Cassie - Halloween 2007 (3 months) vs Austin - Halloween 2008 (7 months)

Pumpkin gutting and dancing to Thriller!

We had a ball at the Replogles gutting two pumpkins, with intention to carve faces. We wound up having too much fun being silly, Hannah and Kaiya were busy washing pumpkin seeds and making "pumpkin soup", Charlie was busy having a total fit and was put to bed, Cass walked around happy and begging for pizza scraps, Austin was taking it all in and Em and I were recreating the dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller, Em operating from a computer chair and me embarrassing myself all over the her house. Austin and Cass thought we wee amazing... Kaiya and Hannah told us to stop dancing and Charlie slept.... Preston and Adam, well after our performance were likely questioning the choice they made in wives!!! :P
Good Times.

Pumpkin decorating playdate with Carrie, Sarah and Em

What a blast, although we had high expectations for how perfect everything we would be at our little get together, we also were realistic about the chaos that could ensue, as usual! Well, I think it turned out better then we could have imagined! All the kids old enough to care decroated thier pumpkins with all of the fun and amazing stuff Carrie had provided and then we all munched on adorable Halloween themed treats... from Mummy mix to cheese spiders, to ghost lollypops! We even all got the kids dressed in costume and did a practice trick or treat.... I can say that is the first time I have ever handed out candy on a toilet :P

To be honest, the best thing about it was how fun it was to all be together. Carrie and Sarah accepted Em into their family without a blink and I was just lucky enough to be in on the deal:) We are all very different and have very different children, we raise them different, treat them differnt, but we all get along so great and learn so much from one another and it is so wonderful to be all together and see our children play and be silly, funny, interactive and grow together. To make it simple, I truly enjoy those visits with Carrie, Sarah, Em, Hannah, Charlie, Austin, Allison, Luke and Audrey and love all the memories we make together. Cannot wait until we get together again:)

Hair-raising fun at the Stapletons.....

My busy little cheerleaders...

Well, Saturday my cheerleaders got all decked out to for the OSU vs. Penn State game... mostly to aggravate their father, who cheers for Penn State of all things(he likes the Bucks, but cheers against them when they play PSU), but the ladies of the house are loyal buckeye fans! They also donned their cheerleading gear for the Steelers game on Sunday... which the family all agrees on rooting for, although they lost:( We had fun cheering them on though!!!

Also, Kaiya asked her Daddy if the Steelers were his favorite team and he said yes, she then said her favorite team was the Wiggles .... gotta love that!!!

Mom and Dad get a night out and get to dress up!

Thanks to my faboo Mom, Preston and I got to go to a Halloween Party last night hosted by the Links:) It was very silly and fun. Thanks so much to Amy for letting me borrow the costume!! And thanks to Molly for driving so Preston and I could BOTH be silly! Great time for all - thanks!!!

Some random fun pics....

Me and my sassy 2 year old....

My little fashionista


Kaiya literally rocketing out of the giant pumpkin slide on Hanni's field trip


More pumpkin hunting



Kaiya and Hannah searching for the perfect pumpkins on Hannah's pre-school feild trip that I had the pleasure of chaperoning:)


The Frassmiester picking flowers


Destroying the leaf pile with vigor:)


Raking (well unraking) leaves with Daddy


Mom and the girls at Otterbein waiting for the homecoming parade


Kissing Grandma, while pouting as usual


My Kaiya in her favorite blanket ..... I have started calling her Muhammed because she looks like she is wearing a burka all the time:)


Kaiya wrapping her mind around the pumpkin patch... the first of her few

Updating, all is well for now, need some prayers for GiGi

We did find out tht is was a blown transmission on the Blazer.... so we are going to pay heavily - but at least we dont need to get a new car! Em is getting around good on her foot, now that she has GiGi's walker, crutches certainly do not agree with her!! (they did not with me either when I broke my knee and foot years ago). The girls are doing good, today we are going over to visit GiGi and then I have a cake for my Mom as a surprise, since today is her BIRTHDAY! Adam had his tooth pulled and wound up being under for very little and is recovering.

Preston's newjobs at Huntington and Columbus STate are going good, he seems to like them both, altough it is wearing on boht of us since he also is reffing... so he is not home a lot and the girls miss him tons as do I. But we know that in the long run that will be the best and we need the money since I was laid off, still searching for another job:)

Now some bad news, many of you know our Grandma (GiGi), well, her health has been steady despite lots of issues including osteoarthritus, high blood pressure, diabetes and congestive heart failue.... she is 86. Well, yesterday, an EKG revealed a branch blockage in her heart, which can be fatal. So they are adjusting her meds because she also has atreial fribuation (irregual heartbeat) and tachacardia (racing heart rate) so this is kinda scarey. She is not aloud to drive - yes she does stil drive!!), but she let Preston use her car for the week saving us MASSIVE money and frustration!!!! So prayers would appreciaed for my ever-sassy Grandmother.

I have some pics I can update with later. I will have more tomorrow after Kaiya and I get to be te chaperones for Hannah's pre-school's trip to the pumpkin patch!! I cannot imagine!

WHEW - what a crazy day!

Well, it is funny how you make plans and God has His own:P Our plan for the day was for my Mom, me and the girls to head to Otterbein Homecoming, Preston to ref his game and for us to meet at Em and Adams for the after party and then to have Andy, Rachel and Delaney over for dinner. Instead this is what happened:

My sis called at 8:45 this morning (I was leaving the house at 9:30 for Otterbein). She had fallen in the middle of the night and her foot was killing her and she did not think she could walk, I felt terrible that I did not have a lot of time to talk, but urged her to try to go to Urgent Care by any means possible. So... after battling Kaiya for 10 minutes to get her to wear her shoes, we get in the car, with her sobbing of course. We got to Otterbein and Mom, me and the girls enjoyed the parade. I decided to call Em's cell to see what she was doing.... and she told me, she had broken her foot in 4 PLACES. I wanted to run straight over to her house to help, but had to say a quick hello to the ladies at the Owl house and then Mom and I headed over. Em was hobbling around on crutches IRONING..... hello - sit your broken butt down. ANYWAY - Grandma Patty was there - being the amazing, helpful, wonderful person she is and Em and Adam were attempting to get the house ready for the after party with Austin eating, Charlie recovering from being sick and Hannah sobbing because she had to wear pants. After finally getting everyone settled, Kaiya started acting up, I was not sure if I should leave and head home or not, then Preston calls me and tells me that something is wrong with his car and he was worried he would not make it home from the game he reffed.... and he was right, his car literally "blew" as his exited from i-670 to i-270. (For those who are not from Columbus, that is a busy area to say the least and the "intersection" of two highways). So off me and the girls went to pick him up from the side of the road on 270. After lots of phone calls and frusteration, he was able to have a company tow his car to Westerville Automotive (where we JUST had work done 1 month ago). We then finally just sat back an talked about our "bad luck".... we know we have many bessings - trust me! But as far as life issues, we have had a STRING!

So Miller and his son Camden stopped by as well as Andy, Rachel and Delaney for dinner, it turned out to be a very relaxing and fun evening wathcing Kaiya run all over with Camden and Cassie and Delaney toddle around, and of course talking with Rachel about general Mom stuff... always helpful! Camden also asked Kaiya to be his girlfriend and she accepted:P So now, I am sitting on the couch ready to drop and just about to. So so so sorry for the super whiney post.... we did enjoy the parade, our dinner company and even some time with the girls today.... so not all was lost. Tomorrow is a new day and a I pray an UNEVENTFUL one:)

I have officially been tagged! Now check if you were too....

Random things in no specific order at all!
1. The smell of Alimentum formula makes my heart ache for another baby... even though it turns most peoples stomache it takes me back in time.
2. There is not a day that goes by that I dont think about the babies I lost and how much I would have loved to meet them and see what amazing children they could have turned into.
3. I am a former International, National and State Baton twirling Champion... and have over 200 trophies in the basement, a few are taller them me.
4.One of my biggest regrets is that I wish I could take back my reaction to when my sister told me she was expecting her first baby, my amazing niece Hannah, I regret not being the thrilled Auntie I had waiting so long to be, I was so jealous, I prayed very hard that night that my sister could forgive me, and she did and went on to fill my heart with her baby until I finally had one of my own as well as involve me 100% in her pregnancy. It filled a hole in my heart until I finally held my first baby in my arms 2 years after Hannah was born.
5. Sometimes my daughters says and do things that are so adorable and sweet that I get tears in my eyes and want to call everyone I know to tell them.... and sometimes do (Sorry).
6. If I had millions of dollars I would open up an adoption agency and make sure that couples/people that could not have a baby on ther own would finally have a child in their arms to love. I would also get massages everyday :)
7. I do a yoga sun salutation at least 5 times a day to try and stretch my neck and back that cause my frequent headaches and mirgraines.

Hmmm... now who to tag...do not worry, if you get tagged twice in one day, you only have to do it ONE time!!! Have fun!

http://mccallenmusings.blogspot.com/ Miss Tiffers my grand pledge
http://mkpandh.blogspot.com/ Miss Kelly, Sweet P and Harper's amazing Mommy (and my 2 time labor buddy!!)
http://mrsmissymuffet.blogspot.com Miss Mel, Mama to loads of adorable boys
http://mastropierimonsters.blogspot.com/ Miss Heather, sweetheart, Mama to 2 boys
http://mymotherhadnthadahotmealforherself.blogspot.com/ Miss Jenni, adorable Mama to 2 chicks
http://raising2boysinillinois.blogspot.com Miss Lisa, wonderful Mama to 2 boys... working on another one possibly
http://ryderresidential.blogspot.com/ Miss Heidi, Mama to two kiddos, such a sweetie

Our Wedding Day

Just a few pics that I have on the computer from our Wedding day, October 13, 2001 :)

Some family pics in honor or our anniversary....