Carving The Bird

Thanksgiving morning was spent with the Macy's Parade, cooking, carving the Thanksgiving Pumpkin, helping one another, and well, a bit of crazy boy chaos just like any other day. Below are three of the five boys cleaning the pumpkin. Noah was helping Grandma and Grandpa set up for dinner down the hill. He came home with a smile on his face, proud of himself for helping others. I-Z was under foot licking the floor clean. I love our canine vacuum.

Our afternoon was fun, very loud, with most all of the Newton family under one roof. Just the way Thanksgiving should be. Jeremy, Patrick, and Christopher were missed. We very much enjoyed Avery surrounding us with her love. She is opening up to the boys with many unprompted hugs and kisses. She truly is a blessing.

After we wore out our welcome at Grandma and Grandpa's we traveled to see some of the Petrie Family. I enjoyed seeing Sammy tickle Grandpa Pete's heart. He is the one in the Newton Family that brings that light into Grandpas eyes that I remember witnessing when we were kids. Grandma was there in spirit through all her children and her famous recipes. The boys adore all of the big kid cousins, and eat up all of the attention that they get. We love all of the Petrie cousins. Each are unique in their own way and have turned out to be phenomenal adults. I looked in the living room last night with the hopes that we will see our own children in the same way.

One of my highlights was the newest Petrie member. Zachary is a proud father of a 4 month old german shepard. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures as we were all to busy lovin' on Mr. Drake. He is a big, furry smart mess of love.

We missed the Elliott side of the family this year. It was different without Grandma Durma being present to lead us. We all miss her so much. Dad, Mom, Matt, Kate, and Ethan traveled to New Jersey safely. We plan to celebrate big with them during our cookie marathon along with all of the Wright Street festivities that happen this time of year. Sure did miss our Big E, but we know that he was sure to enjoy his uncles and Aunt Sophia.

We eulogized the turkey day. Happy Holidays everyone!

Giving Thanks

It is time to harvest our souls and say thank you to God as well as our founding fathers for our families, our homes, and the food we eat. The day is a reminder of not only how much we have, but how little we truly need. May our children heed this...as well as the annual turkey gobble calls!

A little bit of history for us to reflect on (courtesy of history.com):

In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers—an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the New World. After a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month later, the Mayflower crossed MassachusettsBay, where the Pilgrims, as they are now commonly known, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth.

Throughout that first brutal winter, most of the colonists remained on board the ship, where they suffered from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring. In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received an astonishing visit from an Abenaki Indian who greeted them in English. Several days later, he returned with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before escaping to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition. Squanto taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with theWampanoag, a local tribe, which would endure for more than 50 years and tragically remains one of the sole examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans.

In November 1621, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited a group of the fledgling colony’s Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit. Now remembered as American’s “first Thanksgiving”—although the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term at the time—the festival lasted for three days. While no record exists of the historic banquet’s exact menu, the Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow wrote in his journal that Governor Bradford sent four men on a “fowling” mission in preparation for the event, and that the Wampanoag guests arrived bearing five deer. Historians have suggested that many of the dishes were likely prepared using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods. Because the Pilgrims had no oven and the Mayflower’s sugar supply had dwindled by the fall of 1621, the meal did not feature pies, cakes or other desserts, which have become a hallmark of contemporary celebrations.

Pilgrims held their second Thanksgiving celebration in 1623 to mark the end of a long drought that had threatened the year’s harvest and prompted Governor Bradford to call for a religious fast. Days of fasting and thanksgiving on an annual or occasional basis became common practice in other New England settlements as well. During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress designated one or more days of thanksgiving a year, and in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States; in it, he called upon Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country’s war of independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution. His successors John Adams and James Madison also designated days of thanks during their presidencies.

In 1817, New York became the first of several states to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday; each celebrated it on a different day, however, and the American South remained largely unfamiliar with the tradition. In 1827, the noted magazine editor and prolific writer Sarah Josepha Hale—author, among countless other things, of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb”—launched a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. For 36 years, she published numerous editorials and sent scores of letters to governors, senators, presidents and other politicians. Abraham Lincoln finally heeded her request in 1863, at the height of the Civil War, in a proclamation entreating all Americans to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.” He scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November, and it was celebrated on that day every year until 1939, whenFranklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday up a week in an attempt to spur retail sales during the Great Depression. Roosevelt’s plan, known derisively as Franksgiving, was met with passionate opposition, and in 1941 the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November.

He cried "I Can", all the way home!

Very exciting news on Friday, 11/19/2010 in the Kindergarten world of Owen Judson Newton. He was the first in his class to complete and bring home his I Can ribbon. The ribbon began the first day of school, showing progress of this grades goals. Each sticker is a task mastered. Such as counting to 100, knowing the seasons in order, reciting your address, identifying and reciting the alphabet, phone number, etc.

As I watched Owen get off the bus, he reminded me of Isaac when we arrive home after a trip. He was so excited, he was about to jump out of his skin. Owen is a character where he wants everything to be a surprise, so he made me wait until we arrived in the kitchen where I promised to close my eyes. He then proceeded to tell me to open them, where he shook out this ribbon about as tall as him with all of his mastery stickers. The grin was priceless as well as the proud moment when he exclaimed that he was the first, the very first, Mom, to bring home "I Can". I jumped up and down with him looking at me like I was a fool, and he finished by saying, "Now I can graduate"!

Here he is admiring his work:

Gluten Free Fun

Our family is on a healthy Owen journey. Skinny, pale little O is currently free of gluten and red dye. We are slowly weeding out our kitchen of foods that make Owen ill. Since beginning a week and a half ago, we are not hearing the "I feel wacky inside". His stomach pain and such are dissipating. Although difficult as we are away from home so much with three active boys, he seems to understand the concept of what is agreeable with his body. We have found that eating out is extremely difficult, so we are steering clear of restaurants. It is believed that gluten may be the root of many of his allergies. We are praying that the answers will soon be sought as well as confirmed. Along with Owen developing by who he is, not by his aliments.

11/22/2010 Update - Our first set back of this journey. Can't pharmaceutical companies compound an antibiotic that does not include red dye or gluten for kids?!

Introducing our Cousin

Miss Avery Lin Xuan was born in China, but met her parents of the heart in July of this year. They have been discovering each other for a few months now, and we are pleased to announce that the Newton Family now has a girl. A baby girl has been foreign to Steve's family for over 60 years. We are so thrilled for Gary and Allison. They have waited a very long time to begin their family. The boys, Steve, and I look forward to experiencing family life with the Newton 3.

**These beautiful photos are courtesy of our brother Gary. The backdrop is the front porch of Great Aunt Nancy and Uncle Tom's home. We all traveled south for the Great Pumpkin Hunt of 2010 and Grandpa Lew and Grandma Vi's 68th wedding anniversary. (How awesome is this that our children are taking part in an anniversary party of this magnitude!) The shots were not staged. This is where the kids landed sharing a few moments of cousin-ness. As always, Gary was with camera in hand at the opportune moment. If you are a reader outside of the family and are looking for an talented photographer, please send us an email or comment. We will be sure to pass on Gary's business information.

I've seen this image before...

Hockey has officially started! We're off to a great start: 2-0 after the first weekend. Here's a neat picture before this past Sunday's game - just like an AT&T commercial.

MORE BARS IN MORE PLACES!

*The above post was written by a proud Father*

A note from a proud Mom - Noah is a first year Peewee and he has gained a position on the tournament bound travel team for 2010-2011. Noah seems to have a passion for the sport now, and this season has us on the edge of our seats. Thankfully, the checking is a lot less scary than I originally thought it would be. I am finding out that hockey is definitely not for wimpy mothers!

It has been exciting getting to know a new group of families, and reconnecting with some that Noah has not skated with since he was four years old. I am confident that many of these relationships we have formed will be long lasting. For that I am grateful for this sport.

Owen is in his second year of hockey, and a member of the Mite team. The team consists of over 30 skaters/families, and is organized craziness at the rink on Tuesday and Friday nights. There are all levels of abilities, and the coaches make it tons of fun for the kids. Owen has been a bit ill, so hockey has been hit or miss with him. He went back on Tuesday this week and had a ball. He has mentioned that he thinks he may want to play indoor soccer next year. This child is a mover and a shaker, so laid back skill-honing practice is not enough. He wants games!

Oh yeah, I don't believe we have mentioned how redneck hockey we are. We have an actual clothes dryer in our driveway that serves as a puck target. This free broken down target has been relocated from one Wright Street address to ours, and was escorted by Grandpa's big John Deere tractor that landed it in our driveway. Who needs nets?!