Wow! Another two weeks has sped by! Here we are, Labor Day, and already September! Before we know it, it will be Christmas. We have been busy as usual trying to keep up with an 18, soon to be 19, month old. We have had ups and downs, good days and bad days, but we wouldn't change any of them. Tori does or says something new every day. Sometimes it's hilarious, other times we wish she hadn't thought of whatever it was she is doing or saying. But above all she is growing leaps and bounds. It is truly a miracle and marvel to see.
With all of this growing and changing and TESTING, we have had to institute the use of.....THE NAUGHTY CHAIR. This is reserved for those times when Tori absolutely refuses to listen, like when she wants to take knives out of the dishwasher or hit the dogs on the head. She understands that is when she is not a "good girl." She sits in the chair without moving, sometimes crying sometimes not. We haven't had to use it at all this weekend. It's been a wonderful three days. However, we did take a photo for posterity's sake of the first time the chair went into use. Definitely not a happy camper.
Tori loves to play "Where's Tori?" She has started to initiate the game herself, like yesterday in Wal-Mart with the reusable shopping bags. She also likes to use the dogs' blankets and her bath towel.
We also took a ride to Kailua on Saturday so Mommy could get her hair cut. We got to sit in Auntie Kimi's old style barber chair and sit on Mommy's lap and play with the cut hair. Outings are getting to be so much fun!
Also on Saturday after church, we went to the Hale Koa Hotel in Waikiki for dinner. While Daddy went to get the car Mommy took some pictures of Tori and Tutu in front of the pretty orchid plants. 
Tori's new words for the past few days are noise, taco, and ocean. There is a house being gutted across the street from us and another being built a couple doors down, so there have been the sounds of many trucks, hammers, and saws every day for quite a while. She must have decided that this was an exceptionally noisy week, so one day she just said Noise whenever something revved up. I also think she likes the sound of the word. Certain words just grab her and she repeats them constantly. The names of the dogs, which she can't pronounce correctly, come out Wiwi and Iya for Kiwi and Hila (hee-lah). We had tacos for dinner last night and she loves the meat with cheese and cooked onion. Amazes me. So now she says taco. And yesterday afternoon we took her to the beach by our house for the first time. She wasn't too impressed. She loves her pool, but the ocean will take some getting used to. As soon as we got out of the car she said noise because of the waves on the shore. She wasn't too impressed with the feel of sand between her toes so she wanted Mommy to carry her. We stood at the water's edge and just let her get used to the water hitting Mommy, Daddy, and Tutu. We will try again when it is a little calmer. It was good just to feel the sea spray and hear the waves.
We have another busy week ahead. We will be speaking at an informational meeting at our adoption agency tomorrow evening, where Tori will be the featured guest. On Saturday Tori turns 19 months old and will be baptized into the Catholic Church. There will no doubt be some interesting stories with that event. Whatever your spirituality, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Have a great first week of September!
