Good Ole Trickin' and Treatin'!!

Well, the much anticipated BEGGAR's NIGHT has come and gone with much excitement and fun. We had such a great day. The sun came out after what seemed like days and days of rain and some pretty serious winds appeared. We didn't let that interfere with our plans to carve our pumpkin, BBQ pork and eat lots of CHOCOLATE! Can I get an AMEN?? Nate has been dying to be something "scary" for years so we relented and he was some ghoulish looking creature. Mitchell happily transformed into a rugged pirate. Emma wanted to be a "cute witch" which by the way she WAS cute and very purple! Madeleine made a darling Penn State cheerleader and Daddy had her cheering, "We are **clap-clap** Penn State **clap-clap**!!" And, Sam was Scooby Doo as a VAMPIRE!! Oh, was he funny walking around saying, "ruff!" He does love his doggies! The Chinese do not have Halloween so this was Sammy's first experience. It did not take him ANY time at all to figure out that the people at the houses were giving out CANDY!! He does love candy!!

A "spring" of adventure!

Bob was in Boston for a couple of days and we were itching for something to do on a nice evening... so we headed out to poke around our new property which is definately a favorite pass-time these days. There is a spring on the property that runs a little creek bed and it has been a great place to play. Tonight the kids got on their boots and walked through the creek investigating all the nooks and crannies. They were hoping to find a snake or two or even a tiny frog. Daddy had seen a nice sized frog a month or so ago in the water and there are lots of holes that look like they could be snake holes but no such excitement for the Kinney Kids tonight! Still, there is much to be said about the fun it is to walk in four inches of water with a big stick!

Beautiful Pennsylvania

We were happy to make the trip into Reading this weekeend. Sam had not had the opportunity to meet his Pap and Nana Kinney, Great Aunt Susan (sorry for the "great" Aunt Sue :) and his "G.G." (Great Grandmother who just recently turned 94! She is an awesome lady.) We had a very nice weekend and the kids are great travellers. We enjoyed the beautiful Pennsylvania mountains and got to see all the fall colors in ALL their glory. The kids love the tunnels that take us directly through the mountains. Thanks to Pap and Nana for letting the C-ville Kinney Gang descend upon your quiet house en masse!!

The first bonfire!

There is something about being outside on a cool fall evening and enjoying a blazing bonfire. Bob,with his new chainsaw, spent several hours clearing a section of woods on our new property. The kids had already declared a nice size hole as the official firepit. They had spent many visits to the property collecting stones to line the inside/outside of the fire pit. Tonight, we all chipped in and piled brush and deadwood on to the fire pit and had our first bonfire. It was GREAT! Dad and Mom came out to enjoy some of the excitement too. Dad is busy putting the chainsaw to work too.

Dinner at Midtown!

Each Saturday evening our family has the privelege of attending our church which serves an impoverished neighborhood. It is hard work, but our kids have learned so much about the needs of other people. They are able to SEE how blessed they are to have such simple things as snacks and a clean bed in which to sleep. One of our ministries at Midtown is to provide the Saturday evening meal to our neighborhood friends and our families. It takes a great deal of food to fill all those bellies! Madeleine and Emma have been a REAL help and truly enjoy helping to make food for our family dinners at Midtown. Madeleine is busy making a Green Bean Casserole and Emma is in charge of a Texas Sheet Cake! Thanks girls!

PUMPKIN TIME!

OH!! Do we ever love Autumn here at the Kinney household!!! BEAUTIFUL!
A trip to a local pumpkin farm is just what we needed to finish the decorating at our house. The kids had fun choosing just the right pumpkins for our porch and yard and the PERFECT one for a Jack-a-lantern. This decision takes much time and a unanimous decision! Watching Madeleine and Sam try to pick the pumpkins up and walk with them was hilarious!