What has happened?

I have no excuses. I’m not going to claim an active lifestyle on my lack of blogging.

I guess I’ve cashed in on the nice string of weather. For one thing, days on end of 80 degrees in March have finally come to an end. And that’s only because we are now in April.

Thank goodness.

I was getting tired of always being outside, drawing on the sidewalk, playing baseball or soccer in the backyard, going to the park and not wearing a jacket.

Seriously, what has happened?

Well, to sum it up easily, life happened.

Amy returned from Europe earlier in the month.

We played outside.

I mowed my lawn 3 times in the month of March.

Amy and I bought bicycles and actually tried to use them. I guess exercise is important to good health, who knew? Amy does, but I’m still getting used to it.

We actually used vacation days with the boys in a trip to the QC. As you can see in the picture, we just sit in hotels playing on the iPad and DS.

It was on that trip that I learned a good friend from my Girl Scouts Night on Broadway, died. Brian Nelson (tribute story by another great friend David Burke) was such a great person and talent. It was awesome to stand next to him to get my part. No one can replace that voice in the show and it makes my decision to return last December all the more meaningful, as that was my last time talking to the copy editor of the QC Argus/Dispatch before he passed on March 17.

We saw old friends in new places and entertained along the way.

Then there were trips to get frozen yogurt.

I suppose Call Committee at church took a little time. We are looking for a new pastor for care and discipleship.

We hosted two members of the Ritterchor from Wartburg College. Our guys were communication arts majors. They weren’t even at the house 10 hours, but we still managed to bore them to tears with tales of Castle Singers and KWAR. The group was well received at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. We hope they remember us in Ankeny the next time they drive by.

I did get to meet the new director, Lee Nelson. He’s an incredible talent and Wartburg is lucky to have him.

And now this week, baseball begins. The Iowa Cubs will open the 2012 season to some of the coolest weather we’ve had in weeks. The boys are summer are getting the same luck as last year, great weather in Des Moines when the team was on the road, but when at home, bring the cold, rain and snow.

We did have some family health issues with Grandpa Bob Lehmann attempting to play Superman and ending up in the hospital. Mom and Dad survived a month together in Florida and Kris was able to return with them, hitting every 3rd McDonald’s along the way back to Iowa.

And maybe I play Words With Friends a little bit….

But being a dad is what I love to do. Spending time with the clowns is the best medicine for any day. Amy gets attention, too. You have to keep the boss happy.

Maybe next time we’ll get back to the business at hand, telling you who is pregnant on what TV station and maybe dig up some old hat pictures to keep you entertained.

Until next time, good knight.

The Fridge Climber

New adventures for Levi.

By the time we reach Monday, we start getting back to the routinethe boys know.

We get going to kindergarten, daycare and then to work. Regularly, I do drop-off and Amy does the pick up. I crack the whip in the morning with a few minutes of TV and mom gives them candy at pick up. I need to have the reputation of the mean one. That’s what Noah likes to call me when he’s mad at me for some reason. The “It’s not fair,” lines are surely coming soon.

I can do breakfast, dressing, and school drop off with minimal shouting, begging and tears. Making dinner is a different set of talents. You have to be quick and efficient. Boys are hungry, tired and have played with friends all afternoon. And that’s on a good day.

When we were not eating at our regular dinner table during our recently completed renovation, Levi was sent back to his high chair. Now he’s enjoying his newly found freedom being free from the high chair. He wants to sit in a big chair like big brother.

Scratch that. He wants to stand. Forget sitting.

Climbing into the fridge is a nightly ritual.

Following dinner, Levi continues his quest for exploration on wild frontier known as our house. He’s tall enough to climb into fridge and peak on the top shelf to see what he wants. Cheese and juice are his targets.

I had a meeting Monday night at church, so Grandma Paula and Grandpa Wil came to the house. Levi was upset at me anyway, so Grandpa was a welcome sight. Plus, Levi took him upstairs to play Lego’s. Noah got his literacy bag completed, so overall a good night.

Tomorrow, we go back to wrestling on a full night of being home alone.

Gardening is like farming, right?

Noah has nice tomatoes.

You would think that the son and grandsons of a 3rd generation farmer would be able to handle a few things in the garden.

We will see. But, I think we will remember where the grocery store is for our produce needs.

There’s a lot of things we don’t know about gardening. Planting, may be one of them.

Noah, Levi and I tried to plant some items in our new garden on Sunday. We headed outdoors after the naps were completed and Grandma Honey was onto her next grandchild visit.

Levi tries to balance his plant and this feet.

Both boys wanted to be my helpers.
Levi was able to handle my one pepper for planting.

He was able to waddle down the steps, across the lawn and to our newly tilled ground.

We are trying the garden next to the garage where it will get about 85% sun, mostly in the late morning to afternoon. It was mostly an area with sod and weeds.

We put in a little rhubarb there a couple of years ago. We also put in some raspberries in there, too. We had a lot of berries last year and they’ve really taken off this year already.

Ah, Levi, that is dad's lawn. The garden is the black part, not the green part.

I’ve turned the dirt over and put in some new topsoil to try to make the conditions the best for growing.

Right now, Levi is really trying to do everything his brother does. This is fun to see little brother look up and try to copy big brother.

This process is helping build some patience for Noah. The 5-year-old has to let his brother try things for his own, before helping.

This shot shows Levi trying to dig up the lawn as Noah waits to correct him.

Let me help you, brother.

Noah lasted about .26 seconds later before taking over the reigns.

Levi and Noah were digging holes for me to plant the tomatoes and peppers.

We will see how our garden grows.

We try to check it every night. Each time I let Levi try to water the garden, he ends up getting more water on himself than he does the intended target.

My two helpers will also grow this year. I’m curious to see how they change by harvest time later this summer.

The Reinforcement Has Arrived for days 4 and 5- YBHA VI

Levi and Noah sit on Grandma Honey's lap.

It is nice to see a friendly face.

Grandma Honey was a welcome sight for me and my boys. I mean, Grandma Paula and Grandpa Wil can only be asked to do so much. They need a break.

Seriously, we rely heavily on Wil and Paula for help. They assisted me a few times this week while the boss was gone.

When Amy’s trip to Holland came up, I already had a strong commitment for Saturday. The Iowa Broadcast News Association’s annual convention and awards was set long ago. As a board member of the IBNA, I had  a couple of roles in this weekend festivities.

That’s when you call in help. Grandma’s like this type of thing, or at least, I hope they do.

My mother raised 4 children, 3 girls and me. I was nothing short of a challenge.

Now I have 2 boys who look, act and carry my DNA. Family is the only option. As my father says, I can’t help but laugh watching you with those two boys. Translation, you get what you pay for.

Grandma Honey was named by my sister Julie’s girls years ago. She and Farmer Papa or Grandpa Fish don’t get to use their real names.

Grandma Honey has watched the boys before, so this wasn’t new, but it was not in her house, but ours.

She got a little time with them Friday night so when I was already gone to #IBNA2011 Saturday morning, it wasn’t as big of a shock.

I think the boys didn’t even know I was gone. That’s such a relief. They were great for Grandma, for that, I’m thankful.

A big thanks to a couple of Aunt/Cousin visits to give all a break in the afternoon.

All were in their Sunday best.

Grandma also stayed around Sunday morning to go to church with me and the boys. She had not heard our newly called pastor, Tim Olson preach yet, so this was a good chance to hear him. (I must say, if you are looking for a church in Ankeny, come give Holy Trinity Lutheran Church a listen)

When we got to HTLC we found out it was a baptism of Kristopher and Kristi Emick’s son. Kristopher and I went to Jesup HS together. His dad, Kraig, used to be my band and choir teacher. I’ll run into Kraig and Karen often in Ankeny now as they come to see the grandkids.

*Forgive me if this a little scatterbrained, I was trying to watch history on television tonight with the announcement of the death of Osama Bin Laden. Watching this unfold on TV and the internet through Twitter has been incredible. The real-time information distribution is like nothing else we’ve ever seen.

If Noah was just a bit older, I would have gotten him out of bed to watch this, but that would just lead to more questions. Regardless, history was made Sunday night when President Obama walked in and out of the East Room.

**Also, new travel advisories are now being issued for flights… just in time for the boss’ return.

We like to dance during YBHA VI

Are these Easter outfits made for Dancin'? U Bet!

Music can do wonders.

We know it makes it feel better and can bring a smile to face.

It can also make toddlers and little boys happy.

Since the first of the year, we’ve really started to listen to more music in our house. The boys already listen to a bit of music while at daycare. Noah’s class spends time between country and pop. He hears Star 102.5 a lot. This means he’s very familiar with Justin Bieber. He recently got his first CD and it was Justin. I may have to play the Eric Hanson version of the song.

Levi hears music and has that cute toddler dancing thing down. I’m still trying to record his moves to share with the world.

We will pull out the iTunes during dinner when Mom is gone. Since we are in Yeager Boys Home Alone (YBHA) VI Day 2, we had a little music with our supper.

Since the Wartburg College Castle Singers were in town and we were unable to go, I decided a little Nate Vaughn was in order. Nate is a senior at Wartburg. He’s in Castle Singers, the same group Amy and I were in years ago. I’ve gotten to know him through several connections.

Nate’s a creative guy with a bright future. He and some of the other Communication Arts students had a little fun last year with Miley Cyrus’ Party In The USA. Spencer (another former Castle Singer), Gabi, Amanda, Abbey and Mac were the stars of the show.

I know, exposing Noah to Miley is only asking for trouble, but this was a good exception. We had a little fun. We listen to Margaritaville (The Salt Song), Paradise City (much to the head shaking of mom) and even Hey Ya from Outkast.

I don’t have them asking for Arcade Fire yet, but we’ll get there.

See you tomorrow.

YBHA VI Starts With A Delay

Momma and her boys before departure.

The Yeager boys are left alone again.
What could possibly go wrong this time? Another knot the size of Italy? A trip to the surgeon? All of Europe being shut down for Royal Wedding?

Each of these work trips has been an adventure. Some, more than others.

We learned from the last delayed return trip from Holland.

What started out as an excuse for a family photo has turned into a superstition buster. We didn’t take a picture with Amy, Noah and Levi in April and she had some extra time on the company dime.

This departure was a little different as it came during the week and not on a Saturday. So, we took the group picture the night before her adventure. I guess I should have gotten both boys up this morning as Amy’s flights were delayed and rerouted for a six-hour stretch on Tuesday. She originally was headed to Detroit with final destination of Amsterdam. Now she’s flying through Minneapolis.

So, her boss and the other traveler in their group used the Des Moines International Airport as their remote office to plow through some email this afternoon.

The storms finally cleared and her flight landed in MSP then took off for Holland.

Our first day was pretty good. Noah had Kindermusik tonight. He’s of the age where he gets about 30 minutes with Miss Tina and the last 15 minutes with families. So Levi and I hung out in the hall waiting for our time to come in and see what Noah had done. Levi is pretty good during family time as he thinks it is pretty cool to be in the same room as the big kids.

When we got home, it was bath time and bed. Both boys were tired and went to bed pretty easy. I think they are still tired form Noah’s birthday gatherings. Let’s hope they sleep well and be good for Dad. Otherwise, they may not get their surprise later in the week.

Join us next time when we talk about the songs we listen to here in the U.S.A.

5 good minutes

My goal for 2011 is to spend about 5 good minutes on video or audio with the boys on the 5th of every month.
So far, so good. But, it is only January. This is in addition to more dispatches on the boys.

I talked to Noah with audio only this morning. I may keep that just for me.

But here is a video with Noah and Levi earlier tonight. We were hanging out in the basement. Noah is his typically silly self while Levi just walks back and forth on the couch. At times, over, and on top of, Noah.

Earlier this week I wrote about my obsession with Brach’s Jube Jel Cherry Hearts. Noah said he liked them. That was until this morning with said yuck and started spitting out the candy.

I guess that leaves more for me to enjoy.

Not home to see the Lil’ Trucker

Levi makes his way down the stairs.

My little trucker is growing up. Today we took Levi to the doctor for his 15-month appointment.

Seriously. Where did 15 months go?

Levi can climb both up and down the stairs, walk backwards and understand almost everything you say to him. Especially when he plays peek-a-boo.

Today he weighed in at 24 pounds 9 oz,  standing 30 and 3/4 inches tall. He’s not setting records in either of those categories, but he is a Yeager after all.

One of the great things about working in my current job at IPTV is the chance to be home most evenings. This allows me to spend more than 30 minutes with the boys at during a supper break. Now I can pick up from daycare if needed and just be a dad.

But sometimes the job requires an evening or two away from home. The nice thing is many of those nights are planned ahead of time and I can steal a few minutes in the morning to get in some extra dad time before departure. I like the opportunity to speak to groups, it is a fun part of the job. If you’re interesting in having IPTV speak to your group, let me know with a note to IPTVPaul@gmail.com.

Tuesday night I got a chance to speak to the Lions Club of Windsor Heights. Thanks for the invitation and listening to my speech. I don’t wear a cape like Dan Wardell, but we try to have a little fun. Jerry Adams was my contact. He’s a retired meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines. He’s also a Dowling dad as his children graduated from there and his grandson goes to school there now. He was at the championship game back in November.

Noah was still up when I got home. He will keep himself awake when either of us are not home at bedtime. He will stay up to see if he can sneak a few minutes with us when we get home later than normal. Tonight his delay tactics worked and he got to have some cuddle time. Darn kid. It is hard to be mad at him when he’s acting all cute.

No fires or blood yet as YBHA IV hits halftime

Amy holds Noah and Levi prior to her departure.

Hard to believe we are almost half-way through the 4th installment of the Yeager Boys Home Alone. Here’s a little recap on what YBHA means (YBHA1). It is a fun distraction as I also get ready for the 4A championship game in Cedar Falls on Friday night.

This week, Amy has returned to Holland for more work. We’re just hoping there’s no volcano to delay this return home.

We are in the middle this week. Let’s get caught up on what’s happened so far.

We did the Saturday drop-off this weekend to begin the YBHA4.

Before Amy left, we did the ceremonial picture of her and the boys. The only time we didn’t take this sort of picture, Amy decided she wanted to drive 19 hours from Holland to Madrid.

The cleaner, the player and the ping-pong paddler.

Following the Des Moines International Airport, we headed for Aunt Kris‘ house. Maddox was ready to see Levi. Or Wee-vi as he calls him. Maddox only knows Levi, he wasn’t sure on what Noah‘s name was. Mad-dog will be 2 on Thanksgiving, so he and the 1 year-old, Levi, didn’t really play well together. They are still working those issues out.

But when they did invade the basement, Levi was entertained with a broom while Noah and Maddox tried to play ping-pong. Toys R Us will not using these boys for their next commercial.

Maddox, Noah and Levi are pretty worn out after an evening of playtime.

Noah was very interested in the ping-pong table and wanted to play that all night. Noah is just practicing for Thanksgiving when we’ll be back at Kris and Brian’s for a wonderful holiday experience.

 

Following the playing, the boys were tired. Actually, that’s as close as I came to getting them to pose together for a picture.

Maybe in year.

Ok, who am I kidding. They likely won’t sit still for a photo until they graduate high school.

Grandma Honey, Noah, Levi, Farmer Papa survived the night together.

Sunday brought the Jesup cavalry. Grandma Honey and Farmer Papa helped watch the boys as I had a call committee meeting. Noah just had a simple instruction, not to listen to anything Grandpa Fish had to say. Easier said that done, but my father loves kids this age, he can just tease them and get them all riled up and it is quite enjoyable to watch.

Monday put us back into preschool and day care. No big surprises there. I just needed Grandma Paula and Grandpa Wil to be on stand by as I had to go to Jefferson to talk to their Rotary. I also snuck in a quick trip to see Aunt Lynda and Barb and Uncle Harold and also my cousin Laura.

Tuesday morning was a little different as Wil and Paula got the boys to school so I could get to West Des Moines by 7a for another IPTV speaking engagement. That will hopefully be the last of the excitement.

We did make it to Kindermusik tonight without many issues. Levi was getting tired and just wanted to go home and go to bed. Hopefully he stays asleep all night.

Now time to get ready for Dowling and City High…

Levi’s Senior Pictures

Levi 1

Summer is the time for senior pictures. We’re all tan, in shape and full of rest ahead of our senior year.

Levi is ready for this senior year by the looks of these pictures. Just imagine that the slide pole is a tree that every leans up against or puts their hand up on for their traditional senior picture pose.

I was just fooling around in the park the other day and got lucky with these shots. There are days when he can really smile. And we thought Noah was a smiley child, Levi is doing his part to keep up the smiling Yeager tradition. I’m sure none of this comes from their mother and her perma-smile.

Levi 2

Enjoy my little man. All 10-months of him. We sure do. He started off as a tank, but no seems to be leveling off a bit on the growing and weight gain. Soon, he’ll be eating Noah’s lunch. Then Levi will eat Noah.

Speaking of eating, Levi is now ready for table food. At least that’s what he thinks as he eats cheese. Last night, he was trying the crust of the Northern Light’s Pizza.

His teeth are starting to come in a bit more. He’s got one on top to go along with those bottom two. He should have two top teeth by the end of the week.

Levi 3

He enjoys walks to the park with Cheerios and big brother’s company. But he’s not a huge fan of water at the splash park, at least, not yet.

He’s big into sleeping all night. But not so much on taking naps.

He also likes to drink bottles to the last drop.

But now he’s into cruising.

Levi 4

Cruising is not scooping the loop, but rather pulling oneself up on furniture and using the furniture as the crutch to walk. You see the technique a lot on a Saturday night in most dorm rooms, but Levi uses this a lot to get around.

Last night he was using a chair as a blocking sled and just pushed the chair the length of the deck while chopping his feet, driving, driving, driving.

So which shot do you like?