I GET to.....

As I laid in bed last night I was once again overwhelmed with life. I was overwhelmed with trying to FINALLY get Ann Mason to sleep in her crib, I was overwhelmed about going back to work and worst of all I was really overwhelmed that I had to clean the entire house for our showing today, a house that look like a tornado had hit every room! I really was in the mood to have a pity party for myself and kept thinking poor pitiful me that is SO much to do, how will I ever get it done, etc... So, I started to do what I do best lately pray and then it hit me!

I GET to clean my house! I GET to clean my house, my house that provides a roof over my head. A house that millions of Americans right now have lost or are losing.

I GET to clean my house because Tex got a new and wonderful job! A job that is going to help provide for our family in a time where just keeping your job is a luxury.

I GET to clean my house because I have a wonderful husband and 2 fabulous kids that make this house a home with all of their stuff and toys!!!!

I GET to clean this house because I have been blessed! So, as I drifted off to sleep I realized that GETTING to clean my house didn't sound all that bad!

Family Fun Week Day 3

Thank goodness my kids are at the innocent and very naive ages that they are cause mommy totally pulled a fast one on them :) Family Fun Day 3 was going to look at houses in Shelbyville. I really played up the car ride, the fun houses to explore and the trip thru Wendy's drive-thru! I think it worked and everyone seemed happy and entertained. Palmer met some people's cats, played with some kids toys in their rooms and a few other things that I am sure the homeowners would not have thought were funny! They were both great so I promised Palmer some ice cream tonight I heard Baskin Robbins is having 31 cent night! So.... Tex and I watched Marley and Me last night. Um, that was probably the most heart wrenching movie I have ever seen especially since I seemed to think it was a biography of my life (I am sure everyone thinks that) I don't know that I can recommend it just because of how sad it is but I will say I am glad I watched it! In Ode to Marley I want to thank our own Marley (Molly) She is the BEST dog in the world! She handles a 2 year old with more grace and patients than I ever could!

Family Fun Week Day 2

Ok, so I officially got myself in over my head on this family fun week. Today Palmer, Ann Mason and I ventured off to a place called the "Puzzle Fun Dome" you know any place with that name screams lots of kids running wild! Apparently we didn't know it was field trip day so Palmer joined the ranks of a pre-k class and made his way right into the Puzzle Fun Dome. For those of you wondering what this place is exactly... it is a huge gigantic warehouse type structure with about 10 inflatables, mini golf, glow in the dark basketball and so much more. Well, I didn't realize that Palmers little legs wouldn't allow him to make it up the inflatables by himself. So you guessed it mommy tracked up each and every inflatable about 25 times each hauling a mini 28 pound toddler. I think the low point was when my hair was wet with sweat, I had a black film on my skin from the germ infested bouncies and I slid down the slide right about the time my shirt came up and exposed my post 2 child belly in front of everyone! :) Despite the sweat and my sore legs we had a ball! Palmer took at 4 hour nap when he got home! I love these kids!

Our Last Week of Fun!

It is not reeeaaaallly our last week of fun ever, but I am starting back to work next week :( I stayed up last night getting anxious about leaving my babies again to go back to work. I LOVE my job but I LOVE being a stay at home mom too, it is such a hard thing to handle. My new schedule is beyond wonderful and gives me a great balance of getting to work and getting to spend time with my children so I will try and not sound so dramatic cause it could be way worse :)

So, this morning I woke up and decided instead of counting down the days till I go back and dreading every minute of it.... The Kiddos and I were going to have one heck of a "Family Fun Week" each day we are going to do at least one really fun activity! So this morning I rounded everyone up and we headed to the zoo for day 1 of our "Family Fun Week"! We had an absolute blast! I know I am emotional lately when I got teary eyed at the zoo watching Palmer and looking at Ann Mason. This is what I dreamed of all my life and I just feel overly blessed to have these two amazing children in my life!

Palmer didn't really care about the animals, he like the playground. He did LOVE the gorillas and thought they were awesome! To my surprise he was deathly scared of the train ride around the zoo so that did not bode well for me with a 2 month old and a screaming toddler on a moving caboose :) You can only imagine! Here are some pictures! Stay tuned for our next adventure....

April Showers bring May Flowers!

We had yet another shower this weekend! This time it was a couple's shower for our friends Kimmie and Frank. Frank has been one of my best guy friends since I was 15 years old and Kimmie is one of my best friends from college so this union is particularly exciting for me :)

It was a great night to get some adult time with all of our friends we haven't gotten to see in so long! Of course it always goes by way too fast especially when you have a babysitter :( I had to call and ask permission to stay 30 more minutes!

It was a great shower and everything looked wonderful at Katie and David's house and I think everyone had a great time! Can't wait till August for the wedding I know with this crew it will be a blast!

Overwhelmed!

Today was the first day that I just felt overwhelmed! I am tired and just overwhelmed, it's as simple as that. I think it finally hit me that we are selling our home, moving to a new place, I am starting back to work in in a week and a half in a new position and we have a new person watching the kiddos. Don't get me wrong all of these things are GREAT but they are CHANGE and I don't always handle change well as those close to me know :) haha My mind constantly races to the 100's of things I need to do and all of the what if's, etc.... all things that I know I can't control but continue to obsess over anyways. Is there anyway not to do that? :) If you know please tell me! Our lives are definitely changing for the better but it is just going to take some getting used to. The new babysitter came over today and I think it went well. It is always scary to leave your children with somebody else but I am confident that they will be well taken care of and they will have a lot of fun! When I came home from looking at houses Brandi (the new babysitter) told me she had taken pics of Ann Mason....

Here are the sweet pictures she took! No matter how overwhelmed I feel some days, this is what makes it worth every moment!!!

Weekend Re-cap

The Templeton's had a busy but wonderful weekend! Friday night Aunt Ashley, Uncle Joe and Neenie came over for a grill out! It is always so much fun to know that your family can come over and hang out. I have missed that for so long, I love having Aunt Ashley and Uncle Joe in Louisville. It was also so nice to have my mom here for the week. It is just so bittersweet because we love having her here but we also get so sad when she leaves.... She will be here again in just one month so that isn't too long!

Saturday Tex and I had an "adult" day!! WOOHOO I think I forgot what that was! We left for Lexington in the morning and stopped by Tex's new golf course. It is beautiful and everyone there was so nice and welcoming! I got to ride around with Tex in a golf cart to see the course better. Mind you I was in my black dress and heels for Keenland so I got a few funny stares from some of the guys playing golf :) We then went to Ashley and Joe's shower where we hung out with their friends and had a great time. After that it was off to Keenland. I have always loved Keenland even when I was just a little girl but Saturday they had a record number of people topping out at about 40,000. I must admit that is not my cup of tea anymore. The crowds, the walking to the car, and the long bathroom lines were a little much that day! haha I guess I am not in college anymore :) We ended the night at Murray's Patio where we ate a fabulous dinner despite the fact that my feet hurt so bad I had to put toilet paper in my high heels to cushion the pain!

Here are some pictures of the day!

Ann Mason's 2 Month Check-Up

It is so hard to believe that my precious little girl is 2 months old!!! We went to the doctor today and they said she was perfect! (I already knew that but it was nice to hear it from someone else! haha) She did so good but got her feelings hurt when she got her shots! It didn't last long she has been snoozing away since we got home!

I have to give a shout out to Neenie (my mom) she has been here all week and it has been AWESOME! She has let me run errands everyday and it has been SO nice. I know she is really enjoying it just as much since her and Palmer are best buds! They have done so much fun stuff and are having the best time together! I appreciate her being here so much and the timing couldn't have been better!

Here is Ann Mason all pretty for her 2 month check-up!

Ann Mason Templeton at 2 months Old
9 pds 12 oz (20%)
21 inches long (5%)

Easter Sunday

This was by far one of the best Easter's I have ever had. I just feel so blessed right now and I am just so thankful for the way everything has just seemed to fall into place lately. I just stared at Ann Mason during church and thought of Palmer and my family sitting beside me and I just couldn't help but smile the entire time because life is good! I reflected back on Easter last year and I was at the height of some of the struggles in my life and I just can't believe what a difference a year makes.

My mom has said since Nana passed away that she is shining down and making good things happen and I truly believe that. So many good things have happened with our family since she has passed and I like to believe that she is up there smiling and making things happen for us :) It is nice to have an angel on your side! I couldn't help but thinking about her in Heaven on Easter singing so loud to the hymns in her opera voice :) like she loved to do here on earth! We miss her but I know she is such a better place enjoying, living and feeling young and alive there with God.

My beautiful Mom with her first granddaughter!


Palmer holding his baby sister, he loves her!


The kids Easter Baskets!


Mom and Palmer in front of church!

Congratulations Tex!

This past Friday at 5:00 Tex got a call that he has been waiting for, for years! He was offered the head Superintendent job at a great golf course called Spring Valley in Lexington, KY! He was blessed to have his name put in for the job and after a week and about 3 meetings they felt like he was the best candidate!

After a lot of discussion the Templeton Family has decided to move our roots to Shelbyville, KY. Why Shelbyville you might ask? Well we figured it was a good compromise and I would be able to commute (30 miles) to my job in Louisville and he could commute (40 miles) to his job in Lexington!

We met with a realtor last night so she could see the house, etc... and we are going to look for houses in Shelbyville on Friday. It is all happening so fast but it is so exciting.

I am so proud of Tex and the man he is! He has worked his tail off for years and I am so excited that someone is giving him the opportunity to really show what he can do! I am so happy for him and he is just beside himself with excitement!

This is a new chapter in our lives and we are so excited to see what God and His plan has in store for us!

Ashley's Wedding Shower!

Ashley and Joe's wedding is quickly approaching and I was so excited to be able to throw her a bridal shower! We love Joe more than anything and just can't wait for the wedding. He is already such an awesome part of our family and we can't wait for them to make it official!!! The shower was at my house with family and close family friends. We had a blast and it was so good getting see everyone and celebrate such an awesome couple!

Our closest family friends for over 20 years! This family is truly amazing! This is Brenda and her daughter Lynette. When we met them Ashley was 3 and I was 6!


This is Dana (Brenda's other daughter) and her daughter Kayla.


Mom with one of her best friends, Denise.


The most important thing.... the food!


The Cake table with pictures of Joe and Ashley.


Me, Kylena (sis-in-law), Ashley and Ann Mason


Some of my favorite girls! Kylena with my nieces Jillian and Mia meeting Ann Mason for the first time!


Jillian is such a good helper here with Ann Mason! She told me she had lots of practice with Mia!

Time Keeps on Slippin, Slippin, Slipping Into the Future -Steve Miller Band

Could it be that I haven't blogged since April 3rd? That is horrible! I was thinking of doing a bunch of posts to keep up but to tell you the truth I am too worn out too so I am going to keep it to just one :)

We kicked off the Easter Festivities at a Fun filled Easter Egg Hung at our church. Palmer's best friend Reid and his mom Nikki came and we had a blast! Here are a few pics of Palmer and Reid trying to figure out what this Easter Egg Hunt was all about! They of course like all of the chocolate that was hidden in their eggs!





Right after we hit the Easter Egg Hunt we packed up the kiddos and headed to Owensoboro! It was Myke (Tex's dads) surprise 60th birthday! Kathy did a great job of planning it and some of the Uncle's were able to come and it was great! We had a great dinner and enjoyed church and lunch with everyone the next day!

The kiddos looking cute and ready to go to Owensboro!


My pretty and happy little girl!


The birthday guy and Kathy!! Happy 60th!!



Our First real Family picture!!!

I Can't Stop Dancing!

Easter Bunny and my All-American Boy!

Today we met Katie at the mall to do some window shopping and eat lunch. We also dressed up just in case we ran into Mr. Easter Bunny! Lo and Behold we did and Palmer thought he was funny but only at a distance. Sadly Ann Mason was snoozing so she passed at the chance to sit on the Easter Bunny's lap. As Palmer was approaching the Easter Bunny the nice lady handed him an oval shaped Easter Egg. He apparently thought it was a football and proceeded to pelt it at the Easter Bunny! Good thing the bunny had quick reflexes :) I was able to get the whole thing on video! Palmer is my all American boy who can interpret anything for a ball!

Palmer being forced to take a picture (he thought it was funny to run away from me, hence the shot of me grabbing his arm :) Ann Mason looking pretty in pink for the Easter Bunny!