Amy Scott's Thoughts

Merry Christmas! Rounds 2 & 3 December 28, 2013

Filed under: Family Time — Amy Scott @ 4:08 pm

Hanging with the Reid crew!

This week we had round 2 and 3 of our Christmas celebrating. Round 2 started on Christmas Eve and was spent with Jeremy’s side of the family. The festivities began with a candlelight service at church and then a family gift exchange to follow. Owen didn’t get a candle this year at church, but I’m sure he’ll be ready for one next year. Okay… maybe not! He was fascinated by the candles though. The Christmas gathering took place at Jeremy’s aunt and uncle’s house. Family members all brought yummy goodies to share and a $15 gift card for an exchange. As usual, it wouldn’t be a family gathering without a game. This year, Jeremy’s uncle came up with one where we couldn’t say the words “I” or “No”. Everyone had three cards and if you got caught saying one of the words you had to give one to the person who caught you. There were prizes for the top three cardholders as well as who had the best poker hand with the cards. Jeremy was up in the top contenders and walked away with a McDonald’s gift card. I know you’re jealous! Actually, we already used the gift card to get breakfast on the 26th, but more about that later! I quickly gave away my cards to Jeremy since the game was too hard on my brain. It’s very difficult to not use the word “I”. You could say things like “Me really likes this dip” or “Amy thinks this game is hard”. Either way it sounded strange! The other activity of the night was phone caroling to a few relatives that couldn’t make it to the large gathering. There were some humorous moments to the caroling. I’m not a huge fan of public singing… I gave that up in high school with my choir days, but I sang along for the sake of the family. We even had a carol off with the Carroll branch of the family. We sang to them and then they sang to us. This went back and forth until the Carrolls finally stopped. This year’s gift exchange took on a fast food twist. There were lots of gift cards to places like Subway, Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, etc. Jeremy walked away with the Wendy’s gift card and I brought home my own gift – a Kit Kat and a Target card. The only downside to the night was the house was super warm and Owen got overheated. He is such a hot baby. There were a couple meltdown moments from the kiddo, but overall, he did great. He certainly had a lot of new sights to take in as well as some new family members to meet. Jeremy’s cousin did a great job of calming Owen and putting him to sleep. That’s always a good thing!

Mommy & Owen

Round 3 was Christmas Day spent up in South Hill with my family. Things didn’t start at my Grandma’s house until noon so that meant that Owen got the sleep he needed to recover from the big day before. We made it up a few minutes behind schedule, but we weren’t the last to arrive so I considered that a win. This year, the kids all exchanged presents. It was a lot of fun to have Owen participate! He was super spoiled and even got a few extra presents from other family members. Just like the day before, there was a $15 gift exchange for the adults. I got a Starbucks card and Jeremy got movie tickets! Not a bad deal. The funny thing was my mom and dad brought the gifts that Jeremy and I contributed this year, so I had to ask my mom if I liked what I brought. The day was mostly spent chatting and eating. Owen finally got to meet the whole family since there were a few that he didn’t see at Thanksgiving. My Uncle Jim did a good job of snuggling him to sleep for the first part of the afternoon. Once again, the curse of the overheated baby played out and Owen was super warm and not so cuddly as the day went on. We eventually had to bid my family good bye so we could release Toby from his crate after a long day. After Toby had a little time with us, we took off to say a quick hi to Jeremy’s parents. Owen wanted to wish Nana and Papa “Merry Christmas” in person.

In post-Christmas tradition, Jeremy and I took all our Christmas gift cards and cash down to Oregon for some good sales on the 26th. We didn’t go crazy, but we got some good deals that we are very happy about. We used our McDonald’s gift card for breakfast and a Red Robin gift card for lunch. At lunch, we realized that Owen learned something new. He can now grab things and take them to his mouth. This resulted him munching on a washcloth. Yum! It was a great day to spent time with just Owen and Jeremy after two big days full of people. Because most of the stores get crazy after noon, we were up and out the door before the sun was up and home by mid-afternoon. We take our post-Christmas shopping sales seriously!

Tomorrow is the last day of the Christmas festivities. Jeremy’s immediate family will all gather to celebrate together. I’m very curious to see what Nana & Papa’s house will be like with three infants. Not too mention a 3 year old and 1 year old. It will be the first time all 5 grandkids will be together at the same time. I’m sure there will be much chaos, but the good kind! I can’t wait to see what the day has in store! Merry Christmas! Again!

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Christmas Vacation December 21, 2013

Filed under: Cooking Experiments,Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 4:14 pm

Cabelas is fascinating!

Jeremy likes to save some vacation days for the end of the year. This creates a “Christmas Vacation” for us, just like we’re kids again! There is nothing better than time off this time of year. There is always lots to do including being a little lazy! So far we’ve managed to accomplish a lot this week. Tuesday was the first official day of vacation and we spent it around the house working on projects and just hanging out.

Wednesday was a very special day. Our newest nephew, Keegan, was born Wednesday morning. Since we didn’t know boy or girl until the day of his birth, this meant me needed to go shopping for gender specific gifts! We took off into the stores which weren’t too crazy with holiday shoppers. Wednesday was spent doing a mixture of errands. Some for home and some for church. Owen had his first visit to Cabelas – the hunting super store. Jeremy was happy to see Owen staring in fascination at all the animals. It was really cute to watch him making eyes at all the creatures. The joy ended when Owen had a blow out diaper in Jeremy’s arms. We made a quick exit and did an outfit change in the car. Another diaper blow out later and Owen ended up spending the last part of the day in just a shirt and a diaper since all his other clothes were dirty. Don’t worry, we had plenty of blankets so his legs weren’t cold.

Meeting Keegan

Thursday, we took off over the mountains to meet the newest Scott. It was so much fun to snuggle with Keegan. He is adorable and really cuddly! After visiting the hospital, we spent time with Keegan’s brother and sister and Nana and Papa. I am now the proud auntie of three nephews and one niece. I’m a lucky lady. I will admit that I am slightly excited that Keegan was a little boy so now the three cousins that were born in three months are all boys. I can only imagine the good times they are going to have in the future. Three little boys all born so close in age. I’m sad that the baby a month streak is over. It’s been a lot of fun welcoming a new Scott each month. Who knows, maybe the perfect storm will happen again and all three Scott ladies will be expecting at the same time. I doubt it, but I never thought it would happen in the first place!

Best Frozen Pizza Ever!

Friday we saw some snow in the morning! Nothing but a trace. It’s still exciting anytime the ground turns even slightly white. After the weather warmed up we finished the rest of our errands for church. This time the stores were crazy! Jeremy and I braved the madness as quickly as possible. When we got home we had a great treat at our door. Earlier in the week we ordered pizza from our favorite place in Chicago. We’d been talking about it for years and we finally decided to do it! It was a very tasty and I’m glad we made the splurge. If only we were actually eating it in Chicago!

The mess!

Today has been an around the house day. Jeremy usually makes cinnamon rolls when we’re on Christmas vacation and today was the day that he deemed to take over the kitchen. Jeremy and I have two very different styles of baking. I’m a clean as you go girl. I like to tidy my mess up as I make it. Jeremy on the other hand… He likes to make a mess and leave it until the very end. This made the kitchen quite the sight as he made many experiments. He made excellent cinnamon rolls as well as candied pecans and mini lemon meringue tarts (from lemons grown in his greenhouse).

As you can tell, we’ve been busy enjoying the holiday season together. I love having Jeremy home. Having him around brightens my day. I know that Owen appreciates it too! As I type this, Owen is sleeping beside his dad, all snuggled and content. Christmas vacation is always a special treat! We are so blessed to have this time together.

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Merry Christmas! Round 1! December 16, 2013

Filed under: Family Time — Amy Scott @ 10:20 am

Grandpa and Farmer Owen

Yesterday, we had our 1st of 4 Christmas celebrations! Jeremy and I have always been blessed to have our family close by. This means we try to make it to all the family gatherings during the holidays. The result is a lot of Christmas celebrating! We kicked things of with my immediate family this weekend because April and Andrew will be in Kansas for Christmas. I really enjoy spreading the Christmas cheer out over the month of December, so I have no problem celebrating any day. To me Christmas is spending time with loved ones, eating good food, sharing gifts and being grateful and thankful for our Savior. This can happen day! Not just December 25th.

There was a lot of deliberation on what Owen should wear. Since all his Christmas clothes are pajamas, we wanted to find an outfit that said Christmas, but wasn’t pajamas. I’ve been trying hard to make sure that his wardrobe gets used and that I don’t just cycle through the same easy pajamas over and over again. We decided on a red plaid shirt and denim overalls. Jeremy called him Farmer Owen. He is a cute little farmer!

Jeremy ready to document the Christmas magic!

We got to my parent’s house and did our gift exchange. Owen was exhausted from a full morning of church and no real good naps, so he passed out in the swing. He sadly missed the opening of his first Christmas presents. Oh well. At 2 months, I didn’t expect him to get too excited about Christmas. Jeremy and I on the other hand are very excited for Owen’s first Christmas. This holiday season we are able to document each moment with our new camcorder which was a special surprise gift we received this last week. Jeremy stepped into the Dad role well and had the camcorder in hand ready to make the memories last forever. However, Jeremy opened the gifts for Owen so I took the camcorder and my own camera in hand for the big moment. Yes, indeed, I felt super “mom” like! Camera in one hand, camcorder in the other.

Owen is super impressed with Christmas

We had pizza for dinner which I know isn’t very traditional when it comes to Christmas dinner, but the Vitzthum family is a big supporter of the pizza industry. We love it and could eat it all the time. This pizza was special because it was cooked in my Dad’s new Traeger grill. It was a great experiment. The pizza took on a smokey color but the flavor wasn’t changed by the smoke. It was very tasty and I can’t wait to taste the other good things that come out of Dad’s new toy!

In a surprising turn of events, we concluded the night with a game of Apples to Apples. My parent’s aren’t really game people and April and I never grew up playing family games. Jeremy’s family on the other hand are game fanatics. They love games. It’s not a Scott gathering without a game. It felt kind of Scott like to conclude the evening with a game, but it just goes to show that people can grow. I don’t think my parent’s love game time but they did well. I won the first round of Apples to Apples and my mom won the second! Go Mom! The fun thing is I have a freakish connection to my sister so she kept picking my cards! She was the key to my success!

The first of many Christmas celebrations went well. I don’t think Owen was moved by the experience, but that’s okay. Next year I’m looking forward him being all into wrapping paper and bows. Fun times! We still have many family gatherings still to come. There is always a time spent with Jeremy’s immediate family, Jeremy’s extended family and my extended family. We sure know how to make the Christmas season stretch!

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Sleeping Baby December 11, 2013

Filed under: Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 2:45 pm

So small in his big crib!

Something happened the week of Thanksgiving. It just clicked with Owen that he should sleep at night time and he should sleep for long periods of time. Let me tell you, I am GRATEFUL!!! I am a much nicer person when I get sleep. I feel more human and life feels doable. I’m not as overwhelmed because I’m not overly tired. Praise the Lord! Our norm now about 8 hours of solid sleep for Owen. He has done more than 8 hours the last few nights. It’s been three nights of 9, 9.5 and 10.5 hours of sleep. I’m almost scared to write this blog because I’m scared of jinxing the magic.

This last week I did a whole lot of research on sleep and baby schedules. It seem like there are a million opinions out there and honestly, it just confused me more than anything. There doesn’t seem to be a set rule for such things. We haven’t been too scheduled with Owen. He sleeps when he is tired. He eats when he is hungry. If he is asleep we don’t wake him up unless we have to. Things are working out okay. The only standard thing we have been doing is putting him down to bed between 9-10pm each night. We do bath time every other day. As for a schedule, Owen takes naps mostly in his bouncer in the living room. He is also a great sleeper for the most part if I am out running errands. He sleeps pretty well in the mornings and then the naps seem shorter in the afternoon and evening.

Sleeping Baby

My research last week centered mainly around sleeping through the night and moving babies to their own room. I wasn’t exactly sure what the definition of sleeping through the night was. Now I am positive that Owen is sleeping through the night. However, he is still in our room at night because up until this point it’s been easier on us. I didn’t really want a bunch of back and forth between his room and our room in the middle of the night. With these all night stretches of sleep, I am feeling more confident about moving him to his own room. Jeremy has some time off from work next week, so I think we’re going to start the move next week when we’re home a bit more and can have a freer schedule.

To start the transition to sleeping in his room, I put Owen down for his morning nap in his crib for the first time today. It took a lot of coaxing to get him down and he only stayed asleep for about a half hour. A little later towards lunch time, I tired again. Once more, he made it about a half hour. My thinking is that Owen is used to sleeping the living room and he can see me when he goes in and out of sleep. I’m guessing he gets upset when he wakes up and no one is there with him. I was about to do a third attempt of nap time in the crib, but Jeremy surprised me a quick stop at home to pick up some supplies for tonight. I was just about to enter the nursery when my dog alarm went off (thanks Toby) and Owen’s eyes opened. He gave me that look like “Seriously, you’re putting me in here again.” So, I turned around and Jeremy got a few snuggles in before having to leave. Since Owen was now awake and the super sleepiness had worn off, I caved and put him back in the bouncer – where he is now napping. I’ll try my efforts again tomorrow.

I’ll keep you posted as we enter this new territory. I have no clue what I am doing. I’ve never transitioned a baby to a new room before. I am not confident and I really don’t want to scar him. I will be glad to have the Pack’n’Play out of our bedroom if this transition goes well. There is a very small space between the Pack’n’Play and my dresser. It can cause some congestion in the flow of the room. It will be great to have the space back. However, it hasn’t been too much of a hardship having Owen close at night. Our set-up has worked quite well. It will be strange to move all his stuff out to his own space. Right now we even have his clothes in our closet.

Our little roommate might be moving out soon. I’m really praying this is a smooth transition. A sleeping baby is a happy baby in my book. I want to do all I can to promote sleep. I know that he is a happy baby and a good nights sleep is an important part of that happiness – for Owen and for me!

I caved! Back to the bouncer!

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Family Game Night: The Battle for Canada! December 10, 2013

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 12:57 pm

This last Sunday, we had my sister and brother-in-law over for a game night and dinner. It had been a while since we’d hung out just the 4 of us – make that 5 of us, since Owen was there. And 6, if you count Toby Dog, who has enough personality to be a person. So anyway, it was a small gathering, as you can tell. Since Jeremy was supposed to be the most brain dead of us all (big work weekend), we figured he should pick the game that was on this current level of thinking. He chose Risk! Seriously, Risk? You’re dead tired and you chose Risk? I didn’t even know we owned Risk, but the Scott boys love it so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. Maybe Jeremy picked it because he was the only one that knew how to play. He is also the only one of the group good at strategy games. All of this was in his favor. The game itself turned out to be quite humorous. My sister who loves corgis had Great Brittan which meant she mentioned the corgis often. She also had Japan and Madagascar. April was all about the islands. My brother-in-law, Andrew, and I got into an heated battle for Canada. I love Canada for many reasons and Andrew loves Alaska and the rugged wilderness of the north. We both had an vested interest in the same territories. When we finally called the game over – it wasn’t really over, we just quit at a certain point – Andrew and I still had joint custody of Canada. The battle was never officially won. In the end, Jeremy was the one who won the game. He was a force to be reckoned with and swept the board with us all.

The evening included homemade chili and cornbread, yummy apple cider, watching some Food Network and a game of golf. For Christmas last year we got the card game golf. It’s nice because all the cards are labeled so it’s easier than using a deck of playing cards. Plus, there are cute illustrations of a golf ball on the cards and there are French subtitles on everything, so it’s educational too! I know that 9 is neuf in French. I wouldn’t know that without this game. My last few golf games have gone well and this round was just as good. I ended up winning the game. However, at this point, Jeremy and I both picked games and then won them. Nothing like inviting family over to beat them at games. What a fun night! I think the next time we play April and Andrew need to pick the games since Jeremy and I can’t be trusted.

Life can be so crazy busy. It was nice to make time for some game playing and just hanging out. My biggest hope is that Owen will grow up being close to his aunts, uncles and cousins (both present and future). April and Andrew were even brave enough to babysit Owen last night while Jeremy and I went to a Christmas party at the church. Originally, I thought we would take Owen to the party with us, but April offered to watch him. I was impressed. She even said they would do it again after the evening was over! The logic is that if she watches my kid, I’ll watch hers in the future. Of course I will! This is one of the bonuses of having family close! Built in babysitters! Not only do we have both sets of grandparents nearby, but we also have aunts and uncles. Family is important and I’m glad to have ours close and involved in our lives.

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Not Mine December 7, 2013

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Bible,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 3:24 pm

The Christmas season has me reflecting on Mary. I was thinking about what it must have been like to be the mother of the Son of God. Yes, Jesus was her baby, but she knew that he was here for a deeper purpose than her own enjoyment. She must have known from the start that the greatness of their story would also mean hardship. She would have to keep her open hands with him – ready to give him back to God. It wasn’t about what she wanted. She had to let go of control and trust that God’s purpose was better than any earthly plans she might have this little life.

I think a lot of life is like. Only in the last few years have I learned how very little I control. This control freak has learned that I can control my own actions and reactions, but everything else is out of my hands. I can relate this now to parenting. Let’s talk about trying for a baby. That certainly didn’t happen on my timeline. Not that I had a timeline, but let’s just say it took longer than I expected. It taught me just how much God is really the author of life. Then there is the pregnancy process. A baby grows inside of you – regardless of what you… Your body just does it. I didn’t have to focus on it and will the baby to grow because the process was already set in motion. I had issues with my blood pressure and there was nothing I could about that. There was no willing my body to do something different. It just was the situation. Plain and simple. During the labor process, I realized that Owen was going to come into the world regardless of what I thought things were going to be like. I was out of control. I had to trust my doctor and make what seemed like the wisest decisions, but I didn’t look at Jeremy say “Let’s have our baby now – this time, this day.” Things just happen and you can go with the flow or you can freak out.

Now that Owen is here, I am reminded that I have no control over him as a parent. I can meet his needs and do my best to make sure he is well taken care of. But that doesn’t mean he won’t cry. It doesn’t mean he’ll always be happy. I can’t just tell him what to do and have him do it. He is already his own person. From the very beginning, I have prayed that Owen will come to know the Lord has his Savior and that he will fall madly in love with Jesus. I pray that he will be a good, kind man. I pray that he will live with integrity and love others well. But… I am not in control of him doing this. Yet again, I can do my best to raise him right, but ultimately these decisions are his. I can’t make them for him. God has given Jeremy and I the gift of raising Owen and being his parents, but really he is not mine. He is God’s first and foremost. I am only a trusted caregiver. I can do my best but the rest is up the Lord to touch his heart.

Both books that I’ve been reading recently reference Abraham and God asking him sacrifice Isaac on the alter. I find that when something comes up multiple times, God is trying to speak to me. This story flows perfectly with my pondering on Mary and parenting with open hands. Now I didn’t have to wait 100 years to be a parent, so I can only imagine how tightly Abraham wanted to hold on to Isaac. This was the long awaited, promised child. But Abraham was willing to give him up and trust God. Wow. I can’t fathom what that must have been like. Mark Batterson puts it this way in his book All In, “The truth of the matter is that you can’t really say mine about anything! Nothing belongs to you – not your house, not your car, not your clothes. Every material thing you own is a by-product of the time, talent and treasure God has given you.” While this quote references material items, I would go one step further and say the same is true about parenting. Owen is a treasure for sure. He is a God given gift. It’s up to me to daily give him back to the Lord and say not my will, but yours. I don’t want to be one of those parents who figure Owen’s life out for him. I don’t want to force my will and wishes on him. I want him to grow up to do whatever the Lord places on his heart. I want to inspire and encourage his dreams, not be an obstacle to them. I want him to be himself, the way the Lord uniquely made him. I want his personality to shine.

Just like most things in life, it’s not about me. It’s about Owen and God and this precious season I have to point a way toward the light. I want to reflect God’s love to Owen. I want to parent with open hands. I want to be willing to follow God’s voice no matter where it leads me. I want to trust that God has a better plan for Owen than I do. Just like Mary, I have to be prepared to let God do what he will. Our kiddos are entrusted to us for a short season and than they’ll be adults doing their own thing and living their own lives. My prayer is that is that I will be a mom who loves deeply and holds loosely. He is not mine. He is God’s. He is not here for my purposes, he is here for God’s. What an exciting opportunity and what a joy to be able to watch his life grow and unfold.

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Being an Adventurer! December 5, 2013

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 3:53 pm

Owen visits the mall!

I’ve never been much of an adventurer. That daring, bold spirit has never resided in me. I’m cautious and calculated. I like to know what I’m getting into and I want guarantees that things are going to work out. Since Owen has entered my life I’ve gotten in touch with my adventurous side. I honestly thought that once Jeremy went back to work I would sit at home with the baby all day long. I was scared. Doing things alone meant all eyes were on me if something wasn’t going right. It was a lot of pressure. But I’m learning that getting out and about isn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. Yes, it takes extra time, but it’s totally doable.

On Monday, Owen and I drove up to Tukwila to have to lunch with my friend, Maggie. He was a trouper for the hour and a half car ride up. He survived 3 diapers and feedings in the car. The second of those diaper changes involved a poopy diaper that went up this back and got all over his clothes and the changing pad. It was glorious. It’s always a little nerve wracking taking Owen into a restaurant, especially without Jeremy, but Owen went to sleep pretty quickly and I was grateful. After our meal, Owen, Maggie and I walked around the mall together. It was fun because this was my first time being in a mall for the holidays. I love all the decorations and the hub bub of the Christmas season. As I was getting ready to pack up, Maggie pointed out that the stroller wasn’t folding up well because the diaper bag was still in it! Oops! Gotta love having an audience for moments like those.

Back in the classroom! Gingerbread House Competition!

Last night was my first night returning to teaching my Wednesday night class. I had planned to keep Owen with me so all the girls could see him. Once they had a preview and a lot of gushing, I decided to drop Owen off at the nursery for the first time. It did a feel a little weird having someone watch him when I was so close by, but lucky for me, my class kept me pretty distracted. I was able focus in on them. I had the urge to check on Owen occasionally, but I knew he was okay. I had a pager that they would use if he really needed me, so I pushed the urge to check on him away. It was so sweet to pick him up after church. It was good to have a little time away from him and to do something that I love, but I was glad to have him back with me once it was all over. Getting out of church was a little harder because the Wednesday night crowd hadn’t seen him yet. Jeremy is a proud dad and took Owen around to show him off while I got gas in my car. First time in the nursery was something I was a little nervous about so I’m glad that it went well and that milestone is now behind us.

Today I loaded up the car and drove down to Longview to hang out with my sister-in-law and nephew. I took the stroller into Target so that way I wouldn’t have a cart and therefore wouldn’t buy anything. That idea failed me and I ended up buying raccoon pajamas for Owen. They were just too cute to pass up. I knew I shouldn’t have gone into the baby aisle. Jeremy loves raccoons and these jammies have the zipper front that Jeremy likes for diaper changes. It seemed like fate. The morning was well spent walking and talking. Time with other moms is fun because they understand where I am and I got to see my super cute nephew. It was a definite win for me!

As I was wandering around the stores and traveling this morning, I realized that I’m not as intimidated as I once was about being out with Owen. I’m starting to get my groove and mommyhood is clicking a bit more. I find the more I’m out and about the more human I feel. Yes, it can be tiring to be on the go, but I’m learning that it’s tiring to both me and Owen. The more out of the house we are, the better Owen sleeps at night. All the stimulation really gets to him. We’ve been having great nights of 5+ hours of sleep on a regular basis. Last night after the evening at church, Owen slept 7.5 hours. Going out with him has it’s pay offs that is for sure!

So, I have decided that I am an adventurer. Instead of looking at these experiences with fear and worry, I have decided to view them as adventures. An adventure is a win when I get out and do it. It doesn’t matter if Owen is fussy or if he makes noise in a store. The true success is just getting out doing stuff. I will not let fear keep me inside and away from life. Now I’m not saying that home days are bad. They are great. I love home. I’m just learning that I’m not scared to get out. I’m grateful for these opportunities. I am growing and stretching. I can see changes in myself through these opportunities and I am embracing my inner adventurer!

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Advent December 4, 2013

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Bible — Amy Scott @ 1:47 pm

I love counting down to Christmas. As you can tell, I really get into Christmas. I love the sights and sounds. I love all of it. I love giving and lets be honest, receiving gifts. It’s just a whole lot of fun. The whole month feels like a party. It’s just hard not to feel jolly all the time. However, Christmas can be over commercialized. I understand that the stores make good money off the season. I purchase way too many beverages from Starbucks thanks to that special red cup… The true meaning of Christmas can get lost in all the activity that surrounds this time of year.

I usually do an advent calendar. The last few years I’ve used a homemade one that I decorated myself. It’s a tree with 24 drawers on it. Each day I pull a goodie out of it to countdown the days. My treat of choice is Candy Cane Kisses! Yum! Jeremy has a special peppermint bark candy in the drawers as well. The true purpose of Advent isn’t about a candy in a drawer. Advent is about a longing and anticipation. It’s about seeking the Savior. The greatest gift ever given is the reason we celebrate Christmas. It’s about God becoming man. It’s about God wanting a relationship with us, bridging the gap, coming to redeem his creation. How can you not long for a holiday with so much hope, so much love? We celebrate Emmanuel! God with us! We are not alone and we are deeply loved.

I’ve never been one to do Advent readings. Usually I have enough on my plate that I don’t have time (or I think I don’t) to add another reading into my life. This year I saw that one of my favorite authors, Ann Voskamp, had a Christmas book out. So I downloaded it (because that is how I roll these days, welcome to the digital era). I wasn’t expecting this, but it turns out that it’s an Advent book. 25 chapters all leading up to Christmas and what Christmas really means. There is a daily Scripture, a devotional thought and some questions to ponder and some action steps to do. Each day is short and simple. I’m finding it’s refreshing to read something daily that reminds me of the true meaning of Christmas. It isn’t just about Christmas music or Christmas cookies or Christmas cards or Christmas movies. It’s so much more. Something so much deeper. I didn’t plan to spend my Advent season this way, but I’m so glad that I am. It’s an unexpected blessing to my daily routine.

Here is a quote that really got to me yesterday, ” Wise men are only wise because they make their priority the seeking of Christ.” I pray that for me and for you. I pray that we would use wisdom and make our priority the seeking of Christ. There is nothing better we can do at this time of year and all year round for that matter. It’s all about seeking Christ. It’s all about looking for our Savior. Anticipating his power in our life. The hope that comes from a relationship with him. I pray that I would make him the first priority of this season. I pray this for you too. Seek the Savior and you will find that the greatest love story of all time can be your story as well. We are a part of the Christmas story because that baby came to earth for us. It’s not a tale from long ago. It’s here and now! These are just a few of the thoughts bouncing around my head today.

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O Christmas Tree! December 1, 2013

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 9:42 pm

Special Ornaments!

Today was Christmas Tree day in the Scott household. I think everything this time of year means more now that we have Owen. Picking out the tree was a little tricky because it was super rainy. I was a little concerned about Owen getting wet, so I stood under a covered awning while Jeremy looked for the best tree. I looked it over quickly, but really I just trusted Jeremy’s judgement. He did well! We got the tree home and it needed to dry out a bit. It was hard to wait, but I filled the time watching a Hallmark Christmas movie. Go figure! Once the tree was inside, we got down to business. Owen was fascinated by the Christmas lights. It was fun to watch him as he watched Jeremy put the lights on the tree. At one point, I left the room and came back to find Jeremy explaining each special ornament to Owen. There was the Snowman ornament he gave me when we first started dating, the ornament we purchased on our honeymoon, the ornament we purchased in Leavenworth before Owen was born to celebrate our family of three and Owen’s first Christmas ornament. It’s been a fun progression. Our tree tells a story. It’s not one of those theme trees. Our ornaments are a mismatch from our years together and some of them we brought to the marriage. It represents “us” in so many ways. I love it!

Today was a big day in other ways as well. Owen and I went to children’s church for the first time today. I haven’t been in the classroom since the end of September since I was put on bed rest at the beginning of October. It was good to be back, but kind of weird. It was a little hard on my brain focusing on the kids and focusing on Owen. There were questions about if they could hold Owen and I explained that since everyone couldn’t hold Owen no one was going to. The kids accepted that well. Some of them really wanted to touch him and the pacifier. I’m not too concerned about germs, but at the same time I didn’t want him coming away from church with a cold or something. Once he is a little older he’ll head to the nursery, but the nursery staff suggested we wait until he three months to put him in on a Sunday. I don’t mind having him near me this month. He did well and lasted almost 2 hours before needing his poopy diaper changed and the next meal. Once again, another big milestone has been reached and both Owen and I survived.

It was good day all around! We are so blessed and these are fun times! The love this season and the milestones!

Holiday Helper!

Daddy and Owen

The Scott Family

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Happy Thanksgiving November 30, 2013

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 11:20 am

Gobble Gobble! Our Little Turkey!

Jeremy and I were very excited for Thanksgiving this year. It was Owen’s first official holiday. Yes, there was Halloween, but I view holidays as a day where things are closed and people spend time with family and friends. Plus, we missed the opportunity for dressing him up for Halloween so this was the first holiday were he had a “special” outfit to wear. Yup, we’re that family! Jeremy had picked out a cute turkey onesie at Old Navy and I was excited to celebrate the day with our little turkey.

I’m not sure it will be like this every year, but we figured that Owen is still pretty portable these days and can sleep about anywhere. We have no routine or set schedule. We figured that it would be possible to do both families for Thanksgiving and we would just work our schedule around Owen if need be. Things worked out better than I expected. There were fussy moments at each family gathering, but for the most part Owen did great. I was very pleased. Since these were the first extended family gatherings for Owen to visit, I was prepared for him to be passed around from family member to family member. He did well with all the hand offs and he had many admirers.

One of the things I was looking forward to the most this year was the new babies on both sides of our family. At my family Thanksgiving, I got to meet Forrest. He is my cousin’s newest addition and he is 10 days younger than Owen. It was great to have both October babies together. It’s so fun that Owen will have a little friend his age to run around with the future. At Jeremy’s family gathering, I got to snuggle more with my newest nephew, Nolan. Both Owen and Nolan were hot potatoes being passed from person to person. It was great to see Jeremy’s parents with both their little grandsons. They did a wonderful job sharing their love and attention.

The Scott Family

There were two miracles that happened on Thanksgiving and flowed into the next day. Right now Owen is on a good sleep schedule. We’ve had many nights of 5-6 hour stretches of sleep. With all the simulation on Thursday, I thought for sure that Owen would have a good night’s sleep. I didn’t realize just how good he was going to sleep. Owen slept 8 hours for the first time! He got up for 20 minutes and then went back to sleep for another 3 hours! It was amazing. Truly a miracle in my book! The other miracle is the fact that his Thanksgiving onesie made it through the whole day without spit up or poop getting all over it. We had only one holiday outfit and two families to see. It wouldn’t have to been the end of the world to have him change in the middle of the day, but I wanted each group to see his little turkey outfit. It survived the whole day and he was still wearing it when we got home.

Things with Owen are going well. I’m starting to find my rhythm and things are starting to feel more natural. Motherhood is like learning a foreign language. It’s awkward at first and you know you’re not pronouncing the words quite right, but you know enough to get the job done. With time and experience, the words flow more freely and you find that you’re not thinking so much about if you’re doing it right. You’re just doing it. Because we’ve taken longer trips with Owen, I wasn’t too worried about this event being too long. My biggest concern was how Owen would respond to all the simulation and for the most part he did amazing. I’m glad that our families got to snuggle with him and have those moments. It was a great first thanksgiving as a family of three. I’m so blessed by our little family and I’m truly excited to see everyone again in less than a month for Christmas!

On a somewhat random note, everyone wanted to know how much Owen weighed at both gatherings. Because the babies are so close in age there was a lot of comparing the weights. I hadn’t weighed Owen in two weeks so yesterday I stepped onto the scale to see where our little guys was at. He is now 11 pounds even. Maybe it was because I didn’t hold him a lot on Thanksgiving, but yesterday he seemed bigger to me. It was like all of the sudden he grew up even more. I was laying him on the changing table in our room and noticed how long he is now. He almost fills it length wise now! Comparing my nephew’s face to Owen’s makes me realize that he really has lost that newborn look. He looks older. It’s a little mind blowing because the changes are so gradual to me and then all of the sudden I see the difference! Such a big boy these days. One last side note, Owen slept another 8 hours last night! Two days in a row! Pray with me that this is the new trend! I could get used to this!