but didn't come out too messy. After her bath Tori played several games with grandma, like hide and seek grandma's jewelry. She also showed her Grandparents what kind of monster she could be by imitating a hideous growl.

She tried camping out with her big brother, but didn't make it through the night and ended up sleeping with her dad in her bed. Sunday we went to the family reunion, which was at the former elementary school in McLean. There was plenty of play equipment for Tori to play. She was a bit shy around all the people, but once lunch started she was ready to eat. After lunch she played more and was ready to head home. She was a bit crabby the rest of the night because her nap was cut short. She had a good time though and seems to be ready to go on our trip this weekend to see the twins her Mama's cousin just had.

Big Brother Steps In

Yesterday afternoon, Tori decided to slide and play in her sandbox while I worked nearby on the lawn. She played for a long time and then Ollie came out and put an end to her fun. He persuaded her to come and play with him and put the lid on the sandbox. He assured me that Tori wanted to play with him. Yeah, right! We keep telling him that Tori has a mind of her own.

Twins, Aug. 28th

Tori doesn't know it, but she is getting twin cousins on August 28. Ave and Alivia are set to arrive, and we're going to see them around September 8. She loves babies so I can't wait to see her reaction to them. No doubt she will love them and attempt to call them Abby after the baby at the sitter's. Meanwhile, Ollie has been asking about us having him a baby brother and how long that might take. We're trying, but Ollie may just have to settle for Tori.

Exhausted

Tori had a good time at her play date and fell asleep quickly last night, She didn't even fuss about going to bed and woke up groggy but happy. Mom and Dad are still deciding on this meeting but plan to go again, so hopefully, Tori and Ollie will behave themselves again.

Just Like Big Brother

Tori idolizes her brother and has to do everything he does. She's 2 years younger, but she keeps up with him the best she can. He runs, she runs, he paints, she paints, sometimes I wonder if we don't have 2 boys in the house.

Then there are times that Tori will play by herself. She'll get the play food out and cook something. She'll grab the potato heads (which Ollie has outgrown) and create things with them. She's also into Babies, Animals and certain clothes.

Sometimes she has to be like big brother Ollie and take things to the sitter's. This morning it was a Care Bear that she sleeps with at night. She took it this morning and held it all the way to the sitter's eating her apple around the bear. She refused to get out of the car without it, leaving her apple behind on purpose. She carried the bear all the way inside and had to show the sitter after she watched Cailliou for a few minutes. I'd be surprised if the thing isn't attached to her hip all day long. Luckily for the bear, she didn't choke it like Ollie did his bag.

Oscar the Grouch

Tori has new markers, and this morning, she colored herself green to greet the sitter. These markers don't wipe off as easily, so Tori will not be herself until bath time tonight. Naughty girl! She sure does like to paint, draw and color. That easel that Grnadpa Steve made Ollie is getting a real workout from Tori.

Baby!

That's what Tori yelled yesterday at Best Buy. She loves babies and I can't wait for her to see Alivia and Ava in September. My cousin is scheduled to have the twins at the end of this month. We hope to go see them in September when my uncle comes down for a visit. I haven't seen him in eight years, so the family get-together should be a blast!

Freshly Painted

What did Tori do last night? Got a bath and then got out her paints and turned herself pink, blue, orange and the whatnot. She stayed clean enough that she didn't have to have another bath, but boy, was she messy, She loves to paint, draw, write and color. She is our little artist, so I am decorating the wall above her bed with SImpson cartoon characters of several family members. We all got Simpsonized this weekend. What a hoot!

Tuckered Out

After a week with Grandma and a weekend with uncles and aunts, Tori was exhausted. She was a bit cranky yesterday and didn't want to get up this morning. It will probably take her a couple of days to get back to normal. Ollie camped out in Mom and Dad's room last night on a baby bed mattress and slept in as long as he could too. Too much action.

A Few More Days

Annie is leaving town for good on Sunday. The kids know it, but I don't think they realize how much they are going to miss Aunt Annie. She is the only family member nearby, and for four years, she has spoiled the kids rotten. They love to roughhouse with Aunt Annie. Oh well, she says she will visit and plans to take the kids for a week next summer.

A New Room

For weeks now, Tori has been sleeping in the office in the lower bunk. She liked it so much that we moved the office stuff downstairs to the living room and switched all of her stuff to that room. Her old room is now a playroom filled with toys. She seems to like her new room, especially the top bunk which she is working feverishly to get up to. So far, Ollie climbs up and Huts or I push Tori up there. She does know how to climb the ladder, though, and will probably be managing that by herself real soon.