The Kassel Family Project Life 365

Oh, the joys of homeownership!  Aaron from Chapman Heating and Air Conditioning came for a visit today because our furnace was not turning on.  Turns out that we had an obstruction in the flue pipe.  After determining the furnace was in good working order, he cut into the flue pipe so that he could attach a leaf blower.  Between the leaf blower and a long, flexible pipe, he managed to break loose a set of Hummingbird nests from inside the pipe.  Not so sure I want Andy feeding those little suckers anymore.  You’ll note the black band around the lefthand pipe.  That would be where he cut through the flue pipe.  I guess I won’t complain too much though.  It cost $129 to fix.  It could have been worse.

Want a sure sign that Halloween is nearly here?  Simply drive by the Kassel Household and look at the front porch!  When the big spider comes for a visit, Halloween is close!

The highlight of today was a trip to Kathryn’s house for her 6th birthday party.  Kathryn is Laura’s best friend ever, and John thinks she’s pretty cool too.  It was a great afternoon!  The kids did a scavenger hunt, played, opened a pinata, played, ate candy, played, ate cupcakes and ice cream, played, watched Kathryn open presents, and, of course, played!  Fun times were had by all!

It was a busy day!  It started with a trip to the MU Homecoming Parade.  Both kids thoroughly enjoyed watching the parade.  Laura watched the parade from the side of the road in the hopes that she would get lots of candy!  She did end up getting a decent amount of it.

John was content to sit on our laps during the parade.  He wasn’t particularly interested in grabbing the candy, but he sure wanted to eat it when Laura brought it over!

It was largely a quiet afternoon.  I did some cleaning while Andy did some outside work and made our dinner on the smoker.  Laura played all afternoon with various friends in our neighborhood and John took his normal nap.  The kids piled up the leaves at the bottom of our yard and were playing in them.  I did manage to snap a few pictures of the fun.

For dinner, the Lowerys came to join us.  We had smoked roast, baked potoates, corn, and crescent rolls.  It was an evening of great conversation and relaxation along with a fun picture opportunity.  This would be Uncle B picking up all three kids.  Fun times!

John was cold this morning and wanted to be snuggled in Blue.  Then, he wanted to sit on our kitchen counter so that he could watch me prepare lunches.  It was too cute!

Recently, I got Laura some barrettes with her name on them.  She wanted to wear them so badly this morning!  She even said, “Mommy!  They can be the picture of the day!”  So, without further ado, here is one of the Laura barrettes!

Today, we had a special evening.  Laura’s school sent home a pass for four free admissions to the MU vs. KU Volleyball Game.  The evening started with dinner at Culvers!  Complete with vanilla frozen custard with sprinkles for John and chocolate frozen custard with M & Ms for Laura.

Then it was off to the Hearnes Center for an evening of volleyball.  At the beginning of the game, the MU players throw toy volleyballs into the stands.  A man next to us caught one of the balls and then gave it to Laura.

Both kids had a lot of fun and really enjoyed watching Truman the Tiger.  Laura asked tons of questions during the game and John just sort of took it all in.  During the third game, I took Laura up to meet Truman.  While John is fascinated by Truman, he appears to want to love him from a distance for the time being.

Mizzou lost the third game, but came back to win the final game by two points.  What a fun, if late, evening!  Thanks Mizzou Volleyball for the free admission!