Amy Scott's Thoughts

I didn’t have all the pictures loaded off my phone yesterday, so I skipped some in hopes of getting my blog done before nap time (which didn’t happen). I figured I would share a few more pictures today. Enjoy!

When I tell them to sit down to put on their shoes, they instead start hugging and saying “cheese”

Craft Day at MOPS

Owen’s preschool was closed on Tuesday, so Grandma came over to do crafts with us.

I think a semi-truck full of lumber might be the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen!

Candy corn blondies for my Wednesday night class

Fall Food! Chili & Cornbread!

Taking Graham through Starbucks in his jammies this morning! I put jeans on for this outing, but that is all the effort I plan to put into today.

After seeing how awesome everyone did with the book wreathes, I decided to make one too. My outer ring and inner ring are two different books, so it’s two toned. I like that. And both books were published by MOPS, so this a book wreath of mothering encouragement!

I’m thinking this wreath will go near my future desk… or maybe my bookshelf & reading chair… I love decorating my future house in my head. Can’t wait for daydreams to turn to reality!

We took the wooden track down to make room for new toys. Everyday we have made a mega track on the floor. A different track is created each day.

We’ve settled into fall here. The boys and I have been cycling the germs… seems like we’ve all taken turns getting a cold. Graham decided to turn his into croup. Poor kid. We made it to Lattin’s Cider Mill for the apple festival with our MOPS group at the end of September. Graham wasn’t too into it (because of the developing croup), but Owen had a great time and we picked up some of Lattin’s well known apple fritters as a snack. Yum. After the trip to Lattin’s, I got the chance to speak for 10 minutes about MOPS at a local Christian women’s conference. It was a great opportunity to share with ladies why MOPS matters and how they can be a part of a MOPS group. The conference also featured worship and a guest speaker. I got to enjoy the second half of the conference and it was was a blessing.

We made our first visit to the pumpkin patch last Thursday. My sister-in-law lets us tag-along with her friends to the best pumpkin patch ever. This was our third time visiting Bi-Zi Farms in Vancouver and we love it every year. It’s more than a pumpkin patch. We get to a hay bale maze, an animal farm and climb all over a straw pyramid before taking a tractor ride out to the field to pick our pumpkins. My mom joined us because she loves pumpkins as well. It was nice to have a second set of hands, especially once we decided to tackle Costco afterwards and pick up supplies for the big birthday party on Saturday. It was a good thing we went to Costco when we did because Owen wasn’t feeling good the next day, so a day around the house worked out better for us so the birthday boy could rest up for the big party weekend.

Saturday was the boys’ big birthday party. I’ve done two parties in the past, but this year I decided to combine the parties to save time and money. I wasn’t really sure who all was going to come, but it turned out to be a pretty good showing of family and friends. For a while, I was nervous that I had ordered too big of a birthday cake, but that was not the case. Not that leftover birthday cake is ever an issue, am I right? We reserved a covered area a local park. It’s located right next to train tracks and by a pedestrian bridge so you can walk over the tracks and stand over the trains as they go by. This is the biggest selling feature of the park. The boys had a lovely Paw Patrol themed party. I got them new Paw Patrol shirts to wear the day of the party. We had all the Paw Patrol decorations out with party blowers and tattoos. Of course, there was a Paw Patrol cake. For the first time ever, we did a pinata. I picked one where you pulled a string and if you picked the right string it would open the pinata and spill out all the goodies. I got made fun of because this was the “non-violent” way of doing a pinata. No bashing it until it breaks. I enjoyed it and the kids didn’t complain about the missing bat. Overall, it was an awesome party and the boys had a blast. They are super blessed and spoiled. When celebrating two kids at the same time, you end up with double the stuff. Our mini van was full to the brim as we traveled home and the kiddos spent a happy afternoon/evening getting to know their new toys. I spent the afternoon trying to find homes for the items and sorting through older toys to take to our storage unit. Let me tell you, I am super excited for our future playroom. Toys need space.

Sunday was Owen’s 4th birthday. The days started out rough. Owen just wanted to lay on the couch with his blanket. Graham didn’t want to get ready for church because he wanted to play with all the new toys. Getting them out the door for church was challenging. Once I got there, Owen just wanted to curl up on my lap and Graham wouldn’t stay in class. Owen didn’t want to go to his class either. At 9:40am, I called it. I tried. Church just wasn’t happening… I had promised Owen a birthday meal of fries and chocolate milk so my mom helped me take the kids over to BK so we could make good on that promise before heading home. Of course, Owen perked up and played happily with Graham on the BK play toy… I looked across the street at the church and felt like an awesome pastor’s wife because here we were in the middle of church playing on the BK play toy. Oh well. It was a special treat for the birthday boy. This is not normal. After nap time, we went to the park and played as a family and then went to dinner with my parents. Owen had requested Chinese food so he had a yummy meal of fried rice. Then it was home for presents and brownie cake. While Owen wasn’t 100% on his birthday, we sure did try to make it the best day possible for him. He is one loved kiddo.

After a big weekend of birthday celebrating, I had MOPS on Monday night. It was our most well attended meeting yet. Our room was full to the brim with moms crafting together. This was our first craft meeting and we made book wreathes made out of paper pages.  I was super nervous that the foam wreathes I order wouldn’t arrive on time, but I got the notification that they were available on Sunday. So grateful! It seemed like the room was a buzz with happy crafters and the wreathes turned out awesome. It’s seriously one of the best crafts we’ve ever done. I didn’t make on because I wasn’t sure about supplies, but I know now that we had some leftover supplies, so I might make one at home this week. We’ll see. Crafting and I have an iffy relationship. We don’t always get along. I’m so grateful that MOPS is flourishing and that ladies are connecting and investing in themselves and others. I think I’m finding my flow as the coordinator. It’s getting a bit easier, but this last meeting had me nervous wondering if we had enough supplies for the craft. Now that our first craft meeting is out the way, I’m sure it will get easier the next time around.

OH and the house! We have lumber! It was delivered yesterday! I have no clue when we will have people come and assemble the lumber, but having wood on site is a huge, big deal. This is what I’ve been waiting for. Let’s make a structure! Let’s make something look like a house and not just a piece of land! I’ll keep you posted as things move forward!

Running errands with Owen

Watching the tree crew take care of a few trees at Nana & Papa’s house.

Lattin’s Cider Mill

Lattin’s Cider Mill

At the doctor’s office to take care of Graham’s croup.

Pumpkins!!!

Tractor Ride

Exploring the straw pyramid!

Paw Patrol party for our two October birthday boys.

Pinata time

Present time

Proof we made it to church… for a little while.

A birthday visit to the train park for Owen.

Make a wish!

Okay, I’m having one of those weeks where everything happens. Each day is full on it own and then added “surprises”… It’s been a week. A crazy week. Let’s start with Monday.

Monday was the “BIG” day. The kick off of MOPS, but that wasn’t until the evening, so of course, I treated Monday like a normal day. Monday will be the only day that I’m home with both boys, so I made hair cut appointments. My mom came along because hair cuts for Graham mean that I have to bear hug him and that doesn’t allow me to watch Owen while I’m taking care of Graham. As I was leaving on Monday morning, my tire light came on. I had to turn around and have Jeremy look at the tires which look fine to both Jeremy and I (it’s still on, along with the change oil light – should probably take it in – gotta love car maintenance). That small delay made me feel like I was late and already behind my schedule. My Monday morning ended up being super productive. I took care of some errands, got the boys’ hair cuts, had an early lunch at Panda Express and was able to keep Graham awake on the ride home from Olympia so he would still take his afternoon nap. Kids take strategy and Graham is prone to falling asleep in the car if it’s after 11am and even if it’s 10 minutes of sleep that seems to derail nap time. I was rocking Monday. Jeremy got home from work and I took off for church to get ready for MOPS. The whole night went so well. I am grateful and blessed by the awesome start we had. However, everything was the “first” time so it took a lot of mental energy to make sure everything was set up right, the classrooms were ready for kids, the ladies were greeted and connecting at tables. Then the speaking in front of people and just being “on” – the weight of this thing resting on my shoulders… Oh my. It almost took me out. I gave 150% of my heart and soul and strength to MOPS that night and it left me totally spent! I came home feeling happy, tired and on the verge of being sick. At the beginning of the year there is a lot of paperwork and money being collected and explaining and answering questions. MOPS will find it’s flow and I’m sure it will be less taxing in the future, but this first meeting got of all me and it was crazy how exhausted I was at the end of it all. But it was an AWESOME meeting. I couldn’t be happier with how the night went.

On to Tuesday… the MOPS hangover day. Jeremy left early to go hunting. I felt awful. I was on preschool drop off since Jeremy was in the woods. Luckily for me, my mother-in-law met me at the front door and took Owen in for me so I didn’t have unload and reload Graham. I worked hard and fast all morning on MOPS paperwork and then took off to pick up Owen. I was in my Tillamook cow sweatshirt and oldest (most comfy pair) of jeggings. I didn’t look glamorous at all. And then I got to stand in a hallway for 10 minutes with a bunch of cute, blonde moms who all got dressed in proper outfits that day. I just looked at the floor and hoped no one noticed that I was a Mombie in the corner (mom + zombie = mombie). With my self-esteem considerable lower, I picked up Owen and took off for home. I had a book party on Tuesday night and instead of it being an online party, it was a home party where I had to be presentable, social and not able to hide behind a screen. The party went well and was fun, but man, I was tired when I got home…

Now on to Wednesday… I got myself all ready and cute for preschool drop off because Jeremy was again out hunting. I fed Graham an oatmeal, raisin, walnut Cliff Bar and went to get Owen ready. Then Graham proceed to break out in hives all over. By the time we got Owen to school, Graham was covered all over in red spots. My mom met me at the church with Benedryl and we called the doctor to get the correct dose.  My mom followed me home and we kept a close eye on Graham. Even though he is super spotted, he doesn’t have any swelling and no breathing issues. I called the doctor again today to make sure he didn’t need to come in, because he is still spotted and apparently this reaction can last up to a week. If the spots don’t go away in 7 days, we need to come in. We are also now getting a referral for an allergist. Oh goodie. I’m fairly confident the walnuts are what caused the reaction. It was the only out of the normal thing he ate. I guess we’ll know 100% after we do allergy testing.

Today. Today I am thankful I don’t have to add a doctor appointment to my to-do list. I’ve been able to work on cleaning the house and having a quieter morning. I have a book party tonight, but it’s online, so it’s simple. I’ll finalize all the details for that during nap time.  This week has exhausted me. Too much going on. Surprises that threw me for a loop. But we’re all making it. It’s busy with preschool and MOPS and book parties and Jeremy out hunting and then regular church commitments with a few family events coming up too. It’s amazing how much we pack into the days. However, after this week,  I’m learning my lesson about how much I can handle with our new school schedule. I’ll do a better job of pairing things down in October. Or so I hope. I am constantly reminded that I can’t do it all and that I’m not super human. I run out of energy. I’m grateful for all the blessings of this week and I’ve learned a few lessons the hard way – like to look cute for preschool pick up and drop off and not to feed my kid walnuts!

Hanging with my youngest while older brother is at school.

Baking with the bros

Waiting for a cake to bake is hard work!

Jeremy led a work party on Friday morning and they built this lovely new play toy for the learning center.

Little swing lover!

Loving the new play toy.

The finishing touches on the baking project.

Hair cut day!

Hair cut day!

Loving the connections being made at MOPS!

What a beautiful sight! A room full of ladies ready to invest in themselves and their mothering!

Hard to see – but can you say spots? They are even more red now… Apparently they can fade and reappear for 7-14 days.

I love getting to see little snap shots of Owen’s preschool life. I miss him while he is at school, but I love that he is getting this opportunity!

The first day of preschool has come and gone. Milestone achieved. Owen and Graham enjoyed the preschool orientation on Tuesday. Our classrooms have been updated and transformed. They are full of all sorts of awesome toys, books and activity centers.  Both kiddos were sad to leave. We took off to get Jeremy his first pumpkin spice latte of the season and then off to Staples for MOPS supplies. I was holding on to summer until the last moment but it seems Fall moved in on Tuesday. MOPS, pumpkin spice lattes and preschool orientation all point to a new season. 

I was nervous about Wednesday morning. I didn’t know what Owen’s mood would be. Would he be excited to go? Would he fight the first day of preschool photo? Well, let me tell you, it was the perfect first day of school get ready morning. We might never be able to achieve such perfection again. Owen willingly got dressed, let me fix his hair and eagerly went out to take his picture by the front door with his backpack. The get ready process and picture took max 20 minutes. Maybe 15. He was good to go. He spent a good portion of the morning skipping around the living room as he waited to leave.  Owen waved good-bye to Graham and I from the van and he was off.

The first day of school went well. Jeremy texted me that he went into the classroom no problem. When they got home, I got the full update about cubbies, snacks, activities, toys. No names of kids in the class though. So who knows if he made friends – he loved the school bus toy.  Jeremy told me that Owen’s class did a tour of the church. My father-in-law mentioned that Owen was at the front of the line for the tour. Since Owen has been attending Bethel longer than his preschool teacher, it seems fitting he should be leading the tour. I’m grateful that Owen’s church classroom and preschool classroom are different rooms. He spends a lot of time at Bethel and I don’t want him to get bored being in the same space all the time. It’s a blessing because he loves going to Bethel and adding preschool just seems to intensify that love. 

This morning he did mention he was too tired to go to school today and he didn’t want to get ready. He is often “too tired” to do something these days. It’s his go-to excuse. I think with Wednesday nights being such a late night at church, we will find Thursday mornings to be a bit slower for him. He wasn’t asleep until close to 10pm last so it’s understandable that he is tired this morning. I am too, kid. 

Graham took the transition probably the hardest. He has been getting over a tummy bug, so he was clingy yesterday. He didn’t want to play by himself. Today he is doing better at entertaining himself. When Owen came home yesterday, Graham ran for him and gave him a HUGE hug. Owen kind of pushed him away like any big brother would do to an annoying younger brother. Graham was so happy to see him! Then in about 15 minutes of time, the boys proceeded to collide and fight and battle over toys. It seems like in 15 minutes they made up for the 4 hours they were apart. It was crazy! Lunch and nap time followed quickly after that. And then we had church last night so Wednesday will be a day I now see Owen considerably less. It’s not bad, but it does feel weird. 

I’m just waiting for things to feel normal. Right now I’m full of jittery energy with MOPS starting next week and Owen starting preschool this week. I’m not used to these things yet even though I am prepared for them. It will take a while for me to develop a since of normal and familiarity with this schedule and my commitments. Until then, I just keep moving forward, planing, preparing, praying. I’m taking each season as it comes and doing my best to make the most of what’s been given to me. 

There you go! The official preschool update! 

Preschool Orientation

First PSL of the season

The official 1st Day of Preschool picture

Lamby went to preschool too. He stayed in Owen’s backpack.

Waving good-bye

Life according to Owen

September 1st has always been my unofficial start to fall. The calendar would change over to September and I would be ready to embrace all things autumn. This year is different though. September is often warm, but right now we are in the middle of a heat wave. Things here are HOT. It’s hard to feel like summer is over when it’s 90+ outside for what seems like days on end. I haven’t wanted the summer vibes to end because it also meant embracing a new schedule for our family. A preschool schedule. I’ve never had kids in school before, so summer could end on August 31st and I could accept that. But now, summer officially ends tomorrow… Well, really Wednesday. Tomorrow Owen has his preschool orientation and then class starts on Wednesday. The orientation is a chance to meet the teacher and see the classroom. Both are things that Owen has already done, but we will go for the formality of. I heard his teacher will be taking his picture, so I made sure to give him a bath tonight and I will do my best to not have him dress like a shlub tomorrow.

In a lot of ways, I’m really looking forward to this preschool transition. Graham is really easy going on his own. He has no one to annoy him, hurt him, fight with. I might have a chance to productive in the mornings… or watch TV of my choosing. Graham doesn’t voice his opinion too much about TV shows, so if I want to watch HGTV all morning, he won’t put up a fuss. Just give Graham a train or a car and constant access to snacks and he is golden.

I am, however, a little sad tonight. I packed Owen’s backpack today. I put in some slightly bigger clothes since he has outgrown the others that have been in there for a year. I added some moist towelettes and there you go. What else does an almost 4 year old need for preschool? He is such a big boy and very ready for preschool. Just this week he learned how to spell his name out loud. He still can’t write his letters, but he is good at tracing them. Hopefully preschool will help with the writing skills. All of his art work is still very abstract. His days of scribbling aimlessly are numbered. From here on out there will be school and focused learning and eventually homework and tests that matter… The educational path starts this week.

I’m worried I’m going to miss him too much. Granted he will gone 7.5 hours a week (plus travel time since he will go with Jeremy to and from preschool most days). I never understood why parents freaked out about their kids starting school. What? You’ll miss them? Do a happy dance. But I get it now.  While I am not the type of mom who wants my kids with me 24/7, it will be a change to have him gone and in the care of someone else on a regular basis.

This is a new routine. This is change. I’m truly believing that this is going to be awesome. Owen loves to learn and play and make friends. He is mostly helpful and ready for anything. He is extremely goofy and LOUD. He sings “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” at the top of his lungs and talks constantly.  I know that his presence will be missed during those mornings he is away. His absence will be undeniably. It will be felt. Mondays will my day at home with both boys. Fridays will still be our family day with Jeremy, but the middle of the week is about to change for us.

I’ll share and post later on this week with an update and hopefully some cute preschool pics. I’m a mixed feelings mess over preschool, I can’t even imagine kindergarten… At least I have two years until that big jump. I’m glad that preschool is a baby step for both Owen and I toward the goal of all day school. Say a little prayer for us as we transition to a new schedule and start a brand new adventure!

Here are some pictures from our last week of summer. We took off on Friday for a day at the beach with Jeremy and it was beautiful, fun, wonderful and all the things a family outing for a last hurrah of summer should be. We are blessed!

Just a little engineer hanging out in his future bedroom.

Checking out the sea lions in Astoria. This stop was a major hit. Like a free zoo.

My loves!

Cookie break

They could have stayed on the beach forever

Monthly Home Depot Craft

Fro Yo

Oh my goodness! I am so excited to tell you the BIG NEWS!!! They started laying the forms for our foundation today!!!! It’s finally happening! Everyone do a happy dance with me! WOO HOO!!! This is the day that I have been waiting for. It seems like it’s been forever in the making. I am so thrilled to see that things are moving forward. Our gravel pad should start to resemble a house more and more each week. I’m not dumb. I’m sure there will be more hold ups and delays in our future, but I can’t live my life in fear. Things have been slow. Things might stay slow. But I have to celebrate each step forward. Because it’s progress and it matters and it means I’m one step closer to being a homeowner again. Praise Jesus! Let’s happy dance again!

This week is Owen’s last full week of summer. How did that happen? He has a preschool orientation next Tuesday and his first day of class will be next Wednesday. Wow! Since he will be in preschool two years, I’m making this year pretty low key. I’m doing fall clothes shopping for him because he is growing, not because it’s “back to school” or in his case “starting school.” I offered to buy him a new backpack but he declined. He told me he wants to use his moose backpack which has been his diaper bag since he was 18 months old. It’s a little worn, but I don’t care. He wants to take it school. I’m cheap. No new backpack this year. Fine with me. Of course, we’ll try to attempt the first day of preschool photo…

Since this is the last full week of summer for us, we’re are packing it full of fun stuff. Yesterday we went to NW Trek with some friends. It’s a great day of looking at animals and playing. We hadn’t been there since Owen was 9 months old so it was pretty much the first time for both boys. We took the 1:00pm tram ride around the park and I thought for sure we would see nothing because of the heat. Surprisingly, we saw all of the animals. Since 1:00pm is nap time for my boys, Graham fell asleep on the ride and Owen spent the second half of it asking when we would get back to the station. I enjoyed looking at the animals and tried to take good pictures to share with Jeremy. I knew he would appreciate the animals even if my boys were too tired too.

Last night was our last MOPS summer park play date. The boys had a great time walking down to the creek and hanging out by the train bridge. Today we had another park play date with friends at Owen’s favorite Napavine park. Then we drove up to the property to see the foundation forms in action! Woo hoo! Since we’ve been to the animal park and two playgrounds this week, I’m debating trying to take Owen to the park on Thursday as well and the beach on Friday. Instead of Shark Week, let’s do Park Week! Haha! I kind of like idea of making the last week of summer super fun for Owen before we have to buckle down to the school schedule. The only downside to packing our week is I’ve been battling a bug that has me talking a few octaves lower than I’m used to. I don’t feel too awful, but I haven’t really been resting to try to get over it… I feel that tension of I should rest on Thursday or we should party hard on Thursday while we can. Not sure what side will win!

Okay, that’s the update for now. I’m hoping that movement on the property will inspire me to blog more so I can share the fun updates as things develop. I’m sure I will also have lots to say about our preschool transition as well. I can’t wait to share with you how that goes next week!

Muffin makers

I forgot to mention in my post, Graham got new bedding this weekend. I’ve been keeping it tucked away and I finally decided I need to see change.

Owen got a big boy bed!

Celebrating Colton’s first birthday!

Pit stop on the way home for Ellensburg. We love waterfalls.

That’s a long way down

How I work…

NW Trek

NW Trek

NW Trek

NW Trek

NW Trek

To be a kid in summertime…

CELEBRATE!!!!

My mind has been jumping backwards in time to this time last year. Last August the sale of our home fell through for the 1st time (but not the last, it would happen again in December). That was a rough blow. I was fully packed and had to unpack my kitchen so I could continue to live in our house. Jeremy was struggling with stress and heart health issues. At the end of August, he blacked out at the wheel and drove off the road. That started a season of doctors appointments and counseling. We took a couple months off from ministry and lost any sense of normal. At the beginning of September, Graham started walking and he started that transition from baby to toddler.

We’ve walked some unexpected roads this last year. It has held more ups and downs than I could have ever imagined. The memories are still fresh. How can a year go so quickly and so slowly at the same time? Time changes situations. Time changes people. I’m not sure I would have guess that a year out Jeremy’s big work project would the opening of a preschool and learning center. I would have never guessed that leading MOPS or selling books would be my next great adventures.

Graham is almost two. I still him call him “Baby Graham.” I would say 75% of the time Owen calls Graham “Baby” instead of his name. I feel like we can get away with this until he turns two. It will be hard to drop the baby title. Part of the reason it’s so easy to call him a baby is because he is still so small. I made his well check appointment today for October. I have a feeling he is going to be low on the charts still. His size makes you think he is younger than he is. But is crazy mobile, like a monkey. He is saying so many words now and even said “I don’t know” the other day. A complete sentence. Wait, weren’t you just learning to walk?!

This journey of life is an interesting one. Through every season I see myself and circumstances differently. With hindsight. With wisdom gained from experience. So much changes in a year. The “Amy of Last Year” and the “Amy of Now” would have a funny conversation – don’t worry things get better, but sorry,  some things will stay the same – like my longing to be a settled into a new home. Still waiting on that one. But my house did finally sell and I am continually one step closer to the goal, even if it is a baby step. Kids grow, situations change and some things stay the same. You just never know what’s going to happen in a year. Each one is different. My years have never repeated themselves and that keeps life interesting and eventful. While I look back to the past, I also look forward to the future. Knowing that through it all God has been by my side gives me the hope and strength to look ahead with faith and enthusiasm. I can trust that God, who has yet to fail me, will continue to show up through it all. There is blessing in every season and something to be thankful for no matter.

A look into last year:

Owen ended up in ER last August with a fever and strange breathing. He had to get chest x-ray.

Graham at 10 months!

Owen transitioned to a toddler bed around this time last year and now he is about to transition to a twin bed in the next week!

Still one of my favorites of all my boys!

Back to when we had to keep Graham away from the train tracks. Now he plays with them more than Owen!

Officially walking!

Right now my boys are down for their afternoon nap. We are supposed to be leaving for a family vacation in Bend, Oregon right now. This nap time was supposed to happen in the car on our way down. But I’m a good friend of “delay” by now and we are delayed! Owen threw up yesterday morning and we thought he had perked back up by bedtime. Then he threw up again at 2:00am… so not quite the bounce back we had hoped for. Instead of going down today, we hope to hit the road tomorrow morning. Even yesterday, we had to cancel plans to go to a family birthday party because of the illness. It’s all good though. I never like to see my little man feeling sick, but having two full days at home is unheard of for me right now in this go-go-go season. I was able to clean the house, do laundry and pack yesterday without feeling stressed or rushed. It was nice to be home with my hubby and my boys. Jeremy has been gone for a week at kids camp. It’s nice to be together again withpout an agenda or schedule. I’m looking forward to hitting the road tomorrow and rediscovering Bend. I went there with my parents as a kid, but a long time has passed since that childhood trip. Hopefully, Lord willing, this stomach bug will be over and won’t transfer to anyone beyond Owen. We feel bad that we are missing time with the family today, but I am positive they are thankful we kept our germs at home for the time being.

What have we been up to? While Jeremy was a kid’s camp, my sister and I took the boys to Long Beach for a couple of days. My forever friend, Maggie, has a darling 1950’s trailer at the beach and offered to let us use it for a few days. We settled into the beach quite nicely and had many fun adventures. The only downside is traveling with my kids means sleepless nights. The first night was rough with Graham waking up crying throughout the night. The second night Graham slept well as long as I held him in my arms. Owen, Graham and I all shared a queen bed and since Owen had space to move, he discovered that he liked to sleep diagonal and take up a good portion of the bed. For two tiny humans, they have an enormous presence while sleeping. Our beach time included playing in the sand, walking on the boardwalk, watching movies, getting ice cream (multiple times), going to breakfast at Pig’n Pancake, visiting Fort Stevens, playing at a huge McDonald’s play place, and checking out some local stores and bakery. Overall, it was a very successful trip. This was my first overnight trip with the boys without Jeremy. April was a super auntie and helped me so much. I’m still probably too chicken to travel alone with them… so I’m glad I didn’t have to! April was a super vacation buddy!

On Thursday, we were supposed to visit Jeremy at camp, but the temps here in the PNW have been super hot. I couldn’t see my kids enjoying 6 hours at camp in 95+ weather. Also, we have smoke from the BC fires making our air hazy and the air quality poor. Instead of visiting Jeremy, we went down to Rainier and played with Auntie April and Grandma at one of our favorite parks early before it got too hot then we did some shopping at Target and lunch at Burger King (Owen’s favorite place to eat). At Target, I found some back to school decorations that I used as the inspiration for Owen’s bedroom wall. Ever since Christmas, Owen’s wall as been decorated seasonally. He had Christmas, Valentine’s Day and then Spring… I could never find the right motivation to move away from Spring until I saw these ABCs, numbers and apples. Perfect for a little boy who is about to start preschool.

Friday, we went down to a local creek with a friend and splashed around the shallow water to keep cool. The park we went to is little known and totally quiet despite the fact that it was in the low 80’s by 11:00am. We had the place to ourselves. The boys had a great time. We always love exploring new places and the creek was perfect fun. There were rocks to throw, sticks to float down stream, minnows to go “fishing” for. The kids had a blast. However, while Owen played happily in the water, Graham sat a picnic table and ate goldfish crackers. Totally different kids.

We did officially hand the building process over to Adair. We were informed that it would be 3-4 weeks until our foundation can be poured because they are so busy. That was a week ago, so now we are in the 2-3 week range. Really praying that we are closer to that 2 week mark now. I’m so excited to see things moving along and I can’t wait to watch my dream house get built before my eyes. At times, I daydream of life in the new house. I can see myself in the kitchen or walking the halls to a bedroom. I can picture the way I want to set up the furniture and I see myself there, living in those walls, finally at home! It’s a weird feelings. Like shadows of something yet to come. A hope, a dream, a desire. I try not to stay in this shadowy land too long. It makes me anxious and fills me with longing while at the same time bringing a sense of peace and belonging. The process of selling our home, packing up our stuff, living with Bill & Debbie and waiting for our house to be built has been a deeper, more emotional experience than I could have ever imagined. I never fancied myself all that into my “things”. I never realized how much a home gives you roots and stability. It’s a part of you. It’s something you create and love and maintain. I am looking forward to being a homeowner once again. I will have a deeper appreciation of what a blessing it is.

And that’s the update for now! MOPS is going well! We did all our shopping for decor items a few weeks ago. I’m glad to have that checked off the list. I got t-shirts made and ordered for our steering team. I learned that the opinions of 12 women when it comes to fashion are challenging! We have registrations coming in already! Just a little over a month until our kick off!  Finally, Usborne books has been a bit slower for me. I have one party next week and two days that I’ll be at the fair doing a booth. I have two more parties the following week. After a couple slower weeks, I am grateful for the business but I am also okay when things get slower. It’s nice to have a change of pace and not be a busy book lady 24/7. The fall is the busiest season for books with Christmas approaching. I know that my quiet July/August will most likely give way to a busier September/October/November. The good news is I decide how much I want to do. My personality wants to do it all, but now that I’ve experienced the blessing of a slightly slower season, I’m inclined to put more boundaries on my business so I don’t burn out.

Okay. Now I’m officially done! Until next time!

Dream house under construction!

MOPS shopping at Hobby Lobby! So much fun!

Our theme this year for MOPS is Free Indeed and the graphic has birds on it. Each table will have a different bird cage as the center piece!

We were gifted tickets to the Steam Train. Jeremy had to work, but the boys and my parents and I enjoyed a summer train ride.

Settled in at the beach

So many buddies joined us at Owen’s request…

Facials!

Movie night!

The newly decorated bedroom wall!