The Henn House

Trip to Texas

2010-07-04T21:19:00.001-05:00

During the week of June 20-26, we traveled to San Antonio for vacation. We stayed in San Antonio for 3 days and then went to Kerrville. Kerrville is a small city of 20,000 about an hour west of San Antonio. Ryan's grandpa, aunt and uncle live there. Ryan's parents were in Kerrville while we were there and his mom stayed behind when we came home. Grandpa is in the last stages of life and she wanted to spend as much time with him as she could. We had a really good time but we were also glad to get back home. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Alex's 10th Birthday

2010-04-14T20:45:00.001-05:00

Hard to believe that 10 years have passed since this awesome dude came into our lives! We ate pizza at Talliano's and came back to the Henn House for presents. We'll have a party with Alex's friends on Saturday.

Alex started with a large present from Grandma & Papa.

Zach was quite interested, Emily was not so much.

Curiosity took over and she decided to check it out.

Oma decided to try on Alex's new soccer cleats. They fit!

Alex's gift from Oma & Opa is a new bike (there's a bike sculpture on the blue tissue paper).

Lego Bionicles from Emily and Zach.

A socket set from Mommy and Daddy.

Alex even took time to read the cards!

A soccer goal (also from M & D). He shoots... he scores!

Emily's latest project

2010-01-24T20:09:00.007-06:00

Emily has recently discovered the Lazy Susan in the kitchen. She is enjoying the freedom that it allows her. I have found her oodles of times, rummaging through the cereal boxes. Recently, she dumped half of a 5lb bag of sugar on the floor. The dogs quickly became her best friend. This evening, I was out in the garage painting our bathroom vanity and Ryan was watching t.v. When I came in, Emily had removed a 5lb bag of corn meal from the shelf, and dumped approximately 93% of the bag was on the floor. She was having a jolly time sifting through the corn meal. In a split second I realized I had two choices: get mad then clean it up, or grab my camera, take a few pictures, then clean it up while formulating really cool scrapbook page layouts in my head. Obviously I choose the latter! Enjoy!

Did you notice her shoes? That fierce independence that we have been dreading is rearing it's ugly head!

The rooster and chicks have gone wild!

2010-01-04T21:34:00.003-06:00

We celebrated Mom/Grandma/Donna's birthday on December 30 at Olive Garden. Because there was a long wait (what a suprise!), Daddy and Zach found some ways to entertain themselves. Lucky for us, we had our camera along...

The fun continued inside the restaurant...

Emily and her Grandpas

2009-12-22T06:42:00.001-06:00

Update on Charlie

2009-12-22T06:00:00.002-06:00

Charlie's owner has been found. It was fun to have her at the Henn House for a while, but we decided that she should go back home. We learned the circumstances of her condition and her departure from her owner and understood that she had not been neglected.

Good luck to you, Charlie!

2009-12-15T16:37:00.000-06:00

2009-12-15T14:02:00.001-06:00

Meet Charlie

2009-12-15T13:55:00.004-06:00

A brief update from the Henn House: this last Sunday, we were exiting a restaurant with our parents, when we spotted an adorable puppy, yes I said puppy!, walking around the parking lot. After driving her around several neighborhoods, we took her home and started the process to remove her hundreds of flea tenants on her little body. After further inspection and multiple signs of neglect, we decided it would be best not to search further for her home. We have spent the last couple of days contemplating whether we should keep her, or find her a new home. At this time, we feel it is best to find her a forever home, and we have taken the roll of fostering her. Our vet checked her out yesterday and declared that she is a healthy 10 week old English Setter. If anyone knows of a good home, and I mean GOOD (I will do home visits if I have to), please let us know. I have posted a couple of pictures of her. It's kind of hard to photograph a puppy, she is always in motion. We are calling her Charlie, short for Charlotte.

Emily enjoying a warm fall day!

2009-11-29T12:56:00.004-06:00

Brenda's attempt at blogging

2009-11-29T12:49:00.004-06:00

Sorry, we don't do a very good job of updating our blog. To date, Ryan is the only one that has done all of the work. I (Brenda) am clueless about blogging. So, with all of my expertise, I am attempting to post a blog. I decided there is no way to learn than by practicing. If I am successful, then there might even be a few photos with this post.
As our title says, the Henn House is crazy! From sun up to sun down, and lately even during the middle of the night. Around 1 year, Emily started sleeping the night through. We enjoyed that for about 5 months. Now she is waking in the middle of the night in search of cuddle time. I can appreciate her desire to cuddle, but 3a.m.!? We have attempted the "cry it out method" as well as the "co-sleeping" method. The result of both is a snoring Daddy and a grumpy Mommy. So this year for Christmas, Santa, all I really want is a full nights sleep, PLEEEEEEEEEASE

Halloween pics 2

2009-11-14T21:47:00.001-06:00

Here's a picture of Alex's finished IPod costume.

Halloween pics

2009-11-01T19:39:00.001-06:00

Pictures of Alex are forthcoming.

Alex's costume - IPod

2009-10-30T16:34:00.001-05:00

Dog crate or playpen?

2009-10-30T16:28:00.001-05:00

Naptime is over

2009-10-18T20:49:00.002-05:00

Fall means leaves

2009-10-18T20:47:00.002-05:00

October trip to the park

2009-10-18T20:46:00.002-05:00

Emily - August 2009

2009-09-02T20:15:00.001-05:00

April pictures, group 1

2009-07-06T18:16:00.003-05:00

Words of wisdom

2009-03-25T20:00:00.000-05:00

"Start every day off with a smile and get it over with."
W. C. Fields

Bubble beard

2009-03-22T19:31:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the long delay in posting pics.

Lazy evening at home

2009-02-08T18:54:00.001-06:00

(One more for good measure.)

Trip to the park

2009-02-07T19:44:00.005-06:00

Papa had to check out Emily's new wheels.

Alex and Zach made a new friend.

Zach's hiding spot during a game of hide-and-seek.

Swingin' with Papa.

Alex recreating a scene from Sylvester Stallone's 1993 hit Cliffhanger.

Zach finds his way up the north face of Mount Inafield.

Moments later, Alex hurtled himself off the rock ledge and plunged to the ground below.

Zach prepares to take the leap.

"We are a couple of sexy American swingers in tight-fitting pants and stylish shirts."

The problem with working early...

2009-02-07T19:19:00.004-06:00

...is that Daddy seems to have developed a slight case of narcolepsy.

(Notice how, even in sleep, he maintains his grip on the remote control.)

Cutie with messy hair

2009-02-07T18:34:00.002-06:00

Blanket fun

2009-01-30T20:05:00.002-06:00

Who knew a blanket could be so much fun?

What a brother!

2009-01-30T20:04:00.003-06:00

Emily loves to get attention from her older brothers.

Bath time

2009-01-30T19:59:00.003-06:00

These pictures speak for themselves!

January Pics

2009-01-30T19:41:00.003-06:00

Here's our favorite daughter!

"I love who?"

We went to Moundridge in January for a Jantz family reunion.

This is what an evening at a family reunion does to Zach.

This is Emily with Russ, one of Opa's cousins.

Hopefully Alex learned not to mess with Cousin Russ.

Emily, Mommy and Great-Grandma Jantz

"Why yes, those are bunny rabbits on the feet of my pajamas."

Alex is showing off his freckles. Still has a way to go to catch up with Daddy.

Story time with Zach

2009-01-08T16:09:00.001-06:00

This afternoon, Zach read a book with Emily.

Aren't big brothers the greatest?

Mommy's little helper

2009-01-08T16:07:00.001-06:00

Emily helps Mommy sort 2008 receipts... one of the fun tasks of a new year.

What to give the boy who loves bacon?

2009-01-01T15:08:00.003-06:00

Pics from Grandma's birthday

2008-12-31T22:40:00.003-06:00

We gathered to celebrate Grandma's birthday on the 30th.

Can you tell that Zach likes his baby sister?

Three troublemakers, that's for sure!

It's OK to feed the baby but don't feed the bears.

Happy birthday Grandma!

Emily helps Mommy open a newly-arrived Christmas gift.

A momentary peace

2008-12-27T20:03:00.002-06:00

Emily and her daddy

2008-12-26T21:59:00.002-06:00

More Christmas pics are coming soon.

Giggles

2008-12-23T17:53:00.002-06:00

We hope you enjoy the sweet sounds of Emily as she watches a short video from the Baby Einstein website. Note the way she clicks her tongue when she hears Mommy clicking on the mouse at the beginning.

Wild Hair

2008-12-23T17:39:00.002-06:00

After a long day in 'tails, Emily lets her hair down (and out).

I'm supposed to be napping?

2008-12-23T15:37:00.002-06:00

Can you tell me how to get...

2008-12-23T15:34:00.004-06:00

... to Sesame Street.

Today's episode is brought to you by the letter "E".

Snow

2008-12-20T06:37:00.001-06:00

Here are a couple of pics from this week's snow.

'tails

2008-12-19T16:57:00.002-06:00

Mommy decided to see what she could do with Emily's hair.

At first, Emily had to think about the new 'do.

Soon, she was realizing how free she felt (other than being trapped in the saucer).

Twice the hair clips = twice the fun!

What are you lookin' at?

Another celebrity at the Henn House

2008-12-17T17:11:00.005-06:00

On Saturday, we were visited by John Goodman.

For those of you naysayers, here's a pic of the real thing. Tell me there's no similarities.

Christmas program

2008-12-12T17:35:00.003-06:00

Thursday night we went to the Christmas program at the boys school. Both boys had solo parts: Zach sang a verse of "Go Tell It On The Mountain" and Alex helped provide the narration that accompanied one of the songs.

Here's a fellow who got his good looks from his mom and his ability to stare down a crowd without breaking a sweat from his dad.

"So I go into the store the other day and I see ladies' panties half off. I think I'm in heaven then I realize it's just a lingerie sale. Thank you. I'm here 'til Tuesday. Try the veal."

Alex spent a moment deciding whether he should give his line as rehearsed or break into the human beat box. In the end, the line was recited and an embarrassing moment for mom was averted.

I stared at this picture too long and thought I saw an image of the nativity in the bald spot on the guy sitting in the front row. I don't know if it was a religious experience or if it's one of those "Magic Eye" king of things.

If you made it this far, you deserve a bonus pic of the girls.

I (Daddy) was told that red and pink don't match but I think our little Ms. Steinhoister is able to pull it off.

Opa's accident

2008-12-10T04:34:00.002-06:00

Last Friday (December 4th), Brenda's dad was in a wreck at 37th and Ridge Road. The other driver ran a red light in front of him. Opa suffered only minor injuries, including a dislocated toe and a possible broken bone in his foot. Here are some pictures of his Trailblazer and the other driver's Infiniti.

Daily dose of cutie-pie

2008-12-06T21:11:00.003-06:00

Ornament or treat for me?

2008-12-06T21:09:00.002-06:00

Papa got the picture he wanted.

Emily got the ornament she wanted.

Crud at the Henn House

2008-12-01T17:47:00.003-06:00

We're starting off December with Daddy and Emily sharing a cold. Emily topped it off with her six month shots. (Can she really be six months old already?) Sadly, Mommy is the one truly suffering through this as she is the one missing the most sleep. For Emily's first birthday, I think we'll send the mother hen off for a night at the spa. Send your donations to...

Emily's first snow

2008-11-29T10:19:00.002-06:00

Rock star

2008-11-29T10:16:00.003-06:00

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

It's Gene Simmons from Kiss!

Mashed potato teether

2008-11-29T10:10:00.003-06:00

Mommy discovered on Thanksgiving that Emily likes mashed potatoes. Here she is trying out a new mesh teether which has some taters in it.

More Thanksgiving pics

2008-11-28T23:22:00.003-06:00

Alex had some Benadryl before dinner. It made him a little sleepy.

Turkey makes everybody happy (even sleepy boys)!

Zach put some hurt on this piece of chocolate pie.

Emily sat at the table during dinner and entertained herself with toys and an Emily-sized spatula.

Such a happy baby!

By the end of the night, Emily's hair was testimony to a wild and crazy day!

Emily's first Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T23:16:00.002-06:00

How do you explain the food chain to a six month old?

Emily and her daddy

2008-11-28T23:14:00.000-06:00

Pictures from Papa

2008-11-27T07:56:00.003-06:00

These pictures were taken by Papa (Ryan's dad) the other day.

Clothes... they're what's for dinner

2008-11-20T08:34:00.002-06:00

Dog pics that made me smile

2008-11-10T18:42:00.002-06:00

I was discussing our Jack Russell Terrier with a friend the other night and it made me a bit nostalgic. I was browsing our collection of dog pictures and these are just a few of the pictures of Maya (and her better-half Max) that made me smile.

Cutie at the dining room table

2008-11-10T18:19:00.000-06:00

Pod people

2008-11-08T19:15:00.006-06:00

I was taking some pictures today of Brenda feeding Emily some carrots. When I downloaded the pics to the computer, I noticed that in this picture Emily looked like one of the pod people from the movie The Dark Crystal. If you haven't seen the movie, you will just have to take my word for it. I tried to find a picture of the pod people but my search was unsuccessful. Instead, here's a picture of Fiz Gig, one of the coolest traveling companions a Gelfling can have.

The Chronicles of Infancy, vol. 1: The child, the spoon and the cereal

2008-11-06T13:28:00.003-06:00

Once again, Emily found herself in the land of Pink Bumbo facing her arch nemesis: Cereal. At first she cowered and shook in fear. Then she remembered the two gifts that had been bestowed upon her...

A Donald Trump hair-do...

And a rubber spoon which doubles as a microphone for karaoke or impromptu news reports.

She paused a moment to collect her thoughts.

Finally, she decided the best offense would be lead with the tongue. P-b-b-b-b-f-f-f-f-t-t-t.

Sometimes it's hard to face the morning.

2008-11-03T18:50:00.002-06:00

Discovering the fish

2008-11-03T18:47:00.003-06:00

Emily discovered the fish tank in our office this evening. She enjoyed watching them for a bit.

Blue Eyes

2008-11-03T18:42:00.001-06:00

Man's best friend

2008-11-03T18:36:00.002-06:00

This is my buddy, Nimoy.

More halloween pics

2008-11-01T20:59:00.004-05:00

Halloween 2008 was a real treat (bet I'm the only person who's ever said that!). Alex dressed up as Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit, Zach was a mummy, and Emily was a giraffe.

A tired trick or treater.

Another tired trick or treater.

Zach's version of a wardrobe malfunction.

To whet your appetite...

2008-10-31T22:02:00.002-05:00

Mowing the yard

2008-10-29T20:32:00.002-05:00

Alex gave a try at mowing the yard for the first time today.

Emily was unimpressed with his efforts. She slept through it all.

Emily vs. cereal

2008-10-27T18:52:00.004-05:00

Brenda continues the battle to teach Emily how to eat.

Emily gets a little startled when the camera flashes twice for red-eye.

The pen may be mightier than the sword, but what about a rubber safety spoon?

Grinning for daddy.

Emily really pays attention to her older brother.

Time to get back to work.

Renaissance Festival

2008-10-26T07:42:00.008-05:00

On Saturday, October 18th, Daddy and the boys went to the Great Plains Renaissance Festival. It was our first time to attend. We saw a lot of neat things and had some good food too.

Two boys ready for a fun day at the fair.

Alex started the day by trying to climb a pivoting rope ladder.

Zach played a game where he tried to sink boats in a small swimming pool using this hand-held catapult.

Sir Alex of Wichita

We watched a puppet show of "The Princess and the Pea".

Singing pirates... insert your own witty/sarcastic/naughty comment here.

This was a group called Heavy Metal. They wore real armor and would bash the flop out of each other with everything from swords, to maces, to baseball bats.

Family time

2008-10-25T21:59:00.003-05:00

Tonight we spent the evening at Opa and Oma's house. Great-grandma Jantz was in town from Kansas City. It was the first time that Emily was able to meet great-grandma.

Emily showing off the dress she wore at her dedication at church.

Three generations of Jantz ladies.

Why do these two look like they've been caught in the act?

This was taken yesterday, after Mommy had trimmed Emily's bangs for the first time.

Emily and the bear

2008-10-20T20:33:00.002-05:00

Just chillin' out while waitin' for a bath.

MREs

2008-10-20T20:26:00.006-05:00

A friend of ours from church gave the boys a couple of real Army MREs. (Meal Ready to Eat)

Alex did not care for the Linguini Alfredo that was the entree in his meal.

The possibility of Alex being a CO (conscientious objector) looks pretty good right about now.

You would think that Zach had never received peanut butter before.

Zach putting PB on the BAC. (In military lingo that's Peanut Butter on the Big Ass Cracker.)

The things parents do to entertain a baby...

2008-10-09T20:35:00.001-05:00

After a bath

2008-10-05T19:54:00.002-05:00

Emily being silly

2008-10-01T20:38:00.002-05:00

Emily at 4 months

2008-09-30T22:08:00.001-05:00

Hope nobody gets a cavity from all this sweetness.

No longer a liquid diet

2008-09-25T21:51:00.002-05:00

Emily had her first taste of rice cereal tonight.

Bigfoot at Sedgwick County Park?

2008-09-14T21:09:00.003-05:00

It looks as though the beast has finally gotten a shave and a nice blue plaid shirt.

Celebrity in the house!

2008-09-07T20:47:00.004-05:00

Bet you didn't realize that Ol' Blue Eyes likes to hide under the bed and chew on stuffed animals.

Words of advice...

2008-09-07T16:25:00.000-05:00

Don't poop while sitting in a saucer.

Where the magic happens

2008-09-04T21:50:00.002-05:00

Quick pic of Emily

2008-09-04T21:49:00.002-05:00

Video of Zach

2008-09-04T21:46:00.003-05:00

Zach is demonstrating the strength of his breath and his abs of steel.

Alien at the Henn House?

2008-08-25T20:35:00.002-05:00

I want to believe...*

* This was printed on a poster that hung on the wall in Fox Mulder's office on The X-Files.

Sweet smile

2008-08-22T18:30:00.000-05:00

How's this for a sweet smile?

Aww man

2008-08-21T16:57:00.003-05:00

Here's a little video of our eldest, taken at Freddy's the other night.

1st ride on a new bike

2008-08-21T16:06:00.005-05:00

Zach went for a ride on his new bike today. It's still just a bit tall for him but he can get on by himself if he is next to the curb.

Emily missed the big event as she was taking a nap.

Zach's birthday dinner

2008-08-20T20:41:00.012-05:00

We went to Freddy's tonight for dinner to celebrate Zach's birthday.

The birthday boy. Six years old today.

Six years with Zach have taken their toll on Alex.

Zach won't even stop eating in order to have a picture taken with mom.

With Zach, you're always assured of a little craziness. (See the sub-title of our blog.)

Ryan allowed the camera to be turned on him. Notice how he doesn't look a day over 34? Oh wait, he is a day over 34.

Once we got home, Emily showed us how unhappy she was that she didn't get any custard. Actually, she was in the midst of a sneeze when the camera went off.

Post-sneeze Emily.

What better way to end a post than with a picture of Zach eating an ice cream cone.

Messy morning

2008-08-20T17:21:00.007-05:00

There were no clean bowls for cereal this morning. Therefore, the boys used whatever they could find in the Tupperware cabinet.

Zach chose a plastic Velveeta container.

Alex chose a tall and narrow container for his cereal.

Mental note to self: hold on to tall and narrow containers when using them for cereal containers.

The bad news: Mommy had to deal with this on her own while trying to get ready for work.

Birthday surprise

2008-08-19T21:10:00.006-05:00

Brenda surprised me this year with a cake shaped and decorated like an RX-7.

Do I have a great wife or what?

1st Day of School

2008-08-19T21:07:00.006-05:00

Here are the obligatory 1st day of school pictures. Alex will be in 3rd grade and Zach will be in 1st grade this year.

Trip to the Bread Basket

2008-08-17T20:00:00.006-05:00

Here's a quick pic of Emily from Friday night. She made her 2nd trip to the Bread Basket in the 3 short months she's been alive. How's that for dedication to some good German food?

Here are a couple more pictures from that evening.

Just like Thanksgiving at Grandma's house, there was an adult's table...

and a kid's table. We became quite alarmed when we realized that our party consisted of 16 adults and 17 children.

Celebrating Zach's Birthday

2008-08-16T21:54:00.012-05:00

Today we celebrated Zach's 6th birthday. Star Wars: The Clone Wars was the main attraction and then it was back to our house for dinner, cake & ice cream, and presents.

While the boys were at the movie, Brenda prepared things at home.

An R2-D2 cake was the centerpiece for our Star Wars themed party. Brenda made and decorated the cake. It was very good.

Dinner was hot dogs and Cheetos (2 of Zach's favorite foods). Ryan brought home some clearanced chocolate milk. The boys made sure that it was gone before it reached its expiration date.

There wasn't much left of the cake when we were done with it. We went through that droid like a gang of Jawas.

Once icing was cleaned off of hands, it was time for presents.

Zach received many bags, containing many Star Wars toys.

All the guests wanted to check out the goods.

What better way to end a post than with a picture of Zach eating a Rebel Snowspeeder?

Monday Night Pictures

2008-08-11T18:58:00.008-05:00

Emily usually sits in her swing or her pink chair while we eat dinner.

After a few minutes, the fun of the chair wears off and Emily gets grumpy.

Rocking with Mommy always helps get rid of the grumpies.

This is the decoration that Brenda put on the wall in Emily's room. It says "Emily" in large, white letters. In smaller, pink letters it says "Mercy, grace and peace be yours in abundance." I wanted to use the text from Judges 4:21.

What better way to end a post than with a picture of Zach eating applesauce?

Caption Contest - 8.5.08

2008-08-05T16:09:00.004-05:00

Brenda took this picture while visiting the Zoo.

Use the comments section to post the best caption for this picture. Winner gets a 2 year supply of treats from Emily.

Notes from the cooler - 8.5.08

2008-08-05T16:04:00.004-05:00

Today I had to dump out 12.5 gallons of Minute Maid Orangeade fruit drink because it was out of date. Tomorrow I will be marking down an additional 27 gallons which need to be sold by August 8th.

= no sales unless it is on sale. :-(

Zach's summer

2008-08-05T15:48:00.009-05:00

Zach's summer could probably be summed up in two words: Texas and Emily.

In June, Zach left town for 10 days with Grandma and Papa Henneberg to visit relatives in Kerrville, Tx. This is a picture of him getting home to a Mommy and Daddy who were very happy to see him.

Zach tried out Opa's big glove on the 4th of July. He has a future in either the refining industry or taking over as the King of Pop when Michael Jackson has one too many plastic surgeries and goes to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the sky.

"I am playing with a watergun and I am trying to shoot my brother."

Zach is truly smitten with his new baby sister, Emily. Here are just a few of the moments shared between the two that we have been able to capture with the camera.

Alex's summer

2008-08-05T15:35:00.008-05:00

After dinner at the Bread Basket, we visited Cousin Russ while he was harvesting his wheat fields. Alex found the top of this tractor tire to be a good place to sit.

Alex played baseball at the Y this summer. He said about this picture: "I am trying to hit a home run."

Alex learned some fancy dance moves while having a water balloon fight with his cousins from Larned.

That one was close... too close.

Alex is checking to see if he has Dr. Doolittle's gift of speaking with the animals.

New pics of Emily

2008-08-04T17:27:00.007-05:00

Over the course of the first two months of her life, Emily has experienced many things. Her oldest brother Alex played baseball with the YMCA. Emily attended all but one of his games. In July, she met her cousin Abigail from Virginia. She has not lost any of the thick brown hair she had at birth; however, we think the color may be turning a bit red.

Some of the things Emily enjoys:

Breakfast
Mid-morning snack
Lunch
Mid-afternoon snack
Dinner
Evening snack
Bedtime snack
Night snack #1
Night snack #2

Emily also enjoys flirting with ceiling fans and bath time.

Old Pictures

2008-08-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

I was working on a better organization system for our pictures yesterday. It's hard to believe that we have eight years worth of digital pictures on our computer. Here's a sampling of some of the pictures from 2001 and 2002 that I rediscovered.

Ryan

Alex helping decorate Christmas cookies. (2001)

Alex flying over Daddy's hairy back. (2002)

First four-person family portrait. (2002)

Zach at seven weeks. (2002)

Alex and Zach with Great-Grandma Henneberg. (2002)

Alex and Daddy have one last ride in the Miata. (2002)