Elizabeth's End of Year Assessment

Today, Elizabeth and I met with Miss Yorke for Elizabeth's End of Year Assessment. I am so proud of my sweet, little girl. She has been working so hard throughout the school year. She has grown so much and learned so much. It amazes me to see how much she has changed in such a short amount of time. During her assessment, Elizabeth was able to name all of the letters and say all of their sounds. She knows all of her colors and her shapes. She is really good at blending 3-letter and 4-letter words. Plus, she was even able to count all the way from 1-100!

Elizabeth was filled with pride as she left her kindergarten classroom. I am so grateful for all of the time, effort, and love that Miss Yorke dedicated on Elizabeth's behalf. Miss Yorke gave Elizabeth confidence and taught her a love of learning.

As we walked to the car, Elizabeth looked up and me and said, "So, do I start first grade tomorrow?"

Grannie Freebairn's Graveside Service

Today, we honored the life of Matt's grandma, Agnes Freebairn. We are sad that she is gone and miss her so; however, we are overjoyed that she has returned to her eternal sweetheart, Sam. They have been apart for 44 years...I cannot imagine the reunion that they had in Heaven.

It was a rainy day. I don't think that I have ever seen it rain that hard in my entire life. Grandma Freebairn loved the rain. I am so grateful for the memories that we have of her and the lessons that we have learned from Grannie. She was, and still is, one amazing lady. The Graveside service was beautiful. Uncle Shawn shared a heart-wrenching letter that he wrote to his mother. In the letter, he shared some of his favorite memories, as well as his gratitude for all of the things his mother had done for him. Liza, one of the grand kids, played Grannie's favorite song, Edelweiss, on her violin. There was not a dry eye around. What a touching moment!

Grannie. We love you and we miss you. God be with you 'til we meet again.

Family Pictures for Meme

My side of the family has not had family photographs taken for quite some time, so as a gift to Meme, Matt and I arranged a time for all of us to get together to have family photographs taken. Unfortunately, it started to rain (I should say, pour) about 5 minutes before we were due to start taking pictures. In an effort to salvage the day, Matt scoped out a good spot and we were still able to take photographs without getting soaking wet.

I think we got a couple of really great portraits. I cannot wait to get them printed and hang them on my wall.

We hope Meme loves them as much as we do!

Stitches

My poor little Zachary had to get stitches today. I am not going to lie...I was pretty freaked out when I heard Zachary scream and saw all of the blood. I was upstairs ordering movie tickets online when I heard a big thud and then screaming. From what I can tell, it seems as though Zachary fell off the couch and hit his head on the side of his little armchair. Within minutes, we were on our way to InstaCare. At InstaCare, they were able to get the bleeding to stop and cleaned the area so we could get a better look at the wound.

The doctor took one look and said, "We are not going to be able to help you here. You need to head up to Primary Children's Hospital immediately." Since the cut was so close to Zachary's eye, the InstaCare doctor was not comfortable doing the stitches. He let us know that Zachary would need to be sedated before the stitches could be done. They got the wound covered...and we were on our way.

At Primary Children's Hospital, they were able to sedate him and get him prepped for the procedure. The nurses were so cute with Zachary. They talked to him about superheros and even "tricked" him into his restraints. They asked Zachary if he wanted a superhero cape. Of course Zachary said yes, so they placed his arms in a pillowcase behind him and played with him for a couple of minutes. Once the doctor arrived, Zachary laid down and his arms were immediately restrained inside the pillowcase that he was now laying on top of...Genius!

My sweet little Zachary waiting for the doctor at Primary Children's Emergency Room. He is such a brave little guy!

We had to wait for 2 hours after the sedation was administered before we could leave. The hospital staff was so sweet and brought Zachary some toys so he could play while we waited. He even got to watch a couple of shows and play a couple of games on the hospital iPad.

After 8 stitches, our little man seems to be doing well. For the next few weeks, we need to put ointment on and keep the wound covered with a band-aid. In five days, we get to return to Primary Children's Hospital to get the stitches removed.

I am so grateful that Zachary will be okay. It was quite a scary experience but it seems like it worked out the best that it could have. Also, I have to thank my good friend, Lisa Rogers, who stepped up to take Sydney, Ashton, and Elizabeth while I was at the hospital with Zachary.

Bernina 330

I am a firm believer in the saying, "Everything happens for a reason." Let me explain...

For the past two days, ever since my first sewing machine purchased arrived smashed to pieces, I have been keeping an eye on the classified ads at ksl.com. I have been hoping to find a good deal on a used Bernina sewing machine. Well, today I found an AMAZING deal on a slightly used Bernina sewing machine. The machine is only three months old, used only a handful of times, and has all of the original accessories and manuals!

The Bernina 330 is an incredible machine. I could not be more thrilled to have this machine. In my wildest dreams, I never thought that I would get a Bernina 3 Series machine. The retail price for the Bernina 330 is $1449.99. I got a crazy good deal and did not even pay half of that!

This machine sews like a dream. It is easy-to-operate and has some fun features. It has direct-selection keys which allow you to select stitches quickly. It has a LED sewing light and an LCD display. The sewing speed is adjustable, it has a couple of automatic buttonholes, and even allows for free-motion sewing and quilting. It has an automatic-threading function, three thread cutters, and a start/stop button for sewing without the foot pedal. It can even wind a bobbin while you are sewing, although, I better stick to sewing while I am sewing until I get better at it! It has 23 decorative stitches, 15 utility stitches, and 1 alphabet. Seriously, I could go on...and on...and on.

I am so excited. I cannot wait to go get the supplies for my first project! Hooray! My dream of learning to sew is finally coming true!

The Lesson Learned Is....

always get insurance!


Let's start at the beginning...

At the end of April, I attended the Knit.Sew.Create Workshop Weekend at Gardner Village. During this workshop weekend, I was able to take a couple of mini sewing classes...and I fell-in-love. Since I knew that I wanted to learn more, I started looking for a good deal on a used sewing machine. Matt full-heartily supported me and offered to get the sewing machine for me as my Mother's Day gift.

Long story short, I found a good deal on a used Bernina 135S sewing machine. I immediately bid on it, won the bid, and anxiously waited for it to arrive. After a two weeks, thanks to a mix-up with the post office, my sewing machine arrived today!

My excitement immediately vanished as I opened the box and found shattered pieces of plastic all over the box. My poor sewing machine was smashed to pieces! Seriously, I could not have been more disappointed!

There were buttons that were smashed in.

The side knob was busted off and there were scratches and scuff marks along the top, side, and back of the machine.

The bobbin winder was broken and the plastic latch was busted off.

Even the handle was broken off on one end.

The poor accessories case got the worst of it. The plastic doors were broken off and one of the doors was completely shattered. The top of the accessories case was missing a huge chunk and the bottom of the case had both corners broken off.

If all of that was not enough, the poor sewing machine was split down the center. You could see all of the inner workings of the machine because it was coming apart at the center seam.

Needless to say, I was devastated. We contacted the seller, informed her of the issue and sent her pictures of the damage. Unfortunately for the seller, she did not get the sewing machine insured with the Post Office...so she is out of luck. Luckily for me, I will be getting a full refund...but what a waste of a wonderful sewing machine.

Now the search begins for my next sewing machine. I think I may look locally and avoid eBay, if possible!

Elizabeth's First Talk in Primary

Last week, Elizabeth was asked to give the talk during Primary for the upcoming week. She has been so blasted excited and has been working really hard on what she wanted to say. Earlier in the week, she decided she wanted to talk about Baptism.

Yesterday, she stood in front of all of her peers and gave a beautiful talk. She spoke loudly into the microphone and did a great job of looking at the audience as she spoke. I have to admit, I was filled with pride watching her. I could not stop smiling and even held back some tears. Elizabeth shook with excitement as she talked.

Here are the beautiful words that she shared....

Did you know that Jesus was baptized? He was baptized because He loves Heavenly Father and wants to obey him. Jesus was baptized to set an example for us.

When we are baptized, we show that we are willing to follow the Savior and obey His commandments.

In January, I was able to attend my cousin Kena's baptism. She had a beautiful dress and looked like a princess. Her daddy said a prayer and dunked her under the water. When she came out of the water she looked so happy. I cannot wait until I am 8, so I can be baptized just like Kena and Jesus.

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Primary Presidency

Last week, I was asked to meet with Brother Lunceford, the 2nd Counselor in our ward. During my visit with him, he called me to be a part of the Primary Presidency. I have to admit, I was a little shocked but definitely super excited. He explained that I will be the First Counselor, which is mainly responsible for the Senior Primary.

Today was my first week in my new calling. I was sustained during Sacrament Meeting and was set apart after the church block. I am so humbled by the words that were shared during my sustaining. I am a little overwhelmed but really looking forward for this new opportunity. It will be an amazing experience to work with Tasha Hew-Len, Alyce Binns, and Carol Buffi.

Most of all, I am grateful that Heavenly Father has entrusted me with the responsibility of watching over and guiding the Primary children in our ward.