Steve Jobs Babysits My Boys

I have a little confession to make.

The iPad is highly addicting.

That may not be news to any of you with the device, but I may be setting up the boys for a lifetime of addiction.

Almost every day the first question I get is, “Daddy, Can I play the iPad? This week I’ve let them play with it a bit. Maybe not every waking moment, but they’ve spent more time with it than the TV, so maybe that’s a good thing?

Wednesday was no exception. The boys played their games before supper, mostly Temple Run.

During supper we did shut it off to have a debate on the best Disney Pixar movie. Thanks to Nate Vaughn for the topic. Noah said Cars 2 was better than Cars 1. Levi liked Cars 1 better because of the combine. Noah prefers Toy Story 3 over TS2 and TS1. Levi is in the same boat. Then I brought up Incredibles and they both agreed that was their favorite. Although Finding Nemo almost made it to the top of the list on a late rally.

These are some serious discussions we have when it is the Yeager Boys Home Alone.

Now back to the iPad.

Would the boys in the back keep quiet?

I felt brave enough to the take the boys to church choir. I mean, we have the iPad, that’s the only babysitter they need. Noah brought his reading minutes timer to make sure he and Levi would get equal playing time. Every five minutes, they’d switch up and let the other play.

When we got home, Noah wanted to watch one more video. I showed him this last night, but he wanted to see the little boy making all the basketball shots. Check out this little guy between the age of 18-24 months making almost every shot he takes. Impressive.

Maybe next time we’ll work on our basket shooting while mom is gone.

Early Risers Get the iPad

Morning iPad time for Levi.

It is not in most of the Yeager DNA to get up early. They’d rather stay up all night than wake before dawn.

My boys do have my DNA, but for some reason, not enough of the night owl gene is in Noah’s makeup. He’s our early riser.

Levi will stay up late and is pretty good at getting out of bed when called upon. Tuesday morning he had a little incentive in his brain.

Monday night he asked to play iPad when he woke up. I agreed. But like many things, I thought the little dude would forget. Nope. He was up by 7 wanting to play iPad and not even turn on the TV. Who is this kid?

Noah focuses on the puzzle.

His brother wanted to keep working on the puzzle he began on Sunday. He wanted to make sure he would complete our jigsaw challenge. He too, didn’t want to watch TV before school. The two of them later in the evening wanted to watch the PBS Kids app. Fetch and WordGirl are two of their favorite shows right now.

We did get a call from the birthday girl. That was a nice surprise. She had a good day touring offices in London. Not a bad gig if you can get it.

I took the boys voting tonight. We wer voting on the proposal for another new elementary school. I had my driver’s license scanned and my information came up on the poll workers screen. She said Ankeny is a test project for the rest of Polk County. You don’t need an ID to vote, but it helps speed up the process. The rest of you will likely see this the next time you vote. Unless Mark Amadeo messes it up…

Temple Run is the game of the week.

We did come back in time for the boys to take turns playing Temple Run. That is their favorite new app. I guess there are worse games to play than working on quick thinking and coordination.

And just before bed Noah said his tooth was wiggly. Sure enough, two his front teeth were moving around a lot more than before. I don’t see any teeth coming in behind yet, but I’m sure he’ll lose those baby teeth before Christmas so he can wish for something else before the holidays.

As always, thanks for taking time to read this installment of the YBHA.

Monday Night Dinner

Dinner time.

Oversensitive children are usually the first sign of trouble.

Crying over not getting to watch “Cat in the Hat” is two.

And the third indicator of a difficult day comes with fighting your brother because he’s playing with your balloon animal left over from the Freeseman Super Bowl Party.

And this was before 740 AM.

We all made it on time to our destinations, so no harm, no foul.

Grandma Paula and Grandpa Wil took pity on our meal plan and invited us for supper. I suppose it is a chance to make sure we are getting a proper balance of fruits and vegetables.

Candyland is a great place to visit, but you may not want to live there.

A big thank you for the food and good times. And a little break with those that give personal attention does the boys wonders.

Grandma was able to play a mean game of Candyland.

And it was a few years on this day, Wil and Paula were at the hospital. Paula was a little busier than Wil. She was giving birth to a little baby girl.

They named her Amy.

She may be a few miles from her family this week, but her boys do love her and wish her a happy birthday.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

You may want to spend :49 to watch this birthday greeting. Levi wanted to make sure his mother is aware he cried. Classic Levi.

Super Bowl Sunday XIII

Super Bowl Sunday is almost a national holiday, even if it falls in YBHA XIII.

Levi gets in Noah’s face before the end of church this morning. I’m not exactly sure what was being said here.

The boys and I made it to service this morning. The choir sang at 8a and we were in the balcony by 740. The boys had a short night of sleep, but they were pretty good during service. I’m pretty sure it was because the boys were too tired to cause any trouble.

I’m so tired…

Levi may have been tired enough to lay down on the balcony floor. Then again on the couch in the Gathering Place. At least he was comfortable.

Fort Yeager.

We built Fort Yeager in the basement Saturday afternoon. Sunday afternoon we took shelter to watch a movie. A couple of sheets can create some nice atmosphere.

It always gets dusty at the end of Toy Story 3.

Toy Story 3 was on the little screen. It is amazing how the dust seems to kick up at the end of the movie every time I watch it. Amazing.

Super Bowl party with a couple of cousins. Even the kids wanted to watch the game and this was when it wasn’t even close.

Then it was off the Freeseman’s for a little tradition of football. The boys played with their cousins and burned off some energy. They wanted to watch the game, just like their parents.

Six out of seven nights, Levi howls at the moon until almost 10 PM. On the 7th night, Noah will be the one up late. Maybe there is hope for Noah’s sporting interests. I let him watch the end of the game, so he got to see the 49ers storm back and not convert late the game to allow the Baltimore Ravens to win the Super Bowl.

He did get to see this ad, the Dodge, “Keep Plowing commercial.” It features Paul Harvey’s voice talking about how God created the farmer. Pretty powerful and important stuff.

Here We Go Again, YBHA XIII

Mom and her boys, Levi (3), Noah (6).

Just when you thought it was safe to stop keeping track of the Yeager boys and their home alone adventures.
In November, we thought YBHA XII was going to be the last one for a while. Sorry. Here we go again. Welcome to Yeager Boys Home Alone 13.

We begin with the traditional departure photo. This picture is taken right before Amy flies. The one time we did not take the picture, Mommy was stuck in Europe for a few extra days because of some volcanic ash.

This trip is to a new overseas destination for Amy. We will see what this journey brings.

Cousins Paige and Allie help with Noah’s Valentine creations. Aunt Julie supervises.

Originally, I was slated for a meeting on Saturday and I had booked a babysitter in cousin Paige. When that fell through, I still had the Wood family come for lunch.

We first finished up Noah’s Valentine’s Day cards. Noah is ready for the holiday. His Madagascar cards are complete with tattoos and Laffy Taffy for his friends.

Chopsticks aren’t just for eating.

We took the crew to lunch.

Noah and Levi tried chopsticks to eat their HuHot. Most of the time they were used for something other than eating. I think this picture looks more like a directing a symphony.

Stairway of fun.

And we played around with my new app off the week, Vine. We took some standard shots and then started playing around with the app.

Vine is video twitter. You get six seconds and can edit in the camera. The videos loop and can be posted to Twitter or Facebook. Look for more of these videos.

This one is the kids saying hello.

And this one is a little song they performed for you. Enjoy.

Final chapter of YBHA?

The traditional “launch” photo of Amy and her boys.

Tortured readers of the blog have come to expect quarterly updates from the Yeager Boys.

We refer to them as Yeager Boys Home Alone. Again, we are left without, and must fend for ourselves to eat, sleep and stay alive.

This edition comes a little later than the traditional launch of Saturday. Forgive us, we’ve been a little busy playing the distraction game. Amy did depart late Saturday for the Netherlands. But this time, we have some bigger things on the calendar that required experience.

Enter Grandma Honey.

Sunday was a big day at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Ankeny. We were installing our new pastor for care and discipleship, Rev. Pam Schroeder. It was also her first Sunday with us on Des Moines Street and we were having an old-fashioned Lutheran potluck. For those of you not familiar, I’m sorry. They are one of the traditional church’s best events.

The call committee was responsible for throwing the party and since I was the chair of the group, I kind of needed to be there. Grandma Honey is no stranger to staying at church for a long time. The Yeager’s and Bergman’s shut down ALC in Jesup many Sunday’s, so this would have to be one of those days. Instead of keeping Johnny and Paul apart, it was Levi and Noah getting the attention.

The boys did pretty darn good at trying new foods, staying quiet and watching a Veggie Tales movie. Thank the Lord for all things on a DVD.

Shortly after putting the leftovers in the freezer, the Yeager’s loaded up and headed to Jefferson for a benefit for Team Ballard. My cousin Laura’s husband, Bob, is going through cancer treatments. The guest of honor was there, greeting people, giving us all hope as he deals with beating the terrible C word.

Grandma Honey with her youngest and oldest grandsons.

Grandma Honey was needed for one more day as Ankeny schools were called off for the day as teachers went through a development day.

After grandma was released from her sentence, the boys and I traveled around down, causing mayhem. So, back to normal.

Amy is on what is likely her last trip to the Netherlands, at least for a few years. She is transitioning into a different job with Uncle John. She’ll stay in the metro, but trips will now be to Germany and California as needed.

These weeks are fun, but as Levi told me more than once this week, “I miss mommy!” When he was a baby, he knew no different. Now he’s aware that mom is gone and the boys are home alone.

We will see what trouble we can cause in the final few days of this adventure.

Home Stretch Causing Silliness

I think the sillies have set in with us.

The sillies have finally set in.

We’ve tried to be athletic, enjoy fine cuisine, gone to VBS, and played in the water.

But now, we are just plan losing it.

Crying at little things, emotional breakdowns and fits. And we haven’t even gotten to Levi’s moods yet.

He’s been saying “I want my Mommy!” often the last few days.

I admit, I want her, too. But, we must wait. We will get through this time apart. We have before and we will again.

Yup, pretty sure we’ve lost it.

Parenting can be easy. Good parenting is not. I’m still not sure where I fit in, but do know this much, challenges are a part of the deal and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Noah has been a rock star this week. Very little complaining, great attitude and a smile on most days. He’s had to be patient, as someone else in the house is crying or carrying on about the smallest of things. (Don’t tell Amy, but I may not be getting her children in bed soon enough).

They are both playing hard outside and come home tired. Throw in 90 degree temps and some hunger, and I have Roseanne Barr before her Snickers bar.

I appreciate you taking time to read these thoughts. But frankly, it is time to go bed. Justin Bieber is on Letterman tonight, so no need to stay up and watch the musical guest at the end of the show.

Pancakes, Church and Baseball Combine For Great Father’s Day Fun

Sunday morning pancakes with my syrup-y sons.

I don’t think there’s a better way to spend Father’s Day than with my boys in church, at the ballpark and eating steak.

You will find no complaints from me about being home alone with the boys. I’ve spent a few Father’s Day working, this one just happens to be in the middle of YBHA XI.

Noah and 100 of his closest VBS friends helped pack Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (Services at 530p on Saturday, 8, 930 and 11 on Sunday morning) to belt out those Operation Overboard songs one more time. A special thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Freeseman for joining us in church. We welcome all, including Methodists, to our party. It was good to have Wil with us and not in the hospital like he was two years ago on Father’s Day.

Take that, Noah!

After Levi allegedly took a nap, we loaded up on the sunscreen and headed to the ballpark. We sat in the sun for nine outs before retreating to the shade and the conversation with Bill and Ron, our regular row mates. We stayed to run the bases just like Anthony Rizzo when he hit the go-ahead home run in the eighth to propel the Iowa Cubs to a win. Even Levi wanted to run and not be carried. He did well rounding first and heading for home.

Finally, we tried something new on the grill for supper. A flank steak that ended up as the base for our fajitas. Thanks to Aunt Kris for joining us and convincing Levi to try steak. He ate it and apparently liked it. He did try a freshly picked raspberry, but quickly spit that out.

Guess who is the aggressor of these two?

Backyard baseball ended in tears, but they were quickly washed away by the hose. You remember my little hose buddy, right?

Mom called to make sure we were alive and upright. Yes on both accounts. She didn’t ask though, if our clothes were dry.

**Speaking of someone spending more daylight hours with his family, best to John Walters on his new gig at Iowa State University. He’ll be headed to Cyclones.TV. John signed up from ABC5 on Friday night. WOI just won’t be the same. Maybe we’ll see him in Ankeny more often.

Too Busy To Be Sad

Tee ball master.

Weekdays are one thing during the Yeager Boys Home Alone adventures.

Weekends are a whole different story.

Saturday was fully scheduled to keep us moving, groovin’ and worn down.

Noah had his last Tee ball game of the season. I was his coach for his second season of organized ball.

This year the Reds got better every week. They hit the ball, improved their fielding and most importantly, appeared to have fun. We only have one instance of tears on our team this year. A couple of bonked heads brought on a few tears and sobs. That’s a good thing.

Everyone loves a parade.

Then it was the Johnston Green Days parade with Cousin Morgan. Everyone loves a parade, right? I mean it may not be certain college radio station invading a rival’s homecoming parade, but it is still fun. Click on the link to find a fun time with everyone’s favorite radio station, KWAR.

Back to candy for the kids…  my boys love when a parade brings free candy to their feet. That is a pretty good deal, right?

By the way, the JGD parade goes down Pioneer Parkway. What a great place to view the cavalcade of dance studios, churches and fire trucks. The boulevard provides a wonderful place to sit. Plus many trees provide shade for the family.

Aunt Alane fed us, bonus, and let the boys play with some of Morgan’s toys. They don’t get to play with dolls too often at home, so it is fun to experience some dollhouses from time to time.

A little shuteye for two boys — the youngest and oldest — helped pass the afternoon.

The grocery store was an adventure. Lots of screaming from the beginning, middle and end. My apologies for anyone in Fareway at the time of our arrival. Thanks to Bob in the Meat Department. His simple gift of a cheese slice brought order to a chaotic scene. Hey, Craig (manager of the meat department), give that guy a raise!

A little kickball fun.

The screaming continued for a few moments at a birthday party. Because why would not scream when you can? I apologize for anyone who was annoyed by it. Not Aunt Kris or Julie, they thought it was funny. I was laughing, too.

The boys calmed down enough to play a kickball game in the street. Levi got into the game, but the screaming started up again when it was time to go home.

I am the worst father ever for taking the boys away from fun!

**BTW, if you’re looking for the news about Molly Nelson leaving KCCI-TV8, all I know is she’s headed to DMACC to head into the world of Public Relations. Molly was a fan favorite of the PPM Hat Parties held when we used to get snow here in Iowa. No more 4AM wake up calls for the sister-in-law of Perry Peterson. Anytime you can get a Wartburg reference in for the former Drake basketball player, I try to do so.

Less Noah and Dad Time

Noah waits for the final session of VBS to begin.

Noah and I really haven’t spent a lot of time together this week. It has been mostly in the car shuttling from home to school to church and back home again at the end of the day.

Thursday marked the end of the evening session of Vacation Bible School. We spent the week being fed by the wonderful volunteers in the kitchen. Mealtime was fun to dine with the same folks each night. A couple of the families were the dad’s and their children.

Noah seemed to notice Thursday night that he and I hadn’t spent a lot of time together this week. He didn’t want to go to bed. He wanted to hang out with me.

Or he wanted to see the Heat and Thunder play in the NBA finals. If this was the World Series, I’d let Noah stay up to watch the end, but not the NBA Finals.

I don’t want child protective services to be called on my parenting abilities.