When I think back to August 2022, unfortunately, I will mostly remember the morning sickness that plagued me 24/7. But as I prepared all the pictures to write this recap post, I realized that we actually managed to do a lot in August- including seeing my brother and his family for the first time in years, celebrating Tera’s 8th birthday, and going back to school for the year! So needless to say, it was a BIG month!
We started off August with a DeValve family reunion! My brother and his family came to Ohio for an extended weekend and we had so much cousin and hang out time! Unfortunately, I was VERY sick the whole time they were there, but I know for sure the kids had a BLAST together.
One day we had the whole crew out to our property and it brings me so much joy to see kids (and adults) just come alive in the country. Evelyn LOVED the chickens- almost as much as she loved cousin Tera’s big girl room. And the boys had a blast getting mud from head to toe while playing in the creek.
We finally got to take some family pictures while we were together, too!
Even though I can force my body to power through an event like this, I always pay for it with the next 2-3 days in bed SUPER sick.
The next big event in August was heading back to school! As a teacher, I went back a full two weeks before my kids/students. We hit the ground running with teacher training, setting up our classrooms, hosting meet the teacher night, and getting prepped for the first few weeks of school. It is EXHAUSTING under normal circumstances, but it was especially challenging for me being consistently sick while trying to juggle all of it.
We also celebrated Tera Evelynne turning EIGHT! All she has wanted for her birthday for months is a bunny, and we were happy to oblige! We found a curb find hutch for free and then went to Rural King the morning of her birthday to get her a bunny! She has named it Joy Bun-Bun. We all adore her- if you are on the fence about getting a bunny, this is your sign to go for it! Of course, we keep her out in the barn so I’m not dealing with any bunny smells inside the house!
Tera had a little backyard birthday party for some of her friends. In case you haven’t noticed, kids birthday parties nowadays are pretty impressive, and with back to school and feeling so sick, I was barely able to throw anything together for her. I was afraid it would be a total dud. Instead, the kids literally just ran around, chased chickens, hung out and seemed to have a blast. Also a good reminder that kids don’t need fancy, they just want their friends.
I spent many a day at my parents house during the month of August, completely crashed on their couch (or the bathroom floor) while my kids ran around and wreaked havoc on their house. Honestly, it’s all a bit of a blur. I’m so thankful that I have them close by this pregnancy. I honestly don’t know what I would do without them. They even had the kids stay for a sleepover as one last event before going back to school. Much fun was had by all! Theo and I left after the s’mores.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! All three kids walked right into their classes without even thinking twice. Tera- 3rd grade; Kiah- Kindergarten; Ezra- pre-school. I, on the other hand was SO NERVOUS. I felt overwhelmed by my glaring inabilities and was terrified that my body would physically give out on me. Three weeks in and I know I’ve only made it through by the grace of God. It has been incredibly challenging but we have been doing it!
I’ve also been trying to keep up with household chores, which is way easier said than done. When I’m teaching, that seems to take all of my energy and when I get home I just crash so hard. But there is nothing that calms me as much as a clean and neat house, so taking the effort is worth it to me. There was one day right before school started that we went on a toy rampage. I made the kids pull out every.single.toy that we have in the house and we sorted it, got rid of some things, and found a proper home for all it. And as soon as I finish writing this blog post, I need to go fold approximately 7 loads of clean laundry that has been sitting around my house for at least two weeks.
Unfortunately, we rounded out August with the WORST bug I can ever remember. It started with Ezra and we were up for about three straight nights dealing with his coughing, asthma, and croup cough (the terrible seal noises!!!). We took him to urgent care and got him some strong meds and he was on the upswing not too long after that. But then Theo and I both got clobbered by it, followed the next day by my Mom. When all three adults that can take care of the children are DOWN FOR THE COUNT, it’s not a pretty sight. Theo had a fever up to 104, and we were just a few minutes away from taking him in to the hospital. It was scary! We all tested ourselves for C, and it was negative, but I’m still not convinced it wasn’t that. Even more than feeling terribly physically sick, we were so emotionally discouraged. The first week of school was hard for me and then to be SO SICK all weekend, only to recover just enough to get out of bed and back to work again was rough. We barely made it through that week- me teaching with almost no voice and Theo attending a very critical and extensive training. I’m so thankful that week is in the rearview mirror!
And with that- September arrived! This is one of my favorite views on my homestead. The clothesline, and then the 1000+ acre field across the road from our house. It feels like it goes on forever and I still can’t believe that this is my view.
September is going to be a busy month and we sure are looking forward to October, too! I’m hoping that I will really start to feel consistently better and be able to enjoy all the fun events that are coming up for us!