Life can Resume!

I am free of the chains of studying! I passed my mortgage loan originators test and I am SO grateful to be done with studying for just a little bit! WOOHOO! I also finished all 17 of my tile orders so I am free to do a little dance :)

This weekend we are relaxing most of the time and we are heading away from the derby festivities to go to a Derby party, go figure? haha We are headed to Bowling Green to spend some time with great friends and all of their kids, I can't wait to see everyone! I also have new batteries in my camera and I am ready to roll! Thank Goodness it's Friday!

Blog Neglect!

This picture sums up how I feel every time I think about how I have neglected my blog this week and even this month! ha! The Templeton's are well and busy! I have been studying non-stop for a national mortgage test for work and I think my brain is on over-drive. I don't think I even studied this much in college or at least I don't remember! :)

I have also been working on my tile orders which are almost done! When I am not doing "work" stuff I have been busy having fun with the kids and Tex! We had a GREAT weekend with lots of laughs, lots of fun and lots of family time and for that I am SO grateful!

We have a great week planned minus the test I have to take! It is Derby time in Louisville and it is everywhere! One year I am bound and determined to take the whole week off and participate in all of the derby festivities, I am a dork and even want to go to Kroger's and watch them make the Blanket of Roses!

Hope everyone is having a FABULOUS week and I should be back in action soon with pictures and stories GALORE!

EXCITED!

I am SO pumped! BST Designs is picking up! haha I actually got my very first straight internet order from someone I don't know! WOOHOO!!! Plus I have so many GREAT friends that have put in for Mother's Day Orders, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

If anyone else needs Mother's Day Gifts let me know I am making quite a few right now and it is easier to do them in bulk!!! Visit www.bstdesigns.blogspot.com I should be updating my latest orders soon!

If my calculations are correct I just need to make thousands more to stay at home! heehee Just joking, I LOVE doing this even if I do have to keep my day job! haha!

14 Months!

Ann Mason Templeton

14 Months Old 04/16/2010

Where did the last 2 months go? I swear we just celebrated your birthday last weekend! haha You are SO hilarious I can't even stand it! I swear with each day passes you become more independent, fiesty, brave and funny!

Since you were sick so much in the last two months you actually lost 2 pounds and were back down to 20 pounds but I guarantee the way you have been eating this week you have gained it back! haha You are wearing 18 month clothes though!

Drum Roll Please..... after just 14 short months (totally sarcastic here!) you are FINALLY sleeping thru the night! Poor thing, school is absolutley wearing you out and this is what you look like by 6:45 pm, you can barely keep your head up or eyes open...

Your hair has grown double I swear since your birthday and we are starting to head toward the mullet phase and need to make a decision on where to take this in the next month or so! haha You are a messy girl, you even got told you were messy at the park by a 6 year old yesterday! Palmer can eat an entire ice cream cone with no stains on his clothes...you on the other hand can eat 1 cheeze-it and have it all down you! Just like your mother!
You eat everything in sight and if we even drive past a McD's or Wendys you start squealing! It is so embarrassing in the drive thru cause I know when I am ordering the lady must be thinking what it that high pitched noise in the background and it is you, SO excited to get the food! :)

You love to be a funny girl and you are most of the time! You let me love on you 24/7! I can tickle, kiss, hug, squeeze you and you never seem to tire of it! I just want to eat you up all of the time!
You are still growing and getting so big! You and Palmer are pretty much best friends except when the "war squeal" comes out quickly followed by a bite directly from you to Palmer! Fortunately or Unfortunately depending on how you look at it you have only bitten Palmer thus far! I hate it for Palmer but I am hoping you keep your anger in check at daycare! haha

Palmer now calls you Annie cause that is what daddy calls you and it melts my heart every time he says it! You are my sweetest and most feisty girl in the world! I love, love, love having a daughter, it is such a blessing and a privilege and I feel like the luckiest mom in the world!

The Simple Things In Life....

Yesterday the kids and I had one of those days! No, fortunately not one of "those" days where everyone is having meltdowns and I am about to lose it! haha It was actually just the opposite, it was pure joy, pure happiness and it was over the simple pleasures of life!

My biggest weakness (or one of them :) is always worrying too much, thinking of all the what ifs, thinking about our budget or the laundry, etc.. and for 8 hours yesterday I escaped my own thoughts and just watch, enjoyed and LOVED my children without reservation, without the worry of anything around me and it was absolutely freeing and wonderful!

We went to not one but 2 parks, got haircuts, ate ice cream, watched movies and ate popcorn! It was definitely a day for the record books, I don't know who enjoyed it more... me or them?

These are the days I want to remember every tiny detail, the look on Ann Mason's face as she climbed the rock wall by herself (yes, she did, that is no exaggeration!) or the look on Palmer's face as he inched toward the geese with fear and excitement and pretended he was a duck with them!

I wish these days came easier for me, the worry-free ones that is. I am working on letting go and letting God! I look at Tex some times and I get filled with jealousy because I can be in "crisis" mode over whatever happened that day and he can have coke coming out of his nose because he is laughing so hard at Everyone Love Raymond of all things? I wish I could be a little more like him. I realize that all my worrying does not change situations and that maybe more times than not I should sit on the couch and laugh with him because in the end God is the one that knows the plan and not us... not all of the worrying in the world will make things different!

But for today I am grateful! Grateful for the unconditional love of my kids and the AWESOME day we had yesterday! I love you both to the moon and back!

Palmer waving bye before heading down the slide!

I told Palmer to Cheese and he sure took it serious!

Ann Mason tackling her latest goal that day with not one ounce of fear!


Ann Mason walking with the geese!

The Kids were in awe of everything to do with ducks and feeding them are very limited Cheez-it collection!

I love this picture! Palmer is taking Annie by the hand and showing her the world!


We have hardly any plans this weekend other than Daddy has to work! But tonight is Pizza and Movie night. Tex said he went to Pizza Hut for years and years with 3 other families and always has fond memories of that :) Not sure we are hitting up Pizza Hut but there will be pizza and movies involved at some point in tonight's events! haha Wishing everyone a beautiful and BLESSED Weekend!

Gratitude List!

The Templeton's are still around! We have been enjoying every minute of this awesome weather! We had a wonderful Spring Break and the kids and I have been trying to get back into the swing of things this week. I have missed blogging, hopefully I will get better at taking pictures and can post more!

Some one much wiser than me :) always recommends on hectic days or weeks to make a gratitude list from A-Z to put things in perspective so I am going to do one for my blog! We are so blessed every day and I need to always remember that when life gets busy!

I am GRATEFUL for:

A - Always checking on my kids after they have gone to sleep and seeing their beautiful and peaceful faces right before I go to sleep.

B- Being available to everyone around me (friends, family, Tex, kids, etc...)

C - Continuing to grow each day and learn who I am as an individual, mom, daughter, friend, wife

D - Daily Blessings - small victories for my children, a good day at work, an awesome dinner, a beautiful sunrise

E - Every new day that God gives me to be a better person

F- Friendships!!!!!

G - Girlfriends!!!!

H - Husband, without him I would not be able to keep it together!

I - Inventions that make my life easier like organizing bins! ha!

J - Jesus

K - Kindness that is shown to me each day even from complete strangers

L - Love (One of my favorite quotes.. "Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love."

M - My "mommy" time that allows me to re-charge and decompress!

N - Naps, they are still one of my favorite things in the world even if they are few and far between!

O - Outdoors, the sun can change my mood instantly!

P - Presents! Getting and Receiving! haha I LOVE giving someone a present that I know will make them happy!

Q - Quality time with anyone! With two small kids it is hard to get real quality time with people so I appreciate those quiet conversations so much more!

R - Relaxing!

S - Sushi - I love it!

T - Taking Baths! There is nothing better for me than a Sunday night bath with the latest In Touch Magazine! Guilty Pleasure and I love it!

U - Unconditional Love

V - Variety, for a creature of habit I am GRATEFUL for allowing myself to experience variety and be ok with it!

W - Wisdom from others.... I love hearing others share their stories because in every story I find a little piece of my own life and a little wisdom on how to better handle situations!

X - X-tra hugs from the kids! (Ok I cheated, couldn't think of a darn thing that started with X :)

Y - You! Everyone that has come in and out of my life has touched in me in some way and I will forever be grateful for each relationship I have had!

Z - Zoo! I LOVE the zoo and watching the kids see all of the animals for the first time. Some of my favorite memories of the kids have been from the zoo!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day! I hope to post some pictures soon!

Easter Part II

Easter Sunday was a little hectic. We now know that Ann Mason had an ear infection and Palmer chose Easter to have a meltdown in church and we actually left before the sermon even started. I guess that is how things go with 2 kids under 2! You never know what each day brings. In the end every one and every thing was fine. Just when I think that I have control God lets me know very quickly that I don't run the show :) haha!

Despite ear infection and meltdowns kids will still be kids! Here we are trying to get some good Easter pics :)

I guess Palmer and Ethan thought that this Easter was a total Touchdown!

They actual managed to make "nice" faces in this picture!
Ms. Thang decked out in all of her candy jewelry! I used to LOVE candy jewelry and Ann Mason loved hers too! Check out the bed head to match!
Ann Mason discovering her Easter Basket and all of its goodies!

Palmer LOVING his goodies!

The kids spotting what the Easter Bunny brought them! They must get that bedhead from me!

We are all back home safe and sound and the kids are still exhausted from all of the fun times they had in owensboro! We are officially on Spring Break 2010 and so far today we enjoyed our time relaxing and getting outside! Hope everyone had a safe and happy Easter! Love, The Templetons

Easter Part I

We made it thru Easter 2010! The kids went to Owensboro Wednesday due to Tex and I having an incredibly hectic work schedules so we finally met them on Saturday morning and I couldn't wait to get my arms around them! I still don't do well leaving my babies for that long and it has been 3 years! haha! They were so sweet and waited until Tex and I got there to start the Easter festivities! We immediately started dying eggs and then headed off on our search for all of the eggs we dyed! Sorry the pictures are out of order!

Best Buds pooped after their big egg hunt!
My sweet boy! We were so happy to be reunited :)
All of the cousins searching for their eggs!
Ann Mason kept up pretty well! She was showing Papaw the egg that she found.

Ann Mason caught on quickly, she is a force to be reckoned with!
Palmer getting help from dad with all of his eggs!

Palmer's first experience dying Easter Eggs, he was very meticulous with the whole process, surprise, surprise :)

Ann Mason decided to forgo the dying process and just eat the whole time! She even tried to eat some of the dyed eggs!

Dying Easter eggs has become much more advanced since I was a kid! It was so cool to watch and remember....