Children’s Ministry | Amy Scott's Thoughts

Summer Camp 2025 August 13, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Tasty Treats,Travels — Amy Scott @ 1:54 pm

A week ago, the boys loaded up for summer camp! I was so excited to send them off on a great adventure, but I also knew I would miss them deeply! All the feels! Jeremy directs two weeks of summer camp for our network. Week one runs from Sunday to Wednesday and week two from Wednesday to Saturday. The boys are such good pals while Jeremy is a way for the first half of the week. The second half of the week is such a novelty because I am home alone. This is my second year of having “Mom Camp” and I enjoyed it immensely. But, I’m always very ready to have all my boys (hubby included) home and under the same roof again. Life is truly better together!

The kiddos were super jazzed to head off to camp this year. There was a bit on rain on Wednesday that threatened to “dampen” their spirits, but once they connected with their cousins and friends, they were ready for a good time. I enjoyed hearing about their summer camp escapades from Jeremy. The lake at camp is a huge draw for both swimming and boating. The kids had a blast with field games and free time activities. Jeremy shared about chapel moments and praying with the boys. They came home with all the camp songs stuck in their heads. It’s been so sweet to hear them singing the worship songs to themselves throughout the day. Being a year older, Graham had a better year at camp. He was homesick less and he engaged more fully than the year before. He is definitely maturing and it shows! Owen is glad he gets one more year as a camper and hopes to come back as an intern when he ages out.

I filled my days at home with good things. I took long walks everyday, often chatting with my mom in the fresh air and sunshine. I did a lot of baking and reading. I worked on house projects. I get a thrill out of productivity without interruption. Such a treat! I also watched the old Anne of Green Gables movies. My family doesn’t appreciate them so no one complained when I took over the TV with seven hours of Anne. I had some social plans as well. I wasn’t a complete hermit. I went out to dinner with a friend on Wednesday. I had another friend over on Friday for a movie night. I’ve been dying to see what is so terrible about the new Snow White and my friend indulged me. Overall, it was the perfect balance of social and solitude. I was able to be productive and restful. Such a good time. I look forward to Mom Camp 2026!

Being reunited with my family meant a fair amount of laundry. I think my washer and dryer sighed on Saturday night after 8 loads of laundry. I get some serious satisfaction from cleaning up all the luggage and getting everything back into its rightful place. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday involved a lot of rest and recovery. We made it to church for VBA on Sunday. I made cinnamon rolls on Monday for our cozy home day. Tuesday, we adventured to Mt. Rainier for a family outing. It’s been a few years since we visited the mountain in wildflower season. They were so pretty! We saw marmots, ptarmigans, squirrels, and chipmunks. Owen is all about the mountain birds while Graham is all about the mountain rodents.

Now I’m strategizing on how to fit the rest of summer plans into the next two and a half weeks. I’m praying the weather will cooperate! This weekend has an atmosphere river moving in that definitely has me rearranging premade plans. The summer is winding down and yet I feel like there is so much left to do! We’ll see how it all pans out. I’ll just keep doing my best to savor the summer.

Ran to Staples for the last of the school supplies and stopped by McDonald’s for lunch. We treat ourselves a lot when Jeremy is away. It’s how we cope!

We also play lots of games while Jeremy is gone. Keeps us busy and distracted from how much we miss him!

Dinner out with my forever friend, Christa!

So much baking! From scratch raspberry crisp with raspberries from our garden, gluten-free coffee cake for movie night, vanilla “welcome home” cake, and cozy cinnamon rolls for our rest day.

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The Summer Rundown August 4, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats — Amy Scott @ 1:27 pm

July tends to be a super social month of us. Somehow most of our social engagements landed in a two week span of July. It was a bit of a whirlwind, but also incredibly fun! Jeremy had jury duty in July which added a unique vibe to the month. He never had to report, but he did have to check often. We didn’t make any out of town plans, due to jury duty, so our days were spent locally. We often hosted company at our house or met up with friends at parks. We also had some extra time with family this month while Jeremy’s aunt visited from out of state. Our big outing was a trip to the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. It was a cool and cloudy morning which made for great animal viewing. The red wolves are our favorites! Our library summer reading program provided tickets for both kids and adults this year. What a treat!

True to life, not all summer moments are fun and games. The boys had their first dental work this month (beside their biannual cleanings). Graham had a tiny cavity that needed a small filling. No numbing was necessary and the entire appointment took about 20 minutes. Easy peasy! Owen had two baby teeth that were getting in the way. Despite a month of wiggling, they didn’t come loose so the dentist had to assist. This was Owen’s first time getting numb at the dentist. He was nervous, but handled it like a champ. A few days after the dental work, Graham had his first consultation with the orthodontist. It looks like a palette expander and braces are in his future! Oh goody! I’m glad those appointments are behind us. We can give thoughts about teeth a short break.

August comes with it’s own set of adventures! On Sundays, our church runs our Vacation Bible Adventure program for the month. We kicked off True North VBA this Sunday. Week one was a hit! Our kids love VBA! Jeremy and his team do a great job of decorating and making the theme come to life each year. We can’t wait to for the next four Sundays!

An annual August tradition is summer camp. Jeremy co-directs two camps for our Assemblies of God network. The first camp started yesterday so the boys and I are on our own for a few days. We taught the kids Boggle on Saturday before Jeremy left for camp and they loved it! We played again yesterday and another game has been requested for today. I picked up a few Dominos pizzas yesterday as a treat and we’ll live off the leftovers for a few days. My meal planning skills are strong when I’m the only adult in the house. Haha! Graham baked himself cinnamon rolls for breakfast this morning. Our days are filled with games, books, baking, playing outside, and yes, some screen time, too. I try to keep the boys and myself busy while Jeremy is away. We sure do miss him!

I’ve been using the quieter days to work on some projects. My biggest project has been back-to-school planning. I have our first homeschool semester all planned and written down in my official planner. I even have first-day-of-school signs ready to go. It feels good to have the fall prepped. It will allow me to truly savor this final month of summer. We are starting a new state history curriculum this year and I need to pick up to two binders for it. Then I’ll be officially, officially ready for school to start! We usually start school the last week of August, but we’re waiting until after Labor Day this year. It feels nice to know we the full month of August to enjoy the last days of summer break. We making the most of our summer days before they disappear!

Red wolves at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

Lunch out with family! The boys love cousin time.

So grateful for lots of time with Aunt Sandy!

Living off of pizza while Jeremy is away

My cinnamon kid! Have to pass along the skills to pop a Pillsbury can on to the next generation!

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The June Jumble June 18, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time — Amy Scott @ 2:00 pm

June has held a variety of activities for our family. We certainly haven’t had a quiet start to our summer vacation, but it’s been good, fun, and productive. We’ve been busy, which isn’t my favorite speed, but I’m hopeful that some slower summer days might be around the corner for us… I need to go back to putting a non-negotiable “X” on at least one of the week. Turns out God had the right idea when he created the Sabbath. My body, mind, and soul crave a day off after a period of “go, go, go!” I could wax poetic about the intentionally slow life, but let’s move on to the assortment of experiences we’ve had recently.

The backyard pool is up and running! Or swimming… Anyway, the warm weather last week super heated the pool and made for some delightful June swims. It’s been a bit of a project to re-inflate all the pool toys and to sort out which ones had leaks. We replaced a couple floaties and got the kiddos new googles. We are ready for the summer swim season! We’ve already had one pool playdate with friends. We also had our first park play date with friends and we have another on the books for next week. Pools, parks, and pals are a great way to spend our summer days!

Our family project has been moving Jeremy into a new office at work. We have new staff members joining our church team at the end of June/beginning of July. In order to make space for their arrival, a new office hub was built and Jeremy relocated to this space. We’ve been working in phases to make this transition happen. It’s been quite the project!

First, we spent an afternoon sorting his old office. We decided what would move to his new office, what needed to find a new home in the church, and what needed to be donated. Let’s just say a children’s pastor can collect some wacky stuff over 20 years of ministry! The second phase was moving the remaining items from Jeremy’s old office into his new office. After that, we did a shopping day to gather new organization and décor items for his new space.

Just yesterday, we put the organizational items into place and started arranging all his things. Today, he got a loveseat for additional seating. The final phase will be getting wall art up. It hasn’t been a speedy process, but it’s nice to see it all slowly coming together. Interior design isn’t my strongest skill, but I love organization and making things tidy. It’s been fun to work together on this project as a family. The boys have even lent a hand. It’s been a team effort!

Father’s Day was in the June mix. We celebrated a different dad each day. Friday was Jeremy’s day. He opted to head to Portland for an office shopping day. We treated Jeremy’s to Chick-Fil-A and Salt & Straw while we were in the big city. Saturday, we had pizza and cake with my parents and sister. We celebrated both my mom’s birthday and Father’s Day. Sunday, we had bomb pops after church as a way to honor all the “pops” in our congregation. We did a fun bomb pop themed craft with the kids and had a bomb pop photo op in our lobby. It was a super “sweet” way to celebrate! We had dinner at Nana and Papa’s house with family to celebrate another birthday and Father’s Day. So many festivities!

Add in an orthodontist check-in for Owen, dental cleanings for both boys, sorting/pricing items for an upcoming family garage sale… June has felt a bit like a jumble! Friends, family, celebrations, changes, projects, appointments on top of the everyday stuff like chores and summer school. It’s been a lot! We are tackling our to-do list while making time for family and friends. Now to just balance a little more rest into the mix. We’ll get there!

My ideal way to spend a summer afternoon!

It’s been a few years since I updated my profile picture. Plus, I needed a new photo for an event this fall, so this is what I came up with. Natural Amy – curly hair, sweatshirt, books. That’s as authentic as it gets!

Jeremy’s old office in the sorting process

True love is resurrecting all the floaties and finding the sinkies before a pool playdate.

Officially moved in to his new space! Jeremy still has more to do, but it’s a workable office.

Officially moved out! Kind of sad, but we are excited for a new team member to settle in here. It’s a good space!

P.S. Stephanie from Stephanie’s Ninth Suitcase tagged me in a fun summer blog tag. I had hoped to participate this week, but I’m running low on time. In case I don’t get to it, I wanted to highlight her post here. It’s such a fun idea and I’m honored that she thought of me. Thanks, Stephanie!

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Spring Breaks: Part 2 May 12, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 3:17 pm

The last two weeks have been a break from the our usual routine. We’re coming off of back-to-back travels which led to an extra long “spring break” in our school calendar. I love that homeschooling gives us the flexibility to travel during the school year (yay for avoiding crowds). Our first adventure was a work trip for Jeremy and I while the boys stayed with Nana and Papa. The second trip was a family vacation which was packed with educational experiences. I can list it a field trip in our school records. I love experiential, hands-on learning. The great outdoors and the real world make a wonderful classroom! It’s also a nice break from learning at the dining room table.

The work trip was a conference in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Every spring we attend Network Conference with the Northwest Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God. Our church pastoral team and spouses come together to enjoy this conference together. It’s full of good conversations, many laughs, and lots of food. I love the time away with Jeremy. We talk a lot about ministry due to the nature of the conference, but we also talk a lot of life, parenting, goals, and dreams. It’s a great getaway for us. The boys always have a blast with Nana and Papa. It’s so nice to know they are good hands and having a great time.

Our family vacation was a trip to Redwoods National and State Parks surrounding Crescent City, California. We used Crescent City as our jumping off point to explore both Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. We also spent a decent amount of time at the California coast exploring tide pools and bird watching. We took a tour of Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City. We did Tour Thru Tree and Trees of Mystery in Klamath. Tour Thru Tree is a big tree you can drive through. It’s a quick stop, but a big hit for the kids. Trees of Mystery was a first time experience for us. The Canopy Trail, which was a series of high ropes suspension bridges, and the Sky Trail, a gondola ride, were the highlights of our visit and worth the admission cost. We definitely tested our comfort zones when it came to heights. Overall, our boys loved the majesty of the redwoods. They felt so much wonder as we wandered the forest. The redwoods are a beautiful example of creation declaring the glory of God. Jeremy did a wonderful job researching which trees to see. He made it feel like a scavenger hunt adventure!

The second half of our vacation was driving up Highway 101 along the Oregon Coast. We stopped at West Coast Game Park Safari for a truly unique experience. The park itself is small, but has a large selection of exotic animals. The big cats were a family favorite, but it was also neat to feed the free roaming goats, sheep, deer, donkey, and peacocks. The highlight of the trip was getting to pet Lyla the lynx. It’s not everyday you get to pet a lynx! We also stopped at the Sea Lion Caves before making it to our destination of Newport, Oregon for the night. On our final travel day, we visited the Yaquina Head Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area. We saw so many seals and even some pups with mamas. There was more birding and tide pool exploration. We’ve investigated this spot numerous times and it has yet to disappoint. We also made a stop at the Tillamook Creamery. Yes, we were there a month ago, but we couldn’t pass up cheese and ice cream for brunch! Our final adventure was a walk in Cannon Beach to look for puffins nesting on Haystack Rock. The puffins were sighted and we ended our vacation happily exhausted!

Now we’re home and back to the real world. We enjoyed celebrating Mother’s Day with family yesterday and we got back to school (around the dining room) today. We are in the final weeks of our school year. The end is in sight! Hooray! We also have a couple more homeschool co-op commitments this month and we are starting a month of homeschool soccer tomorrow. Lots of a good stuff going on. We are happy to be home!

We enjoy watching travel videos before we visit a new place. Jeremy and the boys thought it would be fun to make one of our adventure to Redwood National and State Parks. Hike along with us and explore some big trees with our family!

Enjoying time away with Jeremy in CDA. Love visiting this area each spring!

We spent so much time at the beach while visiting Crescent City.

Tree huggers! Howland Hill Road in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

Searching for all the big trees! Here is Screaming Titan in Grove of Titans.

The Wonder of Creation. Boy Scout Trail in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

Junior Rangers for yet another National Park!

Taking advantage of the city pool since our hotel pool was gross.

Sir Isaac Newton (the name of the tree) in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. It’s hard to tell with the lighting, but the base of this tree fills up the end picture.

The Tillamook Creamery is always worth a stop.

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Spring Breaks: Part 1 April 7, 2025

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 1:54 pm

The bonus of being a homeschool family is we have lots of flexibility with our calendar. We don’t take a traditional week long “spring break” like most schools. Before you feel too sorry for my kiddos, we do take breaks throughout the spring season. It’s fun to add some extra adventures in alongside our normal schooling schedule.

The first mini-break we took was for Jeremy’s birthday. He took the day off of work so we could celebrate the day with him as a family. Our adventure day found us down south in Oregon. Our morning was spent at the Woodburn Premium Outlets shopping for a few clothing items. Shopping can be an educational experience if you make it so. We talked with the kids about what makes factory outlets cheaper than other shopping options. We also talked about the math involved with sales and discounts. I love highlighting these economic elements while our kiddos tagalong on errands. After a tasty lunch at Red Robin (where Graham ate his weight in bottomless fries), we took off for Bullwinkle’s Family Fun Center for a round of mini-golf (which the birthday boy was the winner). We took a drive to admire Willamette Falls, Multnomah Falls, and Horsetail Falls. The weather was in the 80’s and beautifully sunny. It felt like a summer day, not spring! We couldn’t have asked for a better day to celebrate Jeremy!

Our second spring break was with the whole Scott family. All 16 of us Scotts met up at the beach for a vacation together. The house was the perfect size for our large family. The boys loved the game room and the media room. The house was also right on the beach! The view was stunning and you can’t beat a minute walk to the ocean! Family games, beach adventures, and chilling around the house were all highlights of our time together. Again, the weather was beautiful for this adventure – dry and sunny! You couldn’t have asked for better beach weather at the beginning April! Our family came down through Tillamook so we could stop at our favorite place – the Tillamook Creamery! It was a great way to kick-off our vacation time. We also stopped at another favorite, Pig’N Pancake, on the way home. The boys are definitely going through cousin withdrawals now that we’re home. We are so blessed for the genuine friendships with our family. We packed this beach vacation with family memories that our kiddos will take into adulthood. I can’t what to hear what they remember of these wacky and wonderful times we spent together!

We have more spring “breaks” planned in the coming month! Yay! I look forward to sharing these adventures with you soon.

What happens when the parents go out for dinner… Papa and Nana said they could handle all the kids… that seems debatable!

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Winter Chill February 10, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures — Amy Scott @ 1:57 pm

The title of this blog is two-fold. First, it’s been super chilly here in the PNW. Ice, snow, winter weather and what not. Second, we’ve been fairly low-key due to a flu/cold bug that kept the boys down for almost a week. Snow is fun, sickness is not. The highs and lows of life this winter. Here are a few highlights before sickness grounded us…

Our family took a walk around Carlisle Lake on a sunny Sunday afternoon after church. Jeremy had heard reports that part of the lake was frozen and that river otters had been spotted in the lake. The boys found the frozen lake a novelty. They tried to break the ice by throwing rocks. One very shaded part of the lake had thick enough ice that they would stand on the frozen lake. It was a very exciting experience for them. On the sunny, unfrozen side of the lake, we encountered four river otters. They were so neat! We had a blast watching them in their natural habitat and not a zoo enclosure. It was a chilly walk, but the sunny, fresh air and the exercise along with the ice and otters made for a fun adventure!

The kids enjoyed learning about natural disasters at co-op. They made houses out of dough and toothpicks to see how their structure held up to an earthquake. They loved this project! They also learned about wild fires and volcanoes. Owen loved sharing his volcano experiences with the teacher. We’ve enjoyed visiting Mt. St. Helen’s and the volcanic areas around Bend, OR. He had lots to contribute to the conversation. It’s been dry on co-op Tuesdays and as a result there has been plenty of time to play on the playground before and after class with friends.

We had a lot of time around the house while the boys were down with the flu/cold bug. The weather kept us entertained with lots of snow flurries each day. The ground was white occasionally, but it was never much snow. I have a thing about the grass being completely covered and we never reached my ideal mark. Oh well. I’m not sure the boys would have had the energy for an actual snow day, so the snow flurries were perfect to watch from couch without them feeling like they were missing out on fun.

We watched church online a week ago so the kiddos could see themselves in the Genesis recap video. They did so well! Thankfully, we made it to church yesterday so the boys could watch Jeremy (and I) be honored for 20 years as children’s pastor at Bethel Church! We are so proud of Jeremy and his faithfulness to the Lord and the families in our church. On our very first date, Jeremy shared with me how he had accepted the position of children’s pastor. While we haven’t been married those entire 20 years, I’ve definitely been along for the ride the entire time. There is no one else I would want to do life and ministry with! Jeremy is the best!!!

The boys are feeling better now and we are thankful to be back in the real world. We have a fun week ahead with a field trip, a holiday, and plans with friends and family. Back to the fun stuff! Yay! We are doing our best to stay warm during the continued chilly weather and praying that the only time we need to “chill” at home is to balance all the fun we’re having (not because of illness). We’ll see how the rest of February pans out!

Building a house to see how it holds up to an Earthquake

Their house made it to about 8 on the Richter scale

Watching the boys recap the seven days of creation for the adults at church. Such a fun opportunity!

Beautiful flowers as a thank you from our church! They sure brightened up all the extra time at home with their cheerfulness.

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January Adventures January 25, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 2:04 pm

January in the PNW tends to be wet and I often find myself indoors wondering when I’ll be inspired to go outside again. January 2025 has been surprisingly dry and as a result, our family has been a little more adventurous. Outings are much more enjoyable when it’s dry… However, the trade off for dry is the cold… I guess I’ll take freezing sunshine over rain. At least for now. You know I appreciate a good rainy day as well.

This last weekend was filled with activity. I met with my monthly book club on Friday night. Book time with mom friends is a winning combination. Even though book club keeps me out past my bedtime, I look forward to it every month. We had dinner/game night fun with friends and family. We’ve enjoyed teaching Organ Attack to anyone interested. We even had a blast from the past moment this weekend when we took the boys to The Great Train Show in Puyallup. Owen went when he was tiny and Graham was too young, so we decided to go again with our older kiddos. The LEGO train layout was the highlight, but all the model train layouts were appreciated. We haven’t dabbled in model trains for years now, but they still hold a soft spot in our hearts. We also did a little more window shopping for potential living room furniture at the Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse. It’s a quirky place and the boys were thrilled to have free popcorn while we looked around.

This week, our adventures included the start of chess club with our homeschool co-op. The boys learned chess at co-op a few years ago. It was fun to brush up on their chess skills and compete with friends again. After a couple rounds of chess, the boys and their friends switched to a game of Organ Attack (I’m sure you’re not surprised to hear that). It’s been sunny the last few Tuesdays which means playground time after co-op to run out extra energy. The boys also worked on a project for church this week. Our lead pastor requested that kids make a recap video for the book of Genesis. Our boys selected the creation story. They worked together to create a picture depicting the seven days of creation and they explained the picture on camera Wednesday night. I’m looking forward to seeing how the video turns out in a week!

The final adventure I have to share is our family trip to the beach yesterday. We had errands to run and the weather was so nice, we thought why not run our errands out at the ocean! It was a beautiful day for a drive out to the coast. We had breakfast our favorite spot, Pig ‘N Pancake. We took a chilly walk on the beach at Cannon Beach and then explored a few spots in town (the toy store, candy store, and bakery). We hit Costco and Walmart before having “linner” at Mo’s (Yay! Clam chowder in a bread bowl!). We were home in time for sunset which was very important to Owen. With all these clear nights, Owen’s hobby of stargazing has picked up again. He is quite passionate about searching the skies in the evenings.

We’ve had a bit more activity this January then previous years, but it’s been balanced with time at home. Today as been an around-the-house day and it’s been a good balance of productivity and downtime. The sunshine coming through the window certainly inspires me to be more active. My family jokes that I’m solar powered. When the sun goes down, I’m ready for bed! I have take advantage of all this sunshine-inspired energy while I have it. On that note, I’m off for a walk!

Furniture shopping is more fun with free popcorn!

The hardest part of visiting the coast in the winter is keeping the kids out of the water! So cold!!!

When walking back with the wind in your face… these kids are creative problem solvers! Ha!

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Christmas 2024: All The Festive Fun December 27, 2024

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Children's Ministry,Family Time,Tasty Treats,Travels — Amy Scott @ 2:19 pm

So much Christmas magic has happened since my last post! It’s almost too much to recap in words so you’ll notice a LOT of photo collages to share the last two weeks. We’ve had church Christmas gatherings, Christmas lights galore, Christmas baking, Christmas movie watching (we introduced the boys to Home Alone 1 & 2 and Journey to Bethlehem), Christmas family celebrations, Christmas shopping, and Christmas gift wrapping. So. Much. Christmas. This time of year is truly magical. The sights, the sounds, the flavors… They bring out child-like wonder in all of us. It’s a joy to celebrate together as a family. All the Christmas festivities are a chance to remember the true reason for Christmas – Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. Emmanuel, God with us! I hope and pray that your Christmas season was filled with light, joy, and peace. Merry Christmas from our family to ours!

Jeremy turned our family into cartoons! The kids had a blast helping Jeremy make our Scott extended family into cartoons for Christmas as well.

A weekend filled with Christmas shopping and wrapping, our church float in the Lighted Tractor Parade, and Advent after multiple church Christmas parties.

Christmas Baking: I made molasses softies and sugar cookies. I used Starbucks holiday cups as my color inspiration this year.

Enchant Christmas Light Maze in Seattle, WA

Christmas Day: Stockings and gifts at GG’s house

Day After Christmas: Woke up to no power due to a wind storm, so LEGO building happened by lantern light. We still did our Day After Christmas shopping – books and Pokémon card were a highlight.

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A Musical Christmas Weekend December 12, 2024

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time — Amy Scott @ 2:22 pm

This last week has a been very musical one for our family. Every year our children’s ministry takes over the main gatherings for a weekend and performs a Christmas musical. It’s a full theatrical performance with drama, songs with motions, props, sets, costume changes… the works! It’s a huge endeavor and one that takes many months of preparation. We’ve been working on this production since September! Last week, we had extra practices and rehearsals leading up to the Sundays big performance! I’m always super nervous about how it will all come together, but each year the kids pull it off! The kids showed up ready on Sunday and everything went great! Praise Jesus! It’s such a joy to watch the kids share the true meaning of Christmas with friends and family. Owen had a solo again this year and he did wonderful. Graham prefers to blend in with the choir. He performs with focus and determination. I’m proud of both them (as well as all the kids and the team who helped pulled this off)!

In keeping with the musical theme of the weekend, we went to see A Drummer Boy Christmas Live in the theaters on Friday as a part of our family day. Jeremy and I saw this Christmas concert by for KING + COUNTRY last December in Portland, OR and loved it! We were so excited to see that the band was offering a theatrical version this year. A Drummer Boy Christmas is our family’s favorite Christmas album and it’s one we listen to on repeat throughout the holiday season. It was neat to show the kids what the concert we went to last year looked it. Also, we had nose bleed seats last year, so seeing the concert in the local theater meant we got a closer view as well. My family went to lots of concerts while I was growing up and this felt like a fun introduction to the concert scene for the boys. I look forward to more concert experiences as they grow older.

This month, we’ve also enjoyed Advent moments together as a family. We are counting down to Christmas in many ways! We have an Advent wreath with candles, an Advent wreath with daily candies, and an Advent sticker activity. We are still watching the Holiday Baking Championship (even though – spoiler alert – our friend is no longer on the show). We find out who wins next week. Christmas vacation is right around the corner. I have a list of Christmas movies to watch and plenty of holiday baking to do. We have some Christmas light adventures awaiting us next week as well. I got a decent start on my Christmas wrapping last night. I’m just waiting for the last of the Amazon packages to trickle in… It’s a busy time of year, but it’s full of festive fun. I love all the traditions and it’s a sweet time to share these moments together as family. It’s hard to believe that Christmas in less than two weeks. The countdown is on! Merry Almost Christmas!

I look forward to our Advent devotional time each year! Love counting down to Christmas this way!

We got a new Casper mattress as an early Christmas present to ourselves. These bed bugs were testing it out as we waited for it fully rise.

*A Drummer Boy Christmas Live* in the theaters. Our kids jump at any chance for an ICEE.

*We Three Spies* was a big hit! These kids worked so hard and did so well. Very proud of them!

Another fantastic Christmas musical is in the books! It’s always a blast to see the kids take over the adult gathering. They did a great job sharing the true meaning of Christmas!

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Happy Holiday Season! December 1, 2024

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats — Amy Scott @ 12:56 pm

The holidays are officially here! Once the calendar reaches November, everything holiday related is fair game. Christmas music is a must. Christmas books fill my TBR list. Mid-November the fall décor gets swapped for Christmas. But don’t think that Thanksgiving gets forgotten! We’re coming off of three days of gatherings with family and friends. My fridge is full of leftovers and pie is on the menu morning, noon, and night. We are definitely grateful for the joy this season brings!

A highlight of November was the Operation Christmas Child shoebox assembly party we had with our homeschool co-op. Our group donned a mix of Christmas sweaters, Christmas pajamas, and comfy clothes and we blasted Christmas tunes. Instead of doing our own gift exchange, we opted to make filling shoeboxes the main focus of our Christmas party this year. We played a few Christmas games and nibbled on yummy treats. The boys love Operation Christmas Child. It’s always exciting to see where our box ends up each year. The kids prayed over their boxes as they selected what they hoped would be the perfect gift for a child across the world. It’s such a joy to share this experience with my kids and to do it as a part of our co-op.

We decorated for Christmas the weekend before Thanksgiving. Some people have strong feelings about when Christmas décor should come out… but I am not one of them… I love getting a full month of Christmas cheer out of our decorations. Every year the boys put up little trees in their bedrooms. These trees are filled with their annual ornaments. Opening each ornament box is like a walk down memory lane. It’s sweet to see the things they’ve loved over the years. Mickey Mouse, Daniel Tiger, Thomas the Tank Engine, Super Mario, Buzz and Woody, LEGO creations – they all have a space on the trees. This year the ornaments were Minecraft themed which fits with their birthday celebrations and Halloween costumes. I love the extra light the Christmas tree gives our living room during this dark time of year. The house always feels so cozy once Christmas is in place.

Our family has been watching our friend, Megan, compete on the Holiday Baking Championship on Food Network. Megan won week two with a peanut butter honey cinnamon pie and Jeremy declared this was the pie he was going to make for Thanksgiving this year. The boys were equally excited to create Megan’s winning pie so it became a team effort. I documented because there can only be so many bakers in the kitchen. Jeremy was committed to following the recipe precisely and the results were spectacular! It’s no wonder Megan won with this beauty. It was neat to connect with Megan and the show by recreating this recipe at home. It was also special to share the pie with family and friends who are also watching the show and cheering for Megan. This pie certainly evaluated our Thanksgiving dessert table this year!

It’s hard to believe that December is here! Thanksgiving is in the rearview mirror and Christmas is full steam ahead. We have a month full of Christmas commitments. For church, we have a Christmas musical weekend and a float in the local lighted tractor parade. We also have a couple of church Christmas parties in the mix. We only have a small amount of Christmas shopping done as we prepare for family celebrations at the end of the month. We have a few family adventures planned as well. We’re going to be hopping through all the holiday festivities! I’m looking forward to all the ways we get to celebrate this Christmas (especially if we can be healthy and have dry weather – fingers crossed and prayers appreciated)!