so, we are finally in austin! on a semi-permanent basis anyway. ;-) after commuting from the dallas area each week last year for maya to attend the austin waldorf school kindergarten, we have been preparing for our move here as the new school year and the beginning of first grade approached. papa will continue to stay on at our home in dallas, working there and commuting here on weekends, until we are able to fully transition him here (very soon!). until then, we have pre-leased a temporary small studio apartment very close to maya's waldorf school (just a little over 2 miles away) - with the intention of finding some land and building a home (again, close to the school) sometime next year. unfortunately, because our new apartment community is still in the process of being built...our particular space won't be completed until the first of october (sigh). soooo...we are living in an extended-stay hotel until that time. although certainly not ideal, we are making the most of it! finding our new rhythm and bringing with us many of the comforts of home...
maya had a lovely first day of first grade! after all of our sensory integration work with her this summer, our intuition told us she would be fully prepared and truly enjoy first grade - and we are finding this to be absolutely true! she has exhibited very little anxiety in the mornings (compared to last year) and is singing and telling me stories of her day when i pick her up in the afternoons. we could not be happier or feel more blessed with her new teacher - he is truly sent from above! we look forward to our journey together with him and this entire class family of ours.
on the first day of school we were honored to be able to witness maya's participation in the beautiful and reverent rose ceremony (which takes place at all waldorf schools at the beginning of each year), as the graduating seniors of the year present a rose to each of the rising first graders...welcoming them into the grades school. at the end of the year, these same first graders (as their first year draws to a close) will likewise present a rose to each of the graduating seniors, as the school bids them farewell on their life journeys. a truly magical, meaningful and poignant ceremony!
and lastly...after our first parent meeting of the year on saturday, another fun and joyful task we had the honor to participate in was the making of our own knitting needles - just as our children are now doing in their handwork class! with instruction and direction from our children's skilled handwork teacher, we each completed our own set of wooden needles - fashioned from simple dowels, lovingly sanded and oiled, then finished with colorful clay ends. what a treasure these will be! as you can well imagine, i can't wait to use mine...
in closing, i'd like to thank each of you for your kind comments, positive thoughts and well wishes for us during this time of transition. we feel truly blessed to be where we are and for this beautiful family journey we are on!
with much love and gratitude,
shelley
