Amy Scott's Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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

October came and went with a flurry of activity! What a fun month! The final week of the month was just as exciting as the rest of the month. We wrapped up homeschool soccer on the 24th. The boys enjoyed getting a better handle on the sport and playing with friends. Their coach was patient and kind. The overall experience was perfect for our family. It was low-key and the once-a-week time commitment was just right for our calendar. I’m actually a little sad that the season is over, but I’m also thankful to have our Thursdays back to normal. Owen is already talking about spring soccer!

Last Friday, we visited the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, WA. Originally, we planned to go on Graham’s birthday, but the weather was wet. I love the zoo, but I don’t enjoy it in the rain. We postponed to a dry day and it was worth the wait. We saw animals that weren’t out when we visited last year for Graham’s 8th birthday. It was to nice to feel like we’ve seen all that zoo has to offer now. We loved the snow leopard cubs and getting to see the maned wolf. We found a free-roaming peacock and got to watch zookeepers take a parade of flamingos on a walk through the zoo. The brown bears came right up to the glass and the elk were out this time. I keep waiting for our family to outgrow the zoo, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. We love animals!

Saturday was a full day at home and it was delightful! It was the perfect balance of productive home projects and restful downtime. We went all out with a full turkey dinner. We even had a Costco pumpkin pie that we had picked up the day before. It was like Thanksgiving! Yum! We also carved pumpkins on Saturday. Graham made a monster that looked like his Boo Bucket from McDonalds. Owen made a Minecraft wolf which he named Pupkin. Jeremy surprised us all and made Bluey. We’ve used homegrown pumpkins for carving the past few years and I actually appreciate skipping the pumpkin patch. I love pumpkin patches, don’t get me wrong. October is such a full month that it’s okay with me to skip one of the traditional outings so we can make space for something else on the calendar.

A surprise highlight of the week was Jeremy shooting a buck in our backyard. I’ve shared that Jeremy does archery in past posts. He didn’t get an elk this September, but he had a deer tag that was good through October. This buck had been near our house the entire day and Jeremy took advantage of the opportunity! We got home from a playdate right was Jeremy found his downed deer. Owen helped Jeremy gut the deer and was very interested in the whole process. It was a fantastic science lesson – one that will end in pepperoni sticks!

Yesterday was the final day of this special month and what better way to celebrate than as Ender Dragons from Minecraft. The Ender Dragon appears at the end of the game which fit perfectly with the end of a very Minecraft-themed month. Fall Fest is a community event that our church hosts and Jeremy is responsible for each year. We went down to the church yesterday to bring Jeremy lunch and to help with the final preparations. We came back down fully in costume to enjoy the event with our community. Because it was a rainy Halloween, the event was a big. Gotta love being inside on a wet Halloween! Jeremy and the team added a maze this year that was a hit and the kids came home with a ton of candy which is fitting since dragons love to hoard treasure!

To recover from the big event last night, we have a puzzle on the table and spiced cider warming in the crockpot today. It’s nice to be snuggled warm inside while it’s dark and wet outside. I’m thankful it’s a quiet day to rest. I’m a little sad to see October in the rearview mirror, but… I’m also ready for November. In fact, I just might go put on some Christmas music to welcome the new month! : )