Merry Christmas from the Newitts ... and George Washington's home at Mt. Vernon
The Mt. Vernon shore of the Potomac River
The "Ha-ha" wall at Mt. Vernon which separates the formal lawn from the animal pastures.December 2010
Dear Family & Friends,
We wish you a very merry Christmas! We have enjoyed 2010 and the new and fun adventures that it has brought us and wish to share a few of the high lights with you.
As a family, we planted a spring garden for the first time in years and harvested about 20 cups of peas! Yummy! We also took our family to Utah for Easter so we could attend General Conference. It was a first time event for our children and it was a wonderful experience to see the Prophet and hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing. Grandma Susie visited us in the spring and the fall and we enjoyed our Hartley family gatherings. In July we made another trip to Utah, this time to go camping with Jerry’s brothers and mom at Fish Lake, though NO fish were biting the entire time we were there! While in Utah we also enjoyed time with Jerry’s brother Ken and his family, celebrating the 4th of July.
Our BIGGEST and most favorite adventure of the year was our trip to Washington DC to spend our fall break with our dear friends, the Jamisons. We loved connecting with them again and also touring the National Mall, the National Air & Space Museum and Mt. Vernon. At the National Mall we saw the original Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights. We toured the Capital building, visiting the original and current chambers of congress. We enjoyed the joke about the “Ha-ha” walls at Mt. Vernon. We also enjoyed the National Treasure 2 tour and seeing the basement at Mt. Vernon. We loved the chilly weather of Virginia, the changing of the leaves, hot chocolate and good times with good friends.
Our individual high-lights are:
Jerika (17) has her driver’s permit and will be getting her license soon; and, after three years of working on it, her Jeep is running! (Hooray!!) Her cat Daisy had kittens. Jerika enjoyed going to Spring Prom and Winter Formal. Over the summer, she attended EFY at BYU-Provo with some girlfriends. It was a big road trip and adventure as after their time in Provo, they went to BYU-Idaho to visit the campus and family there. Then, it was back to Provo for an official tour of the Provo campus. She has really enjoyed spending time with her friends this year. She has submitted college applications and we hope to hear some good news in a few months. Now in her senior year, Jerika has enjoyed playing cello in her school’s symphony orchestra. Her DC trip favorite – Time with Emma, Mt. Vernon, Halloween dance with Emma.
Tori (15) is in 10th grade and is enjoying her cooking class this year. Over the summer she went to EFY in Flagstaff at NAU and really enjoyed the classes and dances there. She also enjoyed her time with her Utah cousins this summer – shopping with Samantha and hanging out with Mitchell & Keeton. Tori was a 4th year at Girls Camp this past summer and especially enjoyed swimming in the river, being with friends, and talking late into the night! At camp they had fun doing skits and jokes with the Zac Efron cutout. Tori now has her project car – 1967 Mercury Cougar. It is already running, but still needs care before it is fully drivable. Aunt Diana came out for a visit in August and Tori especially enjoyed camping with her. Her DC trip favorite – Time with Emma and the Halloween dance.
Kyler (12) finished the 6th grade last spring. High lights were building a model castle, complete with trebuchet, and making the Honor Roll. Over the summer he attended Scout Camp for the first time and earned some great merit badges. This fall he started 7th grade at the Jr. High School and enjoys participating in the Chess Club. Kyler recently turned 12 and was ordained a deacon and now helps each week to pass sacrament to the congregation. He has really enjoyed the quadding trips that he has made with Dad & Gideon. His DC trip favorite – Washington Monument.
Gideon (7) is in 2nd grade and has become an avid reader. Last spring he enjoyed playing coach-pitch baseball and this fall he has had fun playing on his soccer team – the Fireballs. This is his second season of soccer and he is a confidant soccer player. It is fun to watch him on the field. He enjoys quadding with Kyler and Dad. DC trip favorite – Washington Monument and playing with Eliza and helping her take care of her dog (yes, Stephanie is allergic, so Gideon will never have that opportunity here at home!).
Jerry took his scouts to the annual Mountain Man Rendezvous again this year. They had a great time preparing their gear and attending the rendezvous. He enjoyed time with his family camping in Utah, though he wishes the fish had been biting. He has enjoyed taking our boys on a few quadding trips. We have undertaken a small remodeling project here at home and Jerry has ripped out the carpet from the upstairs study and installed wood laminate flooring for Stephanie’s workroom. Jerry’s DC trip favorite -- Visiting with the Jamisons and seeing the Air & Space Museum with the Orbital rocket.
Stephanie has returned to teaching preschool again this year after having taken a year off. She is also a Sunday School teacher at church teaching the 13/14 year olds. They have been a great class and she will miss them when they move up in January. Over the summer, Stephanie was ward girls camp director at the stake girls’ camp. She really enjoyed getting to know the girls of the ward. Stephanie has been really involved in the workroom makeover – packing, painting, unpacking, & organizing. The newest and biggest undertaking for Stephanie has been to establish a local non-profit support group for gifted children, their families and educators – Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted. You can check out her website at www.gilbertgifted.org. Stephanie’s DC trip favorites – Visiting and cooking with Jennifer, Mt. Vernon, the Declaration of Independence and the original Star Spangled Banner.
We look forward to spending time with family this holiday season. We wish you all a Christmas full of the love, joy and peace that comes from our Savior.
Love, the Newitts
