We got out of school for the summer on May 21 (so EARLY!), and so our summer technically began on May 22- which happened to be my 35th birthday!
School starts next week, so this is officially the end of summer for us.
So, lets see what we were up to:
We had one week of summer in May, and this is always a “recovery week” for our family. May is FULL and we are always exhausted by the end of the school year. Actually, I don’t think we are just exhausted- we are totally burnt out and usually feel AWFUL for about 10 years after the school year ends.
Still, we managed to keep going and even attended a Dayton Dragons game, hosted a Farm Day, worked on harvesting mulberries, celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary, attended our nephew’s graduation & party, and had a prayer and praise night for my Dad who was set to start chemo on June 1st.
June brought chemotherapy for my Dad, a garage sale, lots of swimming time, the World Cup, VBS at our church, a visit from my in-laws for the weekend, a family vacation with my side of the family in Red River Gorge, and a down week full of summertime fun!
In July we celebrate the 4th of July, the two oldest ran their first 5k, the three big kids went to day camp at the YMCA, we watched more World Cup games, we went to Michigan for our Hines family reunion, my sunflowers began to bloom, we started to accomplish our back to school checklist, I got hired in a new role at school and we visited the Ohio State Fair.
August has been fully back to school mode as the teachers and students have started to fill the building back up! We also celebrated Tera’s 12th birthday and have dealt with crazy rain and thunderstorms for like a week!
We had a simple bucket list on our fridge, and we managed to complete most of it!
- Host a Garage Sale- CHECK
- DeValve Family Reunion- CHECK
- Hines Family Reunion- CHECK
- Backpacking with Daddy- did not happen. It was on the calendar twice, and thunderstorms were in the forecast both times. Not ideal backpacking weather!
- The Ohio State Fair- CHECK
- Night Swim- did not happen. Still might.
- VBS- CHECK
- Go Biking- CHECK
- Movie Theatre- CHECK- Theo took the kids to Moana live action
- Library Reading Program- CHECK
- Blind Taste Test- CHECK
- Run a Family 5k- CHECK
- Visit all county parks- did not visit a single one. Our family is quickly moving out of the park stage!
Of course, those are all the HIGHLIGHTS of the summer. There were some lowlights, too. It’s always a delicate balance on the blog of not oversharing or complaining, but also not just portraying this perfect life that we have. It’s not perfect, and in fact this season of our life has been a challenge. There is work stress, kid stress, financial stress, marriage stress, spiritual stress, personal stress, family stress and the list could go on. There has been some big prayers that we have praying that haven’t been answered on our timeline, and waiting can be hard! The unknown can be hard. It can be hard to celebrate wins (either our own or others) when the losses feel so big.
All in all, it was a great summer! It was not very restful, but I am sure that there will be many summers in our future that are a little more low-key.
Ready or not- here we come ’26-’27 school year- 7th, 4th, 2nd and 3 yo class!
Look at all those checks! It sounds like a wonderful summer. I hope the school year goes well.
We did manage to check one more thing off the list after I had published that post! But backpacking with Daddy never happened…
It sounds like a wonderful (yet busy!) summer. I hope your school year is off to a good start.
It was probably TOO busy, but I guess that is just our current season!
You guys have a lot of energy (or fake it till you make it because you get so much done!)! I enjoyed reading about your summer accomplishments and events. It sounds like a good summer despite your dad’s health challenges. He has great support and most importantly knows where we will spend eternity when his time comes (obviously on this side of heaven we hope he’ll be here for a long time :)). I hope the school year is off to a great start!
I think we have a lot of energy AND a lot of fake it till we make it hahaha!
What a wonderful summer you had apart from your dad’s chemo of course. I hope he’s doing OK. It sounds like you made so many memories and had such fun! Fab photos!
Thank you so much! He is doing alright- it’s not any fun, but he is strong and especially in the strength of the Lord!
You had a very full summer as an outsider looking in. Wow, did you say something extremely profound. I have had my blog since my twins were 16 and I have experience so many changes and a lot of life has happened!
“It’s always a delicate balance on the blog of not oversharing or complaining, but also not just portraying this perfect life that we have. It’s not perfect, and in fact this season of our life has been a challenge. There is work stress, kid stress, financial stress, marriage stress, spiritual stress, personal stress, family stress and the list could go on.”
I could have written that, but it wouldn’t have been as perfect. There are so many things that have turned out way better than I could have imagined. I want to show up positive and portray the fact that I am finding the good in every situation. I also know that it’s my blog and not my kids’ blog or choice to be on here.
It’s important to reflect and you did that. Life will get busier now, but I hope your new role suits you and that you still have unstructured time. I will continue to pray for your Dad.
Thank you so much for your sweet encouragement! It means a lot!
Glad you had a nice summer overall. Our summer is about the same length as yours as my son starts school up again this week. I need to write a post like this!
This was a fun post to write! I even pulled out my calendar and looked back on the summer months to remind myself of what all we did this summer!
I think bloggers understand sharing our highlight reels. We’re all living a lot of life behind the scenes, but I think writing about what’s good reminds us to be grateful. It sounds like a sweet summer with your family and I hope your dad is coping well with his treatments.
Thank you! It’s so true – we all “get it”, don’t we?
He has done 4 rounds of chemo and has two to go! Then on to radiation and surgery!
Kudos to you for checking so many things off your list! Sounds like lots of great memories made! Here’s to a great new school year ahead. And all the best in your new position. I enjoy dropping by this space of yours…it is a blessing!