Halloween

Halloween consisted of one party, Church Trunk-or-Treat, and actaul Halloween all spread out over five days. We were Halloweened out, so much so that Alex really didn't want to wear his costume for trick or treating. Can you guess what he was?



Is he a Donkey...? NO!

A Bear...? NO!! (The costume judge at Church thought that)


He was one of Grandpa Hopf's cows!! I don't think anyone got it right :)

Sad

Once again Death has visited us. Eric's Uncle Harold 'Bud' Hopf died unexpectedly Saturday morning of a heart attack. He had been in the hospital earlier in the week for a heart procedure and was resting at home, when it happened. Woodsies, this is Joni Hopf Mehling's father. Please pray for his wife Luckie, children SueJane and Joni, and his five granddaughters in your prayers this week.

Here is the obituary from the Evansville Courier Press:

Harold Hopf (1935 - 2010)

JASPER, Ind. — Harold Hopf, 74, died Saturday, October 9, 2010, at at his home.
Surviving are wife, Katherine "Luckie" Hopf; daughters, Mrs. Brian "Sue Jane" Poppe and Mrs. Greg "Joni" Mehling; five granddaughters; sisters, Sr. Mary Gabriel Hopf (Order of the Passion Nuns), Mrs. Norbert "Verena" Schroeder and Mrs. Hilbert "Bernadine" Schnell.
Visitation is 1 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Becher & Kluesner Downtown Chapel, Jasper.
Services 10 a.m. Wednesday at Holy Family Catholic Church, burial in Fairview Cemetery, Jasper.

Visit

Mulching the blackberries

Playing Hockey with my vacuum cleaner attachment.

Magic House

Eric's Mom came to town last week for a visit. She and I took Alex to the Magic House in Kirkwood. If I could/would have left Alex in the Water Room all day, I think he would have been the happiest kid on earth.

These are giant foam Tinker Toys pieces in the Garden, how cool is that?!?

Meet the New Bed, Same as the Old One

Only missing rails! We took the rail off of Alex's crib this week, since he is potty training. He loves his new "bed", and doesn't hesitate to get in and out when necessary. Now to get some new sheets to make it more like a real bed, not just a crib without a rail.

2 year pics

I took Alex to get his 2 year pictures done at Forrest Park about 4 weeks ago. A friend of mine from high school, Chera Meyer, just started a photography business here in STL. Here is the link to her facebook business page. These were taken along the Great Basin; the large fountain area in front of the Art Museum.

Here are a few of the images.

Stop...Potty Time

We officially took the plunge last week and started potty training. We had a bit of a rough start, but things are going well. I realized the, 'pull up', training pants are a bit of a joke. They are a glorified diaper. The only good use I can see is being in the car all day. I switched to the Gerber cotton training pants and they make a world of difference. Plus, I save a bunch of $$. Alex really likes his Sticker Chart and he has already earned a prize. He is the only kid in his Gymboree class that is being potty trained, and I kinda like that ;) The only downside is that I had to pack away all his snap crotch shirts and outfits for summer and fall. Some stuff still had tags on it. Guess they will saved for next time...