Saturday, December 29, 2012

We're moving!

I tend to write about tiny details and forget about life-changing events, so I thought I best put it in writing now before it's old news: We're moving! We are closing on our first home on Friday (6 days!!!) My parents and Sisay and I will be the co-owners of a beautiful home right here in Eliot. The first level is a completely separate in-law apartment and we will live upstairs in a 4 bedroom unit.

The stars have certainly aligned for us. Sisay was informed that we would have to move off the Green Acre campus within the next couple months, and after a brief moment of panic followed by a week or two, we had found our dream house and started the process. The house sits on 4.5 mostly-wooded acres. You know what this means, right??! Chickens! Gardens! Fruit trees! Free firewood! Nature walks! Goats! (okay, maybe not this one for a few years.) And to think that my babies get to grow up under the same roof as their grandparents! (who, by the way, are the ones who have made this all possible.) We are beyond excited. And we cannot wait to welcome as many of you into our home as are willing to make the journey to the far north. or pretty-far-north.

First up: Sisay's sister and her baby. They're coming about a week after we move and will stay with us for two months. Sisay will be leaving on January 13th to do some work in Haifa for 3 weeks, so it will be so nice to have the company. Anyone else? I've got my calendar in hand.

And so we happily, oh so happily, oh so VERY happily, say goodbye to 2012: the year of endless tantrums (Violet), incessant whining (Samaya), spiraling health (me), and that period of time we'll just refer to as March-april (no, I'm not referring to a girl's name.)

Here's to new beginnings and plenty of (forced) growth. Onward and upward, shall we?  

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Happy Baha'i Christmas!


We of course do not celebrate Christmas in the traditional sense, but we thought you should know our Baha'i children had plenty to play with on Christmas morning...

fairy 'tail' princess
wheelchair

more wheelchairs (it's an obsession)
violin 


telescope
rapunzel hair 
bedside lamp



























































bathtub laptop





























While grocery shopping last week, an employee wished Samaya a 'Merry Christmas!' Without skipping a beat, she said, "Merry Christmas! We're Baha'is!" I thought she summed up our stance quite perfectly: although we do not celebrate, we are happy to share in the spirit of joy and generosity that permeates the season. 

And read Great Joy. This book makes me cry every. single. time.  

If you're interested in a more thorough explanation of the Baha'i stance on Christmas, this blog post does a lovely job.    

Monday, December 17, 2012

My Family: a book by Laurel and Samaya Sabera

Samaya and I have collaborated on our first book together:

My Family

By Laurel Sabera
Illustrated by Samaya Sabera