Travels | Amy Scott's Thoughts

September Sports and Adventures! September 18, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats,Travels — Amy Scott @ 6:10 pm

I used to believe that September was a chill month where we’d fall back into our school year routine and everything settled down. Haha! It’s been years since I’ve held those false assumptions. Going back-to-school certainly does change our calendar, but September is not calm or quiet. Expectations and assumptions can be tricky little things. Now that I have more realistic understanding of September, I enjoy it so much more! Funny how that works.

We tried something new this September. We did a week of swimming lessons with our local homeschool sports group. It had been a few years since we’d done swimming lessons. Graham had just learned to swim when we stopped taking them and Owen loves to improve his strokes and diving techniques. We figured a little more practice and skill improvement couldn’t hurt. This was our first time doing swimming lessons with this group and it was a new location for us. The boys were nervous about the unknown, but once they got into the water, they were all smiles!

Since we aren’t apart of a co-op this year, we plan to lean into the offerings of our homeschool sports group. After a week of swimming, the boys kicked off soccer season this week. They’ll have six weeks at the soccer fields building skills, running out energy, and playing with friends. Graham even scored the first goal of the game on Tuesday! I’m grateful that this homeschool group allows us to experience team sports with a very manageable weekly commitment.

A few of our friends moved to a new co-op this year. While we aren’t able to join that group on a weekly basis, we’ve been invited to tagalong for field trips. Our first field trip with them was on Friday to the Oregon Zoo. This is one of our favorite places to visit and the group discount was amazing! Our boys enjoyed going around the zoo with friends. The weather was perfect and we saw so many of our favorite animals, including baby elephant, Tula-Tu! We made it to a keeper presentation for a South American porcupine that was also pretty neat. The zoo is always a wonderful field trip!

September is also hunting season. Jeremy and the boys have been out looking for elk to fill the freezer. The elk have been elusive this year, but the list of critters they come home seeing is pretty long. The highlight is all the different kinds of owls they’ve seen this month. Owen loves the hiking and the critters. He is very motivated by the idea of meat in the freezer. Graham enjoys the animals and time with family, but he is less interested in the hunting aspect. It’s a great nature walk and father/son bonding experience.

I’ve kept busy this month with school, the house, and coordinating the calendar. While the boys were out hunting on Saturday, I attended a women’s conference at our church. The worship and speaker were encouraging and it was nice be with other women (since I’m usually with the kids ministry). I attended a holiday themed workshop filled with tasty treats to sample. Yum! I led a crafting and conversations workshop in the afternoon. It was a good day. We also kicked off our Christmas musical practice on Sundays at church. I’m back to clicking through lyric slides and learning the music alongside the kids. It’s a fun season in children’s church!

As you can see, September is not a low-key month! But… at this moment, my menfolk are in the woods for the final hunt of the month. Rosie, the Roomba, is vacuuming my house. I have a few more steps to reach my daily goal. I hope to nibble on a slice of pumpkin bundt cake and start a new book. Not a bad way to spend a September evening, if you ask me. There are a few chill moments to be found in September!

Friday field trips are a family favorite!

Last week it was Krispy Kreme and now Nothing Bundt Cakes. Give me all the pumpkin spice treats, please!

New fall décor for the fireplace! So fun to have a new space to decorate!

Loving this new wooden book stack! Give me all the bookish décor and add a pumpkin! Perfect!

The mighty hunters off for a nature walk!

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That Fall Feeling! September 6, 2025

Filed under: Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats,Travels — Amy Scott @ 11:07 am

September is here and with it all the fall feels! This is my favorite time of year. The sights, sounds, and smells of fall just can’t be beat. I tried to wait to decorate the house until September, but I could hear the siren song coming from my autumn tote in the garage! I started with a gradual transition to fall in the house. Because we hosted a dinner with friends on August 30th, I simply switched some household items out for orange ones – orange throw pillows in the living room, an orange hand towel in the kitchen, a tissue box with orange highlights. I figured with no pumpkins in sight, this was an acceptable start to my fall decorating in August. Fall color was already outside my window, so it didn’t feel too early to bring it inside.

The next day, I pulled down my tote and got to work. Decorating for autumn this year is happening in stages. I don’t love the delay, but I’m trying to be patient. We added a new bookcase and fireplace to our living room last winter and now I have more places to spread seasonal cheer. Our current décor didn’t fill in the space as well as I had hoped. I was able to pick up a few more decorations at Hobby Lobby yesterday and I ordered my final pieces online. I’m hoping in the next week or so, I’ll have our living space settled. I can’t wait!

Decorating for fall is a huge part of my mental shift for the new school year. When my house feels like fall I transition back to school to better. It’s a visual cue that summer is over and with it the summer schedule. Time to get back to our school year routine! The boys started 4th and 6th grade on Tuesday. We are continuing to homeschool and our first week of school went well. If they can continue with this momentum, I see an excellent school year ahead of us!

We had our first field trip of the school year yesterday. Fort Vancouver has been on my field trip list for years and I was determined to make it happen this year. I’m glad I did, because it was such a fantastic outing. The boys were given clipboards to answer questions around the fort. Each building was set up authentically with staff in costume ready to explain how the space was used in the 1800’s. When the boys turned their clipboards in with the park ranger, they were awarded Junior Ranger badges. If you’ve been around this blog for a while, you know our family loves the National Park Junior Ranger program. We also got Graham’s 4th grade national parks pass through the Every Kid Outdoors program. We are ready for more national park adventures this year!

It’s a dark and stormy day here in our little corner of the PNW. I woke up to lightning and thunder. My hubby is out in the woods elk hunting at the moment. Now that the storms have moved through, I feel better about him being outdoors. The boys and I are enjoying some downtime and Owen hopes to head out with Jeremy this evening for his own nature walk with Jeremy. I enjoyed a tasty pumpkin spice doughnut from Krispy Kreme for breakfast and I may have a Costco pumpkin pie in my fridge. My obsession with pumpkin strong! My recent Scentsy order arrived yesterday with pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, and vanilla scented bars. Curating the fall feels involves all the senses. I’m here for it! All of it!

Our September schedule will be full this month. Back to school, a week of swim lessons, soccer kick-off, church commitments, adventures with friends, and appointments are filling the calendar. I used to think September would slow down with back to school, but I now realize we don’t “chill” until November when the rains move in. But no matter the pace, our home will be an autumn haven of good things! I’m embracing September and all the fall feels. Time cozy up with a good book and a slice of pie.

Bethel Staff Ping Pong Tournament: Jeremy made it to the final four. I participated, but was out right away. No shock there.

Triple Berry Crisp with homegrown raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Yum!

Bought just a few pumpkin things yesterday!

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Summer Beach Getaway! August 25, 2025

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats,Travels — Amy Scott @ 2:10 pm

Just one week until we head back to our regular school year schedule! We enjoyed the slower pace of summer school in June and July. We really enjoyed taking the month off in August. But alas, the school year is quickly approaching! It’s crazy how fast summer goes. I remember feeling that way as a kid and now as a parent it seems magnified. I’m trying my best to make the most of those 18 childhood summers!

We had one final “hurrah” of summer last week. We took off to the Washington coast for a few days. Grandpa and Grandma now have a beach place. A new spot to make family memories together. We enjoyed our time there for the 4th of July and we were eagerly anticipating more time in August. Our days at the beach were a good mix of activity and rest. Our crew was getting over the summer camp sniffles, so stamina wasn’t quite 100%, but that didn’t keep us down. We were at the beach every evening. The boys playing the waves, getting all sandy and wet. Jeremy and the boys took morning walks each day while I got ready at a slower pace.

On Monday, we went mini-golfing in Long Beach. This was one of Graham’s summer bucket list items. We got there right when it opened and had the whole place to ourselves! We grabbed some lunch in town and then explored the kite festival happenings down at the beach. The kites were super cool to watch and Graham was thrilled to see a vendor selling churros as we walked down to the beach. Monday was really his day. After the kite festival, Jeremy surprised us all by suggesting we go to the arcade. The kids had a blast! I even played a couple of games. We got home mid-afternoon and crashed at the beach house for some rest. We enjoyed an evening trip to the beach and then a Scoopers run for ice cream. It was a great day in Long Beach.

Monday was our town day and Tuesday was our nature day! We hiked a couple trails at the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. Visiting the refuge was on Owen’s bucket list. While he didn’t see as many birds as he hoped, we did enjoy time on the trails. The only downside of the morning was Graham got stung by a wasp. The best way to recover from a bee sting was cookies as the local bakery! After our time at the wildlife refuge, we went to Cape Disappointment State Park. We have visited the North Head Lighthouse before and this time the trail to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse was open (it’s been closed in the past). We decided to explore a new trail and lighthouse. The view from the lighthouse was fantastic and the boys enjoyed our stop at Dead Man’s Cove. Not a pretty name, but a very pretty beach! Once our legs were done with hiking, we did a repeat of Monday – back to the house to rest for part of the afternoon, dinner, and then a trip to the beach. We wrapped up Tuesday with backyard smores and a beautiful sunset!

Wednesday was our final day at the beach. We spent the morning tidying up the house and packing. We had lunch at Chico’s, the local pizza place. Our kids love pizza so it was a must to find good pizza on the peninsula. Thankfully, Chico’s was kid-approved! I’m sure we’ll be back. We made one last stop at the kite festival on the way out of town. The event had filled in more since our Monday visit. After we left Long Beach, we took off for Fort Stevens on the Oregon Coast. The kids hadn’t visited Shipwreck Beach in years and they wanted to see it again. We also explored the ruins of Fort Stevens. I have such good childhood memories running around the batteries at Fort Stevens. It made my heart so happy to see my boys enjoying it just as much as I did. We’ve taken them before, but it had been years, so it was all fresh and new to them. We learned a bit of WWI and WWII history, but the coolest part was visiting the Earthworks which was built during the Civil War. I’ve always assumed the west coast doesn’t have much civil war history, so it was fascinating to discover a piece of it so close by. I love when adventures can also be educational. Yes, I’m such a homeschool mom!

The kiddos weren’t ready to come home. They could have stayed at the beach house for the rest of the summer and very happily lived off smores and ice cream! Like I mentioned earlier, we are now home and in the last week of summer vacation. It’s been so good. We’ll take many fun memories into the school year with us. One last beach getaway was the perfect way to wrap up our summer break!

Sprawling out at the beach house! They took great delight in having their own queen beds.

They are happiest when they are wet and sandy!

Cooling down with a sweet treat after exploring the fort

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Summer Camp 2025 August 13, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Tasty Treats,Travels — Amy Scott @ 1:54 pm

A week ago, the boys loaded up for summer camp! I was so excited to send them off on a great adventure, but I also knew I would miss them deeply! All the feels! Jeremy directs two weeks of summer camp for our network. Week one runs from Sunday to Wednesday and week two from Wednesday to Saturday. The boys are such good pals while Jeremy is a way for the first half of the week. The second half of the week is such a novelty because I am home alone. This is my second year of having “Mom Camp” and I enjoyed it immensely. But, I’m always very ready to have all my boys (hubby included) home and under the same roof again. Life is truly better together!

The kiddos were super jazzed to head off to camp this year. There was a bit on rain on Wednesday that threatened to “dampen” their spirits, but once they connected with their cousins and friends, they were ready for a good time. I enjoyed hearing about their summer camp escapades from Jeremy. The lake at camp is a huge draw for both swimming and boating. The kids had a blast with field games and free time activities. Jeremy shared about chapel moments and praying with the boys. They came home with all the camp songs stuck in their heads. It’s been so sweet to hear them singing the worship songs to themselves throughout the day. Being a year older, Graham had a better year at camp. He was homesick less and he engaged more fully than the year before. He is definitely maturing and it shows! Owen is glad he gets one more year as a camper and hopes to come back as an intern when he ages out.

I filled my days at home with good things. I took long walks everyday, often chatting with my mom in the fresh air and sunshine. I did a lot of baking and reading. I worked on house projects. I get a thrill out of productivity without interruption. Such a treat! I also watched the old Anne of Green Gables movies. My family doesn’t appreciate them so no one complained when I took over the TV with seven hours of Anne. I had some social plans as well. I wasn’t a complete hermit. I went out to dinner with a friend on Wednesday. I had another friend over on Friday for a movie night. I’ve been dying to see what is so terrible about the new Snow White and my friend indulged me. Overall, it was the perfect balance of social and solitude. I was able to be productive and restful. Such a good time. I look forward to Mom Camp 2026!

Being reunited with my family meant a fair amount of laundry. I think my washer and dryer sighed on Saturday night after 8 loads of laundry. I get some serious satisfaction from cleaning up all the luggage and getting everything back into its rightful place. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday involved a lot of rest and recovery. We made it to church for VBA on Sunday. I made cinnamon rolls on Monday for our cozy home day. Tuesday, we adventured to Mt. Rainier for a family outing. It’s been a few years since we visited the mountain in wildflower season. They were so pretty! We saw marmots, ptarmigans, squirrels, and chipmunks. Owen is all about the mountain birds while Graham is all about the mountain rodents.

Now I’m strategizing on how to fit the rest of summer plans into the next two and a half weeks. I’m praying the weather will cooperate! This weekend has an atmosphere river moving in that definitely has me rearranging premade plans. The summer is winding down and yet I feel like there is so much left to do! We’ll see how it all pans out. I’ll just keep doing my best to savor the summer.

Ran to Staples for the last of the school supplies and stopped by McDonald’s for lunch. We treat ourselves a lot when Jeremy is away. It’s how we cope!

We also play lots of games while Jeremy is gone. Keeps us busy and distracted from how much we miss him!

Dinner out with my forever friend, Christa!

So much baking! From scratch raspberry crisp with raspberries from our garden, gluten-free coffee cake for movie night, vanilla “welcome home” cake, and cozy cinnamon rolls for our rest day.

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So Much to Celebrate! July 9, 2025

Filed under: Family Time,Travels — Amy Scott @ 11:46 am

Hold on tight! We’ve had so many summer celebrations over the last few weeks. I’ll do my best to highlight them all. I’ll have to back track to June for a little bit to get you all caught up. Here we go!

We welcomed the first day of summer with a visit to GG and a baby shower! It was a week before GG’s 92nd birthday so we showed up with flowers and a birthday card. I figured a week was in the acceptable window of time to celebrate with the birthday girl. Visits to GG are always a precious time! I’m so glad we got to celebrate with her.

The baby shower was for a friend who grew up locally in Lewis County. Aimee was my faithful, right-hand women when I taught my Wednesday night girls class. Once she graduated from kids ministry, she volunteered all the way through high school. She now lives out of state, but she was home for a family baby shower and I was honored to join. I’m so excited for her and her husband to become parents!

We completed some major projects in June. We made Jeremy’s vision of a National Park travel wall become a reality in his office! I loved sorting through the maps and pictures to create something special. It definitely highlights our family’s love for exploring new places. Jeremy has one more wall to complete before his new office is finalized. He is so close to being fully settled in his new space!

The other big project in June was a family garage sale. Jeremy’s parents hosted a multi-family sale and Jeremy and the boys went all in to assist. This was an excellent opportunity for the boys to practice hands-on math and people skills. They learned so much and were so helpful! After cleaning out Jeremy’s office and going through the house, we had quite a bit to contribute to the sale. It always feels good to clear things out, make space, and tidy up!

Now for July! We were able to celebrate the 4th of July and my dad’s birthday at the Washington coast. My parents recently purchased a beach house and this was the first time our whole family spent a few nights there together. We took a few walks, introduced the boys to the National Treasure movies, made smores around the fire pit, and watched the free fireworks show from the deck. It was great to celebrate both America’s birthday and Grandpa’s birthday with a family weekend away!

To keep the holiday weekend vibes going, Jeremy had Monday and Tuesday off this week. On Monday, we went for a birding walk at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. We got out early to beat the heat and Owen was rewarded with spotting two new birds to add to his birding list. This is one of favorite local nature walks!

Yesterday, Jeremy and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary! Jeremy took the day off. I love that we got to spend the whole day together. We took the kids to see How to Train Your Dragon. They love the animated movies, so this movie was highly anticipated. They both enjoyed the live action version and now have been singing the theme music to themselves as they go about their day. While the boys did piano lessons with Nana, Jeremy and I went to dinner and got ice cream together. It was a simple day, but very sweet. I love adventuring through life alongside Jeremy. I’m so grateful to celebrate another year together!

Visiting GG to celebrate her 92nd birthday!

A sweet way to celebrate Aimee’s baby boy!

Getting Jeremy’s new office put together has been such a fun family project!

Birding adventure at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge

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Summer Has Begun! June 9, 2025

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 2:14 pm

With May endings comes summer beginnings! While the first day of summer isn’t officially until June 20th, we are officially in summer mode now that our regular school year wrapped up in May. Switching to our summer school schedule is a little bit of an adjustment period. I’m actually grateful for a lighter school load this month. June has filled in with all sorts of extra commitments. I’m glad that summer mode has given us the margin to show up in other ways this month.

Our first official day of summer vacation was spent visiting friends at the beach. My forever friend, Maggie, was staying at the Washington coast after the passing of her mother. It was a sad reason to be reunited, but time with Maggie’s family is always a blessing to our family. It’s so sweet that our families are friends. We visited the local bakery, got crafty making centerpieces for Jayne’s memorial, let the kids play at the McDonald’s play place, and then spent hours at the beach. Such a good way to jump into summer.

We wrapped up our final week of soccer last Tuesday. It was a beautiful sunny day and the boys played so well. It’s been neat to see their improvement from fall to spring. They’ve really advanced in their soccer skills. I’m proud of them. Graham wasn’t so sure about spring soccer, but he ended up enjoying much more than expected. I’m glad it was a win for our family!

Tuesday was also the beginning of the summer reading program at our local library. After soccer, we went to the library to pick up our free tote bag, books, and fair tickets. We picked up the paperwork for the program as well. We’ll be back in a couple weeks for another round of free books and coupons. The summer reading program is always a highlight of our summer.

We’re coming off of a few full days. Thursday, we met Maggie’s family in town at their hotel for a swim. We enjoyed pool time, pizza in the hotel lobby, and then play time at a local park. We just kept the fun going until it was time to wind down and prepare for Friday. Friday was Jayne’s graveside service and celebration of life. We got to the local grange early to help decorate. This was our kids first graveside experience. I’m thankful they were there to support Maggie’s kids and be pals on a difficult day. The graveside and celebration of life were a lovely testimony to Jayne’s well lived life. The grange was decorated in vibrant colors, beautiful flowers, and cute knickknacks. It felt like Jayne. All the treats were Oreo themed to honor her love of Oreos. It was such a cheerful celebration of Jayne’s life. Saying good to Maggie’s family on Friday was hard. We loved having them nearby, but we hope to see them again soon.

The pace of the weekend continued with a trip to the beach on Saturday. My parents recently acquired a beach house on the Washington coast. We spent Saturday doing projects around the house. The boys have loved exploring this new location and can’t wait for our first overnight stay later this summer. Sunday was church in the morning and a family birthday party in the afternoon. Unfornately, Graham ran out of steam before the weekend was over, so we sent Jeremy and Owen to the party as the family representatives. Graham and I rested and kept cool with AC and slushies from Grandpa’s new slushy maker (thanks for sharing, Grandpa)! We are in the middle of a heat wave at the moment and 90+ degree days call for cool treats.

The summer adventures have only just begun. We’ll see what the rest of June has in store for us!

Forever friends through all the ups and downs of life!

The beach and friends! Best way to kick off our summer vacation.

Wrapping up spring soccer! Thankful to Nana & Papa (and Grandma & Jeremy) for cheering the boys on this season!

Kicking off the summer reading program at the library

Such a beautiful day to celebrate and honor Jayne.

Another weekend, another visit to the beach!

90+ degree days call for super cool treats!

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The Final Stretch May 21, 2025

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 1:20 pm

I thought about calling this blog post “The End is Near!” But that seemed a bit too dramatic! All I mean to say is that our school year is about to wrap up. We are about a week away from being finished! Woo hoo! Coming off of two weeks of travel, it’s been a bit of a mad dash to get back to school and then race to the finish line. It’s so close! I’m ready to tie a bow on the school year and call it done!

We started homeschool soccer again last week for the spring season. It’s a short season – only 4 weeks. Owen got his first goal the first week and Graham got his first goal yesterday. This season the teams are smaller so the boys are seeing a lot more action on the field. I’m so proud of them for running hard and engaging with their team. We’ve gone to McDonald’s each week to celebrate the goals with Happy Meals. Soccer makes for big, but exciting Tuesdays.

Last week, we had our final field trip with our homeschool co-op. We visited a local dairy farm to see the day-to-day operations of running a farm. The boys got to pet, feed, and milk the cows. They also got to climb all over a bunch of hay bales like they were a jungle gym. We ended our outing with a hay ride through the pasture. The funny thing about our hay ride was the cows following in a parade behind us trying to munch on the hay we were using as seating. It was quite the sight!

The boys and I were finished with our travels after our Redwoods trip, but Jeremy still had one more traveling adventure on his calendar. He attended a men’s conference with our church on the other side of the state. His brothers and father also come and they golf as much as they can while away. It’s a time that Jeremy looks forward to every year. I held the fort down at home while he was away. Thursday was a normal school day. Friday, the boys and I went to lunch at Panda Express and ran errands in town. I hosted book club Friday night and the boys got some extra video game time with friends who came over to play. Saturday, we had a Portland adventure day with my parents. We roamed IKEA, Barnes & Noble, Petsmart, Target, Powell’s Books, and the LEGO Store. We had a yummy lunch at Red Robin and ice cream at Salt & Straw for dessert. It was a fabulous day exploring our favorite stores and spending time with family.

I look forward to updating you again when we have officially finished the school year. There is definitely a since of accomplishment as we complete our current curriculum. It’s been a good year and I’m proud of the growth I’ve seen in the boys. They are such diligent students and it’s a joy to be their teacher. While we still do school in June and July, it’s a lighter schedule for summer. I enjoy the change of pace and it’s also interesting to start new curriculum. Here’s to wrapping up the final stretch soon and moving on to new adventures!

Celebrating Owen’s 1st goal with Happy Meals last week.

One of our favorite places! Gotta love bird books and Boxcar Children!

Stretch break on the way home to look at chicks. So cute!

Meet Leafy (also known as Leaf). Turbo is feeling under the weather so Leafy became Turbo’s replacement on the mantel. Here’s hoping Leafy can survive this spot.

Our indoor plants might not thrive, but we are trying! Turbo and his single leaf are now blending in with Jolt. Also, how cool is that nest? My dad’s co-worker passed it along so Owen could identify it. He is such a bird nerd!

Soccer was chilly and damp this week, but worth to watch Graham score his 1st goal!

Celebrating Graham’s 1st goal with Happy Meals yesterday.

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Spring Breaks: Part 2 May 12, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 3:17 pm

The last two weeks have been a break from the our usual routine. We’re coming off of back-to-back travels which led to an extra long “spring break” in our school calendar. I love that homeschooling gives us the flexibility to travel during the school year (yay for avoiding crowds). Our first adventure was a work trip for Jeremy and I while the boys stayed with Nana and Papa. The second trip was a family vacation which was packed with educational experiences. I can list it a field trip in our school records. I love experiential, hands-on learning. The great outdoors and the real world make a wonderful classroom! It’s also a nice break from learning at the dining room table.

The work trip was a conference in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Every spring we attend Network Conference with the Northwest Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God. Our church pastoral team and spouses come together to enjoy this conference together. It’s full of good conversations, many laughs, and lots of food. I love the time away with Jeremy. We talk a lot about ministry due to the nature of the conference, but we also talk a lot of life, parenting, goals, and dreams. It’s a great getaway for us. The boys always have a blast with Nana and Papa. It’s so nice to know they are good hands and having a great time.

Our family vacation was a trip to Redwoods National and State Parks surrounding Crescent City, California. We used Crescent City as our jumping off point to explore both Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. We also spent a decent amount of time at the California coast exploring tide pools and bird watching. We took a tour of Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City. We did Tour Thru Tree and Trees of Mystery in Klamath. Tour Thru Tree is a big tree you can drive through. It’s a quick stop, but a big hit for the kids. Trees of Mystery was a first time experience for us. The Canopy Trail, which was a series of high ropes suspension bridges, and the Sky Trail, a gondola ride, were the highlights of our visit and worth the admission cost. We definitely tested our comfort zones when it came to heights. Overall, our boys loved the majesty of the redwoods. They felt so much wonder as we wandered the forest. The redwoods are a beautiful example of creation declaring the glory of God. Jeremy did a wonderful job researching which trees to see. He made it feel like a scavenger hunt adventure!

The second half of our vacation was driving up Highway 101 along the Oregon Coast. We stopped at West Coast Game Park Safari for a truly unique experience. The park itself is small, but has a large selection of exotic animals. The big cats were a family favorite, but it was also neat to feed the free roaming goats, sheep, deer, donkey, and peacocks. The highlight of the trip was getting to pet Lyla the lynx. It’s not everyday you get to pet a lynx! We also stopped at the Sea Lion Caves before making it to our destination of Newport, Oregon for the night. On our final travel day, we visited the Yaquina Head Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area. We saw so many seals and even some pups with mamas. There was more birding and tide pool exploration. We’ve investigated this spot numerous times and it has yet to disappoint. We also made a stop at the Tillamook Creamery. Yes, we were there a month ago, but we couldn’t pass up cheese and ice cream for brunch! Our final adventure was a walk in Cannon Beach to look for puffins nesting on Haystack Rock. The puffins were sighted and we ended our vacation happily exhausted!

Now we’re home and back to the real world. We enjoyed celebrating Mother’s Day with family yesterday and we got back to school (around the dining room) today. We are in the final weeks of our school year. The end is in sight! Hooray! We also have a couple more homeschool co-op commitments this month and we are starting a month of homeschool soccer tomorrow. Lots of a good stuff going on. We are happy to be home!

We enjoy watching travel videos before we visit a new place. Jeremy and the boys thought it would be fun to make one of our adventure to Redwood National and State Parks. Hike along with us and explore some big trees with our family!

Enjoying time away with Jeremy in CDA. Love visiting this area each spring!

We spent so much time at the beach while visiting Crescent City.

Tree huggers! Howland Hill Road in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

Searching for all the big trees! Here is Screaming Titan in Grove of Titans.

The Wonder of Creation. Boy Scout Trail in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

Junior Rangers for yet another National Park!

Taking advantage of the city pool since our hotel pool was gross.

Sir Isaac Newton (the name of the tree) in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. It’s hard to tell with the lighting, but the base of this tree fills up the end picture.

The Tillamook Creamery is always worth a stop.

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The Many Adventures of April April 23, 2025

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 2:29 pm

Between our homeschool co-op, family travels, and Easter celebrations, April has been one fun month! As we move toward the end of our homeschool year, April has it’s own unique vibe. We are counting down the last of our co-op commitments, we are wrapping up schoolbooks, and we are making plans for next year. Last week, I typed up most of the end-of-the-year paperwork I need for our school records. I created our summer school calendar for June and July. I also figured out our first day of school for the fall and counted out our 36 weeks for the next school year. I thrive on sorting details and making plans! YAY!

Our homeschool co-op adventures for April included a first-aid presentation and a field trip to the Ohop Indian Village in Eatonville, WA. The first aid class was both informative and hands-on. The teacher covered choking, cuts, and burns. My boys loved bandaging themselves and their friends. Our field trip to the Ohop Indian Village was also very hands-on. Our guide shared how our local Native American tribes prepared for each season. The kids were allowed to touch and play with all the items they learned about. It was a beautiful day to be outside in nature enjoying the history of our local area.

Easter is a whole weekend of celebrating for our family, not just a day. We had multiple meals with family and multiple egg hunts. The boys enjoyed playing video games with Auntie April and running amuck with their cousins. There was lots of good food, special desserts, family time, and games. Easter Sunday is always a big one for our family with my hubby being a children’s pastor. The boys and I enjoyed a joyful worship time with our church congregation before joining the elementary students for children’s church. It’s such a blessing to spend this special weekend with our church and our family. All these activities are exciting, but they are meaningless without the hope we have in Jesus and his resurrection!

Our latest family adventure was a visit to the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. We took a few new paths and Owen saw three new birds to add to his bird-spotting list. It was a lovely, sunny PNW day. It was perfect for being outside in the fresh air. I love that our homeschool schedule allows us to take so many field trips. Learning outside and in hand-on ways is truly a benefit to both my kiddos and myself. The fact that we can tailor these field trips to align with Jeremy’s days off makes the adventures that much sweeter. We get to experience them as a family! I’m positive these will be some of my favorite memories from the elementary school years.

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Spring Breaks: Part 1 April 7, 2025

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 1:54 pm

The bonus of being a homeschool family is we have lots of flexibility with our calendar. We don’t take a traditional week long “spring break” like most schools. Before you feel too sorry for my kiddos, we do take breaks throughout the spring season. It’s fun to add some extra adventures in alongside our normal schooling schedule.

The first mini-break we took was for Jeremy’s birthday. He took the day off of work so we could celebrate the day with him as a family. Our adventure day found us down south in Oregon. Our morning was spent at the Woodburn Premium Outlets shopping for a few clothing items. Shopping can be an educational experience if you make it so. We talked with the kids about what makes factory outlets cheaper than other shopping options. We also talked about the math involved with sales and discounts. I love highlighting these economic elements while our kiddos tagalong on errands. After a tasty lunch at Red Robin (where Graham ate his weight in bottomless fries), we took off for Bullwinkle’s Family Fun Center for a round of mini-golf (which the birthday boy was the winner). We took a drive to admire Willamette Falls, Multnomah Falls, and Horsetail Falls. The weather was in the 80’s and beautifully sunny. It felt like a summer day, not spring! We couldn’t have asked for a better day to celebrate Jeremy!

Our second spring break was with the whole Scott family. All 16 of us Scotts met up at the beach for a vacation together. The house was the perfect size for our large family. The boys loved the game room and the media room. The house was also right on the beach! The view was stunning and you can’t beat a minute walk to the ocean! Family games, beach adventures, and chilling around the house were all highlights of our time together. Again, the weather was beautiful for this adventure – dry and sunny! You couldn’t have asked for better beach weather at the beginning April! Our family came down through Tillamook so we could stop at our favorite place – the Tillamook Creamery! It was a great way to kick-off our vacation time. We also stopped at another favorite, Pig’N Pancake, on the way home. The boys are definitely going through cousin withdrawals now that we’re home. We are so blessed for the genuine friendships with our family. We packed this beach vacation with family memories that our kiddos will take into adulthood. I can’t what to hear what they remember of these wacky and wonderful times we spent together!

We have more spring “breaks” planned in the coming month! Yay! I look forward to sharing these adventures with you soon.