Amy Scott's Thoughts

Wednesday, was my class Christmas party at church. We played games, we decorated Christmas cookies, we did a class gift exchange. It’s always one of my favorite nights of the year. However, I was especially excited when the girls left my classroom that night because it meant that my little family was officially on Christmas break. I went to get Owen from the nursery and I immediately noticed his red eyes. It looked like he had been crying. I was waiting for a meltdown update from the nursery staff, but instead they said that he had been tired all night. At one point he had sat down and almost feel asleep. We got Owen home and all he wanted to do was snuggle and sleep. This was very un-Owen like behavior. After a very rough night, we discovered that Owen had a fever and he became slug-boy all day. This was particularly sad because I had very festive plans for us that day. We were going to go up to the new Bass Pro Shop and possibly get a picture with Santa. Then we were going to continue up north to go to Snowflake Lane. Every night at 7:00pm, they stop traffic at Bellevue Square and do a drum line parade with characters and dancing. At the finale of the show, they make it snow. It’s super fun and I was very excited to show Owen all the musical action… Well, that didn’t pan out. We had a day at home with our sick boy. Not the best way to start Christmas vacation. On the plus side, I took the time that day to steam clean our carpets. I’ve been putting that off since summer so it felt good to check that off the to-do list. Jeremy got to work on a project in our shower (it’s cracking and we’re trying to patch it up so we don’t have to replace the whole shower). The day was beneficial in the way of house projects. To end the day, we drove around and looked at Christmas lights and went to a local park for the light display.

Owen’s fever was gone on Friday, but he had a cough and he was still pretty slow. He didn’t have much energy. The real fun of Friday was Jeremy came down with a stomach bug and spent the next 24 throwing up… a lot… a lot, a lot. So I had a sick hubby and sick baby. Friday and Saturday were sick days in the Scott household. I had to call on the help of my mom and sister to get us ready for the Children’s Church Christmas Parties on Saturday and Sunday. They purchased and wrapped the gifts for us since our little family wasn’t up for it.

By Sunday, Jeremy was feeling better but Owen had gross snot at this point, so I stayed home with him since he wasn’t well enough to go into the nursery. I went to bed on Sunday night almost dreading the next day. We had planned to resume our Thursday plans, but I was sure that something else was going to come up to derail them. On Monday, Jeremy woke up with almost no voice. According to him, he felt fine but for some reason his voice did not agree. Owen was still snotty and I could tell I was brink of having Owen’s cold since I’d spent so much quality time with him through his illness. But… no one had a fever and no one felt like they were dying, so we packed up and took off!

It was fun to explore the new Bass Pro Shop in Tacoma. Owen loved all the animals throughout the store. We decided to forgo the picture with Santa this year. The line wasn’t too long, but it wasn’t moving super fast. Also, Owen doesn’t really like getting passed off to strangers so the chances of getting a good photo were slim. As we were checking out, the cashier talked to Owen and he gave her this intense scowl face. I’m guessing Santa would have gotten the same face along with a good wail and scream. Traumatic childhood photo scratched from the list of things to do this Christmas. Maybe next year… or maybe never.

We stopped to have dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. Jeremy and I haven’t eaten their since Owen was born, so it was a rare treat! Jeremy’s stomach was feeling better and he was ready for some good food. I was ready for some good dessert! In true Owen fashion, the best part of the meal for him was the whipped cream that came with our desserts.

We made it up to Snowflake Lane with perfect timing. Our view wasn’t great, but I didn’t really want to fight through the crowds. I’m chicken when it comes to stuff like that. Owen did get to meet a few of the cast members as the wondered around. His favorite was the polar bear. He accepted a sucker from a drummer girl and proceeded to lick the candy wrapper. He wouldn’t give the drummer boy a high five though. He is a tough nut to crack sometimes. Once the show starter, Owen watched in awe and randomly danced. Once the drummers were doing their thing, he wanted to go to them. I figure Owen wanted to play the drums since he has a small drum set at home. I love it when it starts to snow! It’s my favorite part. All of the holiday music is also great. It’s a special experience. I’ll look forward to going again. I think Owen will like it even more next year.

There is very little time left until Christmas is here! True to our traditions, we have 5 days of Christmas planned this week! We know how to make the party last! Good times! Today I finished most of wrapping. We have one gift arriving tomorrow and that will complete our shopping. The only holiday tradition we have yet to fulfill is watching The Muppet’s Christmas Carol and White Christmas. I’m hoping we can get that checked off the list today and tomorrow! It’s the most wonderful time of the year! (Minus the sickness!)

Snowflake Lane 2014

December started with relief and stress. On December 1st, I called the City of Winlock and discovered that they had one court case scheduled for the month and it has been canceled. I asked what that meant for me having jury duty. I was told that I was released from that commitment. I was a little stunned and asked if that was for the week or the whole month. Of course, it was for the whole month when the once case gets canceled. I couldn’t believe my good luck. I was so grateful. I had been dreading having jury duty and had even requested to be excused from it. In good small town fashion, I never heard back from them about asking to be excused, but that is okay, because it all worked out in the long run. That was the relief part.

The other part of December 1st was spent going over my notes for my speaking engagement at MOPs the next day. During Owen’s nap time, I hunkered down in my room and practiced my message. I timed it to figure how long I was going to take. I practiced the pace and the tone I wanted to set. After practicing a few times, I went through and formatted my notes for printing. Later that evening Jeremy took Owen grocery shopping, so I printed my notes and went through my message another three times – this time practicing eye contact and not being glued to my notes. By the end of the day, I was feeling like the message was as internalized as it was ever going to be. I just had to pray that things would go well the next day.

I’m happy to report that things did go well. In fact, I think I was the calmest and most collected I’ve ever been while speaking in front of a group of adults. I’ve put certain skills aside as I’ve entered this season of stay-at-home mommyhood. I was reminded that even though it terrifies me, I do have the ability to share the gospel in a pubic way in front of adults. I loved the message that I got to share. I got to talk about extravagant love and what that means during this time of year. I got to share about the extravagant love of God and what Jesus did for us by coming to earth as a baby. It was a good message. One that I have been deeply impacted by. My life has been filled with extravagant love. The love of my God, my Savior. Also, the love of my family and friends. I am loved and blessed and humbled. I’m so grateful for how the whole day turned out. It couldn’t have been any better.

With things being busy around the church for Jeremy, Owen and I got some quality mommy/son bonding time over the last week. Jeremy joined into the Christmas festivities when he could. We got our Christmas tree in phases this year. Friday, we got the tree. Saturday, Jeremy got the tree into the house. Sunday, we decorated the tree. Now that the tree is up, it really feels like Christmas time once again. Jeremy has another big weekend at work and then he has vacation time. I’m so excited! We have some festive plans that I’m really looking forward to. I’m debating whether or not to try to get Owen’s picture with Santa. I have this sinking feeling that Owen won’t be too interested in being placed on a stranger’s lap, but part of me thinks it’s worth a try. Who knows? Maybe he’ll love Santa.

I’m doing my best to make peace with Santa. I didn’t grow up in a home where Santa was a big deal. I don’t remember getting gifts from him. In fact, my mom told me when I was really little that St. Nicholas was a good man who gave gifts to kids and died a long time ago. She wanted me to have a “historical” view of Santa. She wanted me to know that he was “real” but just not in the way that TV made him out to be. All my little mind heard was “Santa is dead”. Now you might assume that I was crushed, but no. I found this fact very interesting and worth sharing with the other kids who came in contact with me. As you can guess, that spread some Christmas cheer and made a lot of parents happy with me. All that to say, Santa is a new thing for me to incorporate into the holidays. Owen will get one present from Santa this year. It’s a nice present, but it isn’t the best present. My friend, Christa, once told me that Santa gets the credit for presents that parent’s get their kids. This really stuck with me. I want the credit for a good gift. Not Santa.

In other news, our family had a great time visiting Zoolights this last weekend and celebrating my nephew, Keegan’s, upcoming birthday. Owen loved looking at the Christmas lights. He enjoyed playing with the rope lights throughout the zoo. One of Owen’s words is “light” so this was right up his alley. Speaking of words, Owen has also learned the word “hot” and uses it to point at the stove and coffee mugs. Lots of things are “hot” these days. Owen has taken to dancing right now. He loves to dance to the “Hot Dog” song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He also likes to dance to NSYNC and “What Does the Fox Say”. He is quite the twinkle toes these days. The music moves him! It’s so fun watching his personality develop. He certainly has his likes and dislikes. He loves to take off his shoes and socks. Stuffed animals have become his buddies. He loves to destroy anything I build with his Legos. He is growing into quite an interesting and unique little human!

Well, that’s a brief snippet of December so far! I’m looking forward to all the holiday fun still yet to come. I’ll keep you posted as the month unfolds! It truly is the most wonderful time of the year! Yipee!

Laundry baskets can be endlessly entertaining!

Playing with buddies

Kissing Baby Jesus

Wearing Mommy’s hat on the way back from getting our tree

Selfie with the birthday boy

Hanging with Uncle Eric and Brinley at Red Robin! Yum!

Zoolights!

The star is a trumpet right?

Trying to get a family picture in front of the tree

Some pictures are easier to take without one year olds!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here!

Helping around the yard!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend. I know we sure did! The office closed at noon on Wednesday and there were no evening services at our church, so Owen and I got Jeremy home sooner than usual for a Wednesday. I always miss my class of girls when we have a Wednesday off, but it’s always a nice and very appreciated break. Jeremy took advantage of the dry weather and hopped up on the roof to put up our Christmas lights. Then Owen got to help Jeremy put up the decorations in the yard. Owen loved roaming around the yard and playing with the various plug-ins to our lighted displays. Owen is a shadow to Jeremy these days. He followed his daddy round the yard and was in the middle of the action.

Thanksgiving 2013 & Thanksgiving 2014! What a difference a year makes!

Thanksgiving day started off perfectly! Owen slept in a little later than usual. We got to watch some of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I made chocolate chip pancakes. Yum! Owen enjoyed pointing at the giant balloons on the TV screen. After a leisurely start to the day it was time to get ready. Jeremy made his green bean casserole to take to our first Thanksgiving celebration. Owen took a bath and then went down for a quick nap before all the festivities. Because of the late nap and my attempting to get a shot of Owen in his Thanksgiving outfit, we slid in right at the time dinner was supposed to begin with Jeremy’s family. Thanksgiving was different this year since we had a rather large crowd that no home would accommodate well. I wondered if Thanksgiving would feel weird since we weren’t celebrating at a home, but it was actually really nice. We had plenty of space and Owen had a blast running around. We learned a few weeks ago that Owen really likes both turkey and ham, so we piled up his high chair with Thanksgiving goodies and he went to town, especially on the meat. We got Owen a shirt that says, “This guys loves turkey” and it has Mickey Mouse on it. Owen loves Mickey. He kept looking at his shirt and pointing and smiling. In fact, if we pass anything with Mickey on it, he tries to touch it. This can be cute and annoying when we’re in a toy store and he gets his hands on something we aren’t planning on buying… But, I digress!

Owen loves turkey and ham!

Being true to our tradition, our family took of from Chehalis and the hour plus drive up to Puyallup to have dessert with my family. The two different gathering places were quite a contrast. My grandma’s house was packed full of family members. It was warm and loud! We celebrated two family birthdays and then the big Seahawks games started. My mom and I moved into the living room where it was a bit quieter and cooler. Throughout the night people wondered in the living room and I got to catch up with quite a few members in a calmer environment then in the family room with the game on. Black Friday shopping has always been a big deal with this side of the family. I talked with many family members as they made their plans for where and when to shop. It’s always fun to hear their strategies and see what the must have items of the season are for them. When we got to Puyallup, all of the meal items were packed up, but Jeremy asked to get more turkey out for Owen and again, Owen drove right in and started munching on turkey. I love how his shirt truly fit his mood that day. Owen loves turkey!

This is what decorating with Owen looks like.

Usually the Friday after Thanksgiving is a big hunting day for Jeremy. I end up decorating the house by myself while he is out in the woods. This year Jeremy’s season ended before the holiday weekend, so Friday was a family day spent at home in our pajamas. Jeremy jumped right into decorating the house with me. We quickly learned that decorating with a mobile Owen is a very chaotic experience. Owen was into everything. We had get creative since this is the first year decorating with a toddler in mind. Everything has to be out of arms reach. We don’t have our tree yet. That is still on our list of things to do this week. I have no idea what Owen will do with a Christmas tree and the ornaments. We are in new territory, that’s for sure!

Saturday, we braved a few stores in hopes of finding a few more Christmas presents. I got one gift, so it wasn’t a waste of a shopping trip, but it wasn’t super profitable either. We also saw a few snowflakes on Saturday and the ground around our house was briefly white. Jeremy and Owen went out to eat snowflakes while I got ready. Jeremy laughed as he showed me the snowman he made. Let’s just say, it was bit a tiny, but it was a snowman nonetheless. The rest of weekend has been church time and down time at home. Honestly, I’ve loved this weekend. It has been such a great time for our little family to be together. With kid’s choir coming up and Jeremy in the midst of a some big projects at work, my hubby has been super busy lately. He often has meetings in the evening and this week is more of the same as they prepare for choir performances this weekend and a lighted tractor parade the following weekend. I’m grateful for whatever time I can get with my hubby at home. Owen has loved having his daddy around so much. It’s cute to see his playful excitement when Jeremy’s around. It’s been a good mix this weekend. I know this week is going to be busier, so I’m treasuring the slower pace at this moment. Not only does Jeremy have a lot on his plate this week, but I’m speaking at MOPS and I have jury duty for the month of December. We have students in our ministry that are in multiple performances for school and ballet. We’re debating our schedules and if we’ll be able to see them perform. We have a big birthday to celebrate with my nephew as he turns one soon. The party will take place at Zoo Lights, so I’m intrigued to see what Owen thinks of all the light displays. Yep, our next week or two will be full. I love this time of year! Other than jury duty, the month of December is like one big celebration!

Don’t mind me

Jeremy’s snowman

Goofing around together!

Flying through November

It’s hard to believe that November will soon be coming to a close. This next week is one of my favorites as we celebrate Thanksgiving and Jeremy has a few days off from work. I’m like a kid looking forward to Thanksgiving break! It’s coming! It’s almost here! The month of November has been a strange mix for me. Lots of busy and lots of down time. The down time was mainly induced by all three of us Scotts getting colds. For Owen and I, this makes three bugs in two months. I’m so done with being sick. Oh well. Despite illness, our little family has managed to be here and there and everywhere.

For me, the month of November has been full of MOPs prep. We had multiple crafting work parties as we prepare to sell some products at a local bazaar this weekend. Let me tell you, crafting isn’t something that comes easy to me. I’m too much of a perfectionist and knowing that these products were going to be sold only made me stress even more over the quality. I’m so glad that the bazaar is this weekend and this fundraiser will soon be behind us. Also, I’m the guest speaker at our upcoming MOPs meeting so I’ve been working on what I want to share the ladies. The theme for the month is courage to love extravagantly. Pray for me! I’m super nervous. Apart of teaching 10-12 year old girls, my public speaking skills have gotten zero use recently… I’m afraid that I’m a bit rusty at speaking in front of adults. Yikes. I’m going to stop thinking about it now before my blood pressure raises anymore!

Shopping with the ladies

November has a been a shopping month. Jeremy and I started our Christmas shopping. We finished all of our shopping for those under the age of 10 almost immediately. Shopping for the little ones is always the most fun! Now on to the grown-up, who are a lot harder! My mom and sister and I (and Owen) took a trip down to Portland to do some clothes shopping. Both April and I have been putting off updating our wardrobes. It was time. My mom was super and helped me with Owen so I could shop. This meant she loaded up a screaming toddler and drove him around the mall parking lot until he fell asleep. Since Owen fell asleep right when we planned to get lunch, April and I got lunch to go and we all in silence in the car while Owen took a nap just inches away. The only sounds you could hear in the car were Owen’s snores and our munching. It was really funny. It has to be one of the oddest lunch experiences I’ve ever had.

Girl time with Maggie & Summer

Of course, it wouldn’t be a November update if I didn’t mention the fact that I’ve had close to a million red cups! My mom and sister started me of well on Red Cup Day. I’ve managed to share a red cup with my lovely friend, Vicki, in Longview. I drove up to Tukwilla and shared a red cup with my forever friend, Maggie. Yesterday, the tradition lived on as I got a red cup with my beloved Jeannie! I love these ladies and I love the tradition of sharing the holidays with them. My visit with Maggie was one of the highlights of my month. My mom watched Owen at her house so I didn’t have to chase a toddler around while I went to lunch and coffee with Maggie. Maggie has a darling little girl, Summer, and I got to actually have “girl” time with no little boy in the mix. It was a nice break. I’m so grateful!

Sorting Christmas lights

Jeremy’s November has been just as busy as mine. It was hunting season for the first half of the month. He and my brother-in-law, Andrew, spent many a day out in the woods tracking elk and deer. The season wasn’t a successful one in the way of fresh meat, but I think Jeremy learned a lot since this was his time hunting with a rifle. I’m sure he’ll do better next year. Apart of hunting season, Jeremy is heading up a major remodel of the kid’s wing of our downtown Centralia campus. It’s exciting to see a great place for kids starting to take shape. Jeremy also had an overnight conference this month as well. Lucky for me, I packed my days full while he was gone, so it made the time apart go quickly. Also, Owen is an excellent sleeper so I’m not too intimated by a night alone with him. After surviving Jeremy’s absence for the week of summer camp in July, I handled one night alone like a champ. My parent’s brought me pizza and pumpkin pie for dinner, so I was I well taken care of!

Well, those are the happenings of the month in a very random order. The cold bug is finally departing from our home and I hope it stays away for a good long time! I pulled out my penguin winter dishes this last weekend. I think next weekend, we will decorate the house and put up the Christmas lights. We got Owen some holiday apparel on our last shopping excursion. For Thanksgiving, he has a shirt that says “this guy loves turkey”. It’s true, he does love turkey. We made a small Butterball turkey in the crock pot a few weeks ago and Owen inhaled that turkey like it was the best thing ever. I am so excited to see what he thinks of all the Thanksgiving foods in just a few days! Stay tuned for our Thanksgiving update coming soon!

Pink vacuum? Sure, why not!

Bath time for Toby! Owen is Jeremy’s shadow these days!

Can’t get enough red cups! Loved my time with Jeannie!

We loved our big birthday weekend. We got to see a lot of friends and family and just enjoy time hanging out with people we love. Celebrating one year of our little man was pretty cool too. However, after all the excitement of the weekend, Owen came down with a tummy bug and has spent the last week making gross, disgusting diapers. The contents of these diapers can’t stay in the diaper, so there have been lots of loads of laundry and many times I’ve changed the sheets in Owen’s crib. In fact, the washing machine contains such a load as I type. I’m not a fan of these bugs because the changing of everything so constantly gets a bit draining. Towards the end of last week, the germs finally caught up with me and I went down with a bit of the flu bug myself. Despite our germs, Sunday was one of the few days that we could make it to the local cider mill as a family. Owen and I went and now that I reflect, we maybe shouldn’t have gone… I’m fairly certain we weren’t over our bugs. I think I might have given my sister some of the cruddy bugs as well. We are a family that likes to share! Oh well. Even today, I took Owen into town for a MOPS meeting and a staff appreciation lunch and then we got home and …. another blowout diaper. Maybe we’re not all better yet? I don’t know!!! So the last week has been a quiet one thanks to germs keeping us a bit grounded. The next few days are kind of full, so we’ll see how that all pans out. I wonder if the Scotts will win or if the bugs will us at bay a little while longer. Since I don’t have anything more news worthy to share, I will leave you with a few photos of our brief outings! Hopefully in my next post, I’ll have good health to report!

PS – On a random note, Owen has added “Uh-oh” to his vocabulary. He learned that one from his father! Also, he is really enjoying playing with shapes recently. We have a couple of shape toys and he celebrates when he gets the right shape into its spot. It’s pretty cute to watch him get excited!

Practicing hunters safety with Daddy

Logger boy

Smiling at the ducks

Sisters

Riding the horse

Staff Appreciation lunch today