McIntire Madness

Cole started 1st grade this year! He started at a new school in a magnet program called Explorer. You have to apply to be in the program and then they draw names in a lottery. Cole's name was the first one picked. The program has a lot of parental involvement so it seems like they are able to do more hands on learning and even go on special field trips. Cole loves to experiment with what he is learning so we felt like it would be a good program for him. The teachers are all excellent and that I'm sure will be helpful as well.

Cole's report for the first day is that he loved having two recesses, he went to music class and decorated his class box. He has two boys in his class from his spring soccer group so that is fun to have people he knows. I sent him with a lunch that came back except for the crackers inside! He tried buying lunch on the second day and that went over a lot better.

For the last year we have had great neighbors! Lizzie and Olivia were great playmates to Cole and Ethan. However, they moved last week and we are very sad about it. The kids would race out as soon as they saw them everyday!

I hesitate a little bit as I write this post but feel like I need to write down something that happened recently. This spring Matt and I found out we were pregnant and the baby was due on January 29th.We had seen the baby on an ultrasound at 8 weeks and again heard the heartbeat at 11 weeks just before we left for Utah. I had been really sick with the pregnancy and I even spent our entire trip in Utah sick.  I came home from Utah and had a routine 16 week appointment. I had some bleeding the night before so I made Matt come to my appointment. We discovered that the baby did not have a heartbeat and only measured 12.5 weeks.

We were quite shocked as it seemed so late and I had been so sick. It is emotionally tough because the longer time passes the more you plan your life around this upcoming event. We were also excited to add one more little person to our family. However, sometimes these things happen and we aren't ever really sure why.

We started telling people who had known I was pregnant and were mostly leaving it to that. Flowers started pouring in and offers of love and support were abundant. We were grateful to those who helped out with the kids and also brought in dinner. As we started processing the experience we grew together as a couple and as a family. I was so grateful for the kids that I did have and just started readjusting to our new situation.

My first Sunday back to church after the miscarriage we had a visitor from Elder Call from the Seventy. The two opening talks were on having a positive attitude and gratitude. Two subjects that I felt I had learned a lot about through this experience. Just before Elder Call got up to speak the bishopric member conducting mentioned we would have a testimony given by ME before he spoke. Tears instantly sprang to my eyes and I couldn't believe that I would have to speak right then. I am not one to shirk my responsibility so I went up to the pulpit and immediately grabbed a tissue and bore my testimony. 

I said that we had had a difficult month but through that was so grateful for those who had helped us and grateful for those who had offered their love and support. Our ward really is like a ward family. I also just bore my testimony that despite our trials I knew that the church was true and I was so grateful for the knowledge of it that help us get through them.

When Elder Call got up he said he felt like he should apologize because he wasn't aware of our situation but that he won't. When he came in he knew I was the one who was supposed to speak that day and the Stake President, who I know really well, also had given him my name. He said that sometimes Heavenly Father has a message for us and that message for us today was that Heavenly Father was aware of each and everyone of us and that He loves us. The impact of him saying that was so powerful. I personally felt that what he was saying was a message from Heavenly Father. I understand that this trial is not very large or hard in comparison to some but to know and realize that Heavenly Father was aware of it and helping us along was so meaningful. He then went ahead and talked about a few losses he had experienced in his life. He lost his 18 year old son to cancer and then recently lost a 4 year old granddaughter to a drunken driver car accident. The timing of our loss and the subject that he was addressing was the perfect match for my testimony. I feel like the message was felt clearly by so many people in the congregation and that we all grew a little bit more that day. Sometimes we have these spiritual experiences and they help carry us through and strengthen our testimonies.

I still feel those pangs of loss every now and again but know that Heavenly Father loves us and has a plan. I will do my best to fulfill His plan for me and my family.

Tess has turned 15 months. (technically 16 now...)
Weight: 22.11 25-50%
Height: 32 inches 75-90%

She loves to put things on her head including bunders, put clothes on, shoes on, jewelry, headbands and anything else she can get her hands on. We think the bunders is pretty funny.
 Her hair keeps on growing and almost always a mess!
 She found the doggy suit that all three kids have loved to wear!

 Although much more opinionated than before she is still almost always happy!

She loves to "go", (meaning in the car) "out" (meaning outside) and will drag you to whichever place she wants. Cole will take her outside and play with her which she loves. She now points to her belly button and says B for bebo (if you are familiar with the book) and will spit to indicate she wants a zerbert. She eats most foods but if she doesn't want it she will promptly throw it on the ground. She is still a great sleeper and will take about a 2 hour nap and sleep from 8-7.

Matt turned 33 this year. We made him breakfast, met him for lunch and made steak for dinner. He was appropriately fed that day! However, it was YW's that night so I left him with the kids and went out to that but we got to finish celebrating on Friday when Anna and Ron came to watch the kids for us.

Matt wanted banana cream pie for dessert!

The following Friday we went out to a Thai dinner, saw a movie and spent the night in Bellevue. The room was nice and it was nice to get away for an evening. The next day we went to the Science Center King Tut exhibit. It was really cool! They had a Mummy Imax movie before and then we got to see the artifacts that came out of the tomb. We then stopped by Burger Master for lunch on our way home.

The kids had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa. They treated us to McDonald's for lunch on Friday and then they took the kids out to the zoo on Saturday morning.Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!

My dear friend Tiffany got married on our anniversary! I have known Tiff since she was four and I used to babysit her. We got to go to her sealing which was beautiful. Then we got to spend the evening at her reception. I felt like it was a wonderful way to celebrate our 11th anniversary!

 My cute "family"

 Matt and I with the bride and groom. Tiffany looked gorgeous!
 She only had a few bridesmaids.
I spent several hours setting up for the reception which turned out really cute but I didn't take a single photo! It was a fun evening anyway.

Of all my years growing up in Utah I never went to "This is the Place." It is a really interesting spot to visit with lots of history as well as a lot of fun things for the kids to do.

They had a game where the kids were trying to move water from one bucket to another one with sponges!
 They had Indian dancing which was awesome! Some of those kids were tiny and doing these very cute dances.
 The boys panned for gold and even make Indian arrowhead necklaces.
 We rode the train which had amazing views of SLC valley.





 Aunt T with the kids in the petting zoo.

 Cole.

Christina and Kade took us out on their new boat for the day along with Carter, Everett and Emma. It was lots of fun.

Emma, Maya and Cole.
 Tess didn't even complain about her life jacket!
 Matt and Ethan.
 The guys going for a ride! Christina was able to flip them a few times. It was fun to watch,

 Everett, Emma, Maya, Cole and Charlotte.
 The trusty driver Kade.
 Matt and Tess.

We went to The Farm at Thanksgiving Point with Nanny, Aunt T, Maya, Charlotte, Ava and Hudson.
Cole riding the horse.
 Charlotte.
 Hudson.
 The cart ride.
 Checking out the pigs.

 Messing around on the plastic cows.
 Tess didn't really like animals so she didn't love being at the farm!
 We then went to the Dinasour Museum. The kids played at the water and sand station.
 Cole and Maya.
 Ethan, Maya and Charlotte.
 Everyone doing their best shark or maybe only Ethan played along!
 The boys digging for bones.
 And Hudson with a very, very messy ice cream.

This summer we of course spent a few weeks in Utah. The kids love playing with and catching up with all of their cousins. I loved hanging out with family and seeing my friends as well. We hit the Lindon Pool, PG pool, Thanksgiving Point, boating, BYU bowling and ice cream at the creamery, This is the Place, and lots of delicious places to eat including two trips to Brick Oven.

Aunt T got two ducks which the kids loved playing with! They lived and still live at Nanny's house...
 Tess learned to eat corn on the cob and loved it of course!
 We met up with Katie and her kids at Bridal Veil Falls.
 Baby Pearce and Tess are only a month apart!
 We were the hosts to many hours of cousin playing time. I took all of these munchkins to a movie one day. They are good kids!

Ethan went to preschool two days a week this year with his friends Manly and Thomas. Here he is with his teachers getting his certificate.
Ethan also had a fun year. He really liked preschool especially when they got to play on the inflatables during gymnastics. After school we would rotate playdates with Thomas and Manly. Both Thomas and Manly moved this summer so he is going to start school next year with his friends Landon and Morgan.

As room mom this year I got to plan Cole's school parties. We decided to go with a circus theme this year for the end-of-year party that turned out really cute!

We had a photo booth with circus attire.


 Balloon animals. (A dad in the class)
 And not pictured, a cupcake walk, obstacle course and lots of circus snacks. We had hotdogs, corn dogs and licorice.

Then we took a silly class photo,
 and a normal one!

Cole had a great first year of school! He had two teachers because Mrs Daniels, (pictured above) had a baby the first of the year. He had Mrs. Ernst until December. Cole excelled in Math, is getting great at reading and is figuring out how to write sentences. His favorite part of everyday was of course recess, but he also enjoyed the other stuff. He loved to socialize with his classmates and had a cute little crush on Jaelyn, a girl in his class. She is on the top row in the blue shirt! He said he liked her because she stared at him!