Year 3, Week 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23: A Bit of a Rollercoaster

It may just be best for me to play the pregnancy card for why it has taken me so long to send out an update...but really, being pregnant, working, holidays, small renovations, getting the house ready for the baby and the pharmacy ready for maternity leave has cause much exhaustion, so in my free time I have been spending a lot of time in the recliner. There have been a lot of schedules to make, menus to put together, grocery and Christmas lists to figure out and shop for and doctors appointments to go to, but we are entering the home stretch! Only two and a half weeks until we meet Lil Landis!

Week 19: November 16-22

This was one of the weeks that I worked back-to-back 13s on Monday and Tuesday, so Jonathan went out to Celina, but Dillon wasn't there, so he stayed at Dillon's house, but spent the evening starting his Christmas shopping! While it wasn't the same being out there without Dillon, he said it was good to get some shopping done, he got inspired while he was out there. On his way home he stopped to see Emily at ONU during finals week and they went out to dinner at Viva's. This made me a little disappointed since I really miss Viva's...but he was super sweet and brought me some leftovers home, so I got a little taste, which was phenomenal!

Wednesday marked 3 years since we got engaged...which was crazy! Like I said, I have spent a lot of time in my recliner, so that is where I am most Wednesdays, but I still have a lot that I end up doing. For example, on this specific Wednesday I had to call a few different doctors, the lab and my insurance. After I got that all figured out, I ordered my breast pump, renewed the tags for the truck, did laundry and made dinner! In the evening, Dad came over and helped Jonathan with door installation process and I went to Mom's to get my eyebrows waxed! The door they installed is between our bedroom and Baby's room so we have better access than we did before, so that was a very important project to get done!

Thursday we both worked and then Jonathan went to band, when he got home we watched some Masked singer, then entered into a weekend off! Friday night we had a super fun date night after Jonathan worked. I spent the day planning December, getting breakfast ready for Saturday, getting some post-baby meals planned, and establishing a game plan for Jonathan for Christmas...for me and everyone else! As I mentioned, we had a fantastic date night. First we went to pick up Jonathan's new glasses, stopped at Once Upon A Child, then ate dinner at Ruby Tuesday, stopped at JoAnn's and Target and spent some time with Mom and Dad on our way home because we needed some milk! 

Saturday morning we had breakfast casserole, watched birthing classes, Jonathan finished the door on Baby's side, I cleaned and started making applesauce, Jonathan washed the truck, then we ran in to Verizon and got ice cream on the way back, just for fun! When we got home we watched Ocean's 11 and relaxed. Sunday Jonathan was on the video team for church and I was planning on staying home to watch. Before he left, Jonathan got the call that his grandma passed away...which was hard to head even though we knew it was coming. When he got home, Jonathan waxed the truck, then I made pizza, finished making applesauce and prepped soup for the next day! Jonathan watched the Browns game and we talked to his parents a little bit to see what to expect for the next week.

Week 20: November 23 - 29

This week was a big work week for me and a rough week for us between sickness, holidays and mourning the loss of Jonathan's Grandma. We both worked Monday, but were both home for dinner. I tried a new soup recipe...it was not very good, but at least we know! Tuesday was a long work day for me, as usual, Jonathan went to get a few things from Mom and Dad's that night so he could set up the crib and changing table after he cleaned Baby's room. It was so fun to come home and have a crib set up!!! It definitely made it real!

Wednesday I had a doctor's appointment, it was my LAST ultrasound! Next time we see them it will be in PERSON! Super excited for that. While I was in my appointment, Jonathan did some running around, then we stopped at Arrowhead on our way home to get some apples. We got the news that we wouldn't be having Thanksgiving due to our family being sick, so we decided to get Hardee's for dinner and just relax for the evening. Before we left, Jonathan got a call from his friend Gibson, so he spent some time catching up with him...giving me plenty of time to choose what I wanted to eat!

Sneak peek at Baby's room! Baby library!

Thursday I worked until 2, then we had a late lunch together, watched Jumanji and worked on baby's room. Jonathan went to participate in the Turkey Trot in the morning, then he cleaned the garage a little bit. In the evening we just snacked and watched some Masked Singer. We also spent some time packing to get ready for calling hours and the funeral.

Friday morning Jonathan got up to help move the cross to the church property, then came home, got ready and we headed to the church for outside calling hours. It was cold, emotional and healing for both of us. We were glad to get finally get to see family. After they were over, we warmed up, then went to eat dinner with the rest of the family out in a tent at the farm. We spent the night at the Landis' so we could just wake up and go to the burial in the morning. It was a beautiful service and we were thankful to be there for it. After lunch we came home, napped, had dinner, watched some Cheers and went to bed early.

Sunday I worked while Jonathan went to get groceries and milk. He also watched some football, worked on the door a little bit, then worked on the chair and, let me tell you, it's beautiful. He has done such a great job working on this rocking chair and I can't wait to show you the final product! Mom brought Thanksgiving over and dropped it off, so we ate that and enjoyed it very much, then watched some TV before heading to bed.

Week 21: November 30-December 6

Monday morning I had a bright and early doctor's appointment with a new doctor, so that was good, short and sweet. After that I did some Christmas shopping and finished up when I got home...only a few more things to snag! We started our parenting book in the evening and are really enjoying preparing for Baby. For dinner, we had skillet pot pie and didn't do a lot of exciting stuff after that. Tuesday we both worked, Jonathan did some shopping and put the first coat on the chair, which was pretty exciting. We also got a bunch of snow on Tuesday - so we enjoyed that quite a bit...even though the drive into work was a little bit difficult!

Wednesday I spent a ton of time on the schedule while Jonathan worked. In the evening we went on a walk around the property and adventured in the barn a little. Jim stopped and said hi, so it was nice to talk to him a little bit! Spaghetti for dinner and I threw some scones together while we were waiting for dinner to be ready. Thursday was just normal, both worked, Jonathan went to band. 

Friday we both worked then went to Que Pasa for supper, got our Christmas decorations out for the next day and packed Baby's hospital bag! Saturday was a lot of fun. We took the trash to dump day, stopped to see Mom and Shem, then went to get our Christmas tree!!! After we brought it home we decorated it while Jonathan and Shem watched the OSU game. Potato soup for supper, then we went on the light tour with my family and got some DQ on the way home. Sunday was a work day. We had church, stopped to do some grocery shopping at DDM, then finished some decorating, cleaned, watched the Browns, talked to the Landis' and did a few other things around the house. I prepped the meat for my Christmas party the next weekend, made muffins and then we went to the cross lighting for church...which was awesome! It was so nice to see everyone! Afterward, we went to KFC for dinner and got ready for the next week!

Week 22: December 7-13

This was another travel week for Jonathan, but his last one before the baby gets here! So her went out to Celina, had beer barrel with Dillon than hung out for the evening. Dillon got him the game "Infinite Jonathans"...so we cannot wait to try that out sometime here soon! Tuesday he had a meeting with his boss, worked and came home...he stopped and did some Christmas shopping on the say home...so I can't wait to see what he got! I worked long days...so I was very glad to get home and see him!

Wednesday we did a lot, I cooked a ham, made a double batch of stuffed shells so that we could have some in the freezer, went in and opened the store, balanced finances and went to pick up some of Jonathan's gifts at my parent's house! In the evening we relaxed, read some of our parenting book and watched the masked singer.

Thursday night Jonathan had band and a Christmas party. Our couch came in between him leaving for the party and me getting home from work, so Mom and Shem came over, brought a bunch of stuff for my work Christmas party and helped get the couch inside. When Jonathan got home he started working on the couch a little bit, which was very exciting! We were not expecting to get it until January!!! 

It was a big weekend for us. Jonathan worked all day while I worked on a grocery list. After he was done we went to Alliance to do some grocery shopping, then snagged some Hot Heads for dinner. Once we ate it was prep time. Jonathan finished the couch while I got sloppy joes ready to go in the crock pot and made BBQ sauce for the shredded beef. We stopped around 10/10:30 then got up the next morning and started again! Lots of cleaning needed to be done, so we got that done and the only things I had to make were peach cobbler and macaroni and cheese! Shem came over and helped us get set up for the party, so that was very nice and the Riches stopped by to see our house in the afternoon. It was a super fun day getting ready and then the party went very well. Almost everyone came, some of them brought their spouses, we had a ton of good food, relaxed, had a gift exchange and just enjoyed time together. It was relaxing and so good to see our house full of people, which is exactly what we envisioned when we bought it!

First time sitting on the new couch!

After everyone left, we cleaned up and sanitized so that Jonathan's family would come over the next day for lunch. They came over for a late "Thanksgiving" get together. We had baked potatoes and steak, which was delicious! It was the first time some of them had seen the house so we gave them a tour. Once they left we took the car in to the mechanic's, dropped it off and then read some of the parenting book and relaxed for the evening...we definitely needed it!

Week 23: December 14-20

Monday started my long week. Every three weeks I work six out of seven days, which adds up to 60 hours of work. Thankfully, only two of those days are long days, but it is a bit exhausting and has been especially so in the last trimester! Jonathan was busy this week too. Monday evening Shem came and took Jonathan to get the car before I got home, then he worked on putting the car seat in until I got back. We had sausage and potato casserole, then went to visit my parents a little bit in the evening because we both just needed it! All morning Aaron was here putting our water softener in...which is a huge blessing because it should help us keep our appliances in better shape! 

Tuesday was a long day, so Jonathan spent the evening at my parents' house working on the door jam for our bedroom. The door was finished on Baby's side, but not on ours. Wednesday Jonathan took the morning off to take me to my doctor's appointment and we had an appointment to have the chair upholstered. It took us a little while, but we settled on a fabric and nails and everything else. They are super busy there, but said it would probably not be ready before the baby gets here. After we got home we ate lunch quick, then Jonathan went up to work, he also had a going away party afterward for one of the engineers who is retiring. While he did that, I worked on my schedule and did laundry. Angela, our realtor stopped by with a cute little gift for us, so that was sweet of her. In the evening we had ham and potato chowder, then worked on our computers while we watched the masked singer finale!

Our Thursday was pretty routine - both worked, Jonathan had band, then I had the evening to do with what I pleased. We did need milk...someone has been drinking it so fast we can't keep it around...so I went to Mom and Dad's then chatted with them for a little bit before I came home. Friday was another work day for me, so Jonathan made a list of stuff he wanted to do then worked on those tasks after work. He cleaned out the screens in the dishwasher and washer now that they are both using softened water. Then, he put a rod in Baby's closet for us to hang clothes up on. When I called him after work he was practicing music for next week. It was a really hard day for me, but thankfully I got to talk to Jonathan a lot and took a short break from the pharmacy so that I could recover and have a good evening. It ended up being much better than anticipated.

It was a fantastic weekend for me at work. I got a ton done despite the craziness of Sunday. Jonathan spent a lot of time helping set up for the live nativity, but also had the chance to finish the door and watch the OSU game, both things that he could enjoy. After I was done with work he came, picked me up and we went to Alliance. Dinner at Grinders then the rest of our Christmas shopping....now we just have to get everything wrapped up!!! Sunday was a busy day for Jonathan! He watched church, wrapped gifts, went to help set up for the live nativity, then sang with the band for the first time! Unfortunately, I couldn't be there for it, but everyone who was said he did a great job...which did not surprise me at all. He is super super talented! I popped in after work...thankfully it is almost right across the road! It was great to see some people from church and fellowship with them...we miss seeing everyone regularly! After that we came home, combined into one car and went over to Mom and Dad's for dinner and to see everyone there for the evening. 

It has been a little crazy, but we have been enjoying the ride. Only two and a half weeks left until Baby gets here! It is so exciting! We will try to keep everyone updated...but will probably not be perfect...as you know well! I hope everyone is staying safe and is ready for Christmas! I know we are!

Love you all!

- Alli and Jonathan

P.S. Keep scrolling for some bonus pictures!

Year 3, Weeks 17 and 18: A Beyond Beautiful November!

Hello! I know we are a week behind, but boy, what a couple weeks it has been! We are so spoiled by the weather we had early November. It was very helpful for us! I worked most of the nice days, but Jonathan got to get outside and enjoy the property a little bit, so that was fantastic! I was so tired I had to take a nap the one nice day I was off, but I did get to go on a walk around the property and snag this photo!

The week of November 2-8 was one of my very busy weeks! Only two long days, but I worked six out of seven days, so lots of craziness. Monday was a short day for me, so when I got home we team worked making steak alfredo. It was FANTASTIC! For some reason I have struggled with alfredo sauce recently, but we tried a new recipe and it was amazing. New favorite for sure!

Tuesday is always a long day for me, so I got home around 10:30 and Jonathan worked until 9 trying to get as much done on his project as he could. It was election day, so we ended up staying up until 2 AM waiting for results...which we all know ended up delayed...and now questionable! So here we are! Still waiting! Shem came over to watch with us, but we all gave up and went to bed, which I wasn’t sad about. 

As usual, my Wednesday was a good day off, but this week it was my only day off of the week! So I got a lot done! Laundry, wrote thank yous, stopped at Drug Mart for some food, got apples at the orchard, made a beef roast with veggies and mashed potatoes, organized the gifts and watched the Masked Singer! Jonathan worked a little late, then we ate at the table and enjoyed some time together! Later in the evening we ordered a book for the parenting class we are going to do and we are very excited to start it soon!

 

On Thursday we had our new normal: both of us work, Jonathan has band practice, we eat leftovers and I hang out at home until he gets there! It has been really good for both of us, I enjoy an evening on my own and he really enjoys band! It does make for a really long weekend when I work, like I did this week. It was beautiful though! So it was a little slow, which allowed me to get a LOT done and it was super nice which allowed Jonathan to get a lot done too! He worked a little bit, but Friday he and Dad went to work on the bucket truck so it would be ready to go for Saturday, then he fixed the garage door and got the closet door ready to be fixed in the baby’s room. Saturday was the big day! I worked, Jonathan worked a little bit, then he got to work on the barn with the bucket truck. Dad, Grandpa and Shem came to help/watch. There were a few places where the siding had started to come off, so it looks a lot better. After work, I picked up pizza and Jonathan, then we went over to the Haas’ to watch football and spend time with framily. Sunday Jonathan videoed, then came to see me at work and picked a few things up fo us. He finished the barn, then detailed the car and talked to his family. Once I got home, we had leftovers and enjoyed some time together.

Last week was a big one! Jonathan finished his project on Monday!!! I am so proud of him, he put so much work in and it has not gone unnoticed. He is awesome. I had a meeting with the pharmacist team for my store, then went up to Canton for a doctor’s appointment. When I got home I was completely exhausted, so I started some enchilada soup, ate lunch, watched a show, then took a nap. I was so tried. After that, I finished the soup and made some lemon blueberry bread. This was a NEW recipe and I made it with fresh squeezed lemons from our tree! It was amazing. 

Tuesday, while I was at work, Jonathan got a lot done! He worked, then Dad came over and they worked on putting a door in for us to get into the baby’s room! They cut one door out, then cut the hole and realized the door was too big, so they picked a different door and now they have a great plan! 

On Wednesday, Jonathan took the day off school, I had two doctor’s appointments, so he was home a lot! He cleaned, I got some laundry done and between appointments we went to Aunt Mabel’s for breakfast. He had never been there before and I hadn’t been there in awhile, so we were both very excited about it! That afternoon after my dentist appointment I made apple cake, we looked at a couch, then we went to the Parrish’s for lunch in the evening! It was a lot of fun. We hadn’t spent a lot of time with them, but we enjoyed their kids and the fellowship with them.

Thursday was an interesting one. I just described for you a perfect Thursday....this was not a perfect Thursday. Our toilet has given us a lot of attitude since we have lived here. It clogs if you look at it wrong and then sometimes it just don’t stop running! We have been dealing with it a lot. Anyway, when I got home from work, it did both of those things at the same time and began to completely overflow. Of course, Jonathan wasn’t here, so I called Dad and he and Shem came to help....it ended up being a pretty big issue and took all evening...fun times! All I wanted was to eat dinner and watch a show!

I worked a short day on Friday, Jonathan worked, tidied up the house, then when I got home the Haas fam met me here! Dad and Jonathan worked on the electrical around where the doorway is going. Mom brought over everything for homemade reubens and we had some sausage soup with it! It was fantastic. 

 Saturday morning we were BOTH home! We had waffles, ordered our couch, Shem came over to get some pants for the wedding, we made a grocery list and straightened up the house! In the afternoon we had Matt and Amanda’s wedding, which was super intimate and beautiful. It was a ton of fun! We got a whole weekend together. Sunday morning we went to church, which was wonderful, then we went to an impromptu birthday party at Aunt Chery’s. Afterwards, Mom and I went shopping while Dad and Jonathan finished the electrical project. In the evening, the Franks came over to see the house and the kids LOVED the small hole in the wall...which was hysterical. After they left, we had mexican delight, made buckwheat banana muffins and talked to Jonathan’s family a little later. It was a great weekend.

I hope you are all having a great November so far! We are 8 weeks away from Baby and are very excited! Still trying to get ready for the holidays, but so far so good! Stay safe out there!!!

Love you all,

Alli and Jonathan

 

Year 3, Week 16: Autumn is Here!

Our backyard - first fall!

We are here AGAIN in time! This is crazy! We are definitely trying to keep up...of course, when Lil Landis shows up it could change drastically, but we will play all of that by ear!

Monday and Tuesday last week I worked long days, but Jonathan was home, so that was nice. I like coming home to him. His project is coming due here soon, so Monday he worked until I got home and he has been working extra hours the past few weeks. I am so proud of his dedication to the project and he is working hard to make sure it is all done as well as possible. Tuesday he didn't work the whole day, he practiced some guitar, did some caulking in our bathroom, which keeps our floor much drier now, and then he was there to chat with me when I got home. 

Wednesday is always my day off, so it is usually when I have my ultrasounds. We went up to Canton at 7:30 for my newest one. It went well, everyone is healthy, we will probably only have one more before we get to meet Baby in person!!! Once we got home, Jonathan started working and I did some laundry, got soup ready to go for Thursday, made pumpkin muffins and prepared a chicken pot pie for dinner. Before dinner we went over to Mom and Dad's so Jonathan could help Dad do some unloading, then we came home, ate and enjoyed some Masked Singer!

Our Thursdays have changed since Jonathan joined the band, but we are slowly adjusting to it and it is nice! I go to work a little later, so this week I started a soup before I left for work and let Jonathan know what needed to be done to get it ready. He finished it before he went to band and then when I got home after work and shopping dinner was ready to go! So I ate dinner and then waited for Jonathan to come home! Once he got home we caught up on our day and got to spend some time together figuring out the baby carrier and stroller. Jonathan enjoyed doing that and we both feel a lot better knowing that it is all ready to go. I don't remember completely, but we probably had some ice cream too! 

It was my long weekend, so we got to enjoy a lot of time together this weekend! Friday, Jonathan worked, so I spent some time on the phone with USAA, put together some layered taco, cleaned a little bit and wrote thank yous for our shower! We made an impromptu decision to go do some shopping and have dinner in Alliance. Heggy's for dinner, then grocery shopping, Big Lots and Kohls.

Saturday was complete craziness but we loved every minute of it! I had Ashton's bridal shower, which was a lot of fun. It was PJs and Pearls, so it was a lot of fun! Breakfast food and great people to celebrate and celebrate with. Now just waiting until the wedding! Mom and I got home around 4/4:30ish and Jonathan was mowing the grass. He worked all morning, then spent about 3.5 hours working on the lawn since there were so many leaves! The Henman family came over around 5 and we got to spend some really good time with them. It was so fun to spend time with Vance and we had such good conversation. They are just fantastic friends and we are thankful for all the time we get to spend with them.

In the morning we went to church at my parent's house, then came home and did some cleaning up around the house before lunch and the football game. In the evening we had my work shower at Amy's house. It was incredible. I was so thankful that my parents got to come and experience all the wonderful people I work with and I am so thankful for all the wonderful people I work with! God has just been so good to me and our family through my work family. They just love Jonathan and I so well and we love them just as much. It was fun to spend time with them outside of work and get to connect on a different level. We are just glad that time change happened this week! It was a LATE night, however, we had some extra sleep the night before, so I think that put us ahead.

Baby Landis is already so loved and cherished. We are so blessed by all of the people in our life being so generous. It is beginning to feel very real and we are starting to get everything put together for baby. Once the nursery is put together we will definitely share some pictures with you! I hope you are handling this week well and we can't wait to see you soon!

Love,

Alli and Jonathan

Year 3, Week 15: Back to Work!

 SURPRISE! I am actually writing two weeks in a row! It has been a good week - we have gotten a lot done and have enjoyed all of it!

Monday Jonathan went back to work and I had to try to enjoy my last day off alone. Of course...the whole day ended up being packed full of tasks, but it was necessary and got a lot done! I had two doctors appointments in the morning, stopped at Drugmart to grab a few things...but the milk man had hit the generator and blew our whole building so there was no electricity. Instead, it was a great time to chat with Amy since there was nothing at all for her to do! No electricity makes it hard to operate in a pharmacy! After we had a nice time to catch up I went grocery shopping then came home, made apple muffins and got our pork loin in the crockpot! For dinner we had pork loin, gravy, mashed potatoes and corn. It was a new recipe and was absolutely delicious! For sure a keeper. After Jonathan was done with work we ran to the library, then while we ate we watched Richard Jewell...it was a really good movie. Definitely something I didn't know a lot about. Super informative and seemed to be pretty close to the real story! They actually worked with Richard Jewell's mother and lawyer to make sure it was as accurate as possible. 

We both were at work Tuesday - it was my first day back...I was definitely not ready for it! Thankfully we had power the whole day, it was the only day of the whole week that there were no outages. While I was gone, Jonathan practiced some music after work and got a few other things done. Wednesday was my day off as usual, they didn't have power for a few hours, but it came back up pretty early. I did a flu clinic in the afternoon, stopped a Verizon to get a new screen protector...they didn't have it in yet, then went to get milk at Mom and Dad's before I came home and started ribs for dinner! Jonathan went in to get a new phone while I was finishing the ribs, baked potatoes and green beans. Mom and dad stopped by quick in the evening, then we sat down to watch Masked Singer...but it wasn't on...so we just relaxed the rest of the evening.

Thursday Jonathan and I both worked. He raked leaves and chatted with one of the neighbors before he went to band practice. We had leftovers for dinner, just separately because he was gone by the time I got home! His first band practice went really well and I enjoyed some time in the evening by myself! When he came home he brought the Catletts over so Aaron could look at our water. It is fine, just has a lot of sediment in it and we want to get it cleaned up. It was nice to get to chat with them for a little bit! Jonathan sees them a lot since he helps with videoing and now goes to band, so it was a treat for me! Afterward we watched the debate (that we didn't know was on) and enjoyed discussing that! Very glad that we are coming close to the end of election season!

Friday we both worked again, but I didn't have to go in until a little later because the electricity was being fixed...it went out for an hour or two the day before because the generator wasn't working well and they brought out a smaller one, so Friday they actually fixed it and put us back on real electricity. I picked up Subway after work and we had dinner and watched a few TV shows. It was a great, relaxing evening.

It was my short weekend off, so Saturday we put dinner in the crockpot, Jonathan worked on his big project that is going to be due here in a few weeks and I cleaned the house. I went and got more milk as well and chatted with Mom for a little while. In the evening we watched a show then played Forbidden Desert and Gin Rummy. We hadn't played games in a long time...it was SO much fun! First time we ever actually won Forbidden Desert, so that was awesome. Sunday afternoon my mom had a shower for me, so we both had church and then went over for the party. It was so much fun! We loved seeing everyone and had so much fun going through all of the cute little baby things! It was fantastic and we are so blessed by our family and friends. Thank you all for all the love and support you have given us over the years...we couldn't do it without you. Our baby is already so blessed to have you in his/her life and we cannot wait for you guys to meet! Thank you for helping shape us into who we are as a family.

Love you all,

Alli and Jonathan

Here are some pictures from the baby shower!

Year 3, Weeks 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14: Moving, Michigan and Vacation

Hello! I hope everyone is doing well. It has been absolutely crazy here...but we are so glad to be where we are. Sorry it took us so long to give you an update!

September 14-20:

Jonathan went to Celina to work for Monday and Tuesday, he and Dillon went on a run, ate dinner and then went to see Graham! On Tuesday Jonathan got to go see the new building his company is going to be moving to, so that was super exciting. He said it is really neat! It's an old bank building, so there is a super cool vault and it overlooks the middle of town. He stayed a litte late, but was still there when I got home! Wednesday we did our last walk-through of the house and Jonathan's parents came with us so they could see it for the first time. Afterwards, we went to Almost Heaven for ice cream...which was super delicious. Thursday we had an ultrasound in the morning, then we both had to work. Jonathan worked late to get ahead on his project, then he multitasked and made chicken for our chicken quesadillas....which were delicious. Friday I had a follow-up with my doctor from the ultrasound and they told me I would need to have some more ultrasounds just to make sure everything  was going where it needed to be. It was a rough day for me getting the news about more ultrasounds, but we made it through. I worked 2-10 that day and Jonathan mowed and spent some time with Kyle while I was gone. The weekend was spent packing and getting ready for the impending move. Saturday we went to hang out at the Landis' for Pam and Dustin's birthdays. We had soup, cornbread, seafood nachos and a delicious peanut butter pie! Sunday we went and worked on the changing table, then Jonathan and dad went to mow the lawn at the house while Mom and I went and packed my kitchen.

September 21-27:

I had a short day on Monday, so Jonathan made soup and we hung out at home in the evening. Jonathan's super long meeting started on Tuesday, then he went to get a lawn mower with his dad and spent some time with his grandma and grandpa. Wednesday I had my glucose test, had to get some gifts for a few of the girls at work, a DQ cake, made some phone calls and had stuffed shells for dinner! Thursday we had leftovers and watched the first Masked Singer of the season, then I worked the weekend. Jonathan spent Friday in the third day of his meeting and spent the evening packing, running and working on the rocking chair. He worked on Saturday, then we had leftovers again and went through our finances and impending changes. Jonathan was on the media team on Sunday, then he and Dad mowed again, we had dinner at my parents' house and figured out what we wanted to do on Monday.

September 28-October 4:

Monday I went for groceries, picked up a few things at Kohl's, got my hair cut and made Po-Boys for dinner. In the evening we did some more packing with Mom, Dad and Kyle...but ended up getting rained out. It was okay though! Tuesday Aunt Bev, Uncle Ron, Dad and Mom came over to finish the packing while I was at work. Wednesday, September 30th, 2020 was a REALLY big day for us! I had an ultrasound at 7:30, so we went that and then went out to breakfast together at Athen's restaurant in Canton. We knew that we would be signing the papers for our house at 10:15, but we hadn't been told if we would be getting keys or when any of that would actually be happening, so we just enjoyed a nice little breakfast the two of us. After that, we ran home, packed a few more things and then went to the lawyer's office. When we got there, the garage door opener and a set of keys were sitting on the table, which got us very excited. After a LOT of signing, it was officially ours and he handed us the keys and garage door opener! On our way out, the other owner handed us his set of keys. We were overjoyed and so thankful! It took 10 weeks (6 longer than expected), but we were finally able to drive to our house and unlock the door on our own. It was AWESOME. The day was perfect, we made a few calls, did a walk through on our own and then went back to the apartment to finish packing. My aunt, uncle and dad came to help us get everything loaded up, then we made the trek over to begin the unloading and cleaning process. Ken and Pam got there pretty soon after and started pitching in as well! When Mom got off work, she joined the party, Grandma and Grandpa came down separately, Grandpa when we were ready for his load and Grandma brought dinner. Jonathan and I had to go finish everything with the apartment, then we came back around 6 and had lasagna, garlic bread, salad, grapes and cookies for dinner! By about 8:30, we had everything unloaded and Jonathan and I had somewhere to sleep, so it was about as good as it could possibly get and we spent our first night in our new house! During that crazy process I also got a call saying that we would need to do another ultrasound at Akron Children's just to make sure everything was okay. They have better machines there and can get better pictures, so that information was the only negative of the whole day! Thursday they called and scheduled my appointment before I even left for work. It was a short day for me, which was awesome. Jonathan worked in the morning, then he and Dad pressure washed and he was mowing the lawn when I got home. Mom, Dad and Kyle came over to help us get everything in from the garage that was left so we could pull our cars in. While they were there, Jonathan had a presentation for work for a class at ONU, so they stayed an hung out with me until he was done. The next day we left for Michigan! We rode with the Prusias and Philip, then we met Mom and Dad at Chili's for lunch and caravanned the rest of the way there. We went back to Holland, like we have done for the past few years, but first we stopped at Shem's place to get him. Once we got to our house we relaxed a little bit, then had sandwiches and Oktoberfest stew. In the evening we did some trivia, played telestrations and sequence and just enjoyed time together. Saturday was our exploring day, but first we woke up for french toast for breakfast with two of Shem's friends. After they went home, we went to Grand Haven this year for some shopping, ate at The Copper Post and went out on the pier there. Once we got back, the three of us ladies napped while the guys went outside and played bocce ball for awhile, then we played hearts, had chili for dinner and wrapped it up with some trivia! Sunday morning Shem had to go back for clinicals, so we said our goodbyes to him, then loaded up and headed home ourselves. We stopped at IHOP on our way home, then made a few more stops along the way before our last stop at the Dalton Dariette for their last day of the season! When we got home I went to get some groceries and we did some unpacking and a few tasks at home. 

October 5-11:

I worked Monday and Tuesday all day while Jonathan was in Celina. Surprisingly, I actually made it through a night at home alone, which is a huge accomplishment for me. Jonathan stayed at Dillon's, watched the game, then came home and got a few things done around here Tuesday night. Wednesday Dad and Grandpa came to fix my dryer, then Jonathan and I had my ultrasound in Akron and by the grace of God everything was fine! Such a blessing! We stopped at Grove's and Kohls on the way home, ordered a dishwasher, got my ring cleaned and made sausage gravy, biscuits and mashed potatoes for our first meal together in our new house! It was fantastic. Thursday we both worked, I had a short day and Jonathan was mowing when I got home. We were supposed to leave for Florida that day, but unfortunately they were in line to get hit by a hurricane, so that was the last straw for us. Between all the unplanned doctors visits, delayed moving process and now the hurricane, we decided to have a staycation instead. So Friday Jonathan ended up participating in a meeting for work, then we ran to the orchard, bulk food store, Aldi's, Aunt Bev's and Grove's to get our dishwasher. Once we were done running around we went to load up more things at my parents then came back and they began the dishwasher project. My parents ate corned beef cottage pie with us and we all worked on getting the house in order a little bit. The dishwasher project continued into the next day, unfortunately. We ate lunch outside on our table back in the yard, then they finished that project up, we ordered pizza for dinner and when the dishwasher was done we put the kitchen away. Sunday we went to church then finished the first floor of our house for the most part! For dinner we went to my parents for a fish fry with my grandparents as well. It was super delicious! We ended up staying and watching a movie for a little while.

October 12-18:

Sunday night I started with some pretty severe back pain. I ended up throwing up because of it and had a really rough evening. Monday morning the pain came back, but I thankfully had a doctors appointment. They sent me straight to the hospital to find out I had a kidney stone, which was actually good news because it means baby is absolutely fine. It was quite a long day, so we ended up spending the evening eating leftovers and watching Saving Mr. Banks instead of getting a lot done. Jonathan did a few things while I napped, but we just counted it as a sick day since we were both "on vacation" anyway. Tuesday I felt a ton better, so we tackled most of the upstairs of the house, then Jonathan went out and did some pressure washing while I made corn flake chicken for dinner, then we watched Ghostbusters. We had to go back to the doctor's office since I didn't get to go to my appointment on Monday and I needed to get shots as well. I actually passed my kidney stone while we were out! So I was glad to be done with that. We had Red Lobster for lunch, did some shopping at Kohl's, JoAnn's and BestBuy while we were there and then came home, had leftovers for dinner and watched the Masked Singer and I Can See Your Voice. Thursday we had fajitas for dinner, watched the movie Yesterday, finished doing some cleaning and organizing and Aunt Bev and Uncle Ron brought us our shower gift! It is a beautiful toy chest for baby Landis! We are super excited about it!!! Saturday was another fun day. We spent the day in Cleveland with Sara and Dustin, ate lunch together, explored their area of the world, played games and enjoyed great conversations and ice cream at the end! Sunday was our last day of our vacation, which was sad. We had church, Jonathan got a hair cut and cleaned the stairway before the Browns game, then we we organized the basement and had pizza at the Haas' to wrap it all up. 

Overall, it wasn't all what we planned, but the Lord had a lot of other, better things involved, and we are very thankful. We really enjoyed having time together just the two of us in our new home and we are glad to have it all in order now! We hope you are all doing well and staying safe. Enjoy this BEAUTIFUL fall we are having!

Love,

Alli and Jonathan

Year 3, Weeks 6, 7, 8 and 9: Weddings and Waiting

Whew! It's been a busy few weeks! We have had two weddings and have been going back and forth with the bank trying to get everything with the house solidified. In addition, my schedule has changed which has been an adjustment. It is definitely for the best, but we are adjusting and trying to learn our new normal. 

So week 6 was August 17-23:

I only worked Tuesday and Thursday, but we had a few things going on the other days. I had a doctor's appointment, grocery shopping, game night, we spent some time together on a date night. Our date nights are becoming more "parent" like...so that's one thing we won't have to adjust to later! Now our date nights look a lot like going out to dinner, grocery shopping, then coming home and watching a movie. It is a lot like dinner and a movie...except the movie theaters are closed and it is much cheaper just to get a movie from the library and watch it at home! This week we watched the new "Aladdin" and we both enjoyed it. Highly recommend...though we know we are absolutely behind the rest of society with this thought. Saturday evening we went to visit the Henman family, had dinner and enjoyed good conversation after we worked on our registry all day. We wrapped up the weekend with leftovers, a game and ice cream - doesn't get much better than that!

Week 7 was August 24-30:

We both had long days on Monday and Tuesday, Jonathan was out in Celina. So he went on a run with Dillon, then they grabbed supper and ice cream with Graham afterwards. It had been awhile since he had seen Graham, so he finally got to tell him about the baby! On his way home he stopped to see his parents and also stopped at the farm to see Grandma and Grandpa Landis! Wednesday I did a lot of planning for September, was at my parent's for a little bit getting potatoes, went on a walk, and had meatloaf and scalloped potatoes for dinner. I worked again on Thursday since that is my new schedule. Tuesdays and Thursdays are both days that I work - Tuesdays are long days, Thursdays are short! It stormed Thursday, but Jonathan grilled us dinner anyway! It was delicious too! On Friday we went to Carrabas, went shopping, then went to my parent's to catch up since we hadn't done that in awhile. I was off the weekend, so we watched a movie and worked on our registry. We watched "Spotlight" which is a really good movie based off of a true story! Sunday night we had a youth group event, so it was great to see everyone again!

Week 8 was August 31-September 6:

We had game night on Monday, I worked Tuesday and Jonathan worked on the chair. Wednesday we had my ultrasound, which was super fun! We got to see Baby moving around in there and got tons of really good photos. We are not finding out what the baby's gender is, but we are so excited to meet him or her! Jonathan went to Men's Wearhouse to see if they had his suit for Sara's wedding. On his way in, he saw Sara and Pam, so that was cool! Of course, he ordered his suit, about a day after he found out what the information was....AND they didn't have it yet, so we didn't get to get his suit that day, we had to get it Friday on our way to the rehearsal instead. There were some rough patches getting there, but it was okay! We got there safe and sound, though late. The rehearsal was rough, but the wedding was beautiful. Sara and Dustin's day was beautiful and it went off flawlessly! We so enjoyed it and are so excited to have Dustin as a brother-in-law. I have never had a brother-in-law before and I couldn't ask for a better first one! I think we can both agree that the reception was the best part after all the music was over! Jonathan did a great job playing and singing with Michaela and the piano part went off pretty well too. We love playing music...but we both felt a lot less stressed when it was over! Sunday was an early morning after an already long (though beautiful) weekend, but it was a lot of fun! We left early to make it to the Landis' for breakfast with the Hochstedler side of the family, when they headed for home, we went over to the farm for lunch with the Landis side of the family! It was so wonderful to catch up with everyone. Jonathan's aunts, uncles and cousins are all so sweet and it is such a blessing to be so welcomed into the family by them. We were both encouraged by our time with them, just wish there was more time we got to spend with them! On our way home I took a nap while we went to drop the suits off at Men's Wearhouse. We came home, put a few things away, relaxed, then went to the KDB for dinner on our way to church family night! Although my gut reaction was to not go to family night, I am so glad we did. It was great to see everyone since we don't get to see them a lot and we enjoyed reconnecting.

Week 9 was September 7-13:

Monday was Labor Day, so we ended up spending a lot of the day with the Haas family. We had french toast for breakfast, then we went over so we could go pick up the saw Jonathan ended up getting! We are all ready for the house....whenever it ends up being ours! In the afternoon we watched a movie, had some dinner and started doing some packing. I worked Tuesday and Jonathan went to pick a few things up, mowed the lawn, cleaned up the house and went to get fans when our air conditioning went out! Wednesday we got some news on the house, but it wasn't that exciting, so I won't bore you - basically, it is looking up, they just need more stuff about the house until it's really good news. We took the fans back to Mom and Dad's, then had cajun pork chops for dinner and packed a little bit more. Thursday we had steaks, potatoes and corn after I got back from work, then got clothes ready for the wedding on Saturday (yes, two in a row!). I worked a short day Friday, we had spaghetti, then went for brownies and ice cream at my parent's house with Hope and Grandpa...it was all delicious! On Saturday we had Tim's wedding, it was another beautiful day and a beautiful wedding! It was also another long day, but we enjoyed seeing friends and catching up. Sunday Jonathan had videoing for church, we had leftovers for lunch, then Jonathan watched the game while I took a nap. After I woke up I did dishes, then we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and got groceries!

It has been a good month, but we didn't have much time between practicing and recovering from everything! I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying the awesome fall weather! Unfortunately we haven't taken a lot of photos, so here is the one that I have from the last 4 weeks! 

Talk soon! Hopefully our next one will be posted from our new house!!!

Love,

Alli and Jonathan

Year 3, Week 5: A Little Time Off

 

Hello! We are back...and on time! Surprise!!! Last week was the first time I have had time off for about a year or so...which was fantastic. I definitely needed the break and enjoyed some extra time with my husband.

Monday and Tuesday we both worked, so Jonathan was home in the evenings without me. On Monday he mowed and then went to pick our big stuff up at the auction. Unfortunately, some horrible person stole our dresser, so that put a damper on the week, but we will figure it out!!! Baby won't know if the dresser and crib match anyway. So he, Mom and Dad went to pick everything up - three tables, crib and Mom's stuff, then they went home and cleaned everything up a little bit. The tables are really neat and I can't wait to use them! On Tuesday he worked on the rocker and talked to the Landis' until I came home.

After that I was off until Sunday! Wednesday I did laundry, practiced piano, then made ham braid and mac and cheese for dinner before Ashton and Caleb came over! They reached out to get together since they were in town and we were so glad to spend some time with them. We went to get ice cream, then came back, played some euchre and spent some time having good conversation.

Both of our vehicles needed some attention, so on Thursday we went and dropped the car off, then went to my parents' for dinner - we had tacos and sweet corn!!! Yummy! It was nice to spend some time together just the five of us and get a plan together for the weekend.

Friday night we spent the evening relaxing after we went to pick the car up. We had leftovers, watched "The American Gospel" on Netflix (highly, highly recommend), and put our yearly collage together! It was a really good "date night"!

We woke up early Saturday morning, made meat and potato quiche and headed over to my parents for breakfast before we went shopping for the day. Breakfast was delicious and the shopping was great! I finally have some clothes that fit! We went to Boardman for the first time for Jonathan and I. Old Navy really had me covered (literally), as usual. Then I found a few things at JCPenny, Kohls and Target. Getting ready to go somewhere is now a lot less stressful. For lunch we stopped at "The Casual Pint" on a whim and it was fantastic! They tried some yummy beverages and I enjoyed my coke and pizza. We got these yummy "sidewinders" (curly steak fries) smothered in beercheese, sour cream and bacon...it was fantastic.

Sunday was the first day I worked with Neil, our new pharmacist. I am glad to have him as an addition to our team. We are excited to start our new three pharmacist rotation! I will be working fewer 13 hour days and every third weekend instead of every other, which will be a really good change for all of us! Jonathan went to help on the video crew for church, then came to see me at work, caught up on dishes, called Hulu to get our service updated, then met me at the mechanic's to drop the truck off. When we got home, he made crack burgers...they were SO delicious! Cheddar, bacon, other yummy stuff - the burgers were definitely keepers. Afterward we watched church together and had our weekly check-in. It was a relaxing Sunday evening and we enjoyed our extra time home together throughout the week. Definitely more time off coming up soon!

Everything has been going really well with the baby. Lil Landis has been very active recently! Lots of moving around in the mornings! If there is a big kick Jonathan could feel it...however, baby usually stops moving when he tries, so we are still working on that. Nothing else too big. I have been feeling a lot better, much less sickness though it still pops up every once in awhile. 

I hope everyone has a good week! We will see you soon, enjoy the awesome weather!

Love,

Alli and Jonathan