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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