Keeping it in the Family!

Ashley is Rolling on her new embroidery business! I am SO proud of her for figuring this monster machine out and practicing on all of these amazing items!!! Here is some of her sample work! If you need anything embroidered you can leave me a comment or email her at AshSMerritt@gmail.com I will definitely be posting some more stuff since I know I will be ordering TONS of stuff for Palmer and Ann Mason :) haha

So proud of you Ash!

So I will Remember...

Since I use this as a online baby/kid journal I have to share that this girl....

Went POTTY for the first time today! I am almost sure ok I know that it was probably fluke but I was still excited! We have been doing a lot of sitting and not a lot of anything else but today she said "potty" and I stuck her on non other than the baseball potty seat and sure enough she went pee-pee!!! Don't worry I am not moving her into underwear just yet but I am hopeful she might just pick this thing up without much effort on my part! haha One can only wish...

Also, I always forget some of the funnier things that the kids say but today Palmer told me that Diego (frenemy from his class) bit him again today... when I asked why in the world he would do that Palmer responded and said, "Mom, he made bad choices again" I wish I had the knowledge of my 3 year old some times!

Your In the Right Place!

Thanks to Elizabeth Adkins I figured out how to make my blog look not-so-generic! Thanks Elizabeth for all of your help from bows to blogs! Now that I know how to make headers don't be surprised to see a lot of changing of scenery's! haha!

The Start of Fall = Happiness!

It was the first weekend that made me feel like fall is in our future! The weather was crisp and cool at night and I loved everything about it! We had a great weekend in Owensboro spending time with family. Just watching how happy the kids are when we are there makes it even better! Luckily, knock on wood (again and again) I was the only one that got the dreaded stomach bug! So we went ahead with our plans and had soccer Saturday and then headed to Owensboro for some fun and family time! Here are some pics from our fun filled weekend!

The usual set up.... The kids constantly eating snacks on Mamaw's couch!

 We got to go to a fall festival, you know the kind.... where you manage to spend $20 for the kids to ride 3 things :) haha It was worth it... this was the one "ride" that didn't use tickets. Palmer and Ann Mason liked the motorcycle so much that the guy said he might start charging for it! :) I hope this isn't a scene from my future with Palmer and Ann Mason on their Harley!

 This girl can't be stopped I try to get pics of her but she is too fast, I tried to get a shot of how cute she looked!

 After a few trys we found the perfect "ride" for Palmer, it was right up his alley and just his speed... SLOW! Here are Palmer and Ann Mason driving the toy trucks!



 I just had to add this pic of Annie with the sign big foot under it! If they only knew :)

 Her brother was very serious about being the driver! Ann Mason didn't seem to mind!

 The cousins + 1 on the hay stack :)

Ethan, Matthew, Katelyn, Palmer and Ann Mason

                      Annie and cousin KK, Katelyn is hands down one of the sweetest  girls in the world! She is so mothering and patient, we all love her!

We hope you all had a great weekend! Here's to fall coming our way (we hope!!)

Under Construction...

Please excuse the blog for a moment until I find the time to make it look decent again! haha!

One of my fears!

Ok, so if you know me you probably know that I have a lot of fears some sane and some insane! ha! But one of my fears is getting the stomach bug. It never fails that I get it about 2 times a year and I HATE it!!! The last time I had it in January it lasted 72 hours and I was ready for the ambulance to come get me even if I was naked curled up in a ball, I really HATE it! So yes, it struck again... Wednesday night my stomach was hurting but I was thinking I just ate too much! haha! But I popped up at 2:24 am (PS why does the stomach flu NEVER start during the day but always at night) so it began.... Luckily I had some medicine to help knock me out but I was off work Thursday and today :( I am PRAYING that the kids and Tex don't get it, I am knocking on every piece of wood that everyone seems OK so far... we have a great rest of the weekend planned if we can just make it without anyone getting sick! Tomorrow we have soccer and then headed to the boro to celebrate my brother in laws 40th birthday and spend time with the family. This undoubtedly the kids favorite thing in the world they have asked all night when they are going to Mamaw and Papaws! I love to see them so excited, I hope that all goes well and we will be in Owensboro tomorrow!

Oh the times they are a changing....

Yes, we just purchased tickets to Veggie Tales LIVE! WOOHOO! haha For those of you not familiar with Veggie Tales (which is probably a majority of the population! haha!) they are a GREAT Christian cartoon and tell stories of Jonah, Moses, etc... and they sing! Palmer and Ann Mason have a couple of their dvd's.

It is kind of crazy that I think I am just as excited about going to Veggie Tales Live as I was about George and Reba! haha! They are having a momentum week at our church Southeast Christian Church and the Duggards are even coming with 17 of 19 of their children! They have a whole week of "celebrities" and we have picked the Veggie Tales!! Hopefully P and AM will enjoy their little dancing and singing veggies! :)



Family Weekend!

We had a GREAT family weekend!!! We started off the weekend with playing at the Arc and going to Palmer and Annie's fav restaurant Cracker Barrell, yum!! 



Ann Mason

Saturday we kicked off the morning with a little soccer, I LOVE watching Palmer play soccer and be such a big boy! He has so much fun and he was literally just jumping up and down and laughing he was so excited! We are thinking about starting gymnastics! ha! Tex doesn't know what to think about this idea yet, but I keep telling him it is more like "gym" time and will help with his coordination when he is a quarterback or something :) We might even let Ann Mason try it out for a bit, she seems to like soccer even though she's not on the team yet! :)



Palmer 3 year 4 months

Saturday night we went to our FAVORITE festival. Tex and I have been every year since we got married and we love it! Palmer and Ann Mason had so much fun with their friends and going on the bouncies and the ship ride, Ann Mason hangs right in there just like she is 3! Nothing scares her at all!



Ann Mason before Church

This morning we headed to church and we hadn't been in a while since they had their tonsils out and Tex has been working almost every Sunday. It felt SO good to be back! I was sad though cause both kiddos moved up in their classes and Palmer is now back in the preschool area, it doesn't seem possible! He just keeps on getting bigger and I want him to stay my little baby :)



Palmer told me today when we picked him up from his new preschool class that it scared him... I asked him why and he told me "That this girl ate berries and she wasn't supposed too but the snake told her too and she got in real big trouble!" So, I gathered that they learned about Adam and Eve and that the berries were really the apple... I was cracking up! He told me that he liked his class though and he wanted to go back, so that was a good thing, I guess Adam and Eve didn't scare him too bad!

It was a nice weekend with the family! Since I went back to work full time I cherish the weekends and getting to spend time with the kids and Tex! They just are never long enough :)

ALL GLEEKED OUT!

So, I am TOTALLY GLEEKED OUT! Yes, I said it I LOVE GLEE!!! My co-worker gave me Season 1, Vol 1 and I only have 2 more episodes left on that so I went out and bought Season 1, Vol 2 today at Target and I have until Tuesday to get caught up before the season premiere of Season 2!!!

I knew I had crossed over when the same co-worker burned me all 4 Glee DVD's and I was at lunch in my minivan JAMMING to the Glee CD's! If you haven't see it, you need too! If you watch it, let's talk! ha! It is great everyone needs to be a GLEEK!

My tv days have SLOWED dramatically if not come to a full on hault with two little ones but I did print out the fall season premiere line-up and I am hopefully going to get a plan in place to watch some of these awesome shows! I seriously need a break from Calliou, Cars, Jungle Book or any other kid related movies! ha!

Team Templeton

My Sweet, Spunky Baby Girl is 19 months old today!!! Just writing that makes me want to cry.... I love, love, love the stage she is now but I don't know how this happens so fast. Where did my newborn baby go that let me hold her and rock her and depended on me for everything? There are days I crave that (yes, I know I am crazy!) and then there are days that I am so content with where we are now. I know God has a plan for us and we are blessed to have two beautiful and healthy children, I will patiently wait to see if HE has anymore "plans" in the future for us and maybe HIS plan is exactly to be where we are at this exact moment, and I believe that with my whole heart! :) I will be the 50 year old mom still wanting a newborn! haha I don't know if that feeling will ever go away for me, does it?

Some people are very clear about being done with having children and I envy that, but of course I have to make everything complicated :) haha I can't think of anything that was more miraculous than feeling your baby in your stomach for the first time or seeing your child being born and everything that comes with it. It is HARD and CRAZY but oh my gosh it is SO worth it!! So for now I am becoming content with enjoying my life each day and not looking for answers and trying to ask all of the what if's, I know that my life will work out exactly the way it is supposed to as long as I follow God's Will and not mine! :) (easier said than done!)

So with that being said... ha! Happy 19 month birthday Ann Mason! You are so funny, sweet, independent and loving! You are a talking machine and Palmer and you play a game in the back seat to try and see how many words you can repeat! You even said "excuse me" the other night after you belched like a 40 year old man wearing Palmer's pjs, I was SO proud! heehee (true story!) You are so beautiful inside and out and I LOVE having you as my daughter!

Ok, so this is one of the main reasons why it is just so hard to think about not having more mini Templeton's! The love Ann Mason and Palmer have for each other just makes my heart melt. They are opposites attract in ever sense and they just work! They can't get enough of each other everyday, all day! haha They REALLY want to share a room but I am not even going there yet :) We let Ann Mason "pretend" to sleep in there before we take her to her crib and it works for now.

I picked up Palmer and Ann Mason from school yesterday and the minute Palmer saw her, Palmer gave her a big hug and I thought I was going to cry right there on the playground! I love that they love each other and I hope they always will. They have a special bond and it makes me smile just watching them with each other.

Our new favorite thing is to get in a huddle and all throw our hands together and scream "GOOOOO Templetons!" they think that is hilarious! So whether we ever expand that huddle is still a mystery but for right now our huddle of 4 suits me pretty well! :)

I love you both so much it hurts, I love to see your excitement and hear about your days and I just love us being together, at this point in your lives that is really all you truly want is for us to be together as a family, so simple yet so amazing! I know in the years to come that may not always be the case when you want to be with your friends but I hope even when your older we can still cheer for The Templeton's together, cause we are a team and we need each other!

What We Have Been Up To!

Tex and I kicked off the weekend celebrating our 6 year anniversary! My boss gave us free tickets to the Reba and George Strait concert. I haven't been to a concert since before Palmer was born and it was SO fun! I love country music and I have loved Reba since I was little! I must say I have always liked George Strait songs but man, he is sexy! haha And 58 years to boot! Not bad to listen or to look at! It was an awesome anniversary and one that we will never forget!

Mr. Hottie!

Reba, she still looks rockin after all these years!

We have been busy having fun around here! Palmer started soccer and he LOVES it! I can tell a huge difference from last year at 2 and this year at 3! He is so serious and loves the obstacle course and oh of course seeing his best buddy Reid! They are so cute, I just want to squeeze them!

Reid and Palmer

Stuck together like glue!

Ok, I think I have celebrated my birthday for a month! haha Ashley surprised me with an awesome day on Saturday after soccer I headed to a surprise lunch with the girls and then after that I got another HUGE surprise a one hour massage and a one hour facial! It was truly heaven on earth! I seriously want to get one every month! haha I doubt that will happen maybe when I am 40 I will do it again!

My AWESOME cake!!! I think I want the same one for AM's birthday!

Me and Ashley, thanks SO much for the awesome day!!!

Kourtlee, Brook and Jamie

Nikki, Ashley, Erin, Linds, Whit and Me!

Katie, Jenny and Whit

Erin, Linds and I

Oh and we have also been supporting our C-A-T-S! Palmer now knows about 3 CATS cheers and LOVES cheering on the big blue and white!!!

I am LOVING the kids ages right now, it feels like we are turning a corner (slowly but surely) there getting to the fun age where we can take them to games , festivals, soccer, etc... I am quickly becoming a true soccer mom! Oh, a soccer mom with a hot pink monogram on her minivan (pics to come!) haha

Birthday Weekend!

I had the BEST birthday weekend EVER! This turning 30 might not be so bad after all!

Thursday night the kids and Tex presented me with a bugs bunny card (Palmer's choice) and a new Pandora charm with my birth stone, the kids were so proud and Tex said that was the most fun part was taking them to get my present and pick out the card even though it took Palmer quite a while to pick it out! haha

Friday afternoon Ashley took me to a birthday lunch at Panera where I got a BEAUTIFUL arrangement of flowers from my mom and we had a great lunch together!

Tex and I took the kids half way to Owensboro and kicked off our weekend with a GREAT celebration at Erin's. It was SO much fun and we laughed, sat at the bonfire, played catch phrase and just had so much fun! I was blown away but the love and celebration from all of my friends, it was wonderful.

Saturday I had to share my birthday with another person! haha Just kidding, Riley! We went to Riley's UK themed 2nd birthday sans the kiddos and had a great time! Riley was adorable and it was great seeing everyone and all of the kiddos, not to mention the CATS winning!

Saturday night I had a "date night" no not with Tex but with my best friend in the whole world Jamie. We ate at Rafferty;s and then went to see the Switch (in my opinion it was a rental) but it was still great company and a great time!

Sunday Tex and I got to spend the day together and take naps and eat at Macaroni Grill all by ourselves and with a gift card, I think it made the food that much more delicious! ha!


Monday we attempted to go to the zoo with apparently everyone else in Louisville so basically we drove 30 minutes to eat at Qdoba and turn around cause the traffic was so bad, we have promised Palmer another trip out there SOON!

The weekend was great and I was so blessed to spend so much time with all of the people that I love and I feel like basically all I did was eat!! haha I better watch out now that I am 30! Thanks to everyone for such a special birthday!


Here are some pics from the big weekend! I didn't take as many as I hoped, I guess I was too busy having fun!

New Decade!

Today I hit the big milestone of turning 3-0! This one was hard for me and I don't know why. It isn't about getting "old", I guess it was more about trying to figure out who I am, I thought by the time I was 30 I would know who I am but I am definitely still trying to figure that out. I guess we are always evolving as a person but I can honestly say I have done some major evolving over the last 2 years! haha My 20's have been bittersweet... Some of the most joyous and wonderful things have happened in my life in my 20's and for those things I am beyond blessed. I had never put a "timeline" on my life but I can't believe that by 30, I married my best friend, got our first sweet fur baby and was blessed to have two of the most beautiful children in the world! On the flip side my 20's have been some of the hardest years of my life, I have had struggles and worries and have dealt with some pretty tough issues. Issues I never thought I would have to face, ever. As I look back on my 20's I have to say that I don't regret the path of life I  have been down. Are there things that I wish were different, of course? Are there things that I wish I could take back, sure? But really, everything that has happened until now has lead me to where I am today and led me to start figuring out who I am and have a closer relationship with God... how could that be a regret? So as I say farewell to my 20's I wave a hearty goodbye to the hardships and a slow nostalgic goodbye to some of those most wonderful first in my life but I will choose to remember the good and leave the not so good in my 20's. My favorite line that I heard in church lately is "Your past is forgiven and your future is settled!" There is such a peace about that!

Tex and I on our wedding day 09/10/2004

Molly Templeton 04/15/2005

My first pregnancy!!! I miss this so much! Pregnant with Palmer 12/31/2006

The Birth of Our Son Palmer 05/22/2007

The Birth of our Beautiful Daughter Ann Mason 02/16/2009

One of the things I feel most blessed about in my life is my friends and family. I seriously don't know where I would be without you all! You have been there for me in ways I could never re-pay! I am SO lucky to have a lot of silver and gold friends, I LOVE that! Especially the saying "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is Silver and the Other Gold!" Truly blessed for all of the silver and gold in my life!!! I am really looking forward to my 30's and everything they shall bring! I have heard that your 30's are a great time in your life and I can't wait to find out!