Dear Au Pair,
We are excited at the opportunity to get to know you, share our lives and create memories for years to come. Austin, Texas is home for us. We live in central Austin in a neighborhood full of young children and many dear friends. The University of Texas (50,000+ students) and a few miles from downtown and both Lake Austin and Town Lake. Austin is a unique and beloved town, where eclectic personalities are appreciated and active, healthy living is highly valued. Austin is the "Live Music Capitol of the World," home to artists, musicians, entrepreneurs and techies; but is also the Capitol of Texas and is located less than three miles from Houston or Dallas.
Joe is an Attorney who left the large firm life behind to start his own software company, which was focused on scholarship distribution for higher education. We have since sold that company and started a new software company which helps Universities manage Fire Safety, among other things. Joe works reasonable hours and prioritizes family time in the evenings, even if it means he has to hop online or take a call on occasion after hours. He enjoys his long runs, stays very involved in his kids lives and is on the board of our city's Childrens' Hospital. Emily no longer has a job outside of the house to focus her attention on running the household and raising our four kids. She loves her Barreclasses and has been highly involved in fundraising for charities such as chairing the annual Gala for Dell Children's Hospital and the kids' schools; however with the arrival of our fourth kid, has taken a step back from those commitments. Jackson is 10 and in the 4th grade at a nearby school where he often walks home from at the end of his day. Jackson is an empathetic and loving big brother to his siblings, excels in school, loves building things, is learning piano at home and has fun playing sports. Molly is 7 and in the 2nd grade at The Girls' School of Austin where she enjoys complex math and sciences as well as art and piano. She adores caring for her baby brother and playing imaginative games with her little sister and has enjoyed being a part of a dance troop excelling in ballet, tap and jazz. Lilly is 3 and goes to Good Shepherd Episcopal School, a preschool mission of our church, a few days a week. She is active and vivacious, loves dancing, dress up, art and pretend games plus she has an excellent vocabulary and humor for her age that keeps us laughing. Luke is our caboose baby and so far has proven to be a super chill and happy little guy, not to mention being very tolerant of all his sibling's hands and faces constantly in his own face. He is registered for a nearby preschool for a couple days a week, starting next fall. Izzy is our "winter white hamster" who is full grown but fits in the palm of your hand. Molly does a great job caring for Izzy, feeding her and cleaning her cage regularly.
As a family, we often cook and bake together, go on walks, play in the yard, have dance parties and movie nights. You will often hear us say to each other "in this family, we take care of each other" and look forward to bringing you into that with us. We are also very involved in our church and it's many outreach opportunities and community building programs. Around the house, everyone is expected to participate in daily chores and chip in at an age appropriate-level.We've enjoyed travelling together and the kids have shown great responsibility and adaptability, making this easier. Being alumni who live near The University of Texas means we occasionally go to sporting events and activities there; it's quite a scene.
We will soon finish building our new home, just a mile away from where we currently live and look forward to it's proximity to Lake Austin, quiet winding streets and parks. You will have your own bedroom on the third floor which also has a bathroom, large playroom with media area and a deck with a view of the sunset. We have cousins and family in town that we get to see often. Emily's dad, "Pappy" lives within a mile of us and often brings lunch to the kids and attends their events and performances, while Emily's brother lives within twenty minutes of us with his five kids and takes his role quite seriously of being "fun Uncle Matt." Joe's cousin Eric lives within a mile and he and Jackie havethree 15-year-old girls whom we adore.
Besides for our family and friends that surround us and the incredible city we live in, there are a handful of values we treasure and hope to instill in our children. Joe and I have both travelled and studied abroad and feel it is very important to understand and explore the world beyond our doorsteps. The knowledge and perspective provided by exposing yourself to a culture beyond our own is priceless. Beyond this, we hope our children see the time, energy and resources we put into community service and share the desire to leave the world a little better than we found it.
Our ideal Au Pair is someone who will care for our family as they would for their own, someone who will take an active role in our day-to-day life, and who is comfortable with honest, open communication with kindness. We believe that you 'get what you give' and the more you put into something, the more you will get out of it. We hope for someone who wants to be involved and take home many great memories. We have had the blessing of many wonderful babysitters through the years and have kept in close contact with many of them, even participating in their weddings! The people who blend in best with our family are those who are relaxed, loving, thoughtful and when they see a need, jump in and lend a hand.
Excited to meet you and share our corner of the world,
Emily and Joe Price
Jackson, Molly, Lilly and Luke
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