Gearing up for Independence Day!

The Templeton family is anxiously awaiting the 4th festivites! We actually don't have a lot planned other than kicking the weekend off with a street party at Norton Commons,going to the pool most of the weekend and going to my boss' annual 4th of July party to see the fireworks! I am SO excited to see Palmers reaction to the fireworks show, I think he will LOVE them!

I am also trying to coordinate a good red,white and blue theme for our outfits without looking like we tried too hard :) Ann Mason of course already has a dress that neenie bought that is navy with a flag on it. I am thinking Palmer can do a red polo and navy shorts and Tex and I can do some variation. If I had the money I would probably be that mom that bought the whole family matching outfits from Lilly Pulitzer or Kellys Kids, even down to matching bathing suits. I know it is obnoxious but I love it for some reason!!!

I love the 4th of July for the festivities, food and just social gathering! I also love it that we can use that day to appreciate what a great country we get to live in! Despite all of the economic woes and political opinions we are still so blessed to live in the United States and I am so thankful to the men and women who have and are still fighting for our freedom! I hope to hear Lee Greenwood at least 5 times this weekend that man still brings me to tears after all of these years!

Everyone have a blessed 4th and I will be sure to post our patriotic pics from the weekend!

All Play and No Work :)

I can't believe a week has passed and not one blog! I guess I was way too busy having fun! Brandi (the babysitter) was off this week therefore causing me to be off as well! I did work from home some and went a few nights but for the most part I was able to enjoy my days with the kiddos doing whatever we wanted!

We definitely have enjoyed the pool at Joe and Ashley's apartment, we are up there about 4 times a week! We have gone to the pool, Thomas the train, an outdoor street party, cracker barrel and so much more! I have had one of the greatest weeks with the kids! I truly cherish this time with them and I try my hardest never to take it for granted.

Ann Mason is still happy and now she is rolling over everywhere! I think she is teething and wants to stick any and every thing in her mouth! Palmer to sum it up is just one big motor mouth :) He increases his vocabulary by 10 words everyday I swear it is amazing! He says everything and talks non-stop! I am still trying to be excited and encouraging when he shows me something and says the name but it is tiring!

Here are lots of pics of just a few of our activities from our week of fun!

Show Us Where You Live Friday!

Kelly at Kelly's Korner has of course had the greatest idea and has made Fridays a "show us a room of your house day!" Since I am a total slacker I am catching up all at once and posting almost my whole house! It is so fun to go on her blog and look around at everyone's neat houses and get decorating ideas!

Lucky for you if you like my house it happens to be for sale! :)



This is the living room... don't let the pictures decieve you there are usually at least 20 cars, bouncies, exer-mats, etc... strewn all over the floor!



The most important room in the house, the kitchen! This is where we spend a majority of the time hanging out. I wish there was a tv in here (that is SO bad!)



Here is our Master Bedroom/Bath it seems this room gets the most neglected as far as the decorating is concerned. I guess that is what happens when you have two nurseries to decorate in two years!

This is our guest bathroom (actually Tex's bathroom) since we agree that it is in everyone's best interest if we didn't share a bathroom!


This is Palmer's room! The stripes and the chair rail were our first real home project. I will always love this room for so many reasons.


This is our most recently renovated room and of course the most girly! I love to sit in here and just relax with all of the girly colors and decor!

Hoped you enjoyed getting to see where the Templeton's live!

2 Year and 4 Month Doctor Visits

Well today was a day that I had dreaded for a while. Ann Mason and Palmer both went for the well visits to Dr Russell's office. The reason I dreaded it was because I thought Palmer would have to get shots! I can handle Ann Mason getting shots cause she doesn't know any better but Palmer is at the age where he can look at me and scream "Mommy!" and he wonders why I would let him get hurt!

Luckily Tex left work early to meet me there and it was SO much better than I ever expected. Palmer seemed to have gotten over his fear of the dr office and did SO good. He let Ann Mason go first to try everything out :) Once he watched her I think he realized it didn't look too bad.

Also Palmer only had to get his finger pricked and NO shots until he is 4!!! WOOHOO! The finger pricking wasn't fun but he survived and so did Tex and I! Here are the newest stats on my kids! They are growing TOO fast I can't stand it!

Ann Mason - 4 months on 06/16/2009
* 13 lbs 6 oz- 45%
* 23 1/4 inches long - 16%
* 24% in her head circumference
* Ann Mason ate cereal for the first time tonight and she loved it! She really doesn't know how to swallow yet so she pushed most of it out with her tongue but she smiled the whole time she was doing it! So much better than the first time Palmer ate cereal!
*Rolled over from back to belly yesterday! She hates tummy time and refuses to lift her head up or do any type of rolling over from belly to back but that is ok.
*LOVES to sit in her bumba and look around and watch everything going on! She ate her cereal in the bumba today and loved being such a big girl!
*Is drinking 5-6 oz of formula every 4 hours
*Sleeps from 8 pm - 5 am and takes a bottle and goes back down till about 7:30 or 8! I will take that any day!
* LOVES the bath and the pool as long as it isn't too cold!
* Wearing 3-6 month outfits and even starting to wear more 6 month than anything.
* I know I am biased but she is probably one of the most laid back and happy babies I have ever met and she is MINE :) I call her mommy's pink angel and she laughs!
I love you!

Palmer Templeton - 2 years old - May 22, 2009
* 27.7 lbs - 46%
* 34.5 inches - 54%
* 85% head circumference (this has gone down drastically! I guess his body is catching up with that big ol brain :)
* Palmer is currently a little parrot and will pretty much repeat most everything that you say!
* Says 3 word sentences now. Example : "Molly Stop It" :)
* Is still absolutely hilarious and loves to get a laugh out of mom and dad
* LOVES babies including his sister more than anything in this world!
* Is still the most active little boy and would rather be outside kicking a soccer ball or hitting a ball with his baseball bat than doing anything else.
* Is still a picky eater and likes to graze more than eat meals. We are working on this!
* LOVES his movies and constantly amazes me at how he laughs at all of the funniest parts!
* Keeps us on our toes day in and day out!
I love you!

Best Friends

I know I have said it from the beginning how much having Ann Mason has just completed our family. It is my greatest pleasure to watch her and Palmer interact and think all of the amazing memories they are going to share throughout their childhood and adulthood. Palmer loves his "sissy" and Ann Mason thinks Palmer "hung the moon". I know they will have their fights but my dream as a mother is for them to be as close as siblings can be, nothing would make me happier! I think they are off to a pretty good start so far!


This morning before church, no one will ever look at the camera but we try A LOT!

The kiddos

Ann Mason probably laughing at something her brother did!

SO SWEET! They laid like that forever!

Over the Hills and thru the Woods to Mamaw's House We Go...

Since I recently just changed my work schedule for the 39th time :) I now have a mid-week "weekend"...what I mean is that I have Tuesdays and Wednesdays off now! Of course on my first week of this new schedule I couldn't have possibly just stayed at home for those 2 days cause that would have been boring :) So.. the kids and I went to Owensboro to visit Mamaw/Papaw and Aunt TT, KK, EE and Uncle Johnny. The kids LOVE being together so it is always so fun to just watch them play! We had a blast and got to go to the pool all day, eat a great dinner and have a family movie night! Palmer is beyond exhausted! Here are some pics from our visit.

Katelyn and Ann Mason


"The Gang" Ann Mason, Katelyn, Ethan and Palmer


Me and My little Swimmer Palmer


My Sweet, Sweet Baby Girl!


Mamaw Kathy and Ann Mason

Thank You!

A year ago today was the day that I decided that I had had enough of my life with alcohol. I can't believe it has already been one year. In a way it seems like just yesterday I was that scared and broken person that wanted so badly for my life to be different but then again when I look in the mirror and see the person I am now, it seems like it has been a lifetime since those days.

I can't tell you the countless amount of things that I have learned about myself over this past year. One of the biggest things that I have learned is that I like myself and the person I am becoming and that is such a great feeling cause whether I wanted to admit it or not I am not sure I liked myself for a long time.

I have experienced so many things for the first time SOBER! What an eye opening experience!

One of the biggest things I have learned is that I have the most amazing family and friends!!! There are always people in my meetings saying that when they got sober they lost all of their so called "friends" because they were never friends to begin with. I am SO thankful this wasn't the case for me. My friends and family have been unbelievably supportive and I can't thank you all enough for the gift you have given me in friendship! It has been so awesome to see the different ways that you all have supported me throughout this year!

I am SO thankful to be given this second chance at a better life. I LOVE my life and although it is not perfect (because no one's is) it is my life and I am embracing it and living it in the moment.

Thank you to everyone who has stood by me over this year, I could never thank you enough. I am so thankful to have made it this far and I can't wait to see what new surprises this year brings!

A slight Hiatus...

So it seems I have taken a slight blogging hiatus. This past month life just became too chaotic and I had to cut some things out and unfortanetly blogging was one of them. Believe me I would much rather cut out trying to sell our house, finding a new car, not going back to work, etc.... but unfortanetly life isn't always fair and since I am an adult now and have unwanted responsibilities time for stuff I WANT to do seems to fall by the wayside :)

Alas I am BACK! I don't think I can catch up on everything that has been going on that would take ENTIRELY too long and I don't have time for it! I will do a May Re-cap as best I can for you all and start new on the blogging front!

May 2nd- OFF to the races and a Derby Party and the Prather's. The first year I didn't know one horses name probably won't be the last. I seem to know more about pacifiers and diapers rather than ponies right now!

May 10th - Mothers Day! It was WONDERFUL! Did exactly what I wanted to do which was nothing. We sat in the backyard and hung out and had a great time!

May 15th - Ashley's Bachelorette Party! WOOOOOWWW! I hadn't been out on the "night" scene in quite some time and it was an experience :) We had an AWESOME time. I laughed so hard I cried watching these girls ride bulls, dance on bars and get on stages! Ashley was such a trooper and an awesome bachelorette of course she LOVED the attention! haha




May 23rd - Palmers 2nd Birthday! We had SOOO much fun! Palmer and 13 of his closest munchkin friends came to celebrate him turning 2. Palmer and his parents have the best friends! It was a ghetto water party with sprinklers, baby pools, etc... but everyone loved it :) Then it started to rain so we were even more ghetto and moved it to the garage and let all the kiddos just play with the piles of junk/toys we have everywhere and of course they had more fun in the garage than outside :) All said and done it was a hit! You know you had a good party when 3 hours later every kid is in the living room getting their diaper changed and crying cause they are so tired from having so much fun! :) I am officially a mom of a 2 year old everyone please say a prayer for Tex and I immediately :)

May 30th - Drum Roll Please.... Ashley and Joe say "I DO" The big day finally arrived and it was worth the wait!!! The whole weekend was totally fabulous and wonderful! Everyone knows how we feel about Joe so it was so great to see both of them so happy and in love! I had a blast getting to hang out with my cousins until 4 am on Friday night and then again till 3:30 am on Saturday night! I felt refreshed and as if I had a social life again! :) Since I don't drink anymore my drink of choice is now red-bull...bad idea when you want to go to bed and your heart is beating out of your chest but fun for staying up! Ashley was (as you can imagine) a gorgeous bride! I am so proud of her and had one of the best weekends I have ever had celebrating their marriage! I wish I could post all of the pictures but it is way too many! I will post a link to their video when they get it!







In between all of our major events we have had tons of house showings (with NO offers), Tex is still driving to Lexington everyday and we are still trying to figure out where life is taking us next! I will admit I am ready for life to slow down and I think this month it will! I had so much fun this past month but man it wore me out :) The kids are doing SO good I couldn't be more proud of them both! I will report more on them later. I am glad to be back to the blogging world!