In Her (Mom's) Shoes

It was hard to get some pictures of him standing still, because once he got the hang of moving in my size 9s, he was off and running!

Little Gentleman

Alex is going to be the ring bearer in my cousin Eric's wedding this September. It's really an honor that Katie and Eric asked us to have him in their wedding because I was one of the flower girls in my Aunt Brenda's (Eric's mom's) wedding.

I took him this evening to get his tux measurements done. Even in the old, shiny, way-too-big-shoulder-pads sample tux that they used to fit him, it's still pretty cute! I can't wait to see him once he's all spruced up for the wedding!


Alex wanted to try on these shoes so badly, he kept talking about them the whole time we were there. This is what happens when you force your child to wear saddle shoes...








"How to be a playa"


"The Continental"

Lazy Sunday

Just some photos we took yesterday...

Just Did It!

Last night, Matt and I did the Midnight Madness 5k run in Ames (home of Iowa State U). Ames is about a half hour north of Des Moines. We dropped Alex off at Grandma's and drove up to get our bibs, t-shirts, chips and bands. The 5k started at 7:30, the 10k at 8:30. The weather was great, it was about 75 when we ran, so you couldn't ask for better weather.


The view before the start of the race.


Matt's got his game face on.


Some of the Ames firefighters did the 5k in their full gear - one or two of them also carried a hose. Matt said it was about 80 extra pounds they were hauling around. The photo is a bit fuzzy because I was running by when I took it.

We started out and I realized at mile 1 that I did not obey the cardinal rule of running: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I got a huge stitch in my side and had to slow it down and try to work it out. I did manage to drop my time from the Dam to Dam 5k by 68 seconds, so at least there was a little improvement. I saw the finish line and the time, so I sped up and ran as fast as I could for the last bit.

I crossed the line, was in a lot of pain, and one of the race organizers started hassling me about my timing chip. I told him I just need to walk around for a minute and I would get it off. I really thought I was going to ralph all over because I literally busted my gut running at the end! Finally, after about a minute, I got the darn chip off and gave it to him. They were just trying to get the final times posted (which they were doing right as the runners were coming in), so I don't grudge them for that.

Next time I will have to do a better job of preparing, because I was really dumb about not having enough water before. I had a big protein shake about two hours before, but other than a few sips of water, no other liquids.


Post race - what is the reddest object here? My face, hair or popsicle?

Matt, on the other hand, was a stud (and he finished before me)! He did great, especially since he prefers running on the treadmill instead of on pavement. I'm totally proud of him!




Midnight Madness is a lot of fun, they have an outside party afterwards with a pasta dinner, all the beer you would want (see photo above) and a live band. It runs until 1 a.m. and I highly recommend it if you want to do a fun run/walk event.


We'd definitely do it again!

Fun on the Fourth

We had a great Fourth of July weekend and got to see lots of family, catch up with friends, eat BBQ, take down a dead tree in our yard, and see our niece and newest nephew get baptized. Quite a weekend! Here are a couple pictures, more to come later.

Summer Fun

Happy July! Whether it's enjoying a "cold one" out on the deck,

or doing some minor "landscaping",

we definitely enjoy the summertime!

Sloth...

One of the seven deadly sins...

Or, in a cat's world, it's called "just catching some rays!"

Four Hennigs Take a Holiday...

This past weekend, Grandpa Jim and Grandpa Jay came into town for a "Guys Father's Day Weekend". When four generations of Hennigs get together, you know it's gonna be epic!

Saturday morning, they went with Matt and Alex to Omaha. They started their trip with a visit to the Strategic Air & Space Museum between Omaha and Lincoln. The guys got to see the planes and other exhibits and enjoy Alex's antics.

Here are two fellas with the "right stuff"!


Buddies...

Planes galore...

Alex has had enough...

After all that fun, the fearless four wanted to sample that other Omaha staple: steaks! So, a trip to Piccolo Pete's was in order. It's a steakhouse that has been around since the 30's, and has a fun, retro vibe to it. According to the waitress (and backed up by the photos of him with Bill Gates), it's also one of Warren Buffet's favorite places to eat in town.




So, we know the guys had a good time on Saturday, but what exactly was Alexis doing in an empty house? Here is your answer.

Sunday came and we were able to spend a little time with the grandpas before they left for Chicago. We're so glad they all got to spend a special weekend together - four generations is really something to celebrate!

Dads Rule!

This is very, very late on the tail end of Father's Day 2009...Here's to dads everywhere. Their influence and importance can't be overstated. We're lucky in our family to have a collection of great dads!

Hennig Dads...


Reelitz Dads...

(And while it's fun to see your husband as a father, it's also enjoyable to see that rascally brother of yours with his little guy as well!)

Kelly Dad with two-thirds of his Chicago Crew...


And because we can't leave Jimmy out, we'll even include a "doggy dad"...

(photo graciously "borrowed" from JamesandMorgan.blogspot.com)

Gardening

Alex got a hat, apron, garden trowel and watering can of his very own! He's helping Mom out in the yard...






Check out his "handiwork" -





We love to just sit out on the deck and relax...here is Mom's favorite beverage of the summer...Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy. Wheat ale with lemonade!