Family Time | Amy Scott's Thoughts

Taking A Break September 3, 2016

Filed under: Bible,Family Time,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 10:23 am

This last week has taken an unexpected turn for our family. On Monday, the buyer of our house wanted to see it again. Jeremy and I were driving the truck and the van down to the church. We were going to drop off the truck and go run some errands together in the van. When Jeremy arrived at the church a few minutes behind me, he was shaken up. He had gotten dizzy while driving and drove off the road. Thankfully, there was no damage to him, his truck or the yard he drove into. Over the last couple of years, Jeremy has seen a cardiologist. He has an irregular heartbeat and recently he has been struggling with his blood pressure and a racing pulse. He has pushed through so much. He kept on going and living life and doing it all and holding it together. Until Monday… We realize that things could have been a lot worse (I have to stop myself from thinking through all the things that could have happened. It’s too scary). His condition is serious and we need more answers than the ones we’ve been given. Jeremy went back on a beta-blocker that has regulated his heart well this week. Because it takes a week or so for the body to adjust to this medication, I have been driving Jeremy around just to be safe. Jeremy will also wear an event monitor for a month so the doctor can more closely record what is going with his heart and how often it happens. Getting this event monitor has been a challenge. We thought we would get one yesterday, but now it looks like it will be next Thursday. I am disappointed. Waiting has been hard for me. I feel sorry for my hubby, that he will have to be wired up for a month, but at the same time, I hope it brings more clarity and a plan for moving forward.

The other big piece of this medical puzzle is that Jeremy will be taking at least 30 days off from work to get his health back in order. Our lead pastor graciously offered this time to Jeremy. It was strange to accept such an offer, but at the same time, we have high hopes that taking a layer of stress off of Jeremy’s life will help. Our lives revolve around our family and Bethel Church. It will be very odd to have a month away from ministry. I am thankful for this opportunity and the chance to make Jeremy’s health our top priority. I also know that we have a great team at Bethel Church. We have fantastic leaders and teachers who will make this period of time a success. I am thankful and grateful to those who are covering for us. We are truly blessed.

We’ve spent a bit of time getting things in a good place for our absence. This week, I went into the church and put up my class bulletin board. This Wednesday will be the first week with my new class. My mom plans on covering the class while our family is away, but I plan on going down for the first class so I can introduce myself and get the year started off. September is full of so many traditions, things I always do to get the ball rolling. I love this time and it means a lot to me. I am grateful for a chance to start things off.

We’ve had a very quiet week. There has been lots of resting. Jeremy is doing a great job of laying low. The boys are also getting over colds. We’ve made the most of nap time and early bedtimes. I’m not sure what the next month looks like. Our life is very day to day right now. This afternoon we will go to my in-laws for dinner. I’m sure the boys will enjoy getting out and seeing Nana & Papa. They have been out of town taking care of our family over the mountains while the newest little Scott arrived! This week I became an auntie again to my new nephew, Colton. I am bummed that I haven’t gotten to snuggle him yet, but I have gone shopping for him so that helped my feelings. Anyway, back to small plans, our apple trees are full of apples that ready to be picked. I think we will pick a few apples and maybe make an apple pie. Jeremy went from going full throttle to snail speed. It’s been a weird switch, but we are believing this will make a difference for the future.

Oh, random Graham update, he taking steps daily and often. He isn’t “walking” per say but he can take about 3-4 steps before grabbing onto something. His preferred method of travel is walking while holding furniture. He only crawls as a last resort. He is up and moving. It’s not long with practice like this that he will be officially walking. Crazy kid. He is only 10 months old!!!!

Please be praying for our family. We have high hopes. We are believing that none of this caught God by surprise. He is in all of it. I keep thinking of Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” The hardest part for me is to not lean on my own understanding. In a season where I would like more answers, it’s hard to not try to fill in the blanks myself. I’m obviously not a doctor, so my mind goes down many paths wondering what is happening, what will happen, what could happen… But my understand of this situation is limited and it won’t get me anywhere productive. I am trusting that God is leading our family. He will make our path straight. I don’t have to figure this out. God’s got it handled. I just need to trust. And right now, that means taking things one day at a time and living intentionally slow and restful. It’s counter-intuitive, but I’m praying that it will bring life and health to Jeremy (and our family).

Trying to keep Graham from destroying the train tracks

Thankful for dark mornings, clouds and rain. I love this time of year!

Little models!

The bulletin board is ready for another fun year full of memories!

Quiet nights at home = Family Feud on the big screen.

This was my candy corn bowl. Graham is enjoying the leftover essence.

When you want to go outside but don’t want to change out of your pajamas…

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What Day Is It? August 27, 2016

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 11:53 am

It’s been a strange week. All three of my boys have been under the weather at various times. Jeremy has been working in the evenings and I had to miss church on Wednesday night, plus Jeremy is working all weekend as well. My normal markers for where we are in the week are all gone. We’ve managed to stay occupied, but we’ve also had a far amount of resting and laying low. Jeremy’s been trying to be good about resting when he is home. Graham had a cold that he has now passed on to Owen. I have a bug bite on my leg that makes my whole leg ache. We seem to have our fair share of ailments these days. Tuesday, I got to have a phone date with my lovely friend, Maggie. An hour on the phone with a good friend is a breath of fresh air and we really need for my sanity! Wednesday, we got to run errands with Jeremy. Thursday, we went down to visit my sister. We played in the park, got lunch and spent some time at her house in the AC. Thursday night, Jeremy took Owen to work with him for some Daddy time. Owen really appreciated it! He keeps telling me that he got to go to summer camp.Yesterday, Jeremy switched from summer camp mode into kid zone mode. He is it Chehalis Garlic Fest this weekend running inflatables for the kids. I could go into detail about all the drama we’ve had a night and the lack of sleep I am getting, but I figure that is sad story that I’ve told one too many times on this blog. Just a say little prayer for Owen. The last two nights he has woken up in the middle of the night very unhappy. The first night after two hours of trying to get him back to sleep, we finally let him sleep in our bed. Last night we brought a nightlight in and that seemed to help. Not quite sure what’s up, but I don’t like the idea of being up with both Owen and Graham in the middle of the night. One sleepless kiddo is enough… So that is the update. Here are some pictures from our adventures this week.

Owen requested to wear matching jammies with Graham. I’m a big fan of matching!

Graham did not approve of Jeremy’s decision to leave him to go shower.

Exploring the Rainer City Park with Auntie! We will be visiting here again!

Auntie is passing on her love of video games to the next generation.

Having a little fun at Graham’s expense

Up with Graham while Jeremy and Owen sleep in after a rough night. Because I was tired, I let Graham watch TV in my lap so I could sit like a blob. Parenting at it’s finest!

Since I’ve been dreaming of fall and I had a can of pumpkin I needed to use, I decided to make pumpkin pancakes yesterday! Yum!

Chowing down on rice at Grandpa & Grandma’s last night!

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Not So Healthy August 22, 2016

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Parenthood,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 9:01 pm

My post from yesterday was actually written on Saturday and scheduled to post on Sunday. I had ended my last entry by saying that I was thankful for healthy and happy boys. As it turns out, they aren’t quite as healthy as I thought. Sunday turned into a sick day at our house. Jeremy called me saying that the new meds he had started taking for his heart were making him dizzy and he needed to come home. It was great to get a call saying that he was dizzy and driving. Awesome. I spent the next 15 minutes wondering if he was going to end up in a ditch on the side of the road… Owen woke up sounding hoarse. Graham woke up with snot and developed a random rash that came and went quickly (thankfully). Jeremy spent the whole day laying down and the boys just kind of play around him and enjoyed his presence. Not the Sunday I had planned.

The last week has been full of lots of things that wouldn’t headline their own blog post, but have definitely kept me busy. We’ve had a couple of cooler days. I have been able to bake (which is just as good as therapy). I’ve been loving doing laundry during the day and not worrying about how hot it is to run the dishwasher. I’ve been in party planning mode of the boys birthday parties. I ordered their supplies online yesterday and I have their birthday invites ready to throw in the mail next week.

I’ve also been planning for the fall with my Wednesday night class at church. Today I purchased the supplies for my bulletin board. I also ordered new curriculum and crafts. I am now set for the new school year. I have two weeks left with my current class, but those two weeks will be spent visiting our youth ministry and preparing for them the transition. Last Wednesday, we did ice cream sundaes and took down all the artwork that decorated our room throughout the year. We passed around pieces of paper and signed them like yearbooks. I love getting one last chance to tell them how much they matter to me and Jesus. I almost cry every year as I tell them how I loved teaching them and that our friendship doesn’t end when they leave the classroom. These girls mean so much me. Most of them have been regulars for the last two years. We’ve gotten close. Every year it’s hard to see another class move up. But the size of the classroom I teach in won’t let me keep all of my students forever (I’d be tempted to if I could).

In the midst of home showings, getting an offer on the house and major illnesses, I threw an Usborne book party last week. It was a major success! I got WAY more hostess rewards than I had expected. I got the boys books for their birthdays, books for Christmas, book just for fun. The topics range from dinosaurs to bugs to space to trains to machines. I got Christmas stories, a phonics reader set and wipe clean learning books for preschool. I am so excited to add these books to our home library. They are a great quality and educational. Such a blessing. Since Usborne has had a boom in popularity recently, it takes a while for their books to ship. Being patient is hard!!! I can’t wait for the amazing box to arrive!

A lot of my life is out of my control (okay, almost all of it). There are a lot of things that weigh on me and worry me. I have to keep reminding myself that worry doesn’t change anything. I find myself clinging to the goodness in ordinary moments. Folding laundry, using the oven, baking, watching my kiddos play, making snacks, making meals. These things keep me grounded. They keep me centered on reality. I often feel like my life should be a fairy tale. When I tell my story, it should be nothing short of perfection, as if angels sing in hallowed voices in the background. But life is not a fairy tale. We’ve certainly had our share of concerns and discouragements and uncertainties. I like security and in a lot of ways, my security has been shaken over the last year. While I might not be sure of a lot of things, I am sure of Jesus and I am sure of the blessings in this moment. My current blessing is that Owen has stopped screaming. He gets real dramatic at bedtime. The toddler phase of one more drink, one more hug, where is my toy, turn my heater on, I have to go pee… It’s real folks. And Owen screams about it every night for about 20-30 minutes. Jeremy has evening commitments all this week which means I have a week of bedtimes all by myself. It’s hard. But now both my boys are sleeping and since my hubby is away, I am having some personal time to blog. When I’m done here, I will hop on to Shutterfly.com and put on my family historian hat. I’ve been working on the boys’ photo books for this last year. I find that if I work on them slowly a month or two at a time, the project isn’t a big deal. These are good moments. Looking through happy pictures of my kids is a wonderful thing when I am feeling tired and worn out and cranky (because I was up three times with Graham and once with Owen last night). Oh sleep… I miss you!

The end of the summer is a hard time to catch everyone. Missing a few of our regulars (and April). Wrapping up another awesome year with the 5th/6th grade girls at church.

What a joy it was to use the oven to make frozen pizza! Family dinner time is a blessing especially with piles of trains on the table and trucks on the floor!

Homemade banana bread! Yum!

Graham really liked my banana bread

Owen was not so into it…

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Owen’s Mystery Illness August 21, 2016

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 8:00 am

Thursday started off like any other day. I was tired. Owen was whiny. Graham was Graham… Around nap time, Owen started acting funny. He was just laying around. At one point he was just starting at the TV with the “Are you still watching?” screen on. No show, just a blank screen and a blank stare from Owen. I took his temperature and he had a low grade fever. He was starting to breathe a bit weird (he had made the same sounds the night before and I thought sleep would help). His nap didn’t last long and he ended up in bed with me. His fever had gotten to 102 and he was consistently breathing strange – short breaths that seemed uncomfortable. Since he didn’t have any cold/flu symptoms, I started thinking of things like appendicitis or meningitis… He told me his tummy and back hurt, but that he didn’t feel like throwing up. I gave him some Tylenol and moved him to the couch where he laid like a blob for the rest of the afternoon.

I had talked with a Jeremy a few times throughout the afternoon and expressed my concern that was acting strange. When Jeremy got home, he thought Owen’s breathing was weird enough that we needed to go to the doctor. Our doctor’s office has an after hours walk-in clinic. We were quickly taken back to a room. The doctor had him take a breathing treatment which Owen hated. He screamed and cried through most of it. The breathing treatment didn’t change anything so the doctor sent us over to the hospital for a chest x-ray. She wanted to make sure that Owen didn’t have pneumonia.

When we had originally taken off for the doctor’s, we had no clue that our night would land us in the hospital. The whole ordeal took a lot longer than we had expected. I had left Graham with my parents thinking that we would be back soon. The poor kid (and my poor parents) had more time together than we had planned. Nothing like having a tired baby at bedtime without his mom for a good time.

We got back to the doctor’s office right before the clinic closed with the results of the chest x-ray for the doctor to look at. Owen was still breathing weird at this point, but the x-ray showed that his chest was clear. It was a total mystery. The doctor told us to keep an eye on Owen and be back for a follow-up the next morning. We went to get Graham and took home two tired boys. Jeremy got up and checked on Owen a couple times in the night to make sure he was breathing okay. By the time Owen got up on Friday, he was occasionally breathing weird, but for the most part he was breathing normally and he had no fever. By the time we got the doctor’s office, he was a totally different kid than the 12 hours before.

The doctor gave us the all clear. Owen was fine. Random and unexplainable. Our Thursday night plans had been to go to the fair before the mystery illness hit. We decided to go to the fair after our doctor’s appointment since the doctor had given us the green light. It was a hot day so our time at the fair was brief. We also didn’t want to push Owen too much. Owen found every train at the fair. We even stopped to look at the model trains twice. Kids got a free ride ticket with their entrance so Jeremy used Graham’s ticket to go on a train ride with Owen. It was Graham’s nap time so he slept through most of his first fair experience. I was a bit disappointed that Owen wasn’t more interested in the animals. The heat was really slowing him down…(and all he wanted to do was look for trains). We got Owen a hand squeezed lemonade (he is really into lemonade right now). Jeremy and I got hand dipped corn dogs and split an elephant ear. For me, the fair is all about the food. I had been excited about going to the fair this year, but with the heat and the mystery illness, it turned into a quick and hot experience. I’m still glad we did it. Owen loved the trains, I loved the food, Graham got a nap… Not too bad over all.

I know that life is never dull, but wow. Thursday turned out way more dramatic than I could have ever imagined. I’m glad my big boy is doing good now and back to his normal self. Sick kids are heartbreaking. I’m grateful today for my healthy, happy boys!

Waiting for a train to come by at the local spray park on Tuesday

Spray park fun

Poor boy

Being silly at the doctor’s office

Walking into the hospital

Checked into the ER

Waiting for the x-ray results with his cool stickers!

Owen and his love of trains at the SWW Fair

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These Days August 15, 2016

Filed under: Family Time,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 6:54 pm

These days are a mix. Busy and slow moments. Right now I have a few quiet moments. I am pondering things and my mind rambles on. I’ve been reading. It feels good. But at the same time, the two books I purchased are intense. They are the kind of books that make you think, make you evaluate life. I was reading Sarah Bessey’s latest blog post about how her “tinies” are no longer tiny. She has big kids now. It made me think of my “littles” and I spent a majority of the post misty eyed over growing babies. My emotions are on the surface right now. They come up quickly and easily.

I’m doing a lot of things for comfort right now. I’ve eaten a lot pasta (mostly in the form of mac and cheese), I’ve inhaled chocolate whenever I have a chance, I am reading in quiet moments, I’m planning baking projects for when the heat dies down (which at this moment it seems like it never will) and Jeremy & I have started watching Parks and Recreation on Netflix. Books, TV, food… All good things.

To keep busy, we’ve worked on the house. We had a showing on Saturday and a showing today. We’ve taken the boys to the park numerous times. Owen loves parks. This is what childhood summers are all about. I love watching my big boy explore and amaze me. He is such a great climber. It blows my mind what he is capable of now. In less than 2 months, he’ll be 3. I realized that I’m going to have to plan one last zoo trip while is he still gets free admission! Graham, of course, is trying to keep up with Owen and is such a busy baby. He just doesn’t get that he is little. I could share more about Graham but I’ll save it for his 10 month update at the end of this week.

Today I went up to visit my friend, Kaly, and got to hold her newborn little girl, Citlaly. She’s only 8lbs. So tiny! It seems like forever since Graham was that small. It was great to get newborn snuggles in while Owen ran wild with Citlaly’s older brothers.

These are the things that make up life – good books, good food, funny television, multiple trips to the park, hanging with friends and newborn babies. This weekend, Jeremy’s parents watched the boys so we could go on a date during our home showing. It was nice to be with Jeremy and have him all to myself. We agreed that we wouldn’t do anything house related. We went to Olive Garden (pasta and bread sticks, YES). We got Jeremy an Apple watch so he can monitor his heart rate and health better. He hasn’t been feeling the best lately and his cardiologist recommended he get it. I joked with Jeremy that he is a expensive date!

Life is full of layers. I could list off all the layers that I am less than pleased with. My mind mulls them over more than I would like. I am equally trying to look for the good, finding grace and goodness in the ordinary moments. I’ve been thinking a lot about the season I spent reading 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp and making endless list of gifts throughout the day. I want to feel light like that again. I want to find joy in gratitude and contentment. I’m trying to be intentional with my thoughts and my actions. While my emotions might go up and down throughout the day, I’m choosing to look at the layers of my life as a unique creation. Some are bitter, some are sweet. They ebb and flow. I’m making the most of the moments, both good and bad. Trying my best to see God in it all. When I look, I find him and that makes all the difference.

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Back on the Market August 12, 2016

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 6:56 pm

On Wednesday, we received news that our buyers were formally backing out of the sale of our home. This was the expected outcome after we arrived at an impasse over closing costs. Almost immediately, our home was back on the market. We even have a showing tomorrow. I don’t want to take a ton of time to discuss this closed door. The main thing I can say is I feel weird. I’m still in my house. We didn’t close today. I don’t feel like I belong here. I spent so much time and energy saying good-bye. I had prepared in every way to leave and then we didn’t… Now it just feels off. Like outgrowing something… I am grateful that we didn’t move just to find out that the house wasn’t sold. I would feel awful imposing on the hospitality of my in-laws while I had a perfect good house sitting empty a few miles away. Overall, this could be for the best. While it means more time, it also means a new appraisal and hopefully a better bottom line in the end.

The rest of the week has been about moving on with life. It keeps going. Wednesday was church. Thursday, my mom and I took the boys to the park. This park happens to be right by the train tracks and Owen was delighted to see three different trains. Last night we went to the storage unit and picked up more kitchen items. I have the strong urge to bake because that is a comfort move of mine, however, it’s too hot at the moment. Once the cooler weather comes in I plan on making a couple different goodies. One being a family favorite of Hello Dollies and the other will probably be something pumpkin because pumpkin also sounds like comfort to me.

During nap times, I’ve been able to make good progress on my new book, Present Over Perfect. I love Shauna Niequist. She is one of my favorite authors. This books affirms so many decisions I’ve made. I am all about the smaller life these days. I’m trying to be intentional with my time and influence. I love being home with my boys and making my family a priority. I love serving the kiddos at Bethel and I enjoy being a part of my local MOPS group. I might not run in big circles these days, but I love the small circles I am in. I know that I am encouraging others and pointing them to Jesus. This book empowers a healthy lifestyle, healthy boundaries and a healthy priorities. It encourages stillness and shows the power of small things. It’s a good read for sure. I am also equally excited to start How to Survive a Shipwreck by Jonathan Martin. I know the title seems a bit dramatic, but I can relate the shipwreck feeling. In life there will be failure and disappointment. I’m hoping for some practical encouragement from my next read.

Jeremy spend a good part of today making the outside of the house presentable. We did some more grocery shopping. We needed to restock some key pantry items. Tomorrow I will clean the inside of the house thoroughly and pray that this showing could be the one! How awesome would it be to only have one showing back on the market before we got another offer? While that seems unlikely, I can dream. This whole process has brought out two sides of me. One is always hopeful, thinking the best is right around the corner. The other is very pessimistic and “woe is me.” It’s strange to flip flop between hope and discouragement. Especially so many times throughout the day. More than trusting in my own emotions, which are all over the place, I am trusting in God. My mom sent me a quote from Corrie Ten Boom that says, “God doesn’t have problems, he has plans.” I am reminded that my house situation isn’t a problem. It’s an opportunity. God isn’t freaking out because my house didn’t sell, so I guess I shouldn’t either.

Owen saw that I was reading my Bible. He ran and got his and read it next to me.

Owen had a toe injury this week. He didn’t want to look at the offending cut so we covered it with a towel.

Graham is loving his hand-me-down walker from Uncle Nathan & Aunt Beckie. This kid loves to go!

Playing in the park with Grandma

How did he get so big?

Watching a train from the bridge

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The Day We Didn’t Move August 9, 2016

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 4:50 pm

We didn’t move yesterday. Things are too up in the air. The renegotiating process with our buyers doesn’t look favorable and we didn’t want to move to just have the deal fall apart a day or two later. Our buyers are meeting with their agent tomorrow. Since I don’t have the ability to read minds or see the future, I have no clue what the outcome will be. However, I won’t be surprised if we have to walk away from this contract. If that is the case then we will put our home back on the market and start at the beginning again.

I didn’t think this would happen. The closer it got to closing and the move, I thought we were in the clear. We had been warned that things could fall apart at the very end, but I just didn’t think it would. On Saturday as I was talking things through with Jeremy, I realized that things were going south. I realized we couldn’t move on Monday if we weren’t sure about the sale of our home. The last thing I would want is for our home to sit vacant while we still owned it. Now there is a chance that we might have to make a mad dash to move before Friday, but I’ll be honest and say that I doubt it.

I’m disappointed. I worked my butt off to make sure we were ready to move on Monday. The only thing left to pack up was our food. I have our house down to the bare minimum. If we end up relisting our house, we’ll have to go get boxes out of storage and unpack a few things so we can actually cook in our house. Jeremy got a few boxes for me yesterday, but I think a few more are going to be necessary.

So, what did we do instead of move? We had a family day. We went down to the Vancouver/Portland area. We ate some comfort food (for me, mac & cheese). We tried to go see waterfalls on the historic highway, but the whole of Oregon was there so we only saw one smaller waterfall to avoid the crowds. We did some shopping since we needed food. I’ve been eating everything down to nothing so we had less to move. It was a weird day. While I loved having family time, it wasn’t quite the distraction I had hoped for. My mind kept thinking through “what ifs.” If I wasn’t thinking through the future, I kept thinking about how I should be moving… how I would have been moving that day. We ended the day with dinner at Jeremy’s brother’s house. Owen got some play time with Nolan. It was a nice way to finish the day. What an unexpected day.

In other news, the baby shower on Sunday for my sister in law went well. The weather was rainy which was a bit of a bummer since I had planned a summer BBQ. The rain stalled enough for the kiddos to go out and play a bit. It was a fun day spent with family and celebrating baby number 4. I can’t wait to meet my new niece or nephew next month!

Saturday was moving my sister into her home. It was fun to explore her new home and watch her start to settle in. After many, many moves, I’m hoping that April and Andrew have many happy years in this home. The septic had to be replaced on their new home. The workers were filling the dirt around the septic when we got there. Owen sat on the back porch and intently watched the digger at work. This boy loves his diggers and moving trucks. It was a great day for Owen. I think it was a good day for April and Andrew as well.

That’s the update for now. When I realized I would be home on Tuesday, I placed an order on Amazon for two books that I’ve been wanting for a while. I used my mother’s day gift card and they arrived today. During nap time today, I took an hour to sit in silence and read. It was good soul care. I don’t get a ton of time to read these days, but these books are a priority to me. They offer hope and encouragement. They are an investment into something I love. That’s also why I’m blogging. Words are how I process life. By reading them, by writing them. Words help me through it all. Jesus does too. I’m not really sure I believe that everything happens for a reason but I do believe that you can gain something from every experience. The twists and turns of my story have not caught Jesus off guard. God knows. He is in this. I am okay. I might be unsure, but I am okay.

We love U-Haul

Auntie’s house is so cool

Celebrating my sweet sister in law and her soon to arrive new addition!

On our way to adventure

Graham was less than impressed with the waterfall

Throwing rocks in and looking over the edge

Good times at Ikea

Playing Jeeps with Nolan

Books are my love language!

Highlighting my way through Present Over Perfect

Cutest engineer ever! Owen scored some new pajamas yesterday.

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Highlights from Camping August 5, 2016

Filed under: Family Time,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 11:42 am

I have about 15 minutes of free time. Graham is down for a nap and Jeremy & Owen are on their way home from a morning of running errands together. At the point of my last post, I wasn’t in a very good place. Buggies freak me out and I felt like my house was crawling with them… After a day of intense laundry, treating the house & Owen for lice, and bug bombing to kill the fleas, I feel a bit better about things. I wasn’t expecting the extra work, but Jeremy was super helpful and together we conquered the bugs and took off for camping.

This was Graham’s first camping trip and Owen’s second. Owen loves camping. He does great. He runs around in the dirt, eats the camp food, sleeps pretty well in a tent on an air mattress. This year he even got the concept of sleeping in a sleeping bag. Graham on the other hand… He did not do so well at camping. He decided that sleeping wasn’t going to happen in the Pack’n’Play which made for a very long and loud night the first night. I deeply apologize to the whole campground. Graham took one nap on Nana’s lap and the rest were induced by driving around in the van and letting him sleep in his car seat. He also has a top tooth coming in so he spent most of his awake hours extremely fussy. On the bright side, he took about three steps on his own from Papa to Daddy. Doesn’t he know that he is only 9.5 months old? Slow down, kid!

Both boys got covered in dirt (which I totally expected). Owen loved having time to play with his cousins. Nana took the kids on many “hikes” around the neighboring empty campsites. I enjoyed my favorite camp foods (smores, pizza pockets and pop tarts). This was our first time camping at Millersylvania State Park. It’s on Deep Lake so the kids got to go swimming and fishing. Jeremy bought a small boat on clearance and enjoyed giving the kids rides. One of the nicest features of our campground was how close it was to home. The second night we stayed until bedtime and then took our crew home to sleep in their own beds. We just didn’t want to deal with another night of screaming. We took off early the next morning and made it back to camp in time for breakfast. I think it was the wisest choice for our family.

While this trip had some hiccups thanks to Graham, overall, it was a fantastic time to catch up with family and enjoy some time outside. I am excited for next year because I think it will be a home run experience for our family once Graham is older. Now I’m home conquering mountains of laundry and pulling all the details together for my sister-in-law’s baby shower. We got the food shopping done, the games are ready to go. This weekend will be a big one with moving my sister tomorrow and the shower on Sunday. I think I am as prepared as possible. The house is mostly packed up. Jeremy took another load to the storage unit this morning with Owen. I think we might have one more small load to take later today. Other than that, we are ready to move on Monday. Which reminds me, the appraisal shook things up for us. It came in lower than we expected. We are renegotiating with the buyers. I’m really praying that things don’t fall apart at this point since we are set to move in just a few days. I know that God is in control and nothing surprises him. He is in all these details. I just need to take a deep breath and trust that he’s got this. Again, I feel unsteady, but I know that he is my rock and anchor. These metaphors have taken on even deeper meaning for me this year as I have looked for sure footing and only found it in my Savior. May all this crazy be for God’s glory! Amen!

Found the campsite. About to set up.

I couldn’t be more thankful for this man. He is there for me through all of these ups and downs and puts up with all my crazy emotions!

Sleeping on the boppy which was laid across my stomach. The things we do to keep little ones asleep.

First time fishing. He lasted about 4 minutes before he wanted to go throw rocks in the lake instead.

A little dirt never slowed Graham down!

Pizza pockets cooked over a fire! My favorite camp food ever!

Such a beautiful sight!

Handsome little swimmer

He caught a fish!

Hanging at the lake while the group was swimming.

Enjoying the new boat

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Chuckling at Change (well, sort of)… July 28, 2016

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Recollections,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 11:58 am

I randomly think through this last year and chuckle (or breath into a paper bag) about all the changes 2016 has brought. I actually sat down made a list yesterday afternoon while Owen napped.

2016 started off with me eating a dairy/soy free diet in order to figure out Graham’s tummy issues
We sold our car and bought a minivan
We changed phone carriers
I reached a new decade (aka turned 30)
Listed our house to sell
Got rid of satellite TV (this has totally changed the way we watch TV, which I will admit we do every day)
Gave Toby away
Said good-bye to April as my Wednesday night helper after 3 years of teaching together.
I’ve packed up my household belongs and I’m staring at blank walls and empty cabinets.
Anticipated changes right around the corner
- Moving in with my in-laws
- Selling my home
- Start building a new house

All of these changes have happened during the “baby phase.” Not only have we adapted to being a family of four and keeping a squirmy little human alive, I have lived through all these changes with postpartum hormones, adjusting to a new post-baby body, and interrupted sleep (every single night, sometimes multiple times a night). No wonder I’ve lost more hair after having Graham than I did with Owen. I’m not pulling it out, but thanks to postpartum hormones and stress, I thought I might go bald this year. I laugh about it all… sometimes…

Stability has been in short supply. For those that know me, you know that I am the queen of routine and predictability. This year has shattered that comfort zone for me. The only way I have gotten through all of this with Jesus. I don’t seek out change. In fact, all of the decisions above big and small were made with a lot of thought and prayer. As strange as it sounds, the change that has been happening in my extended family has affected me as well. We moved my parents twice in the last month. This changes the home that we visit with the boys. My sister is about to move out of state. While she will still close enough to visit, I will no longer see her on a weekly basis. She has been my partner in crime for the last three years on Wednesday nights. In seems like in a lot of ways, the whole world has turned upside down and shifted. While I know that isn’t entirely true, it feels true.

I’m doing my best to embrace an adventurous spirit. While I don’t love change, I have my eyes wide open wondering what God has next. I don’t assume anymore that things are always going to be the way they always have been. The next few months are just mid-story when it comes to selling our house and building a new home. We are finishing a chapter, but we are still in the middle of it. These days have been exhausting physically, mentally and emotionally. I often feel empty at the end of the day, like I’ve given it my all. I’m spent. Daily I thank Jesus that I am not walking through all of this alone. I know that he is there with me. As I pack every box. As I pray over what builder to use. As I correct a cranky toddler. As I soothe a crying baby. Jesus is right there. It’s comforting. While I crave stability and “normal”, I know that I have my hope anchored in the rock. Life might a whirlwind, but I know that I have a firm foundation through it all. I’m thankful that Jesus is my constant through this crazy journey!

Graham taking his Sunday morning nap in my arms

Showing me his Percy tattoo. He wouldn’t the lady put it on him on Friday for the Day Out with Thomas

Trying to get photos of these two together is always a crazy adventure!

Reading books on the new alphabet rug

April’s last Wednesday night

April’s Last Wednesday Night

April’s Last Wednesday Night

April’s Last Wednesday Night

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A Day Out with Thomas July 24, 2016

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 2:45 pm

This last week has moved at a remarkable pace. We are flying through our days and they are filled to the brim with activity. I left off last week saying that we would tour a Lexar home plan on Wednesday. My plan was to bake on Wednesday morning and put off my normal house cleaning until Thursday. Jeremy sent me text on Wednesday morning saying at the appraiser called and wanted to appraise the house that day. I went from having a relaxed day to cleaning the house at break neck speeds. I had barely enough time to clean the house, take a shower and get out the door. Insane! The hour drive to see the Lexar home felt like an eternity to me because it was a Wednesday and I knew that we had to make the same drive home in order to get to church on time. It was a jammed packed day. I wish I could say that I didn’t like the house, but I did. The house we saw had some upgrades that we really liked. However, with Lexar raising their prices recently, our budget really has no wiggle room for upgrades. The house we toured was really well decorated. The lady who owns it makes her own decor and furniture. She is the kind of person Pinterest was made for. It was nice to see the house set up so well and so functionally. Jeremy and I could definitely see how the home would work for us. My favorite spaces were the master bedroom and the playroom. The tour gave us lots to think about. (And in case you are wondering, we haven’t heard anything back about the appraisal…)

Before I can jump into the happy Thomas the Train update, I want to briefly touch on Thursday’s big news. Thursday, Toby left our family for a new adventure. It had been in the works to take Toby to a local humane society since the beginning of July, but due to some policies it got put off until this last week. It was a hard thing to do. When we first tried to rehome Toby in January, it was sudden and while we agreed it was the right thing to do, it left me an emotional wreck. I sobbed and had the closest thing in my life to a legitimate panic attack. It might have been the postpartum hormones, but I think it was the surprise and pace of the decision mixed with a whole lot of guilt and feeling like a failure. I was nervous about how our second attempt at giving him away would go. With everything else that I have on my plate right now, I didn’t want to have a mental breakdown over the dog. I think that having a lot of time to process the decision was good for me. Having most of the month of July to think about it and say good-bye was helpful for me. Toby’s last month with us was filled with lots of walks, treats and love. He is a sweet dog, but just not good with kids. Now he has a chance to find a family that better fits his needs. While I have not sobbed like last time, Toby is still in my thoughts throughout the day. I wonder how he is doing. I think about how he would have been a part of our day. There is a void – for good or for bad. I do miss him. I think that moving in two weeks will help since we’ll be in a new location and no longer in the home that we brought Toby home to. It’s been rough, but good in a lot of ways. Just another big change for our family. We’ve had a few lately…

On to the happy stuff! On Friday, we took off up north for a Day Out with Thomas! As we were walking up to the train station, Thomas was pulling in from his first ride of the day. Owen was thrilled to see him. The funny thing about Owen is he takes everything in and processes it quietly. His eyes were huge and he had fun, but he is barely smiling in any of the pictures. The day wasn’t great for photo opportunities, but the experience itself was worth it. We went around the site and collected coloring pages, temporary tattoos and played at the Thomas train tables they had set up. We climb up inside engines they had on display. They had all the songs from the show playing around the railway. It was a fun atmosphere. The ride itself was scenic and everyone we passed waved at us. Owen had a fun time waving back. Once our ride was over, we got in line to take our picture with Thomas. Because he had to depart for his next ride, the photo opportunity stopped right as we got to the front of the line. We got some pictures with Thomas in the background. They aren’t Christmas card worthy, but they are funny. Owen wouldn’t take his eyes off of Thomas so all you see is the back of his head in the photos. Graham on the other hand is crying because he is cranky and needs a nap. It made for a humorous photo. We left the railway feeling pretty good about our fun adventure with Thomas. Our ride home was also an adventure. An accident on the freeway had southbound I-5 crazy backed up. It was faster for us to take an extremely scenic route home and avoid the freeway all together.

I got home on Friday with just enough time to get a little dinner and then take off for my MOPS leadership retreat. I was exhausted from the big day with Thomas, but I mustered the strength. All I really wanted was my pajamas. My MOPS meetings on Friday and Saturday went well and I am excited for all we have planned for next year. Now that August is almost here, I am going to need to start working on our publications. June/July are sirt if a short break for me when it comes to publications, but I’m about to jump right back into it. After the retreat was over, I came home and packed some boxes while the boys napped. Jeremy worked on fixing a few things that came up in the home inspection. Once the boys were up, we dropped them off with Nana and Papa and took off for Olympia to talk with Adair homes. Now that Lexar has raised their prices, we need to seriously look into other options to make sure we are making the best choice financially. The meeting with Adair went well and gave Jeremy and I lots to discuss at dinner.

Today the house is looking bare as I take down the artwork on the walls and wrap it up. I’m currently out of bubble wrap, so I’m pausing to complete this blog. Jeremy is out digging up pipes to fix our septic with his father. We are moving toward closing and doing our best to be as prepared as possible for this big move and transition. Please be praying for us! We appreciate it!

Triple stacker! Silly boys!

Oh the things that happen at church. Luckily it looks like no big deal now.

Toby’s last walk with the family. Such a hard decision even though it was a good one. Despite all the crazy he brought to our lives, I do miss him. Just not the pee on my floor.. And the barking…