HOLIDAY LETTER 2007

Dear Friends and Family,
2007 will be remembered as the year the DeWitt Family went green. Global warming is here, which is why the DeWitt Boys no longer wear shirts (see holiday card and address label) and are considering moving full-time to the beach, at least until sea levels rise and the beach moves to us! Our first step toward carbon neutrality was getting a rain barrel to collect and use rainwater in the garden. Then… well…OK, maybe we’re only a really light shade of green. In other weather-related news, North Carolina suffered through its worst drought in history, and as of this writing Durham has about 30 days of water remaining.

This past fall, Mom and Dad began what will undoubtedly be a long career as children’s sporting event spectators. Jackson, meanwhile, began his assault on Pele’s legacy from his position as forward/midfielder/back/wildly-out-of-position goalie. He would like you to know that the Jaguars did not lose a game this season and their average margin of victory was 4.2 goals per game. Jackson also took the first step toward the 2048 Presidency by entering Southwest Elementary school as a full-fledged, day-long kindergartner. And it’s not just any kindergarten class, but a dual language immersion class – half the day in English, half in Spanish. ¡Muy loco! So far, his class has been on field trips to Disney On Ice and Golden Corral. Rhodes Scholarship, here we come!

Donovan’s short temper, erratic sleeping habits, and steadfast refusal to wear anything but short-sleeved t-shirts and shorts has endeared himself to all who know him. He’s a Lamb now at Triangle Presbyterian Preschool, which apparently entitles him to do pretty much as he pleases. That list includes sleeping on the floor with his head in the hallway, insisting on a complete hair-drying between bath and bed, and demanding fudge with every meal. If he gets what he wants, he has a habit of breaking into gleeful song. At this time of year, that means shout/singing Jingle Bells while walking the aisles of Kroger, enticing several shoppers to join him.

Jen and Dave are still gainfully employed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, working several hours a week in between dropping off and picking up children (see above). Jen has solidified herself as The Fixer at the Center for Developmental Science and Dave is serving a stint as education reporter, which is the height of irony for anyone who has ever seen one of his transcripts. Dave also turned 40, and that’s all we need to say about that.

Thanks for all the cards and letters this holiday season. We’ll probably be seeing you soon, when we run out of water and show up on your doorstep in desperate need of a shower.

Sincerely,
Donovan, Jackson, Jennifer, and Dave