Amy Scott's Thoughts

These Days August 15, 2016

Filed under: Family Time,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 6:54 pm

These days are a mix. Busy and slow moments. Right now I have a few quiet moments. I am pondering things and my mind rambles on. I’ve been reading. It feels good. But at the same time, the two books I purchased are intense. They are the kind of books that make you think, make you evaluate life. I was reading Sarah Bessey’s latest blog post about how her “tinies” are no longer tiny. She has big kids now. It made me think of my “littles” and I spent a majority of the post misty eyed over growing babies. My emotions are on the surface right now. They come up quickly and easily.

I’m doing a lot of things for comfort right now. I’ve eaten a lot pasta (mostly in the form of mac and cheese), I’ve inhaled chocolate whenever I have a chance, I am reading in quiet moments, I’m planning baking projects for when the heat dies down (which at this moment it seems like it never will) and Jeremy & I have started watching Parks and Recreation on Netflix. Books, TV, food… All good things.

To keep busy, we’ve worked on the house. We had a showing on Saturday and a showing today. We’ve taken the boys to the park numerous times. Owen loves parks. This is what childhood summers are all about. I love watching my big boy explore and amaze me. He is such a great climber. It blows my mind what he is capable of now. In less than 2 months, he’ll be 3. I realized that I’m going to have to plan one last zoo trip while is he still gets free admission! Graham, of course, is trying to keep up with Owen and is such a busy baby. He just doesn’t get that he is little. I could share more about Graham but I’ll save it for his 10 month update at the end of this week.

Today I went up to visit my friend, Kaly, and got to hold her newborn little girl, Citlaly. She’s only 8lbs. So tiny! It seems like forever since Graham was that small. It was great to get newborn snuggles in while Owen ran wild with Citlaly’s older brothers.

These are the things that make up life – good books, good food, funny television, multiple trips to the park, hanging with friends and newborn babies. This weekend, Jeremy’s parents watched the boys so we could go on a date during our home showing. It was nice to be with Jeremy and have him all to myself. We agreed that we wouldn’t do anything house related. We went to Olive Garden (pasta and bread sticks, YES). We got Jeremy an Apple watch so he can monitor his heart rate and health better. He hasn’t been feeling the best lately and his cardiologist recommended he get it. I joked with Jeremy that he is a expensive date!

Life is full of layers. I could list off all the layers that I am less than pleased with. My mind mulls them over more than I would like. I am equally trying to look for the good, finding grace and goodness in the ordinary moments. I’ve been thinking a lot about the season I spent reading 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp and making endless list of gifts throughout the day. I want to feel light like that again. I want to find joy in gratitude and contentment. I’m trying to be intentional with my thoughts and my actions. While my emotions might go up and down throughout the day, I’m choosing to look at the layers of my life as a unique creation. Some are bitter, some are sweet. They ebb and flow. I’m making the most of the moments, both good and bad. Trying my best to see God in it all. When I look, I find him and that makes all the difference.

Leave a Comment

Back on the Market August 12, 2016

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 6:56 pm

On Wednesday, we received news that our buyers were formally backing out of the sale of our home. This was the expected outcome after we arrived at an impasse over closing costs. Almost immediately, our home was back on the market. We even have a showing tomorrow. I don’t want to take a ton of time to discuss this closed door. The main thing I can say is I feel weird. I’m still in my house. We didn’t close today. I don’t feel like I belong here. I spent so much time and energy saying good-bye. I had prepared in every way to leave and then we didn’t… Now it just feels off. Like outgrowing something… I am grateful that we didn’t move just to find out that the house wasn’t sold. I would feel awful imposing on the hospitality of my in-laws while I had a perfect good house sitting empty a few miles away. Overall, this could be for the best. While it means more time, it also means a new appraisal and hopefully a better bottom line in the end.

The rest of the week has been about moving on with life. It keeps going. Wednesday was church. Thursday, my mom and I took the boys to the park. This park happens to be right by the train tracks and Owen was delighted to see three different trains. Last night we went to the storage unit and picked up more kitchen items. I have the strong urge to bake because that is a comfort move of mine, however, it’s too hot at the moment. Once the cooler weather comes in I plan on making a couple different goodies. One being a family favorite of Hello Dollies and the other will probably be something pumpkin because pumpkin also sounds like comfort to me.

During nap times, I’ve been able to make good progress on my new book, Present Over Perfect. I love Shauna Niequist. She is one of my favorite authors. This books affirms so many decisions I’ve made. I am all about the smaller life these days. I’m trying to be intentional with my time and influence. I love being home with my boys and making my family a priority. I love serving the kiddos at Bethel and I enjoy being a part of my local MOPS group. I might not run in big circles these days, but I love the small circles I am in. I know that I am encouraging others and pointing them to Jesus. This book empowers a healthy lifestyle, healthy boundaries and a healthy priorities. It encourages stillness and shows the power of small things. It’s a good read for sure. I am also equally excited to start How to Survive a Shipwreck by Jonathan Martin. I know the title seems a bit dramatic, but I can relate the shipwreck feeling. In life there will be failure and disappointment. I’m hoping for some practical encouragement from my next read.

Jeremy spend a good part of today making the outside of the house presentable. We did some more grocery shopping. We needed to restock some key pantry items. Tomorrow I will clean the inside of the house thoroughly and pray that this showing could be the one! How awesome would it be to only have one showing back on the market before we got another offer? While that seems unlikely, I can dream. This whole process has brought out two sides of me. One is always hopeful, thinking the best is right around the corner. The other is very pessimistic and “woe is me.” It’s strange to flip flop between hope and discouragement. Especially so many times throughout the day. More than trusting in my own emotions, which are all over the place, I am trusting in God. My mom sent me a quote from Corrie Ten Boom that says, “God doesn’t have problems, he has plans.” I am reminded that my house situation isn’t a problem. It’s an opportunity. God isn’t freaking out because my house didn’t sell, so I guess I shouldn’t either.

Owen saw that I was reading my Bible. He ran and got his and read it next to me.

Owen had a toe injury this week. He didn’t want to look at the offending cut so we covered it with a towel.

Graham is loving his hand-me-down walker from Uncle Nathan & Aunt Beckie. This kid loves to go!

Playing in the park with Grandma

How did he get so big?

Watching a train from the bridge

Leave a Comment

The Day We Didn’t Move August 9, 2016

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 4:50 pm

We didn’t move yesterday. Things are too up in the air. The renegotiating process with our buyers doesn’t look favorable and we didn’t want to move to just have the deal fall apart a day or two later. Our buyers are meeting with their agent tomorrow. Since I don’t have the ability to read minds or see the future, I have no clue what the outcome will be. However, I won’t be surprised if we have to walk away from this contract. If that is the case then we will put our home back on the market and start at the beginning again.

I didn’t think this would happen. The closer it got to closing and the move, I thought we were in the clear. We had been warned that things could fall apart at the very end, but I just didn’t think it would. On Saturday as I was talking things through with Jeremy, I realized that things were going south. I realized we couldn’t move on Monday if we weren’t sure about the sale of our home. The last thing I would want is for our home to sit vacant while we still owned it. Now there is a chance that we might have to make a mad dash to move before Friday, but I’ll be honest and say that I doubt it.

I’m disappointed. I worked my butt off to make sure we were ready to move on Monday. The only thing left to pack up was our food. I have our house down to the bare minimum. If we end up relisting our house, we’ll have to go get boxes out of storage and unpack a few things so we can actually cook in our house. Jeremy got a few boxes for me yesterday, but I think a few more are going to be necessary.

So, what did we do instead of move? We had a family day. We went down to the Vancouver/Portland area. We ate some comfort food (for me, mac & cheese). We tried to go see waterfalls on the historic highway, but the whole of Oregon was there so we only saw one smaller waterfall to avoid the crowds. We did some shopping since we needed food. I’ve been eating everything down to nothing so we had less to move. It was a weird day. While I loved having family time, it wasn’t quite the distraction I had hoped for. My mind kept thinking through “what ifs.” If I wasn’t thinking through the future, I kept thinking about how I should be moving… how I would have been moving that day. We ended the day with dinner at Jeremy’s brother’s house. Owen got some play time with Nolan. It was a nice way to finish the day. What an unexpected day.

In other news, the baby shower on Sunday for my sister in law went well. The weather was rainy which was a bit of a bummer since I had planned a summer BBQ. The rain stalled enough for the kiddos to go out and play a bit. It was a fun day spent with family and celebrating baby number 4. I can’t wait to meet my new niece or nephew next month!

Saturday was moving my sister into her home. It was fun to explore her new home and watch her start to settle in. After many, many moves, I’m hoping that April and Andrew have many happy years in this home. The septic had to be replaced on their new home. The workers were filling the dirt around the septic when we got there. Owen sat on the back porch and intently watched the digger at work. This boy loves his diggers and moving trucks. It was a great day for Owen. I think it was a good day for April and Andrew as well.

That’s the update for now. When I realized I would be home on Tuesday, I placed an order on Amazon for two books that I’ve been wanting for a while. I used my mother’s day gift card and they arrived today. During nap time today, I took an hour to sit in silence and read. It was good soul care. I don’t get a ton of time to read these days, but these books are a priority to me. They offer hope and encouragement. They are an investment into something I love. That’s also why I’m blogging. Words are how I process life. By reading them, by writing them. Words help me through it all. Jesus does too. I’m not really sure I believe that everything happens for a reason but I do believe that you can gain something from every experience. The twists and turns of my story have not caught Jesus off guard. God knows. He is in this. I am okay. I might be unsure, but I am okay.

We love U-Haul

Auntie’s house is so cool

Celebrating my sweet sister in law and her soon to arrive new addition!

On our way to adventure

Graham was less than impressed with the waterfall

Throwing rocks in and looking over the edge

Good times at Ikea

Playing Jeeps with Nolan

Books are my love language!

Highlighting my way through Present Over Perfect

Cutest engineer ever! Owen scored some new pajamas yesterday.

Leave a Comment

Highlights from Camping August 5, 2016

Filed under: Family Time,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 11:42 am

I have about 15 minutes of free time. Graham is down for a nap and Jeremy & Owen are on their way home from a morning of running errands together. At the point of my last post, I wasn’t in a very good place. Buggies freak me out and I felt like my house was crawling with them… After a day of intense laundry, treating the house & Owen for lice, and bug bombing to kill the fleas, I feel a bit better about things. I wasn’t expecting the extra work, but Jeremy was super helpful and together we conquered the bugs and took off for camping.

This was Graham’s first camping trip and Owen’s second. Owen loves camping. He does great. He runs around in the dirt, eats the camp food, sleeps pretty well in a tent on an air mattress. This year he even got the concept of sleeping in a sleeping bag. Graham on the other hand… He did not do so well at camping. He decided that sleeping wasn’t going to happen in the Pack’n’Play which made for a very long and loud night the first night. I deeply apologize to the whole campground. Graham took one nap on Nana’s lap and the rest were induced by driving around in the van and letting him sleep in his car seat. He also has a top tooth coming in so he spent most of his awake hours extremely fussy. On the bright side, he took about three steps on his own from Papa to Daddy. Doesn’t he know that he is only 9.5 months old? Slow down, kid!

Both boys got covered in dirt (which I totally expected). Owen loved having time to play with his cousins. Nana took the kids on many “hikes” around the neighboring empty campsites. I enjoyed my favorite camp foods (smores, pizza pockets and pop tarts). This was our first time camping at Millersylvania State Park. It’s on Deep Lake so the kids got to go swimming and fishing. Jeremy bought a small boat on clearance and enjoyed giving the kids rides. One of the nicest features of our campground was how close it was to home. The second night we stayed until bedtime and then took our crew home to sleep in their own beds. We just didn’t want to deal with another night of screaming. We took off early the next morning and made it back to camp in time for breakfast. I think it was the wisest choice for our family.

While this trip had some hiccups thanks to Graham, overall, it was a fantastic time to catch up with family and enjoy some time outside. I am excited for next year because I think it will be a home run experience for our family once Graham is older. Now I’m home conquering mountains of laundry and pulling all the details together for my sister-in-law’s baby shower. We got the food shopping done, the games are ready to go. This weekend will be a big one with moving my sister tomorrow and the shower on Sunday. I think I am as prepared as possible. The house is mostly packed up. Jeremy took another load to the storage unit this morning with Owen. I think we might have one more small load to take later today. Other than that, we are ready to move on Monday. Which reminds me, the appraisal shook things up for us. It came in lower than we expected. We are renegotiating with the buyers. I’m really praying that things don’t fall apart at this point since we are set to move in just a few days. I know that God is in control and nothing surprises him. He is in all these details. I just need to take a deep breath and trust that he’s got this. Again, I feel unsteady, but I know that he is my rock and anchor. These metaphors have taken on even deeper meaning for me this year as I have looked for sure footing and only found it in my Savior. May all this crazy be for God’s glory! Amen!

Found the campsite. About to set up.

I couldn’t be more thankful for this man. He is there for me through all of these ups and downs and puts up with all my crazy emotions!

Sleeping on the boppy which was laid across my stomach. The things we do to keep little ones asleep.

First time fishing. He lasted about 4 minutes before he wanted to go throw rocks in the lake instead.

A little dirt never slowed Graham down!

Pizza pockets cooked over a fire! My favorite camp food ever!

Such a beautiful sight!

Handsome little swimmer

He caught a fish!

Hanging at the lake while the group was swimming.

Enjoying the new boat

Leave a Comment

One Week Left August 1, 2016

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 3:32 pm

I’m writing this blog in the middle of my kitchen – sitting on the floor. This seems like the safest spot (no fabric, I’ll explain more soon). We have one more week left in our house. Today is my last full day at home. This week will be spent camping, moving my sister, hosting a baby shower and then moving on Monday. I have every second planned for maximum productivity. I feel like with my plate being so full, I have to really be on top of everything. But when you fill your life to the brim like this something usually explodes. Last week it was Jeremy getting sick from sun exposure and doing too much out in the sun and hot weather. I lost my voice for 3 days and sounded like a frog or a pre-teen boy. I thought this was it. We have over did it and now we’re seeing the strain on our bodies. You never assume more is coming, but indeed more has happened. Today it dawned on me that we have fleas again. Apparently if you don’t kill all the eggs, fleas can reappear about 4 weeks after you think they are gone. And they did… Fleas were giving me a major mental breakdown today when Jeremy came home and discovered that Owen has head lice. He got it on Saturday from a hat he wore at Chehalis Fest. Jeremy checked all of us and I checked Jeremy. Luckily only Owen has it, but now it’s time to treat everything and wash everything. Not how anticipated my last day at home would go down. You never plan for illness, fleas or lice. They just happen. On top of that, I’m looking at my mostly packed up house and feeling a bit sad to say good-bye. I have loved this house. This was our first house. We have invested so much into making it ours and a place we have loved. I brought my babies home to this house. My life has revolved around this location and making it a happy and healthy place for my family. So in the midst of it all, I am a bit sad. Mostly I am tired and frustrated. I don’t want to be dealing with illness, fleas and lice. I don’t want it. I just can’t handle it. Praying for God’s strength and peace as I move forward and keep going. Not much else to say. Say a prayer for me today. Thank you!

In one side out the other. Graham is into everything and we will attempt just about anything these days.

Shopping with Grandma! Owen went on an adventure to Chehalis Fest with my mom on Saturday so I could have a few hours to rest.

Snow cones with Daddy at Chehalis Fest

I sucked him into watching Anne of Green Gables with me. It’s not often I make the kids watch TV for me, but Anne is perfect for sick days.

One week left in our house. Taking it all in and having deep feelings about everything.

Leave a Comment

Chuckling at Change (well, sort of)… July 28, 2016

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Recollections,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 11:58 am

I randomly think through this last year and chuckle (or breath into a paper bag) about all the changes 2016 has brought. I actually sat down made a list yesterday afternoon while Owen napped.

2016 started off with me eating a dairy/soy free diet in order to figure out Graham’s tummy issues
We sold our car and bought a minivan
We changed phone carriers
I reached a new decade (aka turned 30)
Listed our house to sell
Got rid of satellite TV (this has totally changed the way we watch TV, which I will admit we do every day)
Gave Toby away
Said good-bye to April as my Wednesday night helper after 3 years of teaching together.
I’ve packed up my household belongs and I’m staring at blank walls and empty cabinets.
Anticipated changes right around the corner
- Moving in with my in-laws
- Selling my home
- Start building a new house

All of these changes have happened during the “baby phase.” Not only have we adapted to being a family of four and keeping a squirmy little human alive, I have lived through all these changes with postpartum hormones, adjusting to a new post-baby body, and interrupted sleep (every single night, sometimes multiple times a night). No wonder I’ve lost more hair after having Graham than I did with Owen. I’m not pulling it out, but thanks to postpartum hormones and stress, I thought I might go bald this year. I laugh about it all… sometimes…

Stability has been in short supply. For those that know me, you know that I am the queen of routine and predictability. This year has shattered that comfort zone for me. The only way I have gotten through all of this with Jesus. I don’t seek out change. In fact, all of the decisions above big and small were made with a lot of thought and prayer. As strange as it sounds, the change that has been happening in my extended family has affected me as well. We moved my parents twice in the last month. This changes the home that we visit with the boys. My sister is about to move out of state. While she will still close enough to visit, I will no longer see her on a weekly basis. She has been my partner in crime for the last three years on Wednesday nights. In seems like in a lot of ways, the whole world has turned upside down and shifted. While I know that isn’t entirely true, it feels true.

I’m doing my best to embrace an adventurous spirit. While I don’t love change, I have my eyes wide open wondering what God has next. I don’t assume anymore that things are always going to be the way they always have been. The next few months are just mid-story when it comes to selling our house and building a new home. We are finishing a chapter, but we are still in the middle of it. These days have been exhausting physically, mentally and emotionally. I often feel empty at the end of the day, like I’ve given it my all. I’m spent. Daily I thank Jesus that I am not walking through all of this alone. I know that he is there with me. As I pack every box. As I pray over what builder to use. As I correct a cranky toddler. As I soothe a crying baby. Jesus is right there. It’s comforting. While I crave stability and “normal”, I know that I have my hope anchored in the rock. Life might a whirlwind, but I know that I have a firm foundation through it all. I’m thankful that Jesus is my constant through this crazy journey!

Graham taking his Sunday morning nap in my arms

Showing me his Percy tattoo. He wouldn’t the lady put it on him on Friday for the Day Out with Thomas

Trying to get photos of these two together is always a crazy adventure!

Reading books on the new alphabet rug

April’s last Wednesday night

April’s Last Wednesday Night

April’s Last Wednesday Night

April’s Last Wednesday Night

Leave a Comment

A Day Out with Thomas July 24, 2016

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 2:45 pm

This last week has moved at a remarkable pace. We are flying through our days and they are filled to the brim with activity. I left off last week saying that we would tour a Lexar home plan on Wednesday. My plan was to bake on Wednesday morning and put off my normal house cleaning until Thursday. Jeremy sent me text on Wednesday morning saying at the appraiser called and wanted to appraise the house that day. I went from having a relaxed day to cleaning the house at break neck speeds. I had barely enough time to clean the house, take a shower and get out the door. Insane! The hour drive to see the Lexar home felt like an eternity to me because it was a Wednesday and I knew that we had to make the same drive home in order to get to church on time. It was a jammed packed day. I wish I could say that I didn’t like the house, but I did. The house we saw had some upgrades that we really liked. However, with Lexar raising their prices recently, our budget really has no wiggle room for upgrades. The house we toured was really well decorated. The lady who owns it makes her own decor and furniture. She is the kind of person Pinterest was made for. It was nice to see the house set up so well and so functionally. Jeremy and I could definitely see how the home would work for us. My favorite spaces were the master bedroom and the playroom. The tour gave us lots to think about. (And in case you are wondering, we haven’t heard anything back about the appraisal…)

Before I can jump into the happy Thomas the Train update, I want to briefly touch on Thursday’s big news. Thursday, Toby left our family for a new adventure. It had been in the works to take Toby to a local humane society since the beginning of July, but due to some policies it got put off until this last week. It was a hard thing to do. When we first tried to rehome Toby in January, it was sudden and while we agreed it was the right thing to do, it left me an emotional wreck. I sobbed and had the closest thing in my life to a legitimate panic attack. It might have been the postpartum hormones, but I think it was the surprise and pace of the decision mixed with a whole lot of guilt and feeling like a failure. I was nervous about how our second attempt at giving him away would go. With everything else that I have on my plate right now, I didn’t want to have a mental breakdown over the dog. I think that having a lot of time to process the decision was good for me. Having most of the month of July to think about it and say good-bye was helpful for me. Toby’s last month with us was filled with lots of walks, treats and love. He is a sweet dog, but just not good with kids. Now he has a chance to find a family that better fits his needs. While I have not sobbed like last time, Toby is still in my thoughts throughout the day. I wonder how he is doing. I think about how he would have been a part of our day. There is a void – for good or for bad. I do miss him. I think that moving in two weeks will help since we’ll be in a new location and no longer in the home that we brought Toby home to. It’s been rough, but good in a lot of ways. Just another big change for our family. We’ve had a few lately…

On to the happy stuff! On Friday, we took off up north for a Day Out with Thomas! As we were walking up to the train station, Thomas was pulling in from his first ride of the day. Owen was thrilled to see him. The funny thing about Owen is he takes everything in and processes it quietly. His eyes were huge and he had fun, but he is barely smiling in any of the pictures. The day wasn’t great for photo opportunities, but the experience itself was worth it. We went around the site and collected coloring pages, temporary tattoos and played at the Thomas train tables they had set up. We climb up inside engines they had on display. They had all the songs from the show playing around the railway. It was a fun atmosphere. The ride itself was scenic and everyone we passed waved at us. Owen had a fun time waving back. Once our ride was over, we got in line to take our picture with Thomas. Because he had to depart for his next ride, the photo opportunity stopped right as we got to the front of the line. We got some pictures with Thomas in the background. They aren’t Christmas card worthy, but they are funny. Owen wouldn’t take his eyes off of Thomas so all you see is the back of his head in the photos. Graham on the other hand is crying because he is cranky and needs a nap. It made for a humorous photo. We left the railway feeling pretty good about our fun adventure with Thomas. Our ride home was also an adventure. An accident on the freeway had southbound I-5 crazy backed up. It was faster for us to take an extremely scenic route home and avoid the freeway all together.

I got home on Friday with just enough time to get a little dinner and then take off for my MOPS leadership retreat. I was exhausted from the big day with Thomas, but I mustered the strength. All I really wanted was my pajamas. My MOPS meetings on Friday and Saturday went well and I am excited for all we have planned for next year. Now that August is almost here, I am going to need to start working on our publications. June/July are sirt if a short break for me when it comes to publications, but I’m about to jump right back into it. After the retreat was over, I came home and packed some boxes while the boys napped. Jeremy worked on fixing a few things that came up in the home inspection. Once the boys were up, we dropped them off with Nana and Papa and took off for Olympia to talk with Adair homes. Now that Lexar has raised their prices, we need to seriously look into other options to make sure we are making the best choice financially. The meeting with Adair went well and gave Jeremy and I lots to discuss at dinner.

Today the house is looking bare as I take down the artwork on the walls and wrap it up. I’m currently out of bubble wrap, so I’m pausing to complete this blog. Jeremy is out digging up pipes to fix our septic with his father. We are moving toward closing and doing our best to be as prepared as possible for this big move and transition. Please be praying for us! We appreciate it!

Triple stacker! Silly boys!

Oh the things that happen at church. Luckily it looks like no big deal now.

Toby’s last walk with the family. Such a hard decision even though it was a good one. Despite all the crazy he brought to our lives, I do miss him. Just not the pee on my floor.. And the barking…

Playing in the yard is what being a kid in summertime is all about!

Our epic photo with Thomas! What do you think? Christmas cards?

Enjoying our time at the railway

Such a good time at the Day Out with Thomas

Leave a Comment

Who would have thought? July 20, 2016

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Recollections,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 9:00 am

If you would have asked me about what I thought 2016 would like on January 1st, I would have never imagined any of this. Our world continues to move forward in surprising ways. I can tell that God is in all of this because it’s not something I saw coming. Our counter off to the home inspection was accepted. We will move on August 8th and close on August 12th (as long as the appraisal goes well). I find myself with only a few weeks left in my house. Monday, I packed up dozens of boxes and tried to determined what we needed in our kitchen and what could go. Jeremy and Owen took two truck loads out to the storage unit. We are making progress. Packing is now a daily pastime. I am so grateful to have Jeremy home from camp. It felt like life paused for a week and now we are back to moving full steam ahead. We switched the boys’ dressers so Graham can use the long dresser has a changing table. We will sell our changing table so it’s one less things to store. I’ve been sorting through our things and consolidating. I’m trying to be strategic when it comes to what stuff will move with us and what will go to storage. The nice thing about having a project like this is I feel productive at the end of the day. Keeping my kids alive is a lot of work, but at the end of the day, I don’t always feel like I’ve accomplished a lot. Packing makes me feel like I’m doing something. It’s been good.

The week without Jeremy finished well. We went had dinner with my parents on Thursday and went down to Longview to hang with my sister on Friday. We took Owen to the park and he has a blast. We did a little shopping, got more “panda rice” and milkshakes at Burgerville. The boys were so excited when Jeremy came home. Graham crawled around the house trying to keep up with Jeremy. Every time he reached Jeremy, he would pull himself up and lift his arms up to be held. It was super sweet. Owen gave Jeremy numerous hugs and told him that he missed him. These boys love their Daddy! It’s great to have the family back together.

Our weekend was filled with family time. We drove over the mountains for my niece’s 4th birthday party on Saturday and then we had a family BBQ with relatives visiting from South Dakota on Sunday. Like I mentioned early, Monday was a big day of packing and taking loads to the storage unit. We also walked the property with a local contractor and ran errands up in Olympia. Jeremy hasn’t had any down time to recover from kid’s camp. While the boys napped, I worked on a MOPS project. I walked into our bedroom to find Jeremy laying on the bed with his eyes closed. My hubby never lays down, so this was a big deal. Poor guy just can’t rest with the pace we’ve set.

Yesterday, I went into the church to make a sign for our MOPS play date and then we went to the park to play. Owen had a great time going down the slide and watching for trains with his friends. As we were leaving the park, Owen yelled “Good-bye everybody!” It was sweet to see him connecting with his buddies.

Today, we have our rescheduled home tour with Lexar. I am excited to see if the plan we like is the “one”. If we don’t love this plan then it might be back to the drawing board for us. Lexar has raised their prices, so we might look into other builders. We aren’t sure yet. Things with the property are moving forward. We will need to nail down the details soon. We don’t want anything to hold us up once we have the green light to build.

That’s life in a nutshell. It’s wonderful to see the process move forward. Each steps brings us closer to the next. I’m excited that once we move, we will close. Once we close, we will have the finances to start building. This new home and all that it entails is an adventurous new chapter for our family. I have loved our current home and I am sad in way for this chapter to end. So many sweet and wonderful memories. I am equally thrilled though by the new memories we are going to make moving forward. God is in all the changes. He has our family in his hands. I am thankful, excited and looking forward to the future.

Doesn’t everyone watch TV like this?

Graham: How do I get up there?

Playing outside while baby naps

Dinner at Grandpa & Grandma’s new place

Being such a big boy playing at the park

Milkshakes with Auntie

Welcoming Daddy home!

Happy birthday, Brinley!

Flying planes

Cheering Daddy on while he plays a game

Cousins and buddies!

Leave a Comment

Graham – 9 month update! July 19, 2016

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 2:02 pm

9 months and way too active to sit still for pictures!

3/4 of the way to the big one! Graham’s first birthday is just three months away! I can’t believe it. 3 months will go by in a blink. I remember I started to come out of the baby haze around 9 months with Owen. From the beginning, Owen has been a better sleeper than Graham, but Graham has generally had a better attitude than Owen. At 9 months, Owen was becoming less needy and I was sleeping through the night. There was new found freedom. Graham on the other hand… He isn’t a consistent sleeper. He has slept through the night the last two nights. The night before that I forgot to turn the monitor on, so maybe he has slept through the night the last three nights. I don’t really know. He gives me glimpses of what solid sleep might be like and then he goes back to waking up 2-3 times a night. I’m always praying for more sleep. It’s a major big deal in my world. I am just not my best self when I don’t get enough sleep. Overall, though, even with the lack of sleep, Graham has mostly been a happy camper which makes him pretty easy to handle (even when I’m exhausted).

If I could describe Graham in one word it would be wiggly. This kid is always moving. He wants to be on the go. If you are holding him, he wants to be put down so he can move. He is all wiggles and squirms and does whatever he can to be mobile. He is a fast crawler and gets into everything. I’m back to the phase of having to barricade things in the house. He is fairly predictable in what places he wants to go. Of course, most are off limits, like the wood stove or the dog’s water. Instead of playing with toys, Graham’s favorite pastime is doing laps around the house… And maybe, disassembling the track on the train table.

The big exciting news of the month is Graham now has two teeth on the bottom middle. He loves to give kisses and then bite you with his new teeth. It’s a super sweet moment until it isn’t…

Graham loves to look at (aka tear apart) books. He enjoys taking puzzles apart. He likes to destroy block towers or my Lego creations. He is always trying to keep up with Owen. He will drive cars and trucks on the ground just like his brother. He loves nursery songs. He still isn’t very interested in solid food. He will put it in his mouth and then spit it out. Hopefully in the next three months, he will discover more food love. I am ready for some of the freedom that will come with not being his only source of food.

Next week is his 9 month well check. I will share the stats after that. He is a little shorty, so I won’t be surprised to see him at the bottom of the charts. He is my little man, but it doesn’t stop him from trying to be a big boy. My guess with all this pulling himself up on furniture, walls, windows… He will most likely be walking before one. This boy has places to go and things to do!

Playing with Legos while big brother sleep in!

At the park

Having a good time at Brinley’s birthday party

Gotta love Home Depot carts!

Leave a Comment

Anniversary Weekend & More July 12, 2016

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Children's Ministry,Family Time,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 8:50 pm

I’m just going to jump in… Our plan to visit the Lexar house plan we like fell through last Wednesday. The guy at Lexar put the wrong date in his calendar so he wasn’t available when we stopped by to meet up with him. That will now be pushed back to next week. We will also be parting ways with Toby next week and attending a Day Out with Thomas. Lots to look forward to. Not to mention this weekend is a family birthday party and then a family BBQ the following day. We like to celebrate!

Wednesday we had our home inspection. It went fairly well. Somethings we expected. Some surprised us. The buyers asked for a few things to be taken care and we countered. Mostly, we wanted Jeremy to be able to fix the majority of the issues since they were small and the buyers wanted a licensed contractor. Trust me, Jeremy’s got this. However, they don’t know how handy my hubby is so I can understand the standard ask of a contractor. We haven’t heard back from them yet if they accept our counter. In other news, our family has an offer accepted on a 12 acre piece of property south of Chehalis. We are super excited. We will do a feasibility to make sure the building there is well… feasible … If all goes well, my parents will be building on 6 acres and we will be building one the other 6 acres. Hopefully, sooner rather than later. We are ready to move this process forward. At this point, we will close a month from today on August 12th. We will move on August 8th, so we are already less an a month away from the big transition. I’ve been steadily packing boxes and pairing stuff down. I’m feeling good about what we will be taking with us to my in-laws house and what will go to storage. I should also give a shout out to my in-laws who have been making space for us. They have been so gracious and generous. I am grateful for their cheerful hearts and their willingness to take in this crazy ragtag bunch. Praying we don’t drive them nuts!

Now that the move update is out the way, let’s move on to daily life. This last weekend, we went to the beach to celebrate our 10 year anniversary! Since Graham is nursing and Owen loves the beach, the boys came along too. Romantic, I know. What was also romantic was the fact that Jeremy and I slept in separate full beds on opposite sides of the trailer stayed in. Jeremy doesn’t fit in a full bed. His feet stick off, so he sleeps diagonal. Jeremy and Owen took the bedroom and Graham and I took the living space. I’m thinking we’ll make 11 years the romantic, kid-free getaway. My friend, Maggie, owns a trailer at the beach and she offered it us free of charge. It’s an adorable 1950’s trailer with lots of wood paneling and Maggie has it decorated so cute. When we arrived there was a gift basket waiting for us. A bunch of friends and family had chipped in. There was a picture frame, chocolate, sparkling cider and gift certificates to local restaurants. It was such a surprise and sweet gesture. We felt loved and blessed. We packed our time at the beach with all our favorite things. The weather was rainy, but it made things quiet and cozy. We took advantage of breaks in the rain and got outside a few times. It was a fantastic family weekend. I love my husband more than words can say. The last 10 years have been better than I could have ever imagined. Jeremy is my best friend and partner in crime. He balances me out and encourages me in so many ways. I know that I am a better person because he is my life. He supports and loves me and values me. I am one grateful lady. God gave me the best!

After the high of the fun family weekend, Jeremy left on Sunday to go to kid’s camp for the week. Which means I am home. alone. with the boys. At this point, we are all still living. Sunday, we stayed after church to have lunch with him and say our good-byes. Then it was home for nap time, a walk with the dog and a movie. Yesterday, my mom came over in the morning, the boys had a bubble bath and then we went over to Nana & Papa’s house for dinner and playtime. Today, we went down to Portland to Powell’s City of Books. Oh my word. I wanted to buy the whole children’s section. It was bad. Books are a weakness of mine. The boys got three new books and each one got read at bed time tonight. My mom and sister joined our little clan on this outing. We had lunch out. Owen got “panda rice” (Panda Express). I got to do a little shopping. It was super helpful to have my mom and April there to distract the boys so I could take few minutes to focus on my wardrobe needs. When we got home from our adventure, we attempted to take the dog for a walk, but it started to rain so we had to turn around. Gotta love this July weather. Last summer was so hot. I am grateful for the cool weather and even the rain. I know. I’m weird. The rest of the week is filled with friends, family and church.The only day I didn’t plan anything on was Friday… Which could be a LONG day since Jeremy doesn’t get home till late. I might have to make up a Friday outing so we are just staring at the clock wondering when Daddy will get home.

That about sums up life. Oh, I read a book. It’s called It’s Just a Phase So Don’t Miss It. It’s written for leaders that work with kids and teenagers about maximizing your influence at each phase in a child’s life. Each phase is important and shouldn’t be overlooked. It was an easy read filled with good information and fun charts. There was humor and honesty spread throughout the pages. As a parent, it was helpful for me to remember to be intentional with my boys where they are now, but to have a plan for the future. I am raising adults. Since this was only the third book I’ve read in 2016, I was proud of myself. When Jeremy isn’t home and I don’t want to go to bed at 8:40pm, I actually take the time to read.

Okay. Now I’m done!