Jakeb's Birthday

Jakeb turned nine years old yesterday! Happy Birthday, Jakeb!!

Jakeb

From Stress-Free to Stress-Full

Can anyone say, "Calgon, take me away!" I know it's an oldie, but that is how our family has felt the past few days. We spent a wonderful weekend in the town of Suwannee fishing in both fresh and salt water. Suwannee is where the Suwannee River ends and flows into the Gulf of Mexico. We had some really good family time, but the fish weren't biting. Anda got to come down for the night on Friday and we had a good visit with her. HOWEVER, Joy was on crutches from a skating accident she had and she has not been doing well with all that. Her foot has hurt, she hasn't slept well, and it has been raining every day for the past few days. I know it won't last and it is just a season right now, but boy what a season!!! We are going to hang it there and pray A LOT!!!!!!!!! We appreciate your prayers, too.

Reflecting on Family Day

We enjoyed a "stress-free" day yesterday. Didn't do much. Had no agenda. Just did whatever came up, ate when we were hungry, laughed, played, napped, and lived together! Could not have asked for more!

Couldn't Resist

Anda began packing for college yesterday. She says she will not take EVERYTHING yet!!! We'll see!!!!

She will be heading to BCF next week. Actually we are all going...we're pulling our RV over and camping out for the night...she loves it and says she will be "famous" on campus because her entire family moved her to college!!!

The Boys are Back in Town

Arvis and Aaron have returned from their adventures. Arvis got home on Thursday from his 11 day journey to the Amazon River. He hasn't really told us much about his trip yet, but we are eager to hear how they ministered to the people of Brazil. Aaron returned from Centri-kid camp on Friday. He spent the week there with his friends on their last camp as "kids" from our church. He is now officially in the Youth group and will look forward to doing all the "youth stuff" with the church.

June and July News

Well, so much for me blogging once a month!! Have you ever noticed that LIFE gets in the way of things like this? Let me catch everybody up on the Scott adventures over the past two months.
In May, Jason turned 15 and got his learner's permit. He has been driving as much as we will let him. He had a great birthday and we just love celebrating with him all that God is doing in his life. Our family took a week's vacation to Keaton beach at the end of May and we had a wonderful time fishing in the gulf. I think every person in our family likes to fish and we work great as a team! Then, you can look at the last post, Anda graduated from home-school high school!! What a month!

In June, Arvis turned 15. He had friends over to swim, play games, and cook out. It was a blast. We love birthdays...they are bigger to us than Christmas as far as presents and celebrating each other. Christmas is for Jesus!! We also went back to Roatan in June with a group of 41 from FBC. There were 29 youth and 12 adults. God moved in mighty ways and we witnessed His power, provision, and protection. Several youth heard God speak to them about being full-time missionaries. We were blessed beyond measure to be a part of such an amazing adventure. Following that week, our church had VBS, family style. We went to each rotation as a family and learned that playing, learning, and serving can all be done as a family...it's not just for the little ones anymore! The last week of June and into the first week of July was family week at Cherry Lake. Aunt Julie and the cousins, Sam, Joseph, and Alex all came down from Tennessee. We skiied, tubed, rode the knee boards, played games, and went to Wild Adventures. We finally invested in a digital camcorder and made our first movie...just a hoot!!!

Jason, AnnMarie, and Anda went to SLU (Student Leadership University) the second week of July. SLU was in Orlando and all three said it was AWESOME! They learned a lot about leadership, witenessing, and about themselves. I am excited that they have the next three years to attend as well...the last year they get to go to Isreal. My sister, Christy and I made a very quick trip out to Colorado this month. Our grandfather passed away and we flew out to be with family. It was a short trip, but a full one. We both can't believe so much time has passed. On July 21, Aaron turned 12! Did I mention that we LOVE birthdays?!? He has been asking for a drum set and we got one!! He is going to take lessons this year, but can already keep a pretty good beat. We are excited for him!! And we praise the Lord for another year with our man!! Last week some friends from our UGA days came by for a visit. David and Sharon Lynn and their children are preparing to move to Thailand to be church planters. They still have over a year of study and prep, but they are so excited about this opportunity God has given them. Arvis left Monday morning...just yesterday...for a ten day trip to Brazil. He and the team will be ministering on a boat in the AMAZON. We got word that they arrived safely and with all their luggage!! We praise the Lord for that!

That brings us to today: we are praising the Lord for another beautiful day and praying for Arvis and his team in Brazil!!! Have a blessed day.

Anda's Graduation

Well, we have graduated our first child!!!! What an exciting day. Anda was so beautiful and gave the most awesome speech at her ceremony. We had friends and family from all over come to celebrate with her and it was just wonderful!! We are so excited for her and know that God has big plans for our daughter. We started the day with a semi-private ceremony at Southside Baptist Church where we along with Freedom School Director Kimberly Hammock put together a beautiful, inspiring graduation morning. I sang for her, Jeff spoke beautifully about her life and the blessing she is to us, Anda gave her speach and Pastor Phillip Herrington from our church challenged Anda as she readies for college. Kimberly presented her with her diploma and we celebrated Latvian style with a parade of flowers and chocolates.

At 5 in the afternoon, we went to the Scott Lodge for a celebration dinner and square dancing, hayride, and roasted marshmallows. We had friends and family from all over the south join us. Anda was especially excited that a friend from the big A, Atlanta, came down to be with her and anothe special friend from Graceville came over as well. Anda felt very blessed and special all day, as she should. Enjoy some photos:

Joy is 8!!

This year we celebrated Joy's birthday at a fun place in Lake City called Panda-moni-yum. It is a little like ChuckECheese and the kids had a great time. We are so thankful that God has given us another year with Joy!!! What a blessing she is!!!

Catching Up Again

Several weeks ago, Joy gave her heart to Jesus. She was a little nervous about getting baptized and decided to wait a little while for that. However, three weeks ago she was baptized and we are celebrating with her. I will post the video asap.

Anda got her driver's license...............we have another driver in the family!!!!!!!!!!PTL!!!!!!!!!

The GREAT Outdoors!!

We spent a few days last week with some great friends, some cold weather, and some REALLY good food in the great outdoors!! Yes, we took our second family camping trip!! We didn't trek far from home on this one, but it felt like we were miles away!!! We were blessed to camp out next to the Herrington's who were breaking in their new rig and Joy and Jakeb LOVED having Emma there to play with. The older kids rode bikes, played baseball, football, and just hung out. I took advantage of the situation and rested as much as possible due to my sinus infection/cold thing I developed just before we left on this excursion, but I still had a good time. I told Joy today that we will certainly do this again.....AnnMarie replied, "Please lets wait until Spring!" I with her!!! But no matter what time of the year it is Smores and Banana Boats are on the menu!!! Right, Gang? Here are some photos of this adventure! Enjoy!!! I'll post more photos later!!

Happy Birthday Jakeb!!

Today is Jakeb's 8th birthday. We celebrated with Mimi and Papa at their house and Jakeb and Joy helped make Jakeb's b-day cake. He got some really cool gifts and had a good day. We are proud of him for his accomplishments this year. His English skills continue to improve and he is very inquisitive. We are excited to see what 2009 holds for Jakeb and what God has in store for this year. Happy Birthday, Buddy!!!

Catching Up!

WOW! Time has flown by and I realized that we didn't post in Nov. or Dec. However, we didn't want the new year to fly by as well, so I decided to follow in my cousins footsteps and give you a recap...but only of the last two months!! One of my goals for this year is to post at least once a month and have one or more of the kids involved in blogging as well.

We spent Thanksgiving in Georgia as is our tradition. This year we hooked up or RV and hauled it up with us to give us a little more room as well as provide a "get away" for anyone needing some private time. As it turned out, the girls spent most of the time in the RV and all of the kids were seen in and out as needed. The boys had a GREAT time hunting with Pop G and Dad and the girls and I took our annual Wednesday shopping trip to Albany. We do NOT go on Black Friday...we prefer to shop before. The weather was great for the most part and the kids loved being outside. Joy and Jakeb picked up pecans and took them to a local store and "sold" them. I think Mimi Joy helped a little with the reward of their labors, but they could not have been happier. Mama cooked for an army and we ate entirely too much!!! Kevin and Christy, my sister and her husband, were able to spend time with us during the week. We love our yearly treck to Dawson!!!

Christmas is time for family and staying at home. We are always in Live Oak for Christmas and enjoy being at home for this time of year. Anda, Jason, Arvis, and AnnMarie all sang and acted in the Youth Christmas musical this year and had a great time with that. I think we might have a couple of actors in the bunch!!! AnnMarie turned 13 this year and we had a great time of celebration for her. Just after that we began getting ready for Christmas with putting up our tree and the small decorations we usually do and then the "final Christmas shopping". This year, the kids all bought gifts for each other. They had a budget and were very thoughtful of the items they chose for each other. I think we were all more excited about the gifts we GAVE rather than seeing what we might GET!! Christmas morning we eased into our time of reading scripture, singing some Praises to Jesus along with a rendition of "Happy Birthday" , and opening gifts. It was an wonderful, family filled, Christ centered celebration for us.

As we look into 2009, we look forward to celebrating birthdays, going on mission trips, graduating Anda from high school and sending her to college, challenging each other in Bible study and learning and being on adventure with God. Life is never boring around the Scott house. And you have an open invitation to come see for yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just call ahead and we'll have the "Ramada Inn, Room 1" ready.......and we'll turn on the hot water heater and leave a light on for ya."

We pray God will bless you this new year................Happy 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Scotts

Congratulations to our Brazilian Friends

Just a quick update on our Brazilian friends, Gean and Neide. They found out that their baby is a girl!!! Her name will be Melody Leigh....after me and Leigh Wood, David and Rhonda's little girl. How exciting. I guess that means there is a trip to Brazil in the future for me if I want to hold little Melody Leigh!!!! Pray for this family. They are special to us!!

Health Fair at FBC

We had a health fair at church this week and the kids and I decided it was a GREAT time for a field trip. The Life Flight helicopter from Shands in Gainesville landed in the parking lot of our FMB and we went to see it. Look closely to see which of the Scott bunch was brave enough to try flying that thing????!!!!! Gean got in on it, too. He went all out!! What a hoot!! We had a great time and the kids enjoyed a little break from regular routine stuff. Look out Rescue World, Joy Scott is coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friends From BRAZIL

Our friends from Brazil arrived on August 15th. Gean and Neide are from Manaus where Gean is a police officer and Neide is a teacher. For over ten years, Gean has had a dream of coming to the United States to visit and teach. This year, his dream came true after much prayer and intervention by God to work out all the details.
It took Gean and Neide several months to obtain a visa to travel to the states and they were almost turned down. Had that happened, they would have had to wait one year before applying again for a visa. But God worked a miracle for them and they arrived safely to our little apartment in the middle of the night on August 15. Soon, just days actually, after they arrived, they found out that Neide is expecting, another miracle. Back in February, Neide was scheduled for a hysterectomy, but God intervened and spared that. He in turn blessed them with a child they had been trying to have for three years.
We met Gean on the mission trip to Brazil that our church took back in 2004. Jeff and I were part of a 14 member team, the first from FBC, to go to the Amazon and live on the river. Gean was one of the interpretors for our team and has continued to go with teams from FBC, Live Oak, on every trip we have made (except one). Neide did not speak much English when they arrived, but has learned a lot since being here. She has cooked for us, cleaned for us, and blessed us with her teaching skills. Gean has taught us about Brazil, a little Portugese, and has helped us get excited about playing volleyball and a game called "burn" much like dodgeball only much more fun.
We have enjoyed visiting with Gean and Neide and have been blessed to have had them in our home. Many, many of the team members from past Brazil trips have ministered to them and visited with them while they have been in Live Oak. They got to visit with friends from Oak Hill, FL this past weekend and went to Disney World. Gean came home singing "M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E" and "I'm A Little Teapot"!!!!! They even bought the baby a Florida Gator onesie...no comment on that one!!!
Please pray for Gean and Neide as they prepare to return to Brazil on Tuesday, October 14. They will probably leave Live Oak on the 13th as their flight out is very early on Tuesday morning. It will be a bitter/sweet departure as Gean has expressed a desire to stay longer while Neide is ready to get back to her home (I believe her nesting instincts have kicked in!! and homesickness, too a little).
We continue to be on mission every day in our home and in our lives. Thanks for praying for us and visiting our blog. More later....

Looking Good!!

Well, here we are all dressed up and looking good. These were from our church directory photo shoot a couple of weeks ago. The kids were great and we celebrated with dinner out afterwards.

We are all doing great and had a blast at Cherry Lake for Labor Day. We spent time with friends and family and our visitors from Brazil. (See the next blog for that story!)

We have started back on our "Learning Schedule"...I have come to strongly dislike the word school these days as it conjures up emotions and actions in our children that are less than POSITIVE!! So to aid in the restraint of any little "monstrous beings" popping up in the Scott kids bodies, I have decided that we are no longer "doing school". Instead we are "having learning days." Anda is studying for the SAT and is pursuing her studies in order to graduate from high school in June. She has plans to go to the Baptist College of Florida and wants to major in missions. We know God has big plans for her and can't wait to see what He will do. Jason continues to play in the Youth Praise Band and is loving it. He is taller than me now and is growing into a fine young man. Arvis is also growing physically and is doing well. He continues to gain strides in his lessons and wants to learn how to play baseball. AnnMarie is still dancing and enjoying it. She continues to be a favorite helper and has tons of little girls who look up to her. She is precious!! Aaron can't wait for hunting season!!! He is chomping at the bit to go and is READY!!! He went out practicing his marksmanship the other day and did well. Jakeb has begun to memorize scripture in our AWANA program at church. He is learning how to read and his penmanship is very good. Joy is determined as ever to read and write better every day. She loves learning and has decided to try typing!!! We'll see how much she gets done!!

Enjoy the photos!!

"Double Trouble"...Not Really!!

Jakeb and Joy really aren't trouble...they just like to have fun. And no, they really aren't upside down in the dryer, we held the camera upside down for the shot...

Jakeb is all boy and loves to be in the middle of anything going on!!! He likes playing with the older boys, riding his bike, swimming, and having fun!!! Joy is all about fun, too. She loves to read right now, play with her brothers and sisters and work on the computer. They are both seven and best buddies!! They are a joy to parent!!!

That wraps up the Awesome Scott 7 for now. Stay tuned for more adventures!!!!!!!

Arvis Scott

This is my first blog and my name is Arvis. I am 14 years old and I like sports, hunting, and fishing. I like listening to music and my favorite music is Toby Mac, Yellowcard and thats all

Jason's blog

My name is Jason im fourteen, I have 6 BROTHERS AND SISTERS, yeah u know what i mean it gets a little crazy around here somtimes. Anyway lets here a little bit about me. I play bass in the youth band at our church, and I went to Roatan with the church. That was fun; we played soccer with them there a little better than we were then we told them about Jesus.