Travels | Amy Scott's Thoughts

The Unofficial Official Start of Summer May 30, 2023

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 1:40 pm

I realize that the official start of summer isn’t until June 21st. We’ve unofficially (but officially) started our summer! The boys wrapped up their school curriculum last week and we are now in summer mode. It feels good to have 36 weeks of school completed and in the record books. We don’t ever fully break for summer, though. We just scale back our school over the summer. This means the boys will do about 30-60 minutes of school work about four days a week. It’s a super flexible schedule and keeps their minds engaged over the summer months. In the past, we’ve done between grade workbooks as a our summer school, but we’re changing it up this year. Graham will continue to focus on his reading program and Owen will do a slow start of his school books for next year. The goal is for Owen to be roughly two weeks ahead in all his subjects by the start of our school year at the end of August. Graham might also get ahead if he is motivated. We’ll see!

It’s really been too long since I last updated you on the happenings of our crazy crew. Oops! You’ll find that I’m short on words today and heavy on pictures. The recap of our life looks something like this… Jeremy went out of town for a men’s conference. The boys had a sleepover in my room with a movie night. We got pizza and visited Silver Lake, the Mt. St. Helen’s Visitor Center, and Seaquest State Park in Castle Rock, WA. Grandpa & Grandma joined us for that adventure. We got donuts one day and went down to the empty church parking lot for bike riding and scootering. We had a cavity-free dentist appointment. We wrapped up school and co-op on the same day. We visited NW Trek with family to celebrate my nephew becoming a teenager. We visited our sweet GG (Great-Grandma) and the boys got to share their love of birds with her. We’ve a had sunny park playdate with friends. We’ve also had friends over to swim in our pool. The weather has been sunny and dry so we’ve been outside often. It’s been delightful! May has been a lovely month!

Here is the recap in pictures!

Movie night and sleepover in Mom’s room while Dad is away

Papa Pete’s Pizza with Grandpa & Grandma

Birding at Silver Lake with Mt. St. Helens in the background

What a wonderful view of Silver Lake and Mt. St. Helens

When your driveway is made of gravel, sometimes you have to find some pavement to ride!

Cheers to summer! I gave the other co-op moms a small appreciation gift for the end of the co-op school year.

End of school rewards: Graham rediscovered Ryan toys and Owen selected a 6.5lbs. bird book!

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Conferencing April 22, 2023

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Children's Ministry,Family Time,Travels,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 3:36 pm

The antibiotics I mentioned last Friday kicked in and did the trick! I was well enough on Saturday to start a full week of conferencing. Last Saturday, our church offered an all-day parenting conference. I wasn’t sure if my throat would heal in time for me to attend, but it did! Being a homeschool mom has scaled back my ministry participation, so it was nice to jump into a one day event and be a support to our pastoral team. The conference was a full day with breaks for parents to discuss what they heard and make intentional plans forward. We received many positive comments from those who attended. It’s always a joy to equip and encourage parents. This is where world changers are formed – in our homes, with our parenting! The investment in our families has an astounding ripple affect. It’s neat to be a part of something much bigger than I can see and understand in this moment.

After the full day at the parenting conference, our family packed up on Sunday and took off for another conference. The boys got a “spring break” with Nana and Papa while Jeremy and I attended a ministry conference with our Assemblies of God network of ministers in Idaho. We are so thankful for Nana and Papa! They gave our boys an awesome experience while we were at both the parenting conference and Network Conference. We couldn’t have achieved all this conferencing without their support! Coeur d’Alene, ID is a beautiful location for a conference. We enjoyed eating out with our pastoral team, connecting with other children’s pastors, and learning from engaging and challenging speakers. My favorite moments of the conference were slipping away for time with just Jeremy. We don’t get a lot of kid-free time, so it was a treat to have a few “date” like moments for ourselves in the midst of the conference. My favorite times were walking around the park near our hotel and taking a hike along the lake. It was so nice to get out of our seats and stretch our legs. The hike along the lake was delightful and the fresh air (though chilly) was invigorating!

Now our family is back together and settled at home. I had book club last night, which is always a highlight of my month. I’ve had plenty of laundry to tackle and just general resettling to do around the house. The boys purchased Uno Attack and Uno All Wilds yesterday, so we’ve been alternating between variations of Uno and Wingspan at the dining room table. It feels good to be home! The margin for rest is appreciated. Between holidays, illness, and travels, all our social plans have landed in this coming week. I, personally, need to recharge before we tackle the week ahead. I’m thankful for the buffer this weekend offers before we dive into more good stuff!

I packed 5 books with me on this trip! Good thing we didn’t fly. I would have been over the weight limit, for sure!

This chilly hike might have been my favorite part of the week! It started to snow on us at the end, but worth it!

Jeremy and I each got a personal sized “Gooey” at the hotel restaurant. They are known from their over the top ice cream desserts!

Home time = Game time! The boys are loving the cardholders they made with Nana.

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A Little March Madness… March 23, 2023

Filed under: Family Time,Travels,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 2:48 pm

The title of this blog has a double meaning. Yes, we do the whole March Madness thing around here. Jeremy and I select our own brackets. This year the boys are sharing a bracket. Owen, especially, takes the brackets seriously. We have them printed on the counter with a yellow and red highlighter to mark wins and losses. As someone who doesn’t follow basketball at all, it never shocks me when my bracket is a bust. But it’s fun to guess and see how the cookie crumbles…

The other madness of March is not sports related. St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday my kids love to celebrate. I’ve tried to make it less of a “thing” this year, but some traditions have taken deep root. Leprechaun traps were made. Some minor mystical shenanigans ensued… Owen tried a Shamrock Shake from McDonald’s for the first time. He is my mint kid so I wanted to see his thoughts. He didn’t love it but he was fascinated with the color. I, on the other hand, had no problem sucking my green drink down in a matter of minutes. (Side note: Shamrock Shakes are as close as you’ll get me to a “green drink.” Don’t follow my blog for nutritional value.)

St. Patrick’s Day also coincided with a women’s conference I was invited to attend in Tacoma. I spent Friday morning with my family before adventuring off with my forever friend, Christa. We checked into our hotel, grabbed an early dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, and took a walk around a lake at a local park. It was a beautiful day in the PNW and it was lovely to be outside. It was a treat to find little piece of nature in the city to take a walk. The food, walking, and talking are some of my highlights of our time together. It’s a trifecta when you get a good friend, tasty food, and a beautiful day all at the same time! Another dear friend of mine was the conference organizer so part of attending the conference was to cheer her on and see the fruit of her labor. The sessions we attended were fantastic and I’m so proud of my friend for pouring her heart into so many women. Watching her shine (and seeing shine Jesus through her) was a joy!

An unforeseen thing happened Friday evening which changed my conference plans. Jeremy texted saying that my uncle was bringing my grandma down to visit on Saturday (technically, to visit my dad, but since we’re neighbors, it pretty much the same thing). It had been too long since I seen my sweet grandma. In fact, Friday morning I told my mom I was trying find a time to visit her soon. The chance to see GG in my neck of the woods was good to pass up. Christa completely understood and graciously allowed me to cut our conference time short so I could get home to my family. I arrived home with enough time to tidy up after my bachelor boys and then invite my family over a visit. My aunt and cousin joined the road trip as well and it was my first time for my aunt to visit our house. We love giving the house tour and sharing our space with others. It was a fun surprise! My only sadness was missing part of the conference. Maybe next year I’ll shoot for perfect attendance. You never know with life, though. Plans find a way of changing. Am, I right? Overall it was a great mix of friendship and family with a dash of holiday cheer all in one weekend.

Then things went a little haywire… Last week, after Graham’s weekend flu, Jeremy went down with the same bug. After 5+ days of being symptom-free, I thought Owen and I were in the clear. Apparently, we came into contact with something similar at church on Sunday, because on Monday evening, it was Owen and I’s turn to go down with the flu. Now all four of us have had it. Such a bummer! The good news is, apart from missing co-op, we’ve had a quiet week to rest and recover. It was no problem to catch up on up on the missed day of school. Our fun weekend plans are still on because we are back to our normal selves. It’s sad that it happened, but it happened at the “best” time possible.

Now that we’ve said good-bye to the March flu, we are excited to dive into Jeremy’s birthday weekend! Lots of fun plans and celebrations are ahead of us. We are excited to honor our favorite guy and give him the attention he deserves. Birthdays are a big deal in our household, so we can’t wait for birthday weekend to officially begin. Time to party!

Played a game of Wingspan before leaving on St. Patrick’s Day. I used only green eggs to be on theme.

So fun to getaway with my forever friend, Christa!

Loving a bit of nature on a beautiful PNW day

Christa’s friendship is such a treasure! She was a fabulous conference buddy!

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Gingerbread and Snowflakes December 14, 2022

Filed under: Family Time,Getting Creative,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 7:05 pm

We are officially on Christmas break! Christmas traditions, festive foods, time with friends and family. Bring it on! Actually, as you can guess, we’ve been in full holiday season mode this whole month. It’s just nice to take school out of the mix for a bit. I love homeschooling my boys, but this teacher is ready for a rest! The kids might be a little excited, too. They worked extra hard this week so they could start their break today instead of tomorrow. We’re all ready for a change of pace.

Some of the festivities this week revolved around gingerbread. Every year we buy the gingerbread house kit from Costco. Owen informed me it’s actually a gingerbread mansion. (It’s important to get these details correct.) I love this kit because the house (aka mansion) comes pre-assembled. No struggles with structural integrity. Hallelujah! We always purchase the kit in November to make sure it doesn’t go out of stock and the kids beg to do it right away. Waiting for December is hard. This Friday was a home day and the perfect day to dive into our gingerbread kit. My favorite part is Jeremy’s icing snowman that literally melted within minutes of him making it. It feels very authentic and a unique touch. More fun with gingerbread this week included decorating gingerbread cookies with friends and a foam gingerbread house craft for school. I’m hoping to make some gingerbread myself in the next week or so. Graham is my cinnamon kid so he is just as excited as I am for this spicy, sweet treat!

Now for the snowflake bit of the week. On Saturday, we traveled up The Bellevue Collection to watch Snowflake Lane with friends. We love this parade filled with music, dancing, costumes, special lights, and (my favorite part) snow! Well, the snow is actually soap, but the effect makes me so happy that I don’t mind it’s not the real deal. We don’t make it up to Snowflake Lane every year, so it’s always a special celebration. This was our second time meeting friends for the event and that makes it even more festive. This time we met early enough to have dinner together and then grab treats from Starbucks before finding our spot on the road. Saturday was a rainy PNW day, but thankfully, it dried up in time for main event. A visit to Snowflake Lane is always a favorite Christmas experience. “Snow” much fun!

Another highlight of the week included Graham losing his second tooth. He swallowed his first lost tooth and now his second one went down the drain! What are the odds? The kid hasn’t been able to leave a tooth for Tooth Fairy yet. Thankfully, he handled the loss well. He doesn’t care too much about the tooth as long as a dollar is the end result. Turns out the Tooth Fairy is very understanding of mishaps like this. She’s a sweetie!

I love this time of year! Christmas cards are collecting on the fridge. Christmas music is often playing the background. The yummy treats and special gatherings make each week feel like a party. One day last week, I saw a post on social media with the message “hold on to your peace” in reference to this time of year. Then the very same statement was in the devotional I read with the boys at the start of school. When a message repeats itself in my day (this time within the hour), I know it’s not a coincidence, it’s the Holy Spirit. The holiday season can get anyone amped up and stressed out – myself included. I can get overwhelmed and let anxiety rule my thoughts unless I’m intentional to hold on to my peace. We’re coming off of a busy season and I can’t say peace has been my priority. Heading into this break, I hope to schedule a little less activity and let myself (and my family) rest. The holidays don’t have to be a mad dash through a Christmas calendar obstacle course. I’m hoping to keep peace in mind as we celebrate over the next few weeks. I hope you can do the same. Merry Almost Christmas!

An Introvert in her December habitat – hot chocolate, Christmas novel, fake fire with instrumental Christmas music, and white lights on the tree. Very *peaceful*!

Threw together a batch of Christmas cookies for the scavenger hunt. This is around two of Christmas cookies with hopefully one or two more baking sessions to come.

We braved the mall in December for Snowflake Lane (and got a Mickey Mouse calendar).

Red Cups and family adventures with my forever friend!

How my kids decorate cookies… Abstract art…???

Now for the foam version… the gingerbread theme was strong this week!

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The Many Adventures of October! October 23, 2022

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 4:07 pm

October is such a fun month for our family! Our adventures this week included a chocolate fountain at our church growth group, a birthday meal with family, Graham’s 7th birthday, a trip to the Oregon Zoo, hosting book club, and pumpkin carving! The whole month feels like one adventure after the next. It’s been a bit of a pace – keeping up with all the good times. I love all the activities of October, but I also look forward to the hibernation vibes of November. We’ve had an unseasonably warm and sunny October. It’s been perfect for adventuring! Now the rain moves in this week and I’m honestly ready for it. Give me a reason to hunker down at home. I’m all for it!!!

Chocolate fountain at church! Then the kids got to bounce off their energy in the bounce houses.

Celebrating a belated birthday for Papa and an early birthday for Graham!

Graham started his birthday with a candle and a song!

I loved sharing cookies, cider, and books on Friday night. It was my turn to host book club and I went for all the fall vibes!

Owen’s Bowser pumpkin! This year we carved our homegrown pumpkins. Owen and I helped clean out the pumpkins, but Jeremy was the MVP who did all the carving magic!

Graham’s Goomba! Graham supervised most of the pumpkin carving, but wasn’t into getting his hands dirty.

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First Co-Op Field Trip October 15, 2022

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 5:24 pm

We had our first co-op field trip this last week. We visited the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery in Salkum, WA. It was super educational. I was surprised by how hands-on and informational it was. I’m not sure what I expected, but it surpassed my apparently low-bar expectations. We started the experience by watching the salmon get sorted at the top of the fish ladder. All the kids who wanted to participate got to help sort the salmon. Owen loved the experience and declared he could see himself sorting salmon when he grows up. Graham did not want to sort the salmon. That’s okay, too.

After sorting the salmon, we learned about the complete lifecycle of a salmon. From there, we went to feed the fry, which I learned are small salmon. The kids got to grab a handful of fish food and toss it into the tank. All the fry made the water splash as they gobbled up their meal. We all reacted to the feeding frenzy. I didn’t watch the last part of the presentation too closely. There is a viewing window in the visitor center where you can watch the employees harvest the eggs of the spawning salmon. This process was explained very well and the kids were fascinated. I just didn’t need the visual!

We played around with the visitor center displays for a while after the tour ended. Soon, it was lunchtime and part of our group made our way down to the river shore to eat sack lunches on logs. The kids wrapped up our field trip by throwing all sorts of rocks and sticks into the river. Nothing quite like being kid – throwing rocks into the river on a sunny day. Life is full of simple pleasures.

Field trips are one of my favorite parts of homeschooling. I love adventuring with my boys. We all learned so much at the salmon hatchery. It was an unforgettable experience. The rest of our week has been quieter. The boys combined their birthday money to buy the biggest LEGO set they’ve ever had. 1,216 pieces. It took them about 24 hours to complete it (with sleep in the middle, obviously). They are so proud of themselves! We had friends over for tacos last night. I attended a baby shower today. Tomorrow we’ll do a chocolate fountain and inflatbles with our church growth group. We are thankful for friends, community, field trips, and October sunshine!

Graham would only touch the plastic salmon…

So excited for the biggest LEGO set they’ve ever built!

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Sunriver Sunshine & Owen’s Birthday! October 8, 2022

Filed under: Family Time,Travels — Amy Scott @ 6:33 pm

We just got back from a wonderful vacation to Sunriver, OR this last week. We visited the Sunriver Resort four years ago and absolutely loved our time there. Since Graham was two at the time, he had no memories of that trip. We decide it was time to visit again and make new memories.

When we arrived at Sunriver Resort, we discovered the condo we rented was right next door to the one we stayed in last time. It felt very familiar and welcoming. On our first day there, we hit the Cove (aka the pool) and took a twilight bike ride. Uncle Eric gifted the boys lights for their bike tires and we put them to good use that evening!

The next day, we took off for Crater Lake. Graham had never been there and Owen couldn’t remember his visit at 20 months old. It’s no secret, we love national parks. The week before our trip, the boys worked on Crater Lake Junior Ranger books so they could get their badges in the park. The weather was perfect! The sky was blue and the water was even bluer!

When we got back to the resort, Jeremy and I rented bikes so we could take family rides on the paved trails that weave all around the resort. Honestly, I was very nervous about riding bikes on this trip. It had been over 20 years since I’d ridden a bike and I wasn’t sure it really comes back to you. Fortunately, it did! We didn’t start small to break me in. Instead, we went for a five mile ride around the river loop. It was a beautiful ride and I’m so thankful that I was able to do it (especially without injury). We wrapped up our day at the pool. We stayed till dark and got to view the sun fade while hopping between the indoor and outdoor pools.

Lava Butte was our first destination the following day. We walked the path around the cinder cone and then took a walk through the lava fields below. It seems our vacation was really a geology field trip. After a volcanic morning, we went into Bend for lunch and shopping. Our afternoon included another family bike ride. This time to the resort playground. We returned our bikes after that ride and went for ice cream and souvenir shopping in The Village at Sunriver. We went to the Cove for our final swim, only to discovered that it was closed. Such a bummer, but we changed plans quickly. We went back to play at the park and then we grabbed a sweet treat to eat by the fire pits behind the Sunriver Lodge.

We were so sad to pack up and leave our Wildflower condo on Thursday, but we left with so many good memories! We loved our volcano adventures, our biking, our swimming, our relaxing at the condo. The whole trip was wonderful! I would have never guessed many years ago that outdoorsy vacations would be my thing, but my boys have certainly changed me in the best ways. Our final stop on the way home was Smith Rock State Park. We made this a quick stop to take in the view and look for rock climbers.

Which leads me to today! It’s Owen’s 9th birthday! Halfway to adulthood! Yikes! After such a full week, Owen requested a chill birthday. He wanted pizza, cake, and video games. He, especially, wanted to participate in his island birthday party on Animal Crossing. Usually, we try to do big, special family adventures on birthdays, but I agree with Owen on this one. It was nice to have a laid back day at home.

Birthday month has treated us well so far! From family celebrations, to roller-skating, to vacation, to chilling at home! It’s been good. So good! We are only one week into the month! Still lots more fun to be had!

Settling into our condo! Owen fell in love with that pillow and kept it by his side when we were at the condo.

We called this slide the polar plunge! It was freezing!

Walking around the Lave Butte cinder cone

Looking for rock climbers at Smith Rock State Park

Owen’s birthday requests – Animal Crossing, pizza, and chocolate cake!

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Sailing Through September September 24, 2022

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 3:46 pm

We are swiftly sailing through September. The month has disappeared in what feels like a blink. I’m not used to the pace we’ve been keeping. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that the last week of September is upon us. The good news is October is my favorite month and it’s full of fun. While I’m baffled that September is almost over, I’m very happy to welcome October soon! Autumn adventures are the best and now I can fully revel in all that is fall!

My last post found us in the thick of hunting season for Jeremy (and the boys) and a conference for me. Prepping for a conference with Jeremy out in the woods wasn’t always ideal. Thankfully, Jeremy had the boys with him a few times so I could practice for my workshop without kid chaos in the background. The boys love tagging along during hunting season. While I had girl time during the conference, they had boy time in the woods. Win-win.

The day after the conference, Jeremy and I dropped the boys off with Nana & Papa so we could attend a staff retreat with the church team. The turnaround of conference prep, attending the conference, packing for a trip (for the kids and myself), and curating school (so Nana could substitute teach) meant I came into the retreat worn out. Fortunately, there was plenty of time for this introvert to recharge in the schedule. It was a good mix of conversation and connection while still finding time to be quiet with a book and journal. My highlights were our conversations about the Enneagram (which I adore), our rides on the golf carts to and from meals, and taking morning walks with the sun shining on the Columbia River.

We got home on Wednesday and I had Thursday set aside as a recovery day. We still did school, but the rest of the day was very chill. Jeremy took the boys out for the final evening hunt of elk season. I was able to recharge enough on Thursday so we could adventure out on Friday. We met some friends at the Ape Caves yesterday for some spelunking. We hiked our way through the more challenging cave and did another hike at Lava Canyon. I didn’t feel it yesterday, but I can tell today I climbed over boulders yesterday. It was a very fun outing and I got a chuckle that on a beautifully sunny day, we went underground for our recreation.

September sure has kept us busy. It’s been good, but I’m tired! I’ve been able to rest more today. A quiet home day is doing wonders for my soul. It’s the small things like working through the laundry, making mac & cheese, and sitting down with a book that fills me up. God has been so good to sustain me through this non-stop month. I’m certainly ready for things to slow down a bit!

Hunting buddies! I love the memories they are making out in the woods.

Afternoon free time means introvert recharge time. Nothing like reading a book surrounded by pillows on a comfy bed.

Caves might not ever be my happy place, but they are cool!

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The Many Adventures of September September 11, 2022

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 2:09 pm

I always think September is going to be a month of getting back into routine after the hubbub of summer… But in reality, September isn’t that month. Each week is different and it makes finding our normal tricky. I looked at the calendar yesterday and realized that our first normal week in September is the last one! It’s always like this though… the things that make September zany are annual events. I should see this coming, but alas, I’m surprised every year! So October… November… those are my fall into routine months! The bonus of being in our third of homeschooling is that we fell back into our school routine fairly easily. Muscle memory kicked in and we’ve picked up where we left off. It’s taken way less energy to get back into the swing of school than in years past. I am grateful for that. And as much as I wish September would be more chill, I am thankful for the many adventures of September!

Let’s recap our excitement for the last week. Over Labor Day weekend the boys had a sleepover with their cousins. They’ve been asking for this sleepover since May and we finally made it happen. Jeremy and I got a hotel room nearby. It was Graham’s first sleepover (other than with grandparents) and we wanted to be close by in case he needed us (which he didn’t). Jeremy and I were able to enjoy dinner and breakfast without the kids. It was a win-win for the kids and the parents.

We kicked off our homeschool co-op with rocket launches this week. Jeremy helped facilitate the launching and families came with their rockets ready to fly. This was the third year we’ve used our silver rocket and it’s now basically held together by packing tape. It’s lived a long life and seen many a launch. The kids always love this activity and it was a fun way to kick off our co-op year.

Bikes have played a big part in our week. Graham mastered riding without training wheels! We also upgraded the kids to bigger bikes since they have outgrown theirs. The new bikes are actually birthday presents for our October birthday boys. We gave them their present late last year (Disneyland in November), so why not give them their present a month early this year? The main reason we opted for early gifting is we’re taking a trip this fall and we wanted the kids to be comfortable on their bigger bikes before we travel. They are definitely ready to hit the trails!

The final highlight of our week was a field trip to the Tillamook Creamery and a stop by Hug Point (beach). We love to have family adventures on Fridays! Our fall field trips are some of my favorites. We can enjoy the last bit of summer and the good weather that seems to stay through October. Winter field trips are limited to inside, so it’s nice to get outside while we can. We watched them package three different types of cheese at the creamery. It’s always exciting to see what is being processed. On Friday, it was Monterey jack, sharp cheddar, and pepper jack. We went through the sample line (possibly twice) and had ice cream for lunch. Our time at Hug Point was spent cooling off in the ocean and exploring the rocks and caves. We even found a small waterfall! It was an excellent field trip!

Wow! We packed a lot into one week! More adventures still to come!

Riding off into the sunset without training wheels!

Hot Tub Club – We let the kids swim at our hotel before the sleepover.

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The Not-So-Staycation August 27, 2022

Filed under: Family Time,Travels — Amy Scott @ 2:11 pm

Jeremy took this last week off from work and we had a family staycation. Instead of chilling at home, we were out and about a good part of our staycation. With June’s weather being so wet and July being quieter than expected, we’ve crammed all of our summer into August. Specifically, the last two weeks of August. While we’ve been home in time for evening swim lessons, we’ve been out exploring during the day. Sort of burning the candle at both ends. We unintentionally decided to end summer by going BIG with our activities. Here’s a look that what we’ve been up to:

Hiking at Mt. Rainier National Park – Jeremy has declared Mt. Rainier a summer tradition. Now that our boys are older, the tradition includes what feels like scaling the mountain (at least to my incline-adverse legs). This year, we went hiking on the Sunrise side of the mountain. We took the trail from Sunrise up past Frozen Lake and halfway to the Mt. Fremont Fire Lookout. Our goal was to find mountain goats and we ended up spotting dozens (one very close). We also got a close-up look at a fox who had just eaten a ground squirrel and was settling in for a nap. Chipmunks, squirrels, and a lone marmot round out our animal sightings. On our way home, we stopped at the Ohanapecosh Visitor Center. We took the mile long nature trail past the hot springs. It was interesting to find hot springs on the mountain. Spoiler alert, they were pretty small (so don’t think Yellowstone).
The Oregon Coast – It’s not summer without a trip to the beach! COVID cancelled our original beach trip in July, so we were so ready for a day at the ocean! We started the day off at Pig’N’Pancake in Astoria for breakfast. Then it was off to Cannon Beach to play near Haystack Rock. Lunch was at Mo’s and we made a stop at the candy store and the bakery before leaving town. For our afternoon activities, we did a quick visit to Fort Clatsop and Fort Stevens. The kids picked up Junior Ranger booklets that we hope to work on this weekend and redeem for badges. Dinner was Fultano’s Pizza in Clatskanie. We like to eat and play at the beach in equal parts!
Tolmie State Park – One of my goals this summer was to hike some local trails. Tolmie State Park was on this list. Located on the Puget Sound, we arrived at low tide and were able to explore the wet sand and puddles. We spotted plenty of little crabs which delighted Owen. Graham would have happily hiked there longer, but this was a shorter outing for us. It was nice to mix in a smaller outing among the bigger ones. It was fun to explore a new place and the kids have already requested we visit again – maybe at high tide next time.
The Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium – Our library gave the kids free tickets to the zoo as a part of the summer reading program. The zoo was on our summer bucket list and the free tickets were a nice bonus. The weather was perfect for the zoo – overcast and cool. We saw almost all the animals and enjoyed the lunchtime animal show. To make this outing even sweeter, we met up with my forever friend, Maggie, and her kids. Graham’s favorite animals were the red wolves and Owen liked the sea otters. I loved seeing the penguins and Jeremy kept trying to get the lemurs to “talk” (which was quite loud and aggressive sounding).
Owen Beach – After the zoo, we went over to Owen Beach in Point Defiance Park. Our Owen obviously loves the name of this beach and he claims it as his own. This rocky beach on the Puget Sound is perfect for throwing stones or balancing on driftwood. There are plenty of boats to watch and a new “natural” play space that was recently added while the park was closed for updates.
Millersylvania State Park – On our way home from Tacoma, we stopped at Millersylvania State Park for a quick hike and swim. We’ve been keeping swim clothes and towels in the van “just in case” and this seemed like the perfect time to make it happen. This state park was also on the summer bucket list, so we were able to check off one more activity.

The boys wrapped up this epic week with a sleepover in Owen’s room last night! We tried to squeeze every last bit of summery goodness out of this month. We’ve planned an intentionally quieter (quiet-ish?) weekend so we can be ready for school to start on Monday. It’s crazy to believe that we are in the final weekend of summer. It’s going to be a bit of a shock next week. Our schedule feels like it’s taking a complete 180 degree turn. I’m not sure I’m ready for it… but here we go. From one adventure to the next.