Front Row at the Bee's Game

We were on a mission to squeeze in one last weekend of family time before school started.  I found an ad for front row seats at the Bee's game and knew it sounded right up our alley.  I had the night all planned out.  I was so proud I figured out the train schedule and navigated us all the way to Salt Lake with time to spare.  We even had to switch trains at one point.  The kids love to ride the train and it took us right to the stadium.  The seats were perfection.  Our feet literally rested on the Bee's dugout.

  

There was also this random celebrity whose name has escaped me.  He was in the movie Angels in the Outfield and through the opening pitch.

We were so close to the action.  It was so awesome.

The foam fingers were a hit.

But the biggest thrill of the night came from the mascots.  They were all there to celebrate the Bee's birthday and Sam was instantly more entertained by the game.  He became obsessed with his 

"best friends".

Man did I pick the right game to get front row seats to.

The boys were on a mission to get a signature from all their favorite mascots.

Max had the amazing talent of spotting the mascots from a distance.  He would leave his seat and take off on a dead sprint to get a signature for Sam.

This was possibly the biggest highlight of the night.  Sam couldn't stop talking about the lion doing a front flip and giving him stones.

These are some happy boys!  These four make my world go round.  In this moment I was thinking this night couldn't possibly get any better.  I kept studying my train schedule and knew we needed to leave by top of the 8th inning to catch it.  The kids were having so much fun, we decided to catch the train coming an hour later.  I adjusted our plan and was confident we would get home with no problem.  I was a little confused to see that the next train to Provo wasn't coming for 88 minutes when we arrived to the train station.  Surely the sign was wrong.  My schedule said it was coming in 10 minutes.  I may have had the a.m and p.m mixed up.  Oops!  Sadly our perfect night ended with us waiting for and hour and a half for the last train back to Provo.  The kids were pretty good sports but that's a long time to wait for anyone.  Finally, the train came at midnight and we made it home by 1 a.m.  I suppose I need a little more practice riding the train.

The following day, we took advantage of some great weather and Randy being home and headed to the pool.

Randy and Sam got some playtime in while I wrestled Hank and Max.  I endured as much man handling as I could and then had to tap out.  These boys of mine are aggressive and relentless.  They didn't take it easy on their dear mother but I had a blast playing with them.  Boys are the best.

Especially when they are loving and not fighting.  It was such a fantastic weekend.  I didn't want it to end.  It won't be long before the kids are back to school and our carefree, fun summer days come to an end.

The Aquarium

With summer quickly coming to a close we felt the need to squeeze in a trip to the new aquarium.  Sam was mesmerized by the sharks.

Come to think of it, Grandma Jackie was pretty mesmerized as well!

The penguin exhibit was Sam's favorite.

Max kept me on my toes by asking some really good questions about the exhibits.  Sometimes I feel like I'm not smart enough to be his mom.

Find me a cuter bunch of cousins!

We had to stop at the photo booth on the way out and the pictures didn't disappoint.  

Tucker and Jack were at the aquarium that day as well but had to leave early because Jack wasn't feeling well.  Grandma kept the older kids and took them to the 4D shark movie while I took Sam home for a nap.  

The kids came home happy and wearing matching shark tooth necklaces.  These fun summer days are close to ending and I'm so sad about it!

Boating!!

Welcome to my happy place.  This summer has been a little fickle in the weather department so anytime the sun is shining and there's no wind, we are rushing to the lake.  I'm finally feeling more confident on the wake board and even venturing outside the wake without eating it.

  

Then Randy has to get out there and show me how it's really done.

My man's still got it!

The boys have been getting more and more daring on the tube.  I laugh when I think about how freaked out they were the first time they went out this year.  Now they are flipping off the back of the tube and begging Randy to go faster and hit more bumps.

I love this picture so much!

I had plenty of time on the tube this season.  One day, Randy was dragging us from one side of the wake to the other at really high speeds so Hank, Max, and I decided to invent a new swear word.  The best thing the boys could come up with was "beaver".  Hmmmm maybe a real swear word would be better.

Hello longest arms in the universe!

These boys are my world.  They are so fun to be around.

Hank and Max can outlast me on the death tube but it exhausted all of us at some point.

It's hard work holding on for dear life.

My mom joined us for some boating fun one Sunday afternoon.  We tried to get Jeri out on the boat but the weather wouldn't cooperate.  We need a longer summer to get everyone out on the boat with us.

I feel like Sam has grown up on the boat.  He always keeps us entertained with his dance moves.  When he gets sleepy, he just finds a towel and lays down.  Best boating kid ever.

On one of our last trips to Utah Lake this season, I got brave and broke out the bikini!  I found my perfect little lounging spot while the boys were tubing it up.  In true Griffin boy fashion, Max attempted to moon me when Randy took this pic.  Only in our family.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, getting a boat was the best decision we've ever made for our little family.  There are many memories in store for us on the lake.

Pool Time with the Cousins!

The Lehi Pool has become our home away from home this summer.  I'm really wishing I would've bought a pass at the beginning of the summer.  This particular day, Kate and Sarah were working so I got to have all my nieces and nephews to myself.  Such adorable kids!

Poor Lucy had just had her wisdom teeth extracted days before.  The irrigation syringe to the left of her didn't leave her side all day.  

Jack and Sam kept each other entertained most of the day in the kiddie pool.  It's weird how the pool seems to clear out the minute these two start their shenanigans.

With Sarah gone, and candy in my hand, I finally won Tucker over.  He couldn't get enough of me and I loved every minute of it.

Hank amazed us all with his ability to climb the rock wall.  He made it clear to the top in no time at all. 

Lucy kept herself entertained by french braiding my hair while the other kids were swimming.  It turned out pretty cute.  I'm still amazed that's my hair!  

Notice Tucker rocking my shades!  It was a perfect summer afternoon.  I'm so lucky to be able to spend so much time with these darling kiddos.