Year 5, Weeks 45-47: Swimming and Staycation

It has been a great three weeks. The weather has been very pleasant and we have enjoyed every moment of it! The kids love being outside and we love spending time with them there. William has a habit of screaming "OUTSIDE!" every time he hears it mentioned!

Week 45: May 20th - 26th

I worked the weekend, so it was a long, but Monday we took a trip to East Liverpool and met with some friends for supper! It was such a great visit, we have not seen them in SO long! The kids got to play outside and it turned out to be beautiful! Very shaded from the 80 plus degree weather we were having.

On Tuesday, I worked all day, but my family went for the first swim of the year for Mom's birthday! William was not a big fan, but Amelia, who has been begging to go for WEEKS was so very excited to get in! I took them again on Wednesday for a quick dip in the morning, then the Henman's came to visit as soon as we got home. In the evening we went to Motts' for our plants and then we went to Texas Roadhouse for supper, which is continually moving down the list of favorite restaurants for us since they keep taking longer and longer! Still tasted great though and the kids had a fantastic time.

We had NAET on Thursday, planted the garden in the evening and then had garlic lovers chicken for supper - it was so good and very efficient. Short Friday for me, which was great because after work we ate supper and went swimming again! Then we started our "staycation" over the weekend!

Saturday we went to Marshall's Antique Warehouse to look for some door options for our closet. It was a good trip, lots of neat stuff there! We enjoyed our time a lot, but it was not the most exciting time for the kids. We found a door, looked around and then got back in the car. Amelia did NOT want to go home and we were feeling a little frisky, so we went in to Louisville! Quick visit to the grave yard to see my grandma's grave and then we tried to go to the park and there was absolutely nowhere to park, it was crazy there! So we just went straight to Senor Pancho's for lunch, then got ice cream at Virgil's for dessert. It satisfied Amelia's desire for more excitement and my desire to not have to deal with lunch!

Sunday was a little dreary, we had stuffed shells for supper and then went up to the square dance which was a major dud. We brough William home and Amelia stayed up with Nana and Papa. William was a little confused, he kept asking for "Sis-sis?" the whole way home. Poor guy. We put him down and then the rest of them came home, Amelia did not want to go to bed, but we put here there anyway. She did not go to sleep quickly, but we had a good time with Mom and Dad and their friends playing some games together. It was great time getting to know new people.

Week 46: May 27th - June 2nd

I had to work Memorial Day, but it was a short day. Busy, but good! Jonathan hung up a tire swing and cleaned the grill, then we had some leftovers for supper! I got the fajitas ready for the next day - which were amazing! There is something about not working on a Tuesday that is fantastic...and confusing because then I have no idea what day it is, but we had Waneda's for breakfast for the first time and it was AMAZING. We shall return for sure. Jonathan went and got lumber and some more items on the way home, then we went to the library and got a few things. I cleaned some windows, emptied the freezer, cleaned the fridge, it was a super productive day! Such a blessing to be able to take a vacation day and get so much time at home for me and Jonathan gets a ton done having a week of for sure, which benefits our family tremendously!

On Wednesday, Jonathan worked on the house in the morning, while the kids and I went to the library. It was a very productive day! I made a lot of progress with laundry and cleaning, which is something I always do on Wednesdays, basically a normal week for me, but a little more fun because we got to hang out as a whole family!

On Thursday we went to get a few things at Baird Brother's and went to White House Farms as well! It was so much fun. We love taking our babies different places and they did so great with this little trip...the delicious donuts probably helped with that! We got home, weeded the flowerbeds and were productive over naptime. Got a visit from the horrible woman who's property backs up to ours in the back. Hopefully she never comes back! I've never been spoken to that way, especially considering I am in the right. Anyway, JL made ribs on the grill for supper which was DELICIOUS! I do not enjoy ribs so much, but he did a fantastic job, they were very tasty.

On Friday Jonathan did mulch, which was a monster job, but he got it done very quickly! William was very excited about the whole "truck and trailer" idea, so Jonathan took him to get the second load, then Amelia and I painted nails and got the dough started for pizza! In the evening we had pizza with my parents and they brought the kids a NEW CAR! The kids were absolutely in love, that's for sure. She did a FANTASTIC job with the actual driving, my expectations were pretty low, and they had a fantastic time. There were tears when we had to go in for baths, but we kept it so that has really improved the scenario there! Jonathan had a load of dirt delivered as well, which will be very helpful in filling the trench in our yard!

On Saturday we had quite the day. We went to the farmer's market and then got some strawberries, so it took a lot of my afternoon! Amelia and I went to Laini's shower in the afternoon, it was so beautiful! We can't wait to meet all the babies coming here shortly! In the evening the Landis women came for an enjoyable evening together and got to see the kids' love for the car. It was a great time.

Sunday was our last day of staycation (always sad) so we went to church and everyone else took naps. I finished strawberries and relaxed a little bit in the evening. For supper - we went for Applebee's or, as Amelia calls it, "the apple restaurant" or "Appeseed's". It happens to be her favorite restaurant, so it was a treat to get to take her there. We had such a great evening together.

Week 47: June 3rd - 9th

Monday was my last day, so I made nachos and then the kids helped me with cookies so we would be totally prepared for the Henman kids in the evening! We had a good time with the kids, Amelia always loves it, such a treat for her.

On Tuesday JL went to Ravenna while I worked and the kids stayed home with the girls! It was the time for them to stay with the girls and they clearly had a blast! In the afternoon they came to visit me, which was such a blessing. I always love a visit from my favorite people.

Wednesday did not go the way we expected it to, but we had a good time anyway! We had beef enchiladas for supper with Mom and Dad so we could get some swimming in! PLUS, there was a new baby cow to meet! Amelia loved it but was very terrified at the same time...for no reason whatsoever. Thursday I went to the eye doctor since my eyes were being crazy. Jonathan worked in the evening and we went for a library visit. It was such a relaxing time! I loved how slow it was. 

On Friday, I worked and the girls were here with the kids again, so they were VERY excited for me to leave! Jonathan went to get our door on Saturday and he mowed while I worked, then on Sunday they went to church and he worked on the trench. Overall, it was a great weekend of work and productivity both at home and at Drug Mart!

I hope everyone has been enjoying the weather - looks like summer is officially upon us - bring on the swimming! William already has a little farmer's tan, so he is in full swing, the rest of us will be trying to catch up soon. 

We love you! Love,

Jonathan, Allison, Amelia and William

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Year 5, Weeks 42-44: First Sign of Summer!

 Here we are! Back at it. I'm a little late this time, but trying to get caught up. Summer can be a little bit of a challenge and we are running head-long into it! Lots going on right now but we are here for it! Lots of outside time.

Week 42: April 29th - May 5th

I was off on Monday, so we had Dickerhoof specials, mac and cheese and green beans and Jonathan went to the eye doctor to get his contacts checked out. Poor guy has been having issues with them for a few months and is doing a lot better now! 

Tuesday was a bit unconventional. The kids went to stay with Nana and Papa for the morning, then came home with Daddy for the rest of the afternoon. They came to visit me at work real quick, then finished the evening at home. It was a great day for the little fam, always good when a day comes together! It was William's first day not being sick in, like twelve days, poor guy. It has been great to see him healthy again!

On Wednesday we had an extra small group, only two people, but we had a great time! Evie was a little late, so Amelia was a little alarmed, but we made it through, that is what really mattered! Thursday was NAET in the morning, then we went on with the rest of the day at home. Jonathan had band, so it was a slow evening. I worked a short day on Friday, then we had leftovers for supper. 

It was a bit of a wild weekend. The kids and I went shopping with Mom at Motts' and Greenfarms while Jonathan worked on the mower and the guys came to get the boats out of the barn. On Sunday we had church, I made Fiesta Chicken for supper and then we had pizza for supper. It was wonderful. Millie went to hang out with Nana and Papa in the afternoon because we had a bit of an adventure with William, but it all ended up just fine!

Week 43: May 6th - 12th

I had my double thirteens Monday and Tuesday. Jonathan had the kids during the day and brought them to see me in the evening. It was a great day for me, kind of slow, but we got a lot done. On Tuesday I had another slow day and the kids were with Faith. I got a lot done at work over the two days, which was very helpful. The kids had fantastic days and I got a lot done when I got home from work too. Prepped food for the next day and got laundry sorted and started. Jonathan has been helping me a lot on Tuesdays to get things ready for me to have a head start on Wednesdays. With small group I was struggling to get everything caught back up after my long Tuesdays so he has been super helpful getting everything where it needs to be so I can hit the ground running Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.

Wednesday is cleaning, laundry, library, supper and dessert making. I did skip library this week, but we had friends over to play instead! Cinnamon rolls for small group dessert and I made a CBR tater tot casserole - which was delicious, by the way. New recipe. Total win. It was a great day and a great small group.

Thursday we had NAET and a meeting with our financial advisors, it was a lot to take care of but we got it done. I had a lot of corresponding to do, so there was a ton to take care of. I made a grocery list so we could get shopping done. We ended up getting our shopping done on Thursday, which was wonderful and we also got BDubs for dinner. The kids had a great time. I was very impressed by how well behaved they were and how much fun we had. We love doing things with the babies. There are plenty of people who seem to think when you have babies your life is over, just babies and boring...we tend to disagree!

Friday we had Swedish Meatballs for supper and I did some planning for June while we were there. Saturday was family breakfast since Shem and Karah were in town. It was a great time, we got to celebrate Mother's Day, Father's Day and our parents' birthdays! In the evening we met everyone at Virgil's and got some delicious ice cream! Everyone in our house took a nap in the afternoon. We all needed it and felt so much better once we woke up!

Sunday was the baby shower for our sweet little niece who is coming in July! We had so much fun. Amelia and I spent the afternoon at Mom and Dad's after church and the boys spent time at home then came over after the party was done so we could all hang out for a little bit longer. It was great to spend time as a family, just sad it was such a short visit!

Week 44: May 13th - 19th

Monday was my last day off of my long stretch. We spent some time in the garden, then had leftovers and went to the KDB for the first time of the season! We were so excited to go, so delicious. I worked on Tuesday, got a lot of stuff done and actually was not too terribly overwhelmed. JL's parents came over to see the kids in the evening, so that was good for them! He had a lot of time with the kids for a few weeks, so it was really good for them to have the evening broken up a little bit.

We had our last small group on Wednesday, which was super easy. I used some leftover cookies, we ordered pizza and had a fantastic time with our group. It was a great evening and a fantastic session. William had an 18 month appointment, he was determined a keeper and did really super well. He is growing really quickly and is loving learning new words, he runs more than he walks and is an absolute joy as well as a challenge. He loves his sister so much and is currently in a massive "Daddy's boy" phase, though, if Daddy isn't around, I can still get him to pick me. 

On Thursday we had lasagna rollups, which were delicious and made more than I remembered, but still, a win. JL had band, so we went and hung out with Mom a little while. He was in Columbus for the day, so we had a lot of time together and needed some visiting. We had an absolutely fantastic day though!

My weekend to work...it was so slow! Normal day for the fam, then they had to go get a few things done in the evening, but it was a good evening for them otherwise! JL took them to the Jazz fest in town on Saturday and they enjoyed it so much. We now have a new snake and chicken for them to play with and they have so enjoyed them. Also got some popcorn, which they all inhaled so quickly. I dropped them off at church on Sunday and then we had our usual Sunday evening when I came home - chicken, TBell and shows! It was everything our little family needed! 

We have been spending a lot of time outside as a family and we are excited to see what is coming. The kids love it out there, William asks to go every time he catches a glimpse! We are so thankful for the sunshine and hope you are enjoying it too!

Love

Jonathan, Allison, Amelia and William

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