Amy Scott's Thoughts

Sharing the thoughts that bounce around in my brain!

Mother’s Day & The Beach May 15, 2014

Filed under: Family Time — Amy Scott @ 9:22 am
Our little family on Mother's Day

Our little family on Mother’s Day

Sunday was my first “real” Mother’s Day. Last year I got lots of well wishes on Mother’s Day and Jeremy even got me a gift, but I knew I wasn’t really parenting yet. I was making a baby and that takes effort, but this year was different. It felt like I could celebrate it this year, like I was officially a member of the mom club. I honestly didn’t have any plans that I wanted to do for the day. At this point, Owen is too young to understand it and I didn’t have any new traditions in mind. I’m sure has the years go by we’ll make some new traditions and memories for our family on these special holidays. Jeremy and I really wanted to see our own mothers this year and make the day special for them. Spending time with family is the perfect way to spend any holiday. My day started off quiet. Owen and I had a late start to the day which meant he could get a good nap in before we headed out to church. After church, we had lunch with Jeremy’s family. It was fun because Jeremy’s brother and sister-in-law came up with their little boy, so the cousins got to play. Any day I get to see my nephew is a good day! We headed up to my parent’s house for dinner and then came home to watch the Once Upon a Time season finale. I really love that show!!! I stayed up later than usual so I could finish it. It worth it!

Playing in the sand

Playing in the sand

Jeremy took Monday off since he has been working some of his normal Fridays off. In true Jeremy fashion, he asked me spur of the moment if we’d like to go to the beach. We’ve been talking about going to the beach for a while but just hadn’t set a date. Since Monday was a free day and the weather was amazing, it seemed like the perfect day to go. Owen was a super napper the entire way there and back.  Once we arrived in Cannon Beach, we unloaded our crew from the car and Jeremy set about getting us lunch from our favorite restaurant. Toby was along for this adventure so we couldn’t eat inside any where. It was too warm of a day to leave a dog in the car. In fact, it was a lot warmer at the beach than we expected! It was in the 80’s and surprisingly not breezy. It was perfect weather from walking on the sand by the water. After our meal of Mo’s to-go, we loaded up Owen and Toby and hit the beach. I’m fairly positive we spent more time getting ready for the beach and cleaning up after the beach than we did at the beach, but oh well. That’s what happens when you have a baby and a dog covered in sand. Owen took in all the sights, sounds and smells. Jeremy set him down in the sand and Owen grabbed a fist full of it. Jeremy even buried Owen’s toes in the sand! It wouldn’t be a true first visit to ocean without touching the water, so we put Owen’s feet in the very shallow part where the waves just barely come in. This first trip to the beach was a big experiment. I learned a lot. I will pack differently next time and remember the sunscreen. Since all Owen had was a sun hat, I was super nervous about him getting sun burned. Because I thought it was going to be cooler, I packed a lot clothes that Owen didn’t need. Overall, it was a success and good learning experience. We ended our time at Cannon Beach with a stop by the bakery. We drove out of town munching on doughnuts! What a good day!

A picture perfect day at Cannon Beach

A picture perfect day at Cannon Beach

Playing with a sand dollar piece

Playing with a sand dollar piece

Feet in the water

Feet in the water

Toes in the sand

Toes in the sand

A great day for a walk

A great day for a walk

 

Thoughts on Family, Charter Members and Staying in One Place a Really Long Time April 26, 2014

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 12:05 pm
Enjoying dinner out on a Friday night!

Enjoying dinner out on a Friday night!

This Thursday, I had the honor and privilege to attend a memorial service for one of the charter members of Bethel Church. There are very few of these charter members left. It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like to start Bethel Church in 1940. Back then it was a church plant from Centralia to Chehalis. Eventually the congregation out grew their downtown Chehalis location so the church moved down the freeway to a large piece of property that would accommodate expansion and a growing church. Our church has a great history. As hard as it is to say good-bye to one of our founding members, I am so grateful for the legacy that he has left in Lewis County. I am friends with his daughters and many of his grandchildren.  Shorty Ames was a man of few words, but my life has been touched by his faithfulness to love his family well.

Memorial services always get me thinking. They are a time to examine my own life. I am so inspired by the stories I heard on Thursday and the love that was shared. I was once again reminded at how important these days are. One after another. We never know how many we have. Shorty had almost 95 years of them. I was thinking about not only the changes he saw in our church family, but in Lewis County as a whole. I wonder if he ever drove through downtown Chehalis and had flashbacks to 1940. I’ve been a Lewis County resident since 1998. I will have lived here 16 years come August. Of course, I never know how long I will be here, but what if I’m here another 50 years? What if… I’m sure the landscape will change drastically and I’ll have flashbacks to 1998. Remember when there was no Starbucks? No Dutch Brothers? Remember when the Walmart wasn’t a Supercenter or remember when Walmart was the ONLY place to shop and you always ran into 4o people you knew while there? Good times.

Yesterday was my favorite day of the week – FRIDAY! It’s the one day that Jeremy isn’t down at the church. One family day to just be us and do what we want. Fridays are the best. I love spending time with my husband and son and little dog. There was a mixture of productivity and resting. Jeremy and I each got stuff on our to-do list done, but we also spent time together. It’s days like yesterday that remind me that family is the best thing I can invest myself in. There are lots of worthwhile causes to give myself to, but I think family is the best. Time with my family is unparalleled. There is no match. Jeremy decided that we should go out to dinner rather spur of the moment and then this decision led to a mini-adventure! We had a good time and just enjoyed the time together. It was one of those days where I would just like to slow time and stay in those moments a little while longer.

My time is precious and how I invest it is important. Shorty’s memorial service was just another reminder of how family is worth the time and investment. I admire the longevity he had to one location and to one church. It seems like people are all over the place these days. They move here and there and everywhere. If they don’t like a church then they go find a new one. Church hopping happens often. Bethel Church was the church we settled on when we moved here in 1998 and it’s the church I still serve at today. I hope that I can have the same longevity Shorty shared. I want to stay through it all. Through the ups and downs. I want to be faithful (a word that was used multiple times to describe Shorty’s life). I want my family to know that they are loved in word and action. I want to be a wife and a mother that is engaged and present. I want to make a difference and leave this world a better place. I know people seem saint like after they die… It’s the nice part of memorial services. I know that my chances of being saint like are slim. I am human after all. But I want to try. I want to give myself away every day. I want to leave that kind of legacy.

 

Easter Weekend April 21, 2014

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 1:50 pm
Happy Easter

Happy Easter

Easter weekend has come and gone and we survived! Hurray! Easter weekend is always a massive endeavor and you add a baby to the mix and things get a little nutty. Owen decided to be anti-nap this weekend which led to him having a sparkling personality most of the time.  There were moments where I was on the brink of insanity. I had joked about checking myself into the locked psych ward at the hospital to get some rest. Thankfully that wasn’t necessary, but I was close. Thursday and Friday were big prep days for Easter Eggstravaganza. On Friday, I had to put an SOS call out to my mom. I was working on filling prize eggs at home and Owen didn’t like the fact that I was multitasking. Thankfully my mom came to the rescue and alternated between filling eggs with me and keeping Owen occupied. Saturday was the big egg hunt day. The weather was not very nice. There was much rain and wind. However, we live in Washington and no one seemed phased by the wild weather. We had record attendance which was quite mind blowing. Owen and I made it to the first egg hunt. He ended up sleeping through his egg hunt. Since it was pouring down rain, I didn’t really plan on setting him in his field just to sit in a puddle. Next year he will be mobile and able to participate. This year Easter Eggstravaganza was a spectators sport for Owen. My family worked at the hot dog booth so Owen and I crowded under their pop-up canopy to take in the sights from a somewhat dry location. After the first hunt, we found Jeremy to say hi and greet the volunteers. After that it was off to home for a supposed nap that never happened. Saturday night was our evening Easter gathering at church. Sunday morning were two more Easter gatherings and two family gatherings. That about sums up the weekend. Busy, busy. We loved seeing our families and spending some time catching up with them.

Today, we are grateful for a day off around the house! I have been sorting baby clothes and boxing things up. Owen is now transitioning to 9 month clothes and the next box of diapers I buy will be size 3! Crazy! Owen has enjoyed two solid food meals already today as I start the routine of breakfast, lunch and dinner with him. Jeremy has been in the kitchen baking and cooking. I’ve been keeping the washer and dryer busy and working on updating my pictures. I’ve also had some  time to tidy the house and Jeremy has gone outside for a bit. We took a family walk and this is all before 2:00pm! It’s amazing what you can get done with two parents and a day around the house! Owen is also back to a more regular nap schedule today and I am thankful. Despite the craziness of Easter weekend, I’ve been reflecting a lot on what the true meaning of the weekend is all about. I am beyond grateful for a Savior who loved me enough to die for me. I am amazed and humbled at the power of the cross and the fact that death couldn’t hold Jesus down. I serve a RISEN Savior who is alive and active in my life. In some of the zaniest moments of this weekend, I called out to him and knew that I never alone. He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

Owen enjoying Eggstravaganza!

Owen enjoying Eggstravaganza!

Ducky

Ducky

This doesn't taste good!

This doesn’t taste good!

Reading his new book

Reading his new book

 

March So Far March 21, 2014

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 10:41 am
Somebody loves to stand!

Somebody loves to stand!

March has been a month for sickness in our household. We had our first cycle of family sharing when it comes to germs. Jeremy got a cold and he gave it to Owen and Owen gave it to me. Being sick was never “fun” before, but now as a parent it’s certainly not. Before I could nap whenever I wanted and just lay around watching TV. Those days are long gone and I missed them this last week. Jeremy came home one day so I could rest and he ended up coming down with a bad flu bug. A very bad flu bug. Later that weekend I got a touch of a tummy bug as well. However, this last week has been pretty good for us health wise. I think we are coming out of the germ filled hazed and we are ready for spring! Jeremy has been out and about in the yard. He’s mowed a couple of a times and have planted flowers again our front beds. The yard seems to be coming to back to life. The tree in our front yard is starting to show it’s pink blossoms. After months of gray, it’s great to see some color popping up.

 

Owen continues to grow and change daily. He loves to stand up now (with support, of course). He also enjoys sitting up and playing with this toys. He doesn’t quite have his independence yet in the sitting the department, but he is close. Owen continues to be a mystery in the world of naps. While I was sick, I tired to take a nap while he took a nap numerous times. Without fail, I would lay down and he would wake up in about 10 minutes of me falling asleep. When I couldn’t take a nap or didn’t take a nap for some reason, he would sleep for 2+ hours. Oh the mind games babies can play!

 

Trying to keep the play mat interesting!

Trying to keep the play mat interesting!

Owen continues to be a thrasher in the bathtub. I have decided giving Owen a bath is a like sitting in the splash zone at Sea World. Ponchos might be necessary! In our ever constant quest to keep Owen a happy camper, we have made a couple of exciting purchases this month. First, would be a set of black-out blinds for his room. It seems that Owen wakes with the sun and that will continue to get earlier as we move toward summer. We’ve had two days so far of him sleeping in later than usual and today he was back to a more normal get up time. We also added a new baby contraption to our front room. Owen is now the proud owner of a jumperoo. He was getting bored with his play mat and with his new love of standing, it seemed like time. He really loves the noise and lights on the jumperoo. He can barely touch the floor right so he tilts and stands on one foot. I’m sure once he really can jump around, he’ll love it even more.

 

New toy!

New toy!

In other March news, I’ve been back to reading and I love it. I just finished The Poisonwood Bible. It was an intense read. I’m not sure that I enjoyed it, but I wanted to find out how it ended so I kept reading. Books like this frustrate me because while the family were “missionaries”, I felt like they had no real relationship with Jesus. Their struggles were only intensified by the fact that they really didn’t seem to know the God they were claiming to bring to Africa. The book is very political and goes into great depth on the government changes in the Congo. I like historical fiction for the most part because it opens my eyes to an era gone by.

 

Other than reading, another highlight for me this month, was making my first Pioneer Woman recipe. I made her baked French toast for MOPS and it was super tasty. Jeremy and I were already talking about ways we would tweak the recipe, so I’ll have to make it again for sure. We also purchased Frozen this month and have been singing the songs throughout the day! So much fun stuff going on as you can tell! March isn’t over though and there is still a lot of fun yet to be had. Jeremy is taking a group of kids up an awesome kid’s conference tomorrow. It promises to be quite the event. Jeremy’s birthday is coming up next week and I’m excited to celebrate another year of my amazing husband. March as certainly been full and is certainly flying by!!!

 

O Canada! March 2, 2014

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Travels — Amy Scott @ 1:57 pm

I’ve been wanting to visit Canada for a while now. It’s been a decade since I’d been out of the country and I was getting the itch for some international travel. Since I live in Washington State, the Canadian border is about 5 hours away and with my enhanced driver’s license, I didn’t need a passport to cross. Jeremy surprised me for my birthday with a trip booked for Vancouver BC. I went to Vancouver when I was almost 5 months old for the World’s Fair in 1986. Now I got to take my son when he was about 5 months old to Vancouver. Weird timing or what? This was first time spending the night away from home with Owen. Most people might pick a laid back vacation for their first trip with a baby, but Jeremy and I chose a 5+ hour car ride, a border crossing into a different country and a big city to explore. I had my doubts about how the trip would go, but it went great. Owen is a great travel. He slept a lot of the car ride. We made a couple of stops along the way so he could eat and have some time out of the car seat. We got to our very fancy hotel in downtown and then we took it over instantly with baby stuff! We set up Owen’s Pack’N’Play and made the breakfast table a diaper station. We laid a blanket out on the floor for play time. We seriously moved on in. I brought less stuff than I originally planned on packing, but I still ended up over packing. I brought too many clothes for myself and Owen. I figured he could spit up or poop on multiple outfits a day. Better safe than sorry. However, he was a relatively clean kid for most of the trip and the extras weren’t needed.

Jeremy and I are the masters of the Thursday through Saturday trip. These long weekends fit around our church schedule really well. Thursday we got into the hotel and set up camp. We roamed around downtown and I realized that Vancouver BC is a lot bigger than I thought. For dinner we went a little shack on the water called Go Fish. We ate the best fish & chips outside under a heater with the city view at sunset. Friday, we drove out to Steveston where our favorite show “Once Upon a Time” is filmed. It was so cool to see buildings that I recognized from television in person. We explored a few filming sites before heading back to the hotel to regroup. Back at the hotel, Owen and Jeremy hit the pool. This was Owen’s first time in a pool so it was a bit of a big deal to us. Owen enjoyed it a lot! We spent our Friday evening at one of the largest malls Jeremy and I have ever been to. It had over 400 stores on 3 levels. We spent 2 solid hours there just walking around and we still missed about half of it. On Saturday we went to the public market and had brunch at a place called Edible Canada. It was all fresh local foods. I had the most amazing waffles with a mascarpone cream, blackberry sauce and ground hazelnuts. Jeremy had a crab cake and eggs benedict. It was very fancy food and felt like a splurge! After we explored the market, it was time to head home.

This trip was truly an adventure. I didn’t realize that I would feel so “out of the country”. I assumed that BC would just feel like the northwest, but it really felt like we were in a different country. They said things a little differently, the money was different, the metric system was fun to navigate, we tried new brands, things are spelled differently (example: centre, colourful, busses). Our doorman asked us if we were on “holiday”. Because of roaming charges, we couldn’t use our phones unless we were at the hotel on their wi-fi. That was strange! It made me realize how attached I am to my phone. We are used to using it for GPS, so Jeremy had to breakdown and actually buy a map to get around! We commented on how often we would have googled something, but it wasn’t an option! It was fun and crazy to get out of the country especially for our first time away with Owen, but it was a great trip and I glad we took the chance on doing something a little out of the ordinary!

Baby in the big city!

Baby in the big city!

Trying a new candy bar

Trying a new candy bar

Visiting Storybrooke

Visiting Storybrooke

Visiting Storybrooke

Visiting Storybrooke

Water Boys!

Water Boys!

Edible Canada

Edible Canada

Taking over the hotel

Taking over the hotel

 

Places to Go, Things to Do, People to See! February 22, 2014

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 5:13 pm
Movie Date!

Movie Date!

It seems like my blogs might turn into weekly recaps since I just don’t get to my laptop as often as I once did. It’s been a better week than the week before (Praise Jesus). The office was closed on Monday for Presidents Day, so Jeremy and I went our first date without Owen. We had movie tickets from Christmas that we still hadn’t used yet. Since we love most Disney movies, we finally made it to see Frozen. I’m glad that one of our local theaters keeps playing movies long after they come out. I would have never thought we would have gotten to see Frozen in the theaters since it came out Thanksgiving weekend. Jeremy and I really enjoyed the movie and we have now been singing the songs and quoting it all week. A big shout out to Jeremy’s parents for watching Owen while we were gone. I know Owen appreciated having some time with Nana and Papa!

Tuesday morning was MOPS and because I was lazy I ended up bringing a dozen doughnuts as my offering for snack. I had a strong hankering for a maple bar that would not be denied. After MOPS, my mom came over to watch Owen for the afternoon. I am happy to report that I got a full afternoon in the office without having to come home or having Owen visit me. Thank you solid foods! So far Owen seems to like carrots that best. My mom got to feed him sweet potatoes for the first time and she said he was shocked when he realized that they weren’t carrots!

Play Date!

Play Date!

Wednesday, I had the pleasure of hosting a play date at my house for Owen and his cousin, Nolan. It’s so much fun to have cousins so close in age. Nolan is definitely more mobile than Owen so Owen got to watch in awe as his younger cousin rolled around. Owen did show off a little bit by lifting his head while doing tummy time. Most of the time Owen’s head keeps him pinned to the ground, so I was impressed.  It was great to chat with my sister-in-law and have a day around the house.

Jeremy entertaining Owen at the Girls Night Out!

Jeremy entertaining Owen at the Girls Night Out!

Thursday was big day at work. We got the facility all ready for our upcoming Girls Night Out and went supply shopping. I came home that afternoon and made dozens of cupcakes for the big event. Friday night was our first ever Girls Night Out. This event was in place of our annual sleepover. Honestly, all we cut out of the sleepover was sleeping on concrete and eating a muffin the morning. The older girls reminded me that they won’t get to watch a full length movie at the sleepover this year (the thing all girls look forward to when they are in 5th grade) so I told them we can watch a full length movie in our regular class on Wednesday. The Girls Night Out went very well. It was a Winter Olympic theme where the girls got to design their own flag, play an Olympic sport relay and decorate their own cupcake. The great thing about this year was the participation of moms. We’ve been trying to make our events more family oriented. This was a big win that department.

This morning Jeremy and I venture out with Owen to spend some time with my parents and sister and brother-in-law. We chatted a bit about our upcoming vacation plans and had Chinese food for lunch. Now we’re enjoying a quiet afternoon at home. I’ve been cleaning, Owen has been napping and Jeremy has been playing video games. Tomorrow will be a big day as my two youngest nephews will be dedicated at church and then there will be a big family brunch afterwards. This will be the first time the whole crew has been together since Christmas. Also my good friend, Kaly, will be in town with her boys, so Owen and I plan on popping over to say hi to her.

The days are filled with places to go, things to do and people to see!

 

A Snowy Weekend February 10, 2014

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 7:55 am
Tuesday's light snow

Tuesday’s light snow

I love snow. Absolutely love it. Each year a snow storm is a much anticipated treat. I thought for sure that we were going to be missed this year when it came to a good snow. On Tuesday, we saw some flurries. Enough to make the ground white with a light a layer. Tuesday was a bit of a crazy day for me so the snowflakes were welcome friends. On Thursday, we saw some snowflakes again towards the evening. Friday added another layer as well. Saturday night the biggest showers hit us. Our grand total was about 4.5 inches of beautiful snow. This was the perfect weekend to be snowed in! Friday morning, I cleaned the house and it had that nice fresh feeling. I did a ton of laundry. I made banana bread. Jeremy and I put cider on in the crock pot. We watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. It was the perfect day. Owen was in a relatively good mood. Toby wasn’t naughty. It snowed! Seriously, perfect. Plus I didn’t have to go anywhere so I stayed in my pajamas, unshowered the whole day. Days like that are rare now. Saturday, Jeremy and I ran into the church for a little bit. He wanted to get some things set for services before the next round of snow came in. Owen and I helped Jeremy arrange Easter eggs in the foyer. Thanks to the baby carrier, I was able to hold Owen and help move eggs. I felt very accomplished. Saturday night turned into a “snowed in” night as we watched the skies dump.

A Sunday morning walk

A Sunday morning walk

Because of the snow, I decided to stay home Sunday morning. My only other option was being at church extra early with Jeremy and that would mean waking Owen up way before he would normally rise. I didn’t think that wasn’t a good idea, so Owen and I had a snow day. I knew that I wanted to get out in the snow since I hadn’t yet. The snow hadn’t begun it’s melting process so the trees were still flocked and the roadways still covered. I bundled up Owen by putting pants and a jacket over his pajamas. I then put socks over his already covered feet and socks on his hands because all the baby mittens have been packed away with is newborn clothes. I put a hat on his head and pulled the hood of his jacket up. He was ready to be a snow baby! I harnessed the dog and put Owen in the carrier and we went on a 10 minute walk. Since I was by myself, I couldn’t see if Owen was having a good time. I didn’t want him to get too cold. The walk with long enough for me to crunch around and Toby to clear his system. The pre-walk process was nothing compared to getting us all unloaded and back in the house. Toby had snow stuck to him all over. It was embedded to his legs and tummy. I had to trap him in the garage while I unloaded Owen. I’m guessing that Owen has warm and uncomfortable from being so heavily layered. I made quick work of stripping him down to his jammies again. I then turned my attention to Toby. It was really no use. Toby got into the house and started shedding pieces of snow everywhere. Little puddles littered the floor. Owen was worn out from the activity of the morning so he went down for a nap. Toby was also worn out from the excitement and he passed out on the couch. I went to work cleaning the floors and removing all evidence of snow from inside the house. Jeremy came home from church with pizza and our little family settled in to watch more of the Olympics. It was an amazing weekend. I love just hunkering down and being home. No rush. No pressure. Comfy clothes and the wood stove going. Ahhh. So good. I love snowy days. The house all bright and light from the snow outside. It really doesn’t get any better.

 

Legos & The Super Bowl February 5, 2014

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Getting Creative,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 2:18 pm

It was an interesting weekend for us Scotts. After the big office move, my husband decided that his Mr. Potato Head collection was so 2008 and he needed a new theme for a new office. This led to Jeremy selling his potato heads and a shopping trip to Portland. The new theme of choice was Legos. This is a clear winner for Jeremy who at almost 33 still loves Legos. He is a Children’s Pastor, so of course, the theme fits his profession. Friday we drove around looking for various Lego items – storage bricks, giant Lego heads, a cup holder, a calender… etc. Jeremy felt since we share this office that I needed to be represented as well. He purchased Disney Princess Legos in my honor. The office now holds a Lego wall clock that Jeremy made himself and a paper tray he made himself. He purchased Toy Story sets of Buzz Lightyear and Zurg – father and son. He also got a Woody Lego clock. To represent the Northwest we have a Mountain Hut with a Lego with a bread and an ATV. Oh yeah, we’re cool. To represent “me”, we have Ariel and Prince Eric, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider and now we’re soon to add Cinderella.  I don’t any pictures yet of the finished office, but I hope to post some soon. Saturday was spent putting the Legos together. This was a first for me. I’ve never assembled Legos from a kit before. My sister had an assorted box of Duplos growing up, but nothing that gave step by step instructions to build anything. At the beginning of my building experience, I got a bit of a headache from trying to find the right pieces and the right angles, but I quickly got the hang of things and soon learned that I find putting Legos together a most enjoyable pastime. It was a bit of a twilight zone moment for me. Jeremy’s logic is that in a few years when the Lego theme gets old, he can give the Legos to Owen. What a legacy we have started.

Sunday was the Super Bowl. Being from Washington state meant that there was a lot hype about the big game. Our Seahawks were playing in the Super Bowl and the whole state was in an uproar. 12th man flags were everywhere. Everyone was wearing navy and neon green. Signs on local businesses read “Go Hawks”. I told Jeremy no matter what happened WA would need to take Monday off. If the Seahawks lost there was going to be some major recovery necessary and if they won then the whole state would need to a declare it a holiday. I am not into football. I still really don’t understand it. However, I will admit that it’s hard not to get excited when your local team ends up at the Super Bowl. Plus, with everyone being so jazzed, it’s hard for that not to bleed over. Our little family joined my parent’s life group to watch the game at my parent’s house. My dad smoked enough meat to feed 60 people and we all enjoyed yummy pulled-pork sandwiches for dinner. Owen wore his one Seahawk’s outfit to church on Sunday morning. However, he managed to spit up all over that and he got me really as well. I had spit up all down one pant leg and my boot. I noticed that my leg didn’t feel like it was drying and that was because there was also spit up IN my boot. I eventually felt the need to go home and change. I was too moist for comfort. Once I got home, I rewashed the Seahawks onesie and it was ready for Owen to re-wear it by game time. Talk about dedication. For the most part, everyone really enjoyed watching the game and chatting. Owen fought nap time pretty hard but eventually ended up taking a nap on my parent’s bed (no, he can’t roll over yet, so he was safe). The highlight of game for me was the Budweiser puppy commercial. I know, I know. It was  my favorite commercial and pretty much the rest of America’s. Yay for being one of the masses. Oh well. It was a good day and there was much celebration over the Seahawks win. I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the Broncos. They looked so sad. I know someone has to lose in order for someone to win, but still, I felt for them. My heart was probably all soft and tender after that puppy commercial.

Anyway, things are certainly exciting these days. Owen will be 4 months on Saturday and I plan on writing a 4 month update here soon with all the happenings with our little guy. I will also post some photos of Jeremy’s new office, complete with our Lego creations. Plus, I hope to soon give an update on some recent reads. Can’t wait to share! Good times!

The results of Friday's Lego shopping!

The results of Friday’s Lego shopping!

The first Lego creation I've ever built

The first Lego creation I’ve ever built

Owen and Grandpa are ready for the big game

Owen and Grandpa are ready for the big game

 

28 is Great! January 17, 2014

Filed under: Family Time — Amy Scott @ 2:33 pm

This Tuesday was my 28th birthday. I am very much like a little kid and I still look forward to my birthday. Especially years like this – 28! My love of even numbers make even numbered years a highlight. Sadly, this is my last even numbered year in my twenties. That is too weird. I’m still trying to decide if I’m okay with being another step closer to 30. Part of me is excited to turn 30 because it is a big milestone and I plan to party hard when I do. However, a decade is soon coming to a close and that kind of makes me sad. Just a smidge. But that is still down the road, so I push those thoughts aside.

My card from Owen! He does have more than three fingers!

My card from Owen! He does have more than three fingers!

This birthday was a great day. I got up early on Tuesday morning to discover tulips on the counter and two cards. Apparently, I get cards now from both Jeremy and Owen. When Jeremy got up, I opened the cards and both held great surprises. In Jeremy’s card was information about an upcoming trip to Canada! Recently, Jeremy and I got our enhanced driver’s licenses and now we can put them to good use! Jeremy had all the details hammered out. He even had a dog sitter for the weekend. I’m so excited!!! When I opened Owen’s card, I was surprised to see Owen’s handprint in paint inside the card. Jeremy had been super sneaky about it. I almost caught them “signing” the card before bath time, but a call from our friend gave Jeremy a long enough distraction. Later that night I commented on the redness of Owen’s fingernails and Jeremy made up some story about have a marker explode and the ink getting on Owen.

My morning with Owen was quiet and I met up with my mom and sister for lunch. Owen has a nut for the beginning of our time together, but lucky for me the restaurant wasn’t too full and the sound didn’t seem to bother anyone. I’m not really sure though… I wasn’t making eye-contact with anyone else. Eventually my mom bounced Owen to sleep and my sister and I split a yummy piece of coconut cream pie to finish off the meal. I came home from lunch to discover my hubby was home. Sadly, he had a migraine, so we spent a very quiet afternoon at home. Let me tell you, it can be difficult getting a 3 month old baby to be quiet. They don’t understand a migraine. Even though Jeremy wasn’t feeling like himself, it was still nice to see him and have him around.

28 Candles

28 Candles

Later that night my parents and sister and brother-in-law came over for dinner. My meal of choice was from our local Mexican restaurant. The only downside is they don’t have enough seating for all of us and Owen, so my family picked up the food to go and we ate at our house. The funny thing is my dad ordered a big bag of chips which filled a grocery sack. It was impressive. We also got a large tub of their salsa which Jeremy has been happily munching on all week. After dinner we played a game called Bang that my sister and brother-in-law introduced us to. It was fun to play with my parents. The game is a Western card game and let’s just say things got wild. Jeremy and my dad won. They were the Sheriff and the deputy. I almost got them…. Next time!!!

After game time was cake and cards. My traditional cake is a yummy chocolate cake from Safeway and it did not disappoint. 28 candles sure does create a lot of smoke! Overall it was a great day filled with amazing food and family time. This birthday was a lot more fun for me than last year. I was so bummed last year. Life wasn’t turning out like I had hoped. 26 was a rough year and I wasn’t looking forward to 27. However, things have turned around in a lot of ways. It was fun to celebrate this birthday with Owen around. Even though he can be a fussy nut at inopportune times, he does bring a lot of joy to my life and I think his little life really made the difference for me this year. I have a feeling that 28 is going to be great.

 

Ringing in a Brand New Year January 1, 2014

Filed under: Family Time — Amy Scott @ 3:04 pm
Hanging with the lovely birthday girl!

Hanging with the lovely birthday girl!

Last night we said good-bye to 2013. Everything sneaks up on me these days. Probably because I’m focused on Owen and my new life as a parent. It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone. My mind isn’t ready for 2014, but alas, it is here regardless.  Not only is this time of year full of many holiday gatherings, it’s also full of many birthday gatherings. My sister and brother-in-law were born one day apart. We celebrated Andrew on the 30th and April on the 31st. April gets a good deal in the birthday department because it morphs with New Year’s Eve to make for one big, long birthday celebration. Following tradition, we had Chinese for dinner last night. Very tasty! We then went back to our house for strawberry cheesecake. We played one game as a family before my parent’s took off. They have not joined us in waiting up till midnight in many years. April & Andrew had received Monster’s University for Christmas and they brought it so we could watch it. After the movie, we played dominoes and the birthday girl beat us all. Good job, sis! Once the game finished up, we had a few minutes to pour glasses of sparkling apple cider and wait for the countdown to the New Year at the Space Needle, which we always watch on television. I will admit that I was pleasantly surprised that Owen stayed down for the night despite the noise in the house and outside. Many of our neighbors were setting off big fireworks throughout the entire evening. The fireworks also had our poor Toby dog on edge. He is not a fan and this year they seemed to be non-stop.

Toby, Jeremy and I ringing in a brand new year!

Toby, Jeremy and I ringing in a brand new year!

It’s hard to believe that today is the official first day of the new year. I don’t even have a calendar to put up! Oh well! I’ll get on that soon… I have no idea what 2014 has in store for me. I’m not a big fan of making resolutions. I’m a naturally driven person so resolutions don’t feel necessary to me. I do have a few things that I hope to see in happen 2014, but nothing I feel like putting a deadline on. As always, I hope to grow deeper in my walk with the Lord and continue to let him mold and guide me through the new year. Everyday following after my Savior takes me into new territory. I hope am faithful to follow. Jeremy and I have talked about taking a couple of trips this year. We are getting our enhanced driver’s licenses this week so that we can cross the border to Canada and we’ve been talking about a road trip to Yellowstone. Whatever 2014 holds for us, I’m sure it will be good. God has been so faithful to us and I’m excited for another chapter in our lives to unfold.

Happy New Year!