The Templeton's

Dave Ramsey and 12 weeks!

2012-02-10T11:19:00.002-06:00

OMG is anyone else SO glad its Friday? I mean I am ALWAYS excited about the weekends but this week has just been crazy and I am especially excited its the weekend!

So, I always have to share anything that I am loving or really passionate about. My sweet sister in law asked Tex if we wanted to take a Financial Peace University class at her church. I, being the nerd of the house was all for it. Tex being more of the free -spirit, heard budget and immediately that boring and NO fun! :) I knew this program had to be motivating because I saw how the program impacted my sister in law and her husband, they had been able to make some wonderful changes within their own household. So Tex and I said we would go for it. It's a 13 week course for 2 hours each week. So far we are only thru 2 weeks but Tex and I both LOVE it. It is funny, entertaining, motivating, educational, etc... I especially love that it is teaching us tools to pass along to our kids. Tex and I are loving it because this is the first time we have both taken an active role in our finances, usually I did them and that was it and it is SO nice for us to both be involved and have a say in how things work out. I definitely recommend it to anyone! I can't wait to see what the next 11 weeks has in store!

The best thing about this week by far was I hit the 12 week mark and heard my sweet babies heartbeat! LOVE IT! The heartbeat was strong and beating at 160. I am SO horrible I can't remember if that is "fast" or "slow" based on the old wives tale? Either way it sounded amazing and I was relieved to hear it and move past this first trimester! So the baby is as big as a lime... if you saw me you would already think the baby was as big as a Watermelon! ha! Weight wise things haven't been bad but man, my belly is out there! Rocking maternity clothes proudly at this point :) I don't want to rush things but I can't wait to feel those amazing little movements from the baby, I especially can't wait for the kiddos to get to experience that. Annie is on pins and needles every day to seem some progress!

And just because.... here is Miss Sassy Pants before gymnastics. She LOVES it. Poor thing she is seriously so NOT graceful I mean this morning she fell straight off the bed just from sitting on it. She probably bangs her poor head 8 times a day on some type of object, so I am hoping this class helps her coordination come out! ha! Love her!

And this sweet guy, I just want to squeeze him multiple times a day, even if he does wipe my kisses off! Palmer did gymnastics too. Him and Annie made a pact and wanted to do it together, so of course I said yes!

This weekend we are going to hopefully do some V-day projects! This is the first year that both kids get to do Valentine's cards in their class so they are super excited to go pick them out and get them organized! Everyone have a great weekend!

What' New

2012-02-07T15:03:00.002-06:00

This past week has been busy and fun! I needed both :) I think in the next few weeks I will hopefully start feeling like myself again and then I can start looking forward to warm weather, everything seems better when its warm outside! Here's what we have been up to this week...

It was Tex's birthday weekend! I love this pic of my boys it makes me smile :) We went out to eat at a "fancy" (meaning no highchair) restaurant on Saturday night with some friends and had a blast! Sunday we did the family birthday lunch at the in laws and ate WAY too much food and ice cream cake! It was a great way to celebrate, I love any excuse to get together with friends and family!

Let the games begin.... This weekend we got Palmer signed up for Spring Soccer and Summer T-ball! I can't wait, he is at such a fun age and we are gearing up for some game time! I am super excited about t-ball this will be the first year he will play and it will be at his new elementary school so I am hoping he will meet some buddies before he starts kindergarten in the fall!

Ann Mason started her very first Gymnastics class this past Thursday! I think I was more excited than she was! She wasn't so sure about it at first and the gymnastics instructor was super nice and let Palmer come out there and do it with her! She looked so cute out there with her little shorts doing her little moves! She seems to love it she has asked every day when we are going back!

Sunday night we went to a friends house to watch the superbowl. I don't really care anything about the game but I have to admit this year the half time show ROCKED! I thought Madonna did a great job and loved every minute of it!

The Superbowl ending also meant that two shows started... The Voice 2! OMG I can't wait this season is going to be A-MAZING!

and Smash.... this little episode is waiting for me on my dvr! I am going to watch it tonight. Based on everything I have heard so far this one is going to be great!

I also tried my hand at a new recipe of my mother in laws! Chicken pot pie. Let me just tell you it was DELICIOUS at least it was to me! New recipes don't go over so well in my house :) The kids balk at "foreign" food so while I was enjoying the new recipe Palmer and Annie were both crying and literally gagging at having to take a bite. Not to mention tex was trying to be a good role model to the kids but eating around all of his vegetables, it was just pitiful! I had, had enough of the gagging and whining so I told everyone that they could have mac-n-cheese and hot dogs for the next 10 years because I am retiring at cooking. Just about this time Palmer threw up on the table as if to add more drama to the whole situation! I mean he literally threw up because he didn't want to take another bite! I just walked away and took a bath... Maybe this 3rd child will be obident and appreciative of my hard work in the kitchen! ha!

This week is equally as busy some of the highlights this week are:

1. Tax TIME, bring on the big tax returns :)

2. Annie's gymnastics class

3. Going with my mother in law and sister in law to eat and see a friend in nun-sense

and the BIGGEST HIGHLIGHT is I get to hear my sweet, sweet baby's heartbeat tomorrow at my doctors appt! It always makes me a little nervous, especially since it has been a long 6 weeks since I have gone but I can't wait!

11 weeks!

2012-02-02T10:48:00.002-06:00

I am 11 weeks today!!! Sooo much closer to that second trimester and I couldn't be more happy! This pregnancy I have had to take a progesterone supplement and I honestly can't say if it is the supplement of just the first trimester but I feel like my symptoms have been worse in this pregnancy but maybe I don't fully remember the other ones either (funny how we forget the bad parts! ha!) I wouldn't trade it for the world but I am also going to be SO glad to say goodbye to this exhaustion, vomiting and not being able to go to the bathroom! (I know TMI but seriously that has been the worst thing this whole 11 weeks! You would die at the lengths I have gone to try and make things "regular"!) :)

I am also blaming the extra hormones for looking like someone just stuck a water hose in me and filled me up with water, terrible! :) I DO remember always feeling not-so-cute during these first 12 weeks, I think that is standard for most preggos!

I know I promised belly pics, but I am tending to be a bit picky and not liking them! ha! So, here is our facebook "announcement" from last week. I wanted a cute way to announce #3 and Donald helped us out in a BIG way. I love this picture!

11 Weeks:

My Favorite Thing this Week: Every day when I come home Ann Mason rushes to me and lifts up my shirt and just buries her head in my belly and kisses and talks to the baby! She asks how her day was, if she is cold, tells her she loves her (ok notice that I am using "her" Ann Mason refuses to believe it could be anything but a girl!) This by far brings tears to my eyes everyday!

My Least Favorite Thing this Week: Probably getting sick and needing to go to bed at 7:50!

What I am missing: I know it is probably SO good for me but I am missing the LARGE amounts of caffeine that I took in pre-pregnancy! That is my vice and I miss it dearly! I still drink a small amount in moderation.

What I am loving: My lemon 7up cake from the post below! haha It has helped me get thru the week!

What I am wearing: I am sporting my bella band right now. I hate that I have to wear it at 11 weeks but that is how things are going at this point :) I just need to embrace it rather than be so worried about it happening to fast!

I did all of my blood work and other exams yesterday. Next Wednesday I go to the doctor to hear the heartbeat, I seriously can't wait! This 6 week wait has been hard! They did schedule my gender ultrasound for April 11th which seems like eons away and I will already be 21 weeks, I must discuss this further and try and get it pushed up :)

For the most part things are going smoothly and I am grateful to be able to experience this miracle again sickness and all :)

You will thank me later...

2012-02-01T18:56:00.000-06:00

OMG!! Food is on my brain 24/7 and the worst part is, usually I make what I am craving and it tastes horrible to me! That always happens to me in the first trimester! Not this recipe my friends! On the first night we came back from Disney my sister in law had the most fluffy delicious lemon cake waiting for us! I of course asked for the recipe and was SHOCKEd when she told me not only how easy it was but how LOW FAT it was. Only 75 calories a piece and it was DELICIOUS!

Here it is my friends... Take 1 box of cake mix any flavor you like (so far I have done lemon and strawberry) add 12 oz of regular 7 up or diet 7 up (I used regular) and mix it with the cake mix, bake as directed on the box and top with light cool whip! A-MAZING! The ONLY thing you have to do is mix the 7-up with the cake mix! I don't know how or why it works but it does and it literally makes the best cake you have ever tried! Apparently you can use other sodas for instance someone said to do a chocolate cake with a can of dr pepper, sounds yummy! I can't wait to try all combos!

Make one today you won't regret it!

Disney Download!~

2012-01-31T13:44:00.002-06:00

We are back and I am SAD! I don't know why but before leaving for Disney I felt more stressed than excited. It just seemed like a lot to do and a lot of unknowns, how would the kids act, how do we find everything, how does everything work down there, etc... I think a lot of my being overwhelmed was simply because I am newly pregnant and everything exhausts me right now so to think about taking this major trip to Disney was exhausting mentally just to think about! ha! How lazy do I sound right now? But it was so true!

So to my surprise and excitement we had THE BEST vacation I could have ever imagined! Everything exceeded my expectations by a mile! This was our first true family of four trip. We go to visit my mom in Destin a few times a year but this was our first real family trip and it was AMAZING! I am slightly emotional right now and basically I think I cried about 8 times during the trip cause I was just so darn happy and taken over by emotion, this people is what its all about! The moments when I realize this is what I dreamed about when I dreamed about being a parent! I just took in everything, all of the kids reactions, all of their happiness and emotion and it was priceless~ Tex and I just kept looking at each other both thinking we couldn't be more blessed than we were at that moment. I am certainly not saying it took Disney world to feel that way! ha! But something about that place is magical and you get to remember what life looks like thru the eyes of a child and WOW what an amazing world they live in!

The kids were phenomenal! We had a few tears here and there but for the most part they were complete 100% troopers, no complaining, no asking to buy everything, they were just so amazed by everything else they seemed to be perfectly content! Thank goodness :) Annie did great, she usually crashed in the stroller mid day from pure exhaustion. She likes the hustle and bustle and people watching but she wasn't too impressed with the characters! Palmer however was the child that surprised me he LOVED everything, I mean EVERYTHING! His reactions were worth every penny spent, he was such a happy boy the whole trip!

I am pretty sure I took about 345 pictures! I realize that is entirely too many to try and put on the blog. I picked a few out of the first half I downloaded to share! Here are some of the things we enjoyed most while we were there!

Swimming!! Our resort had a GREAT pool with a water slide...

It was 81 degrees there everyday!

Meeting the Characters, we had two character meals, one lunch, one dinner!

Annie liked this girl but was scared of everyone else! Palmer met every character there was in the park :)

Meeting our favs, Lightening and McQueen this was a big day for Palmer!

We attempted 100's of family pics most turning out something like this :)

We tried on TONS of hats! Love my two cowboys!

This was SO fun, we did our first flash mob on the streets of Hollywood studio before our first parade, I think I got pretty into the dancing part :)

One of the kids most favorite things was watching the parades at all of the parks, they were amazing and filled with all of their favorite characters!

We had SO much fun with these 3! Annie and Palmer loved spending time with their cousins! It was great to experience this with them!

I got to spend time with my dad and Dawn and it was wonderful! Everyone had a great time together and met most nights for dinner!

I spent the best 99 cents ever at Walmart before we left on packs of glow sticks! Palmer was decked out head to toe in glow sticks once the sun went down! He was a walking light show!

And the kids loved their "autograph" books and big pens (thanks Whit for the tip!) they waited in many lines with these items!

This was one of 3 Mickeys that we met during the week!

And of course we rode TONS of rides and wore TONS of 3D glasses! This is Palmer going on Star Wars!

I will definitely post more! I am trying to figure out what to do with all of these pictures. I am thinking of making Palmer a cute collage with his pictures, tickets, buttons, etc... to hang in his room! I know he will remember this trip forever!

Random Thoughts!

2012-01-19T14:41:00.000-06:00

I realize that my blog posts have been lacking any real consistency and that mainly I go with the "random" theme because it is about all that this pregnant brain can handle! ha! I can definitely say that I am still feeling the effects of the first trimester but a little of the fog is lifting! My mental state seems to be returning slowly and I have actually been able to wrap my brain around everything and I am starting to get really excited!!!

Today I am 9 weeks! This time around I am going to do weekly belly pictures even if it kills me! I KNOW I will love looking back on it one day even though it terrifies me from a vanity stand point to think about taking pics of myself every week! Right now I am feeling a little thick :) I am totally blaming it on being my 3rd pregnancy! My body just automatically starts shaping itself and apparently it is doing it quite early this time around! YIKES! I am trying to embrace it because I can't stop it :) Apparently as my bff Jamie says, Tori Spelling went thru this same thing with #3 and it is all documented on her new show, so I feel so much better knowing I am not alone! ha!

But today my sweet little baby is the size of a GRAPE! Have you ever seen a cuter grape? :) I am dying to go back to the dr and hear the heartbeat but I won't go back for a few more weeks but it will be worth the wait!

In honor of baby t #3 being the size of a grape, I ate some today for lunch dipped in this heavenly stuff....

OH MY!~ Heaven! Most everything I taste these days does not live up to what I have in my mind but this dip did! I could have eaten the whole thing, luckily I put it back the fridge and contained myself! I am going to be thinking of this the rest of the day!

So, I checked the weather today for Disney and it is going to be B-E-A-UTIFUL! I am talking like low 80's all week according to weather.com! My pasty legs and arms need some major vitamin D! We are getting ready for the big trip! Everything is laid out and all of the travel necessities bought now I just need to pack and clean out the car! The kids are SO pumped.... Weirdly, Annie is most excited about seeing ....

GOOFY! I totally would have guessed a princess but everyone that asks her about Disney gets the same answer, she can't wait to see Goofy!

Palmer is most excited to see this guy! LIGHTENING MCQUEEN, we are going to a stunt show the first day at Hollywood Studios, he is just going to die! The kid has LOVED the movie CARS since he was 18 months old, he even asked me if we could name the baby Mater if it was a boy! Um, no!

I have this little concoction brewing in the crockpot as we speak. Beef Stroganoff! I found the recipe off Pinterest and have been dieing to try it! I am SO excited to get home and dive into this plate of awesomeness! Creamy Carbs are right up my alley these days. I will let you know how it tastes and if it lives up to my expectations.

That is about all of the randomness I have in me. I am totally excited, totally in vacation mode and totally ready to get out of town for a little while! I think the month of January does that to you! Here's hoping for a Magical Week of fun with my family!

Countdown!

2012-01-16T13:58:00.000-06:00

This weekend was relatively low key! Truth be told I was nauseous most of the weekend and would have good spurts and then bad ones. I LOVE my naps but I rarely just lay in my bed at random points during the day and I did A LOT of that this weekend! I am NOT complaining because if that is what it takes to make a healthy, happy baby then I will go thru it but it makes getting stuff done around the house a little more challenging :)

The kids did have their very first slumber party at our house Saturday night. Ethan and Katelyn spent the night at our house as a birthday present to my sis in law :) The kids were SO pumped and we had a BLAST, believe it or not having them there is easier than just having my two because they play SO well together! We ate dinner, had an ice cream cone picnic, watched movies and played A LOT! Everything went pretty smooth except for Palmer wouldn't sleep in his bed? I tried to explain you can't have a slumber party if you don't slumber with your party! ha! I am pretty sure Ethan didn't mind having the bed to himself :)

Sweet, Sweet Kids. I LOVE watching them together, they are truly the best of friends!

I have to admit I have been having a hard time lately. I don't know if it is the hormones or just everything but I miss Louisville SO bad! Don't get me wrong their are definitely parts of Owensboro I love. I love being close to family, I love that our kids are so happy, I love our house, I love that Tex like his job but I kind of feel left out :(

I left so many WONDERFUL, PRICELESS relationships, friendships and support groups back home. We had a church that we loved and I was comfortable there. I LOVED my job back home and was SO close with the people I worked with. I don't have that here and it makes me sad. I know with time I will hopefully find my way but, it is SO hard. There are a lot of days that I wish we could move back there because I miss it SO much! I am praying things get easier and new relationships will form and we will find a church home and friendships but I know it is going to take time and patience and sometimes I lack that quality! I am truly grateful for where God has led my life but I am someone that thrives on deep relationships and being social, I think that a lot of women do. I am pretty sure that men don't so much! I definitely know that I am a better wife, mother, sister, friend when I get a little mommy time and have those connections with people and relationships. I am just going to continue to pray because everything always works out it just isn't always on the time frame I think it should be :)

Even though this week I have felt a little overwhelmed I am keeping my focus on one thing!!!

In less than a week I get to spend 8 glorious days with my precious family at the most magical place on earth!!! I can not wait, I think it will finally settle in when we are packed and actually driving in the car! ha! No work for 9 days, TONS of quality family time and LOTS and LOTS of making memories!

I promise I might not have a lot to post about this week but when we get back you will be on picture overload :)

Disney, here we come!~

Loving...

2012-01-12T10:38:00.001-06:00

So, this possibly could be the most random list of things I am loving right now. This list has no rhythm or reason but then again I have pregnancy hormones pumping thru me and if I find something that I love right now I am sticking with it :) Here is my random list of things I am loving at the moment (this will probably change in 30 minutes based on the way I have been feeling lately :)

1. I have been kind of crazy about trying to keep the house clean lately, I think mainly cause looking at it messy makes me even more tired than I already am! With a golden retriever and hardwood floors I basically drive myself insane on a daily basis but I am loving... My bona hardwood floor cleaning system. For anyone that has Hardwood Floors Bona is the BOMB and does a GREAT job! I use it pretty much daily!

2. AWE! Sleeping, I am finally starting to sleep a LITTLE better. I have been experiencing pregnancy insomnia for the past 4 weeks but it seems to be getting better and I am actually sleeping for 4-5 hours in a row. I LOVE my naps though! I swear I could take a nap everyday if it was possible! My friends know that I get cranky when I don't get my naps! I love it that my kids still take 3 hour naps on the weekends, they are like their mom!

3. Revenge! Just looking at this picture gives me goosebumps! Love it, love it, love it! Tex and I were behind and watched both new episodes last night and I can't stand it! This show is SO good!

4. My big sexy hair root pump spray! I haven't gotten that "pregnancy" glow just yet, I am still waiting :) I was just feeling kind of blah so I went to Ulta with my gift certificate from my MIL and picked up a few things to "spice me up" a little. I picked up a big can of this root booster and LOVE it! I had used it a few years back and I don't know why I stopped, this stuff works wonders for my hair, I feel like a whole new me!

5. Loving me some elastic pants! I mean seriously I am just 8 weeks pregnant today and I KNOW I don't need to be rocking the maternity clothes just yet so as soon as I come home I put these on and finally breathe! I am finding zippers and buttons to not be my friends right now, they are getting tighter and more uncomfortable. These pants are my fav right now! If it was acceptable to wear them everywhere I would!

6. Last but certainly NOT least... the reason my pants are so tight and I need to wear elastic.. I am LOVING food! Not any kind of food, junk food, fast food, bad for you food :( This may sound crazy but in my first trimester with all of my pregnancies healthy food literally makes me ill. If I see low fat or light it makes me nauseous! ha! How terrible is that, I want carbs, fried food, noodles, etc... I basically want to eat like a 6 year old! I am at least trying my hardest to eat this in MODERATION! I am not snacking during the day and I try not to eat past 6:30 at night and still drink TONS of water but for lunch mainly I allow myself that juicy cheeseburger or those so not good for you fries! Yum, my mouth is watering already!

So there is a little glimpse into my favs for the week! It is almost the weekend! I am in planning and packing gear for DISNEY!!! It will be here before we know it! I better stop eating so much junk food since I just tried on my shorts last night and between having that nice pregnancy bloat and water weight and being pale as a ghost it was NOT a pretty sight! :)

Finding Out and Telling!

2012-01-10T13:21:00.001-06:00

I will try and give a short account of how we found out and told everyone:) ( I like to do this for my sake too because I am learning more and more that I don't remember stuff very well! haha) Tex and I have known for a long time that we wanted to try and have more kids when the time was right. Well after we moved and got settled the time seemed right and we were both SO excited for what the future would bring!

There were a few things that happened during our "trying" process that I have never experienced before and made me a little hesitant to get really excited right away. I have never been particularly good at that "two week wait" and seem to always test too early. So like always I got a few negative tests but being as persistent as I am I just kept right along! ha! THANK GOODNESS for the Dollar Tree tests, for anyone that hasn't used them you totally SHOULD, they are seriously a $ and they work great, can detect the HCG levels before your missed period, etc... So on December 15th I finally got a Faint Positive Line. I think I was so worried it wasn't real or that something would happen that I just kept on taking tests for seriously the next 10 days :) Here are just a few of the early ones, they are all positive even though you can't see the lines that great!

After I over analyzed the whole situation the next big decision was whether or not to tell the kids. I know there are probably a million opinions on this but I just couldn't wait. We told Palmer and then video taped him going in Ann Mason's room and telling her! The kids were SO excited! Palmer has seemed more used to the idea but for Ann Mason it is going to be a long 9 months! She kisses my belly every night, talks to the baby, asks when it will be out of my tummy, etc... :) They are going to be the BEST big brother and big sister ever! It is so fun to experience this with them a little older because they both understand for the most part what is happening and to hear them talk about it, is amazing!

Thanks to my sister and her quick embroidery skills she mailed us new Big Bro and Big Sis shirts within days! I have never been good at keeping the secret about being pregnant so my mom and Scott already knew but while they were in town, we put the shirts on the kids and went over to Tex's parents to surprise his WHOLE family! It was hilarious to watch everyone's reaction mainly shock and disbelief! All Tex's dad would say was "We just put up the baby crib, we just put up the baby crib" ha!

The kids being silly and excited to wear their new shirts!

Our attempt at a family picture with their fun shirts!

Us all being silly!

My mom and Scott with the kiddos!

We had fun telling our friends here and there. Most of them we just told in person and a few that I knew I might not see for a few weeks we told over email. We definitely aren't making it "facebook" official for a little while, not ready for such a public forum just yet! ha! Dec 30th I had my first ultrasound and saw the baby and the heartbeat, what a wonderful sight! The heartbeat was at a fast 175 bpm! The baby was measuring to the day and everything seemed great! It is still really early and I know that a lot can happen so we are just continuing to pray that everything goes smoothly and that this precious baby is growing and healthy!

I hope to do a lot of fun updates and track as much of this pregnancy as possible if I can summons the energy to do so! :) I am excited and at times a little overwhelmed thinking about becoming a family of 5 but mostly grateful to be given another miracle that will call me mommy!

New Week, New Day.... New NEWS!

2012-01-09T12:51:00.001-06:00

I wanted to start this week off with a BANG and I just couldn't wait anymore! Our Family has some exciting news.....

Stay tuned for lots of fun updates and info on baby T #3!

On a Lighter Note...

2012-01-04T13:43:00.000-06:00

I am slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things! I can't very well go on to big and better things like 2012 without tying up the loose ends from 2011! We did have a wonderful Christmas! This is the first year that I can remember that we didn't travel anywhere! It was so nice but I missed seeing part of my family that lives out of town but we are getting ready to spend a week with them in Disney!!!

The kiddos were HILARIOUS! They loved Buddy the Elf this year and all of his new, fun and exciting hiding spots. Palmer was on a Christmas high for the whole month of December he could hardly contain his excitement! Annie is always happy go lucky so she just kind of bounced around and joined in on all of the chaos :) Here are a few things that we did over our Christmas Break:

PJ Day at School, we had lots of theme days in December!

Opened more presents than necessary and loved every minute of it! Palmer is my serious present opener, he doesn't get really excited or emotional over gift opening which was disappointing at first but then I realized he just has to evaluate everything and take it all in and then the excitement comes out hours later when he is playing with his toys for hours on end!

This is my excited and dramatic present opener, I LOVE it! She screams and jumps and is hilarious! She had a blast getting SO many new toys!

I am pretty sure that Annie is going to run a daycare or a food kitchen in her future. She got enough kitchen supplies, baby dolls, baby doll accessories to start her own little daycare facility :) She loves it!

Neenie and Pop came in and we went to Palmer's fav restaurant Cracker Barrel :) We had SO much fun with them in, we didn't want them to leave!

And since eating is what we do best, we hit up Red Lobster for our Christmas Eve tradition!

The kids eyeing the lobsters! This year they were SO brave and actually touched the lobsters when the lady got them out of the tank (big deal :)

We celebrated my sweet nieces birthday who was born on Christmas Eve 9 years ago! I can't believe it has been that long since she was born! I still remember it like it was yesterday and we ate Chinese food to celebrate that year! haha!

We had two special visitors from California! Uncle "Mac" and Aunt Kellye! They got to stay for two weeks and we have definitely gotten in some good quality family time! Palmer loves Uncle "Mac" but Annie just eyes him up and down, she isn't too sure of him yet!

The cousins spent A LOT of time together! These four are seriously best friends. I love every minute of it! To see them together makes me so happy! Cousins are definitely your first best friends!

And we managed somehow to take the #1 family pic ever! Everyone is looking at the camera and looks happy!!! We were SO thrilled. Only once a year are we all together and we took this after church on Christmas Eve, total fluke that we all managed to look in the same direction. If you look closely Annie is holding baby Jesus from the "major" she thought this was SO special!

I have absolutely zero, zilch, nada pics of New Years! We went to Louisville to see our friends and all of the kiddos. We had a great time and we miss everyone SO much!

I have to admit, there are many years that I have said good riddance to but not 2011. 2011 was SO difficult, we had so much uncertainty when Tex lost his job last December. We have had SO many changes this year, sometimes I look back and wonder how we managed it all but in the end we stayed together as a family, we loved each other unconditionally and we put God and each other first. It was not easy, I definitely had to focus on what was important and I had to work on being the best mom and wife that I could be! In the end everything worked out exactly the way it should. It is funny how it always does! I am excited about what our future holds, the plans God has for us and all of the new adventures of 2012!

I hope everyone had a blessed New Year! Now on to 2012, I think it's going to be an exciting year!

Sad...

2012-01-03T14:57:00.000-06:00

I seriously can't believe it has been 2 weeks since I posted! The Templeton's have had A LOT going on! I feel like we are so out of our routine it is not even funny. Bedtimes have been extended, waking up every morning seems to be later and later, eating has become our #1 favorite hobby, spending time with family has been a daily activity and we have seriously been having a good time! I must say as much fun as it has been I am so ready to get back to somewhat of a routine! I have a lot to catch up on and pictures to post but I am just trying to get as much done as I can each day.

Yesterday we said goodbye to probably the greatest man I have ever known, my papaw. He went quickly and peacefully yesterday afternoon. My mom and aunt were still in mid flight and my other aunt had gone home to pick them up at the airport, I think he decided that he didnt' want his girls to have to see him like this anymore. As sad as we all are to not have him with us I am at peace knowing that the heavens were rejoicing and that he was reunited with my Nana whom he loved so much! We will miss him so very much but his legacy will last forever in us all.

He was my last surviving grandparent but I am SO thankful he had the chance to meet Palmer and Annie, they both loved "old papaw" We will be heading in for the visitation and funeral this week.

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid."
John 14:27

The Real Reason for the Season and a Ugly Cry

2011-12-20T13:53:00.000-06:00

I had an ugly cry last night. I am not sure if I am just overwhelmed or the fact that I was cleaning up after the stomach bug hit our house AGAIN Sunday for the 3rd time in a month but it was UGLY and Tex was the witness. I just had a moment where I lost it, for some reason I have just felt so behind this Christmas season, total Mommy Slacker! My Christmas cards JUST went out today (GASP!), presents still need to be wrapped, the fridge is all but empty with my parents coming in 2 days, teachers presents aren't finished, the house needs a major cleaning overhaul and then I realized in the middle of my ugly cry that....

He doesn't care if all of that "fluff" stuff is done and really no one else does either. I think sometimes we I can put a lot of pressure on myself to try to do a million things that in all reality just aren't really that necessary and really if they didn't get done it wouldn't make a huge difference. The important thing this season is to remember the true meaning of Christmas which is Jesus. To spend time with my family and children without worrying about the 50 things I "should" be doing because in the end all that really matters is the time spent with each of them. I love that my kids are learning about Jesus in church and school. Annie is OBSESSED with Jesus's Major (aka manger, she calls it major though) she LOVES it and wants a nativity scene so bad and wants to hug and kiss baby Jesus all of the time.

So this year I might not win any awards for best teachers gifts and my Christmas Cards will definitely be the last to arrive and my presents might look like a 5 year old wrapped them but these are such insignificant worries compared to what Mary and Joseph must have felt that night!

So, for now I am going to sit back and take a deep breathe and try and remember the important things rather than all of the other things that can get in the way! I hope everyone has an AMAZING Christmas filled with JOY, LOVE and PEACE this year! Merry Christmas!

Out of Steam

2011-12-15T09:59:00.001-06:00

Buddy's first day at our house 2011

I don't have it in me... Trying to be clever, funny and creative right now is totally out of my league so I am going to let someone else do it. This blog is freaking hilarious and this post about Elf on the Shelf is classic. I share many of her same sentiments right now! Tomorrow is Friday right? :)

http://peopleiwanttopunchinthethroat.blogspot.com/2011/12/over-achieving-elf-on-shelf-mommies.html

Read it you won't regret it!

Moving on Up!

2011-12-12T14:27:00.000-06:00

So, I am moving away from Christmas topics for just a day! I have been a BAD blogger lately! The stomach flu hit our house for the 3rd time in a month! Seriously? At least this strand was thankfully really weak! We had a good weekend minus the occasional sickness. We did some more Christmas activities and went and looked at Christmas lights, baked cookies, went to a church Christmas play, etc... I am telling ya after this Holiday we are going to be lost for things to do! ha! Oh and we painted Palmer's room, he is SO excited! Pics to come...

So off Christmas topic... I consider myself semi-girly. I am not trendy but I like clothes, I don't read fashion magazines or know the latest styles but I keep up and am ok with my every day look :) I am basically most comfortable in a black shirt (ok turtleneck) jeans and boots and maybe some big, cute earrings. One thing I am horrible at is beauty products! I LOVE them but I think I am too cheap and feel too guilty to buy a bunch of new beauty products even though secertly I wish I could buy all of them! Now if someone gave me tons of money to spend and showed me what to buy I would be a kid in a candy store!

One of my friends is the QUEEN of all beauty products. I am talking I walk into her "getting ready" room and don't want to leave because she has so much stuff to go on your face, in your hair, on your body! haha I have to ask what everything is, even taking a shower at her house is heaven because of all of the amazing products she has! So with a little help from her and mainly me going blindly into Sephora last weekend. I have now offically replaced all of my maybeline, revlon, cover girl make up with new make up that has sassy names and costs a lot more money :) I don't know if it is the placebo effect but I LOVE my new make up, so I wanted to share in case there are any other beauty product challenged women that read my blog :)

First off is Mascara. I LOVE mascara if I could only pick one beauty product to ever wear it would be this! I think it does wonders! So I had originally been given a sample of the badgal lash and I loved it! So when I went to sephora I bought the big bottle of it! It is not clumpy and thickens and legthens your lashes, I love it!

Lip Butter, I LOVE this stuff! I am ocd for chap stick, lip balm, etc... and this stuff is amazing. It is light, non greasy and a light color that you can wear day and night. It is called Lip Butter by Korres in Jasmine.

That Gal by benefits has a face primer? What is a face primer? I probably still don't know but it makes my skin glow and I swear it keeps the make up on longer and better! I only have a sample of this stuff but I plan on buying the big size when it runs out.

Next is foundation... I mean look how pretty this bottle is! Fancy, huh? :) This is called Two Faced and it is an oil free liquid foundation with spf. I LOVE it, it is full coverage without the weight! The sales lady at Sephora probably picked up quickly on my deer in headlight eyes as I combed the store and she headed me straight to this, it feels awesome every time I put it on!

I stumbled upon this little gem at my friends house that has all of the beauty products. It is an eye liner from stila. It is amazing and amazingly permanent, be careful! I love it and it stays on forever, a little goes a long way!

Love Sugarbomb by Benefits. It is a blush/bronzer It gives off an iridescent glow and is really natural!

Next is my new MAC eye shadow. If I had been a few hundred dollars richer that day I would have picked up about 15 of these little round jackpots and some of those ridiculously expensive brushes you put it on with. I mean why are those things $36? That is crazy to me, I just use my finger. I am not even joking! I know it is terrible, I am almost embarrassed to admit that but it takes baby steps for me :) I love MAC eye shadows, they wear great and last forever so it is definitely worth the money!

So these are my new found beauty products that I love. It is so fun to buy and put on new make up, maybe I am more girly than I thought. Too bad I don't have something that would give me an instant tan and make me look 15 pounds lighter but for now these products will help get me thru the winter blues!

Wordless Wednesday!

2011-12-07T09:20:00.001-06:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A Christmas Kind of Night....

2011-12-06T10:40:00.001-06:00

Well, dad had to work late last night so I decided to make it a fun night for the kids and do MORE Christmas stuff :) We are really getting all we can out of this holiday! ha! I love to watch their faces and how excited they get, but I must admit Palmer's questions are becoming harder and harder to answer! I think there needs to be a guide book on Santa, elves, which one is the "real" santa and not the "mall" santa, etc... He has stumped me a few times. I hope I still have a few more years before he realizes I have no idea what I am talking about :)

I have been under the weather but am starting to feel better thanks to my good ol antibiotics! It is pretty bad when my whole face is chapped and peeling from blowing my nose so much! Last night made me feel a lot better, I think I enjoy these nights just as much as the kiddos!

First we made Frosty Cookies. I know bribery is BAD but it WORKS :) The kids ate their WHOLE meal and asked for seconds because they wanted to eat Frosty Cookies! Heck YEAH!

My dear friend sent the sweetest gift to the kiddos! The Classic Christmas Movies! I am SO pumped about it too, I love these! The kids and I had a picnic dinner and then ate our cookies on the floor too and watch the movie!

I think the MOST exciting part of the night was the fact that BUDDY came this morning! I am SUCH a bad mom but somehow in the move we have misplaced buddy's hat and book, I know they are somewhere :) So I told the kids since Daddy wasn't going to be home he called Buddy and asked if he could fly down tonight to watch over us

Christmas' Past

2011-12-02T13:47:00.001-06:00

One of my most favorite things to do is to go on my shutterfly account and look back at old pictures! It is so bittersweet I love seeing how little the kids are or what color my hair was! ha! I just can't wrap my head around how fast time flies... So today I was trying to think about Christmas' past, how many Christmas' we had with just Palmer, how old was Ann Mason on her first Christmas and I found these... Oh shot to the heart! How did my Palmer bear get so big! He will always be momma's boy even if now he wipes my kisses from me! And Annie went from baby to acting like she is 5! Thank goodness for pictures! I can only imagine what things will look like 10, 15, 20 years from now!

Here is some pictures from Christmas' past!

Our very first Christmas with Palmer 2007

Tex, Palmer and I!

Papaw Myke and Palmer 2007 Love this dude's hair :)

Our last Christmas pic without Annie 2008. I was due in February.

Palmer with Santa 2008

Love this smile!

Chiquita Christmas Palmer dressed up for Christmas 2009!

Neenie with her babies Christmas 2009

This is just last year! Annie was just 19 months old?!?! She was already dangerous! ha!

My sweet niece was just about a month old! Loved Belle in her Christmas gear!

So as you can tell Palmer didn't mind Santa last year but Annie straight up hated him!

Annie and Palmer in their Christmas outfits before our Red Lobster/Church tradition! Have I mentioned how much I love that tradition!

And here we are 2011! They have gotten SO big and rotten!

Our Family 2011

It's December 2nd people that means 23 days until Santa comes! Let me tell you that is all that is on the brain at my house 24/7!

Happy Holidays, let the games begin!

The Dreaded Family Christmas Photo Shoot

2011-11-30T16:19:00.001-06:00

So you know how as an adult we have a lot of things that we have to do that we don't necessarily want to do? ha! Well, Christmas pics is in that category for me! I realize that no one is twisting my arm or telling me I HAVE to take them but I feel like it is my duty as a mom to take that annual happy family picture that we can look back on and laugh about in years to come!

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE pictures. Tex even asked me when we moved if I thought people would think it was weird that we had so many family photos hanging up but I love them and the bigger the better! What I am talking about is the hidden world behind the scenes of family photos. The begging, pleading, the sweating (me), the bribery, the crazy whisper voice threatening your children's life! haha! I hope you all know what I am talking about :)

This year we had a sweet family friend who was nice enough to bring her camera down and snap some photos. I might have had a coronary if we had to pay for a sitting fee and pictures this time because things were BAD!

Is anyone paying attention besides me? haha! These are the GOOD ones! Seriously Tex and I almost peed our pants because he ruined 80% of the pictures not the kids! He was looking in the polar opposite direction of the camera in 95/116 pics! WTH? :)

I was starting to sweat about here.... My mind was churning with things that I could bribe my kids with. Just PLEASE freaking look at the camera!~

Annie was starting to come along in some of these although she was too busy swing around the pole and I SERIOUSLY hope I never have to make that statement again concerning my daughter!

We both have tense smiles in this one I think I am starting to grind my teeth realizing this whole thing is a bust and not going to work!

Cute but Palmer looks disgusted!

Cute, right? Ok, what you don't know is Annie was banging herself into the door about 10 times disturbing EVERYONE in the coffee shop that I was forced in. We just happened to capture a brief pause.

Again, who is everyone looking at? Are there people around us that I don't see?

And I will end with the precious fake smiles that they LOVE to give as I am behind the camera saying please just smile like mommy said something funny, relax your face! I promise I am not a toddlers and tiaras stage mom, I just want a normal smile!

By the end of it I was tired, sweating and SO glad to be done! I don't know if any 20X24 canvas' will be going up this year but I do know this is what life is all about. This is the stuff we will laugh at when the kids are home from college and want to go thru old photos and I can exaggerate even more and tell them what heck they put me thru each year just trying to get a good family pic!

As much as I dread the prep and what happens at these photo shoots (meaning the crazy person that takes over myself and my kids) I love, love, love that we put ourselves thru it each year because I couldn't think of anything more precious than to look back and see the growth and changes as each year goes by and to think about all of the blessings that came with each stage!

Redneck Ice Skating and Santa!

2011-11-29T15:19:00.001-06:00

Here are some pics from one of the most fun days of our Thanksgiving break! I call it redneck ice skating, I haven't seen anything like it but I also think I have been ice skating 1 time in my life when I was 12 :) ha! We have a really nice place called the riverpark center here that has an outdoor ice skating rink with a huge movie screen and inside they have shows, etc... and that is where Santa and Mrs. Clause are at.

Well, we decided to go and thought it would be packed but to our surprise there was hardly any one there! We had an absolute blast and the best part it was totally FREE! The kids had a great time, I am sure it will become more packed as the weeks passed but we definitely hit the jackpot this past weekend! Here are some pictures!

Ok this is why I call it redneck ice skating. Notice A. No skates :) and B. We used Milk Crates to keep us stable! How great is that! The kids could pretend skate and hold their balance with the milk crates!

Ann Mason skating in her lepord dress and boots! We just got our family pictures taken.

We actually were there twice in one day! Ann Mason got a little braver at night!

This sweet kid was in heaven, I think he could have stayed out there for hours! He loved every minute of it and even liked falling on the ice!

Oh this picture kills me! Look at their hands. I know other siblings love each other more than anything but I am biased and I have to say that these two just love each other so much it breaks my heart. I mean they fight like cats and dogs but they can't do anything without each other, I love it! I want them to go to college together and buy houses next to each other and live happily ever after! ha!

The family on the ice skating rink! It was so much fun, we can't wait to go back!

Here is ONE of our family pictures! I will save these for a whole other post. We may look happy but I am telling you they were a disaster! haha!

Palmer telling Tex everything he was going to ask Santa for on the way in!

Um, last year this girl was SCARED to death of Santa like convulsions and screaming! This year she picked Santa's brain, gave him her toy list and even asked him if he had his "underwears" on! I about died and so did Mrs. Clause! Oh, Annie what are we going to do with you?

The kids with Santa and Mrs. Clause. I LOVE Palmer's face! What a perfect age for Santa! He really, really believes! To be that age again, priceless!

It was a perfect outing and a perfect weekend! Wish every week was 3 days of work and 4 days of play!

Don't Miss Out!

2011-11-28T11:34:00.001-06:00

DON'T MISS THIS DEAL IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN YOUR CHRISTMAS CARDS!!!!

I had to share the love because my friend Elizabeth at All About the Adkins shared it this weekend on her blog and it totally SAVED me!

This website is awesome and ALL of their cards are on sale for .49 cents each! I am talking about the nice $2 + cards that fold, have multiple pics, story lines, etc... I placed my order this weekend and the original total was going to be $156 and it came down to $42!!! Now that's a deal! Love this site! Go check it out at www.cardstore.com!

Thanksgiving Weekend Part I

2011-11-28T10:57:00.001-06:00

Man, I am SO bummed to be back at work and back to Reality! We had such a good family fun weekend I didn't want it to end and neither did the kiddos! I swear they get funnier and funnier and we had such a good time with them this weekend, they just make me laugh non stop! I was on picture overload cause I got a new camera!!! Woohoo! I will post more about it later but I LOVE it and it is AWESOME!

Thursday we woke up early and ALL (everyone and Molly the dog) piled up in the mini van and headed to Georgetown, KY to my dad's house. My sweet sister in law hosts Thanksgiving every year and even though we don't always get to make it, we enjoy it so much when we do!

We all spent the night at my dad's which is just hilarious. My dad has not had any people spend the night in 20 years! I think he was pretty excited to have his house filled with dogs, kids, noise, clutter, etc... ha! Good thing it was only for one night. We will break him in for Christmas.

Papaw with a "hat" as the kids call him before we left for Thanksgiving Dinner.

Dawn (dad's fiance), her daughter Emily and dad

Jillian and Mia

Love, Love, Love this picture! The kids had SOO much fun playing. We are missing Piper and Belle so we will have to get another one soon!

Myself, Mia and Dawn! I didn't get any pics of Tex or me hardly!

The cutie kiddos! They just were SO happy being with family and playing with their cousins!

My sister in law was SO sweet and watched the kids so that Tex and I could both see my papaw in the hospital! We took him some Turkey Day food but he wasn't much on eating but got really excited about chocolate ice cream! I am happy to report that he is finally back home. He has a long way to go and a lot of decision to be made about his care but he is SO happy that he is home and that is all we care about!

Thanksgiving this year was definitely a blessing and an awesome day! It is easy for me to get down about the things that I don't have or prayers that haven't been answered but if I turn those thoughts to everything that I have been given and prayers that have been answered my gratitude is immeasurable! God is GOOD!

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

2011-11-23T12:34:00.001-06:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS!!!

I probably won't be blogging for the next couple of days because I will be eating, spending time with family and watching Christmas movies! haha We are so excited, we can't wait for the long weekend!

Christmas Parade 2011

2011-11-22T10:49:00.001-06:00

It's Tuesday which means tomorrow is MY FRIDAY! I am SOOOO ready for a long weekend spending time with my family! I am envisioning lots of good foods, naps, LOT of Christmas movies (my dvr is filling up at rapid speed with all of the best Christmas movies) and just good ol quality time!! I haven't made many plans other than Thanksgiving day and I just want to relax and enjoy time with Tex and the kiddos and our families! So blessed and thankful this year for what God has done in our lives!!

This past weekend was just plain AWESOME! We were busy but it was tons of fun! We had a birthday party, went to see Happy Feet 2, ate ice cream at the new Orange Leaf here in Owensboro (way to go Owensboro!) I had girls night and the most fun of all was the Christmas Parade 2011!

This was my first Owensboro Christmas parade and it was SO fun and hilarious. Because you know, everyone in Owensboro knows everyone! So, my "crew" was screaming at everyone going by on the floats and waving, I loved it! You know who else loved it? PALMER! The kid was nearly shaking with excitement I totally got teary eyed in the middle of the parade watching his sweet face, those are truly life's moments!

My sweet niece and I!

The start of the parade with firetrucks and police cars! Palmer was in heaven!

My happy, happy boy!

Annie and Mamaw! She was talking the whole time, too busy to watch the parade!

Love him! So proud of him, even last year Palmer fought with a lot of anxiety and loud noises would really upset him and make him panic, he has grown up SO much and his anxiety has decreased dramatically I couldn't be more happy!

Waiting, waiting, waiting.... how fun is this kid going to be in Disney if he is this excited about the parade? ha!

KK and EE the kid's sidekicks!

My sweet babies!

Our whole "crew" we were told we were definitely the loudest section there!

So, miss thang didn't exactly LOVE the parade. So I took her to the restaurant downtown where we were having girls night later on and luckily it wasn't crowded and they let us sit at the big table and we ordered an appetizer together!~ Annie's request fries and ranch, so healthy! She looked at me and said, "Mom, we're having girls night!! Just me and you!" Probably one of the best moments ever. We just sat and ate fries and ranch and talked like old friends, I love this girl!

So, as a side note I guess the link up was a bust! haha I guess I didn't know how it would work until I tried? Maybe next time, right?

I don't know about you but I am super pumped for this long weekend and it can't get here soon enough!

Christmas Card Showcase Mondays!

2011-11-20T22:31:00.001-06:00

Ok guys it is my VERY FIRST LINK UP! Christmas Card Showcase!!! I already gave a preview of our previous cards for Christmas so here are some of the cards that I have found for this year that I think are TO DIE FOR! LOVE THEM!

Please link up and show us your Christmas Cards or ideas for new Christmas Cards for 2011! I can't wait to see all of the awesome cards and ideas!!!

The first two cards are from tiny prints, GREAT website for ALL cards!

LOVE this card and what it says!

This next card is one of my fav's! I am LOVING the tri-folds this year! I think they are an awesome way to add more pictures and the design is great!

This one is from Shutterfly. How can you not love this card? I mean that cute little face, seriously? I also love the "We Believe"! I think it is magical!

These next two cards are from aNEW website I just found tonight, Pear Tree Greetings. I think this may be my favorite site for Christmas Cards so far! I am sure there are thousands out there but this site is original, creative and reasonably priced!

I am loving the cards that tell a little story about your year! We have had SO many life changes in 2011 it would be nice to update all of our family and friends. I think this is an awesome way to do it!

And this card is not only cute AND has text but the packaging gets an A+ in my book! Too, too cute!

I could browse websites and Christmas cards all day! I can't wait to see your Christmas Cards and ideas! Link up and share with us!