Another Weekend in Full Summer Mode

This summer has been pretty nonstop, and this weekend was no exception. We packed in a musical, brunch with my grandparents, dinner with friends, a trip to the pool, family time, and a Bees game. It was busy, but it was the good kind of busy, with plenty of time spent with people we love.

The fun started Friday evening when we went to see Skylee and Anna perform in a production of The Lion King Jr. Since the show was geared toward kids, Madeline got to come along too. We had watched The Lion King with her beforehand so she would be familiar with the story, characters, and music. We figured that might help her stay engaged, although there is always an element of uncertainty when taking a toddler to a live performance.

Skylee played young Nala and was also a lioness, while Anna was part of the ensemble, with her main role being a cheetah. They both did a great job and seemed genuinely happy to be performing. Skylee, as always, shone as one of the most talented kids in the cast. She is such a confident and natural performer, and it is always fun to watch her onstage. Anna also looked like she was having a great time singing, dancing, and cycling through all of the different costumes.

Madeline did remarkably well during the show and really seemed to enjoy herself. She danced along with the music and watched the stage closely. Her favorite moment was during “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King,” when they fired off a couple of confetti cannons. She was completely delighted.

The show itself was a lot of fun. Pretty much all of the kids were onstage for every song, there seemed to be a dozen costume changes, and the costumes absolutely slayed. There was always something colorful and energetic happening onstage. We were so glad we could be there to support Skylee and Anna and see all the work they had put into the performance.

Saturday morning, we woke up and headed to Lake Break for brunch with my grandparents. Alison has been helping them plan and book a cruise for September. It has taken quite a bit of work because they need fairly white-glove service from the moment they arrive at the airport until they return to Salt Lake City. There are flights, hotel reservations, transportation, wheelchair assistance, cruise details, restaurant reservations, and plenty of other small logistics to coordinate.

Alison has put a tremendous amount of effort into making sure everything is organized and that my grandparents will feel comfortable throughout the trip. She had several updates to give them, along with a few decisions where she needed their input, so we thought it would be more enjoyable to meet for brunch, eat some good food, and work through everything together.

When we told Mads that we were going to brunch with Grandpa and Grandma Sue, she immediately asked whether Grandpa would bring M&M’s. We told her he probably would not, but Grandpa apparently understands his role because he arrived with M&M’s, which thrilled her to no end. She was very happy to see them, but the candy certainly did not hurt.

As always, Lake Break was an excellent experience. We ate a great breakfast, caught up with my grandparents, and made some good progress on the cruise plans. It was a productive meeting disguised as brunch, which is the best kind of meeting.

Saturday evening, we hosted our friends and neighbors Dylan and Rylee, along with their son Pierce, at our house. We made dinner, and I pulled out my best-ever sourdough pizzas. They slayed. The crust turned out exactly how I wanted it, and it was one of those batches where everything came together just right.

After dinner, we mostly hung out and talked while the kids played. Madeline had a lot of fun showing Dylan all of her toys in the living room. She would bring him one thing after another, apparently determined to give him a full tour of her collection. She was also really cute with Pierce and seemed excited to have another little kid hanging out at her house.

It was a simple evening, but a very successful one. Good pizza, good conversation, and toddlers/babies running/crawling around the living room is a pretty solid Saturday night. We are grateful to live in an area where we have made friends with neighbors we genuinely enjoy spending time with.

Sunday morning, Madeline and I got up and went for a run. It was already shaping up to be a scorcher, and by the time we got home we were both ready to cool down. After we made breakfast, we decided the pool was the obvious choice.

Madeline has been loving the splash pool lately, so that is where we headed. It is a great setup because the water is shallow enough that we do not have to be fully submerged the entire time, while Madeline can splash, wander around, and play to her heart’s content. She loves having the freedom to move around on her own, although we are always close by.

We ended up making friends with another family who was there, and Madeline had fun splashing around with the other kids. She ran through the water, climbed around, and stayed busy the entire time. She did not want to leave, but eventually nap time won out and we convinced her it was time to head home.

That afternoon, my mom and Luke came over to visit. They brought a few toys for Madeline to play with, which she was interested in even though she was initially very shy. She sometimes needs a little time to warm up when people first arrive, so for a while she stayed close to us and quietly observed everything.

Eventually, though, she came out of her shell and started running around like the crazy, energetic toddler she is. Once she decides she is comfortable, there is no holding back. We had a nice time catching up with my mom and Luke while Madeline played and showed off some of her personality.

Sunday night, we capped off the weekend with a Bees game. My grandparents were not able to come, so we shared their tickets with Kristin and her girls. Madeline was psyched to go to the game with her cousins. She loves the ballpark anyway, but having Skylee and Anna there made it even more exciting.

It was a seriously hot night, but our seats are great because they stay in the shade. That makes a huge difference during the middle of the summer. Whenever we walked around the stadium, Mads wanted to hold her cousins’ hands. She spent plenty of quality time hanging out with both Skylee and Anna, and they were very sweet about including her.

We had some ice cream, which is basically a necessity at a baseball game on a hot summer evening. Anna and Mads also got to meet Bumble, and we spent some time exploring the team store. Madeline enjoys wandering around the stadium almost as much as she enjoys sitting in our seats, so there is usually plenty of movement involved in taking her to a game.

The game itself was great, although the Bees made the ending a little more stressful than it needed to be. They were cruising and entered the eighth inning with a comfortable 7–1 lead. It looked like we were headed for an easy victory. Of course, the Bees then gave up five runs in the top of the eighth, suddenly making it a 7–6 game.

Thankfully, they got one of those runs back in the bottom half of the inning and managed to hold on for an 8–6 win. Phew. We were very happy to see the Bees win, even if they had to make us sweat a little first.

Sunday games start earlier than most night games, so everything wrapped up before 9:00. It was even still light outside when we started walking home. Normally Madeline falls asleep in her stroller before we make it back to the house, but with the sun still out and all the excitement of the evening, she stayed awake the entire way. Fortunately, she went down easily once we got home.

It had been another full summer weekend. There were a lot of activities packed into just a few days. Summer has been moving quickly, but weekends like this are a pretty good reminder to enjoy all of it while it is here.