Ward Halloween Carnival

Every year our Ward hosts a Halloween Carnival. We always have so much fun and the kids have really started looking forward to going. Elizabeth was really excited to play with all of her church friends!

Each organization at our church is responsible for organizing and running an activity at the event. There are always a bunch of fun things to do. One of my favorites to watch is the donut-eating contest. The kids have to eat a donut with their hands tied behind their backs. It is so funny!

This year there was pumpkin bowling...

a bean bag toss...

a fishing game...

balloon animals...

face-painting...

and more! I am so grateful to all of the people that dedicated time and effort to making this event happen. It is a fun tradition that we look forward to every year!

Reflections Contest 2012

This year Elizabeth was able to participate in the Reflections contest at her school. The Reflections contest is an annual program that encourages children to explore their talents through the Arts. Children need to select between Photography, Visual Arts, Dance & Theatre, Film Production, Literature, and Music Composition. The theme this year was "The Magic of a Moment..."

Elizabeth decided that she wanted to compete in the Photography category. She took a photograph of a tree with three different colors of leaves. She added the caption, "It is magic how the leaves change colors in the Fall."

A Princess and A Monster

This year, Elizabeth and Zachary were spoiled by their Uncle Bill. He took them shopping for Halloween costumes...and let them pick whatever they wanted! Elizabeth immediately headed to the princess section and grabbed one of every princess costume before heading to the dressing room. She tried on Rapunzel, Tiana, Cinderella, and even Minnie Mouse. However, she was sold on the Pretty Pink Princess costume the second that she looked at herself in the mirror. Elizabeth looks absolutely beautiful in her costume. We are so grateful for Uncle Bill's generosity in buying this amazing costume for her!

I have to also thank Matt for taking these amazing portraits. He really out-did himself this time. I am so happy with how the photographs turned out. As we were walking around, looking for the best spot to take Elizabeth's portrait, a sweet couple came up to us just amazed with how beautiful Elizabeth was. The woman asked permission, and then gave Elizabeth a singe pink rose. It was the perfect addition to her princess look!

Where do I begin with Zachary's costume? He is so stinkin' adorable...I could seriously scream! While out costume shopping with Uncle Bill, Zachary picked out his costume all by himself! As soon as he exited the dressing room and looked in the mirror, he got the biggest smile on his face as if to say, "I am so pleased with myself. Look at how cute I am!" What sealed the deal was when he raised his hands up, looked right into the mirror, and said, "ROAR!" Sold...he was being a monster for Halloween!

 Can you think of anything cuter?

We are so grateful to Uncle Bill for purchasing these darling costumes for Elizabeth and Zachary. I know that the kids will have so much fun on Halloween. Let the countdown begin...only 10 more days to go!

Zach Lightyear

Zachary fell-in-love with this Buzz Lightyear action figure while we were at Target last week. Since it was a little more than I wanted to spend, we sadly had to leave it at the store. Zachary was devastated! As we left Buzz behind, Zachary cried and reached for him and it broke my little heart.

A couple days later, I relayed the story to my mom. So tonight, we are at my parent's house and what does my mom pull out of the closet...Buzz! Seriously...aren't grandmas the best!

Needless to say, Zachary was so stinkin' excited and could hardly stand the wait of getting Buzz out of the package. This smile on Zachary's face was priceless. Zachary has been flying Buzz all around the house and shooting everything with Buzz' laser. Too Cute!

Volunteering in Miss Yorke's Class

Today I had the opportunity to volunteer in Elizabeth's Kindergarten class. I was a little nervous since it was my first time...and I wasn't exactly sure what I would be asked to do! All of that worry was for nothing because it went great! When I arrived I got to assemble all of the planners that the children take home. I packed their homework, a note from the Community Council, and some reward certificates into each planner. Once I was done, I was asked to play a flashcard game with each of the kids. It was fun to go around and meet each of the kids. I spent about 45 minutes helping the kids pass off their "pre-decodables" before it was time for me to go.

I hope that my time at the school will make a difference and will lighten Miss Yorke's load. Also, I am grateful to my friend Debbie, who watched Zachary and Ashton while I was at the school. It is such a blessing to have good friends that are always willing to help.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve at Elizabeth's school. As an added bonus...I really enjoyed watching Elizabeth interacting with her teacher and with her classmates! I cannot wait to be able to go back!

Freebairn Family Photographs--A Sneak Peak!

Class Rules

Today, Elizabeth completed her first month of Kindergarten. She is doing so well and learning a bunch. We are thrilled with how good she is doing...but more importantly we are thrilled with how good she is being. Each day, a report is sent home letting us know how she is behaving in school. On the report there are three options: I chose to follow all of the rules today, I chose to follow some of the rules today, and I chose to follow none of the rules today.

We are happy to report that Elizabeth has gone an entire month where she "chose to follow all of the rules today"! To celebrate, we surprised Elizabeth with the "Biggest Littlest Pet Shop Playset" that she has wanted.

Elizabeth, we are so proud of you. Keep up the good work...and the good behavior!