So, Elodie's birthday party was a HUGE success! We had a lot of fabulous people at our house (including Chris' parents), we barbequed, Elodie opened presents, and we had cake and ice-cream. It was so fun to hang out with such wonderful people and I know Elodie was on cloud nine the whole time! She hasn't made 2 yet so I can't say whether or not the "Terrible Twos" will effect our home but as of right now Elodie is so much fun! What a difference a year makes. Planning this party was so much fun because I could base the party on something Elodie likes right now. She is super big into "Charlie and Lola", a cute short show on the Disney Channel about a brother and sister in England. So from the beginning a "Charlie and Lola" party was the plan. I got on the internet and found out super quick that you can only get Charlie and Lola supplies from the UK.....I was a little apprehensive about the price difference and whether Chris would think it was worth it but I only felt that way for a minute! :) Of course it's worth it! I spent about $100 on the party supplies....cups, plates, goody bags, table cloths, etc....but boy was it all so cute! Even after we got the box Chris said the same thing! So I was pleased with my purchase!
Like I said, it was a great time! Sad none of my family was here to celebrate with us but that's why we did the little celebration in Louisiana. Still not the same though! Chris' parents got to come. We do Elodie's celebration the weekend before her actual birthday because of the big Reidhead family reunion up in Heber that happens every Labor Day Weekend. And sice Elodie's birthday falls during that weekend we celebrate early. It works out nicely because Chris' parents always come down the weekend before the Big Dirty to do some shopping. We are also planning to have a little cake and ice-cream celebration at the reunion since both Elodie and Bridger have brithdays during the reunion. He will be 4 on the 1st of September and Elodie will turn 2 on the 3rd. Fun! Fun!
On to something else....
We got the call last week that "they" were going to start our house! We took Chris' parents out there on Sunday so they could see the model and look at the lot and sure enough it has been started! The plumbing is done and they are getting ready to lay the foundation...which has to sit for 28 days then they can start the actually house part. I'm excited but bummed because initially we were suppose to be in at Thanksgiving...then they told us January...now it's close to late February. It takes 6 months to build after the foundation has set SO! Chris is happy though because the longer the process takes the longer we have to save our money and the closer he is to being done with school. So I should be happy too because this means that for sure we will be buying this house and we will for sure be able to afford it where as before we were really scared we wouldn't be able to budget it! Thank you Heavenly Father! :) I did want to be in before Christmas to put up all my decorations and such but this just means that next Christmas will be extra special especially since Chris' will be graduating then too! :) Double decorations!
We have been taking pictures to document the progress so far so I will have to post them. Anything for a scrapbooking page right?

Elodie's Birthday Party- August 26th, 2006

My thoughts on Louisiana...My trip home is coming to an end...it's Sunday night and tomorrow is my last full day here with my family. Elodie and I head out on Tuesday afternoon. It has been so fun spending time with all of my family and having Elodie surrounded by her cousins. I can't believe we have lived in Arizona for 3 years. It feels like we never left but it also feels like we have been gone forever! I loved how close we all were when we lived her and it makes me sad that we don't get to see each other as much as we would like. It just makes these trips home more special. Central has changed so much but it's eary how much it has stayed the same. It's been weird staying in my parents house, the one I grew up in. I don't think you ever come back home and don't feel like a kid again. I think I would miss it if I didn't feel that way. Even though I try to avoid it! I got the chance to visit with my sweet best friend from high school, Regena Hartley Landry. She is doing so well with her family and I seriously felt like we could have talked for hours. It's nice when you have a friendship that never ends even though you don't talk as much as you use to. I love her and I love the memories that we shared from high school. Puts the hugest smile on my face! Owen Wesley Brumfield made his grand entrance Thursday morning at 9:45 am. He weighed in at a healthy 7 pounds 4 ounces and 19.5 inches long. Tons of black hair and so beautiful. Made me baby hungry for a minute and then he started to cry and I was brought back to reality. :) I am so glad I was here for the birth of Owen and Alexis' last baby. Alexis got her tubes tied so this was the last of their crew. Makes me sad but mostly because the pressure is now on. Although, Doye and Esther are pregnant and expecting number 1 in March...so I've got a few months to kill. :) Chris starts school tomorrow. I'm sad I won't be there to see him off but we are anxious to get through another semester. He will be done in 3 semestes so we can really see the light at the end of the tunnel. Yesterday Regina and I went to an LSU store I and I bought Chris a really nice LSU shirt and 2 LSU pencils. :) A back to school present! I'm sure he will never use the pencils but it was the thought that counted right! Elodie and I got to visit with Paw Paw today. He will be 93 this October and is looking so good! I love the relationship that I share with him and miss Maw Maw Whitney a whole lot. I loved our visit and plan on getting some nice shots of Elodie and Paw Paw tomorrow at our family home evening. Will definitely need to make a slide show of our trip home and post it for everyone. All my thoughts for now. I'm so grateful for this trip home. I love my family and look forward to many memories ahead!

Wesley Owen Brumfield....ready to enter the world!!
So I am in Louisiana right now, got into town yesterday. Elodie was fabulous on the plane. The ride from Phoenix to Houston she played so well and hardly made a peep. And then the flight from Houston into Baton Rouge she slept the whole way! Could not have asked for a better flight experience by myself with a 2 year old. We are excited to be in Louisiana and happy to be with family. Miss Chris a bit and know it will only get worse as the days go on. Have talked to him a couple of times and can tell he misses us too. Happy to be with family here but will be really excited to see my hubby again! :) And ginger too! So on to even more exciting news...Owen and Alexis called about an hour ago and are in labor and going to the hospital to have baby number 4, Wesley Owen Brumfield! She was set to be enduced on Friday, went to the doctor's this morning and was dialated 3 centimeters. She came by the house later this evening and she and I went and visited with Jamie Davis for a bit. Love Jamie and was so happy I got a chance to visit with her. She is such a sweet friend and I love that we are staying in touch. Anyway, while we were there Alexis was complaining about contractions and was timing them at every 10 minutes. So we rushed back to Mom and Dad's so she could get the kids home and rest. She wasn't sure if she was just tired and the contractions would go away once she relaxed or if this was the real deal. So that was that and about an hour ago Owen called for Mom to come over so they could go to the hospital. We haven't heard anything since but we do know that her contractions were hard and uncomfortable and she should have a baby by tomorrow. There would be no sense in the doctor sending her home since they are planning to enduce on Friday anyway. I am so excited to be here for this. It will be a while before we can get back to La. so I am so happy that I get to see this sweet little baby and visit with him for a while before I go home. Plus all the pictures will be so fun! On another note, mom is downsizing and put together a bunch of stuff that was mine so I can take it home with me. My intentions were to do that anyway since alot of my pictures and college stuff is still here and I would like all of it with me. I got a chance to go through alot of it this evening and it was so fun looking back on all the fun things that I've been able to do in my life. I had such a great high school experience and made some wonderful memories with some fabulous friends while I was there. It's so nice to be able to look back on all of it and love what I was able to do! I found all of my Ricks pictures and planners and that was so fun to look through too. It's been so long since I've looked through it all that I have forgetten alot of the people in the pictures. I remember the settting but can't remember alot of names. Sad that I didn't write it all down on the back of the pictures. It was such a great time and I was smiling the whole time I was looking through my pictures. Ricks was such a positive experience for me and I would do it again in a heartbeat!! I loved it there and I'm so glad that I've been able to keep in touch with all of my roommates! My hope is that I can give Elodie the same opportunities my parents gave me! I just know she would love Ricks....now BYU Idaho....even if Chris makes fun of it! I always tell him he is just jealous that I was having so much fun while he was on his mission! That's my thoughts for today. So excited to have a new nephew. It was so fun yesterday seeing Austin and Anna, Devon, and Madolyn again. Austin is 11 now and it makes me so sad to see how grown up he is!! I love my family so much, I'm sad we don't live closer, but these visits are so special and I"m so glad I'm able to come!! Maybe one of these days I can get my family up to Az. Maybe after our house is done! :)

Which is worse?


Chris is on a diet...which means I'm on one too!! Not by choice believe me! See, we aren't the hugest junk food eaters....but I will admit to always having dove bars in the house and endulging on a coke more than once a week. We even wouldn't feel guilty about stopping at Taco Bell for dinner. Now all of that has changed and I am suffering the concequences!!
Chris is an all or nothing kind of guy...which can be an extremely good quality but also a very bad quality...especially for me! He decided about a month or so ago that he was going to go on a diet....no junk food, no coke, protein shakes as replacement meals, and running. And once he decided this for himself, he didn't turn back. The bad thing is that he is bringing me along with him. For example....he has been taking these protein shakes and replacing them with dinner. Well, it's pretty hard to fix dinner for one person so half the time I fix something for Elodie and then don't eat. I will say that this is partially my fault. I can be a pretty picky eater and if it doesn't sound good to me then I would rather not eat it! So I just starve! On top of that, we thought it would be fun to run together...and it's been fabulous and I've actually lost about 5 pounds...unlike Chris (Mr. Metabolism) who has lost of 20 pounds! Did I mention that on top of running almost 3 miles with me at night, he is waking up at 5 in the morning and running 5 miles on the track!
Needless to say, as supportive as I am trying to be...I want my old Chris back...the one who loved Coke, and didn't mind going to Barro's Pizza every weekend! Oh how I miss Barro's!! And even though Chris is okay fudging a tid bit on the weekends..he refuses to eat Barro's! WHAH!!!
On the upside of all of this I am really proud of Chris' dedication...his cholesterol and blood pressure were starting to be a bit of an issue and since he started watching his weight all of his points have gone down immensly!! His health is always my concern so I'm happy that he is making it a priority! And his attitude is so much more positive! I see that he feels good about himself and I love that he is taking pride in his body!!
So now to my which is worse dilema! I'm excited that I have lost some weight.....I too feel better about myself and Chris is obviously noticing a difference...which I like...can never complain about a little extra attention! :) BUT none of my clothes are starting to fit me right. I have a couple of pairs of capri's that I can literelly pull off without unbuttoning or unzipping. And they are my favorites that aren't in the store anymore!! Hmm! So which is worse...loosing weight and not being able to fit into some of your favorites or staying the way you are and still looking good(because I never felt like I looked bad to begin with, loosing this weight has just been extra nice) in your favorite pants! I'll have to get back to you. Right now I'm just bummed that my favorite pair of American Eagle Gauchos are practically falling off of me and I just got them at the beginning of the summer. This calls for a trip to Barro's! :)

Here are the 2 layouts I did around my thoughts on happiness is. I love this picture of me and Elodie. It was taken a while ago but fit the theme of my project so perfectly!! I'm so glad I recorded some of my thoughts on happiness. I had no writers block when I sat down to jot down my thoughts. I ended up just stopping when the page ended! I am so blessed and know that my family and Heavenly Father love me. I'm so thankful for my family and the love and support that I recieve from them! I love Chris so much and Elodie just adds so much more love everyday!! It's amazing how much we have and how much we have to look forward to!! It's an exciting time in our life and I'm so thankful I can share it with my eternal family!!

Happiness Is....(for me)



-Elodie singing her ABC's to me....or any song for that matter, "The Rainbow Song", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", & "What are you feeling?"...it especially makes me smile when you don't ask her to sing...you can just hear her sweet little voice coming from her bedroom or in her carseat.
-When Chris comes home from work early.
-A paycheck every Friday
-My new PMM kits
-A call for a cake order
-Dinner at a restaraunt
-A clean kitchen
-A Saturday with nothing to do
-A quiet house
-Elodie's 3 hour naps
-Journal writing
-A surprise call from my mom
-New clothes
-Making hairbows for Elodie
-Scrapbooking!!
-Having a few minutes at night to read a book
-Running with Chris...some nights we talk...some nights we just run
-Movie previews
-Relief Society (most days)
-Time with family-

About me...

Inside I feel like I'm... blessed in my life. Excited about the future: a new house, a healthy and happy family, Chris' graduation in 3 semesters, the growth of our family (not now, but the idea of babies to come). The new things Elodie is learning and how she surprises me with how smart she is every single day!

A goal I'm working on right now...Chris and I have been running every night, about 2 and a half miles. There is a run coming up in October that is 5 miles....I want to run it with him!


My most recent achievement....all the cakes I'm doing for so many different people. It's such a sense of accomplishment when someone loves the work I have done for them!

The last gift I bought for someone....Last night I bought Audrey 3 new outfits for her sweet baby boy due in November.

The last cd I bought....well, Chris bought it for me, he surprised me with "The Killers" cd that I've been wanting forever and everytime we hear it on the radio I say "I really want this cd!" I guess he got sick of hearing me say that!! :)

My current favorite song....that's a hard one, would have to be The Killers, "Mr. Brightside"

The last movie I saw in the theater....Superman Returns, 4th of July weekend while Chris' whole family was in town. Amanda and Grandma took Elodie and Brenner and walked the mall so we could go without the babies.

The last book I read...Well, I'm kinda in the middle of a few books. "The DaVinci Code", "Ender's Game", about to start reading "Boy" and "Going Solo" for the book club. And of course I'm always trying to read my scriptures. Last book I completed was "A Good Yarn" by Debbie Macumber....definitely a chick book but very good!

The last new thing I learned...this weekend was the last weekend before all the kids start school. I learned that that is not the best time to do your school shopping! Definitely don't procrastinate when Elodie starts school! Kohl's was a mess last night (thank heavens I didn't have to work today, Saturday, and every other store in town was filled to the brim with kids and their moms!)

What am I wearing right now...a new brown skirt and a white shirt

The last person I talked to on the phone...Audrey Petersen (My RS President)

What I ate for breakfast...nothing, we had a huge lunch because we are fasting! :)

What I thought I would be doing at this age (25)....exactly this...I love where we are right now, we have so much to look forward to and it is so awesome how blessed we are! I wouldn't change anything!!

Something I'm saving up for right now....no brainer! OURR HOUSE! Why do you think I got a job? It's so rewarding for me and Chris to be working towards the same goal! We have definitely become a team and I know all the efforts will pay off for our family!

Someone I think about alot....Chris, Elodie, my family in Louisiana, all my wonderful friends that aren't close in distance but that I still keep in touch with!

The last person I helped....Elodie..24 hours a day, 7 days a week! The most rewarding job
ever!

Something I'm worried about...going on an airplane with a 2 year old for a 4 hour flight back to Louisiana. I also am worried about how much I'm going to miss Chris while I'm gone!

What I wish when I see a shooting star....I just want my family to be happy and healthy and live a wonderful, long life!

What my plans are for the rest of the day....just got some pictures developed. Need milk and eggs at Wal-Mart and then I'm going to scrapbook. With all the cakes I've done in the last month I haven't done any scrapbooking! I'm definitely feeling the itch! :)

(This was from the PMM weekly challenge. Won't get a chance to finish the layout before the weekend is over but wanted to make sure I jotted down my feelings so I can scrap it later!)

Look What I'm up to!!

In reference to the slide show below! My cake business (can I really call it a business?) is BOOMING!! Just in the month of July I did 5 cakes! And they were all for pay!! It's been really exciting but all the business has kept me super busy....plus working part time at Kohl's....plus home and family...plus Relief Society! WHEW! Craziness! I love it though and pray that this continues. I have been so blessed that all my "customers" have been so pleased with my cakes and just keep referring me to other people. Audrey (my RS President) referred me to some girl that worked at Costco..they just got to talking and somehow it came up that this girl was getting ready for her sons 1st birthday and I do cakes...and the rest is history...now I'm doing a cake for her in September. I love that it is really branching out. When I first got started, I was only doing cakes for family and friends in the ward. Which I was totally fine with but was hoping that it would branch out from there. And it did. I got my first wedding cake from Kim Farnsworth (a sweet friend, I did the duck cake for her daughters first birthday!). It's been such a fun experience for me and I'm really happy with myself and how good I am getting....and I'm getting better with every cake I do! It also makes me feel so good that I can contribute some fun money to our family. Last weekend I did 2 cakes and when I was done delivering I took Chris and Elodie out to eat at Claim Jumper's and then to the mall. And I know Chris is really proud of me too. He is my best and worst critic. Which is good, everyone needs one and I would rather him point out my mistakes then someone else!
So, I'm just super happy about my success and pray that it continues. It's a great from home business for me and as Elodie gets older she can become my little apprentice! Only if she wants to though! :)

Cake Gallery

Going Home...
Well, after countless hours of all talk...I finally got my ticket to go home to Louisiana. My mom is delaying her trip out here until our house is built and after finding out that once a baby turns 2 you have to pay for an adult ticket, we jumped right on squeezing in a trip before the 3rd of September!! :) So me and Elodie are headed back to Louisiana from the 15th of August to the 22nd of August...8 glorious days of nothing! The last 2 times we have gone it has been jam packed with temple trips and family reunions...this time there is none of that....well except for the hopeful birth of Owen and Alexis' 4th baby (a boy) while I'm there!It should be really nice and I am super excited to visit with my family and have Elodie around her cousins. She's had a cousin born since the last time we were down. Caissy and Regina had a baby boy in February and all we have seen is pictures. So excited to give him so Az. love! :) Definitely planning some girl time with Regena, Holly, and Kimby...haven't seen my high school best friends in years and hoping for a nice reunion!! We have thankfully kept in touch through emails so I'm happy for that! Jamie and Jason Davis are living in Louisiana again and planning to see her while I'm down too! Love Jamie and enjoy remembering all of our fabulous times together! She is such a great friend and I love that we still keep in touch! She will be having her third baby on Monday so I'll be able to see their first little boy.
A little bummed that Chris won't be making the trip with us....and a ton scared of dealing with a 2 year old on a 4 hour flight!! Yikes....will definitely have to pack lots of fruit snacks and toys to keep her busy!! I know Chris is excited to have the house to himself for a week. It's right before school starts too so he should enjoy all the peace and quiet to gear up for 1 of 3 semesters we have left! Woo Hoo!
Well, that's all, wanted to share the good news of a much needed trip home to Louisiana.

Growing up too fast....today I realized that Elodie is saying sentences!! Not completely but for a little girl who isn't even 2 yet....this morning we are relaxing a bit...our morning routine consist of Sesame Street at 8am, breakfast at 9am, Charlie and Lola at 9:30am while mom is in the shower, and playtime until dad comes home for lunch at 12. Elodie knows this routine really well and can even tell when Sesame Street is ending...she'll run up to the tv and turn it off then start saying "hungy mommy, hungy!" Well this morning I was checking my email while she was watching Sesame Street and she comes strolling in saying "Want more crackers mommy". Mind you it's 8 o'clock in the morning....she shouldn't have been thinking about crackers! But no harm done so I get up and get her 2 ritz crackers...A few minutes later she's back saying "Want more crackers mommy". Signing more and crackers in the right order even! Man She is amazing to me! Everyday she is learning something new and is growing by leaps and bounds.
Right now she loves Charlie and Lola. We tivo'd abunch of them then burned them on to dvd's so she can watch them whenever she wants (within reason of course, she would watch them all day if it were up to her). We are even having a Charlie and Lola themed birthday party.
Elodie is still really involved with Signing Time and can sing almost any song on the dvd's. We plan on getting her 3 new signing dvd's for her birthday. We have loved the confidence that signing has given her and we really feel that she is talking so well because of her signing skills.
My busy little girl is growing up and I'm more excited about what's to come than sad that she isn't little anymore. I only hope that we can give her the confidence to be the best she can and she can know that her parents love her and want only the best for her! She's the best for our family and I know my Heavenly Father loves me because he sent her to me!! I love you Elodie!
-Mom