It's Great to be 8!

Today, our Tori bug turns 8. Time is flying by! It feels like yesterday that she was born. My pregnancy, delivery and recovery with Tori was very hard, but she was such an easy baby, and brought us so much joy from the beginning. It is so fun to look at each of our children as they grow into who they will become. They are each so unique. I love it. Here are some things we want to remember about Tori as she turns 8 this year.

~She is so incredibly kind and compassionate and always thinking of others. I want to record a cute little side story to go with this one. On Friday as Brandon was driving the kids to school, Levi discovered that he had forgotten to put his snack in his backpack and was quite distraught. Without thinking twice, Tori said, "You can have mine Levi!" She took hers out of her backpack and gave it to him, leaving her without a snack for the day. Everyone who knows Tori, knows that she loves her snacks, so this act of kindness said a lot! She is always doing things like this.

~She loves to go fishing and hiking with dad.

~She loves to look pretty. I often find her in her room in front of the mirror applying all kinds of makeup and accessorizing from head to toe.

~She is very creative and is always coming up with some kind of craft off the top of her head.

~She has a huge sweet tooth.

~Some of the funny sayings she says often are, "Oh, come on!" and "Are you serious?"

~ She is a very loyal friend

~She loves to sing, and is really good at memorizing songs.

~She is so good with animals.

~She is starting to go by Victoria at school instead of Tori

~She loves to get and give presents.

~She is always writing Brandon and I cards telling us how much she loves us.

~She is getting to be quite the little reader and has started reading chapter books.

~She is really good at remembering things. Several times when she is with me when I am going to the store without a list, I will specifically tell her some of the things that I need to get (I am notorious for forgetting why I went to the store in the first place) I know that if I tell her, she won't let me leave the store without those things!

~She loves raw vegetables (especially carrots, broccoli and celery) She will gobble them up, but the second you cook them, she won't touch them any more. (This is exactly like Brandon)

~She loves to ride her bike.

~She loves to roller skate, and is really good at it.

~She still is a blanky girl, and sleeps with her "Winnie the pooh blanket" every night. It brings her so much comfort!

~She loves to take videos with my little video camera.

~ She is often the peacemaker between Alexis and Levi's daily brawls.

~She is very strong willed.

The list could go on and on. Our family would not be complete without Tori. She is such a special, important part of our family. We love you Tori! Happy Birthday!!