Halloween

Our first Halloween in A2.  It was awesome to enjoy a slow Saturday with plenty of time to think about the event itself.  We were invited for pizza and some pre-Halloween'ing by a family we know from school who lives just around the corner.  We had enough time to zip back home, light our jackos, dress kids, put out candy on the step and hit the sidewalks.  We'd been given advice on the top 2 streets to hit, one which is known for handing out full-size candy bars to the treaters.  This house also brings in Giant Pumpkins -- perhaps it's the Great Pumpkin! to carve.  This year they had 2 as tall as Christian.  I asked them how they carved them, as their flesh was ~6 inches thick.  "With a jigsaw." was the reply.  They also used industrial lights- they were a sight and offered a great photo opp for us!

Evelyn was a candy corn fairy.  I could have purchased the costume, but told her I thought we could make it ourselves.  It took some time and much thinking, but I think it turned out aok.  Christian was a spider- a much easier costume to make.  The legs moved along with his real arms thanks to monofilament from my tackle box.  :)

Christian told us many times how this was the best Halloween ever.  After about an hour they were both ready to head for home.  Christian's legs were tired-- I imagine so, being a spider!  That's a lot of legs!

Another First Day of School!

Christian's first day of being a Redbird (preschool) was Monday, 14 September. We woke to a brisk fall morning, but no rain! So we were able to get a few good photo opps in! Evelyn was so excited for him to be in the same school and hoping to get glimpses of him from time to time! She was eager to tell him the ways of the school and what to expect. Christian was also excited and tired after the first day. He didn't seem overly enthused about anything, but more matter of fact. His body language read more of "this is what I do now" rather than excitement. As the weeks have gone on and he is familiar with the routine, he is happy. He likes going to school, is comfortable with his teachers and classmates and loves getting to spend time outside (me, too!).

So now every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning, I bring 2 kids to school. Evelyn to meet her class by the 'magic tree' for their morning walk; Christian then to his classroom to join the other 6 children and his 2 teachers. The classroom is a very peaceful atmosphere with wooden toys, a small kitchen area for the teachers to prepare snack and tables. Christian helps with snack from time to time, but doesn't eat it all the time. He does enjoy washing his dishes after! He seems to really enjoy the castle and going on their outdoor adventures. The last hour and 15 minutes is spent outdoors. Some days he goes on walks through the woods, plays in their sand area or gets some time on the playground.

So here begins Christian foray into school life. And yes, I can say yet again..."Life is good!"

First Day of School!!

Evelyn's first day! A very rainy day, but we donned rain gear and made our way to school early as suggested. I was happy that even following a bus, we made it in about 15 minutes.

In Waldorf schools they like to celebrate events and have many special ceremonies throughout the year. This morning's Rose Ceremony -almost a full-blown tear jerker! The class and parents met ahead of time with time to settle in and for the first graders to be paired with their senior buddies. Parents left and assembled in the gym along with the rest of the school. There was a welcome of new students, each teacher sharing a bit of their class for the year, then the time came...A young girl played violin, the seniors stood in a line in front, the 1st graders were seated in the front row. The teacher read a name, the senior buddy met them, gave them a rose, offered their hand as they walked over the 'rainbow bridge' upon which their teacher greeted them and welcomed them. Evelyn did things on cue and well. Kevin and I kept it together for that part. However, as the class left, the remaining classes through seniors sang in harmony, a song in Latin in rounds. It was lovely as we were escorted in an organized fashion from the gym. Tears filled our eyes and again, a sign that perhaps this is where we should be for this time of life.

Christian and I took Kevin to the dental school returning for a tea held in his preschool classroom. We had the chance to play, meet his classmates and parents mingled. It was a very nice way to spend more time getting to know the school and the people who choose Waldorf education for their children. I feel so welcomed by everyone at the school and see the strong sense of community here. My heart is happy!

The day ended early-- only a half day for this first day, complete with popsicles (organic frozen fruit bars) in the gym. Christian charmed his way to get seconds for he and Evelyn. :)

The non-solstice end of summer

It's 9:42pm EST as I type this blog. Feeling some butterflies as tomorrow Evelyn begins school. Her 4th school in the 4 years of attending school. I vowed I would have my kids lead stable school lives, not school hopping. How often we eat our words as adults and parents. Here's to hoping we've found a great match in Waldorf ed and this next 4 years while Kevin attends dental school, Evelyn attends just this one school.

The alarm in our room is set for 6:15 a.m.; Evelyn requested an alarm as well and I chose 7:07 as she is 7. We will leave promptly as 7:55a.m. as we are told the first day is very difficult to find parking if we arrive past 8:20. We'll attend the Rose Ceremony in which the 1st graders receive a rose from their senior buddy. In spring when the seniors are ready to graduate the seniors will be on the receiving end as the 1st grade buddies hand them roses to send them into the world. I'm happy to hear that Kevin will be able to attend with us. After the ceremony when Evelyn enters her first grade classroom for the first time, Christian and I will drop Kevin off at dental school. Christian and I will need to be back at the school for a preschool tea with the preschool families. We'll stick around until 12:30pm when Evelyn is finished-- only a half day for her this first day. We can ease in...

Here's to a good night and where sleep chases the butterflies away. I'll hope for no crazy dreams of not being able to make it on time, or of the car being stuck in endless traffic, or my feet not moving...all those great dream dilemmas. And I'll hope for the raindrops to spare us a few morning pictures! Until then...sweet dreams.

Kevin's Big Day!

August 24, 2 days prior to our 14th anniversary, Kevin woke up early to don a suit, tie and Birks for his first week of dental school. No worries, the Birks only were for the mile walk from our house to the school. But one can get away with such a fashion faux pas here in A2. This was the moment we have been centering our lives around for the past few years. We frolicked all summer (minus getting our house ready for the market, the move - not much frolicking when you are packing up a life of 10 yrs) to soak up, in Kevin's words, "his summer of frivolity," savoring each day knowing that life was going to turn upside down. A new state, city, friends, lifestyle, schools and the list goes on...

Kevin's 1st Day

We are in week 2. As I type, the kids lie in their beds, and Kevin studies for his 2 tests tomorrow! It's definitely a new life, but it's really good. I can still happily pull out my Life is Good wear and mean it! We are so thankful for this opportunity. The next 2 years in particular will be challenging and we'll have intermittent family time, but we are transitioning pretty well. In fact, Evelyn is happily counting down the days until she can begin school-- that will be a whole other post! We are at 5 days and counting... This is a good sign. Life is good!

4th Birthday!

Christian, the 4 year old!

French Toast for B-fast

August 19th-- Christian turned 4! It was our first birthday where it was just the 4 of us...and living in Ann Arbor. He has been asking a lot to go to the "Hands On Museum" which is A2's children's museum located about 1.5 miles from our house. We obliged and with that were allowed an escape from ultra hot and humid weather that has plagued A2 for the past week (now as I type however, I'm in fleece and long pants!). Ok, back to it...it's a great place -- 4 floors of cool activities! One of our favorites this time was trying to enclose oneself inside a bubble and then trying to blow a bubble out of the wall! ;)

We had a late lunch out, picked up a DQ ice cream cake as requested and opened presents on our screen porch. It was a fun day for all!

Leslie Science & Nature Center

Yesterday we officially met another dental school family (2 boys ages 4 & 2) at Leslie Science & Nature Center. http://www.lesliesnc.org/ I had scoped out the center online when we first were here last October for Kevin's interview. The reality is that I was trying to get a grip on the fact this could be a community we would be moving to and I was looking for pieces of home. We have loved spending time at River Bend Nature Center and the kids have gone to their day camps each year. Finding this 'sister center' in Ann Arbor as well as other familiar places has helped us all feel more welcome and realize that this is where we are supposed to be at this time in our lives.

The eight of us had a great time getting to know one another, the area, visiting the Critter House (which is supposed to be open only on Sundays, but a staff member present for a birthday party, let us in!), checking out their raptors and getting 'off track' on the trails. The kids all got along great and enjoyed the freedom to run. Much credit goes to them as the off trail part brought us into an extra few hours of exploring! Thus the adults could remain a little more laid back when we finally saw parts of trails we recognized.

Unfortunately I left the camera in the car...so not photos from yesterday to share. I'll be better with our future explorations!

The move!

The tale of our move after being in our house in Northfield for 10 years, having 2 children there and accumulating stuff, stuff, stuff!

We rented the largest U-Haul available (26') and towed our car behind. On Saturday 18 July, with the help of our brother-in-law Bill, and college friends Dan, Sean and Toby, we worked a full day loading 'the beast'. We continued to load the following morning with Bill. In all, I think we spent ~14 hours and it was well worth the amazing efforts of Bill and Toby- the meticulous packers of the truck. There were no casualties of the move. Thank you Bill and Toby!! Woo hoo!!!Sunday morning we hugged and waved goodbye to our kiddos as they went into the care of Kevin's parents. Got our car hooked up to the tow trailer. Said goodbye to Bill. Cut our grass and picked up the house a bit, had lunch on the deck savoring a perfect Minnesota summer day-- low 70's, a light breeze and blue skies, and waved farewell to Archibald Circle at 2:45 p.m. CST. Kevin and I arrived in A2 at 3:30 a.m. EST - 12 hours with 3 stops for gas. Not bad. We pulled into our sleepy neighborhood feeling as though we were banging symbols announcing our arrival! This truck was not quiet by any means! After pulling off our mattress and overnight bags, we shut the truck back up, got to bed by 5 a.m., woke mid-morning and began the 7 hour unloading with Kevin's brother, Jason. It took Kevin's efforts of pulling me off the couch to head out for dinner. Dinner at Zingerman's -- an Ann Arbor staple. Move complete...now for those boxes.

We managed to get fairly settled by Thursday evening, when Kevin's parents arrived with Evelyn and Christian. We were glad for our long days of unpacking when we saw the recognition of 'pieces of home' in the kiddos. We will make this place home together as a family --this is our adventure indeed!

And we're off!

This is my first attempt at blogging. Enough said on that...

My family and I just moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, from Northfield, Minnesota. With the newness of a move, why not start a blog? The blog name inspiration goes to my dear friend, Aimee, who gave me a lovely farewell card titled "L2 goes to A2." Ann Arbor is called A2 by the locals; L2 for my name, Lisa Lukis. Now that I have gone to A2, L2 in A2 seemed appropriate.

Today is Day 12 of living in Ann Arbor. So far, so good. The boxes with the intent of unpacking, are unpacked. The rest live in the basement semi-organized for now. A few have been torn into as a search has ensued for various items, mostly decor rather than function. There is less square footage in the livable space in our rental home, however, there is also character and charm of this 1937 bungalow that has offered built-ins for storage and display. I've always longed to live in 'one of those houses' that I used to walk by on the streets of Northfield. Now this adventure in A2 has allowed such to occur. We love the neighborhood, the nearby Burns Park, the fact we are only 1 mile to the dental school -- the reason we are here, as hubby begins his 4 yr career as a dental student... so far, excitement of the adventure outweighs sadness of leaving of our sweet life in Northfield.

For now, the adventure begins. Thanks for joining me as we embark!