Easter Came and Went in the Blink of an Eye!

Nana with Palmer!

Nana, Papaw, Grandchildren, and Great-Grandchildren

Joe, Ash, Tex, Palmer and I

This pretty much "sums up" Palmers Easter Mood!

Palmer's 1st set of clubs and Easter basket

Palmer's Easter Outfit!

Well, Easter came and went So fast!!! All of the excitement and build up and then it was all over! Palmer had a double ear infection that caused his other wise happy mood to deteriorate for most of the weekend! He did show some slight signs of delight over Easter and gave me an occasional half smile here and there :) His Easter basket was filled with fun stuff and the one thing he picked out was the 99 cent plastic Easter egg! I should have known it!

We had a great time in Georgetown with the family, it was and is always so nice to be around family!!! It was great seeing Ashley and Joe for the first time since the big engagement! Her ring is gorgeous!

While Nana looked beautiful you could tell she was putting on a brave face for everyone! Her usually talkative self seemed much more demure this visit and she was just kind of taking all of the commotion in. It was the first time she didn't say "Why is everyone leaving already?" as the commotion probably wore her and Papaw out! I just cherish every minute that I get to see the joy on her face when she sees Palmer, it is priceless!!!

We had our family tradition of KFC! Yes, that is right Kentucky Fried Chicken for Easter dinner! You can't get more Kentucky than that! :) haha

ON A SIDE NOTE TO ALL MOTHERS:

Do you ever sense that your children know when a big Event or holiday is going on? I swear Palmer has this innate sense that causes him to turn into a different child whenever there is something big going on! At home he is my "little angel" that plays and entertains himself, Mr. Independent, happy go lucky, the whole 9 yards... and then lately anytime there is too much commotion or something big is happening outside of his surroundings he just kind of frazzles and turns into the child who won't let me leave his side and can't be left alone to play, and doesn't go to other people. I would hope that most moms would tell me that this is just a phase and that this is exactly what happens when our little ones turn this age and he will adapt soon enough!

Obviously I love that fact that he wants "me" his mom! But I also don't want to have "that kid" that is tugging on my pants for me to pick him up constantly! I want him to be happy in his Aunt Ashley's arms and play with his great nana. I want him to be well rounded and I know he will be, I guess this age is hard when they are away from their familar territory. Two things that moms used to say before I was a mom that used to irritate me :) 1. He is "over stimulated" and 2. He just isn't the same when he is "out of his surroundings" I used to roll my eyes and give a under the breath chuckle to myself and think what a load of... well you know! But now as a mom of an almost 1 year old! I hear myself saying these things exactly, and I say the ever popular "I promise he doesn't act like this at home" or "I don't know what has gotten into him"!

If any moms out there would like to leave me a comment and assure me that my child is the norm I would greatly appreciate it!haha I love talking to other mom's, more experienced moms that just seem to pour out a wealth of knowledge on every subject from ear infections to what not to feed your child before their first birthday! I hope that I can be that "all knowing" to some newer, naive mom one day. :) I can't thank the moms I do know enough for the advice they have given me throughout these 10 months!

Glad to have gotten this off of my chest!!!

Cousins, Cousins, Cousins....

Palmer has been a busy, busy boy this weekend!!! We started with a road trip to Owensboro to visit Mamaw, Papaw, Uncle Johnny, Aunt Tricia and Cousins Ethan and Katelyn! Boy, was that exciting as always :) Katelyn and Ethan LOVE "baby Palmer"! Since Palmer has started crawling and walking around things he can hold his own a little better which is a relief to me since I am constantly wondering where he is and if he is going to hurt himself :) They had a great time playing together and seeing each other. Ethan still has some "uncrontrollable" love for Palmer where he feels the need to grab his face or hug him in what resembles more of a choke hold :) but at the end of the weekend everyone has survived and had a great time!!!

This is the start of bath time. Everyone seems to be in order and having a good time!
This is when Palmer realizes that his cousins might be crazy and he is ready to exit the tub! The following pictures are too much to show! Palmer had a mini meltdown! haha


Well, after the weekend in Owensboro Aunt Kiki, Cousin Jillian and Cousin Mia made a very special trip up to Louisville to visit! We always love when they come, we miss them so much! Our first stop was the Mall where I have found that Pottery Barn Kids is not only a store but a source of amusement for many kids of all ages! After PBK we were off to see the Easter Bunny! I was SO excited, I thought since the whole Santa thing went over so well that the Easter Bunny would be a breeze! Boy, was I wrong! I guess the whole costume was a little overwhelming! It didn't seem to faze Jillian though! After recouping from the trauma of the Easter bunny we rounded all 3 kids and headed to Panera to get some food to go! We went back to our house and after hours of eating, playing, making rice krispie treats, singing and dancing to Hannah Montana we had to sadly call it a night!
It is always fun hanging out with family!! Kylena thanks for always coming up to visit, we love when you all do!! Palmer is still exhausted!

Palmer and Jillian with the Easter Bunny!

Jillian and Mia with thier "bunny ears" on! (Palmer is still crying from the Easter Bunny)

Thanks to Aunt Kiki, Uncle Mark, Jillian and Mia, Palmer now has his first PBK's Anywhere Chair and he LOVES it!!! He has been sitting in it since it arrived :)

EASTER is only 5 more days away!!!

EASTER IS ALMOST HERE!!!!

Here are Palmer's Easter pics! He was still a little tired from playing with his cousins in Owensboro but he still made it thru a few good shots! I am so excited to have Palmer's first Easter! It seems like children make everything more exciting. I can relive my favorite childhood memories thru him. We are going to dye eggs, have an Easter egg hunt, hide the Easter egg basket, and mommy is going to attempt her first annual BUNNY CAKE :) (pictures will follow good or bad) It is such a fun holiday and one that I am looking more forward to because Palmer will be with us this year!! We love you Palmer!

Do I look like I could get in trouble?

Palmer loved his rocking horse, we might have to get one!

Mommy and Daddy's favorite picture!!

Ok, I had to add this one.... Could he be related to The Trump?

I LOVE BOOK CLUB!

I absolutely love book club! Thanks Sara for starting it up again for 2008! It has been a great excuse to make time for reading again! Once a month I look forward to getting together with a group of women (most of them I have only met on a few occasions) sharing a glass of wine and hearing so many different opinions on the book we read that month. It is so funny how we are all so different yet each one of us brings such a unique view of the book and the world. There are definitely some intellects in our group, and some comedians as well, and then their are people like me who sit quietly for the most part and will throw out the occasional comment here and there :) I like to take it all in and hear everyone's ideas and stories.

I will try and post our book each month! I know I am always looking for a great read so this might be helpful to others!

I love doing things like this. I always wished I had a hobby but never got into anything, so this will be like my hobby.

This month we are reading A Long Way Gone by Ishamel Beah! It is a truly heart wrenching story of courage and will! I am only half way done right now but it is a very good book. I think it is hard sometimes because we tend to live in our own little world and we don't want to know what is going on in other countries. But I truly believe Knowledge is Power and the more we know about topics like these the more we can start doing something about them.
Here is the review of the book!


A gripping story of a child’s journey through hell and back.
There may be as many as 300,000 child soldiers, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s, in more than fifty conflicts around the world. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them. He is one of the first to tell his story in his own words.
In A LONG WAY GONE, Beah, now twenty-six years old, tells a riveting story. At the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. Eventually released by the army and sent to a UNICEF rehabilitation center, he struggled to regain his humanity and to reenter the world of civilians, who viewed him with fear and suspicion. This is, at last, a story of redemption and hope.




MARCH'S BOOK

February's book was Eat, Pray, Love! If any of you watch Oprah you may have seen Elizabeth Gilbert on her show as this was an Oprah Book Club pick! I absolutely LOVED this book! I laughed and I cried. I thought Gilbert was so raw sometimes and so inspiring. I related to her anxiousness of being alone. She was such a relate-able character to me. She is extremely witty and extremely like-able. I would recommend this book to all women young and old!

Here is the review!
A Starred Review. "Gilbert, author of The Last American Man (2002) and a well-traveled I'll-try-anything-once journalist, chronicles her intrepid quest for spiritual healing. Driven to despair by a punishing divorce and an anguished love affair, Gilbert flees New York for sojourns in the three Is. She goes to Italy to learn the language and revel in the cuisine, India to meditate in an ashram, and Indonesia to reconnect with a healer in Bali. This itinerary may sound self-indulgent or fey, but there is never a whiny or pious or dull moment because Gilbert is irreverent, hilarious, zestful, courageous, intelligent, and in masterful command of her sparkling prose. A captivating storyteller with a gift for enlivening metaphors, Gilbert is Anne Lamott's hip, yoga-practicing, footloose younger sister, and readers will laugh and cry as she recounts her nervy and outlandish experiences and profiles the extraordinary people she meets. As Gilbert switches from gelato to kundalini Shakti to herbal cures Balinese-style, she ponders the many paths to divinity, the true nature of happiness, and the boon of good-hearted, sexy love. Gilbert's sensuous and audacious spiritual odyssey is as deeply pleasurable as it is enlightening." by Donna

FEBRUARY'S BOOK

PRINCESS ASHLEY HAS FINALLY FOUND HER PRINCE!!!!

This is Ashley's engagement ring!

This is the happy "bride to be" and her beautiful ring! Great job Joe!

This is Joe!!! The only guy that could make Ashley finally settle down!

Well, the time FINALLY came and Princess Ashley is going to get MARRIED!!! Joe proposed to her yesterday on a beautiful golf course in Destin, Fl! It is hard to believe that my little sister is old enough to be getting married. She couldn't have picked a better guy, we love Joe more than anything and he is a great yin to Ashley's yang!!! They complement each other so well and we can't wait to start help planning the wedding! Can't wait till you all get back so I can see the ring in person! We love you all!

CAUGHT

RED

HANDED

Attn: Everyone!

Do not underestimate the workings of this little boy! He may look innocent and sweet but he is actually very smart and mischevious :) All in one hard days work he had managed to tear pictures from the shelves, tip over Molly's water and food bowls, attempted to play in the toilet, and finally unrolled an entire roll of paper towels that Tex was using to clean with! We have got T-R-O-U-B-L-E on our hands! Watch out world!!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow...

Palmer was truly amazed by all of this white powder that seemed to cover the streets, cars, grass, etc... We got about 11 inches of snow on Friday and Saturday. It was the pretty kind of snow that just seemed to be a white blanket covering every where you looked. We opened the front door for him and he peered out in amazement for a long time! Then he proceeded to crawl from front door to back door just screaming with delight at this foreign thing called snow! It was so fun to watch as his eyes lit up as we took him downstairs Saturday morning and opened the door to a new world! Maybe next year we can take him sleding! While the snow was beautiful the Templeton's are ready for some sunny, warm weather!!! We have places to go, people to see, and things to do! We don't have anymore time for winter!

All about Palmer....

I am giving blogging another shot!!! Sara Floyd I hope this makes you happy! This is mainly so everyone can keep up with the Templeton's and more importantly the ever-changing Palmer!

He is now 9 months and 13 days old. Can that be possible? He is the light of our lives and is constantly changing and discovery something new on a daily basis!! He crawls at the speed of light and has now mastered walking around the coffee table and can get from the coffee table to the couch. He has the biggest heart and a comedic personality. He loves to dance, eat puffs, and annoy Molly. I love the person he is becoming. He is sensitive, strong, outgoing and has the funniest sense of humour.
We have a special bond, he is like my best friend that laughs at all my jokes. He thinks I am hilarious when no one else does. He gets me, and let's me be crazy and fun. He brings out a side of me that few rarely see. When I stare at him sleeping (which is most every night) I am amazed... amazed that he's mine, amazed that he has so many qualities from both Tex and I (good and bad), amazed that we created something so perfect.
Tex is an amazing dad. Funny though that he is more of the worrier. I thought I would be the worrier for sure. He worries about him eating puffs, worries about him eating table food, worries about me throwing him up in the air, worries that him and Molly will never be friends. He worries because he loves Palmer with everything he has. It is one of the greatest joys I have found to watch him with Palmer together, he has turned into an incredible father and I have seen a new side of him since Palmer was born. A more cautious side that he is now living his life for someone else.
I am going to make a true effort to keep this blog going :) I invite you to take a seat and enjoy the ride that we call our life. It is bumpy and it hurts sometimes but we have lots of fun and lots of love!