Amy Scott's Thoughts

Happy Valentine’s Day February 22, 2015

Filed under: Family Time — Amy Scott @ 6:55 pm

Okay, so we really didn’t celebrate Valentine’s day in a traditional way. On Friday the 13th, we went to the Valentine’s dinner at our church and Jeremy got had the opportunity to lip sync “As Long As You Love Me” by the Backstreet Boys with some of the other staff members. I’m pretty sure that he felt like this was a Friday-the-13th kind of experience. I got to sit in on their multiple practices before the big gig. It was too funny. My face hurt from smiling and trying not to laugh. Of course, it wasn’t just lip syncing. There was dancing at as well. Truly, a night to remember! Valentine’s Day was spent moving my sister and her husband into their new home. My job was to keep Owen out of the way and Jeremy was the one for the heavy lifting. My family loves the addition of Jeremy and Andrew because now we actually have people with muscles who can do stuff like move heavy objects. It’s great.

This week has been a bit of this and that. Thursday was a grand adventure… I had just put Owen down for his afternoon nap when I got a phone call from a random number. I didn’t answer but they left a voice mail. I found out it was Jeremy calling from Cash’N’Carry where he had locked his keys and phone in the car. He had a very important meeting in an hour and he needed me to drive him his spare key. He already knew the meeting needed to pushed back for him to make it time. I drove with a lead foot up to Olympia and I had to keep reminding myself that this meeting wasn’t worth me getting a speeding ticket over. I got to the parking lot and gave him his key with enough time for him to make it back for the newly rescheduled time. On the way home, I got another call from a random number and this time the voice mail was Jeremy saying he had only made it few exits before he truck overheated and he was pulled over in a parking lot trying to fix it. His cell phone was dead for some reason so I had no way of calling him back. After waiting a while to hear from him, I left Owen with my parents and went back up north to find my husband. I got to him just in time for him to finish up adding coolant to his truck and he was ready to ride. I followed him home just to make sure no more drama occurred. It was a totally crazy day and no, Jeremy didn’t make it to his important meeting. But things can be rescheduled and despite our best efforts, getting to the church just wasn’t an option. Other than the zany travels and car troubles of Thursday, the week has been pretty normal. Here are a few highlight photos.

Practicing for big dance number!

Helping Auntie and Uncle move

Hanging at Home Depot

Going for a ride in his red wagon

Owen’s new obsession is the slide

I see you

Playing in mud puddles

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Flying through February February 13, 2015

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 12:06 pm

Crazy to think that tomorrow is the halfway point for the month of February! We are flying through the month. Things have been good. Nothing too over the top crazy these days, just enjoying life. Owen’s nose stopped running for about a week and now the facet is back on. I know lots of kiddos have a off and on runny nose, but Owen hasn’t been that type of kid until now, so I’m adapting to this new snotty phase. Oh well. As long as he is well enough to go into the nursery at church, I’m cool. Here are some of the highlights of the month so far.

One of my favorite people in the world, Miss Jessica, came to visit for a few days after moving to Virginia this summer. I got to see her two nights in a row and I was in absolute heaven. However, I’ve been going through Jessica withdrawals ever since she left. I love this girl and it was fantastic to catch up with her in person about her very exciting life on the east coast.

Last weekend, we spent a day helping my sister and brother-in-law tidy up their new rental home. They will be moving tomorrow, but we wanted to make sure the house to was in tip-top shape before we got all their stuff inside. It was a fun day of being able to explore their new area and help set them up in their new space. Owen loved running around the empty rooms, especially the mud room.

One of my bigger projects this last week has been packing up Owen’s size 12 month clothes and pulling out the next sizes. Owen has been in 12 month clothes for over 5 months now. It’s exciting to have a change in the wardrobe especially as we move toward more spring type outfits, but at the same time, it’s always a little sad when I’m boxing up little shirts and pants. So many good memories in those clothes. He wore these through the holidays and through many adventures. It’s strange how attached to them I feel as I pack up the boxes. Yesterday, we went out and did some clothing shopping to fill in the gaps in his wardrobe. The best part was Owen joined us for the first store and then he spent the evening with Grandma & Grandpa. Jeremy and I shopped in Olympia with no kiddo. It was so much fun!!! Owen likes to roam the stores like a maniac or he wants to be held. Riding the cart isn’t his favorite thing (at least when I’m around, Jeremy says he does great in the cart if he and Owen are out on a daddy/son outing). Anyway, it was a fun treat to shop without Owen in the mix.

Tonight we have a Valentine’s Day dinner at church. Jeremy got roped into lip syncing and dancing to a Backstreet Boys song with the staff. I promise photos and videos of that to come! Tomorrow we move April and April into their new home so that will make for a big day and a not very romantic Valentine’s Day, but that is okay. We don’t usually make a fuss out Valentine’s Day anyway. Plus, spending Valentine’s Day with family, helping them move seems like a very loving thing to do. That’s the new news for now! I’m sure I’ll have lots of fun to share after this big holiday weekend!

Jessica visited from Virginia

Helping clean Uncle & Auntie's new house. We move the in tomorrow!

Helping clean Uncle & Auntie’s new house. We move them in tomorrow!

Toby finally got a haircut since he couldn’t see out of his eyes anymore. Now he looks like a rat dog!

Making forts and playing with a lantern

He has discovered the white board thanks to the kiddos are church

He has discovered the white board thanks to the kiddos at church

Owen got his first Valentine in the mail! Good thing it’s from his cousin, Carson, and not a girl!

While clothing shopping for some new size 18 month outfits, Jeremy felt that Owen needed a pair of sunglasses. Now they are a pair of cool dudes!

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An Endless Runny Nose February 2, 2015

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 12:13 pm

Lunch date with Maggie!

My last post talked about how we were finally coming out of the haze of sickness and my plan to end January was a busy one. Well… That didn’t pan like I thought. The weekend was fine. Last Friday, I drove up to Tukwila for a lunch date with two of my favorite ladies – Maggie and Summer. Jeremy had a busy weekend with a work party and a Frozen movie showing at our church. Monday, Jeremy and I had a ministers dinner for work, so we went to that while Owen hung out with Nana & Papa. I was super excited because the next morning, I was going to take Owen swimming with our MOPs group, but Owen woke up with a runny nose and a random cough. I would say that Owen was right on the fence of being sick and I didn’t want swimming to tip the scale to the side of sick. We ended up stayed home. Luckily, Owen doesn’t know all the fun he missed out on, but I know he loves to swim and play in the water. It was definitely a hard opportunity to pass up. Despite the snot, I had a student come over and hang out on Tuesday night for a few hours. It was great to catch up with her. She let Owen text on her phone and make phone calls to her friends. Owen that was a blast and has been disappointed that I won’t let him do the same thing on my phone now.

Enjoying the sunshine on Monday

Wednesday was supposed to be a lunch date with a good friend, but she came down with a bug, so those plans got postponed until this week. Owen’s nose was still running pretty good on Wednesday. Jeremy stayed home from church with Owen since we weren’t sure if he should be in the nursery. Wednesday night was pajama night with my class. We were going to watch a movie and have root beer floats. In the middle of pouring the root beer floats, the power went out to the two back classrooms that the girls use. My mom’s class next door was doing a pancake night and they had plugged in too many griddles thus blowing a fuse. I had to run out to the foyer to find someone who could help us. The security jumped right into helping us and soon the power was back on. Of course, I got comments from many adults on my pajamas. I was unfazed when I walked down there because I’m so used to wearing pajamas, I forgot that the rest of the world would find my outfit weird. I had to explain that our class was doing something special that night. When I finally got to playing the video I wanted on my laptop, I realized that my new laptop didn’t have the internet access code plugged into it. It’s a 40-key code with lots of letters and numbers. I had to call Jeremy for the 2nd time (after the fuse fiasco) and get the code. Once we got that to work, the internet signal wasn’t strong enough in our classroom so we had to relocate to another room closer to the router. As you can tell, it’s quite the night. Very crazy.

Texting with Lacey on Tuesday

Thursday and Friday, I had plans that also got canceled due to Owen’s nose and the illness of other kiddos he was going to hang out with. This week was supposed to be ultra busy, but the germs had other plans for my family and friends. It was still a fun week though. I don’t mind things being quieter than expected. Then Friday and Saturday were around the house days.

Sunday, of course, was the Super Bowl. My parents had invited us up to watch the Super Bowl at their house. My dad has a media room with a huge TV and a large sound system that makes watching the game up close and personal. My sister and brother-in-law came as well as two other families from our church. The parents all went upstairs to watch the game and that left my mom, sister and I down stairs with 7 kids ages ranging from 1 to almost 10. It was a bit chaotic to stay the least. I munched on way too much snack food and April and I kept up with the game on mute in the background. My dad had the game time-delayed upstairs so April and I always knew what was going on before the main group of football fans. While the Seahawks were winning this power felt awesome, but toward the end of the game, we were sad to know that they had lost before the group did. We heard them cheering upstairs and we knew it wasn’t going to end well. Then things got quiet upstairs… and we knew that they knew it too. Despite the sad and dramatic ending to the Super Bowl, we had a great time and a lot fun.

Now you are all caught up on the happenings of the Scott family. Apparently Owen will be sick about every two weeks and his runny nose runs our lives. I’ve talked to so many moms with older kids that say that they remember these always sick days. It’s good to know that this isn’t odd. Also, Owen wasn’t deathly ill, but I’m always cautious when it comes to sharing germs. I would hate for our germs to infect another family. Despite the change of plans and the slower pace, I would say that we had a fun and zany week.

New backpack! We are going to use this as his diaper bag now, so Owen can carry around his own stuff.

Goofing around with pillows and blankets

Helping Dad install more cabinet latches

Super Bowl Sunday

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Getting Back to Life January 22, 2015

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 3:14 pm

Only now do I feel like I’m coming out of the haze of the last month of illness in our house. I’ve been slow to re-enter our routine and our commitments. It’s amazing to me how we are nearing the end of January and I just now feel like I’m fully entering into the new year. It’s taken me a while to get back on my feet. Now that Owen is out of the woods, we are back to life and moving full steam ahead. Because there were a couple really slow weeks at the beginning of January, it seems like the end of January is trying to make up for entire month. I tend to do that. Unintentionally, I feel weird about not having commitments or not being able to keep them, so I flip everything over into the second half of the month and make that part super busy. It’s all good stuff, though, so I’m excited for some social time and hanging with friends and family, but I guess I will share more about that later – after it actually happens.

Over the last two weeks, Owen’s sleep schedule has changed. My kid who dependably slept till 9:00-9:30am is now waking up before 8:00am most morning. You are probably thinking “no big deal”. 8:00am isn’t all that early to most of the world. Well, I am a late sleeper by nature and I was really enjoying sleeping until 9:00am most morning. I would wake up before Owen and have some time to pull myself together before he got up. Now Owen is awake before me and I’m pulling myself out of bed when I would rather keep snoozing. We’ve had a couple super late nights in the last week and I hoped that Owen would go back to his normal schedule, but no. Despite what time we put him down, he is up early. This looks like our new routine. For the first time ever, I think I’m looking forward to “springing ahead” with daylight savings time. Maybe that will rewire him to sleep a little later. So anyway, I’m tired. I’ve been staying up late like usual, but getting up earlier. I haven’t adjusted yet to the lost hour of sleep. In the grand scheme of things, this is a positive change. Owen is sleeping more solidly through the night and not waking in the early morning hours. I’m just going to have get used to the new wake up time.

In other Owen news, we were finally able to get him a haircut. It was on our “January To-Do List”, but with all the buggies, it took us a while to get it checked off. On Saturday, we took him back to the kid’s salon for his second haircut. This time it was more of a big boy haircut and not a trim. He looks like a big boy in a little body now! I miss a lot of things now that his hair is short. I miss the spunky personality of his hair – it still has some, but it’s not as crazy. I miss his hair being able to cover up bonks on his forehead. Most of all, I miss playing with his hair when he sits on my lap. I never thought I would be a mom who was emotionally attached to her kids hair and I’m trying not to be. I just happen to like it long and crazy because it seems to be a part of him and his personality. Owen is a handsome kid no matter what hairstyle he has. I am lucky that he likes going to the hair salon and does very well while he sits in the chair… I mean, the go-cart! I’m grateful that he views getting haircut as a happy experience.

Today has been a quiet, but productive day. I’ve been busy but I enjoy setting my own pace. While Owen napped this morning, I cleaned the house. I’ve spent part of the afternoon updating pictures around my house. I hadn’t changed any of the photos since July. It was time to showcase some of our fall and holiday pictures. I love looking at my pictures and it can be so hard to pick which of the many get to be the one on display! The next thing on my to-do is to change my Scentsy scents around the house. I know, I am a wild woman! Cleaning, photo organizing, fiddling with my Scentsy! What a life… Oh there is a kid that I take care of too. He is pretty hands on so it’s hard to get much done while he is awake. Yesterday, he let me make cookies in the morning, but even still he was tugging on my leg asking for me to hold him. Holding a toddler and making cookies can be a complicated endeavor. I must lack talent in the multitasking department. These days I don’t try to multitask when Owen is up. I work on a few things, but mostly, it’s just hanging out with him and playing around. I really enjoy getting to be his buddy throughout the day. I don’t mind stopping my own agenda to goof off. The way I see it is these days are numbered. Days around the house just playing won’t always be our stage of life so I better soak it up while I can. I remind myself that school days are coming when my free time will come back (I daydream about this phase a lot). I remind myself that he’ll be a teenager some day and playing with Duplos on the floor won’t be his favorite thing. I got to make these moments count, right now. It’s such a blessing even though this time at home does come with it’s fair share of meltdowns, temper tantrums and fighting naps. I’ll take both the good and the bad. Keeps like interesting, right?

Right after the big haircut! Looking dapper!

Owen loves sitting in the big chair. He feels like such a big boy!

All movement! He is quite the ball of energy!

Supporting the Seahawks with Papa & Nana

Say Cheese

This ball pit no longer contains round balls thanks to our dog, Toby. Good thing Owen doesn’t seem to mind!

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Some Days are a Prayer January 20, 2015

Filed under: Bible,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 1:22 pm

The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. When I was a kid that verse freaked me out because I thought that it meant I needed to be on bended knee beside my bed 24/7. How in the world was anyone supposed to pull that off? It seemed impossible so I pushed it aside from my thoughts. However, I finally mastered the concept of praying without ceasing in high school. It might not shock you, but I have a bit of nervous personality. High school overwhelmed me in a lot of ways. I had good friends, but I also had crazy friends that did wild and stupid things. Like all youth group kids, I was told to be a light in my school, but that meant I actually had to talk to people I didn’t know all that well. I lived on edge walking from class to class. I prayed a lot. I can go through each season of my life and tell you why it called for extra prayer. There has never been a time in my life where I have had this thing handled. I’ve never once told God, “Thanks, but I’ll things from here.” Nope, I think my prayers are more like, “Seriously, God? Why this? Why now? HELP!” Over the last few months, I’ve tried to take the quieter moments and use them for intercession (praying for the needs of others). I can get so focused on my own life that intercession pulls me out of myself. It reminds me that others struggle and need help too. We’re all human. It softens my heart and helps me to feel more content with my situations because I know that things could worse, so I should be grateful and thankful despite my own difficulties. There are reasons, but today I feel the weight of needing to pray. For my family. For others. There is a tension in my soul with the unknown, the uncertain, the unanswered prayers that surround me. It weighs on me. I feel unsettled. So today feels like a prayer. One big giant prayer. I might repeat it often to myself in conscience thought. It might run in the background of my mind as I go about my tasks. But today needs prayer. Tomorrow will probably need it too. This is the thing – it’s the one thing I can do. I can’t solve my own problems, let alone the problems of my family and friends. I can’t make things better. If I could, I would. Also, not all prayers are about sadness and the complications of life. Some are just for encouragement, hope for the future, and an expectation of things to come. It’s not all doom and gloom. But most of the time, prayer is one way I can be a part of the solution without making a mess of myself. It’s good to pray. It matters. The one verse I turn to the most in my Bible is Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” This sums up it up for me. This is what I need to do. The next verse talks about how doing this brings peace and it’s true. I know that I don’t have this all figured out and that’s okay. God does. He has my situations and my loved ones in his hands. He values their hearts and he knows their fears. He is their comfort, their strength, their joy. And he is mine. I go into prayer with a worried mind and if I truly let go and hand these needs over to God, I finish with a quiet spirit and a calm mind. I need that today. I need that deep, rich peace that passes understanding. I remember that God can use all things for his good. He is in this. And I am thankful. It’s amazing how prayer turns anxiety into praise. I’ll be honest; my prayers are very rarely ever answered in an instant. I have to continue to live that unsettled feeling, but I will not let it bend my belief that God has got this covered. He knows. And that concludes this rambling blog. I hope that maybe it encourages you to stop in the middle of the crazy moments and send up a prayer. Keep doing that. Keep praying. It’s worth it. It’s a sweet fragrance to God. He loves to hear his kiddos talking to him. I also need to live with the silence and listen for his response. It’s a two way street this relationship with God. It’s about talking and it’s about listening. So, since I’ve been really good at talking today, maybe it’s time to quiet down and listen now.

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29 January 16, 2015

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Recollections,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 10:25 pm

This week, I turned 29. This year seems like a landmark year for me. It’s the last year in my 20’s. It’s crazy how fast they went. It’s also crazy that the next decade that is right around the corner will probably go just as fast or even faster. How does time fly by so quickly? A lot has happened in my 20’s. I got married at age 20, graduated from college at 22, bought at house at age 23, had a baby at 27. Talk about a lot of life change in a 10 year span of time. I also got to travel a lot more than I expect I would. I visited Nashville (x2), Atlanta, Chicago, Southern California (LA, Anaheim, San Diego, etc.), road tripped to San Francisco and through the Redwood forests, Washington DC, Vancouver BC, Hawaii, road tripped to South Dakota, road tripped to Kansas. That list isn’t in order and I probably missed a few cities, but the point is I’ve travelled. I love traveling. I love exploring new places. I love Disneyland. My one regret is that I’ve only been to Disneyland once in the last decade. That is truly sad. But there is always hope in my heart that Disneyland will be the next trip I take. It might be unrealistic hope, but it is hope nonetheless.

Back to my 20’s, Disneyland can complete derail my train of thought. While I know that life won’t end when I turn 30, I feel fully awake going into 29. I want to make it count. Not in big ways, I don’t have major plans. I just want it to be worth something. I want to end my 20’s the best way possible. In a recent conversation with a friend, she told me that she loved her 30’s way more than her 20’s. I can see her reasons for loving her 30’s already coming into play in my life. She said in her 30’s she really started to own who she is and care less and less about what other people think of her. She also mentioned that she loved watching the world through her kids’ eyes. I totally agree. I think 29 is so important to me because I want to embrace who I am. I don’t want to feel obligated to be anyone but me. I’m also starting to care less about the opinions of others. Not everyone will like me. I can be kind and I can be Christ-like, but I am not in control of what other’s think. Even if it’s about me. Also, having Owen in my life has been so enriching. I love being his mom and getting to watch him grow. I am a stay at home mom who volunteers at her church and mentors young girls a couple times a month. I am an avid reader. I watch way too much television. I love spending time with my family. I am blessed with great friendships. My life isn’t glamorous, but I love it. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

On the eve of my birthday, I was thinking about my friends. Relationships change a lot in your 20’s. I went from dorm life to living in Lewis County (with my friends all away at college). I went from having friends nearby to having friends scattered around the country. I gained a mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law. I gained friends of many ages. No longer was my core group all my age. As I was thinking about the ladies in my life who I consider dear friends, I realized how blessed I was to be walking this road of life with so many fantastic people who I know love and support me. My family and friends have made life so meaningful and I look forward to many adventures with them in the future.

Also, I look at how much Jeremy and I have changed in 10 years. I sometimes wonder why Jeremy ever felt compelled to marry the 20-year-old version of me. I was so young. I was still a kid in so many ways. I grew up a lot in 20’s and I have become who I am through hard work and rocky roads. There has been joy and there as has been pain. Jeremy has been by my side the entire time. We are a team and his love has held me together when I thought I was unraveling. We celebrate 9 years of marriage this coming summer. Marrying Jeremy is without a doubt the best thing I did in my 20’s and paved the way for many other wonderful things – like our home and our family of three. I am truly blessed.

As I said before, I have no major plans for 2015 and 29. I just know it’s going to be a big year. I know it will continue to grow me and stretch me and change me. I know I have an opportunity live each day as it comes. I am so glad for where I have been and I am even more exited for what is to come.

For those who are the wondering, I spent my birthday in a two day celebration. I spent the afternoon watching my movie with my sister while my mom watched Owen. It was nice to watch a movie without interruptions from my little man. My birthday was on a Wednesday and I teach 5^th/6^th grade girls at my church on Wednesdays, so I made the evening into a birthday party for me. We played Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Disney Scene It. There were party hats and noise makers. I made a Kit Kat cake with Reeces Pieces on top. It turned out great and tasted fabulous. (Note: This is not a cheap cake. Lots of candy is an investment. The bummer part is the candy only stays crunchy and fresh for a little while before the moisture of the cake affects it. By day 3, the candy has lost its crunch). On Thursday, we had my family over for dinner since that wasn’t an option on Wednesday. We had pizza and more cake (my favorite Safeway chocolate cake this time). Owen was the center of attention and it was a fun night to hang out with a few of my very favorite people. Overall, I would say the 29 kicked off to a great start. Now the slow march to 30… Just kidding. I mean, now for the epic journey that awaits before a new decade begins!

The Kit Kat cake I made for my birthday and shared with my Wednesday night class

Partying with some of my favorite ladies!

29 Candles

Another day, another cake!

Owen enjoyed my birthday cake! This kid loves chocolate!

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Little Boy January 13, 2015

Filed under: Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 11:13 am

Mom accidentally over filled the tub! Owen thought it was great!

It’s been a few months since I wrote a blog totally dedicated to Owen. Yesterday was his 15 month well check appointment, so I figured now would be a great time to share his stats and what Owen has been into lately. Even though yesterday was a “well check” appointment, we went with lots of questions about the bugs that Owen has been batting. He still has a runny nose, but other than that he seems to be improving. He has been fever free since Thursday, but then over the weekend he developed a rash, so honestly, it seems like every day there was a new twist to Owen’s ailments. It turns out that Owen does have an ear infection. The new procedure is no antibiotics until the symptoms have been happening for 10 days. Owen was right around that 10 day mark, but since things are clearing up, our doctor said to just let the bug run it’s course. The nice thing is she told us that Owen isn’t contagious. He can finally go back into the nursery at church and we can re-enter the real world!

Since Owen’s last appointment at 12 months, he hasn’t gained a pound. He is still under 21lbs. This puts him at 7% for weight. He is at 31% for length and his head at 73%. I’m sure no one is shocked by his head size. It continues to be the one thing that he lands above 50% with. I would love it if Owen would chunk up a bit more, but our doctor isn’t concerned so I have decided not to worry about it. He is a small boy and that’s okay. Whenever I talk about how small Owen is people always mention how small I am. At this point and time, he is taking after me. I guess that is a good thing. I’m a bit of a wimp. Lugging around a lightweight kid is probably better for my back in the long run.

Supporting his team on game day

Owen is a good eater, despite what you might think from his weight. I can’t get him to drink whole milk, but he eats so much diary that it’s okay. Owen loves yogurt, cheese and cottage cheese. He eats those items daily so he is getting what he needs in the dairy department. Owen loves to try to whatever we’re eating. So far, turkey and ham seem to be big winners. Rice meals are also a favorite for him – that makes Chinese and Mexican meals a hit. Owen has also shown that he prefers chocolate over vanilla. There are some things like pancakes that I can’t get him to touch at all. Weird, huh? He certainly has his expectations when it comes to food. He now goes to the pantry or fridge door and hits them until we pull something out. It’s neat that he can tell us when he is hungry. Owen has a pretty toothy grin these days. He now has 4 teeth on top, 4 on bottom and molars coming in on both sides – top and bottom. These chompers have come in handy as Owen has explored new foods. He has also started to master the art of the spoon. He will spoon feed himself cottage cheese. It’s a slow and messy process but he is always so proud of himself.

It’s been fun to watch Owen’s vocabulary start to take off. While he doesn’t say all these words in a day, he has said things like mom, dad, hot, light, deer, out, dog, duck, star, blue, ball. Sometimes he says something and I’m shocked that he knows that word – like when I put on his star jammies and he started to point at all the stars and say star. I had no clue he know that word or shape until that moment. During play time, all the farm animals “baa”. He has two new farm puzzles and he got a tractor for Christmas that he loves. He also got a few dinosaurs from his cousin, Carson. He makes the dinosaurs roar. Also, he knows that lions and bears roar too.

Grandpa & Grandma brought Owen some cheer with a giant Mickey balloon. Makes the days at home more fun!

As you can guess, Owen is still in 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. If he was over 22lbs, I was going to upgrade him to size 4 diapers, but he isn’t there yet. The nice thing is we get our use out of clothing. He doesn’t out grow his clothes all that quickly. I’m totally fine with that since I like his 12 month selection and I haven’t built up his 18 month wardrobe yet. Maybe he’ll start wearing 18 month clothes by 18 months. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Owen is super fast these days. It seems like once he could walk, he could also run. At the doctor’s appointment yesterday, our doctor marveled at Owen’s balance and movements. I guess he is ahead of the game when it comes to balance. I’m guessing that the lack of baby chunk makes him agile. Maybe he’ll be our little track star. All I know is that he keeps me on my toes. For a while he was rushing to the oven door whenever I wanted to open it and remove an item. He has finally grasped the concept of hot and now he keeps his distance while repeating the word “hot” over and over again. I was so scared that he was going to move faster than me and end up with a burn. If I want to put something away or open something up, you can bet that Owen will running towards me, ready to get into whatever he can.

Our little boy maybe be small, but he is such a sweetie. Throughout this bug, he has been a cuddler. I have spent my days holding this sweet, little boy and snuggling with him. He loves to give hugs and they usually end with him wiping his snot on my shoulder. What can I say, that’s true love, right?

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Hello 2015 January 8, 2015

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 1:51 pm

Can you guess how this blog will start??? Hmm… By now it’s no shock for me start a blog by saying that we’ve been sick. Our family keeps cycling germs. I’m practically at the point of depression because we cannot stay healthy. I was so glad that I fought off the germs through the holidays, but I didn’t totally make it out unscathed. On New Year’s Eve, Jeremy came down with a tummy bug. Owen and I went out to have a birthday dinner with my sister and then we came home to chill. For the first time in over a decade, I went to bed before midnight on New’s Year Eve. I was asleep when the New Year arrived. On New Year’s Day, I woke up with mounting sinus pressure. It was my turn to go down and boy, did I. I feel like I’m really just now coming out of the haze. This week has been a quiet one, so I’ve been slowly able to reclaim my house and my life. The entire time that I’ve been sick, Owen has been sick as well. There have lots of runny diapers, runny noses and fevers. It’s been a rough go. Owen is not out of the woods yet entirely. Poor boy.

I haven’t given too much thought to 2015 since I’ve been focused on getting well. The good thing about being sick and having my hubby home is that I’ve had lots of down to read. My dad gave us Smart Money Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze. There was an incentive to read the book. Dad would reward us if we gave him a book report – oral or written. As you can guess, this was the first book I choose to read this year. I went for the written report because I was nervous that an oral report might turn into an oral quiz and I had panic attack flashbacks to Spanish in high school (the only class I had oral quizzes in). Sometimes talking money can feel like speaking for a foreign language. However, Dave and Rachel did a good job of giving common sense principles for raising money smart kids. Even thought Owen is only one, the book gave me lots to think about. By the way, Dad if you are reading this, I will read more books at your request if with they come with a reward! Just saying… Next on my to-read list was the Divergent series. I had heard good things about it and I really liked The Hunger Games, so I thought this series would be up my alley. Of course, I love getting lost in a good story, so the Divergent series took over my life for three days. Overall, it was a good read and I enjoyed the plot twists. I wasn’t thrilled with the ending, but it was very entertaining. This week I even rented the movie, so the theme so far of 2015 might be Divergent. Now I am on to The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst. I’ve never read a book by her, but I’m appreciating her honest writing style. Over the years, I have often struggled with what to say yes to and when to say no. Right now I have scaled back my life a lot so that I can be a stay at home mom and invest in my family. Boundaries have always helped me stay focused on what is the most important thing for me to do. This book is reaffirming a lot of the choices that I’ve made and really encouraging me to stay the course.

Every year I like to do a recap blog post of the following year. I usually pick my favorite post of each month, but I’m not going to do that this year. 2014 sure had it’s ups and downs. In some ways I feel like a totally different person than I was at the start of 2014. I feel like my confidence has grown and I’m really loving where I am at. There is a peace that comes with doing what you are supposed to do and being where you are supposed to be. As I think about 2015, I really have no clue what the year holds. It will be my last year in my 20’s. I am just one year away from a new decade. Because I am about to turn 29, I feel a sense that I need to make this year count. But honestly, I should make every year count. 29 should be no different than 31 in my endeavor to grow and make a difference in the world. I know that in 2015, I want to focus on contentment more. I want to be thankful and joyful. I want to have peace and confidence. It’s been such an honor to watch Owen growing up into this fantastic little boy. My days at home with him are truly a gift. It’s hard to believe all the changes that he has gone through in 2014 and I’m sure my mind will blown by the little boy that emerges by the end of 2015. It’s a good life and I am happy to go forward. I believe the best is yet to come. And hopefully, my next blog post won’t mention sickness! Maybe 2015 will be the year we all stay healthy!!!

Celebrating Andrew’s birthday. It’s the one day a year where April is 26, Andrew is 27, and I am 28!

Celebrating April’s birthday on New Year’s Eve

First Instagram of 2015 took place on January 5th. We are sick and I was unshowered, but I was going through withdrawals! There is nothing fun to take pictures of when you’re sick!

This wild boy has some serious bedhead!

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Christmas December 31, 2014

Filed under: Family Time — Amy Scott @ 12:25 pm

Here we are on the other side of our Christmas celebrations. Our family enjoyed 5 days of Christmas. A lot of people talk about surviving Christmas, but that is a concept I have never understood. I love Christmas. I love spreading the celebrations out over the week. It’s like life is one big giant party. I love shopping for presents. I love giving gifts and watching my loved ones open them. Truthfully, I love getting presents too. It’s just fun to see what others got me and if it’s cash or a gift card, it’s fun to know that I have guilt free shopping in my future. Christmas time means quality time with family. It means good food. I love it. I am like a big kid. It’s still magical to me.

In a lot of ways, it felt like this was Owen’s first Christmas. Last year he slept through a great deal of our gatherings and he had no ability to open presents. In fact, we didn’t even get him Christmas presents from Jeremy and I since his needs were small and he would never remember that holiday anyway. Because last year was so low-key for Owen, I was super excited to see what he would think of Christmas. On Christmas Eve morning we decided to open our presents together as our family of three. Owen enjoyed pulling small items out of his stocking. When it came to actually opening presents, he was more interested in the wrapping paper and bows then the actual gifts. I was slightly disappointed that he wasn’t more interested in his new toys but Owen had a great time and that is really all that matters. The highlight for me was having a room full of wrapping paper on the floor. The sign of a good Christmas is wrapping paper everywhere! I don’t know why, but it really made it feel like Christmas for me. That afternoon, we made Owen’s favorite meal – turkey! It as a yummy meal! The evening of Christmas Eve was spent at my in-laws house playing Christmas games with the extended family. The games were fun and we all walked away with a small prize. It was a great night and a great day. It was the perfect way to kick off all our Christmas celebrations.

Christmas Day, we drove up to my Grandma’s house. It’s nice because things don’t start until noon, so the morning isn’t too rushed. Once the family had all arrived, we quickly dove into the present opening. The kids all draw names for each other and the adults do an optional gift exchange game. This year, Jeremy and I walked away with the gifts that we brought and we are okay with that. We always bring something we like! Owen got a ball pit from cousin’s family. We didn’t open the box for days because Owen loved playing on the box so much. He loved standing on it, sitting on it, dancing on it. In fact, this box started a love/need to stand on all boxes at our Christmas gatherings. It’s the funniest thing. After all the gifts were opened, we enjoyed a great meal, yummy desserts and time to just hang out and catch up with family that we don’t get to see often. Owen did great considering he didn’t have a nap the entire time we were there. He slept most of the ride home and we made a quick stop to wish Nana and Papa a “Merry Christmas”.

The day after Christmas is always a day that we view as a celebration as well. We head down to Portland to hit the after Christmas sales. This year we had both our family Christmas’ still yet to come so we didn’t want to buy ourselves something that we still might receive. Only the best deals might sway us. Surprisingly, we didn’t find that many great deals, but we did get some practical items we needed. One of the highlights of the day was selecting our own box of See’s candy since we were given a gift card by a family in our church. It’s been a long time since I’d stepped foot in a chocolate shop. The ladies at the counter gave all of us a sample, even Owen. He was a happy camper and wanted us to keep feeding him chocolate long after the sample was gone. It was a fun day. Not a super shopping day, but it was still fun to see and explore. In fact, we finished our Christmas shopping that day. It’s not often you can say that you finished your Christmas shopping after Christmas. I guess that is one of the bonuses of waiting to celebrate with our immediate families.

Saturday was Christmas with my side of the family and Sunday was Christmas with Jeremy’s side of the family. Both gatherings boasted a yummy spread of food and lots of holiday cheer. On my side Owen is the only kiddo and on Jeremy’s side, he is one of five kiddos. Sunday was fun to see all the cousins together. There was lots of playtime. On Saturday, Owen got a ton of Duplos to add to his collection, so of course, I spent time making a house that afternoon. It was soon destroyed just like all of my other Lego creations. I love my family so much and I look forward to the times when we are all together. My sister will be moving in the near future so she and my brother-in-law won’t be just 20 minutes away. I’m trying to enjoy the moments that they are in Lewis County while I have them. Luckily, they won’t be too far away, but things are changing right around the corner and it makes me want to make the most of the moments I have now.

Overall, 5 days of Christmas isn’t a bad way to do things! Also, this week is birthday week for my sister and brother-in-law so we’ve had even more family time. We’ve also gotten to spend some time with out of town family while they are around. I love my niece and nephews so spending time with them is always special since we don’t all live close. I might love Christmas presents, but I love my family even more and the time that we spend together makes Christmas special. It doesn’t matter what day we celebrate, as long as we’re together, it’s Christmas and it’s loud and it’s fun and it’s usually a high calorie day. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Christmas Eve morning at home

This picture sums us Owen's love for Christmas - "I have a piece of wrapping paper!"

This picture sums up Owen’s love for Christmas – “I have a piece of wrapping paper!”

Owen most be going through a growth spurt. All he did was eat over the holidays!

Owen must be going through a growth spurt. All he did was eat over the holidays!

Showing off his box standing skills on Grandma’s Christmas present

My favorite Christmas present reaction!

A boy and his cool whip

Cousins by the tree

More standing on boxes!

These two are buddies! Owen loves his cousin Carson!

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Sickness and Snowflakes December 23, 2014

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 1:55 pm

Wednesday, was my class Christmas party at church. We played games, we decorated Christmas cookies, we did a class gift exchange. It’s always one of my favorite nights of the year. However, I was especially excited when the girls left my classroom that night because it meant that my little family was officially on Christmas break. I went to get Owen from the nursery and I immediately noticed his red eyes. It looked like he had been crying. I was waiting for a meltdown update from the nursery staff, but instead they said that he had been tired all night. At one point he had sat down and almost feel asleep. We got Owen home and all he wanted to do was snuggle and sleep. This was very un-Owen like behavior. After a very rough night, we discovered that Owen had a fever and he became slug-boy all day. This was particularly sad because I had very festive plans for us that day. We were going to go up to the new Bass Pro Shop and possibly get a picture with Santa. Then we were going to continue up north to go to Snowflake Lane. Every night at 7:00pm, they stop traffic at Bellevue Square and do a drum line parade with characters and dancing. At the finale of the show, they make it snow. It’s super fun and I was very excited to show Owen all the musical action… Well, that didn’t pan out. We had a day at home with our sick boy. Not the best way to start Christmas vacation. On the plus side, I took the time that day to steam clean our carpets. I’ve been putting that off since summer so it felt good to check that off the to-do list. Jeremy got to work on a project in our shower (it’s cracking and we’re trying to patch it up so we don’t have to replace the whole shower). The day was beneficial in the way of house projects. To end the day, we drove around and looked at Christmas lights and went to a local park for the light display.

Owen’s fever was gone on Friday, but he had a cough and he was still pretty slow. He didn’t have much energy. The real fun of Friday was Jeremy came down with a stomach bug and spent the next 24 throwing up… a lot… a lot, a lot. So I had a sick hubby and sick baby. Friday and Saturday were sick days in the Scott household. I had to call on the help of my mom and sister to get us ready for the Children’s Church Christmas Parties on Saturday and Sunday. They purchased and wrapped the gifts for us since our little family wasn’t up for it.

By Sunday, Jeremy was feeling better but Owen had gross snot at this point, so I stayed home with him since he wasn’t well enough to go into the nursery. I went to bed on Sunday night almost dreading the next day. We had planned to resume our Thursday plans, but I was sure that something else was going to come up to derail them. On Monday, Jeremy woke up with almost no voice. According to him, he felt fine but for some reason his voice did not agree. Owen was still snotty and I could tell I was brink of having Owen’s cold since I’d spent so much quality time with him through his illness. But… no one had a fever and no one felt like they were dying, so we packed up and took off!

It was fun to explore the new Bass Pro Shop in Tacoma. Owen loved all the animals throughout the store. We decided to forgo the picture with Santa this year. The line wasn’t too long, but it wasn’t moving super fast. Also, Owen doesn’t really like getting passed off to strangers so the chances of getting a good photo were slim. As we were checking out, the cashier talked to Owen and he gave her this intense scowl face. I’m guessing Santa would have gotten the same face along with a good wail and scream. Traumatic childhood photo scratched from the list of things to do this Christmas. Maybe next year… or maybe never.

We stopped to have dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. Jeremy and I haven’t eaten their since Owen was born, so it was a rare treat! Jeremy’s stomach was feeling better and he was ready for some good food. I was ready for some good dessert! In true Owen fashion, the best part of the meal for him was the whipped cream that came with our desserts.

We made it up to Snowflake Lane with perfect timing. Our view wasn’t great, but I didn’t really want to fight through the crowds. I’m chicken when it comes to stuff like that. Owen did get to meet a few of the cast members as the wondered around. His favorite was the polar bear. He accepted a sucker from a drummer girl and proceeded to lick the candy wrapper. He wouldn’t give the drummer boy a high five though. He is a tough nut to crack sometimes. Once the show starter, Owen watched in awe and randomly danced. Once the drummers were doing their thing, he wanted to go to them. I figure Owen wanted to play the drums since he has a small drum set at home. I love it when it starts to snow! It’s my favorite part. All of the holiday music is also great. It’s a special experience. I’ll look forward to going again. I think Owen will like it even more next year.

There is very little time left until Christmas is here! True to our traditions, we have 5 days of Christmas planned this week! We know how to make the party last! Good times! Today I finished most of wrapping. We have one gift arriving tomorrow and that will complete our shopping. The only holiday tradition we have yet to fulfill is watching The Muppet’s Christmas Carol and White Christmas. I’m hoping we can get that checked off the list today and tomorrow! It’s the most wonderful time of the year! (Minus the sickness!)