The time has come when I sit down and compose the highly sought
after McIntire Christmas Newsletter (2014).
What an important piece of reading material that enriches lives of all
those that have the opportunity to receive, let alone read, highlight, ponder,
and study.
Devin continues to be employed at Fred Meyer. He works long
hours to keep his wife happy with a paycheck and employee discounts. Even with all the hours he works, he was able
to go hunting and actually came home with a pheasant. Cortlynn wasn’t too fond of pheasant so if he
ever comes home with a deer or heaven forbid an elk, I think she may actually
run away. Since the squatter in the Arco
house moved out, Devin has had to travel out there and fix the money pit that
haunts me in my dreams. I will still cut anyone a sweet deal for that dream
vacation house located in the heart of Arco. This past August Devin, his
brother Brett, and my dad braved the heat and our steep roof to complete the
shingle replacement process. How
grateful we are to have that project completed.
Now what is on my list for this summer???? Bwaahaahaaa
Besides being a full-time domestic engineer, I continue to
mystery shop various eating establishments, work 18-23 hrs. a week babysitting
a cute 4yr old and 18month old (yes-there are days that I have 4 children under
the age of 4 in our home) and I also work part-time as an Insurance
Inspector. With my new job as an
inspector I travel all over SE Idaho, sometimes to some extremely remote
locations. I’ve met some really interesting people and can say my math skills I
learned 20+ years ago have come in handy. Since I can function on very little
sleep, I am also an Activity Days Leader, PTA chairman for Tristan’s elementary
perfect attendance, and the President of the Parent Organization at Cortlynn’s
school. It may sound like a lot (okay,
it is) but I know what is going on with my kids. This year I decided to
actually “perform” in the Nutcracker. I
have considered doing this for years and finally made the decision to do
something for myself while at the same time it is a perfect opportunity to embarrass
my children and possibly my husband. I’m
definitely no Meryl Streep with my acting or Beth and Sergiu with my dancing,
but I’m having fun.
Cortlynn has matured into such a beautiful and talented 13
year old young lady. The teenage years
are definitely challenging, but what a great daughter she is. Cortlynn continues to take ballet classes and
LOVES it. She dances throughout the
school year, a few weeks in the summer, and was selected to compete in YAGP in
Denver this upcoming February. With all
the dancing and rehearsals, she continues to get straight A’s in school
including the honors courses she has. She
not only dances but she tried out and was chosen to be in the select choir at
her school. What dedication she has. If I had her schedule and school courses
at her age-I don’t’ think I would be nearly as successful.
Tristan is our little man.
He LOVES everyone and everything-EXCEPT food. He is in 2nd grade and has
straight MT’s (that is the elementary version of A’s). He decided to continue taking ballet and also
added tap classes. There have been those
that haven’t kept their rude comments to themselves regarding boys in tights and
dancing-but so far, he has ignored them and smiles while in class. Once again he is a soldier in the Nutcracker
and practices every day with his little sisters. He is now in cubscouts-Yipee, I can’t wait
for all of those added activities.—He is rarely home; if he’s not at a friend’s
house-he is visiting with the neighbors and getting up to date with all the
gossip. Tristan is the neighborhood nosy
old lady. A few weeks ago he made the decision to get baptized; we are so
proud.
Kyra continues to be our little Diva. What a handful she is
and I am holding my breath for when she is 13.
This past spring I bribed her with a tutu if she would start using the
potty-that worked. If you could bribe
everyone with a tutu-wouldn’t the world be a happier place? Kyra has been
waiting for over a year to take dance classes and this September she was old
enough to start. WOW-how she looks
forward to Friday mornings. She loves to
sing, dance, play, go to primary and fight with her siblings. Just recently Kyra has decided to be a big
girl and go to bed by herself. This is
quite an accomplishment for her! Her dad and I are so proud.
Brynlee is now 19 months old and believes she is so much
older. She loves to read books, play
with her babies, sing, dance, and voice her opinions. Just the other day she told Kyra to “LEAVE ME
ALONE”. She is definitely a better
sleeper and will let me know when she is ready for bed. Not only can she say a lot of words verbally,
she can also “sign” a few. She amazes me
daily with how smart she is. Brynlee
enjoys helping me with the laundry and also the vacuuming. Hopefully this will continue.
In May we traveled to Disneyland for the Annual Swanson
Family Reunion and to celebrate my parent’s 40th wedding Anniversary.
Devin’s work schedule changed the last minute so the kids and I drove to Vegas
and Devin flew in and met us. The drive
was definitely long and tiring, but we had a wonderful experience. Tristan and Kyra would like to go back
NOW. We spent several days at the park
and also enjoyed a day at the beach. The
house we rented was big enough for all of us and we were able to stay in the Star Wars room which Tristan thought
was so cool. We went camping (for a night) with my sister and her family in
August-- it is a lot of work to camp with kids that aren’t too fond of
outhouses or being in the wilderness; okay-I was just describing myself. Not
only did we attend several family reunions, I also dragged the family to my 20
year class reunion. I was naive and believed that being class president would
end at graduation; nope—WRONG! I am
lucky enough to be the one to plan all the class reunions for the rest of our
existence. I am so thankful for my
awesome friends and classmates that assisted to make the 2 day event a success.
I continue to update my blog @ christinamcintire.blogspot.com
if you’re ever bored and can’t possibly
wait for the next Christmas newsletter. We had a wonderful and eventful 2014 and can’t
wait to see what exciting adventures 2015has in store for us.
We wish you a very safe and happy Holiday Season!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Devin, Christina, Cortlynn, Tristan, Kyra, and Brynlee
