Christmas Newletter 2009

Hello Everyone,

As 2009 is drawing to a close we decided to do our Christmas Newsletter online this year to save trees and money, and it is the off year as we have done cards and newsletter's every two years.

This year has been a busy one for us, on Jan 20, 2009 we welcomed two beautiful addition's to our family,
Ruth Lois  was born at 4:17 pm and weight 5 lb 13 oz,  Irene Marlyn was born at 4:21 pm and weight 6 lb 2 oz.

We were really lucky to have Netty's parents move to Washington in Dec 2008 and her mom came and stayed with us for a month while Dan's parents (who we were living with) were out of town for a week. It was great to have both mom's at the hospital when these two little angles were born.  Because Dan loves Netty so much he couldn't handle being in the room when the c-section was preformed so Netty was privileged to have her mother there in the room with her and she got to cut the cord too.  What a blessing that was, Grandma Burke was with Netty when Jennilyn was born and Grandma Dillon was with her when the twins were born.  The girls did great and they all got to come home a few days later.  Then Grandma Dillon took Dillon and Jennilyn to Great-Grandma Alcorn's house for 3 weeks while mommy and the twins got adjusted.

In March Dan's job with CompuCom took a change and he was traveling quite a bit, he was gone from 3-7 weeks at a time without coming home at all, thins was a challenge for Netty, but we realized how much we missed him when he was gone so much.

In May we decided to move out of the basement of Dan's parents home and back into our own place, Dan was of course out of town again and we did it the day before Netty's birthday.  But we chose a place that was still close to Dan's parents so that if Netty needed the help it was still close by.

A week after moving in Netty traveled to Kennewick, WA were her grandparents live and then traveled with her mom to Utah for a visit since she hadn't been home since her sister Wendy's wedding 2 1/2 years earlier.  The kids did great with the traveling, they drove all night and it went very well.  The trip happened to collated with the Leo Dillon family Reunion, it was great to get to see everyone and show off her kids to everyone.  Thanks to all the cousins who helped with the babies that day, seeing you do that reminded me of how when I was your age I was the one on hand to help with the babies, it is fun to see things come full circle.

On June 3 just 3 days before Netty and the kids were to travel home, Netty was buckling some of the kids into the van and went to step out of the van to get the other kids and lost her footing and fell and broke both bones in her right arm.  This was the first time she has ever broken a bone.  It was a long recovery, and she has finally regained most of the use of her arm and hand, somethings are still hard for her to do.  And a big thanks go's out to her mom for coming and staying with her for 6 weeks as Dan was out of town during most of that time.  It was a challenge having 6 month old twins and not being able to take care of them.

In August  Netty saw that her cousin had posted on facebook that he was in need of a computer tech, so she told Dan to apply for the job, he did and the end of Aug he had two phone interviews and was hired, that meant a move back to Salt Lake City which put us close to her family.   Dan left Sept 11 and Netty and the kids came down Oct 1.  We are loving our new home in Midvale, UT, what is great is that we only live 1 1/2 miles from Dan's work, he comes home for lunch almost daily and he is at home at nights and on the weekends, which the kids and Netty are loving! :~)

Well as for the kids, they have been busy growing and learning each day.  Dillon is 4 and loves cars and airplanes he is still slow with talking and is in preschool, which seems to be helping and he loves getting on the school bus.  Jennilyn is 2 going on 16 with her love to talk, and to wear dresses.  The girl lives in the dresses the more frillier the better! We are working on potty training both Dillon and Jennilyn, but are not having much success yet. Ruth and Irene are 11 months old.  They are both crawling and into everything and  it is fun to watch them eat.  Ruth is very clean and Irene shoves the food into her mouth as quickly as she can. Ruth now has 7 teeth and Irene has 6 teeth.  Ruth took her first step Dec 15th.  Irene isn't quite there, but Irene  crawled first so it looks like Ruth will walk first.

Well we hope this finds all of you well and that you have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
May you remember the Reason for the Season, and that the Lord does answer prayers, he has answered many of ours this year in which we are truly grateful for.

With all our love,
Dan, Annette (Netty), Dillon, Jennilyn, Ruth & Irene Burke

Traditions: Christmas trees & Ornaments

I thought this was interesting to read about the traditions of Christmas Trees.  Enjoy!  :~)

Traditions: Christmas Trees and Ornaments The fir tree has a long association with Christianity, it began in Germany almost 1,000 years ago when St Boniface, who converted the German people to Christianity, was said to have come across a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree. In anger, St Boniface is said to have cut down the oak tree and to his amazement a young fir tree sprung up from the roots of the oak tree. St Boniface took this as a sign of the Christian faith. But it was not until the 16th century that fir trees were brought indoors at Christmas time. CHRISTMAS TREE TRADITION HAS ANCIENT ORIGINS King Tut never saw a Christmas tree, but he would have understood the tradition which traces back long before the first Christmas, says David Robson, Extension Educator, Horticulture with the Springfield Extension Center. The Egyptians were part of a long line of cultures that treasured and worshipped evergreens. When the winter solstice arrive, they brought green date palm leaves into their homes to symbolize life's triumph over death. The Romans celebrated the winter solstice with a fest called Saturnalia in honor of Saturnus, the god of agriculture. They decorated their houses with greens and lights and exchanged gifts. They gave coins for prosperity, pastries for happiness, and lamps to light one's journey through life. Centuries ago in Great Britain, woods priests called Druids used evergreens during mysterious winter solstice rituals. The Druids used holly and mistletoe as symbols of eternal life, and place evergreen branches over doors to keep away evil spirits. Late in the Middle Ages, Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees inside their homes or just outside their doors to show their hope in the forthcoming spring. Our modern Christmas tree evolved from these early traditions. Legend has it that Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate Christmas. One crisp Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, he was walking through snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group of small evergreens. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moonlight. When he got home, he set up a little fir tree indoors so he could share this story with his children. He decorated it with candles, which he lighted in honor of Christ's birth. The Christmas tree tradition most likely came to the United States with Hessian troops during the American Revolution, or with German immigrants to Pennsylvania and Ohio, adds Robson. But the custom spread slowly. The Puritans banned Christmas in New England. Even as late as 1851, a Cleveland minister nearly lost his job because he allowed a tree in his church. Schools in Boston stayed open on Christmas Day through 1870, and sometimes expelled students who stayed home. The Christmas tree market was born in 1851 when Catskill farmer Mark Carr hauled two ox sleds of evergreens into New York City and sold them all. By 1900, one in five American families had a Christmas tree, and 20 years later, the custom was nearly universal. Christmas tree farms sprang up during the depression. Nurserymen couldn't sell their evergreens for landscaping, so they cut them for Christmas trees. Cultivated trees were preferred because they have a more symmetrical shape then wild ones. Six species account for about 90 percent of the nation's Christmas tree trade. Scotch pine ranks first, comprising about 40 percent of the market, followed by Douglas fir which accounts for about 35 percent. The other big sellers are noble fir, white pine, balsam fir and white spruce. Premission was granted for Internet use by --- Written by: David Robson, Extension Educator, Horticulture; Springfield Extension Center CHRISTMAS TREE HISTORY Did a celebration around a Christmas tree on a bitter cold Christmas Eve at Trenton, New Jersey, turn the tide for Colonial forces in 1776? According to legend, Hessian mercenaries were so reminded of home by a candlelit evergreen tree that they abandoned their guardposts to eat, drink and be merry. Washington attacked that night and defeated them. The Christmas tree has gone through a long process of development rich in many legends, says David Robson, Extension Educator, Horticulture, with the Springfield Extension Center. Some historians trace the lighted Christmas tree to Martin Luther. He attached lighted candles to a small evergreen tree, trying to simulate the reflections of the starlit heaven -- the heaven that looked down over Bethlehem on the first Christmas Eve. Until about 1700, the use of Christmas trees appears to have been confined to the Rhine River District. From 1700 on, when lights were accepted as part of the decorations, the Christmas tree was well on its way to becoming a tradition in Germany. Then the tradition crossed the Atlantic with the Hessian soldiers. Some people trace the origin of the Christmas tree to an earlier period. Even before the Christian era, trees and boughs were used for ceremonials. Egyptians, in celebrating the winter solstice -- the shortest day of the year -- brought green date palms into their homes as a symbol of "life triumphant over death". When the Romans observed the feast of saturn, part of the ceremony was the raising of an evergreen bough. The early Scandinavians were said to have paid homage to the fir tree. To the Druids, sprigs of evergreen holly in the house meant eternal life; while to the Norsemen, they symbolized the revival of the sun god Balder. To those inclined toward superstition, branches of evergreens placed over the door kept out witches, ghosts, evil spirits and the like. This use does not mean that our Christmas tree custom evolved solely from paganism, any more than did some of the present-day use of sighed in various religious rituals. Trees and branches can be made purposeful as well as symbolic. The Christmas tree is a symbol of a living Christmas spirit and brings into our lives a pleasant aroma of the forest. The fact that balsam fir twigs, more than any other evergreen twigs, resemble crosses may have had much to do with the early popularity of balsam fir used as Christmas trees. Written by: David Robson Extension Educator, Horticulture Springfield Extension Center