We are so proud of Tori!

Today was Tori's Award Ceremony at her school. Randy, Lael,and myself, together with my Mom, Uncle Andy and Jessica, were able to attend! Tori has done so amazingly well this year during a very difficult year of transition from the life we have known in Benin to the life we are coming to know here in Fort Worth, Texas. We returned last July and Tori was the first one to dive in deep to American life via the local Public school. When she first started, barely a month after we had arrived...there was some days that her life provided our family the structure that we needed...getting her to school by 8AM and being there to pick her up again at 3PM. My prayer life for the 2 years prior to our return was in large part focused on the Lord preparing Tori for this entry into public school. I had the privilege of homeschooling her for Kindergarten through Second grade...we had a great time, just she and I, working through concepts and laying a foundation. I did not grade her papers,we just worked through our curriculum, she corrected her mistakes, and we moved on when she had mastered a concept...Coming into a classroom of 22 students and losing that one on one attention that she and I had shared was very difficult for her and for me. Those first few months were so hard. Towards the end of the first semester we found a wonderful place called OXFORD, where Tori began attending twice a week after school for some one on one tutoring. The people there were and remain to be so special. They came along and helped to rebuild confidence that had been shaken in those first few months and Tori began to blossom again. She passed both the Reading and the Math TAKS and remained on the A-B honor roll all year long. Today her teacher gave her the Hard worker award. To say we are proud of her seems too small of a word. We are so thankful for her teacher, her tutors at Oxford, and the praise and encouragement all year from grandparents, aunts and uncles and friends. Tori has seen the Lord's goodness, faithfulness and so many answers to such specific prayers....Thank you Lord!!!





Four Fantastic Girls, Karly,Morgan, Kinsey, and Tori





Earlier this week, our family took the opportunity to celebrate the last full week of school by going to the Rainforest Cafe...it was A LOT of fun!! We love being together doing fun things!