Thanksgiving pics up before Christmas!

So some people have been bugging me to post some pics of the Thanksgiving festivities held at our house. Here are pics of most of the worthwhile activities that went on, although one particular event will not have any photos associated with it, to protect the viewers of this blog. Here among the pictures is a picture taken from the Muir Beach overlook, just north of San Francisco. We were originally trying to visit the Muir Woods National Monument, but were going to be too late for entry, so we took a detour and found this place, right at sunset. It is truly a breathtaking view. The picture of us in front of the Sacramento Temple was taken on the day that Rayley was blessed. The picture on the top-left is Rayley is trying to make friends with Benji, the only other asian-american baby in our ward. The other pic is my parents holding Rayley at the Muir Beach overlook. 

The Resun Asian Kids are smarterer than American kids

We have all heard and seen the stereotype about Asians being better academically than the rest of us. Typically, kids over in China, Taiwan, Japan, or Korea are 2-3 years ahead in math and science than similarly aged kids over here in the U.S. This has always puzzled me, since I have spent time with kids in Taiwan and Japan, and they did not strike me as particularly smarter than kids here in the U.S.
Ellen and I had a good long talk about these stereotypes, and she shed some serious light on why kids perform better in Asia, especially in math and science: beatings

Corporal punishment was once pretty common here in the U.S. When my folks where in school, the principal really paddled kids butts if they screwed up. When I was a young lad, the principal had a paddle, hanging on his wall, in plain sight of all the adolescent troublemakers eyes. I never knew the feel of Mr. Melican's paddle, and my classmates who went down to his office often, told me it didn't hurt. I suppose they got worse beatings at home than what the principal could dish out. Well, I'm here to tell ya that NOTHING here in the states compares to what students get in Taiwan.
When Ellen was in school, kids were literally beaten across the face, wrists, knuckles, legs, etc until the bled. Ellen told me in all seriousness how she would get struck across the face for failing a test.
"If we had a math test with 10 questions, I would get hit on my hand, leg, or butt for each question I missed, by the teacher."
Wow. Here in the states, if a kid messes up on a math test, he gets a tutor, or a special committee is formed to help him gain confidence in math, he's placed into an afterschool program, or he is coddled over to the shop class or "industrial arts" program. We have sissified legions of Americans whereas over in Asia, millions upon millions of kids learn what "compulsory" in compulsory education really means. How are we supposed to compete with that?

Trunk or Treat

Just some pics from another ward's Trunk or Treat we crashed this week. We just wanted to show off our cutie, "The Office" style of course :)

She is supposed to be a pea pod, and we decided to complement her with our groceries for the week. 

The Culinary Conversion of a Rice & Noodles Gal

We've been married almost three years, and in that time, I have had the privilege of eating hundreds of bowls of rice, and hundreds of other bowls of noodles. Asian fare is the norm, and American fare the exception. Most folks say "hey, lets do something different and go out for Chinese tonight." In our home, its "gosh, wouldn't it be different to go out for burgers, or steak, or a pizza? Lets do something really weird and eat hot dogs!" If we really feel adventurous, we hit a Mexican place, which in California, are as ubiquitous as McDonald's. Since the birth of our first baby in July, however, Ellen's appetite has undergone a transformation that is nothing short of a minor miracle. No longer are we shopping weekly at the local Asian"Shoon-Fung" (that's how ya say it) supermarket where I'm the only guy over 225 lbs, and definitely the only guy with hair that isn't black. Now we hit places like Winco, Wal-mart, and Raley's. (Yes, the grocery store was kind of an inspiration for our daughter's name. Don't laugh.) Those are stores where there are always a lot of fat people, stinky people, thrifty people, and some brave and clean people, but few reverent people. It's  a mixing pot of all races, faces, and criminal law cases. Anyway, this is a post about food, not food stores, so I continue below.

Tonight was the realization of constant campaigning on my part for a change in standard cuisine at the Newcomer household. I figure, if we are going to eat carbs, we might as well let potatoes and bread be part of the mix, right?

Well, feast your eyes on this food lovers, I present to you....

Ellen's Surf & Turf Special

Enjoy a mouthwatering USDA choice cut ribeye paired with pan-seared scallops in garlic and bacon sauce, complemented by a garden-fresh vegetable medley, Trevor's famous home-made bread, and bacon & ranch kissed pasta salad with fresh greens. 

Too dumb for Ellen

No, I'm not referring to myself in the title of this post, but maybe I should? 

This weekend, some friends had a game night, and the featured game was "Mexican Train Dominoes." Ellen has grown up playing Mahjong, a fast paced and somewhat complicated game where each player must make quick memorization of several tiles, all with different characters and numbers on them, and then making several calculations throughout the game while tiles are being played and discarded in pretty rapid fashion. In Taiwan, I have yet to see a Mahjong game played where money isn't gambled as part of the game. Can you imagine playing Uno here, but you have to pony up $50.00 just to join in? (Maybe some of you do that already). 

Well, Ellen was playing the dominoes game this past weekend, and the whole time, she was speaking to me in Japanese saying "This is a really dumb game. Dumb people must like this game." 

After two rounds, she finally had enough, and asked the host "Is there a game we can all play that needs more brain power?"

Thats my sweetie. 

Never too early...

We figure that Rayley, with her Chinese heritage, has a great chance of being a world-class gymnast. Here is a pic of her doing her pre-routine stretches, and another pic of her practicing on the rings. We know the rings are a male-event, but we figure Rayley's talent will convince the IOC to allow her in the competition.  We assume she will be old enough to qualify for the Chinese National team in about 4 years! 

Fighting the Good Fight

We had a great meeting last night, for the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign,  with hundreds of dedicated volunteers amassing to plan the next crucial weeks of the campaign. I have created a new blog entirely for this purpose: marriage=man+woman

This blog is a forum for discussing the gay marriage issue. Feel free to comment there, regardless of your point of view. I welcome all comments, but will not condone bigotry, hateful speech, or misleading information. 

Back to the basics

OK, so I admittedly have gotten very political in my last few posts, and I feel like I have spoiled the familial nature of this blog, which was its original intent. Sure, I have always posted my opinions on different things, but the main purpose of this blog is to maintain contact with my family and friends, share photos, events, etc. Therefore, I will no longer be overly political on this blog, but will contribute to other politically minded blogs in the future.

The Gettysburg of the Culture War

As readers of this blog may or may not know, there is a tremendous battle being fought in California right now over homosexual marriage, which one Christian leader has termed "The Gettysburg of the Culture War." In 2000, 61% of the voters in CA approved Proposition 22, which stated "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." The will of the people defined marriage as between a man and a woman. This spring, the California Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, declared Proposition 22 to be unconstitutional, overturning the will of the people. Now there is Proposition 8, which seeks to place into the California Constitution an amendment defining marriage exactly how Proposition 22 did, as being between a man and a woman. While campaigning for Prop 8, many people have asked me why gay marriage is such a big deal. "Who does it hurt?" "Who cares if gays can be married?"
The reasons are many. I encourage everyone, whether for or against Prop 8, to watch the video through the link below. It lays out the problem with the court's decision, and the long term ramifications from the decision, not just in California, but for the entire country. The real loser in the court's decision is religious freedom. No one can honestly say that allowing the union of homosexuals to be defined as "marriage" does no harm.

***Warning: within the video are several scenes of homosexual wedding ceremonies showing kissing between the couples.***

VIDEO

Sometimes that Southern, folksy way of talking is the best way to get a point across.

Now..if I could just think of a clever sign to promote Prop 8 here in California....

I think we need to make more babies...

The evidence speaks for itself!

Our First Family Pictures

These are some family pictures that were taken last Saturday by Emily Heizer of Heizer Photography. She did a good job of staying calm while Rayley showed off her bladder and intestinal skills.

Where is my milk?














Look really close at the right hand. I don't know what I did to make her get angry, but does she really need to bust out the bird at this age??











Rayley is really happy about the outfit. She also wants to thank Aunt Lacey for providing the headband. She feels proud that she has some hair under the band already too.












My driving apparently bores her.

Just some pics.

Never too early to start 'em on the Piano.












Much thanks to Stephanie Lewis, who designed and created this bassinet cover, and loaned us the bassinet! Stephanie has a knack for creating cute and current designs of everything imaginable, including bibs, blankets, and whatever a baby or child might need. Her website is found here.













Rayley aspires to be a pirate someday, because she loves to keep that one eye open. I guess we can put a patch on her for Halloween.

Then and Now

Then: Tired was when I fell asleep at church
Now: Tired is not being able to sit down for even 5 minutes before having to get up again, and again, and again.

Then: Holding a baby was something I did because it was culturally expected of me; If I didn't hold it, the parents would think I didn't like their baby or had some deep-seeded anti-social feelings.
Now: Nothing beats holding my newborn and letting her fall asleep on my expansive baby-holder.

Then: I saw breastmilk a few times, like when my mom was feeding my little sister or something.
Now: I feel like I'm the proprietor of a dairy farm operation.

Then: I drove "safe and aggressive."
Now: I'm the 85 year old guy who never got the memo about the 55mph speed limit being abolished. Every speed bump is negotiated below 10 mph, every turn taken with apprehension.

Then: The Pump was a basketball shoe, and I had to make sure I pumped them on the basketball court, so everyone could see how ridiculously cool I was with my Reebok Pumps. I would point my toes so the people across the way could clearly see the round plastic little basketball on the toungue. "Nuke (my nickname) has got Pumps now, daaang." Then, I would depress 20 times, my customized pressure amount, because I knew it would make me jump faster, higher.
Now: The pump is a device in my bedroom, utilizing suction for a completely different purpose, with completely different results; oh, and I don't bring the pump to a basketball game or necessarily want people to see it while its in operation. You get the idea.

Then: I worried about what are baby would look like, because sometimes the international mixed-race couples procreation thing is like when you were a kid trick or treating, and the lady had a bag of assorted candy, most of it the hard and cheap stuff, you know, cinnamon disks, those gross fruit-shaped jelly filled abominations, and everything but the butterscotches, because the kids who came earlier picked those clean. But now, the lady throws in some high-quality snickers bars, almond joys, kit-kats, butterfingers, and other candies considered premium by young costumed sugarfreaks looking for a fix. Then, the lady decides to make it interesting by having you reach into the brown paper bag and grab; maybe you get a nice candy bar, maybe you are stuck with smarties, tootsie rolls, or a Halls cough drop.
Now: Well, Rayley is all of the candy bars, and a bag of chips.

Rayley comes home!

I'm a new father, so of course I'm posting more pics of our new daughter, Rayley. When I have time to think of something else to post about, I will. Anyway, we brought Ellen and Rayley home today, and both are sound asleep as I write this. Everything is the same as it was before Sunday, except for the tiny little fact that I am now responsible for the well being and care of this little angel, and Ellen isn't complaining that the baby is hurting her from the inside.

I like it when they call me big Papa

July 20th. A day that will forever go down in history. No, not because its the day man set foot on the moon, but because it is the day Rayley Mei Newcomer came into the world! With the web being the best way to communicate to Ellen's friends across the ocean, I was ordered to come home and post this ASAP. Ellen and Rayley are doing well, and resting. I apologize for no pictures of Ellen with the baby. All of the pictures we have of them both show some graphic latching..so I will try to post some of them together tomorrow. Here are the vitals:

Weight: 7 lbs, 2 oz...OR 3,231 grams
Length: 19 inches
Time of delivery: 12:10 PM, Pacific
Method of delivery: Caesarean.

Much thanks to the Hunt and Lewis families for staging the baby shower yesterday, it happened just in the nick of time!

-Trevor, Ellen, & Rayley

Now that we are in the third trimester of pregnancy, Ellen has decided to resurrect her golf game. Here you can watch her swing. I wish we had an HD camera, so you could see the flight of the ball, but you'll have to settle for the thrill of watching a full term prego wonderwoman smack a golf ball 100 yards with a 9 iron. Meanwhile, I, with my budding golf game, just try to hit the ball without landing on the club and breaking it, falling over, or dislocating something from all the torque on my knees. Oh, I also bake things in my spare time, which is a lot right now, since I am "in between jobs" at the moment. Pineapple upside down cake is my favorite, and I made this one on Sunday. I know this is a quick post, but I just wanted to show Ellen's athletic talents off.