School Days

Liam started preschool in November.  We waited until the last possible minute because he needed to be potty-trained and he was just having none of that.  Until he decided he would have all of that and was fine for both daytime and night all at the same time.  That's just how he rolls.  So we were good for preschool just in time!

We opted for the Montessori Lab School at Chaminade University.  I was pretty certain that I wanted to send him to a Montessori school, so I was really pleased that we found one that's affordable.

Liam refused to let me take a picture of him on his first day.  His face, here, says it all.  "Seriously, mom?"

The cool thing about his preschool is that they have a portal we can access where they put up all of the activities and developmental skills he's working on so we can see what he gravitates toward and how well he's doing, even in the important things, like grace and courtesy (still practicing those things).  They also take pictures during the day and post them to Liam's online file.  We can look at them to get a peek at what he does during the day (since parents are not allowed in the classroom--that's the kids' space) and download the ones we want.

One of the first activities he did is called "sink or float."  What kid doesn't like water?

Speaking of water--painting a turkey with watercolors.

He was really proud of the bracelet he made, though I'm not sure who it would actually fit.  He made one the next day for Aunty Lani!

Practicing the tongs by picking up rats.  

Working on the color box.  I think when they get more advanced, they're supposed to arrange the colors by shade, but I thought that it was pretty cool that he could do this.

This is the number bead activity.  They're supposed to hang the correct number of beads below each number.

And one of my favorite parts of the Montessori classroom -- practical life!  Here he is scrubbing his cubby.  I swear I think we're a little too chaotic for him.  Lately, he's been talking about how we have to clean because things are dirty.  They're not dirty...they're just part of our organized chaos.  Yeah...we have to work on that.

And finally, here's Liam exploring a sea urchin on their field trip to the catamaran.  He had such a great time, and I'm really glad that he was willing to touch the urchin!  Yay for school!

Halloween!

One of Liam's favorite shows is the Octonauts.  He loves Captain Barnacles, Kwazii Kitten (the pirate lieutenant), and Tweak Bunny (the Engineer), but his favorite character is Peso Penguin, Medic.  So that's what he wanted to be for Halloween.  And of course, we all had to be characters, too.  He chose Captain Barnacles for Dad and Kwazii Kitten for me.  And I chose Tunip the Vegimal for baby brother.  No one will ever mistake me for a crafty creative, but I did my best.  Our friends Dave and Malissa (with Liam's buddy, Brent), invited us to go trick or treating in their neighborhood in Nu'uanu.  That place goes all out for Halloween!  There were elaborate decorations, musical events, and properties that were so large, we actually went in the back way of one house only to realize we had already been to that house from the front!  We had such a good time!

Yeah, I made the collar a little too small...

Here's the Octonaut Family!

Tunip's greens kept falling down!  Dad held them up for the photo op.

Here's Liam checking out some of the decorations.  Something dear to my heart...  And the reason Baltimore is my football team.

As for Halloween?  There's always next year!