The 7th Inning Stretch

Below: Mason steals home... and he's..... SAFE!

Below: Jackson just waiting for the chance to make a great play :) Or trying not to pass out in the sweltering heat.

For the last few months the boys have had a constant schedule of baseball, about a 4 night a week commitment. It's been crazy but there's nothing I love more than watching the boys play baseball and sitting at the beautiful green ball field, listening to the chatter, "hey batta batta!" and eating a snow cone. Isabella has been a great little cheerleader and loves to yell, "smack it out there!!!" (in her chipmunk voice) when the boys are up to bat.

Even Isaac got in on the action this year, playing tee ball. He did a great job despite the the game they lost 30-0 :)-- yeah, playing the team that won the TX State tee ball tournament last year was not a good day for us, and no, I'm not joking... it was a bloodbath. Isaac was one of the few players who knew what planet we were on ... but all of them, including Ike, were sometimes more interested in picking the grass or their noses, than in fielding the ball. It was frustrating and good for some belly laughs all at the same time.

Isaac was an awesome little 3rd baseman and did a great job fielding the ball and tagging kids out.

Running from game to practice to games and more practices has made me realize how tough it must be to be a single parent... I can't imagine doing all of the family management and trying to earn a living at the same time... unbelievable.

On another, yet related note, as we are turning the corner on Residency having completed 4 years of the 5 year program, I have found that time is slowing down... and the impact of Shane's insane work schedule is becoming more profound, the older the boys get. It's the seventh inning stretch --and I'm in a slump.

Shane worked from Friday night to Sunday night, at the E.R. in the Middleofnowhere, TX. It's a moonlighting gig to earn extra money to pay the bills and have a little extra for the kids activities. He worked like a slave all week long -- every kid in this town needed an appendectomy--in the middle of the night...and then he went to work another 48. Someday, not to go on with a pity party here, I want Shane to be home with his kids and not being screamed at, puked on, spit on, bled on, in some E.R. somewhere. It aint always peachy in Lewisland, and that's just the truth.

It's especially tough on the boys... Jackson went through a hitting slump in baseball (actually he was just hoping to get walked every time because he was afraid of striking out) and Shane was asking him if there was some kind of reward that he could give him to hit that ball. Jackson thought for a minute and then quietly said, "Do you think maybe you could take a day off of work?" This literally brought tears to my eyes to hear that - stab me with a knife and twist.

Yesterday, was the last straw. Shane called and told me that some guy came into the E.R. with a sprained ankle and was caught stealing money from 2 of the nurses... he had their purses shoved up his shirt. Shane, being the only Dr. and male person there because this E.R. is in Podunkville Texas, decided to totally go off yelling at this guy who he had cornered... I think he said something like, "*#@%?!... you don't steal from people who are trying to help you!" The guy was trying to get the heck out of Dodge so Shane pushed the emergency lockdown button... no one can get in or out... while the police were called.

I think sometimes in the heat of the moment we lose our critical thinking skills. This guy could have been armed and easily (I don't EVEN want to think of how easily) this guy could have seriously hurt Shane or the nurses. But Shane had a point to prove... no one was going to get away with stealing from his E.R... "Bad boys, bad boys whacha gonna do, whacha gonna do when the angry, sleep-deprived Dr. comes for you!" Apparently the guy was on parole, and went right back into the slammer.

I couldn't sleep after Shane told me this... All the money in the world isn't worth putting up with that. Yet, our police officers, military and many others put their lives on the line every day dealing with these kind of people. I don't know how their wives handle it, I really don't. They have all my respect and admiration.

I don't want him to work there anymore. But, there aren't a lot of options at this point. We're just lucky he has opportunities to work, because there are many who don't, and I need to remember that.

Until the slump ends I guess we'll just keep swinging... Only 1 more year!!!!!