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

Monday, May 16, 2022

Year 3, Weeks 41-43: BIG News

I actually am early this time and, to be clear, I had the last one written on time...it just never got posted...which doesn't help, but is, nevertheless, true. This way you really don't have to wait that long for family pictures because you just found out about them...and now you know about the new baby too! We are very excited to invite a new member to the Lil Landis Family! November is going to be a blast.

Week 41: April 25-May 1

Two long days in a row is always rough, but we made it through. It was a really bad day at work that Monday, but Jonathan and Amelia came to visit, so that was a bonus. Tuesday was just more of the same stress for me, Jonathan and Amelia both had good days and then Jonathan and Dad worked on the apartment in the evening, which means Amelia got to hang out with Granny for a little bit! I was very glad to come home Tuesday night and not have to think about work the next day.

Dad stopped by on Wednesday to get some things out of the barn, but otherwise it was a pretty normal day. A little dreary, but we enjoyed some chicken and dumplings with mashed potatoes and relaxed as a family in the evening. Thursday was just normal for us, Jonathan had long band, so Amelia and I spent the evening enjoying time together.

Being off the weekend is always a plus. On Friday, Amelia and I were home along, Jonathan went to Shelby for a visit, then when he got home we went to Canton to do some shopping. Amelia needed a new wardrobe...as she does every 3 months...and I wanted to get some scrubs to wear at work. We got Steak and Shake for dinner, which was very much so mediocre, but we were fed, so we will take it! When we got home, Dad was finishing tilling the garden, so we got to hang out with them for a little bit afterward.

Saturday was an almost home day for us. Jonathan went to the Men's breakfast in the morning, so Amelia and I relaxed at home. We planted some of the garden, went to Motts' to get some plants, Jonathan mowed and I talked to Shem in the afternoon, then for dinner we had sloppy joes and macaroni and cheese because there just wasn't time to make other stuff, it was too beautiful outside.

Sunday we had church and Jonathan played, then we went to Que Pasa with the Haas fam and the Prusias. Jonathan worked on the basement lights while I took a little break and worked on some laundry, then we finished up by talking to the Landis family. It was a relaxing weekend and we enjoyed doing some things that needed to be done and that we loved doing.

Week 41: May 2-8

This was my long week, which happens, but it went pretty well, all things considered! Jonathan and Dad worked in the apartment on Monday and I got to hang out with Amelia, Mom, Aunt Bev and Grandma once I got home from work! It was a good family day! 

Tuesday was long, as usual, but Wednesday was a jammie day for Amelia and I! We both love our jams. We were home, it was super dreary, so we just snuggled in and made the best of it. I made some lists, we had beef and noodles for dinner and just relaxed. It was exactly the day that I needed.

Thursday we announced the baby to work and band, so that allowed us to communicate everything to everyone we needed to! Friday was a long day, so Jonathan and Amelia visited me at work. Jonathan actually took a half day so he could work on the bucket truck and mower with Dad. Saturday was a good day for me, then Jonathan worked on the barn and shed while I was gone. On my way home from work I got pizza and the Landis' came over for dinner. Sunday was Mother's day, which was not terribly exciting since I was gone all day, BUT we had a great evening and I got some new family photos, which always make a mama happy.

Week 43: May 9-15

It was my less hours week, not that it feels like a slow week! Monday I was off, I did laundry, went grocery shopping and we had Italian beef and rice for dinner. After that, Jonathan and Dad did some mulch, which they also did on Tuesday and Wednesday! It was a lot of mulching, but the flower beds look awesome!

We had a lot of ice cream, some yummy food, and a movie night throughout the week, so we call that a win here. Lots of napping and relaxing going on because that's what is needed in the first trimester of pregnancy. 

I was off the weekend, so Saturday was spent doing some shopping. We went up to Alliance for a little while in the morning and then when we came home, Jonathan worked on the mower and I napped. In the evening, we went and got DQ, then got some milk at Mom and Dad's...as a bonus, Faith and Austin stopped by too! 

Sunday was spent on the road and at ONU for Emily's graduation! Potentially, our last ONU graduation! Yay! We are so happy for Emily, always good to be done with that step of college. Amelia spent the day with Granny and Papa, so she had a good day. We got home around 8:30 and she was cracking us up. When she gets tired she gets a little slaphappy, which provides us with some quality entertainment. She slept like a rock and we did too! Long day for everyone, but good sleep really fixes everything! We are now ready for the next week!

I hope all of you are doing well, we are definitely juggling a lot right now, so please be gracious with the blog situation! We love you all, enjoy the beautiful weather out there!

Love,

Allison, Jonathan and Amelia


Year 3, Weeks 38-40: Easter!

The Little Landis Fam is back! Also, we are back to being boring! Not a lot of excitement these last few weeks. There is a lot of work to be done here at the house, so this is where we have been, which is truly a huge blessing to us. Our family thrives being at home and we are super thankful for the opportunity to be here as much as we are.

Week 38: April 4-10

The weeks of my double 13's always start rough and end well with my long weekend...but the start is challenging. Going 2 days without spending time with Amelia and Jonathan is a little rough on my heart, but we get through it! Jonathan brought Amelia to visit me on Monday, which always helps. She keeps getting more and more comfortable seeing everyone there, so that is super sweet. In the evening, Jonathan worked with John and Dad on the apartment since I was gone. This has been a weekly occurrence since we got back from vacation and it has just been incredible to see what they have been able to get done! Everything is really starting to take shape and we are loving seeing that happen!

Tuesday was pretty normal for everyone and Wednesday is mostly just a recovery day for me. Lots of resting and relaxing so I can just start to function as a normal human being again. We had fillet on the grill with cheesy potatoes, which was fantastic. We had not made fillet yet and it was definitely worth the wait, super delicious, very tender, Jonathan did a really good job with it! For dessert, we had Dairy Queen, which always makes us happy and watched the Masked Singer as our little mini weekly date night.

Our life was fairly productive the rest of the week, normal Thursday, Friday I cleaned the house, made enchiladas for breakfast on Saturday and we had meatloaf and scalloped potatoes for dinner. In the evening, we raked rocks back into the drive way and enjoyed a movie that evening. Saturday was our big outing day, we went and did some research. Mom kept Amelia, then we went to Baird Brothers to look at trim and doors for upstairs, stopped at a home outlet store to look at vanities and things like that and then went to Heggy's for lunch. It was a good day, we learned a lot and feel much more equipped to handle all the different decisions we have coming up soon. In the evening, we had leftovers for dinner and watched another movie after Amelia went to bed.

Sunday was beautiful, so we had Mom and Dad over for lunch to chat and spend time together, then in the afternoon Jonathan and Dad both worked out in the shed while Amelia and I napped. Jonathan also worked on raking rocks and picking up sticks and I made pizza for dinner! After that, we just relaxed and got ready for our long week ahead!

Week 39: April 11-17

Next week up - the long week. I work 60 hours in these 7 days, so it gets long, but I only work two 13 hour days and they are not back-to-back, so we spend most of our family time together in the evenings! Monday is a short day, so I get to come home and eat with everyone, but Dad, John and Jonathan were working on the house so I got to enjoy some Mom and Amelia time! Mom comes to hang out with her while they work, so really, everyone wins! It was a good night and they got another room closed in!

Tuesdays are always long, but Wednesdays are always sweet. We had steak alfredo for dinner, always a hit, then watched the Masked Singer. I prepared a casserole for Thursday evening that we hadn't tried before, worked on planning meals for May and got a grocery list together for Monday's shopping trip. The rest of my week was just work, but Jonathan got a lot done! He had a meeting in Ravenna on Friday, then spent the rest of the day working outside mowing, trenching and spent the day at home. 

Easter morning was pretty fun for us! We had a lot of fun picking up eggs and finding books! Amelia did so well and enjoyed the whole thing! She and Daddy went to church and to see the Landis family while I was at work, then we enjoyed our evening home as a family. For dinner we had quesadillas and they were delicious, Jonathan did a great job! It might be odd for a family to have quesadillas for Easter dinner, but we live on the edge like that.

Week 40: April 18-24

Jonathan left for Celina on Monday, so Amelia and I held down the fort here! She had a rough day on Sunday considering the fact that she barely napped, but we had a lot to do, so we tried to fit as much sleeping in as we could! She had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon, so after her nap we ran up to Alliance and did some grocery shopping in the rain, then went straight to her doctor's appointment. She passed everything with flying colors! Jonathan enjoyed his time in Celina, it was his last time staying with Dillon since he is moving, so it was a little bittersweet, but we are really excited for him and his next phase of life.

We were all finally reunited on Wednesday, so that was a sweet day. I had a doctor's appointment, which made for a really long week since both of my days off were spent at doctor's appointments, but we made it. In the evening, we relaxed, had chicken pot pie pasta, Dairy Queen and relaxed together. Family nights are some of our favorite nights!

After work on Friday we met at Grinders and enjoyed a nice, easy meal together! We don't go out to eat often since we have had Amelia, but she is starting to do really well when we do! She loves smiling at people and watching them eat...I know they enjoy the smiles, not sure about the watching part, but thankfully most people are good sports! She eats just about anything at this point, so that also makes it a little bit more doable. It was a fantastic evening to start off the weekend! 

Although we have been trying to be very intentional with our weekends, there comes a point that we have realized we have to take time to just be at home, especially in the summer when the lawn is growing like crazy. This was one of those weekends for us. We had family photos taken, but then we spent the rest of the day doing what each of us needed to be well taken care of. Amelia and I took naps and Jonathan worked on the landscaping. He got everything around the house weeded and put together, so he was very happy with the outcome!

Sunday we went to church as a family, then Amelia came home and took a nap while Jonathan and I spent time outside. He mowed and I did some cleaning up with my peonies...they needed some attention! Our barn was very busy on Sunday. All the boats left, so there was a lot of hustle and bustle around here, but then everything was cleaned out and ready for the rest of the summer. In the later afternoon Shem brought Karah and her mom over to see the barn for the first time so they could begin to visualize everything for the wedding. I was glad they finally got to get a visual and start to plan for the big day! We have no doubt it will be absolutely gorgeous...once we get the floor all sturdy and ready to roll! In the evening we went over for lasagna with everyone and got to just relax and enjoy some family time. 

It was an awesome weekend. We were at home, but, as you can see, had a ton going on! That's been a little bit of what our life has just been recently. Since vacation it has been little travel, much activity! We are loving our home, our property and, most of all, our family...very much so looking forward to enjoying these next few weeks which look like they will shape up to be pretty lovely! We hope you all are enjoying them as well! 

Love,

Allison, Jonathan and Amelia

P.S. We have been too busy soaking up our time together to take pictures...but don't worry, next time we will share our family photos, so there will be quite a few!

Year 6, May:

Hello, there! I must say this month will most likely be told in pictures more than words because it has been both a whirlwind and a slow pac...