Finally Some Christmas Pics!!!!

Tex and Mom putting the train set together! Mom, Scott, Ash and I

SANTA came!!! Tex and I

Blurry pic of Christmas Tree and presents! The AWESOME train table before pic!
Palmer riding his tricycle for the first time! Aunt Ashley and Palmer

Scott and Mom Palmer in his Christmas Eva outfit

Joe, Ash and us after putting together the 120 Amanda, Ashley and I with nana

piece train set! We were so proud!

The Fam on Christmas morning(Palmer has on my

ear muff band :)

Since my camera is broken I am at the mercy of others! We did spend time with other family members I promise :) but haven't gotten those photos back yet!

Best Laid Plans....

Well, I can't believe that it is the end of another year! As many of my friends know New Years Eve does not hold a special place in my heart. For years I have had a spell of bad luck that happens to fall on the day or night of NYE.

This year we had planned to spend a quiet but fun NYE in Bowling Green with our friends and our children but as luck would have it poor Ava got a fever accompanied with an earache :( I have learned thru my 19 months of being a parent not to get excited about any plans until you are actually in route or have arrived at your destination :) Kids are so unpredictable and I swear they sense when something is happening and they tend to breakdown accordingly :)

Tex and I were definitely bummed not to see The Shelton's and the The Clark's and we were even more bummed not to get to see all the kiddos play together, but we have many more years to all be together!!! I think that Tex and I have decided to just lay low tonight as there is probably no possible way that either of us could stay up till midnight as it is :) I told Palmer we could get some hats and horns and pretend we are watching the ball drop!

Instead we are going to take Palmer to the Cincinnati Children's museum. Has anyone ever been? This place looks incredible and is ranked as one of the top 10 museums in the country. And just our luck they currently have a Clifford the Big Red Dog exhibit :) You can't get more crazy than that!

As I look back on 2008 I have some definite mixed feelings about the year. It was such a good year in many ways but such a trying year for me as well. I am definitely not sad to see 2008 pass by but I am SO excited about 2009!!! I am hoping that 2009 proves to be a truly wonderful year for our family. We have so much to look forward to in 2009 with the birth of our daughter in Feb, Palmer turning 2 in May, Ashley and Joe getting married in May, and Tex and I celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary in September! With everything Tex and I have gone thru with my struggles this year I am hoping that 2009 will bring us the strength to keep living the life that we want to live cause our lives right now are SO blessed and so much more full than they have ever been.

Here is to everyone that has experienced happiness, sadness and everything in between in 2008 and here is to looking forward and making 2009 the best possible year that it can be!!! Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The house is SO quiet!

Tex and Palmer have left on a mini trip to Owensboro and left mommy and molly here to fend for themselves :)!!! While the quiet is very nice it is also overwhelming. I don't really know what to do with myself in the house alone, it is too quiet :) Luckily, Molly stayed to keep me some company. I think I like it better with Palmer running around like a crazy person and Tex is here to talk to. The grass is always greener, right?

Well, I finally got some pics downloaded from Christmas! These were pics that we took at Tex's parents house in Owensboro. Palmer did not really want to part from his semi truck so he was more occupied with that than the pictures. I thought they were cute though. I feel like I am looking more and more blimpish these days :) but it is what it is, I am almost 8 months pregnant and I doubt anyone feels like a super model at this point!

I hate to say I am dreading work tomorrow but I do get to go see Ann Mason tomorrow so that is the highlight of my day. Thank goodness it is another short work week I don't think I could go back for a full work week just yet!! :)

Enjoy the pics!

The Entire Templeton Family

Myke, Kathy, Katelyn, Palmer and Ethan

The Overly happy parents (I guess something was funny!)

Our family portrait :)

I am STILL HERE!

Yes, I have been a horrible blogger over the holidays. It is about 7:45 on the 27th and my body, mind and spirit have hit a wall! :) .....

My camera broke AGAIN right before Christmas I was SO bummed but mom did a great job keeping up with the pictures and as soon as she downloads them I will post them! This Christmas was truly amazing, in fact we have deemed it one of the best Christmas' in years. We have literally not stopped since Monday morning and have traveled to Owensboro, Georgetown and Lexington. This pregnant chic is beyond pooped, I think I am delirious!

I am watching in amazement at my mom and Tex wrestling with Palmer on the floor and am envious of their energy!

Palmer made this Christmas so special and he was truly an angel. He was so well behaved everywhere we went and stayed up late every night and slept in late every morning! It was awesome!

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and are preparing for a Happy New Year! We are making our last stop in Bowling Green, KY for NYE before we call it quits and stay at home till Ms. Ann Mason is born.

I will post some great pics soon....

30 Weeks Pregnant and a Toddler Off the Bottle!

So, I am 30 weeks pregnant today! Wow, that is mind blowing just saying it! 9 weeks still seems far away but yet so close at the same time. We went to have our first bio-physical ultrasound yesterday. At these weekly ultrasounds they measure for amniotic fluid, fine movement (ex. movement of fingers) and strong movement (ex movement of limbs) and fetal breathing movement for 30 seconds. Well, Ann Mason must have been pooped because she insisted sleeping thru the whole thing! I had to turn over on my side and move around and finally she woke up and performed her duties and went back to sleep! :) All was well though and for right now she is a strong and healthy girl thriving in her momma's belly! Yipeee!!!

On a side note: It is with great pleasure that I announce that Palmer has been without the bottle for 24 hours now haha!!! It is TOTALLY my fault as a parent for not doing this sooner since he is 3 days away from being 19 months! He only took a bottle in the morning and at night and I have to admit that it was more of my time with him to sit and cuddle so that is why I wasn't very insistent on him giving up the bottle. The breaking point was the other night when Palmer was sitting in his chair in his diaper and he had his bottle in one hand and gave Tex a high five with the other and then proceeded to scratch his belly and burp! That is when I realized that indeed it was time for him to stop taking a bottle! :) He is a little man now and little men drink out of sippy cups! The only trouble we had was the first morning I gave him his sippy rather than the bottle he just looked at me like I had insulted him and threw it down! Eventually he was thirsty enough that he picked it up and went on his way. Last night he didn't even miss it!

As glad as I should be it is one more indication that he is getting bigger and that is so hard for me! Ashley introduced me to a new song by Darius Rucker (aka old hootie and the blowfish singer) and it is called "It won't be like this for long". You have to hear it cause it is so good... but here are the lyrics! I am trying to hold on to all of these moments a little longer. I don't want my babies to grow up!

Lyrics to the song

He didnt have to wake up He'd been up all nite Lay'n there in bed listen'n To his new born baby cry

He makes a pot of coffee He splashes water on his face His wife gives him a kiss and says It gonna be OK

It wont be like this for long

One day soon we'll look back laugh'n At the week we brought her home This phase is gonna fly by So baby just hold on It wont be like this for long

Four years later bout four thirty She's crawling in there bed And when he drops her off at preschool She's clinging to his leg

The teacher peels her off of him He says what can I do She says now dont you worry This will only last a week or two

It wont be like this for long One day soon we'll drop her off And she wont even know your gone This phase is gonna fly by If you can just hold on It wont be like this for long

One day soon she'll be a teenager And at times you'll think she hates him

Then he'll walk her down the isle And he'll raise her vale

But right now she up and cry'n And the truth is that he dont mind As he kisses her good night And she says her prayers He lays down there beside her Till her eyes are finally closed And just watch'n her it breaks his heart Cause he already knows

It wont be like this for long One day soon that little girl is gonna be All grown up and gone Yeah this phase is gonna fly by He's try'n to hold on It wont be like this for long It wont be like this for long

Pregnancy and a toddler....

I realized lately that I haven't been my normal sappy self and haven't written any sweet mementos of Palmer's development nor have a written about how I am feeling as a pregnant woman! :) My hormones have pretty much kept me from feeling all warm and fuzzy inside lately :) Is this what little girls do to you?

Even though my hormones are charged and ready to go I still have a moment each day where I feel like I am so blessed to be a mom. Being a mom has been by far the greatest thing that I have ever done. It seems like most everything else pales in comparison to being a mom and a wife. All the accomplishments and money in the world would never be as fulfilling as watching your child dance in front of the TV, or reach for you with a smile on his face in the morning from his crib, or my favorite, run to you with such excitement and open arms after you get home from a long day of work.

I look at Palmer and it is sometimes just too much... too much joy, too much pride, too much love. I then think that I get to have double the love, double the laughs and double the joy in just a few short months! I can't wait for Ann Mason to arrive into this world with her very own personality! I can't wait to see what she has in store for our family and the people that love her. Palmer has been such a joy and it is so hard to believe that he is days away from being 19 months old!

He is starting to talk with no real regularity but it is still so exciting to hear each new word come out of his little mouth. He now refers to his aunt Ashley as "wee" and that excites her! He of course has the words mine, no, bottle, milk,truck, etc... memorized to a tee! In fact his teacher Ms. Beth had to inform him that he was NOT the teacher at school the other day because every time she disciplined one of the kids Palmer was 2 steps behind her saying No, No and pointing his little finger :) Of course I think that is SO cute haha

He is a music lover! And all kinds of music and any genre from Beyonce (Single Ladies) to Prince (I need some extra time and your ..... kiss :) He really gets into his dancing and "Wee" says he looks like he is having a seizure but I think that he just really feels the music.

He is a great eater and indulges in most any food that mommy makes. Last night he ate an entire bowl of stir fry which I was impressed by! Currently tonight he is eating with Tex at their favorite gourmet restaurant Chick-Fil-A while I work late.

He is definitely his own personality and very strong willed at that. He is not going to be a cuddler and likes to kind of do his own thing and be independent. Sometimes it can come across that he doesn't like you but he just needs his own space :) Tex says he is like me especially in the mornings cause he needs at least 30 minutes until he becomes social! Once he likes you though you are in! He will be your best friend until the end of time!

This pregnancy is seeming to go by faster by the minute thanks to being so entertained by Palmer! I don't remember having such bad insomnia with Palmer but this pregnancy takes the cake and sleeping has become more of a memory that something that happens on a regular basis. I seem to tire out more frequently but then again I am lugging around a 26 pound toddler that I wasn't when pregnant the first time. I have really embraced this pregnancy and tried to enjoy all that it has to offer me. I LOVE feeling her move inside of me and kick. My favorite time is at night when I am lying in bed and I can see my stomach move when she moves. It is truly a miracle! It is also a miracle how much I can pee :) That never ceases to amaze me!

It is hard to think about this being my last pregnancy, not that it will. I don't know what GOD has in store for Tex and I but if he blesses us again with another child one of these days we will most likely accept the challenge! :) I am so excited for this stage of our lives. I was never the little girl that dreamed of a big fancy wedding and a pretty white dress but rather the little girl that dreamed of being a mom to a precious baby and my dreams have come true two fold!

Christmastime

Here are some more pictures from our Christmas photo shoot! Palmer did really well but didn't like sitting down :) He has definitely made thinking of Christmas more fun this year for sure! I kind of feel like scrooge this year and I can't figure out why I am in such a funk. Is it that I am almost 8 months pregnant and my hormones are that of a 13 year old girl going thru puberty :)

I guess I feel so pulled on Christmas. I am starting to really like Thanksgiving more! It seems like on Christmas that we go from point A to point B to point C without taking so much as a break to think about the true meaning of the holiday. It seems like no matter how hard we try we end up making at least one family member upset because we aren't spending enough time with each of them even though we spread ourselves so thin by going to 4 different family events.

Do others have this problem during the holidays? Is that why wine consumption more than doubles around the holidays :)? So for yet another year Tex and I are going to make are rounds to the different surrounding areas of our great state in hopes that Palmer hangs in there for the long haul and survives his second Christmas.

Is there any solution to this madness? I am hoping that next year we can scheme together some sort of a permanent schedule in which each family does not feel slighted by the time that we allot to be with them. :)

I should be looking at this situation as the glass half full and be SO thankful that we have SO many wonderful family members that just want to be surrounded with our love. We are a fun bunch, us Templetons.

May everyone having a Christmas or Holiday crisis try to remember the true meaning of Christmas thru your rage and frustration. It only comes once a year people so suck it up, spike your egg nog and don't do anything I wouldn't do! :)

Tis the freaking season! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Survey

*** So I totally stole this off of another blog but I thought it was fun!*****

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? EGG NOG!! Tex thinks egg nog is SO gross but I could drink it by the half gallon! I haven't bought any yet but I plan on having some Christmas Eve!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa sets up the toys so that they are ready to play with as soon as Palmer will walk down the stairs! I just thought of something everything we bought is from "Santa"! I guess we can get away with it this year but next year I better remember that something has to come from Tex and I! Haha

3. Colored lights on house/tree or white lights? White lights and Formal tree for our living room!!! I plan to let each of the babies have their very own Christmas tree in their rooms that they can decorate with colored lights and homemade ornaments!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No but that could get interesting :)

5. When do you put your decorations up? Normally the Friday after Thanksgiving.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Corn pudding and broccoli casserole! My mom always makes sure she makes this for her girls :)

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Me, my sister and my brother when he was in town would all sleep in the same room! And Mark would always wake us up and ask us if we heard Santas sleigh and I would get SO excited. Ashley would usually sleep thru the commotion and one year peed on Mark, he was SO mad! But other than that I LOVED sitting on the top of the stairs waiting for mom and dad to make their coffee and set their video camera on a tri-pod until they said "Ok, go" and Ashley, Mark and I would coming running down to find all of the gifts that Santa left!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? It was truly devastating. Anyone that knows me well knows that I had a major fascination with Santa! To find out in 4th grade that he wasn't real was very traumatic I remember crawling up on my mom's lap and just crying my eyes out.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We open 1 gift Christmas Eve and the parents usually pick it out.

10. How do you decorate your tree? The past two years it has been red and gold!

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? LOVE SNOW Days as long as I can curl up at home!

12. Can you ice skate? Um, no! The last time I went was when mom and Scott were dating which was EONS ago and I think mom, Ashley and I came out with more bruises than anyone!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I don't know if I have a favorite, they have all been pretty great!

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays for you? Definitely spending time with family and since we have our own family now building special traditions with our kids. I can't wait till Palmer and Ann Mason truly grasp the Christmas spirit and we can spend time doing crafts and also doing things for those less fortunate!

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? We were never a huge desert family but I do love the white chocolate and peppermint bark! YUM!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? We have just started a few and we hope to have many more! We have been pulling one chain a night off of the construction paper countdown chain and reading what we are thankful for!

17. What tops your Christmas tree? A big red ribbon!

18. Which do you prefer-giving or receiving? I love giving and seeing people's faces when they open up their gifts. I am sometimes gift giving challenged! I am not one of those people that easily thinks of the perfect gift so when I do I get really excited about it.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Silent Night! I have been singing it to Palmer every night repeatedly for this whole month, he loves when his mommy hits that high note!

20. Candy Canes-yum or yuck? Yum, I can always eat a candy cane.

21. What do you want for Christmas? For everyone to be happy and healthy and for Tex and I to truly take the time to enjoy this Christmas with Palmer and make it as special and memorable for him as it can be! Sometimes Christmas gets so hectic with trying to go here and there that the fun and meaning gets lost along the way. We are trying to avoid that this year.

22. Do you attend an annual Christmas party? We always have both work parties and a wreath making party. This year our holiday calendar as been slightly bare! Maybe a Christmas party needs to be a new tradition! :)

23. Do you dress up on Christmas or wear PJs? PJ's!!! We dress up Christmas Eve for church and dinner.

24. Do you own a Santa hat? Nope never got one of those.

25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with? Well that is a touchy subject this year. It seems harder and harder to reach everyone and now that we have Palmer we want to be able to start some of our own traditions as well. We are going to head to Owensboro the 23rd and morning of the 24th and then come back for Christmas Eve service and dinner at our house with my family and Christmas morning with Palmer!

Hope you enjoyed my Christmas History! Everyone have a great weekend!

GREAT NEWS!

So, I went for my LONG Dr's appt yesterday and it was fabulous! I started off by drinking the ever sugary glucose drink. I am a pro at chugging fluids so that didn't pose a real problem, it kinds of tastes like a Sunkist with a lot of sugar :)!

After I drank it I got to lay down for my ultrasound with Kathy. Kathy is great and her and I have gotten to know each other over these last 7 months :) I too have become a pro at reading the ultrasound monitor and knowing what all the measurements mean and I even know every body part that she has to measure and it is like a game cause she quizzes me and I answer :) So she started with the head and it was measuring right on!!! Given the history of Palmer and Miss Ann Mason what happens generally is that I measure a lot smaller than the week I am on, so when the measurements are close everyone is ecstatic!

It got better from there and Ann Mason measured terrific in all areas! She is already 2 pds 9 oz and is currently in the 31% which is HUGE for my babies :) I was such a proud mommy, she is doing so good in there! Kathy is awesome and will take the time to let me see her face and also switch the monitor over to 4D so this appointment was truly unbelievable cause I got to see Ann Mason in all of her glory! She is turned around so her head is up by my ribs and she had one leg over her head and one leg down by my cervix, can we say gymnast? :0 She was opening and closing her eyes and mouth and even gave mommy a smile! I swear, Kathy saw it too! Her heart rate was perfect at 158 which Kathy said was a very girly heart rate! :) What amazed me the most was how much she looked like a thriving baby and to top it off she looked just like her bubby! I saw Palmer in her face immediately! It was one of the most exhilarating experiences that I have had thus far!

So here is Ms. Ann Mason herself at almost 29 weeks.


Here is her precious little face! I just want to kiss her lips!

Here is the little gymnast herself! If you can see
she has her leg up and her foot is by her head
and her elbow is touching her knee!


Here she is again all curled up and looking cozy!

It was a great appointment and Dr Walsh was so attentive as always! We talked about some dates for delivery and she said that right now we would stick with Feb 23rd but there were a lot of indicators that could make me go earlier such as low fluid or blood pressure so she said I should anticipate anywhere from Feb 9th to the 23rd!!! It seems so close! I can't wait to meet my sweet girl! I pray that she continues to thrive inside until she is ready!

SOOOO GIRLICIOUS!

So, my blog friend Melissa from http://melbelleart.blogspot.com/ sent me a picture of the final canvas for Ann Mason's room and I must say that I am in LOVE with it! It is so pretty, pink and just plain girly! It was better than I had imagined in my head! I totally recommend her for any nursery decor or gift that you can think of!




On a side note last night was the infamous Harmony Landing Christmas Party for Tex's work. It is usually a total bust but this year they spiced it up and Santa himself made a personal appearance and had a hand wrapped present for each child there! Palmer scored a bulldozer with legos. You can't get much better than that at 18 months old!!!

The greatest thing of the night was something that Tex's boss said to me. It was so inspiring to me for some reason! We all know that Palmer is a true boy and while he is so sweet natured his little body doesn't stop moving all day long. The Christmas party was no exception and I spent most of my time running around the clubhouse watching him explore each room! Tex's boss and his wife made a comment that he is a brave little boy cause he has absolutely no fear! :) In which I replied, "Yes, there are times we wish he used a little more caution"

Jay's response to me.....
"It is much easier to teach a person caution than it is to teach a person confidence!"
And he said Palmer sure has the gift of confidence :) That quote just resonated with me so much and it was nice to see Palmer's rambunctious nature in a softer light defined as confidence :) We can hopefully get the caution part down one of these days!

I want my mind and body back!

So, while being pregnant is definitely a miracle and I do enjoy it 90% of the time, I have to say I am slowly inching toward the point of wanting my mind and body back :)

I had full intention of hitting up the Kroger Salad Bar today for a healthy, delicious salad! Before I knew it my mini van was pulling into McDonalds and ordering a #3! Darn it! I have no control anymore :)

Ann Mason loves sweets and fast food, little does she know what it is doing to her mommy's back side! I feel like I am pregnant out of both ends!!!

I go for my gestational diabetes test, ultrasound and dr visit on Wed so I should be at the dr office for a good 3 hours! I will hopefully post some ultrasound pics as I will be having a weekly ultrasound from now until she arrives!

Ann Mason is smarted by the week!

28 weeks pregnant!!!
81 days can be converted to one of these units:
6,998,400 seconds
116,640 minutes
1944 hours
11 weeks (rounded down)
Week 28 of Pregnancy: Fetal Brain Activity
Your developing baby, who this week weighs in at about two and a half pounds and stands — or rather lies — at almost 16 inches (measured head to toe) has added blinking, coughing, and more intense sucking to his or her growing bag of tricks. Are you dreaming about your baby? At 28 weeks pregnant, your baby may be dreaming about you, too. Brain wave activity measured in a developing fetus shows different sleep cycles, including the rapid eye movement phase, the stage when dreaming occurs.
By now, your baby, who weighs in at about two and a half pounds and stands — or rather lies — at almost 16 inches (measured head to toe) has added blinking to his or her growing bag of tricks. (Outside in the real world, blinking is necessary to help keep foreign objects out of the eyes.) Other impressive new talents being added to your baby's roster in the womb include coughing, more intense sucking, and, perhaps most important, better breathing.
The good news is that babies born this week, though premature, have an excellent prognosis because their lungs have reached the point (for the most part) of maturity — so you too can breathe a little easier now. Of course, it's still best if a baby doesn't check out of that uterine hotel just yet — there's still a lot of growing and maturing to do over the next 12 weeks.

Not too much longer until Ms. Ann Mason arrives in this world!!!

Long Time NO Blog!

I can't believe I have been such a horrible blogger! Shame on me, sorry folks! I truly do not know where the time goes anymore!!!

As a quick re-cap first off, I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL thanksgiving!!! We surely did! We spent it at my brother and sister in laws house and her family was so gracious to Tex, Palmer and I. Palmer had a blast playing with his cousins and it was just a nice, relaxing day!!! The rest of the weekend was equally as wonderful and we just indulged in 3 hour naps each day, putting up the tree, wrapping presents, watching Christmas movies... you get the hint! It was pure bliss!!

Mondays are always hard especially after a wonderful long weekend and no one took that Monday harder than Mr. Palmer, he cried all the way to daycare! It nearly broke my heart in a million pieces. He TRULY loves family time and just being at home and doing his own routine! Like any 18 month old he has bounced back and enjoys daycare too but that was the longest drive to work I have ever had!

I feel like we have been busy bees and all of our Christmas activities are packed into this week and the first of next and then we have NOTHING until Christmas? I don't know how that worked out?

Last night, Brian (my boss) treated us to an AWESOME Christmas dinner/celebration at Jeff Ruby's. Oh my gosh! The food was unbelievable and the atmosphere was great as well! For most people that have been pregnant though, you know what discomfort follows after you eat too much! There just isn't any breathing room and I had to resist the urge to get on all 4's in the middle of the restaurant just so I could take a good deep breathe :) haha

Here are some pictures of my c0-workers at our dinner last night!

Here is the happy couple to be out dining with adults!!!


This is Gunnar and Ilena (Ilena works with me)

Kevin and Laurie (Laurie works in the office)

This is Brian opening his new Magellan GPS from his

GREAT employees!

Ginny and David (Ginny works in the office)

*****On a side note..... I can't believe that Christmas is 3 weeks away!!! I feel like I have a pretty good handle on gifts, Christmas Cards, etc.. I am BEYOND excited about Palmer seeing his "Santa" presents. Speaking of Santa Palmer wasn't too impressed and sat as stiff as a board on Santa's lap and made no facial expressions! Gotta love this kid :)

Here is our Christmas tree that we scored on Thanksgiving day for $45 at Garden Ridge! haha And a few decorations and just a few presents, it looks kind of bare! Hopefully Santa will help out for Christmas morning!

Busy but Fun Weekend

Yet another weekend has blown by! I swear I really don't know where the time has gone! We had a GREAT weekend and we were pretty productive in between our busy schedule! We got Ann Mason's room ALMOST finished! I am so excited about the way it turned out. The only things we have left to do is hang a shelf and then right before Christmas we get her bow holder and Painted Canvas from Melissa at http://melbelleart.blogspot.com/ I am SO pumped about both of those.

Of course there are SO many things I would still love to do but unfortunately my budget thinks differently. :) I don't know why my budget won't allow for a totally girly chandelier in the middle of the room or an overly expensive rug to match the bedding? But I think Ann Mason will be happy in her new room! We took the rocker from Palmer's room and placed it in Ann Mason's room, I am SO glad we were able to use this rocker in there too! So, here are some of the pics from the weekend of her room.

Here is her vanity :) I actually had this in my room since I was 13, maybe one day she will sit and do her hair just like I did! The pink chick is a light that matches her bedding and the pink pale says Chicks Rule :) heehee



Here is the rocker now in Ann Mason's room and the AWESOME
taggy blanket that I got on Etsy.com - Noodles and Milk



My crafty project with ribbons and frames!



A view of the crib, frames, rocker and curtains!

Pictures with the Hot Pink curtains!

So I don't know what other mothers do during the winter :) My son LOATHES being in the house for more than like 3 hours at a time. This makes things quite difficult when the weather is FREEZING outside. I think that if we go to the mall one more time to play on the steamboat I might scream :0 We have now learned that the Bass Pro Shop is a great place to go to keep kids entertained! haha We are even resorting going to Costco tonight to walk around and see what they have to offer. What do other moms do when it is cold outside, any suggestions? Or do most kids just not hate being inside as much as my little rascal!

Speaking of the rascal here is a picture of him and Aunt Ashley! The LOVE each other now.

Since, I realize that not every night can be filled with walking around the above mentioned shops I thought maybe craft hour once a week would help fill some time inside the house. When I was little one of my favorite things to do at Christmas was make a construction paper chain with the countdown to how many days until Christmas. I thought this would be perfect for us to make so we started the chain with Dec 1st and with each day we wrote things we were thankful for. Of course being the dork that I am I was REALLY into this and by the 5th day Palmer and Tex had lost all interest and Palmer was biting off the tips of his crayons and Tex was doodling on some paper while I was screaming "We have 20 days left what the heck are you thankful for!" Tex said this is exactly why I need a little girl who will love doing these things with her mommy cause I am certainly not going to get that out of those two boys! Needless to say I completed the chain the rest of the way with no help from them, but I think it turned out great~ :)

2 Pregnant Moms + 2 Toddlers at the Mall = Disaster

So, I am SO thankful to have met an awesome friend kind of thru Palmer. Nikki and I first met when she was 10 weeks pregnant with Reid and I was 6 weeks pregnant with Palmer. Our paths did not cross again really until one day I realized that the Reid in Palmer's new daycare class was actually the Reid that belonged to Nikki so I immediately emailed her and we had an instant connection thru the boys. The more we hang out the more we find out we have a lot in common and our husbands like each other too which makes things even that more awesome! :)

So fast forward to last night. Nikki is now 36 weeks pregnant with Baby Cook #2 and I am 26 weeks pregnant with Ann Mason. (How great, we are good at planning these things!) So, being the "fun" moms we are, we decided to meet at the holy grail of wintertime the mall! As a mom you quickly find "free resources" to take your kids to during the winter months and the mall is one of the best and cheapest options there is! Thanks to Oxmoor mall there is a big steamship where moms and kids gather to have some moments of fun. Reid and Palmer thought it was great and like to run and jump and play with the rest of the kids. Of course Palmer was everywhere and constantly running around and now his big thing is climbing over stuff and landing on his bottom! As I am picking him up I apologize to a mom that is standing there looking horrified. She looks at me and said "No, I am sorry my daughter peed on the steamboat and I am just making sure no one gets in it" At that point I hear the older sister of maybe 5 scream "My sister peeeeeeeed everywhere!" and a little girl standing there with soaked hot pink stretch pants! Ok, so seriously Palmer has yet to do that, I felt so bad for the mom but I couldn't contain my laughter as I met Nikki around the other side and we decided our day was not that bad :)

That is until we hit pottery barn kids. Nikki had never had the full pleasure of letting Reid run free in the PBK store. Luckily I learned of this little haven from my sister-in-law. I think Nikki thought that we really weren't supposed to be letting Palmer and Reid run free with whatever toy they wanted but I assured her that at any given time there were at least 15 kids doing the same thing, so it seemed like the reasonable thing to do. :) Palmer LOVES pottery barn kids and HATES having to leave. Just 3 days ago Tex and I took him out of the store and I proceeded to walk really fast in front of them because Palmer was flailing around and screaming :) So, Tex and I have definitely dealt with the walk of shame out of pottery barn kids when your child is screaming and other parents are giving you "that pity" look that says I am sorry you don't have any control of your kid. :)

So, Nikki and I realize that it is time to go when Palmer laid on the floor and started rolling around and Reid kind of zoned out and looked like he had, had enough. :) So we pick the 2 kids up and start to exit the store. Palmer started crying slightly but since this was Reid's first time having to exit the pottery barn kids haven he really had the meltdown. So, we get both kids out in front of the store and attempt to strap them in their strollers. This seems like a simple enough task,right? WRONG! Any mother that has had a toddler knows that they can lock their little bodies up so tight that you are practically breaking their little legs and arms to get them to sit down in, for instance a high chair or a stroller. Palmer has "locked up" at many a restaurant and to the other patrons horror we have tried to "unlock" his legs by shoving them through the highchair holes whilst he is screaming holy terror! Well, last night it was Reid's turn to "lock up" in front of pottery barn and let me tell you that the kid is a pro at "locking up". Nikki (who again is pretty much 9 months pregnant) is on her knees while Reid is locked up and arching his back meanwhile screaming like he is getting beat by a stick. :) I am contributing nothing but crossing my legs so I don't pee on myself cause I am laughing so hard!

So, here we are 2 very pregnant mommies with 2 uncooperative toddlers, one of which has his body locked up so tight it looks like he is going to break in half! You would not believe the people that actually stopped mid walking and turned to stare! That made me laugh harder. We either got the "pity looks" from other parents, the "horrified" looks that said that is exactly why I am not having children or the "confused" looks of people wondering why we decided to jump in feet first and have a second child when we can't get our first children calmed down! After some coaxing and both Nikki and I "helping" Reid get in his stroller we finally got him strapped in or at least buckled in enough to where he couldn't get out and or hurt himself :)

As I said bye to Nikki we both had that mom look of why do we try to do these things? We love our boys more than anything in the world but some outings with them can be truly exhausting. We decided it would have been much better to have gotten chick-fil-a to go and eaten it at someones house :)

But nights like last night make me realize I am NORMAL! :) I love Nikki to death and her and I are on kind of the same "mom page" and it makes me realize that I am not the only one who feels like I just can't get it together sometimes! I am sure most moms feel that way.

Reid and Palmer are the best of friends and they had a great time despite the meltdowns, here are a few pics of them playing! Nikki and I have decide that we deserve pedicures this week without kids!

So, here is to moms everywhere that have been "that" mom out in public with the "locked up" screaming child! We feel your pain and we will never give you the pity look!

Palmer and Reid playing in the Bus

Countdown to Ann Mason!

I have made to 100 days until my scheduled due date!!! HOORAY! For some reason I have waited to get to this milestone in both of my pregnancies! Tex and I got the pleasure of seeing our little baby girl this morning via ultrasound and I am so pleased that she is growing perfectly!!! This was the best growth she has had and she is pretty much right on target now and in the 20%!!! She weighs 1 pd 7 oz so think of a little bigger than a 20oz coke!

She looked SO cute all curled up in there and her legs and arms were up my her face. My favorite thing was that she had chubby cheeks!!! I asked if that really was fat and the tech said indeed it was!!! I can't wait to hold a newborn in my arms and experience that joy over again! I feel like I am already anxious and I still have a ways to go!

I am 25 weeks now and have 14 more to go! Not too bad. I don't go back for another 4 weeks but then on Dec 10th I will go back weekly!

More to come.....

Wild and Crazy week!

Well, another week has escaped me! I don't know how this is happening, things just seem to be going so quickly :) This weekend proved to be another exciting yet super busy weekend. You know the kind of weekend where you stop to look and it is 7 pm on Sunday night and you don't understand how that happened :) It seems like Tex and I try to do too many things on the weekends and end up wearing ourselves out. That is something we have to work on but it is just our personalities and we continue to do it and continue to be exhausted :)

I downloaded my pictures in the wrong order so I am going to go backwards on the weekend re-cap! Sunday we decided to do a lot to the nursery, Tex finished up most of the painting (minus a few touch ups that need to be done) and then with a lot of co-ercing he put together the crib. So, I got to place most of the furniture, put on the crib bedding, and lay out the shams and duvet cover on the full bed. It is a rough idea of what the nursery will look like but it is coming together. We still don't have the curtains hung, things on the wall, bed skirts for the crib and bed but you can get an idea. I love it, I think I will want to spend a lot of time in there! Funny enough we have caught Molly sleeping in the bed for the past few nights and Palmer thinks it is his new favorite room! Little does he know what is going to be coming to that room :)

View of the crib and dresser... (the rocker will go in the corner with the ottoman)

View of the green walls and the full bed with matching bedding

Close up view of the crib and bedding

This next photo could be one of my all time favorite Palmer pics! He loves bath time and Sunday night mommy went a little overboard with the bubbles and he thought they were hilarious! I have to admit our nighttime routine which includes bath time is one of the most special times of the day! How can you be upset with this face????

Now back tracking to Friday we headed to Owensboro to visit Tex's family and to attend Ethans b-day on Saturday. Unfortanetly for whatever reason my sweet 18 month old boy is NOT a cooperative traveler. I have fretted about this time after time but I have come to the conclusion that this is just the make up of Palmer and he is not one for change and new surroundings at this stage in the game. This being said... Traveling is tough on me. Palmer just gets so excited and over stimulated that he stays up all night crying and is just one big walking meltdown.

With me being 6 months pregnant, trying to work full time and running after an 18 month old this in turn, turned mommy into one big walking meltdown as well. So our stay in Owensboro didn't go as planned as usual but we moved on and pushed thru to the birthday party. I am confident that one day Palmer will adapt easier but for right now he likes his bed, his house and his routine and Tex and I are going to have to be ok with that :)

He did seem to make it thru the b-day party in great spirits after the restless night. He LOVES his cousins more than anything and LOVED hanging out with "the big kids" here are a few action shots.....

Palmer got caught literally red handed digging into the cake

He is going in for another "secret" swipe

I loved this picture cause it is him sitting with the "big kids"

Katelyn (his ever conscienous cousin) kept informing me that

Palmer was only eating his chips and not his hot dog :) I told

her that we had to pick our battles with him sometimes haha

All in all it was a good weekend. It seems I wear down faster than I did when I was pregnant with Palmer. I guess this is normal with the second pregnancy? We are looking forward to some weekends at home and for a LONG Thanksgiving weekend! WOOHOO!

I get to go see Ms. Ann Mason on Friday for an ultrasound so I will hopefully FINALLY get some good shots of her and post them!