Parenthood | Amy Scott's Thoughts

Green Light June 1, 2017

Filed under: Parenthood,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me,Usborne Books & More — Amy Scott @ 1:58 pm

The boys are both napping. It’s been a productive morning of multi-tasking. I spent about two hours trying to “get things done” mixed with a lots of hugs, kisses and snuggles so my children won’t have childhood memories of a distant, working mother. This is the tension of working from home – in any capacity – whether its a work from home business or just keeping up with the household chores and duties. I don’t want to be too busy for my kids, but I also have to be an adult. I think it’s okay for my kids to see me working. I want them to know that things are getting taken care and that is a part of the tangible way that I love them and provide for them. Between my various commitments, I’m finding it’s hard to do things that fill me up. Things like reading a novel or journaling or blogging. Sometimes I just don’t have the time or the brain power to invest in myself. So today, even though Graham was cranky, I kept him up so boys could go down for a nap at the same time. Once they were down, I ate a bowl of ice cream in silence and then moved to my room to read my devotional, write in my journal and now blog. This is a once in a blue moon kind of afternoon. The kids will wake up all too soon and then I will be off a vendor event this afternoon/evening. The stillness doesn’t last long.

The big news that I want to share with you all today is we officially signed our construction loan paper yesterday! We have the green light to move forward with building! The funds are available to us and green means go! (Get the pun, we have money to build, money is green, green means go). I am beyond thrilled to think that our building season will now begin in earnest now. Oh how I long for my house. My lovely new house. I can see it in my mind and I wish I could do an “I dream of Jeannie” nod and just make it appear. Jeremy spent Memorial day weekend up at the property digging a trench for power. We have plans to assemble a well house in a week and half. Jeremy has people primed and ready to come in and get the site prep going. Once the site is officially prepped, Adair will take over the process. I just can’t wait. The hope, the joy, the excitement is welling up within me. Let’s build a house!

Obviously, the other big area of my life right now is my new Usborne business. I’m still a newbie so I’m trying to not make any rash decisions on if I love or hate this business. In a lot of ways, it’s been a very positive experience and at this point, I’ve achieved about what I expected when I signed up. However, I’ve had some rocky moments. I’ve had three parties in a row postpone on me and that has gotten me down. I also have two parties coming up that don’t look like they are doing so good and might not pan out. I have a very full month of June booked, so these set backs aren’t the end all of my business, but they are hard. I find myself often disappointed. I knew that the direct sales business wasn’t going to be easy. I wasn’t ready for the emotional roller coaster though. I’m not making any decisions yet on if this for me – long term and what not. I think I would like to continue into the fall/winter. Hopefully by then I will be in my own home where I could set up a permanent office space away from the kids. I will have Owen in preschool three days a week so our family schedule will be different at that point. It might be easier then.

Now that June is here, I’m thinking about building, I’m thinking about books, I’m thinking about MOPS, but I’m also thinking about how these are the last few months without daily commitments outside of the house. Preschool is a going to be a game changer for our family dynamic. I’m excited for Owen. I know he will love it. I also know that I want to be present at home while he is here. It’s really hard to stay present with an at home business. There is always something to do, someone to contact, a message to respond to. My phone can help me be productive, but it can also be destructive. I am wrestling with all of this and trying to find healthy boundaries in my life. I’m believing good things for the month of June as we move forward with the many exciting adventures before us. Prayer appreciated!

Graham is now up, so I’ll post a picture only blog maybe tonight or tomorrow! Because, let’s be real. Most of you only read this for the pictures and updates on the kids.

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Spinning Around May 1, 2017

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Usborne Books & More,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 6:49 pm

I might not be in the best place to be blogging at the moment. My mind is spinning. Totally swimming through a sea of 90 million thoughts and responsibilities. I feel a bit loopy and dizzy. But the kids are on a walk with Nana and Papa. Jeremy is running a quick errand. And I am sitting in silence, alone in the house (a truly rare experience). I process my world by writing things down. Welcome to my therapy session.

The last week has been spent out of town. I was at conference from Monday through Wednesday. I was home Thursday and Graham was a sick mess. I had planned to be very productive with my one at home in between trips, but Graham’s illness made that complicated. Friday through Sunday I was at our church ladies retreat.

This was the first trip for me to leave Graham at home and my first time being truly kid free in two years. I had a dumb grin on my face the whole time. During the first trip I got lots of good time with my hubby and it was a blessing. I am amazed how much easier traveling is when I’m not pregnant or taking care of a baby. It was bliss to feel good and be able to focus.

The only slight stress factor was being away for a week while trying to launch a new business. I worked on some Usborne stuff while I was away. I ordered my kit and went through as much of the official training information as I could on Thursday (but remember Graham was sick and this was difficult because I also needed to do laundry and repack for my next adventure). Things with Usborne are going well and I am excited for my launch this Thursday. It has taken some time to go through the welcome and training information. I’m learning a lot and processing a lot. I know things will get easier with time but right now it’s a whole new world I’m trying to master.

Part of my stress comes from MOPS, I’m still seeking team members for next year. I’m working on planning and preparing for next year. In a lot of ways even though I’m coordinating next year, I’ve taken on more leadership at the end of this year than I expected. Especially in the form of two fundraisers that surprisingly have landed on my shoulders. I’m discouraged by the lack of participation in the fundraisers, leaving me to carry the weight.

My hope is that by the time I’m actively leading MOPS over the summer, I will have enough Usborne experience to feel confident with these two big commitments. I am the type of person who believes in doing one thing well instead of multiple things only okay. For me this has looked like a scaled back schedule so I could make motherhood my top priority. I created a relatively simple life so I could give my best effort, energy and focus to mothering. Now I’m responding to texts, sending messages, learning new programs, recruiting leaders, asking questions, planning meetings… I would love to say this all happens when my kids are napping or sleeping at night, but it doesn’t. My focus is split. I am distracted. Even if I’m not actively working on Usborne or MOPS, I’m thinking about them.

I realize this is a season of growth for me. I am learning. Things are changing. But I also know that I will get into a routine and a flow with these new commitments. They won’t always be new. They won’t always take the same level of interest or intensity. At least, I hope not. I’m praying for firm footing and confidence as a I move forward. I definitely want to be present with my kids. Especially with Owen as we move toward summer. These next few months will be the last I have with him home all day, every day. I want to make those moments matter. Owen has appreciated that I am home from my many travels. When he got up from his nap today, he asked me for the all hugs and kisses I could give him. It was a super sweet moment as I showered him with goofy hugs and kisses. I listened those giggles and smelled his little boy smell and just loved on him. He was happy I was home and I was happy to be there with him too. Bliss!

Now Graham on the other hand has been super cranky lately. He is unhappy soul at the moment. I think the main issue is teething, but he is no fun to hang out with. I love him dearly, but he makes my days complicated. It’s hard to multi-task when he is crying at my feet. I often think I can accomplish a list of little things to do through out the day, but that list turns out to be way more challenging than I expect because Graham just isn’t happy. Poor kid. Poor me. Here’s hoping he grows out of this stage soon. He is the cutest thing and he loves his Mama, but he isn’t all that sweet at the moment. I’m a part of a moms’ group that calls kids like him “Sour Patch Kids”. I think that sums Graham up quite well.

Anyway, all that to say, I am spinning around in circles. Trying to keep it all straight. Trying to do the best that I can with what I’ve got. I’m really pushing myself to connect with others on a lot of different fronts. Conferences were about connecting with people, starting a business means I need people to get it off the ground, MOPS needs people to lead and attend. I have greatly valued pouring into my family and having my connection energy spent on a smaller circle. I am having some growing pains as my world expands. Life will just keep spinning. What overwhelms me today, hopefully won’t be as overwhelming tomorrow. Prayers appreciated!

Kid free time with my sweetheart!

Working while away

When we have free time, we look at appliances

Enjoying a movie

Look how happy I am without children!

Had a quick dinner on the ride home with the E-burg crew! Love them!

My book model! Helping Mommy get her business off the ground.

Retreat weekend!

The Three “A”-migas! Haha! Love my sis and mom!

Home with my cuddly, cranky pants.

Out for a one on one walk with Owen.

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New Adventures & Easter Weekend April 18, 2017

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Parenthood,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 5:15 pm

Keeping up with the Scott family is a wild ride these days. My brain is on serious overload right. All good things, but life feels likes it’s exploding. I’ve mentioned MOPS and I’ve talked about our preschool research. Both are taking up brain space. We took a tour of the local Christian school yesterday and it’s given us food for thought as we research where Owen will attend preschool. This is a totally new season of life for me. With that comes many questions as I try to wrap my mind around how our family schedule will change this fall.

Next week, I’ll be at a conference Monday through Wednesday and a retreat Friday through Sunday. These will be my first nights away from Graham because he is finally 100% weaned. It’s wonderful to have some freedom but I’m also a bit nervous leaving him for the first time. He can be a sensitive kid. I’m grateful that I’ll have a day at home in-between my travels to re-calibrate.

When I get back from my week of travels, I will be launching a new business venture. I’ve been pondering selling Usborne books for a while and I finally decided to go for it. I love these books and making money to supplement our income is an nice possibility. Even if the business totally fails, I will get 20 books out of the deal and who doesn’t love more books, right? I’m slightly concerned about joining the direct sales biz since I’m not a natural sales person. We’ll see how it goes. I’m jumping out in faith. Eek!!! My launch party is Thursday, May 4th at 8:30pm. Let me know if you want an invite! These books are so educational and an amazing quality. We have been very impressed with them and our kids love them. What I love about books is they make great presents for all the kiddos in my life. Books inspire creativity and reading grows with your child so families are always looking for new material. I think my dreams of having a home library might be starting to come true.

When you add MOPS, preschool research, upcoming travels, a new business and then daydreaming about building our new home, my brain is ping ponging all over the place. I love my quiet life and my intentionally slow pace. I know that things are changing and I have to assess how I plan to keep boundaries, order and balance. Life is always changing and I’m not the best at keeping up sometimes. This why I believe it’s important to give a good amount of thought and prayer before moving forward with new opportunities. So yes, lots to think and pray about these days.

Going backwards now, this last weekend was a fun one. Now that Easter Eggstravanganza is the week before Easter, I feel like I enjoy Easter weekend a lot more. It’s less stressful and more chill. On Saturday we did egg coloring and gave the boys their baskets. Our Easter Sunday is so full that we give them the baskets early so the kids actually have time to enjoy their new items. The baskets were smaller this year but the contents were very appreciated! The boys each got a small toy, a shirt, a book (from Usborne, of course) and a chocolate bunny. We went to lunch and then a local garden/nursery. After nap time, we did an egg hunt. Because the weather was so nice, we did our first BBQ of the year. It’s was a wonderful day. Sunday was our Easter celebration at church and off to spend the days with family. The whole weekend was full of family time and it made my heart happy. Easter is such a special time. I am thankful for the power of the cross in my life. Jesus is everything. I am thankful to share that love with my kids. I know they are young but I hope they catch the joy and celebration that comes with Easter Sunday (and truly everyday with Jesus).

As I look to the future, I am excited for the potential that I see before me. All these things line up with my goals and dreams. I am hopeful they will all be positive experiences for our family. And if things don’t work out or if things need to adjust, I’m okay with that. I am looking forward to the adventure. I’m definitely living outside of my comfort zone, but I know that God is good and he is in control. I am trusting him and leaning into him as I bravely walk into the unknown. Prayers appreciated!

On an adventure with my little man.

Graham woke up happy. Owen did not.

Owen finally got his hair cut at the salon again! Praise the Lord. Graham screamed the whole time and had to be bear hugged, so no pictures of him.

Watering their Easter apple trees from Grandpa & Grandma.

Egg coloring

Loving their new Usborne books!

Saturday’s egg hunt

How Graham hunts… then he started to collect gravel.

Enjoying a dry day!

My two little love bunnies!

Easter at GG’s house

Expressive!

Adding Peeps bunnies to the zoo that is Owen’s bed. Thanks, Grandma!

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MOPS, Eggstravaganza and Half Birthdays April 12, 2017

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Parenthood,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 2:43 pm

I would love to figure out a way to start this blog by saying something other than “the last two weeks have been busy.” I hate starting things off by saying that we are busy. I’m not a fan of the word busy. I don’t wear it as a badge of honor to show you how awesome I am. We’ve had lots going on and busy just seems to be the only way I can explain it…

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been diving deeper into the world of MOPS leadership. We had a member of our group lose her brother tragically and I coordinator an effort to assemble and deliver a gift basket to her. It was great to be part of a group of ladies that came to together to love on someone in their time of need. Our MOPS group also participated in a bake sale this weekend at Easter Eggstravaganaza. I made, decorated and individually packaged 7 dozen cupcakes. The bake sale was a huge success. I helped them set up the table and then I worked the booth from noon to 4pm. It was nice to chat with ladies I worked with as well as connect with moms in the community and let them know about the changes we’re making to MOPS next year. I’ve been meeting with ladies to recruit our leadership team for next year. I’ve been learning all I can from our current coordinator and I’m trying to wrap my head around all the things that will land on my shoulders in June. I am excited. I have tons of ideas, hopes and dreams. I’m still searching for about 5 more ladies to join my team and then I’ll be super jazzed moving forward.

As I mentioned, this weekend was Easter Eggstravaganza. Anyone who knows our family, knows that this event is the biggest event of the year for Jeremy. It’s huge. And true to tradition, each year seems to get bigger and better. I am so proud of the energy and effort my husband and his team give to making this community event such a blessing to families. Our boys participated in the morning hunts. Graham wasn’t too into it, but Owen was a pro. I tried to give Graham a trial hunt on Friday night to prepare him, but he was more interested in the buckets than the eggs. Nothing wrong with that. It’s nice that EE is now the weekend before Easter. It’s takes the level of busy down for Easter weekend and give us the chance to enjoy Easter on a smaller scale with our family. On Saturday the boys will get their baskets from Jeremy and I. We will do a small egg hunt with them and then dye eggs together. Sunday will be a celebration at church with our Bethel family and then off to spend the afternoon and evening with loved ones. I’ve been trying to share the true meaning of Easter with Owen this year. It’s challenging because I don’t think he fully grasps the concept of death (I’m okay with that). More than anything, I want Owen to know that we celebrate Jesus at Easter and his great love for us.

April is half birthday month for the boys. Owen was officially 3.5 on the 8th and Graham will be 18 months on the 19th, less than a week away. Because I’m a dork and didn’t call in time, Graham’s 18 month well check really be a 19 month well check in May. Oops. You’ll have to wait another month for Graham stats. Graham is a climber these days with no fear. I’m worried that he will need to start wearing a helmet 24/7 to protect his head from his daredevil ways. He can now climb the play structure in the backyard all on his own and that terrifies me. He needs to be watched like a hawk when he is outside. Nothing stops him. Graham loves to dance and listen to nursery rhyme songs. It’s what he is currently doing some I can blog. Graham just learned how to blow kisses this last week and it’s adorable. I feel guilty because I have more photos of Owen to share than of Graham. It’s not me playing favorites, trust me. If Graham knows you are taking his photo, he tries to grab the phone and turn it to selfie mode. Selfie mode equals pictures of the ceiling or Graham’s forehead. He is a tricky kid to get pictures of right now.

Owen continues to amaze me. He is such a smart kid. We just finished his alphabet sticker book today and continue to work on his tracing skills with his wipe clean books. We’ve been in massive preschool research mode. Owen will most likely attend the preschool that will be apart of the new learning center going in at Bethel this fall but we are looking into the local Christian school as well. We have a tour of the Christian school next week to check it out. Since Bethel Kids Learning Center is still in the development stages, I am anxiously waiting for more details so I can make a firm decision between the two preschools. It blows my mind that Owen will be gone a couple mornings a week next year. I realize for the first time now how quickly the years of just being us at home go by. I’m not used to having commitments multiple days of the week that need us to get out of the house by a certain time. I’m used to slow morning and days spent in our pajamas and sweats. Owen is so friendly. He makes friends wherever he goes and I know that preschool will be a joy for him. I can see how he is learning and growing daily. He is ready for structure and to be challenged. Because of his birthday being at the beginning of the school calendar, Owen will have 2 years of preschool before kindergarten. I have time to adjust to a few days a week schedule before all day, every day school happens.

There isn’t too much new news to share about the house. The nice thing is we get emails every other day or so with updates on where things are at. Things are moving along even if we haven’t broken ground yet at the property. I am thankful for a process where I can mark progress and I know that things are moving forward daily. It gives me hope. I have spent way too much time on Pinterest looking at bedroom decor for the boys and paint colors. One of the big things I’m researching right now is exterior paint colors. I like the idea of having a painted door that is a pop of color. In Winlock we had a white door, but I’m thinking I would like to have a blue door in our next house. Daydreaming is so much fun and now that things are moving along, day dreaming doesn’t seem painful anymore. Patience is hard, but I am thankful for where we are at and I am excited for future!

Time at the park on a sunny day

Sweetness

Trying to get them to come inside after church. It wasn’t happening easily.

Spring time

Waving at a train in Napavine

Another day, another park

Helping do the dishes

Peeps cake for my Wednesday night class. Thank you, Pinterest!

So many cupcakes for the MOPS bake sale

Thanks to Friday’s windstorm, our trampoline was relocated.

Graham’s practice hunt

Owen got all the eggs in the practice hunt

Easter Eggstravaganza 2017

Learning about Palm Sunday

Ready to ride

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Happy Birthday, Graham! October 20, 2016

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 6:31 pm

Happy 1st Birthday, Graham!

Yesterday was Graham’s 1st birthday! What a first year! This week we’ve been up in Kirkland at MRI (Ministry Resources International) doing pastoral care/coaching/counseling (whatever you want to call it). Our mornings have been spent in appointments and then our afternoons/evenings have been spent doing homework and reflection. Graham has done a good job being a part of our meetings. I am proud of him. We packed lots of toys and snacks to keep him occupied while we met. He didn’t love spending the night at the hotel and was up quite a bit in the night. This meant our routine developed around getting him to take a nap before our meeting times and then after our meetings. This is how the first part of Graham’s birthday was spent. He got up early, enjoyed a breakfast of eggs & cheese at the hotel and then took a nap before our morning meetings with MRI. After our meetings we drove a little distance to have lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. Graham enjoyed the baby plate they gave him of bananas and bread. He also enjoyed Jeremy’s chicken and pasta. We told them at dessert time that it was his birthday. He got a complementary ice cream sundae with a candle in it. The look on his face while they sang to him was priceless!

After lunch we did a little bit of mall walking and shopping. Graham got another nap on the way back to the hotel. At the hotel, we did homework time while Graham stretched his legs and ran around the room. Once Graham started to need our attention and focus again, we took him down to the hotel swimming pool. He had a great time doing laps around the pool with Jeremy. I’m not a huge fan of swimming so I chose to document the fun from a lounge chair. Once the swimmers got a bit chilly, we went back to our room for a warm bath. From there we went to dinner. Graham loved Jeremy’s tomato soup and we split a pumpkin cookie for a special birthday dessert. Then it was back to the hotel for bed time. It wasn’t a flashy birthday, but it was a lot of fun. Jeremy and I doted on him quite a bit through out the day. The ladies at the MRI office played a rapping birthday frog toy for him to help celebrate. Since he was wearing his first birthday shirt all day, he got lots of comments and well wishes from strangers. He is a loved and blessed little boy!

As I was unpacking today, I realized that I had forgotten to give Graham his birthday presents yesterday. Oops! Owen helped him open two new books this evening. One makes garden sounds and both boys love it! We left our MRI meeting today and went straight into Centralia for Graham’s one year well check. I have the official Graham stats to share with you. He is weighing in at 18lbs. 13oz. He didn’t break the 20lb. mark, but if I remember correctly, I don’t think Owen did either. However, Owen was a pound heavier by one year. Graham is 27.5in. tall which puts him below the charts for height. He is less than 1%. We know he is short and it was a conversation we had with the doctor. It’s too soon to tell, but we might have to keep an eye on his height in the future. He could have a growth hormone deficiency, but it’s too early to tell so nothing to be concerned about this moment. Graham’s head was 45.7cm at 39%. He is hitting all his developmental milestones spot on. His appetite in the last two weeks has taken off and he wants to eat everything! Hopefully that will help him grow!

Graham is a sweet kid. I am so glad God gave him to our family. This week has been a strange one, but it was fun to spend some one on one with Graham. He is a great little soul to have in counseling appointments. His smiles and hugs were very welcome. He is such a good walker and impressed so many people this week with how sturdy he is on his feet. He has also mastered the art of being able to stand up when he falls down. Before he would have to crawl over to something to get back up. Now that he can stand up on his own, he has officially master walking. He is now on to running and climbing and general toddler exploration and mischief. Other than his height, he is a big boy! He wants to keep up with the world. Nothing is slowing him down. He is a lovey and I’m so blessed to be his Mama. Happy 1st birthday,Graham! You are loved!

Playing with Daddy

Watching the wait staff sing him Happy Birthday!

Give me that!

Pool time

Stuffing his face with pumpkin cookie

Graham month by month!

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Owen is Three! October 9, 2016

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 10:21 pm

I had a long and lovely blog written about my fantastic three year old and then my computer glitched and I lost it all. I almost cried. Nothing like pouring your heart into a piece capturing your growing boy at this moment in time and then having it disappear into nothing. It’s a very defeating feeling. While I am game to try again, this post might be shorter than the first. This might be in your favor since you didn’t want to spend hours of your day reading a novel about Owen.

Owen’s birthday was Saturday. We spent the morning visiting a model train show at the fairgrounds. It was more of a swap meet for train parts than a train show. They had about three tracks with trains running. It didn’t matter to Owen that it was small. He had a blast watching those three trains. A part of the train show was free admission to the Lewis County Historical Museum. The museum is in an old train station and the whole backroom is set up with a model train track that travels through Lewis County. It was a super cool set up and really completed the model train morning. The best part was a freight train went right by while we were there and Owen ran outside out and excitedly watched it. After all the model train fun, we went to lunch at Peking House and Owen had fried rice. It was the perfect Owen outing. Owen came home from our adventures and went down for a nap because even birthday boys need naps. When he got up, Jeremy and Owen went into town to get pizza. The birthday boy promptly asked for a piece of brownie cake when he was finished with his pizza. We sang happy birthday and Owen got to blow out the candle (twice because he loves it so much). This kid loves and appreciates chocolate. The brownie quickly disappeared and we were on to presents. Owen got a set of Christmas storybooks and a railroad crossing for his wooden railway. The rest of the evening was spent taking a very messy bubble bath thanks to Daddy and then playing with trains until bedtime.

Owen loves all things trains. We drive over the train tracks in Napavine on the way to church. Owen calls this “train way.” We go the train way a lot. He loves books about trains and loves to watch videos of trains on YouTube (I die of boredom). He is also into trucks and construction. He loves things that move and go. Right now, he is blissfully happy to have a bunch of new toys to play with. He was blessed with many awesome birthday presents. We have amazing friends and family who have loved on him well (Graham too). When Owen isn’t playing (with trains), he likes to color and play with Play Doh. We love to read together. He is enjoying his Phonics Readers from Usborne and his Bible. His favorite Bible story is the story of the two builders where one man builds a house on the sand and the other builds on the rock. We sing the same song I sang as a kid and do all the motions. He likes singing about how the house on the sand goes splat. Owen loves to sing these days. He joined us for worship this morning at church and attempted to sing along even though he didn’t know the words. He later told me that they were singing to us at church and I got to explain that the singing was called worship and that we were all singing to God to say thank you and honor him. I love moments like this and I am excited for many more as he continues to grow. These God moments are my favorite!

Owen loves his stuffed animal, Lamby. He is Owen’s security blanket and best buddy. Our household is in a big Daniel Tiger phase right now. We love the songs and I’m contemplating having Owen be Daniel Tiger for Halloween, but the jury is still out there. Owen is growing out of the terrible twos and I have high hopes that three will be an improvement in attitude. Owen now says “I love you” throughout the day. It melts my heart. I tell him that I love him often and it’s so special to hear him say it now. He gives kisses on the cheek upon request. He is fairly good at saying please and thank you. He also knows to say excuse me when he burps. I’m praying those manners continue to stick as he grows up. If you ask him what his favorite color is he will most likely say green. His favorite food is rice. He loves chocolate milk. He is goofy and creative and says the best things. I could listen to him talk for hours. He now comments on when things are fun. The other day he told Jeremy, “I love eating food with you, Daddy.” Anything that takes place in the past is yesterday – could have been yesterday, last week or a month ago. I’m loving the fact that he is potty trained. He is even dry through the night. The transition to a big boy bed as been amazingly smooth. He stays in bed and doesn’t get up until Jeremy or I come into the room and tell him it’s okay. I am so grateful for that! He has grown up so much this year!

His well check isn’t until November so I don’t have any official stats on him yet. I can tell you that he has been consistently weighing in at 29lbs for some time. I love that he didn’t break 30lbs by age 3. Little lightweight. He is now wearing 4T shirts and 3T (with the waistband cinched up tight). He would prefer to wear pajamas more than anything else. I have taught him well! I love that he still loves footie pajamas. They are his top choice.

There a million small things that make Owen so amazing. I could go on forever about how wonderful he is. He can be strong-willed and zany, but he is equally sweet and kind. I am so glad that God gave him to Jeremy and I. Owen has changed my world and I now can’t imagine my life without him. He is a miracle. I love watching him grow and become himself more and more each day. He is truly a fantastic kid and I am blessed to be his mom! This season of his childhood is the best. I love it!

PS… I don’t think this retry was any shorter than the first! So sorry. I tried. Sort of. Maybe not. The end.

Baby Owen

1 year old!

2 years old!

Good morning birthday boy! Someone special is officially 3!

At the model train show

The model train room at the Historical Museum

Little Train Lover

A leaf!

A quick spin with the bubble mower

Yummy pizza

Make a wish!

Love that smile!

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Birthday Party Weekend with a Health & Home Update October 4, 2016

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 6:41 pm

My last post ended with Jeremy’s upcoming appointment with our family doctor. At that appointment, Jeremy asked to get a referral to a new cardiologist. We wanted to get a second opinion since his first cardiologist couldn’t explain the chest pain Jeremy was having and didn’t seem too concerned with figuring it out. To our surprise, we had an appointment with the new cardiologist in just a few days of asking for the referral.

Friday was a busy day. We found out on Thursday that we would be having our appraisal on Friday. I’m glad we had a little more notice this time. Last time they told us on the day of which wasn’t my favorite thing. We already had plans to be gone on Friday morning to go shopping for the boys’ birthday parties so it worked out well for the appraisal to happen at that time. We thought he would be gone by noon and we arrived home at 12:15pm hoping to put the boys’ down for a nap, but the appraiser was still there! We went and dropped food off at Jeremy’s parent’s house and came back home. The appraiser was still there. Then we ran into Napavine to get lunch and arrived back home at 1:15pm. Thankfully, he was gone at that point, but it threw off our nap plans.

Jeremy’s parents spent Friday afternoon with the boys so we could go down to Vancouver for Jeremy’s second opinion appointment. The doctor was saw was young. He is only a year older than me. He listened to Jeremy’s story and symptoms. He agreed to do an echocardiogram. Jeremy had one a few years ago, but those can be subjective, so the doctor wants to look over one with his own eyes. He is also thinking of doing a CT scan on Jeremy’s chest to see something might be causing the feeling Jeremy has. He is also concerned about Jeremy’s heart rhythm and suggested maybe a long term implanted heart monitor instead of the 30 days monitor that Jeremy is currently wearing (he is almost finished with his 30 days and can mail it back this weekend). While Jeremy wasn’t jazzed about the implanted heart monitor idea, we are thankful for another set of eyes looking things over. October will more tests and follow up appointments. His medical appointments will most likely continue into November, but we are hoping that Jeremy can go back to work at that point (after our two weeks in Kirkland for counseling).

More appointments & a new doctor for the health update, we’ve had our appraisal and are awaiting the results for the home update. Now for the fun stuff! This weekend we celebrated the boys’ upcoming birthdays. October is full of birthdays in our family, so we wanted to do a combined party for Owen & Graham. I also wanted to do it early in the month so it wouldn’t conflict with other birthdays. It was fun to celebrate our almost 3 year old and almost 1 year old. Graham wasn’t too interested in opening presents. Owen assumed all the presents were for him which is kind of true. These boys share everything at this point. No toy is off limits to either of them. The boys got tons of new toys. Our days have been spent playing, playing, playing. Graham loved the frosting on his birthday cupcake, but didn’t get too into the cake part. Owen loved his Thomas cake and Thomas themed party. For one of the parties, we played pin the funnel on Thomas and gave out Thomas tattoos. I love themed parties!

This Saturday is Owen’s actual birthday. We will attend a model train show at our local fairgrounds and go to lunch at Owen’s favorite Chinese restaurant for fried rice. I will make brownies with frosting for his birthday cake. Owen loves to blow out birthday candles so he’ll get another chance at that. He’ll also get a few birthday presents from Jeremy and I. It should be a really fun day.

Now we wait to hear back on the results of our appraisal. I’m praying for better numbers than last time. Once we have the appraisal officially behind us, we should be closing in 7-10 business days. Jeremy & his dad cleared out the 3 rooms we will be moving into. My father-in-law, Bill, has knee surgery tomorrow. I feel bad that we will be moving into his house when he is recovering. Hopefully our crazy family doesn’t slow down his recovery process. However, I have been holding a very tentative view of moving. Ideally our new closing date will be around Friday, October 28^th and possibly moving the weekend of the 22^nd. Obviously nothing is set in stone at this moment. I will admit that I’m not quite sure how all the dates will pan out with counseling out of the area, more doctors’ appointments, moving and closing. Things might pile on top of each other bit… I know that God is in control of all these dates and details. I don’t need to know right now. I just need to focus on today and what is immediately ahead of me. The rest will come in time.

Even in this strange season, I have so much to be thankful for. I am blessed by our family and friends who showed up and loved on our boys this weekend. I am thankful for all the time we’ve gotten to spend as a family of four. I’ve loved having Jeremy home and so have the boys. They have no clue what is going on with Jeremy’s health so all they see is the positive of having their dad around all the time. Jeremy and I have always been a great team. We worked together well professionally and now that translates into parenting together. Some women have told me they could never work with their spouse, that they need that time apart during the day. I, however, can spend almost every waking minute with Jeremy and never grow tired of him. I love him so much. I love our life together. That is why figuring out his health is so important to me. I want him to be healthy so our family has decades upon decades with him. He means so much to me and the boys. We couldn’t ask for a better husband and father. While this medical leave and time away from work hasn’t been an easy one for our family, I am grateful for the time we’ve spent together. I will look back on this season and know that we faced it together as a family, full of love, full of hope. There is so much good in the midst of the hard. God is in all of it and we are thankful.

This kid is too cute!

Making hot dogs and smores on the burn pile at the property

Party shopping

The birthday boys

3&1

Party #1

Party #2

Hitting Toy’R’Us for the birthday balloon and a car seat upgrade for Graham

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What Day Is It? August 27, 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

Having a little fun at Graham’s expense

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

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

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

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Not So Healthy August 22, 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Homemade banana bread! Yum!

Graham really liked my banana bread

Owen was not so into it…

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Owen’s Mystery Illness August 21, 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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