Five Brown Kids

Last weekend I began to feel some sciatic pain down the back of my right leg.  I've had lower back pain/ache for two years now on and off and at the beginning of July I made a plan to get it fixed. I went to an orthopedic doctor who took an x-ray and told me I was fine.  Then I did an entire month of physical therapy and although each session felt great by the end of the month my back was more sore than when I started.   The PT recommended a chiropractor and I saw him on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and the pain down my leg didn't budge.  I made a regular Dr apt for Thursday morning and then around 3:30 am Thursday morning I woke up in excruciating pain with nerve pain going down the back of my right leg.  I woke everyone upstairs with my screaming.  Maybe 20 mins later it lessened a bit and I discovered that lying on my left side brought some relief. We debated what to do - wait for morning and go to Dr's apt, drive to the ER ourselves or call an ambu...

An annual party for the senior swimmers at Thomas's lake house. Last year.

We loved having friends come play at the pool this summer.

The Browns came to visit for a week. They got to watch Jaxon play basketball in Charlotte. They got to watch Scotia and Taye swim in a summer swim meet and get awards at the swim team dinner. They got to watch Scotia's play at the end of theatre camp. Pauline made banana pudding and Willie grilled hamburgers. Pauline and Blythe and I hiked along the river. It was a busy and fast week and fun week. 

I should post a picture of myself every now and then, especially if it's reasonably cute.

We went bowling one afternoon with the Fosters. I thought it might be the boys turn to beat the girls and redeem themselves but they were all equally bad at it. Blythe LOVED it. Jumping up and down and dancing and cheering every time she knocked down some pins. Super fun afternoon.

We did our regular Sunday morning hike with the Cleverly's along Falls Lake but instead of playing on the rocks in the stream the kids walked right down the mostly dry stream bed to the lake. It was super shallow where the stream met the lake and the kids had a blast running around and splashing and chasing the dogs. They all left totally soaking wet. Also it was 80 degrees on the last day of July. Dreamy weather!

Taye went on a swim travel trip to Orlando. He had a fast week - but not quite fast enough for his first junior national cut.  He's still 0.3 seconds off. They spent the last day at a water park, and then one more last day when half the team missed the flight (check in and security took too long) and they got to hang out at a fancy hotel for the day.

Blythe is obsessed with horses. All summer long she has been watching horse videos and shows and playing with her Barbie horses and My Little Ponies. I promised her that when Scotia went back to school we would go see some real horses.  We did it. Just a 30 min trail ride at a local farm. I think horses were bigger than she imagined but she loved the ride and checking out the little ponies after.