Today, my husband and I took our sons, ages 6 and 7, to see the Brewers play the Reds with tickets they won by completing the library's "Super Reader Club" this summer.

The game started out strongly, with the Brew Crew up four runs in the second inning, but in the end, they lost 8-5. The most interesting aspect of the game for me, however, was seeing how much my boys have matured since the last game they went to, which was about a year ago.

Today, we spent about two innings in the Play Zone and the remaining time they spent watching the game, cheering on the chorizo in the sausage race and dancing. Plus, they were thrilled instead of scared by the fireworks.

I was amazed that even though they each got a slice of pizza and some Dippin' Dots, they didn't whine for anything else. They have finally accepted I don't buy things like cotton candy or $15 souvenirs and this time, they didn't ask repeatedly.

And most surprising, we only took one trip to the bathroom.

Baseball has a nostalgic side to it, and today I did, too. Life passes by so quickly, I don't always notice the boys' changing, but this afternoon at Miller Park, it was apparent to me that my kids were truly growing up, one inning at a time.