Merry Christmas!

We spent Christmas eve at Brett's parent's house eating turkey. The kids did a little skit for them, and we all had a good time. On Christmas day, the kids actually let us sleep until 8am before waking us to open presents. They were both so excited with everything they got, and Brett and I were happy too. Brett made waffles for breakfast and pizza for dinner. His parents came by for pizza in the afternoon. Robbie and grandpa played pool on the wii and Jake played with his pirate ship with grandma. We had a great day, but missed all of the family and friends we were not able to see this year.

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Way too long

It has been way too long since I have posted an update. I am not sure where the time goes, but I believe most of it is spent in the mini-van. It has been a crazy couple of months here. The boys had a great halloween. We went to Brett's work to trick or treat around the cubicles, then we went trick or treating throught the neighborhood. Dad stayed home to hand out candy, and I took the kids out with some of our neighbors. It was cold, but they got lots of candy. Brett and I even got dressed up for a party at our friend's house. In case you can't tell from the picture, Jake was superman, Robbie was a ninja, Cindy was a flapper and Brett was a whoopie cushion.

Jake turned five last month. I can hardly believe he is so big. He had a party at Chuck E Cheese, where he had the time of his life. The best part was that they provided the cake and the goodie bags and everything, so mommy didn't have to do anything but invite Jake's friends and show up. It was fabulous.

Robbie's school has been having some mold problems, so they took the week after Thanksgiving to test all the classrooms for mold, it took longer than they expected, so Robbie had 3 weeks off school. He then went back for one week in December before it was time for Christmas break. He was actually excited to go back that week, so I am sure he will be thrilled to start again in January. Mommy will be happy too.

Go Fish

Today we went to see Robbie's favorite group, Go Fish, in concert. They are a Christian children's group, and their music is not annoying like most kids music. They call it "great music for kids that won't drive parents bonkers." I saw them in concert at the MOPS convention, and knew the kids would love it. We all had a blast, except maybe for Brett, who was completely embarrassed by my dancing. I believe he referred to it as "lame white girl dancing." I didn't care because I was having fun and so were the kids. Who knew a kiddie rock concert could be so much fun! Jake and Robbie both did their share of dancing, and had a fabulous time. If you have never heard of Go Fish, you can check them out at www.gofishguys.com. I highly recommend them to all parents of young children, especially if you are tired of Barney like I am!

Convention

I went to MOPS convention last weekend with three of my friends, Reeda, Jennifer, me and Casi. We had so much fun. I can't remember when I have laughed so much in one weekend. I left convention with a much better appreciation and passion for the ministry of MOPS. They repeated the slogan "better moms make a better world" many times throughout the sessions. How amazing to think that what we do as moms goes way beyond our children. I have a new view of MOPS as more than just a mommy club, but a way to encourage other moms, and be encouraged myself to be the best moms we can be. We also had a great time going to the pool and shopping at downtown Disney during some of our free time.

I was so glad to get home to my kids and hubby on Sunday night. I missed them all. Now that I have been home for two days, I am back into my routine of running the kids around to school, sports and other things. I have such a great family, and a few days away can really help you realize how lucky you are!

Two more days

Just two more days until I am going to the MOPS convention in ORLANDO!!! I am going with three of my friends from my MOPS group. We are going without husbands and children, and I can hardly wait. The only bummer is that our flight on Thursday morning is at 6:30 am. Since I am by no means a morning person, that will be difficult for me. I will be gone until Sunday night. Four whole days away from everything. Sounds great doesn't it. Brett is taking two days off work to be with the kids, so that should be an adventure. Feel free to pray for him. Just don't pray for him to have patience, because we all know what happens when you pray for patience! If I have a few extra minutes, I might blog from there to let you all (or the one person who actually reads this) know what I am up to. After all, I will need my computer so I can keep up with my fantasy football team while I am away.

Sports

The kids started their sports this weekend. Robbie is playing flag football. He loves to watch and play football, and thinks he might be in the NFL someday. Jake is playing soccer. It is so much fun to watch the 3 and 4 year olds run around after the ball. I love watching both boys play. Grandma and grandpa Henning were even able to go to both of the games. I, of course, think they are the best ones on the team!

Whoopie Cushion

I was at Walmart yesterday, and they had these cute shrek chairs on clearance. I decided to buy them for the kids, thinking they would make great tv chairs. After we got them home, I found out that they each have a built in, self inflating, whoopie cushion. This is, of course, the funniest thing my children have ever seen (or rather, heard), and they spent the entire evening making the chairs "fart". They both believe that if they leave it long enough, it will make a gigantic fart. There is no end the the boy humor at my house these days.

some things never change

It has been so long since I have posted anything, I thought I should update you all on our life. Unfortunately, there is not much to report. Robbie started third grade last week. I can hardly belive he is that big already. He has a fabulous teacher, and is very excited about the year, but he still does not like homework. Jake will start pre-school after labor day. His teachers came by for a home visit the other day. He has the same teacher Robbie had when he was four. She brought a picture of our family from when Robbie was in her class and Jake was a baby. Every time Jake looks at the picture, he says "I was cute".

Cub scouts started last Monday, and MOPS will be starting in a few weeks, so I have been very busy with both of those things. I have been doing a lot of stamping, so I will post some things I have made in the near future.

Brett's parents moved out here a month or so ago. Robbie and Jake have loved spending more time with them. They even came over to babysit on Sunday so Brett and I could go to our fantasy football draft. For the last year, I have been trying to teach Jake to pump his legs so I don't have to push him on the swing, and grandma managed to teach him that in three hours. He was so proud of himself, and has spent many, many hours since then in the back yard, on the swing.

The more I write, the more I realize that thing are changing more than I realize. I will try to update more frequently. I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Yellowstone

This summer we decided to take a family camping trip. We decided on Yellowstone because none of us had ever been there. We camped at a KOA just outside of the park for four nights. That was about as long as I thought I could handle sleeping in the tent, but it was not enough time to see all of Yellowstone. There was so much cool stuff to see there, and the kids had a great time looking at all the geysers and paint pots. I enjoyed the animals the most. Brett was so tired of hearing me talk about how much I wanted to see a bear, that he was glad we found one if only because it would make me quit looking for them! We also saw bison, elk, moose, deer and a mountain goat.

The kids played by the lake for a while. While Robbie was busy throwing rocks into the water, Jake thought he should try juggling the rocks. After two tries, he decided it was not the best idea! He is planning to juggle softer things after we get home.

Robbie took this picture of Brett and I in front of the Mammoth Hot Springs. We walked up probably 200 stairs so we could see the hot springs from the top, and when we got there, we found a parking lot. After I recovered from my near cardiac arrest, we decided that next time we would look more closely at the map before we climb that many stairs. It was worth the climb though because it was so beautiful.

The drive home was slowed down by construction and a rain storm, so we were all very happy when we finally got home. I can't wait until our next vacation!

My First Blog

I am inspired by all of my friends who have blogs, and have decided to try it. I figure this way I can keep everyone updated at once on what is happening at the Henning house. Things don't always change quickly here, so there is no telling how often I will post, but I will do my best to keep you all updated on our lives.