Grandmother's Bible

I started this blog for my children. I thought it would be something great for them to have from me. As they get older they can read it and learn more about me and the things I thought and said as I was raising them. My grandmother puckett, my mom's mom, passed away in 1989 before there was such a thing as internet but she also left me something that has helped me get to know her better through the years, her Bible. I read this Bible on the daily basis and I carry it with me to church. I love to flip through the pages and see what she wrote, what she studied and what she prayed.
At first I set this special book on a shelf and didn't want to touch it. I wanted everything to be as it was the last time she had opened the book herself. It stayed like that for years... sitting on a shelf or in a box collecting dust, untouched. I went through my preteen years, junior high, high school and then college. I packed the Bible and took it with me to college. By this time I did open it but I didn't want to move the ribbons in it where she had marked the pages. I'm sure I read it at different times but didn't really pay attention to the things she had written in the margins until the past few years. Then one day something caught my eye... it was my name written in the margin in her handwriting! Actually as I looked closer it said "read to Nikki and Mary Beth", Nikki and I are her oldest granddaughters born just a month apart from eachother and I know she prayed for us often. It sends chills through me to know that years later I can share something with her that she read, pondered, and prayed over. Here is the passage... "Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding. Prize her, and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty." Proverbs 4:5-9 This passage speaks of wisdom and I believe Grandmother prayed for us to acquire wisdom. I also believe that she particularly liked the words I have highlighted in red. Those are beautiful words... I believe these words personify wisdom and my grandmother was praying that one day we would be examples of this. I don't remember her ever getting a chance to read this passage to Nikki and I but when I had the chance to read these words on my own and realize that my grandmother wanted us to read and learn from this passage I think of another verse... "So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11 I think it is amazing how God uses us. More than 20 years ago my grandmother was sitting in her vinyl covered chair in the den off the kitchen reading God's word and praying for her grandchildren, pondering over specific words and then at the perfect moment many years down the road I open this book and see the words she wrote and read what she read and these words begin to accomplish what God desired, and this will continue. How amazing!!

I have heard that others have read my blog and people have shared that it has touched them or meant something to them and I give God the glory for using me. I will continue to mingle God's word with the stories I write because I want it to do exactly what Isaiah 55:11 says. These words will succeed in the matter for which He sent it. Pray that I will acquire wisdom and that I will allow the Holy Spirit to lead me as I write.

Eli-isms

Eli has really started talking a lot lately and he has come up with some unique ways to express himself...

My Ellie-ethan which means his sister and brother.

The Che-ater = the refridgerator.

Shark spoon= sharp spoon which translates as fork.

Pop's cheep= Pop's jeep which we are driving while we have no car.

Jemmers= our friend Jennifer

Wokay= okay

I wanna hold you= hold me, mommy

It's a lot of fun to listen to him. He is 3 years old now and he insists that he is not a baby. We have almost mastered going to the potty... thank goodness! Now he is adjusting to being by himself now that Ellie and Ethan are both in school. The one thing that does entertain him is anything with wheels like tractors, trucks, racecars, oh and he has a real passion for trailers that hook up to things, uh yeah this must be a man thing. He also loves tools and tries to fix things. I try to write these things down so I don't forget. It seems to all go sooo fast. I might blink my eyes and he will be driving a real truck and pulling a real trailer and my whole head will be full of gray hairs.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!! Ironically, I believe I am about Ellie's age in this picture and you are probably about 32 or 33 which is how old I am now. So life has come full circle. The dress I have on in the picture was one of my favorites it was white with little blue flowers. We were dressed and ready to go to church and I guess Mom must have thought this was a Kodak moment.

"So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." Matthew 19:6

First Day of Kindergarten and 4th Grade

Well this was a big week!! The kids enjoyed their visit from Binky Ben but there was another big event this week... the first day of school. Ellie is always excited about school. She never seems to get tired of it. This year was no exception. She wanted to pack her lunch a week in advance and she had her outfit picked out to wear... she was all ready to go. This year was a little more exciting because Ethan would be joining her at school. Yes, Ethan is five and it's already time for him to start kindergarten. I can't believe it!! Ethan is a little different from his sister. He just doesn't share in the level of enthusiasm that Ellie has for everything. He also likes to sleep a little later so 6:45 just comes much too early for him. I was well organized on the morning of August 5, the kids clothes were laid out, lunchboxes were packed and I even had my camera ready to go. Ethan took a little coaxing to wake up but he finally got it together. Ellie was ready in 5 minutes. We had waffles for breakfast and brushed hair and teeth... we were ready to go. Ellie had her brand new outfit on and Ethan chose to wear his favorite Super Mario Brothers tshirt... not mom's first pick but it's his day. Dad was going to join us for the momentus occasion so he chose to go in a little late for work. Before we headed out the door Brandon said a prayer with Ethan and Ellie praying for them and their teachers. Eli thought it was absolutely necessary that he also bring a backpack and lunchbox. So everyone gathered up their stuff and we headed off to school. I was holding back tears the whole way there. I managed to control myself as we made it in the front doors of the school. As we make our way to the red hallway where the kindergarten classrooms are Ethan looks up at me and says "I got it from here, Mom." I insisted on following him to the classroom despite his eagerness to be sooo independent. I was able to steal a kiss at the doorway to his classroom and then I loosened my grip on my baby who insists upon growing up. I walked away as his teacher was showing him where to hang up his backpack. These things make my heart hurt but I know it is inevitable. I only have one baby left at home with me. Eli has two more years before he starts. You know what I dread most though...it's not kindergarten, t's their Senior year. I'm just not going to think about it!!!

What's a Binky??

When Ellie was beginning to talk she developed some unique nicknames for people. Every one knows the one she created for my mom, BooBoo, but she also decided that "uncle" was not going to work for my brother so Binky Ben it is! Don't really know why but when we would try to teach her to say Uncle Ben it just came out as Binky. Anyway it stuck so the boys call him binky also. By the way I have called him Brother and he has called me Sister our whole lives so you won't hear me refer to my brother as Ben, ever.

Well, Binky Ben came for a visit this week as the big finale of summer vacation. My brother decided that he wanted to take the kids to the zoo as a big treat and it was a big treat except that this happened to be the hottest week of the summer!!! So BooBoo, Binky Ben, Me and the three E's made our way to the zoo. We carried a big cooler and found every air conditioned building we could find between the lions and the elephants. Despite the heat advisory the kids loved it! Eli didn't fuss one time and no one ever whined. My brother happens to be a wealth of trivial knowledge. He used to read encyclopedias while he sat on the toilet (had to add that just because) so he knew many facts about the animals that he shared with the kids this was especially fun for Ellie. The next day Ellie requested that we go to Dale's for lunch and BooBoo met us on her lunch break. That place hasn't lost its popularity, it was packed. After lunch Binky Ben took the kids to Target to pick out a toy for their birthdays. Ethan picked out a DS game, Eli picked out a red mustang (the miniature version) and Ellie just kept the money.

We had many other activities while Binky Ben was here. Of course, Saturday night when Binky Ben had just arrived Pop and BooBoo came to our house and we all had supper together. Then Sunday night Cousin Jill (check out her website, jillcarterphoto.com) came over along with her family to take a family portrait. We told Becca and Collins to come over and bring their kiddos. So, we had a cookout that night with all the cousins, well not all the cousins but it sounded like all of them... Drew, Callie, Hayley, and baby Ford plus my 3 which makes 7 kids at the Potts house. The kids had a blast!

Well it was good times, Binky Ben. Thanks for the zoo trip and shopping for birthday treats. Shout out to Aunt Justine sorry you didn't get to join us but we will see you soon. Congrats on your new job! So Binky Ben left on an important day which was the first day of school this will be the next post...to be continued. So the question was "What's a Binky?" well it's an Uncle with a little pizazz!!