The Heat

No, really. That's what Rhys's All-Stars team is called. I've never heard of a more appropriately named team. We're wrapping up our second weekend of All-Stars, and all I can do is wonder why on earth summer baseball in Texas ever sounded like a good idea.

Despite the triple-digit degree temperatures, Rhys seems to be having a great time. He is learning a lot and has some really nice kids on his team. Last weekend's tournament was a great success, and after playing five games during the weekend, the Heat earned a 2nd place trophy. This weekend, his team is playing three games to get seeded for the final tournament. This afternoon they played a double header (did I mention the 100 degree temps?), and they won both.

Travel plans

My mom and Doug had planned a trip to Scotland this summer to celebrate Doug's 60th birthday. He was so proud of his heritage and so excited to go. It's not a trip that Mom wants to take without him, but she could still definitely use to get away, so she has changed the tickets a bit and invited Avery and me to go with her. Avery and I are very sorry about the circumstances but very excited about the generous opportunity Mamar has offered us.

The trip is coming up very soon, so we've been in a flurry of plans and arrangements. My passport is long expired and Avery has never had one, and getting them in a hurry is quite an undertaking. It's been nice to have a distraction in this sad time, but a little overwhelming while our thoughts are so focused on missing Doug. Avery and I have been immersing ourselves in guidebooks for France and Italy, and Avery has been following me around with her French phrasebook, quizzing me.

I'll admit that I'm more than a little apprehensive about leaving the boys for two weeks. Bill plans to take several days off work to do "guy things" with them, and they'll also spend a couple of days with Nonnie and friends while Bill works. I've never been away from them for any length of time, but I know they'll be fine. I keep reminding myself that Bill is a wonderful, hands-on Dad, and they'll all survive just fine without me. Actually, I imagine they'll be sorry when I come back and rain on their Guy Party!

Chaos and caterpillars

With all the chaos and sadness after Doc's death, I let the ball drop in many areas of our lives. I missed doctor's appointments, failed to return calls, got incredibly behind on work, and much more. We're so lucky to have wonderful friends that have worked hard to help us back on our feet. We've had childcare whenever we need it, and our friends have brought regular meals for us for several weeks. I can't express how grateful we are. At least I know the kids have been fed and cared for!

But one little detail that I felt particularly guilty about forgetting was the shipment of caterpillars that we were due to receive a day or two after Doc's death. Obviously my thoughts were elsewhere, and almost a week passed before I remembered that we were expecting them. As soon as I realized it (well, the next morning, since it came to me at about 2am one night), I frantically drove home to rescue what I was sure would be a jar of caterpillar carcasses from the hot mailbox. I was elated to discover three live (albeit warm) caterpillars! Two didn't make it, but the fact that three did really eased my guilty conscience.

We brought them with us to Mamar's, and we were able to watch them form their chrysalids and eventually emerge! One of the three had a bit of a wing defect, but the other two emerged as beautiful and healthy Painted Ladies.