The Saturday 7

1. On Tuesday we had what will probably be our last Cousins Crew event of the summer: Lewis Farms. Tickets went on sale in May so we all snatched them up, then carefully aligned our schedules to find a day we could all go together. That place is seriously a hidden gem. It's about an hour away, but there is so much to do. We really need two days to do it all because we get too tired and hot to do everything in one trip. Haha. My stupid phone died after an hour (I think it might be time for a new one. It just doesn't hold a charge anymore!), so I had to like "be in the moment" the whole time. "Being in the moment" included barking at my sisters, "Are you taking pictures??" Fortunately they were, and they sent them to me so the Saturday 7 won't suffer. (The pictures are woefully out of order since they arrived from a variety of sources. My sincerest apologies.)

We actually asked someone to take our picture so the moms (and grandma) could get in the shot too!

Channeling his inner Michael Jordan

This corn barn wasn't open last year when we went. It was seriously so cool. The kids could've spent hours playing in it. 

Another oversized piece of furniture/prime photo opportunity. (Our friends/extended cousins Dominic and Kamari joined us this day too!)

Birds

Lizzie-Kate, Dominic, and Lena on the carousel

Barrel tractor ride

Nash. Lol. (And isn't Nova the cutest thing ever with that headband on??)

Pedal cars

Lucky Esther got to ride in the tractor with the kids since Cap can't ride on his own. Haha.

More birds. See Lena's face? She was over it once they started climbing on her arms. Haha. I got to hold her stick the rest of the time. 

Just the kids. (Casper's angry face cracks me up!)

The most well-fed goat in the land.

These huge trampolines are very hard for Lena, because there are signs everywhere that say, "No flips! No tricks!" 

Last year, Levi was heartbroken because they wouldn't let him ride the pedal cars without closed-toe shoes. This year, I remembered to bring them and no one even looked at their feet or batted an eyelash about flip-flops. 🙄

I'm so glad my kids were all big enough to ride by themselves. My sisters all had to pull their little ones. (But isn't that picture of Niki and Nova so adorable??)

Carousel buddies!

Dominic had done these slides before and convinced us that they weren't scary, so we all trekked up the hill and flew down on our gunny sacks. (Well, all of us except Lena, of course. #anxiety) It was super fun, and the kids did it over and over. (I'm too old and fat to hike up the hill more than once.) (This is a screenshot. Don't get mad if the video doesn't play.)

2. We had such a fun summer with the cousin crew. There will still be pool days and Sunday afternoon dinners, but I don't think we have any other trips planned. We're actually starting to gear up for school! I've started collecting school supplies, the kids have gotten their class assignments and letters from their teachers. Justin starts soccer practice on Monday. I have a date for my fingerprinting/new faculty orientation. It'll be here before we know it! Part of me is very ready for my kids to go back to school and excited to start my new job. The other part of me is mourning the loss of the summer weather and sleeping in. Why does summer always go so fast???

School Supplies Tower

3. I picked up my new glasses this week. They feel bigger than they did when I tried on the sample pair. I guess that's trendy, though. Just one step closer to looking like an official librarian. Now to perfect the "severe bun" and stock up on cardigans. 

4. The rest of my week has been consumed by the Great Back Pain Debacle of 2021. On Monday and Wednesday, I was feeling lazy and unmotivated so I let the housework get away from me. On Thursday, I woke up determined to catch up. I made a big ol' list and started plugging away. I managed to clean the kitchen and dining room before "the incident." There were just a couple things on the floor still, so I bent down to pick up a tiny, decorative throw pillow when I felt it. Something in my lower back "slipped" and all of the surrounding muscles immediately seized up. I stood there hunched over the counter, offending pillow dangling from my fingertips, and gasping for breath. I knew it wasn't good. It felt exactly like the Great Back Pain Debacle of 2020, and I knew that I was in for a painful few days. Ugh. I went back through old blog entries to see when I hurt my back last year and discovered it was the last week of July - almost exactly a year ago! My description in that blog post describes this week's pain perfectly. Last year's pain led me to a months-long chiropractic regimen that cost over $700, but really did help my back. I stopped going in November, though, once the holidays started and Covid took over. So when I hobbled back in on Thursday, I got scolded and told injuries like this happen when you don't keep up with preventative care. I wanted to yell, "I can't afford preventative care, Mr. Wealthy Chiropractor! Just fix me now!" But I didn't. Haha. He diagnosed me with "exacerbation of an acute injury to my sacrum and L5" then adjusted me, but it didn't help at all. Last time it took 3 adjustments to feel a difference, but he's closed Friday-Sunday. So I've mostly been lying around in agony since then. 

These are the things I've tried to relieve the pain: 

- Ice, ice, lots of ice. It gives me zero relief.

- Ibuprofen: 4 at a time. Zero relief.

- Muscle relaxers: Zero relief

- Vicodin: Zero relief  . . . sensing a pattern here?

As long as I'm sitting or lying down in just the right position, it's bearable. But getting up from a seated position, standing upright, and walking are excruciating. 

5. Fortunately, I am beyond blessed with community. On Thursday afternoon, Niki took my kids to the pool for the afternoon. That night my friend Kris brought over dinner. On Friday, Niki took Lena to Chuck E. Cheese for a fun morning and Five Below to buy a birthday present for later that night. That afternoon, Justin left work early to take the kids to said birthday party. And I've gotten all kinds of texts and messages offering help. I'm so thankful for all of it! But I also feel kind of like a baby. When I posted on facebook about my imminent "death by back pain" many of my friends shared similar stories of throwing out their backs. But I don't remember any of them complaining about it on facebook. Did they just suck it up and move on? I seriously cannot function. Am I really that much of a wimp?? Last night, I was seriously considering making Justin take me to the ER just so I could get some better drugs. I know there's not much else they can do for me, but the pain was making me crazy! 

Today, it's marginally better. I got out of bed and made it up the stairs without much trouble and was feeling very optimistic. But then I took a shower, and cleaned the disastrous living room (by sitting on the floor and scooting around to pick things up . . . while the girls sat on the couch and watched. 😠🤦#parentingfail). That little bit of exertion did me in, and the pain is back with a vengeance. I'm encouraged that it's getting better, though, even if it's by tiny increments. I have another chiropractor appointment scheduled for Monday. So I just have to make it through tomorrow! 

6. One of the perks of being couch-ridden is that I don't have any excuses not to do my school work. I actually finished all of the assignments for two of my classes. And I'm plowing through the work for the other two classes. The semester doesn't end until August 18, but at this rate, I'll be done by Tuesday. I've also read a book, watched a lot of HGTV, and tried watching a movie: Marie Antoinette with Kirsten Dunst. I don't know much about Marie, and have always been curious, but the movie was soooo boring. In the first hour, it's just scene after scene of the dramatic opulence of Versailles, the incredible costumes, a few episodes of unnecessary nudity, and a plot completely centered around poor Marie trying to get her husband to sleep with her. She finally accomplishes it, has a baby (girl - not good), and then starts gambling and spending recklessly. I gave up at that point. Where's the cake?? The revolution? I can't stand slow plot progression. Give me the action from the get-go. 

7. Just a couple more pictures to end with.

Little stud at the birthday party. 

Cutie-pie Saylor! 💗

Well, I'm off to lay on some more ice. Wish me luck! (And pray for Justin as he keeps this house running solo!)