Williams Summer

William spent a good while in Chicago with his Pamma and Grandpa this summer. We missed him horribly and don't think next time will be as long as this summer was. He got to do so many fun things with all of his Chicago family.

William and Pamma at ORD. He really loves and misses Pamma. 

As soon as he got on the airplane it was time to write his thank you cards! 

Over the summer William became a little golfer and was so happy to spend some time on the golf course with Grandpa and Pamma. Cousin Kayla took him miniature golfing a few times too. 

 

William and Dad coming home to Maui.

 

Sister was so happy to see her brother! 

Bella at 9 months.

Arrabella at 9 months. 

4th of July at Sea

This 4th of July we watched the fireworks at sea. It was beautiful as expected. We missed William!

Hiking

Here we are hiking on Maui. We love this beautiful costal hike! It's a little too long for William, so while he was at camp Pammas this summer we got to do all of it. On a clear day you are greeted by Molokai and Oahu at the top. 

Summer Beach Fun!

Here are some pictures taken over the summer of us at the beach. We go to the beach every weekend sometimes we just take a morning or sunset walk and sometimes we go snorkeling. 

Bella loves splashing in the sea like the little mermaid that she is. 

Looking for little crabs at the beach with dad .

 

Our secret beach spot in the shade, we love shade! 

Morning snorkel.

Bella's Birthday Dinner

On Saturday, August 9th we got to celebrate Bella's birthday with a dinner celebration in Kauai. Here are some family pictures from the evening.   

  

We had very nice dinner thanks to Sally, who works with Chris. She always takes the best care of us. Arrabella was a celebrity that night and got lots of compliments. She gets lots of compliments all the time, people love her.  

Singing happy birthday to our 1 year old. 

 

Blurry picture of me and my Bella baby. This 1 year old is so ready to walk. 

Black Sand Beach

We made a stop at the Waimea plantation for lunch and black sand beach fun. This is another one of our favorite spots in Kauai. 

William loved running around the property, as he did when he was 3. 

Me and my babes! 

 

Handsome William!

  

Peek-a-boo!

Bella's birthday cake

Baby Arrabella turned 1!!! She is very sweet and funny. We love her so much, it helps us understand the concept of infinity. A love that never ever ends!!! We celebrated her birthday at home on August 7. 

Iselle the tropical storm/hurricane added some "excitement" to the day, especially with travel plans to Kauai the next day. Thankfully the storm did not hit the islands of Maui and Kauai as badly as the Big Island. They are actually still dealing with some aftermath. 

Look at that sweet innocent baby birthday love! 

 

After singing happy b-day and blowing out the candle it was time for cake! 

Mmm..hmm! 

"I eat cake with my fresh flower lei" 

  

Getting good! 

  

Look at those dark beautiful eyes! The baby rolls and cake crack me up.

Yum! "I love cake!"

She loved her AlphaPup from our Colorado family! As you can see in the picture below she liked it, so did brother! 

Kauai Plantation Train Ride

For our last summer hoorah we took a trip to Kauai. We celebrated our baby Bella's big first birthday and had family fun. One of our activities was the Kauai Plantantion train ride. We did this activity during our 2011 visit to Kauai (William was only 3!!), and it was fun to come back with our Bella. 

Sweet William. 

The train ride stops to feed the boars and goats. She loved the animals and was not afraid to feed the goat. 

There were a lot of chickens this time and they were getting pecky. 

Bella with Dad! 

William and Arrabella with Dad.  

Bro and sis taking their first train ride together. 

1st Day of 1st Grade at Haleakala Waldorf School

We officially have a 1st Grader! William begin his journey at the Haleakala Waldorf School today. His teacher is Mr. Weis, who actually lived in Boulder for most of his adult life and used to teach at the Waldorf school in Boulder. Both of his children were born at the same hospital as William. Got to love the Boulder connection. 

The opening ceremony was beautiful. The auditorium was filled with all of the students and faculty to welcome the first graders. They played classical piano music while the 1st graders walked in for the ceremony. It was very peaceful and welcoming for them. Mr. Weis also played a beautiful Hawaiian song for the kids on the ukulelele during the ceremony, and told a story about Maui (the man the island is named for) and the mountain of Haleakala. 

Here is a picture of the  8th and 1st graders during the opening ceremony this morning. At the beginning of the year an 8th grade student is assigned to give a rose to a 1st grade student. Throughout the year, this 8th grade "buddy" will help him out around the school.

Each student was asked to bring a fresh flower for the classroom flower bouquet. William brought a hydrangea from our garden. 

On his first day he made this bracelet out of wool and took his first Japanese lesson. He will also be learning Spanish. 

The day before school started we had a class potluck at the school so everyone could meet each other and so the kids would be more comfortable on day 1. William had fun running around with his new friends. 

 

Here is William's classroom. He is the one in the back row with the yellow shirt. The teacher played them a welcoming song with his flute. 

We gathered in a circle for a prayer before dinner. Mr. Weis is in the middle. He has an excellent rapport with the students.