The Kassel Family Project Life 365

Ah…one of my favorite holidays of the year.  I just wish it was always on a weekend though!  As has become Kassel Family tradition, we ate chili with great friends, drank Great Pumpkin Ale from Flat Branch (six growlers this year!), and took the kids Trick-or-Treating. We had quite the pack of kids this year – as many as nine at one point.  We all had a great time, adults included!  Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy the evening with us and thanks to Jeremy (and B) for staying behind at our house to pass out candy.  I’m already looking forward to next year!  Now, on to pictures!!!

This is the beginnings of the Great Pumpkin Ale from Flat Branch that, again, did not disappoint.  Fantastic beer that makes Halloween even more fun!

Before we would allow the kids to begin the trek for candy, us adults practiced torture by making them pose for pictures in front of our big spiderweb.  Ah…the joys of being an adult!

Of course, a few of us adults had to get *our* picture taken in front of the big spiderweb too!  Andy was trying to sneak into the picture with the three hot babes.

We hit up a lot of houses for candy.  I think the looks of shock on the various homeowners’ faces at the pack of kiddos every time the door was opened for our group was priceless!

This little beauty was a decoration in front of a neighbor’s house.  Really, how could I *not* get my picture taken?  It’s a suit of armor!

The kids all thought this house was spooky!

How do you know that another great Halloween has come to an end?  Super-tired kiddos with sugar highs and empty growlers…  It’s on to next year!

Cross two more Halloween traditions off our list…  The chili (two kinds this year) is made and our house smells fantastic.  It took Andy about two hours to make both kinds, but it is worth every minute.  I can’t wait to eat some tomorrow!

Also, our Jack-O-Lanterns are now happily in place on our front porch.  It was quite the process getting there though.  First, the kids must draw the faces that they want on their pumpkins.

Then, Mommy must scoop out the pumpkin guts!  And I must say that I am quite a good pumpkin-gut scooper.

Third, Daddy uses his artistic skills to transfer the kids’ pumpkin face designs to the actual pumpkins.

Then, Daddy carves, carves, and carves until the pumpkins are satisfactory to all.

Meanwhile, Laura provides some comic relief…

Lastly, candles are added and the Jack-O-Lanterns are placed in their new home on our front porch for all to enjoy.

At the end of September, Andy went for a bike ride on the MKT trail after the Division of Information Technology annual picnic.  He had placed his Sigma Chi Ring in one of the pockets.  Unfortunately, there was a hole at the bottom of the pocket along the seam just large enough for his ring to slip out.  To say Andy was upset is an understatement.  He was devastated.  The expense of replacing the ring aside, he just loved it.  I tried to tell him that it was okay and we could always buy him another one.  He would repeatedly say, “I don’t want a *new* ring, I want *my* ring.”  He made flyers and took them to the stops along the part of the trail that he had ridden that day.  Also, he took some flyers to the local pawn shops.  Turns out that the flyers to a local pawn shop was a blessing.  A woman found the ring not long after he lost it.  She put an ad in the classifieds of the paper and received no response (BTW, it never even really occurred to us to check this route with all the technology these days).  Eventually, she took it to Family Pawn here in town that looked at it and remembered it from the flyer.  They gave her the information and she contacted us tonight.  You should have seen the look on Andy’s face when she said that she had found the ring.  He was stunned and speechless.  He identified it to her by telling her the engraving on the inside of the ring.  They set up a time and he’ll meet her tomorrow morning to get his ring.  I can’t even tell you how excited he was that someone found it who really did try to find the owner.  These days it makes you feel good that some people still really *do* want to help.

Laura had her first official Daisy Scout meeting today.  The girls had a Halloween party and Laura was *very* excited to wear her Jessie costume.  I think it’s a little frightening how much she actually looks like Jessie!

The girls had a great time at their meeting.  They played games, which included “bobbing for donuts” (the donuts were actually hanging from string that was attached to the ceiling) and putting all their hands in a circle, holding someone’s hand, and then trying to work their way out to a circle.  They also did a craft that will hopefully be a spiderweb made from yarn provided all the glue dries well!  They celebrated Girl Scout Founder Juliette Low’s birthday with cupcakes and earning another Daisy Petal.  Laura had a great time and can’t wait until her next meeting!

I took the kids over to Grindstone Park today to take some pictures.  I just wanted to get some pictures with the fall leaves and I had no idea how great they would all come out!  Despite it being cold, the kids were amazing about the whole thing.  They were full of smiles and happy to have their pictures taken.  John didn’t even complain this morning when I told him that he would have to wear jeans and a sweater instead of his typical “comfy pants” and long-sleeve t-shirt.

This is my favorite photo of Laura.

This is my favorite photo of John.

This is my favorite photo of my beautiful kiddos.

You can see them all on Facebook or our family website.  I hope you love them as much as I do!

John’s class made “Frankenstein Hands” and I think they are ridiculously cute!  He was so very proud to show me his “super scary hand paint.”