The softball season came to a rather abrupt end for the FCC team today. We had an early game against a team that barely gathered enough people to field a team, and still were a man short so they had the automatic out rule. We beat them 14-6, but we should have beaten them a million to nothing. We were good enough to win but not good. But it was a win, and a tournament win, which gave us another game a hour later against a much much better team than us. Strangely, we lost to them 12-2, but I thought we played a lot better than we had in the early game. We couldn’t hit their pitcher, so late in the game I took him out. Not on purpose. I hit a comebacker right at him, as hard as I’ve ever hit a ball, and it hit him square on the side of his right foot. After it hit him it bounced up through his legs towards first base and must have gone 10 feet in the air. He was hurting bad, and couldn’t pitch the rest of the game. But his relief shut us down too. So the season is over. We also rented the 2 Bourne movies to see this week because the new one has been getting good reviews. We watched them in the evenings because there hasn’t been much else on.

Alex has preschool summer "camp" all this week. "Slides, Swings, and Playground Things." Basically it’s a couple hours of playtime each day during the week with all the preschool kids. He’s been really excited to get back to school. Beth has been excited to get him back, too.

We managed to get everyone up and ready for church, and all our stuff packed up, in time this morning. Mom G’s memorial was supposed to be this weekend but it has been delayed a few weeks so Judy can get here (and maybe Jim). Anyway, we went to the morning service (Alex introduced himself to the congregation at the children’s time...just blurted "my name’s Alex" when the pastor asked them all something). Then both the kids went off to kid’s church with Julia, which they really enjoyed. They love Julia. Beth had made arrangements to visit Sheri and Russ and their boys in the afternoon, so we drove both cars out to Gobles to visit. They also have a pool, which was also very cold, but the kids again didn’t care. We had a nice visit with them for all the afternoon, another cookout for lunch. They gave us a bike for Alex! Their youngest is too big for the starter bike they have so they asked us if we wanted it. Yes, thank you! We left around dinnertime and wound up taking the same alternate route back home I’d taken yesterday, except we cut directly south through Paw Paw.

This morning I took the kids to Michigan. We went a different way up, just for a change of scenery, going across that camelback bridge in Mottville and finding our way back to 131 near Schoolcraft. We got there around lunchtime, and went out for pizza and to get some things for dinner tonight, which was a cookout at John and Stephanie’s. The entire family was there, including all the kids. It was supposed to be a pool party as well, but the pool was freezing, although that doesn’t matter to kids. Alex and Missy were the last kids out and we had to practically drag them even though they were shivering. Then there was a little campfire in the yard for marshmallows. The motel room we got turned out to have only one queen size bed, but luckily I had the foresight to bring the inflatable mattress and the air pump, and some bedding, just in case, since you can’t specify such things on Priceline. We put the kids to bed on that and it worked out just fine.

Beth had arranged for Lorraine to watch the kids today while I was at work, so I was just a bit late getting in. I dropped the kids off at about 9, and Beth called me while we were all in the car to tell me that her mom is still hanging on. She said it was the most pathetic thing she’d ever seen, with her mom just gasping for shallow breaths, barely conscious if at all, and they’d all started praying that it would be over soon and her mom would let go. She passed away at about 10 this morning, just before Beth arrived at the nursing home. I made some travel arrangements this evening on Priceline (got a room at the Fairfield Kalamazoo East for $50...really good deal) for tomorrow night; I’ll take the kids up there. Beth is staying overnight at Pam’s.

Because it was too late to find a sitter when Pam called yesterday, I stayed home from work today to watch the kids. It’s also my birthday. Beth called this morning, and her mom is still hanging in there, but still not doing well. Virgil and Sheri came over with pizza and ice cream cake in the evening for my birthday, and Beth came home a little while after they came over. She was home for maybe 2 or 3 hours, just long enough to start getting the kids to bed, when Pam called again saying Mom G is slipping away, barely even breathing any more. So, Beth packed up a few things and left for Michigan again this evening.

Beth ran up to Michigan again this (Wednesday) evening, just moments after getting a call from Pam that her mom was slipping away. From what Pam said, it didn’t look likely that Mom G would last long enough for Beth to get there from Indiana, so she just left, taking with her only the clothes she was wearing at the time.

Beth went to Michigan again today. She left the kids with our friend Tina and headed up. After work I picked them up and fed them (interesting story: Tina made brownies for this kids. All day she had said she would make some, and Alex was very patient although excited about brownies. She served them just as I was getting there. Alex looked at his, asked what it was, and when we told him it was a brownie he got very upset and wouldn’t try it. We finally figured out that what he had been looking forward to all day was hash browns; he thought that that was what he was getting. He was so disappointed) and then took Tina’s son Brandon to the softball game so he could watch the kids until Beth got home. The game went well, I had 2 hits (including a good one) and we won again. Beth got back around 8 or so. Mom G is still not doing well.

Friday Beth and I took the kids to the Kosciusko County fair after I got home from work. We thought they might like the kiddie rides and seeing the animals. Well, we should have gone sooner, because almost all the animals were already gone when we got there (a crying fit almost happened when Alex saw the animals were gone) but, several of the prizewinners were still there so we just looked at them, and the kids seemed happy with that. As for the rides, they are holy cow expensive, $20 bought 4 rides for Alex and 3 for Missy. Missy did NOT like the kiddie roller coaster, but Alex loved it. He also got an extra ride because he was on a ride that didn’t go up in the air (some of the seats did, some didn’t) and Missy’s did. They also got some cotton candy, which neither of them liked very much. Yesterday, Saturday, we all drove up to Michigan so beth could visit her mom again. We made it to Pam’s at about lunchtime, and the two of them went to visit while Marve and I watched the kids. We took them for a walk and to the playground, and by the time we came back to their home Pam and Beth were driving up. We all went out to some sort of festival going on at the minor league ballpark down by the river somewhere, which I think was a multicultural diversity fest or something. Lots of booths set up, bunch of people wanted us to sign petitions. Mom G is not doing well, can barely speak, doesn’t know where she is or who her kids are. They say it won’t be long. We stayed until dinnertime (had dinner at Culver’s, first time I’ve eaten there, not impressed) and drove home.

I finally got the van back after work today. It is like a new car. It cost $1055 for the complete fix but it rides so so so so much better I really think it was worth it.

The softball team won again today! Woo hoo! I continue to bat fairly well too, still up near 0.500. I had a really good solid hit today, those are always fun.

I took the van into a shop this morning; a different one that I took it to in April that told us the thumping noise in the front end was just road noise. As it turns out, it wasn’t road noise, it was the bad wheel bearings, tie rods, and ball joints. And replacing everything would cost just over a thousand dollars. Beth and I talked about it for a little while but finally decided that the best thing would be to just get the van fixed and keep it as long as we can.

We took the kids out today. First to Kids Stuff to drop off some things for consignment (we also threw out a lot of old toys that won’t be missed and were too used to trade or sell). Then, since Alex has been asking to go bowling (although we are not sure where that is coming from) a lot lately, we took the kids bowling. They both had fun, although Missy lost interest by the 7th frame. Alex did well, scoring in the 70s (with bumpers). I bowled in the 150's, again better than I did most of the last league season.

Since I had a free day off, Beth and I celebrated freedom by going out geocaching. We drove down to North Manchester and Roann and found 4 caches, it would have been 5 but Alex had to find a potty and we were in the middle of nowhere, so we drove quite a long way looking for a gas station or something. It was really hot too, and we were ready to get inside somewhere, so we went home.

Beth is up in Michigan, and has been all weekend. Her mother is dying, not to put too fine a point on it, and she has been visiting as possible. I’ve had the kids here since it is not feasible to take them to see her mom. I took them to Menard’s in Goshen yesterday, then we were going to rent Katie yesterday anyway, so I still did and went out bowling with Virgil and to Steak n Shake afterwards. I was at Lowe’s when it occurred to me that if I got home after the kids were asleep, I’d have to wake them up again to take Katie home since there’s nobody to stay with them here. So, I got home just in time. Erika had been with Katie, but apparently she got stung by something... on the lip... in our backyard so their mom came and took her home. I think I know what it was; today I saw two different wasp nests on our shed and destroyed them. They hadn’t been there a couple days ago. Alex and Missy’s stings from Wednesday seem to be doing fine; no reactions but Alex has scratched one of them open so it probably does itch quite a bit. A day later he said it didn’t hurt any more. Anyway, Beth is staying an extra day so I’ll drop the kids off at Forks’ early tomorrow.