I have been so bad at keeping up with what's going on in our family. So here's a brief update.

Kurt's surgery went well. His doctor said he has never had a patient progress as well as Kurt has been. Although he still has some healing before he's back to normal, he is doing a lot of the same stuff he was doing before. Basically, he now has two more vertebrae fused to the 3 that were done when he was a kid. This time they inserted 2 metal rods and 4 screws to hold it in place! Makes me hurt just to think about it. Kurt is enjoying actually feeling his feet after so long without being able to. He says he is in significantly less pain than he was before.

Brianna is playing basketball and enjoying her freshman year at SEP! She says she likes the school and likes her teachers. She seems to have settled in quite nicely. We certainly enjoy having her around, too!

Bode is learning something new each day and we are just loving it. His newest is animal sounds. He is 2 now and keeps us running. He never stops!

Christmas will be fun this year since Bode knows more of what's going on. We can't leave any gifts in his reach or he thinks they are for him and he'll try to open them.

I am including videos of Bode opening presents from his birthday, Super Bode, and Bode's first time playing in the snow!

October 2008

It's that time of year when the weather turns colder, the leaves fall off the trees and hopefully end up in someone else's yard, and the spooks come out! We took Bode to Night Eyes at the zoo a couple of weekends ago. It was neat, but night time is not my favorite time for the zoo. Not much to see but people. Bode liked the candy. He is a turtle this year for Halloween. It is a cute costume. Tonight we took him to the high school for safe trick or treat night and then to Hy-Vee for trick or treat. It certainly didn't take long for him to realize what is getting dropped into his bag!

We also carved a pumpkin a few nights ago. Bode didn't know what to think. Brianna enjoyed teasing him with the pumpkin guts.

Here are a few photos.

Pumpkinville

We took Bode to the pumpkin patch Sunday. There were a lot of toys there for the little ones to play with, so he was more interested in those than anything else. He did get a kick out of seeing the pigs and goats, and he rode a hay horse!

Now that the weather is turning colder, we are working on getting the house winterized. We didn't really have the chance to last year! The basement is coming along and will be nice to use this winter for Bode to have a place to run around!

Kurt is hoping to get to the bottom of his back issue. He has had a rough go with it lately and now it sounds like he will need to have a more invasive surgery than we originally thought. I know he is torn about what to do. On one hand, he is so tired of the constant pain, but on the other, he knows this surgery may not work and he doesn't want to go through this and have it all be for nothing. We should know more soon.

It's getting close to bedtime and I have a 7 a.m. meeting, so we hope all is well!

Bode Dancing

Here's one of Bode's favorite things to do! Dancing at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

Homecoming 2008

Tonight is Brianna's first Homecoming at Southeast Polk High School. The theme this year is Barn Stomp, so she went as a square dancer. She has a date, but they are just friends. I think she and her friends are all planning to "go together".

The school year is going well. I am teaching all speech classes, which is great! Brianna is doing well. She works so hard. All of her teachers have commented on what a hard worker she is. That is nice to hear.

Bode continues to amaze us with what he can do. He is just so much fun.

Enjoy the pictures of Brianna for Homecoming and Bode being a cheezer.

Summer is winding down

Where has the summer gone? I think this has been the fastest summer yet. I suppose it is because I am enjoying my time with Bode and Brianna. It has been a good summer. No big news. We are working on some landscaping in our back yard. It should look nice when we get it all done. Bode continues to grow and amaze us. He is a little parrot right now, repeating a lot of what we say and do. I am waiting for him to wake up from his nap, so wanted to take the time to post to the blog. Kurt has been going to physical therapy for his back. It does not seem to help and he finally started taking pain meds. He goes to a specialist Friday, so hopefully things will start to improve. He is getting very frustrated as he is not able to bike much, either.

Visit to the zoo

This was a fun weekend. Saturday we went to the Omaha Zoo and Sunday we went to Clear Lake for a bike race.



We were not sure about our decision to go to the zoo when the closer we got to Omaha, the darker the clouds were. It was raining when we got there, but just a little. The clouds remained for a while, but the rain didn't, so we ended up with a beautiful day. It was a lot of fun. We hadn't been in a long time. We went to the Blank Park Zoo, but it is not anywhere near as nice. One of our highlights was the gorilla house. There was a crowd lined up along the glass inside and one of the gorillas was in an especially bad mood. She kept running at the glass and throwing herself into it! Poor thing! It was rather thrilling to see, though. They are such powerful creatures, I'd hate to be inside with one!



Bode and Brianna rode the carousel. Both of them thought it was fun. Brianna seems to enjoy watching Bode have fun.

We ended the day in the old market area. We had dinner at Spaghetti Works. We enjoyed a balloon artist while we waited. Bode got an Elmo and Brianna got a penguin. Overall a wonderful day.

July 2008

It has been a busy summer. Bode is learning something new daily and keeps us all busy. Brianna has been busy making friends and being a teenager! They both keep us on our toes, but it is so much fun.

Brianna had her 14th birthday on the 4th. We started the day out at a parade in Carlise. Bode figured out if he waved at the people, they would throw candy at him. He didn't really care much about the candy, but he got a kick out of them throwing things at him. Later, Brianna had some friends over for the night and they had so much fun. The girls went swimming at the aquatic center. It is nice to be so close to it that they can walk. We put up the volleyball net and played some volleyball before supper. Supper was a pizza dish and for dessert, an ice cream cake. As usual, Brianna was excited to open her gifts. We got a Wii for her and she was thrilled! It is getting a lot of use. Our neighbor has a Wii and brought over her guitar hero. I'm pretty sure Santa will be bringing that this year!

I took Bode to the pool this week. We hadn't gone yet. He had so much fun going down the pirate ship slide. Brianna and one of her friends went, too. They enjoyed playing with him in the water.

Our A/C froze up this week. Of course it is the hottest week so far! Our neighbor, who works on commercial heating and cooling, took a look at it for us and got us fixed up. I don't know how I managed as a kid without A/C! It sure is a nice luxury.

Enjoy the pictures of Brianna's party. I am also including a photo of Kurt's silver medal from the Hy-Vee triathlon. It is quite the show piece.

Summer days

We have adopted a new dog. The house seemed kind of lonely without our furry friend Aspen, so we decided to get another dog. His name is Marty and he is just a mutt, but he is pretty sweet. Bode and Brianna love him. Gracie tolerates him and he is rather curious about her.

Kurt participated in the Hy-Vee triathlon Sunday. He was on a relay team and did the 40k bike part. His team came in second of the relay teams. Kurt had the second fastest time on the bike! There were a lot of people in the race, so he is pleased with that! Of course he is always thinking of how he could have done better, but I think he did a great job!

Brianna is getting settled in to the house and the neighborhood. She is making friends, enjoying the bike paths, the library, and the aquatic center, all of which are only a few blocks away from our house! Bode is making friends, too. He is quite the social boy!

Summer is always good. It's nice to be outside and it is even nicer since we have such a nice yard and deck to enjoy at our house!

Enjoy the photos!

Florida Trip

Bode and Emma went to Florida for Grandpa Little's 90th birthday. Here is a link to view the pictures and videos. It was fun. We got to see some family we haven't seen in years. Woody and Asher came down, too.

http://picasaweb.google.com/hantelmanne/Florida?authkey=XbuHvSWpmwQ

April update

Okay, so maybe once a week is wishful thinking. Someday life will slow down. It has been hectic. Race season is in full swing for both Kurt and Brianna. They are both on the all9yards.com racing team. Check out the all9yards website for more information if you would like.

School is winding down slowly. Last week was a horrible week. One of our students took his own life. It was such a shock to us all. He was so well liked by students and staff. He was one of our senior boys who has taken several of my classes, including one this semester. Our hearts are certainly heavy here and in the community. He was one of the captains of the football team and a runner on the track team slated to run in the Drake Relays this weekend. It is such a tragedy to see all the hurt he left behind. If only he knew how many people loved him! Never take for granted that the people around you know how you feel! Don't miss any opportunity you get to let them know! RIP KJ. We certainly miss you.

On a happier note, Bode is growing like a weed and learning something new each day. I am attaching a video of him dancing with his sissy (one of their favorite pastimes.)

Hope all is well!

Bode Singing

He may just have a little bit of his momma's blood, huh? He certainly knows what to do with a microphone!

It's spring break, so I am enjoying some time at home with Bode. I cannot believe how big he is getting and how smart. He never ceases to amaze me at what he knows and does!

Enjoy the video.

March 2nd

Well, here it is March 2nd already! At least March came in like a lamb. We are sure ready for some nice weather. Looks like another winter weather advisory coming tonight. It just won't leave!

We have a little piece of news. We welcomed Gracie the cat into our home yesterday. She is a long haired version of Pepper. She is 6 years old and sweet. I don't have pictures yet, but next post I will. Brianna is loving her! She is so happy we have a cat. Bode just wants to follow her.

Bode is walking. Not all the time, but he tries walking before crawling everywhere he goes. I am trying to upload a video of this, so hopefully it will work.

Kurt is in Arkansas with his team. Actually they are on their way home now. They've been there since Wednesday. Sounds like they had good riding weather and lots of hills to climb.

I have two more weeks of my class left. It has been a lot of work. I got a B- in my last class due to technical difficulties with the final project. Otherwise it would have been an A. I currently have an A- in my American literature class. I will be glad when it is all done!

Need to get some homework done, so I'll add the video and be going.

Enjoy!

Snow Day

Well, it's another snow day today. We were blessed with 8 inches of snow over night last night, so school was cancelled. This is the 3rd one this year. Hopefully we won't have any more!

I don't mind being home with Bode, however! He is doing so much now. He is trying to walk, but just doesn't seem to have the balance figured out. He cruises all over the house using walls, furniture, whatever he can balance himself on. He is starting to communicate better, too. Not many words, but he knows what we are talking about and points to things when asked. I can't believe he is 14 months old already! It seems like we just celebrated his birthday!

School is busy. I am taking a graduate class and start another one next week. Once done with those classes, I will have 15 graduate hours. It is time to decide on a Master's program.

Kurt has started training more, even though the weather has not been favorable. The team is going for a training weekend the end of the month in Arkansas. That should be a good weekend.

Brianna is finishing up with basketball. I think she will be glad to no longer have to get up so early!

Homework is calling. Hope all is well.

Greenbay to play today!

Kurt is waiting patiently for the Greenbay/New York game to start. If Greenbay wins, then they are in the Superbowl!

Had a speech contest Saturday. The kids did well. We have 4 groups going on to state. Grandma came to stay with Bode during the contest. Brianna stayed home to help Grandma.

Bode has a cold. He doesn't seem to be bothered by it too much. He acts just like normal, but gets tired sooner. He is decked out in Packer gear today (thanks to Aunt Gail for his Brett Favre jersey).

Had a snow day the other day. We got 5 1/2 inches of snow, but is didn't seem like enough to cancel school. It was a pleasant day with Bode. We just hung out and played all day! Since the semester is still early, I was not bogged down with work, so I could enjoy the day and not think about all the school work I should be doing. I am hopeful for this semester. The first time ever that I am not teaching a writing class.

The subzero temps are getting old. We are all ready for spring. This is the only time of year I wish to speed up! The bitter cold is no fun for anyone.

We have started going to Sts. John and Paul Catholic Church here in Altoona. It has only been a couple of weeks, so we are still trying it out. It is important to us that we raise Bode with strong faith. Since Kurt was raised Catholic and I was raised in a nondenominational church, it has been difficult for us to find a happy medium. This church seems nice and it is close to home.

Gotta go stir the chili for the game!
Hope all is well.

The Holidays

Well, the holidays have come and gone. I cannot believe that it is 2008. We had a nice holiday. We spent Christmas at the Anderson farm after opening presents at home with Brianna and Bode. Bode was pretty excited to eat the paper, and he did enjoy his gifts. Brianna had an early Christmas as she got new bedroom furniture when we moved, but she still had quite a few gifts under the tree! Christmas was a lot of fun at Mom and Dad's. Allen's kids were there and Woody had Asher, so the wrapping paper war was well fought. I don't know which the kids enjoy more, the presents or the paper fight!

New Year's eve was spent at Emma's friend Julene's house. Lots of kids, so Bode was loving it. He fought sleep well past 9:00! We had a good time playing games and enjoying our new friends company.

Of course the holidays were bittersweet this year. It is always fun to see the kids enjoying their gifts, but the missing joy from Bob's excitement to see us all wore on us. Our tree was especially lonely without the special doggy present that always kept Aspen sneaking underneath it.

With this last year behind us, we are hopeful for a better year. A new semester has started at school and with that comes lots of opportunities to touch new lives. My new year's resolution is to be more positive this year and to take more time for myself. I feel selfish when I take myself away from those I love so dearly, but I need to take care of my own well being, too!

Kurt and Brianna set resolutions. Kurt wants to learn to play the guitar. I told him he may need to quit racing to do that. I tried to learn a few years ago. It takes a lot of time. But he has wanted to for a long time, so I hope he finds it easier than I did! Brianna wants to get into better shape. Of course she always says she wants to do better in school! She does every year, so why stop a good thing?

The weather is finally warming up a bit. We have been in the 40s these last few days, so the snow and ice are melting. This brings a muddy, sloppy mess, but the warmer temps are always welcome and usually short lived! Kurt got out today on his bike with a large group from his team. I was glad he got out. He gets bummed out when he has to ride inside!

The photos are from Christmas. We had some nice family shots!

Happy New Year to all and may this be the best year yet!