Jimmy Kimmel Live

Some might call it a mistake to plan your kids' most anticipated summer excursion the same weekend school gets out, but we call it starting the summer off with a bang! 

We went to Pasadena, California to meet up with Jeff's family for a Dodgers game! Eli had a great season of baseball and is starting to understand all the intricacies of the game, so we were excited to have him see a real game so he could gain a little appreciation and admiration for Jeff's favorite team.

The boys kept busy watching some construction while I was getting ready in the morning. 

Then we went to a cute park to kill some time before the rest of the family made it our way. 

On our way to our hotel, we spotted a building in the distance that looked familiar but we couldn't quite place where we knew it from. Jeff is a whiz with TV trivia and remembered that the City Hall building from one of our favorite shows, Parks & Rec, was located in Pasadena and was a short walk away from our hotel. We knew we had to see it in person!

Right before taking this picture, Eli said, "Oh. So this is why they call it City Hall." Checks out. 

It was actually a super cool building to walk around and it felt like we were exploring a castle. 

We found Jackie and Mack Robinson right across the street which was very fitting for our baseball-themed vacation. The boys warmed up their swings with the professionals. 

And one last departing shot with Pawnee. It was such an unexpected treasure to stumble upon and it made me so happy. 

Four boys in a hotel is as loud as it sounds. We quickly created rules of single file walking and designated accumulation areas. This helped slightly. 

But you can't slow down a bunch of boys excited to hit the pool! 

It was finally time for the game! 

Once we were there, I couldn't get over the cuteness of Jeff getting to share a part of something he loves with all of his boys. 

Some were there to see the Dodgers, and some were there to see Jimmy Kimmel who, much like Pawnee City Hall, appeared out of nowhere, completely unexpected. He even gave a little 3-minute speech before the game, so I can now tell people I've seen Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Jonah was into all four hours of the game. The game started at his bedtime, but he kept his enthusiasm going through the whole game and didn't miss a minute of it. 

It was a quick, but memorable trip. Luckily we have a few more adventures in store for the rest of summer, but this one will be tough to beat! Cousins, swimming, Dodgers, and endless TV in the hotel room was a perfect way to kick off the summer!