Parenthood | Amy Scott's Thoughts

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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Breezing Through June June 14, 2016

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 6:31 pm

As always, we are a busy bunch. It’s hard to capture the true level of crazy which is our everyday lives in words. The days often seem long and the nights go by too quickly. I am a tired mama. I love my boys and I enjoy our life, but I would really love more sleep. I’m sure I am not alone in that feeling.

June has been full of activity. We have celebrated three family birthdays so far. My sister and I went to see Me Before You on Friday (I read the book so naturally I wanted to see the movie. Both are equally sad). We have Father’s day quickly approaching. As well as a few graduation parties. There is a lot to celebrate in June.

The month started off hot. Our heat wave meant we celebrated my nephews’ birthdays at the Oregon Zoo in 100 degree weather. The last time we were there it was January 1st and 18 degrees. We apparently like to visit the zoo in extreme temperatures. I’m not a fan of the heat, but overall it was a fun day with family. It is certainly a day we will remember!

We’ve spent the last two weekends moving my parents into their new rental and storage unit. The first weekend was very hot and the second weekend was rainy. Lots of extremes just a week a part. Moving my parents is the beginning of the adventure ahead of us all. We are still on the search for the property of our dreams. Our house has still yet to sell. Lots still to do and look forward to. I realize that this process is going to be a bit longer than I anticipated, but that’s okay. I’m enjoying each moment in our current home. As I look around Graham’s nursery, I’m glad to spend more time in it. I know that by the time we move into our new home his nursery days will be over. We’ve been playing in the yard, going on walks and enjoying what time we have left at Moonlit Lane. I have no clue how long we will be here, but I am determined to enjoy it for what it is worth. This has been a good home to us.

This weekend we celebrated my mom’s birthday. The boys and I went to brunch with my parents after church on Sunday. The whole family gathered later that evening for pie. I’m a big fan of using the number exact candles as the birthday person’s age. Jeremy was concerned about damaging the pies with candles all over. We used a rubber band to secure the candles together. This candle brick put off quite an impressive flame.

I always wrestle when writing this blog. Part of me wants to gloss over life and present a happy picture. I want you all to think that I live a peachy existence. Life is truly good. But… there are difficult moments everyday. This mom life is not for the faint of heart. On Sunday as I was getting the boys ready for church, I knelt down on the ground to get Owen dressed and when I got up I realized my knee was wet with dog pee from the night before. I could smell the problem before bed, but couldn’t locate the issue… Well, my knee discovered it! Then Owen dropped Lamby in the toilet. Good thing Lamby has a twin that is is hidden in our home for moments like this. I made a quick Lamby swap and calmed the distraught toddler. Then there are afternoons like today where I assume both boys have napped and been fed, they should be able to play with toys while I take a few minutes to blog. However, if they are awake they seem to demand 110% of my direct focus. Owen had a place mat full of food that he requested himself and yet he is crying and opening the fridge and begging for something else. Owen’s crying upsets Graham and suddenly I have two kiddos in the midst of meltdowns… This is life. Everyday. We have good days, but even the good days are full of moments of frustration and insanity. It blows my mind that life can be so good and so hard at the same time.

We had our last official MOPS meeting for the school year last Tuesday. We announced next year’s theme with a video. The theme is Starry Eyed and in the video it talks about how we are both light and dark. And I’m feeling that these days. Light and dark. Good moments and hard moments. Life is both. God is in both. The starry eyed theme is a call to wonder and to see God in all the moments. I can relate to this. I’m sure that is why they picked it as the theme for a mom’s group.

Okay, the relative peace that I was able to recapture so I could finish this post is fading. I’m off to wrestle with the natives. Pray that I survive! They are adorable and fierce!

PS… I finished this blog about 4:00pm… I am posting it much later than 4:00pm… Mostly because the chaos level was quite high in our home so my husband just drove off in a van full of crying children so I could have a few moments peace. God bless him!

Enjoying a hot day at the Oregon Zoo and celebrating Carson and Bennett!

Cooling off in the yard

Documenting the last MOPS meeting! Here I am with my dedicated attenders, Leanna and Marielle! Missing Kim, Kate and Johnna. I love being a table leader! MOPS is the best!

Owen enjoying his prize from MOPS for being potty trained! He loved his sucker and Play Doh.

It was pouring rain when April and I left the theater on Friday. My feet were already wet so when April mentioned the big puddle ahead I thought it was no big deal. Turns out it was extremely deep. My feet were soaked the whole ride home!

Costco run

Owen supervising the moving process from Grandma & Grandpa’s lawn mower

Birthday brunch with my mom

The impressive flame from Mom’s candle brick

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Happy 2nd Birthday, Owen!!! October 8, 2015

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 8:39 pm

It’s hard to believe that our little guy turned two today! Okay, maybe it’s not… It seems like once he hit the “terrible two” phase, I just sort of aged him up in my head. He has been two for at least a couple of months in my mind. Today it is official though. Owen is two! I was so excited that he survived us his first year. When Owen turned one, it was a big victory for me. I did it! One year! Woo hoo! Two is different. More than survival, I feel like this year has been all about getting to know Owen and who he is becoming. He is a sweet and crazy kid. He is unpredictable and keeps me on my toes. He loves so many thing. His current favorite things are vehicles (such as trucks, trains, buses), Winnie the Pooh, and animals. He is Daddy’s helper and loves being outside roaming the garage or yard with Jeremy. He amazes me with the words that he knows and the logic that he understands. He is way smarter than I realize and he surprises me often. While parenting any kiddo has it’s challenges, being Owen’s mom has been one of the greatest adventures of my life. I have loved watching him grow and become this fascinating little boy. He is a joy (most of the time). I am excited to see him take on the role of big brother soon. I’m hoping and praying this new job description will be one that he enjoys.

Today was a massively fun day. I didn’t want for this to happen, but I had to schedule a doctor’s appointment today. Since Jeremy and I didn’t want to be away from Owen too long on his birthday, we made plans for a grand adventure. The day started at Lattin’s Cider Mill & Farm. It’s a place that we’ve been to often, but it opened early enough for us to stop and play before our doctor’s appointment. Owen got to feed the animals on the farm and he even got to walk around and admire the Tumwater School District bus in the parking lot. He tried to feed the bus the animal feed we bought! My mom came along so she could watch Owen while we had our appointment. Owen and Grandma shopped at Target and played at the mall play area. After our appointment, we met up for lunch at Chipotle. For the first time, Owen got his own bowl and he didn’t have to share with Jeremy. He thoroughly enjoyed his meal and ended it with a few of his favorite sweet treats – M&Ms. We took off to get my mom home and Jeremy back to work. On the way, we stopped by a local tent sale and Owen ran around the tent like it was a part of the party day. It was crazy how much he loved running around the tent. And when I say running, I mean running!!! I could barely keep up. While dropping Jeremy off at work, Owen got to say to hi to Nana and Papa and get his birthday hugs.

All the activity tired Owen and I out. It was quickly nap time upon arriving home. Owen got a great nap in and woke up in time for pizza! Yum! After pizza, we did cake and presents. I tried to get creative yesterday and I made Owen a brownie cake. He loves brownies, but I wanted something a little more impressive looking. Making a brownie cake was tricky. The cake ended up being held together by a lot of frosting, but it turned out better than I expected and Owen loved it! A total win! Owen also liked the wrapping paper I selected for his gifts. It was from The Container Store, so it wasn’t the cheapest wrapping paper, but it was cute and had cars and trucks all over it (Jeremy thought this was a silly purchase, but I am sucker for a theme and I couldn’t help it)! I think Owen liked all his gifts and we ended the night with play time and then bath time. Owen is really digging bubble baths right now so it was the perfect way to finish up the evening before heading to bed to read new birthday books.

Owen had a very happy birthday, indeed. Birthdays are very special and I can’t wait to celebrate many more with him! Below are a few highlights from our day in pictures. It was hard to pick just a few since I took over 400 today (yes, I am that parent). Happy 2nd birthday, Owen! We love you!

Enjoying a “pony ride” at the farm

Feeding and petting the goats

Feeding the bus

Big boy with his own meal at Chipotle

Finishing up with some M&Ms

Make a wish!

YUM!

Present time

Loving his new books!

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Operation Better September 26, 2015

Filed under: Parenthood,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 5:56 pm

Friday’s Instagram Post

I posted yesterday to Instagram the countdown on my period tracker app. It stated that I was 30 days to my due date. Tomorrow I’ll be officially 36 weeks. Yesterday morning when I made that post, I was thinking it’s 30 days plus or minus. Who knows when babies decide to come, right? I went to my doctor’s appointment that afternoon and explained to her the new symptoms I’ve been experiencing. Let’s just say that I’ve had about every awkward, annoying and uncomfortable pregnancy symptom there could be. I would list them all for sympathy, but that might be an overshare and gross out some of my readers. I guess being very honest with my doctor paid off, because she offered to induce me at 39 weeks. I had no clue that was an option. Jeremy and I told her we would talk about it and think on it. We’ve pondered it and I think we are going to accept the offer. Having a plan and knowing ahead lets us be prepared as best as possible. Especially when it comes to making plans for Owen and Toby. Also it will allow me to have my ducks in a row before heading to the hospital and my personality really likes that. If for some reason, the induction doesn’t pan out, it won’t be the end of the world, but right now it’s an nice sounding option.

A quick stop by Grandpa’s office before Mommy and Daddy head to the doctor

If we induce at 39 weeks, I’m looking at three weeks of pregnancy left. For some reason that makes this all more real. I’m filling out hospital pre-registration paperwork. I’m making plans to be gone from my Wednesday night class. I’m thinking through what all still needs to be done before our little guy arrives. This has led me to “Operation Better”. It was already on my to do list to clean the house today. Jeremy is going out of town for part of the week and my mom is planning on staying with Owen and I. Whenever someone plans to come over to my house for more than a couple hour visit, I usually try to clean. I’m scared that if they spend too much time here, they we’ll see how truly messy the house is. We are spending more time at home these days and we actually LIVE here. It’s a used house. I have a toddler and an indoor dog. Things get messy. I have decided that over the next few weeks I’ll add one or two small things to my cleaning to do list that I wouldn’t normally do in my weekly cleaning routine. I got a jump start on things today and it feels good. I know that the house will instantly be dirty again after I clean it, but hopefully it will be better than it was. I’m not looking for spotless, just better. Just an improvement on what was there. I clean my house on a weekly basis, but somethings very rarely get deep cleaned. I’m talking some things don’t get wiped down for months or years… So I guess my version of nesting is attacking the grime in my house (real or imagined). My sweet friend, Maggie, kept posting all these interior decorating things she was doing while she was nesting. I decide to wipe down all the doors in my house and clean the windows. I wish I decorated instead of cleaned. Oh well. It’s how I’m wired.

I have mapped out a few projects that I want to complete for Operation Better. They are spread out over the month of October so I don’t over do it. It’s hard to balance my desire to be on top of things with my inability to move and keep up with life. I know that this pregnant body can’t do everything I want it to right now and that’s okay. I will attempt to give my house a jump start on cleaning since chances are I’ll slack a bit once our little guy arrives. While I “nest”, I will accept better and not perfection. Spotless is not an option.

We are in the final countdown and we are mostly prepared. I’ve learned a lot about life with a newborn. Owen was good training. This go around we are stocking the fridge and pantry more. I’m making sure that I duplicates of most of my household products. We ran out for so many little things when Owen was first born. I’m sure that will happen again to some extent, but I feel like I know what we need to have on hand this go around. I know I can feel as prepared as possible and I’ll still forgot something. That is okay. We are doing the best we can and being very proactive. It feels good. I know that real life is messy and plans don’t always pan out. It’s best to hold things loosely. So with roughly three weeks left to go in this pregnancy, we will see where life takes us!

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More September Fun September 22, 2015

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 7:34 pm

I’m really lacking in creativity when it comes to giving my September posts a good title. My days are such a hodge podge. It’s really hard to pick a theme and then come up with a snappy title. Please forgive me for the lame blog titles. Maybe my brain will start working again soon, but I doubt it!

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, September is hunting season. This last week has afforded Owen and I a lot one on one time as Jeremy treks out into the woods – this time in hopes of killing an elk. At first, I was doing okay with being on kid duty and then by Thursday, things started to fall apart. Last Thursday was a rough day. By the time Owen got to bed, I was totally spent and I was unsure that I could keep him alive another day. I texted my reinforcements and we ended up spending Friday evening at my parent’s house. I figured more adult hands would help me out and Owen would appreciate the change of scenery from our usual evenings at home together. Jeremy has yet to get his elk, but he is out for one last attempt tonight before early season ends. However, he took Owen with him tonight. If he does get it an elk, I am sure it will be interesting experience for both him and Owen.

I’m still trying to “slow down”, but that is easier said than done. I’ve been trying to squeeze in a few more social gatherings before the month of September ends. October will be busy, but I’m hoping that it will be busy with family outings. The goal is to have Jeremy along for most of our October adventures since getting out and about with just Owen and I is becoming less appealing. I’ve been dealing with a certain back pain that sends pain down my lower back and into my legs. I kept telling myself it wasn’t sciatic nerve pain, but then I googled what sciatic nerve pain is and it turns out that it is exactly what I am dealing with… It seems to be getting worse and at times it effects my ability to walk or stand. Today I almost fell over because I couldn’t put any weight on my right leg. I joked with Jeremy that if I am down on the floor unable to get up, I will text him code word “life alert” and he’ll know to come home and help me. Right now, my goal is to do as much as I physically can in September and then hopefully be more of a bum come the month of October. We’ll see how that pans out.

Owen and I enjoyed a visit down to Auntie April’s house this last week. We ran some errands together and Owen got to run around April’s house which is always an adventure. We had a blast playing with my friend, Kaly, and her two boys yesterday. Because my dog is a biter, I have started doing play dates at Mom’s house as a dog-free space. It works out great because my mom has awesome toys and the kiddos have a great time. My mom is very generous for letting me host people in her home and letting little boys destroy her living room! Today, Owen and I joined our MOPS group for our monthly outing. This month was making apple cider using an apple press. It was interesting to watch the process. Owen, however, was completely unaware that apple cider was the purpose of the outing. He found trucks, rocks, water and mud to play in. He was a very happy camper and was truly sad when I had to take his wet and muddy little self home for lunch and nap. Overall, the outing was lots of fun. I got to talk with other moms while Owen ran amok and we have a big jar of apple cider in the fridge to show for our efforts.

Well, that’s the update for now! The end of September and the beginning of October promise to hold some good times ahead (as long as my body doesn’t give out on me). We are officially at 33 days until my due date. It was super funny because at the MOPS outing today someone told me that I was really starting to show. I laughed and told them I better be showing since I could have a baby in the next month! I’m still praying that #2 comes early. I’m perfectly fine with anytime after Owen’s big birthday weekend (coming up in just a week and a half, yikes)! I’m happy to be arriving at the “go zone”. Little brother can feel free to join us sooner rather than later!

My office assistant helping me get ready for MOPS

My boys just relaxing

Watching Winnie the Pooh with Auntie April

What happens at Grandma’s house… But it’s okay because it’s Grandma’s house!

Play date with good friends

An apple cider outing for MOPS

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The Fun of September September 14, 2015

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 8:21 pm

September is always a unique month in the Scott household. It’s a big transition season with the school year starting. MOPS has started up again. I have a new class of girls at church. Pumpkin goodies are again being stocked in stores. It’s also hunting season which is a major priority to one particular family member. Since I’ve been feeling pretty crummy, I’ve been slightly more motivated to get the last of the baby preparations done. I have the diaper bag fully packed, I have my hospital bag started and I have a to-do list of last minute items that I hope to purchase this week (the main item we still need is diapers since I’m guessing Owen’s size 4 diapers won’t fit his little brother). My hope is that by the end of September, I’ll be completely ready to go for Baby #2. This will allow me to sit on my bum through all of October and not feel the pressure to finish things up.

I’m trying to balance my life right now. Which is pretty impossible. It’s hard to cut down on my activity level when my daily life includes so many weekly commitments like MOPS and church. This week was a bit on the busier side, but for a very worthwhile cause. I got to spend some girl time with one of my forever friends, Christa, on Friday. I realized that it has been months since I sat in a coffee shop and just talked with a friend. It was so refreshing. On Saturday I drove down to Portland to spend time with Christa and some of her close friends. Not only is Christa getting married in the next month, but she donated her kidney today to save the life of a friend. It was a night to celebrate Christa as a bride, but also to honor the sacrifice that she was about to make. Since Saturday was her last day before the pre-op instructions set in, we lived it up. We got pedicures and then went to dinner a local place in downtown Portland. Christa is truly an amazing and selfless individual and I know my life is forever better for her influence and friendship. From the updates I’ve been receiving, it sounds like her surgery went well today. I am praying for her as she enters recovery and adapts to life with only one kidney.

Saturday was also the beginning of elk season so Jeremy had plans to be out in nature most of the day. His mom agreed to watch Owen so Jeremy could hunt and I could go to my ladies night in Portland. The original plan was for Jeremy to pick up Owen and get him to bed. We knew that it would be a later bedtime than usual, but my hope was that Owen would be down around 9pm. It figures on the day that I plan for my husband to put Owen to bed is the day that Jeremy gets a deer. It’s been a few years since my hunter has actually brought home fresh meat so this was big news in our household. Because Jeremy had to come back in and skin the deer and I was driving from Portland, Owen’s bed time ended up being a lot later than I expected on Saturday. On Sunday morning, we ended up leaving church early because Owen was just too tired to be there. He had woken up with enough time for us to get to church, but once I arrived on site, I realized that he wasn’t in the right mood to be there. Oh well. I tried.

Other fun highlights of the month include being a part of Sarah Bessey’s launch team for her new book, Out of Sorts. Sarah Bessey is my favorite blogger so getting to read an advanced copy of her book feels like heaven. Part of being on the launch team involves promoting her book via social media. Don’t be surprised to see a full length blog totally devoted to my thoughts on the book. I’m only able to read a chapter or so a day due to being tired and trying to keep up with a toddler. So far, I’m loving each chapter. Sarah is honest and brave as she shares her faith story and how it has evolved over the years. She has walked some hard roads and grown so much through her experiences. I am thankful that she is willing to share her journey and that I am able to grow through her honesty. She is truly one of my favorite people on the planet. Read her books, read her blogs. She is amazing!

Owen continues to become more and more of a big boy each day. He has completely entered the terrible twos. The level of drama has certainly escalated in our house. The nice part is that even though he has monumental meltdowns, they don’t seem to last too long before he moves on. However, they are extremely annoying in the moment. He has also become clingy on a crazy level. At almost two (and with me being very pregnant), I’m trying to get him to walk on his own more. He doesn’t seem to like this new trend and demands to be held more than ever. Part of me wants to keep him my baby boy forever and the other part of wants him to use his own two legs. My joke is once little brother arrives I’ll need to carry Owen in the baby carrier since he seems bent on being held. Such a dork. I feel a bit sorry for him that his world is about to be turned upside down, but he’ll adapt.

The rest of the month will be filled with mentor hang outs, a few play dates and hopefully a lot of rest. I’m trying to slow down and keep my schedule low-key. It’s hard to do because I feel like I owe the world 150% and I only have like 25% to give… It’s frustrating, but I know it’s only for a season. With less than a month and a half left, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I won’t always be sharing my body with a little human. So until then, I’ll just take deep breaths and do the best that I can. Sorry if that means I’m a bum. I have officially quit trying to keep up with life. I’ll just do what I can.

Owen woke up ready to read

Such a big boy – taking the dog for a walk!

So excited to be a part of the launch team for this book

All dressed up in camo and ready to head out into nature with Jeremy. These boys love going on adventures together!

Celebrating my awesome friend, Christa!

Owen was way too tired to be at church on Sunday. He ended up snuggling with me for most of the time he was in service with me.

This is what happens when the high chair tray of cereal gets flipped over. Owen and Toby are racing to eat all the pieces off the floor. Gotta love my little vacuum cleaners.

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50 Days and Counting September 5, 2015

Filed under: Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 10:00 am

It’s been 50 days since I last posted anything “mostly” about my second pregnancy… Blogging about this second pregnancy hasn’t been easy for me. When I was pregnant with Owen, everything was new and around every corner was a “what if” to ponder. My life was going to drastically change and it was all I could think about. This go around, I still think about pregnancy a lot, but in a totally different way. Keeping up with a toddler while growing a little human inside me has been quite the life experience. I try to post mainly positive things on this blog. I don’t want to be a downer and a whiny pregnant lady doesn’t sound like an interesting read. A lot of people love being pregnant and I don’t want to offend them by saying that I don’t love it. I don’t like it at all. Very little of this process is my idea of a good time. I view it as something to endure for the end result. I also have a fear that if I mention some of my aches and pains then people will freak out and treat me like I am about to explode (which is semi true, but annoying nonetheless). Anyway, I walk on egg shells with what to say about being pregnant and how I am doing. I just don’t like to be too honest because often I don’t think it’s the answer that people want to hear. So for those of you want to think of pregnancy in the same light as fluffy puppies, bunnies, unicorns and rainbows – maybe you should stop reading this post, like right now.

Okay, this pregnancy has been hard. I’ve been trying to compare this pregnancy to my one with Owen and I think this one wins for being harder. I have been sicker this go around and I have felt worse overall. This could be thanks to keeping up with a toddler, but for some reason it is just more icky in lots of ways. I hurt a lot. From back pain to headaches to the force of my little one kicking me in random places, I am not comfortable a good portion of the day. It’s all about living with and through the pain. I often hear “have you talked to your doctor about that?” And yes, I have. It’s, sadly, normal stuff, that I just need to deal with. The last month has been one where I went from “Wow, we’re in the third trimester” to “Are we done yet?” I am over feeling this way.

Apart of physically feeling bad, I feel like I am not doing a great job at keeping up with life. There are days where staying home with Owen is too much for me and I am spent by the time Jeremy gets home from work. When I add outings or commitments outside of the house to my calendar, they are almost too much for me and I question almost every time I walk out the door if I have the “umph” to do what I have planned. I have joked with various family members that I feel like dropping out of the human society for a couple of months. Going into hiding is a tempting option. However, I know that things that I do and the people that I see are worthwhile and then I feel really guilty about wanting to hide from the outside world.

While I was getting ready one morning this week, I was thinking about all the things that I am not doing well at right now. The list is long. I started to go down the road of beating myself up for not being more awesome and then I remembered that my goal in life isn’t to be awesome. I just read about this in Jen Hatmaker’s new book For the Love, which I highly recommend. I can’t be all things. I can’t do all things. I can be awesome at all things. I want to love Jesus and love others, but even that looks different in each season of life. Right now it’s a slower season. Having little ones makes you slow down to their pace and it’s a good reminder to go easy on myself. I doubt that Jesus would give me the same verbal smack down I was giving myself. I have a feeling his words to me would be much more grace-filled. Giving grace to others seems to be easier than giving grace to myself. The truth is I need it more than ever these days. I am not a superstar. I am not getting everything done. I do not have the energy or stamina to socialize with every person that I genuinely like or enjoy. Some seasons are scaled back and some seasons of life are not awesome. Being pregnant falls under the “not awesome” category of my life.

I’m sure kid #2 will be worth it. Once he arrives on the scene and I see him growing and developing, I will willingly put aside the memories of being pregnant so I can focus on the present joys and frustrations of parenting. It took me a while to get into the swing of things with Owen and I assume that it will be the same kind of adjustment period with #2. I am not fooling myself into thinking that having a toddler and a newborn will be easy. But it will be a new adventure and it will be progress and it will move quickly because it’s shocking how fast newborns aren’t newborns and how fast infants become toddlers. Pregnancy is one uncomfortable wait game that is worth the end goal. I’m so glad that there is an end in sight and that it is coming in roughly 7 weeks. Less than two months. Less than 50 days. I can do this. I will make it. I might have to repeat that often. The most amazing part of this journey is that for as awful as I feel, it causes to me to turn to God and rely on him for strength. Pain has a way of bringing us closer to God and I truly feel like pregnancy and parenting has drawn me closer to my Savior because I have needed him like never before. Even the tough stuff of life can be used for good when given to God. I am thankful for that and optimistic for the future.

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2T August 27, 2015

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Recollections — Amy Scott @ 9:56 pm

Kissing his reflection in the shoe department of the Columbia Outlet

A week ago we took Owen shopping at the Lincoln City Outlets. It could have been a disaster since he hadn’t napped in hours and had already spent the morning running around the Oregon Coast Aquarium. I was very concerned about his energy storehouse. Plus, shopping with Owen is always a gamble. He seems to be on his best behavior when shopping with just Jeremy, but add me to the mix and we have a crazy child on our hands. I wish I knew why. Oh the mind of a toddler. I’m happy to report that our shopping experience with Owen was delightful. Minus a tragic fall in the Old Navy Outlet that caused his mouth to bleed and Owen to wail loudly for some time… That was the low point, but it happened early on in the outing and Owen moved on from the whole ordeal fairly well.

It was hard to get a good picture, but here is Owen walking around with his very own shopping bag. He really got into the shopping experience!

I decided that Owen’s next wardrobe would be made up of clothes sized 2T. I compared and contrasted 24 months to 2T and decided that we would make the plunge into 2T. This meant shopping in a whole new section of most stores. My little boy’s clothes are now defined by years, not months. It really feels like he is no longer a baby even though he has been very a much a toddler for sometime. Transitions always have a way of reminding me how quickly time is flying by and how fast this little human is growing. Shopping with an almost 2 year old could have been a nightmare. Instead, Owen was quite helpful and carried items around the store for us. We would pick something like a jacket, pair of jeans, or pajamas and he would proudly walk around the items in hand. Just another reminder that he is big boy. Cashiers gave Owen small little bags that he could carry out of the store himself and he was as pleased as punch. It was the cutest sight.

Now I fully I expected all these 2T clothes to be HUGE on Owen, but for fun we tried a few on this week. They fit fairly normally which breaks my heart in a strange way. He is bigger than I expected. Owen also loves his new clothes (many of them have bulldozers and dump trucks on them). He begs to wear them and cries when we try to take them off. Since when did this kid ever care about fashion? He has suddenly developed an opinion on what he wears. I knew this was coming, but it’s a small thing like 2T clothes that make me realize we have a big boy on our hands.

This last week I’ve read a couple of sappy parenting articles on Facebook. Lord, help me. I am pregnant and hormonal and I should not be reading these. The water works have been insane. One article was about how older siblings might never remember a time without their younger sibling, especially if they are born close enough together. My sister and I are just a few weeks shy of two years apart and I don’t remember life before April. My memories have always included in her. I suspect that Owen will be the same way. He is will always remember his little brother. He won’t remember these days as a family of three. He won’t remember my transition to being a stay at home mom. He won’t remember the long days spent in our pajamas or the diaper time struggles. He won’t remember my joy over watching him learn words, shapes, sounds, colors and animals. In a lot of ways, I have begun to mourn the fact that it won’t always just be Owen and Mommy at home. I’m sure little brother will bring a whole new dynamic of fun and love, but things will never be the same. It was a good reminder for me to cherish in my heart the time that I have had with just Owen. I have grown and changed so much in the last two years. I guess I’m trying to keep up with Owen in more than one way. He is changing me as he changes and grows and develops. What a sweet period of time. I will remember it even though he won’t.

The other article was about how someday you will realize that your kid has passed a series of “lasts” and you might have missed it – last time building a fort with blankets, last time needing your help washing their hair. While Owen is still very much young and dependent on me, I am reminded that he won’t always be. He will continue to grow and mature through the different stages of childhood and into adulthood. I want to make the most of these moments and not let them slip by. I’m so amazed at how it’s the small things that seem to make the most impact in the long run. I am blessed that I can be present in these moments and enjoy them for their simple pleasure. I certainly have my days when this parenting gig seems like no fun and I wonder what I signed up for. It’s no walk in the park and my kid is hitting the terrible twos. But it won’t be this way forever. Someday I will have a quiet house and it will probably be clean and I will be an empty-nester. The family years will go fast. As the quote goes, the days are long but the years are short.

I think being pregnant around Owen’s 2nd birthday (about a month away from that milestone) has made me even more sentimental and emotional (aka hormonal). Maybe I would feel the same way about things if I wasn’t pregnant. All I know is that I want to remember this time. I want to remember shopping for 2T clothes at the outlets with my proud, big boy. I want to remember the family of three days with fondness. They have been so good and so hard and so worth it. I know that being a family of four will be awesome in a new way and I am excited to discover that. I am also excited to see the little person that Owen is becoming. He is funny, smart and creative. While I mourn the fact that he is no longer a baby, I wouldn’t want him to stay a baby forever. He just keeps getting more amazing with time. I love watching him become more and more himself as he discovers the world. It’s been an incredible journey and I am blessed that we get to start the process all over again with kiddo #2. However, I am not excited about the newborn sleep schedule that is right around the corner. I guess Owen has been a good guinea pig kid, because now I can remind myself that this to shall pass. I have survived life with Owen thus far and I am sure I’ll make through all the ups and downs with #2 as well. Plus, hopefully, I’ll have a little helper and Owen can show his little brother the ropes. I’m sure he’ll have some good brotherly insight into surviving life with their crazy parents!

Telling his buddies all about “trucks”

Helping water the fruit trees

Playing with a new assortment of construction vehicles

A chocolate milk reward for tagging along to my doctor’s appointment

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Life at the Beach August 25, 2015

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Travels — Amy Scott @ 9:10 pm

We got back on Saturday from a beach vacation. It was the longest I’ve ever stayed at the beach. It was nice to have a slow pace. We had time to do everything we wanted and then some… sometimes multiple times! We ate way too much food and enjoyed some of our favorite things. There are so many highlights from our trip. It’s hard to figure out what to share without making this blog massive in length! The highlights for me included in eating at some of my favorite places like the Cannon Beach Bakery, Pig’N’Pancake and Mo’s. I enjoyed reading before bed every night and started/finished a book. We took multiple trips to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Owen got so familiar with the cheese factory that he actually directed us around to what he wanted to do while there because he knew where everything was. He developed a deep and passionate love for their Baby Loaf bus. If only we could install one in our backyard. We visited some historical sites like Fort Stevens and Fort Clatsop. We went to the beach multiple times. We did a drive out to Cape Meares Lighthouse and spent a lot of time throwing rocks in the water at Cape Lookout. Jeremy flew his kite and made a great fire on the beach for s’mores. Jeremy also got his shellfish license and went crabbing for the first time. Owen loved having Grandma & Grandma and Auntie & Uncle around to play with at all hours. Owen’s vocabulary expanded and he said many words over the course of the trip that I had never heard before. It was fun to see his mind keep up with his expanding circumstances. There was lots of talk about “wa-wa” and “ba boats”. It was a fantastic trip. Owen loved it and so did we. It’s been quite the adventure keeping up with Owen and seeing the world through his eyes. I’m sure vacations will only get more exciting as he explores the world and experiences things for the first time. I love being along for the ride!

First walk on the beach

Flying a kite

Building a sand castle

Enjoying a windy night on the beach while making s’mores

Fort Stevens

Attempting to take a nap at Fort Clatsop

Owen and Lamby at the Tillamook Cheese Factory

Early morning beach walk with Daddy

Enjoying the view at Cape Meares

Spending a day down south at the Oregon Coast Aquarium and shopping at the Lincoln City Outlets

Tide pools at Haystack Rock

Date Night

Carousal ride in Seaside

Every trip to Tillamook wouldn’t be complete with a ride in Owen’s favorite “ba bus”. He loves this bus deeply and with his whole heart.

Crabbing with Daddy sure is exciting

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Hello August August 7, 2015

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 8:31 pm

Here we are one week into August. July went by in a blink. I’ve had a hard time wrapping my mind around August. It’s here. It’s happening. It’s a 1/4 of the way done. What? How did that happen? Seems to be the theme of my life. Time is flying by. In a good way. We started off the month with family visits. We got to hang out with our Ellensburg family on Saturday and then we got the whole crew together on Sunday. We haven’t had Jeremy’s immediate family all together since Christmas and this was the first time for Bennett to be apart of the cousin crowd. It was fun to see all the kids together. I love watching cousins play. It makes my heart happy in a special way.

On Sunday, I officially entered the third trimester. I’m now up to doctor’s appointments every two weeks. It doesn’t feel like I should be at this point but I am. I remarked earlier this week that my appointments have been dull because I’ve had no issues and for that I am grateful. The thought of doubling my visits sounded doubly dull. Then on Wednesday, I had my blood pressure drop considerably low for me (I usually run high), so I had a bad dizzy spell on Wednesday night and a whopper of a headache on Thursday. At Jeremy’s request, I called my doctor’s office and talked to the nurse. While, she wasn’t too concerned, it will probably be a topic of conversation at our next appointment on Monday. Oh goody. So much for no issues. It’s strange to me that with my last pregnancy I developed gestational hypertension and now for this pregnancy, I seem to be doing the opposite. The human body is a strange and unpredictable thing. I’m hoping this is a minor hiccup and nothing major.

Owen will be 22 months as of tomorrow. That means in just two months, I will have a two year old! The terrible twos seem to be upon us already in some ways. In the last month or so, we’ve started doing time outs. It’s quite the ordeal and deeply upsets Owen, but he seems to get the concept. Owen is obsessed with trucks and trains. Every day he pulls out the same bin of trucks and trains. They seem to endless entertain him. Owen loves to tell you what animals say. Many animals have a deep, scary sounding roar. Also, his barking sound for a dog is intense. In contrast, if you ask Owen what a train says, he’ll say “choo-choo” in the sweetest little boy voice ever. I’m tempted to ask him what a train says over and over again just to hear that cute little voice.

Jeremy survived his busy July like champ. My man is a hard worker and I am so proud of him. We’ve loved having him home more now and we are looking forward to lots of family time in the coming weeks. We have a trip to the beach planned. I am excited to see what Owen thinks of the beach since this is his first year to run and play on it. Jeremy is looking forward to letting him explore and see what he fancies. Is he a water kid or a sand kid? We’ll find out! We have a trip to the aquarium planned as well. I hope to do some fall shopping for Owen and start purchasing his 2T wardrobe. His size 18 month clothes are starting to get a bit short on him. Owen is taller than he is wider, so I have a feeling his pants will forever be falling off of him. The struggles of no waist! I’m excited to move him up to the next size and start dreaming of dressing for fall.

That’s the beginning of August thus far! Can’t wait to share the rest of the month’s adventures with you soon.

Everyone wants to be king/queen of the castle!

All the cousins together!

Owen requested that I stop cleaning up from breakfast and snuggle with him and his stuffed animals. I didn’t mind pausing for moments like this. Excuse my bed head!