Bella's 1 year stats.

Bella is growing well physically and is cruising right through her developmental stages. She is a brave and strong little baby, she cried when she got three shots but quickly recovered once I picked her up. 

Height- 2' 6.32 (64%)

Weight- 22 lb 9.8 oz (77%)

She is growing perfectly, just like god intended. 

Soccer Game #2

William had his second soccer game this past Saturday morning. Another fun family morning game. He is getting better at the game, he is a great defensive player but has started to be more aggressive at running the ball upfront! 

 

William is so funny and on the way to the game told us he had a secret third eye. When we got to the game he showed daddy were his "secret eye" was. He is such a sweet and funny little boy!!!

Action shots!

This weekend we had snack for the players. We decided to go with donuts on a stick and other goodies. I will say donuts are not what we normally get for team snacks, normally we go the organic fruit route but it's ok to splurge a little once in a great while.

It was a muddy game and I had to take a shot of his muddy legs. 

Michaelmas Celebration

This past Friday, the 26th of September, William's school had the Michaelmas autumn celebration. This is our first Michaelmas so bare with me as I attempt to describe it. This festival is named after the Archangel  Michael. It celebrates the autumn equinox as the relationship of light and darkness changes in the world. It is celebrated at many universities around the world (Oxford, Cambridge, etc), as well as at Waldorf schools as the Festival of Strong Will. 

Throughout the day, the kids had several games, had a school wide feast, and put on a play that each grade played a part in. The first graders were the reinforcement warriors! Others included village people, knights, angels, etc. It had a medieval vibe and was very cute, and had a great message. The village was being harassed by a dragon, and at the end, the Archangel Micheal tames the dragon and gives us courage against darkness. The dragon changes his ways. 

The take from it was that it's good to take time as a community to be reminded of the importance of right doing, right intention, and to have courage when faced with adversity. And of course, to exercise kindness with each other in our communities. 

Here are some pics. There is also a cute video I would love to share and will, if I ever figure out how to uploaded. 

1st Graders! 

Check out the dragon, made by students out of recycled materials. So cool!

Here is William with his 8th grade buddy Samadie.

http://youtu.be/iMz5U4ERtno

Kauai Fun

William showing his love for the beach with this heart shaped leaf he found. 

Breakfast in bed with a side of shark attack. It was shark week after all. 

Miniature golfing!

A nice Daddy/Daughter moment on our morning beach walk. 

One of the nights they had an outdoor movie by the beach. The movie was The Wizard of Oz. It was a really fun night on our family vacation.

School Picnic

This past Sunday September 14, we attended the welcome picnic for Williams school. They have this yearly picnic to welcome the students, teachers, school staff, and parents to a new year of learning!   We made a brief appearance since the Bears game and the picnic were at the same time. It was fun to experience more of the school campus. 

Seashell garden. 

The balancing act.

Sister got in on the fun! 

Hanging by the Taro patch at the school garden. 

1st Soccer Game 2014

William started his second soccer season two weeks ago. He has had a few practices and had his first game Saturday. His teams name is the Strikers, which is funny because last years team was the Lightning Strikers and he is number #8 again.   

Throwing the ball in! 

Go Strikers! 

Tunnel time! The kids love running through the tunnel at the end of the games. 

Kauai Lagoons Golf Course

During our time in Kauai, William had the privilege to play the Kauai Lagoons golf course. This Jack Nicklaus designed course  boasts the largest coastal stretch of oceanfront golf in the state of HI. It has also been named one of the top 10 most beautiful golf courses in the world. 

Someone had a good day! 

On the Kauai Lagoons signature hole with Wayne. Wayne is Sally's husband, Sally works with Chris. They are the nicest people! 

Pukalani Golf Course

William came back to Maui with a new found passion for golf. This two pictures were taking of William a few days after his return from Chicago at the Pukulani golf course.

He was able to drive the ball 90+ feet on one of his swings. Not bad! 

First Parent Meeting

Today we had the first parent meeting at school. At the parent meeting we learned about William's school curriculum and subjects, as well as upcoming festivals and social events. It was nice to spend some time in William's classroom. There is a lot of emphasis on rhythm, and every morning, Mr. Weis starts the class with a game called "echo," where he claps a rhythm with his hands and the kids repeat it. We enjoyed the parent meeting because we are new to the Waldorf school program and it was nice to learn more about the foundation of a Waldorf education. 

One thing we have noticed is how William is quickly picking up on Japanese. We have heard him speak about 15 words. They do the children's song "head, shoulders, knees, and toes" in Japanese so most of his words are body parts.  William is also learning Spanish although he does not seem as excited about it as Japanese. He will also learn to play his flute and knit. He will actually knit a case for his flute by the end of the year. So cute!!! Another thing I really loved was how much importance is placed on proper writing form.

Playing with his classmates. 

Chalk board art depicting a story of old Hawaii.

William's version of the the drawing above. 

Here is what today's school day looked like for William. The subjects change depending on the day.  

Camping @ Home

This weekend we decided to camp out in the backyard as a trial run. We love camping and want to start camping around the island(s) this fall/winter. It went pretty well. Baby Bella slept in her pack and play. Both the kids slept till 7am. We roasted marshmallows and had s'mores. Stargazing was amazing! We have a nice view of the Milky Way up here in the forest. 

  

Here are a few pics. 

 

Setting up camp! 

Baby Bella liked the cozy corner.

Happy camper.