Every year I think about writing a Christmas letter to send with my cards. I love reading the newsy letters that I receive but when I think of all the extra printing, folding and stuffing that comes with a letter, I talk myself out of it. This week it dawned on me that I should write a Christmas letter here on the blog. So let’s dive in! I’m excited!!
Merry Christmas! 2019 has big year for the Scott household. Here are a few of the highlights from our past year.
Owen: He wrapped up preschool this spring at the Bethel Kids Learning Center. He loved his two years there as a student and was definitely kindergarten ready by the time he finished. Owen enjoyed taking swimming lessons over the summer and was happy to pass level one. This fall, he started kindergarten. He is now a Lintott Bobcat and making us proud. We are thrilled to see him working hard and learning so much. Owen continues to be our adventurous helper. He is always ready to be included in whatever project is going on around the house or the church. Owen’s favorite thing would be his chickens, especially Perch – his beloved chicken. Owen still loves trains and plans on being a train engineer when he grows up. He has recently discovered card games and enjoys playing War most of all.
Graham: He made the big transition this year to preschool at Bethel Kids Learning Center. He wasn’t too thrilled about that in September. At the beginning of October something changed and he has been a happy preschooler ever since. It’s been fun to watch him make friends and do things on his own. He deeply loves his brother. When he was asked what he was thankful for at Thanksgiving he said Owen. They are definitely buddies. Graham enjoys playing with trains and vehicles. He is a cautious kid, but he is also extremely fast. If he is comfortable in his environment then he will be off like a rocket. He will be our track star someday. He just had his 4 year old well check recently and he is still a bit of a munchkin. He is only 14% for height and 9% for weight. I keep dreaming of a day when he will be tall enough to take to Disneyland.
Travels: Speaking of Disneyland, we had some California adventures this last year. Jeremy and I got to attend a ministry trip in January where we visited a few churches in So Cal with other youth/children’s pastors. We stayed in the area a few days after the group finished and spent a day at Disneyland. This happen to be over my birthday, so it was quite a special trip for me. Surprisingly, our day at Disney was rainy and made for a unique experience and memory. This summer, we took our boys on a road trip to Northern California to visit the Redwoods. Then we traveled up the Oregon coast on our way home. This trip inspired a love of hiking in our boys and we put that skill to good use many more times over the summer when the boys visited Mt. Rainier and the Ape Caves at Mt. St. Helens.
Jeremy: He continues to be a jack of all trades with a million interests and hobbies. His big project for this year was getting the chickens on his birthday in March. He built the coop himself with leftover supplies from our house. He is the one that keeps the chickens alive and the boys love to help him. This summer, he planted his garden again (and he maintains a greenhouse year round). He spent time cutting more trails around our property. Jeremy enjoys flying his drone, fishing, archery, golfing and weather watching. He includes the boys in so much and makes everything an adventure or learning opportunity for them. As the children’s pastor at Bethel Church, he just wrapped a kids musical this last week and is looking forward to having a float in the lighted tractor parade this coming weekend. And of course, once we enter the new year, he will be diving into prep for our huge community Easter egg hunt. After that it’s Vacation Bible Adventure and kid’s camp season. Never a dull moment at Bethel Kids!
Amy: I’ve taken on many new roles this last year. One of them being classroom volunteer at Owen’s school. Once a week, I spend the morning reading with kindergarten students. I love it! I’m now an area connector for the Network of Women Minsters in the Northwest Ministry Network. I’m enjoying the connection with other women ministers and meeting new people. The last new title I took on was wedding coordinator for our church. I’ve met with three couples so far who will have 2020 weddings. I’m on my third year of coordinating MOPS & MOMSnext and my seventh year as member of this group. I’m also still teaching elementary students on Sundays and Wednesdays at church. Each week is full of valuable time with my community and investing in people I deeply care about. My favorite things still remain being a homebody (when I can), baking, blogging, reading and being with my family. Also, my big personal accomplishment this year was writing a book. I’m still not 100% sure what direction I am going to go with publishing, but I hope to have it available in some form this next year.
As we are about to celebrate our second Christmas season in our home, I can’t help but be grateful and thankful for where the Lord has placed us. We are so blessed to serve in a community we love – surrounded by family and friends. 2019 was filled with so many good things and new opportunities. We look forward to what God has in store for 2020.
Amy Scott's Thoughts 