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.

Game night adventures in YBHA VIII

A boy and his stickers are deeply connected.

Going to an Iowa Cubs is an adventure for our family. And that’s with two parents, not just one. Why I thought taking the boys would be a good idea, I’m still not sure. But that’s what you do when you’re in the middle of YBHA VIII.

Thank goodness the game started at 635p, so I had a chance to get the boys into the stadium and see a little bit of baseball before they melted.

Levi was content removing stickers from a book, lifting his shirt and applying them to his belly.

Then the national anthem arrived and Levi remembered he was as the ballgame. From that point on, he was up and down for rest of the night.

Noah questions Gordon how Iowa Corn could go so long without answering questions about that statue. Bill and Ron were pleased to not be in the middle of the exchange.

Noah wanted his own seat next to Bill. They were talking when Uncle Gordon arrived.

Noah wasted no time in asking the Iowa Corn member about the organization’s Iowa/Iowa State trophy. Noah just couldn’t believe Iowa Corn waited so long to call a press conference to remove the pewter family. He said it was a good idea they finally talked about it, but understands they may have been the ones left holding the bag.

Noah said his talking points and went on to bothering cousin Maddox and his brother. Just like old times sake.

We created a little attention, mostly when the boys were dropping items off our ledge to the ground below. Just normal little boy stuff.

The boys wanted peanuts. I obliged. Levi would keep putting in peanuts in his mouth, chew them, but I had a feeling he wasn’t swallowing them. Eventually they came out of his mouth and it was time to go.

Just another fun night at the ole ball game in the Yeager Boys Home Alone.

Caption This: Late Night Baseball (And a chicken)

What's your caption for this photo?

This week was filled with baseball for me.

The Iowa Cubs returned home for their longest home stand of the season with 13 on the schedule. The first 5 are against the Memphis Redbirds, the Triple A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. These are the games I can wear Cardinal gear into Principal Park.

Wednesday night a double-header was scheduled to begin at 505p. There was rain for most of the day, but light enough to not wash out the game. The game did start with an hour plus delay until 615p. Then the game went into extra innings (the 8 because the PCL plays 2, 7-inning games in doubleheaders).

So, the second game didn’t begin until 920p.

Throw in the fact it was a damp, cool, mid-week game, the crowd was thin.

Then the first game ended and more than half the crowd departed.

Four of us from our section were at the game. We made our way from the protected overhang to our normal seats. Plenty of good seats were still available. If I had to guess, there were no more than 140 people in the stands at the start of the second game. Some of the brave souls had liquid encouragement and were not afraid to let comments fly.

We all could hear their comments which made for almost more entertainment than the game itself.

Our crew was lively and started our own in-house caption contest. Then we opened it up to cyberspace.

Here’s what you all came up with.

Kristine W.: “The quarterly meeting of the Bob Vander Plaats Fan Club”"

Luke Baldwin: “‎”Free Umbrella Night” Proves Unsuccessful In Luring Fans To the Ballpark”

Kristin Roberts: “Ganett’s remaining workforce @ the Register…”

Kristin Roberts: “‎@ Austin…Sorry for the typo, but they fired the proofreaders. “

Julia Jones: “Rapture- June 22nd, 2011″

Brian Stocking: “A good attendance night for the Florida Marlins (last in MLB attendance).”

William S E. Coleman: “I was among the weather wimps.”

Brian Stocking: “A vivid recreation of the crowd at the end of a blowout NFL preseason game.”

Paul Yeager: “Come as your favorite empty seat costume contest a smashing success.”

Scott Harves: “The Pujols effect.”

Bob Palmer: “Boy…people like to stay after the game, right?”

Tony Lutz: “Someone is sitting in my seat without permission.”

Beth Haag: “Where is Ryno?”

LuAnn Weber: “Free Beer?????????????????”

drewmurphy00, Drew Murphy: “The iowa chops have returned as a baseball team.”

Trundlebedtales, Sarah Uthoff: “The few, the loyal, the brightly dressed.”

RHS76, Romelle Slaughter II: “The average crowd at an Oakland A’s game. Until the Yankees come to town.”

and “Apparently, Bernie Madoff Bobblehead Night didn’t go so well for the Mets.”

Any new entries?

The Famous San Diego Chicken works the crowd.

Earlier in the week, the Famous San Diego Chicken made another appearance at Principal Park. He did some of his classic bits to entertain the crowd. He works the field, umpires, players and the dugouts.

Some of the antics may seem tired, but he’s been doing baseball rounds since the 1970s. You’d be tired, too.

I enjoy this baseball throwback to the 80s when I grew up watching the game and the antics of the mascots was the main cutaway on the sports highlights. It was pre-ESPN going mainstream.

The Chicken will sign every autograph (for free) until the crowd is gone.

But really, he’s working the crowd. The Chicken loves the fans. He offers trinkets for sale, but he will sign everything for free after the game.

According to his website, I know the chicken having a website seems incredible, he once signed autographs until 220a in 90 degree Texas heat.

He was doing his bit with the fans in Des Moines as well. He had the long line and was making the kids laugh.

I know I did.

The Fonz Swings a Bat

Alfonso Soriano at the bat.

One of the benefits of going to Triple A baseball games is to see future major leaguers. Sometimes, you get to see current major leaguers sent down to rehab before they come off the disabled list.

This week, 3 big leaguers were at Principal Park. Jeff Baker, Reed Johnson and then Alfonso Soriano all donned the Iowa Cub blue.

I saw one Chicago Cub fan say he was glad to have Soriano in Des Moines, he didn’t have to go all the way to Chicago to boo him.

Soriano battled third, going 0-3 with a ground out, infield pop up and a fly ball about 8 feet from the LF wall. He did get a nice greeting from the crowd. (If you want to hear more about the game, listen to AM 1650 in Cedar Falls on Monday morning. I heard the station had a correspondent at the game today. I wonder how sports director Jesse Gavin pulled that off?)

After Fonzi left in the fifth, he missed all the fun. A couple no-calls, grand slams and a plunked Algona, IA native, this occurred.

Here’s the link if the embedded video doesn’t play.

Supper is another hot dog? Sign me up!

The boys didn’t see the fight, but if they had, Noah would have given this face to the fight.

A quick note on Noah, we are coming up on the last game of his first tee ball season. The Angels will close out the season this weekend. It has been fun to see he and his teammates grow and learn more about the game.

We took Noah and Levi to the Iowa Cubs game Saturday night. Noah ate supper at the ballpark. He enjoyed yet another hot dog.

I have no idea where he learned that face. Must have been something he learned at school.

Running on fumes

A smiling Noah is a fun Noah.

As we approach the end (hopefully) of YBHA VII, the boys are wearing down.

We all get up a little later in the morning, are a little crankier with each other and just ready to have the boss back in the house. We can manage our time alone, but after a while, we need to have our family all together. They need Mom. But don’t we all?

Thursday was one of those days where all of those factors were in play.

Noah needs to have some one-on-one time. He just hadn’t been getting it this week. I try to spend time with him, but it doesn’t always work out the way he likes and I think he feels cheated. He likes his mommy. Noah melted while leaving his day care and when we got home before supper. And then there’s the boy who DIDN’T have a nap today. But Levi was in good spirits despite his lack of shuteye.

Ice cream solves many problems.

To help break up the routine, we called in a little help. Grandma and Grandpa Freeseman came over for a short time this evening.

Noah wanted to color. I can’t help him color while Levi is around. Levi wants to color as well and that just doesn’t work. Sometimes the two can get along fine with an activity, but for now, they usually end in one hitting the other, a squeal or wrestling each other.

Boys. You gotta love ‘em.

Following the coloring session, we had a little ice cream. That seemed to do the trick for Noah who was most notably happier when he had people paying full attention to him. It may not be a medical fact, but ice cream is known to make many problems go away.

Levi likes to play in the sand.

While Noah colored, Levi and I stayed outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. We played in the sand box.

My 20-month-old is starting to test boundaries. He’s throwing sand or hitting his brother or just saying “no-no” a lot when we ask him to do something.

This has been a big week for the boys at school. It is the final week of being in their current rooms. Come Tuesday, they’ll be moving up and onward to new rooms and new teachers. Levi has struggled a bit this week as he’s become attached to his caretakers. One of them will be moving on, so that will ease the transition.

Noah will go into the kindergarten room this summer. They pretty much go on field trips all summer. A fun summer is in store for him.

A great day for baseball.

One trip they won’t be taking is to Principal Park to see the Iowa Cubs. We would have lost him today if he was at the park. It was the biggest crowd of the season, 10,000 plus were they and they mostly arrived by school bus.

it was a great day to take in a ball game. My co-worker Julie Knutson wanted to take in a day game this year and this date worked. So, when the sun came out and clouds parted, we knew we’d timed it just right. Even if we missed the first part of the game because traffic was snarled.

We also had fun because another co-worker, Dave Feingold, joined us. He loves to be outdoors on a nice day as well. So we all burned a little vacation/comp time and got a little sun.

Game night brings big shirts for little boys

The 51s come to Principal Park.

After a rain-soaked late afternoon, the sun came out and it was a nice night for a trip to the old ball park.

This also meant I didn’t have to come up with a rain back-up plan for the boys and I on Day 4 of the Yeager Boys Home Alone VII.

We talked about evening routine in the last post. (BTW, check out Levi’s video in the post.)

I blew that all up tonight.

Noah needed a little convincing to go to Principal Park tonight. But when we called Aunt Kris to see if Maddox was coming, Noah was in like Flynn.

That cup was everywhere.

I’ve taken the boys to the ball park myself before. Our most recent trip was Sunday.

But that was after naps.

The evening provides a different set of challenges. The boys are rushed from going to daycare, eating supper, changing clothes, loading the run bag and then just getting into the car.

And we haven’t even stepped foot in the park.

Levi decided to be like the Iowa Cubs and the Las Vegas 51s tonight and throw things.

He tossed his pacifier half-way into the walk way in front of Section 10. He also chucked this sippy cup into the aisle as well. Thanks to Ron for helping us out on two of those occasions.

All we need is a belt for this shirt.

We’ve picked up some fun souvenirs at the park before. We got a glove when the boss was stuck in Europe because of the ash. (BTW, she’s in Brazil this trip and not Europe. So, the current bout of ash should not be a factor. But we still have a few days for our luck to change.)

We arrived at the stadium just a few minutes before first pitch and still got the Sam Fuld jersey giveaway. He was a fun player to watch in Des Moines. I’m glad he’s getting his chance to play in The Show. But in typical Cubs fashion, its in Tampa with the Rays and not in Chicago for the Cubs.

New shirts paying tribute to Sam Fuld.

The shirt is the XL size.

The good news is Levi has a some room to grow into the shirt.

Maybe 9 years of growth.

I don’t even think a belt will help that shirt fit.

Levi did think this was pretty fun to wear such a big shirt. The shirt has short sleeves. But for Levi and Noah, they were long sleeves.

Really, they were like dresses.

Speedy Delivery from The Brewmeister.

And when we got home, this little bundle of baseball goodness was in our mailbox. Noah wanted a pretzel tonight and not peanuts. Maybe he knew Uncle Mike was sending us peanuts in the mail.

A big thanks to Mr. Graham for the treat. Maybe we can enjoy those on another game night.

Hymns of sugar and baseball in Day 2 of YBHA VII

Levi holds tight to the evidence of breakfast.

I think every Ankeny Yeager has a little stubborn streak. I was determined to sing with the men’s choir at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church this morning. Even with the Yeager Boys Home Alone VII in full swing, we did it anyway.

We may have fudged the rules. Actually, those muffins the boys ate on the way to church were double chocolate chip and not fudge. The boys were out cold at 7A, but a gentle nudge got them up and moving with minimal fuss. I’m not sure how that happened, but I’ll take it.

We were singing Battle Hymn of the Republic. Iowa readers know this song closes the All-State music festival each year. I auditioned for All-State twice with both attempts ending abruptly when our quartet was asked to sing the “In the beauties of the lilies…” part of the song. The tenor always dropped the ball in that section. I wonder what ever happened to him? He’s writing this blather you’re reading. I apologize to Johnny, Jennifer, Michelle and Chasity for blowing our chance both those years I was in the quartet.

Launching helicopters.

Today, we nailed it. Even with me holding Levi. He didn’t want to stay in the nursery with Noah. Levi is just like his brother in that sense. Noah wanted nothing to do with the toys and no parents at 18 months either.

Thanks to those who’ve found and ‘liked’ the HTLC Ankeny Facebook page. We’re glad you joined us.

While we departed church this morning, Levi and Noah decided to pick up the helicopters on the ground and launch them into the air. We’ve got a few in our yard, not nearly as many as we had in Bettendorf, but enough to teach the boys to have a little fun with nature. (Speaking of nature shows, anyone watching Wild Kratts on IPTV/PBS yet? Noah loves it.)

We got a little nap in this afternoon to make up for the early morning. Some of the naps lasted longer than others (I’m looking at your Mr. Noah) but it was a quiet early afternoon.

We were able to get to the Iowa Cubs game by the 6th inning, just in time to stretch.

Noah ran the bases and Levi put on a typical show for Beth in row 5, so hopefully her day was complete. Or ruined. I’m not sure.

Enjoying the Dairy Zone.

Aunt Kris was at the game so we went for ice cream after the game to the east side tradition of the Dairy Zone. You’ve seen it along University Avenue on the way to the Iowa State Fairgrounds, almost across the street from the big cow statue.

Yes, we had desert before dinner, but sometimes you must have sugar to get through the day.

Yes, Levi is sitting on the table without shoes and eating ice cream.

Maybe this will be a long week with the boys.

Barring any major events, we’ll look at the bath time rituals of the boys. We’ve got wild hair, checks and books.

Time to play ball and begin YBHA VII

The boys and their lovely mother pose before departure.

And we’re back.

Less than 3 weeks have passed since the Yeager Boys were last left home alone, but here we are, ready for another adventure in single parenting with two boys under 6.

This is the 7th installment of YBHA. This time the boss is headed to Brazil. The trips to Holland likely are becoming less frequent and this South American trip is already scheduled less often.

We had a few things already scheduled this weekend that the trip cancelled out. One was a graduation party for Amy’s cousin Luke, a bridal shower for my cousin Erik’s bride, Dana, and the St. Louis Cardinals visiting Kauffman Stadium and the Kansas City Royals. We’ve tried to make that series since we moved to Ankeny.

We did get Noah to his TeeBall game. The Angels played a good game in beautiful conditions.

Grandma and Grandpa keep the boys entertained for an inning at the Iowa Cubs.

A big thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for keeping Levi contained while I was on the field and in the dugout with the team. Being Noah’s coach has been a lot of fun.

Following TeeBall we went to the Iowa Cubs game. Taking Noah and Levi is always an adventure. We do it for a little distraction and a chance to say hi to the folks in Section 10.

Tonight we exposed Grandma and Grandpa to the fun that is two boys at the ballpark.

We’ll do it again tomorrow if the weather holds.

A reunion on Day 1 of YBHA V

Noah, Amy and Levi. Can you see how happy Levi is?

Here we go again with another fun-filled edition of the Yeager Boys Home Alone or YBHA. This is the fifth installment of this week when Amy heads out of the country for a few days for work.

The last time, in YBHA IV, Amy departed in November at the same time as the state high school football finals.

This trip has her heading back to Holland.

We started with a few standards.

We got our traditional picture of the boys with Amy. The only time we didn’t get that shot, we know how that trip ended, 6 days later. You can see how happy Levi is in this shot. He was still waking up from his nap. I held him for part of it so he could get a few more ZZZs and Noah and Amy could have a little one-on-one time. That’s important for Noah.

Another popular starting point is Aunt Kris and cousin Maddox.

Kris and I had planned to get together anyway this day as we were holding a Winter Warm up for Section 10.

The view from Section 10.

Section 10 is where we sit at Principal Park for the Iowa Cubs games. Our uncle Gordon and his friends sit in the front row. It is only our third year in the section. The 2011 season will be the fourth. So we’ve gotten to know Bill and Linda, Ron and Chandler. I’ve had a lot of great nights at the park solving the world’s problems with those five.

When the I-Cubs stopped doing their own winter warm up, this year Kris thought it would be good to get together in January to talk baseball and see how big the boys have gotten.

Ron and Eileen are out of the country, but we did get to see the Coleman’s tonight along with Gordon.

Stop by Section 10 the next time you’re at Principal Park.

Time to get to bed. Noah woke up at 550 this morning and Levi may not feeling well. This could be a recipe for disaster. This isn’t the Charlie Sheen cocaine bender. We go to bed before the sun rises.

Day 6 rains down volcanic ash on our fun

Who knew that a volcano in Iceland would lead to a lot more fun for us here in Ankeny?

This is what happens when you sleep, Levi.

After a great night of sleep by the smiling gentleman pictured at left, following Day 5, which didn’t happen on Day 4, I turned on the news in the morning to see that volcanic ash is shutting down airports all over Europe. Including Amsterdam. That’s where Amy was to fly out late Thursday. Emphasis on the word was.

That has changed our plans a bit. Amy will get a couple of extra days in Europe and I get a couple of extra days with the boys by myself in the YBHAII.

Now we have to make alternate plans, but that will be the fun part.

Where to go? Plenty of nice offers from friends and family to help out, but we may make another trip to Grandma Honey’s house. That was hit in the first round of fun back in February.

Noah and Levi still smiling after a few days with their dad.

After another bit of help from Wil and Paula, the boys and I will head north to Jesup and Shady Grove. Farmer Papa just had a birthday, now Noah can now say Happy Birthday in person, instead of in this video. Dad is in the field, so maybe Noah can enjoy a tractor ride or something. Today, though, it was Papa Fish and not Farmer Papa.

Another great day to be at Principal Park in Des Moines and the I-Cubs.

I declared today in the name of Ferris Bueller and took the day off. The Memphis Redbirds only come to Des Moines twice a year and today was the last game of the homestand. I enjoy seeing the future of the St. Louis Cardinals organization. The regulars were not in Section 10, so I sat next to Uncle Jerry Grady. Jerry will be retiring from IPTV in a little over a month after close to 35 years in the production department. More on Jerry as we get closer to the big day.

Before the game started, I ran into former Wartburg football player Mark Hargrafen. Harv as he was known at Wartburg is now a cardiac nurse in Des Moines. Turns out, Harv is good friends with a friend of Jerry’s, so we sat and chatted for most of the game.

It is a small world afterall.

By the way, Cardinal fans, Rich Hill, now pitching for Memphis, did not look good. Rough outing for Rich.

Time to start packing and getting ready for the trip north. We’ll see what new adventures Day 7 brings us.