The Coop

Playng ball....

2009-04-16T22:34:00.001-04:00

Another Season of Soccer

2009-04-16T22:32:00.000-04:00

Train 'em early....

2009-04-16T22:30:00.001-04:00

Another Pinewood Derby

2009-04-16T22:26:00.001-04:00

This year, the Cub Scout's car came in 2nd place, AND won best design! A fast pickle it was....

Meemaw's 80th....

2009-04-16T22:21:00.001-04:00

Went to help celebrate Meemaw's 80th birthday.

In the process, we got the boys to hold still just long enough to get a picture of 4 generations of Henns.

ICE

2009-04-16T22:17:00.001-04:00

Took the clan to Ice! at the Gaylord Palms. Pretty cool...

Seeing (a more personal) Santa....

2009-04-16T22:08:00.002-04:00

Santa Claus came to Day Care. It was fun for the kids AND for Santa.

56- Seeing Santa

2008-12-17T22:07:00.002-05:00

We found the REAL Santa and Mrs. Claus at Disney last weekend. At the end of a long line. Who knew?

55- It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's a ..... !

2008-12-17T22:05:00.002-05:00

Seen passing the office last week....

54- A wedding so fun it made laser beams come out your head

2008-12-17T21:57:00.003-05:00

53- Christmas Parade

2008-12-17T21:48:00.004-05:00

As usual, our Cub Scout Pack marched in the local Christmas Parade. The whole family came out to watch....

52- Science Fair

2008-12-17T21:36:00.003-05:00

Our 3rd grader did his First Science Fair project this year: 'What effect do Mentos have on different Sodas?" He dropped 5 mentos into Fanta, Mountain Due, Coke and Diet Coke. DC won handily. He earned 3rd place in the 3rd Grade Physical Science catagory! We couldn't be more proud of him!

51- VAB Roof

2008-12-17T21:31:00.003-05:00

Kate got a nifty tour of what is likely the largest flat surface above 500 feet in Florida: The roof of the VAB. It's about 500 feet on a side, which by my math is about 5 acres. It was an oddly cold and windy day for Florida...

50- More Soccer

2008-12-17T21:23:00.002-05:00

49- Another Halloween

2008-12-17T21:11:00.004-05:00

No Pumpkin carving this year.... We had 2 clone troops from Star Wars and Elmo. No cognitive dissonance there.

It's really a big, orange apple.

Trick or Treat in high style.

Posin' w/ Pooh.

48- My angry little Clone Trooper

2008-12-17T21:09:00.001-05:00

47- Lots of time with the Mouse

2008-12-17T20:48:00.011-05:00

Being the economizer that I am, we've really tried to get our money's worth from our Seasonal Passes to Disney.... Here's a day at EPCOT in September with our 3 boys and our nephew:

Kate and I tried out Segways in October:

Back again in November; Magic Kingdom this time. It was the little guys 1st time seeing the electric light parade.

46- Another Season of Soccer

2008-12-17T20:40:00.001-05:00

Both of our big guys played Soccer this fall. Both did great, and made us very proud.

Dad even tried out the coaching thing with 5 year olds, and it was tons of fun. We plan to do it all again in the spring....

45- Second Birthday

2008-12-17T20:35:00.002-05:00

Our youngest turned two in September. Hard to believe.... Sweet kid. Wears us out.

Loves the cake, this one does.

44- First Day of School #2

2008-12-17T20:23:00.002-05:00

The kiddos had one day of school before Fay shut 'em down. So the following Monday, they got their 2nd first day of school....

43- Catch up Blogging...

2008-12-17T20:13:00.002-05:00

We've been hyper busy the past few months, so that things have FINALLY slowed down just a bit, we're going to try to get a little caught up on the blog.....

42- Fay

2008-08-27T21:08:00.012-04:00

Here are some pictures of our neighborhood during and after Fay. They may not make much sense if you haven't spent much time in our backyard, but needless to say the water was awful high. Higher than I've ever seen.

Below is our street, a quarter mile or so from the house. Maybe no more the 6 or 8 inches deep, but that's unusual for here.

Below is the road that I saw the manatee on, but a day earlier. Normally the water is 2 or 3 feet lower and 5 to 6 feet further away from the road.

41- Vacation Part 2

2008-08-22T19:48:00.025-04:00

The second half of our vacation was a long weekend at Disney. We managed to Hit the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and the Studios. We had a good time, but it was exhausting and expensive.

Hanging out with our friends (and Pirates!) at Downtown Disney!

Hanging with Sorcerer Mickey at Hollywood Studios!

Do you like my haircut??

Ahhhh.....brotherly love!

40- Vacation Part 1

2008-08-22T19:23:00.005-04:00

We took a 2 part vacation this year. The first half was to visit family.

39-Weirdest thing....

2008-08-22T18:05:00.009-04:00

OK, this is cool. Fay has been the oddest storm I've ever seen, and this has to be the strangest thing of all: A MANATEE right along Hall Road. This is on the drive in and out of our neighborhood. Literally no more that 5 or 6 feet from the road surface. Of course, where he was feeding is normally solid ground. 24 hours later, the water was still touching the edge of the asphalt. I'm mildly concerned that he might get stuck back in there as the water recedes....

38- Cell phone alternative

2008-08-17T23:05:00.003-04:00

I need some ideas.... My current cell phone (3.5 years old) took a swim on Friday. Beleive it or not, after 15 or 20 minutes in the pool, it still works. However, it was getting somewhat 'fritzy' before this, so its time for a replacement.

So here's where I need help. I don't want another 1 or 2 year deal. Pay as you go sounds good, except all the plans out there are complicated. I looked at the Belkin wi-fi phone; way cool, but we don't have enough hot spots around here to make it practical.

Any ideas?

37-Baseball

2008-08-02T23:32:00.004-04:00

Grammy had some free tickets to a baseball game, and we were glad to help her use them! The boys got to hug the mascot, Hugh (I refuse to call him Manny), and #2 got to run on the field! Lots of fun! Thanks Grammy!

36-Another Birthday

2008-08-02T23:07:00.006-04:00

Birthday party season is getting underway, and the kids had another one today. Pretty neat place for a party: all kinds of those inflatable jump houses and slides in air conditioning. And the best part was that it was well contained and access controlled, do little ones wandering off.

35-Scenic USA

2008-07-29T22:41:00.007-04:00

If you haven't had a chance to take a look; my very good friend Ben runs this great website where he posts scenic pictures he takes from across the country. His efforts have been an inspiration for more trip ideas than I will ever be able to take. He writes the story that accompanies each photo. He's always on the lookout for a great picture if you have some you are willing to share. A few of mine are up there, although I haven't taken a great photo in a long time....

34-Space Derby

2008-07-29T21:55:00.004-04:00

The Cub Scout participated in the "Space Derby" a couple weekends ago. They build these little propeller driven rockets from a block of balsa wood, and race them down tracks of mono-filament line, four at a time. This picture is his rocket in mid-flight.

33-Cat on an old screen roof...

2008-07-29T21:46:00.005-04:00

Woke up to this the other day:

Sitting on top of our screen enclosure. Wierd, huh? Don't even know what cat this is. But I guess we know who's been pooping on the roof!

32-2 is 5!

2008-07-27T23:00:00.011-04:00

The 2nd kid turned 5 this week! It was a great birthday for him. He had it all: a big cookie, cupcakes, cake and a ton of fun!

He starts kindergarten in a couple weeks. He had his last day of day care on Friday. His teacher (who also was kid #1's) does such a fabulous job of prepping them, that they really seem ready and not scared at all. Amazing teacher, and I'm hoping #3 will have her too.

We had family over for dinner (tortellini [sp?]- his choice) on the actual birthday.

Then on Saturday, we took him and some friends to the movies. They saw Space Chimps. The kids were fun, and the movie was cute. I would however file this under the 'do only if you are exceptionally brave' or 'do if you love chaos' kids birthday party ideas categories.

31-Your favorite song...

2008-07-27T22:56:00.003-04:00

We had a really neat conversation this week with some friends about music. It was very enlightening to see what people look for in music and how they see it differently. So I ask you a favor: give me one song recommendation. Just shoot me an e-mail if you don't want to post it in the comments. I'll do a "friends of the Coop" soundtrack posting (anonymously, of course) in a short while....

Thanks! Can't wait to see what I'll be listening to!

30-Wii Sports?

2008-06-27T21:24:00.001-04:00

Okay. The Wii was a good Christmas gift. But you should never play a Wii if people have cameras....

29-Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Runge!

2008-06-27T21:08:00.001-04:00

One of our oldest and dearest friends tied the knot a couple weeks back. We wouldn't have missed that for anything, and it was a great time. I'm thrilled for them both, and we wish them the best!!!

Of course, we had to get a Space Camp picture, like we do at every wedding. Not everyone who was there made this particular pic, but it's the best I got....

28-Graduation

2008-06-27T20:59:00.001-04:00

Mr. Middle Kid graduated from Pre-School this month! We're proud. He's actually very ready to start Kindergarten this fall. It's like a switch went off, and he is doing for himself like crazy!

27-Haircut

2008-06-02T22:15:00.002-04:00

Our youngest finally got his first haircut (a long time ago, but I'm a slow blogger). We owe Tiffany a big thanks for going through this 3 times!

26-Brothers....

2008-06-02T22:03:00.001-04:00

Why its good to have big brother...

25-Meemaw & Poppy

2008-04-15T21:57:00.001-04:00

Dad's folks were in town a visit recently and it good to visit, even if it wasn't long enough. Josh & Tracy hosted the whole clan at their place for dinner, and we actually got everyone to be still for a fraction of a second to snap a photo. Except Nick. He had some other 'commitment' to attend to. Notice a little 'Blue Steel' going on?

24-Anniversary #9

2008-03-26T09:40:00.001-04:00

To celebrate our anniversary, Kate and I took a quick camping trip to Lake Louisa State Park. It was nice to get away from the gadgets and goings on for a day. The park itself was pretty nice, but looked like it had burned several years ago and hasn't completely grown back yet. Hence, there were not any shady trees in the campsites. The facilities were very nice and clean though.

In an attempt to make camping slightly more romantic, I snuck along a 1/2 dozen roses, a couple plates from the dinner set, and a couple of wine glasses. Also a table cloth and napkins. It was remotely like having a fancy diner of frozen stew at camp site. Go figure....

23-The 8th Birthday

2008-03-20T23:11:00.001-04:00

OK, so this one was kind of fun. He wanted a 'Scientist' party. I still don't know where he hooked into this scientist/inventor idea, but it's pretty cool. We had the party at a local park, and did a science show incorporating all kinds of cool things that can casually be referred to as 'experiments': Using air pressure to push a hard boiled egg into a bottle (I say push, because science doesn't suck), crush a soda can with heat and air, and blow diet Coke 15 feet into the air. At any rate, it was big fun, for us and the kids.

22-A new season

2008-03-03T20:44:00.001-05:00

Soccer is back in full swing. Here is a great picture of our current and future players.

21-Animal Kingdom

2008-02-24T10:08:00.001-05:00

Grammy took the family to Animal Kingdom yesterday. This was the baby's first trip to Disney. That we know of...

Animal Kingdom has always been tough for us. This was the 4th or 5th time we've been, and the first time that we stayed more than a couple hours.

And here is the modern american family waiting for dinner. Gameboys, iPods, cell phones and all....

20-Wordsmith...

2008-02-24T09:53:00.002-05:00

Daddy often gets stuck on the crossword. Fortunately there is someone in the family who can help:

19- The guitar

2008-02-24T09:47:00.002-05:00

The baby and I have been teaching each other to play guitar. So far he's better.

18- Pony ride

2008-02-24T09:38:00.001-05:00

The boys day care recently had some pony rides.

17-Pinewood Derby

2008-02-24T09:28:00.001-05:00

Our Cub Scout Pack recently had its annual Pinewood Derby Race. Our Wolf scout's racer didn't get a trophy, but was voted best design! And despite not finish in top three in points at the end, it was a fast little bugger and won several of the heats it raced in. We're very proud of him!
His car is the blue airfoil shaped one in the foreground of this picture.

16-Derby

2008-02-03T00:05:00.001-05:00

Kid #1 participated in his 2nd Pinewood Derby in January. His car was fast, and finished 1st in about 1/3 the heats in which he competed. Even though his cool car didn't win a race trophy, it was selected as Best Design! It was all his idea! So papa is proud!

15-Disney Day

2008-02-03T00:00:00.001-05:00

After kid #2 was born, kid #1 had a special day with mom and dad at magic kingdom. We had been intending to do same for kid #2 after kid #3, but were about a year late. Finally, he got his day at Disney (lots of thanks to Grandmas for tickets and babysitting).

14-Finally Christmas

2008-02-02T23:41:00.001-05:00

Only five weeks late....

We had a terrific Christmas. Much lower key than in the past. The pile of toys was still too large, and money spent was too much, be we enjoyed ourselves.

Pop and the Baby

Santa is a smart man; matching gifts for competitive brothers

It was a very Wii Christmas, and we had quality family time around Josh's big screen watching each other Wii-box. Have you ever seen a Henn exert? You'd laugh too...

The youngest cousins

13-'Twas the night before Christmas....

2007-12-24T21:17:00.002-05:00

Last year some family friends (Kathi & Rich) gave us this really cool little animatronic teddy bear the reads "Twas the Night Before Christmas". It is kind of like the predecessor to the little bear in AI. But I digress. Since we are a fully 21st century family, and see no reason to do anything for ourselves that technology can't do for us, we gather merrily around the HDTV (even when off it has replaced the Fireplace as the heart of the home) to listen to this robotic telling of the classic poem.
All is well until the baby gets bored and decides the true purpose of a talking teddy is the same as that of the Cat: something to touch and torment.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

12-Neighborhood Christmas

2007-12-24T21:02:00.001-05:00

The subdivision had a little Christmas Party recently, and we went over for some cookies and cocoa, and of course, the obligatory scaring of the baby by a bearded man in a red suit....

But he quickly recovered, and figured out how to use the slide. At 15.5 months, the little dude has no fear.

11-Grandma's Very Early Christmas

2007-12-24T20:34:00.001-05:00

Since Grandma will out of town on the big day, we had an early Christmas at her place. It was actually a very nice way to ease the boys into the season and hopefully will lessen the toy overload that invariably occurs on Christmas morning.

10-Houston

2007-12-11T21:26:00.001-05:00

We just spent an all too quick weekend in Houston. It was fabulous seeing all the old gang, and their offspring. Maybe in 15 years this will be Space Camp Counselors: The Next Generation.

Since we didn't have the kids with us, we had to improvise some play time with whatever was available.

9-Soccer Party

2007-12-02T22:12:00.001-05:00

While the eldest was enjoying the Christmas Parade, the middle one was at his end of season soccer party. He did a great job and came along way from the first practice. He was very proud of his medal, and his folks were very proud of him.

Meanwhile, the newest kid spent some quality time with the playground.

8-The Parade

2007-12-02T22:05:00.001-05:00

The Christamas Parade was Saturday, and our little scout went a marching. It was hot and sunny and that walk wears you out. The float the scout's made looked great, and kids got to toss out a ton of candy.Afterward we found grandma and watched the rest of the parade. Daddy's little beggar set up shop in folding and chair (with Taco) and held his hat out to everyone who passed in hopes of collecting candy. Ahhh- the spirit of Christmas!

7-Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T16:54:00.002-05:00

We had a good Thanksgiving, and as usual some of us enjoyed the mashed potatoes a little more than others.

6-The Last Game

2007-11-21T22:31:00.002-05:00

When the season started, kid 2 would not play. Would not even put his shin guards on. By the last week of the season he was a monster of a soccer player. No fear. It was an amazing transformation to watch. In fact, he scored the only goal for his team in the final game (against older kids I might add).

5-Dad's first field trip

2007-11-21T18:48:00.001-05:00

I finally chaperoned a field trip. And it was fun! The class went to the Zoo, and even though we have been there a gazillion times over the years, they have done a recent renovation that dramatically improved the place. There is a new exhibit where the kiddos can play vet and stuff the innards back into a plush alligator. They really enjoyed that.

4-Soccer

2007-11-10T12:59:00.002-05:00

It was a busy day for soccer, and both of our guys played great!

3-Cool E

2007-11-04T19:50:00.001-05:00

Somebody started to think that their shades were pretty cool. We must have put them on a hundred times today. The last time, they actually stayed on for 1/2 an hour.

And, as is typical these days, we are only 4 days late on the Halloween cupcakes. They were yummy. I ate three.

2-Trick or Treat...

2007-11-03T21:51:00.002-04:00

The big night finally came and went, and everybody had a grand time. There are some very clever people who come out to do their thing on Halloween. Not as many kids this year, but that could have been because the weather was crummy all week.

The little ninjas got too much candy, and the little dinosaur got too tired. He is still recovering 3 days later.

1-Halloween

2007-10-29T19:57:00.002-04:00

It has been a busy October. The boys all had costume parades at their respective schools. The oldest went to school as a scientist.

I'm not sure where he hooked into this idea, but I'm good with it.
The little one is a dinosaur or dragon or something. Either way, it's cute. The oldest two will be ninjas for trick or treat.

We also had a Halloween party this week. I took the big ones and the baby stayed with grandma. There was much candy and a good time was had by all.

Then Sunday night we finally carved pumpkins. I always want to roast the seeds, but rarely do. And even when I do, they are not really worth the aggravation of getting the shell off. One pumpkin ended up as a Jack 'O Lantern, and the other as a Bat. And a very specific bat at that. The old Batman logo just wasn't cutting it.