It’s that
time of year, when I take a break from the piles of laundry, endless diaper
changes, coloring my white hair, and so many other “stay at home” jobs-to put
the happenings of our family down on paper for the Annual McIntire Family
Christmas Newsletter 2013. Is that a Yippee
I hear in the distance?
This year
has been eventful-to say the least. In
May we welcomed a new baby girl. Yes it
is number 4-but she is such a blessing in our lives. Little Brynlee Onyx was born in a little room
I refer to as a closet on May 3.
EVERYONE was having babies at the same time and there was literally no
room for us at the hospital. I am
happy to report Devin stayed with me the
entire time and didn’t disappear to take a nap in the car, like he did with Kyra.
Since Devin
is a good 20years away from retirement-he still works at Fred Meyer. He works long hours and at times may feel
underappreciated-but we love everything he does for us. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to go hunting
for big game this year-but he did hunt for pheasants and ghosts. Yes-you read that correctly ghosts. I guess since hunting living things has been
less than successful-he moved on to the not so living. He has gone on 1 ghost hunt with a paranormal
group and would love to go on more-but with the work schedule he has and the
fact I demand he spends time with the family-that may not be a
possibility. Devin was able to enjoy
several different fishing outings while at the same time repairing our rental
property in Arco.
I am
continuing the career of domestic diva-minus the diva part. I have my hands full and there are many days
I run out of hours to get things accomplished.
I’ve been helping a lot with the elementary PTA functions, fundraisers,
and committees, volunteer to help in Tristan’s class, and I am also the
secretary/treasurer of the middle school parent organization. While tying 400 hundred tiny tags to 400 tiny
candy canes-I catch myself thinking, “Why did I volunteer”. But-I like to know what is going on and being
in somewhat control-so being part of a parent organization gets the job done.
Cortlynn is
fastly approaching the age of 13. She’s
excited; Devin and I-not so much. She is
in 7th grade now and is doing an awesome job in all of her school
subjects. Straight A’s and perfect
attendance. Pretty much a model
student. She is continuing with her
training in ballet and LOVES it!!! I
will often find her in her room dancing when she should be sleeping. A wall, couch, open floor area is not safe if
she’s around because she is constantly stretching her feet and legs. Almost daily I am amazed by her many talents
and that she doesn’t let her complete hearing loss in one ear deter her. She has actually taught herself to play the
piano. She plays several songs and does
a really good job: all of which is from hearing it being played somewhere else.
Since she is now 12, boys are no longer “icky”—time to lock her up in her room
and throw away the key.
Tristan is 7
and is such a kind-hearted little boy.
He is doing great in school and has become a very talented reader. When asked what subject he enjoys at school
he will tell you recess, lunch, and math.
Tristan decided that he was tired of watching Cortlynn dance and he
wanted to be in the Nutcracker this year.
He is the cutest, smallest soldier with the strongest march. That boy is stomping in the house and is
constantly practicing the part. Who
needs an alarm clock when you have a soldier marching in your kitchen. He loves video games, playing with his
friends, and spending time with dad.
Kyra is a
spitfire and keeps us on our toes 24/7.
She is a beautiful little girl and wants to play, sing, dance, every
second she’s not forced to sleep. She is
very opinionated and will tell you how it is, but also how much she loves
you. Kyra is obsessed with circles. When
she’s not drawing them, she is positioning toys, blankets, and books around her
to create a circle for her to play within.
Even while in her pretty princess dress or tutu-she can still out burp
her brother. She definitely has her quirks but we wouldn’t change a thing.
Brynlee is
now 7 months old but acts so much older.
She can’t sit still and has to be standing, crawling, and will follow her siblings all over to
play. She is a very happy baby and her
smile melts my heart; but she has a temper.
WOW if she’s not happy, she will let you know. Brynlee loves to cuddle and is so full of
love for everyone. She LOVES to give people especially her mom sloppy kisses,
enjoys to dance to Christmas music when it is playing on the TV, and stops
whatever she is doing to watch her favorite local weatherman, Michael Coats.
She has brought so much joy to our family.
We didn’t do
a lot of traveling this year. We were
able to go to Bear Lake for a few days and spend time with my immediate
family. The kids and I also traveled to
Great Falls, MT to visit my parents and see their new home. Traveling with 4 children definitely isn’t
the easiest-but the memories that are created are worth it.
Our days are
filled with crazy schedules and we are constantly running around, but we try to
stop each day and enjoy our family. I
continue to write on the family blog AKA my online journal and if you need any
reading material to induce a coma-like state—please go to christinamcintire.blogspot.com
Until Next
year: We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year!
Devin, Christina, Cortlynn, Tristan,
Kyra, and Brynlee
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