About Us: We are the Landis family! Welcome to our semi-regular updates on what life is teaching us!

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Year 3, Weeks 8-10: Family Time

Here we are again! Goodness gracious has it been a great few weeks! I can't say it's been terribly 'exciting', but it has been absolutely wonderful! We will give you the short, but exciting version.
Week 8: September 6-12

Monday was Labor Day, so Dillon was still here! We went over to Mom and Dad's for breakfast, then the guys helped them unload the pool deck, after that the guys and I came back and they all started cleaning out the barn! Jonathan's dad came to help for the afternoon and they got the whole barn in a lot better shape! The plastic is down, everything is organized, it is absolutely beautiful! We are both very excited about it...but Jonathan is especially excited.

I worked on Tuesday and Jonathan studied, then Wednesday I started to get sick. We went on a walk in the evening, I got done what I needed to, but otherwise I just relaxed. On Thursday I didn't feel great either, but it still acted like bad allergies, so I went with it. Jonathan had band, so I went to Mom and Dad's after work to pick Amelia up. Amelia stays at Faith's during the day while I am at work with the exception of one Monday every 3 weeks when Pam watches her. On Thursdays, Granny picks her up so that Jonathan can study and then go to band. Thursdays are good days for the little baby, she gets spoiled! 

Friday morning I woke up with quite a cough, so I decided to go to stat care and get tested. It kind of wrecked our evening plans with friends, but we made the most of it. We went to the library, Yoder's and DQ. We got Amelia's next book sheet, a few books and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". After we ate, played with Amelia and put her to bed we watched the movie and ate ice cream. At 9:30p I decided I wouldn't get to sleep unless I had some cough medicine, so Jonathan went in and got me some so that I could sleep...worked like a charm! 

I got my test results on Saturday and I was negative, so that confirmed that I just have bad allergies...which was never really a question! Amelia had a rough night, but we all made it through. Jonathan got to study a little bit and then went to church for band. We gathered some pumpkins, he mowed, we got a part for the mower in and my planner for next year came in too! It was a great day. 

Sunday my parents came over, then they worked on the barn a little. After they left, Jonathan studied, worked on the bathtub drain and I worked on tomatoes and took a nap. We went on a Dollar General run, Cat stopped by to see the barn, I made lasagna and we had burgers for dinner! It was a great day!












Week 9: September 13-19

This was my long week, so Amelia hung out with Pam on Monday, I had lasagna ready to go, so Jonathan baked that and it was ready when I got home! I did a little bit of shopping, then was ready to go! It was Amelia's 8 month birthday...so please enjoy those pictures below! Tuesday was a long day as usual, but it was good.

On Wednesday I got ready for the rest of the week, made ham braid, mac and cheese and green beans for dinner. It was a great day. We booked flights for our November vacation, so stay tuned for that! First flight together and first flight with a baby! We are excited. 

The rest of the weekend was a bit of a blur. We made it through though! Aunt Bev came to stay with Amelia on Thursday, which was super helpful because Faith had an appointment. We were so thankful for her help! Between her, Mom and Jonathan, everything worked out well and Amelia had a great day! Jonathan helped me out with laundry on Saturday then he and Amelia went to the Landis' on Sunday. It was a little crazy, but we just enjoyed every minute of our evenings together at home.





Week 10: September 20-26

Jonathan went out to Celina to work on Monday, so Amelia and I had a girl's day. We hung out at home and I worked on signing up to be a student preceptor, so that could be super interesting! Jonathan had dinner with some work guys and reps at C-Town. I went to Mom and Dad's for dinner, we had pizza! I loved getting to spend time with them. 

Tuesday was a normal day, I worked, Jonathan came home from Celina and Amelia hung out with Granny and Papa for the evening! We needed help again on Tuesday, so Aunt Chery came to spend the day with the little baby! They had a great day! Amelia loves spending extra days at home. 

On Wednesday, I finally went to the doctor's office. My legs have been plagued with eczema for a few months, so I went to get a shot and feel much better. Unfortunately, the appointment was in the morning when I planned to go grocery shopping. We adjusted. After Jonathan was done with work and Amelia's nap was over, we went to Mott's, Aldi, Farm and Fleet, and then got Hot Heads for dinner! During the afternoon I put together chicken, ranch biscuit casserole for another day.

Thursday and Friday I worked 10-6, but we had Friday evening together! We had casserole, DQ and watched half of "Tolkien", which we finished Saturday night after church! It was a great movie! I picked up a shift on Saturday, so we really enjoyed our evening together. We picked up McDonald's after church, finished the movie and relaxed, which is exactly what I needed since booster shots started that day.

On Sunday we went to the Landis' for lunch and to celebrate birthdays. It was a good visit during Amelia's afternoon wake time. On our way home we went to Mom and Dad's to get milk and say hi...so we ended up having pizza with them plus Grandma and Grandpa! It was a great finish to the weekend. We came home, played with Amelia, put her down then got cajun pork chops ready for leftovers!

The last three weeks have been extraordinary! We have had a lot of family time and have had a great chance to grow. It is going to be a good next few weeks as well! Amelia is growing, we love her and she is just incredibly enjoyable. We love her so much and we love sharing her with you all! Have a great few weeks!

Love,

Alli, Jonathan and Amelia

Amelia's 8 Month Birthday:












Sunday, September 12, 2021

Year 4, Weeks 5-7: Festivals, Fairs and The End of Summer

 We are back! It is definitely feeling like the end of summer, but we are soaking up every minute! The weather has been just perfect, in my opinion! Nothing is better than a nice mid-seventies day with the sun shining! 

I requested the day after Friedenswald off, which proved to be a good choice! Amelia needed sleep and my garden needed attention! I harvested a lot of peppers and tomatoes, ran to the orchard, Yoder's and Kishman's, made salsa and did a LOT of laundry! It was a great day and the salsa ended up being really tasty! Jonathan had a good day back to work and we enjoyed a family evening!

Jonathan and Amelia had a good day on Tuesday, he caught up with Tom and then got some studying done. Wednesday was a pretty easy day, we went grocery shopping then came home for some grilled chicken sandwiches. Keep in mind, we still didn't have air conditioning at this point...hence the grill. While we were eating, my parents were at an auction and got a pool, so we went to help load that up...which made for an interesting evening! Thankfully, we got our new air conditioning on Thursday! It is wonderful to have working air conditioning again!

Friday was our first Canton shopping trip with Amelia! It was so much fun! We went to Buffalo Wild Wings, where she had a great time, then we went and got her a bunch of new clothes...she had about nothing that fit! She was just incredibly enjoyable and really seemed to enjoy herself! On Saturday, we had a Mommy/Daughter date and Jonathan had the day at home! He got some studying done, mowed the yard and went to play at church while Amelia and I were at her first baby shower in PA! She was wonderful and I really enjoyed both spending time with her and seeing Emily! It had been awhile! 

Sunday is our family day/get everything caught up day. We gardened, did laundry I made some salsa, canned some peaches, we talked to the Guess family about our family vacation! It is going to be a lot of fun and actually seems like a reality now! We had a great evening getting ready for a crazy week!

The long week keeps feeling less overwhelming as we get into a little bit of a rhythm here! Monday, Amelia stays home and Pam comes to watch her, then we have an evening together when I get home! Jonathan ran to the hardware, then made BLTs with mac and cheese for dinner! It was a nice evening together! Tuesdays are always long, but it gives Jonathan a good study break, so we are making it work!

Wednesdays are always busy, but wonderful. I got a lot of stuff done, made some food for leftovers later in the week, then we went to Que Pasa with Mom and Dad for dinner. It was great to spend some time with them and catch up! We had a great night and the food was absolutely perfect!

Jonathan mowed on Thursday before band, and I picked Amelia up at Mom's after work. They had a surprise party for Phillip, so I got to see everyone who was there to celebrate, it was a great evening! Friday was a lot like Tuesday for Amelia and Jonathan, but they did some to see me before the came home...I always love seeing them in the midst of the craziness!

Jonathan got a lot of studying done over the weekend. I had to get to work early because it was a really rough day on Friday, then we had church, got some Dairy Queen and relaxed after Amelia went to bed. Amelia and Jonathan were visited by Ken and Pam, and of course video chatted with his sisters as well, on Sunday. He also got some studying done before I got home!

Last week was a great week. Jonathan was out of town on Monday and Tuesday, but we are getting used to that as well! Amelia and I had a great day together. I canned banana peppers, went to Carrollton for more jars and then went to see Mom, Dad and the Hoergers after dinner. Jonathan enjoyed some time with Dillon and Graham and started to put a plan together for our weekend!

Wednesday we were finally back together! After Jonathan was done with work we went to the orchard and then stopped to see Aunt Chery and Uncle Jeff on our way home. They hadn't seen Amelia in awhile, but once she got comfortable, she really enjoyed herself and we got to catch up with them a little bit! We came home, had garlic lovers chicken with noodles and green beans, which was DELICIOUS! 

Our plans for Thursday went a little differently than expected because we ended up purchasing a few things at a local auction, so Jonathan went with Dad to pick everything up after work, then he went to band and I picked him up on my way back from work. We went to Mom and Dad's, got Amelia and went to have Kensington Dairy Bar for dinner! It was our last trip of the season and our last visit before it is under new ownership...which is quite sad, but hopefully they keep it the way it is!

After work on Friday, Dillon came out to visit us! We had sandwiches, gave him a tour, hung out and caught up in the evening. I battled my fifth round of mastitis over night, but we made it through and I ended up winning!

Saturday we had french toast, I did some grocery shopping, then we went to the Great Trail Festival for lunch! We loved seeing everyone's creativity and enjoyed the trip. In the evening, we went to church, then came home for dinner and some more quality time together. Jonathan grilled pork chops, steaks and potatoes...all of which were delicious.

Sunday was another big day! We had sausage gravy and then the guys worked out in the barn, I took a nap, then we packed up and went to the fair! We walked around, ate good food and loved watching Amelia's reactions to everything! When we went, we planned on just watching the square dance, but when we were there...we changed our mind. It starts at 8, which is Amelia's bedtime, but she was doing pretty well, so we decided to stay and do some line dances. Afterward, we decided to try some square dancing, so I wore Amelia and she just danced with us! It was so much fun and she had a blast! We only stayed for one round, but it was definitely worth it and now Amelia is on her way to being a little dancer! On our way out, we grabbed some donuts and headed back for everyone's bedtime!

It has been a great few weeks and we are loving introducing the baby girl to so many new things! She is a treasure and we are just soaking up every single minute of her and summer! I hope you are enjoying the last few weeks of summer and are getting excited for the next season!

Love,

Alli, Jonathan and Amelia

Amelia Photos:

           

Fair Photos:

  

   

Year 6, May:

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