Welcome to the Potts

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

But 'Mary Beth' treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

A birthday party for Jesus!

A host of terracotta "potts" angels

Decorating our tree.

Zoo Lights

Every Christmas it was a tradition to read Luke 2:1-20 as a family on Christmas morning before we opened our gifts. I have continued this tradition with my children but this year I wanted to do much more so starting at the beginning of this month we began the journey with Zacharias, Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph. I wanted my children to focus on the true meaning of Christmas and to really understand why we are celebrating. The title of this blog post is actually from Luke 2:19 replacing Mary's name with my name or actually just adding Beth in the verse. This verse is a special verse to me now that I'm a mom. Before when I read it I never got the significance of it but now that I have children of my own I understand Mary's point of view. Motherhood alone is a HUGE responsibility but being the mother of Jesus Christ... WOW! So as I take this journey of Advent with my children I'm constantly aware of these moments and I cherish them. Thank you Jesus for coming to earth and saving us, thank you for my children, help me never to take for granted the time I have with them and I pray that Ellie, Ethan, and Eli will learn early in their lives the kind of relationship you desire to have with them and Your will for their lives. AMEN

Halloween 2010

Ellie and I have started a Halloween tradition. Ellie tries to come up with the most original costume she can think of and we make it! Ellie and I love arts and crafts so this is a great challenge for us. The first few years of her life she chose to be some sort of princess... a ballerina princess, a fairy princess, a disney princess, and so on but one year I managed to talk her out of that and the crafting began. It all started with an ice cream cone in 2007 then we had to do a golden fairy creation in 2008, in 2009 she was a cupcake and this year was a red lego. The past two years she has won first prize at the school fall festival in her category.

The boys are not as big into the arts and crafts part but they do enjoy coming up with a costume. This was the first year Eli participated wholeheartedly, in the past he was not to keen on putting anything on his head or over his face but now he wants to do whatever Ethan does. That worked out great this year because Ethan wanted to be the Super Mario Brothers so Eli was Mario and Ethan was Luigi. Last year Ethan was Indiana Jones (very cute) and he also won first prize at the school fall festival in the preschool category.

This year we went trick or treating in Hernando with some friends. We all rode on a big trailor and hopped on and off (not as much fun for mom and dad). The pictures above show costumes from this year, the trick or treating trailor ride, and carving pumpkins with Dad.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Pack it Down Tight!!!

The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; Thou dost support my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. Psalms 16:5-6

for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Hebrews 11:10

For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2: 19-22

I remember when my house was being built. I was so excited that I use to bring the kids and we would have picnics in the yard before there was even a house. I would watch as they began preparing for the foundation of our home. As a lot of you know my husband, Brandon, is in that line of work and I asked why they drive over and over the dirt as they build it up. He said it was because they needed to pack it down good and tight. This is the beginning of preparing a firm foundation. I love how God uses examples from everyday life to help us understand His Word. When I read the verses above I think of my own spiritual foundation. Many people have paved the way for me to reach this point in my life. Every person that crosses my path and invests time in me has packed down the foundation a little tighter and made it more firm.

"The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places" and Jesus Christ is my cornerstone. I am so glad that God chose to place me among others that share Christ's love with me. When I am sitting in church, or going on a ladies night out, or spending time with friends that have a "stay at home mom" schedule, or my small group arrives at my home and walk in without having to knock and they know where to find cups and forks in my kitchen, I know that I am a part of a new city being built. I am with my fellow workers, and we are growing into a holy temple in the Lord. This excites me and I want everyone to experience it. I love that we are being fitted together and we are sharing life.

Just wanted to share with my friends and family that I love them and as they meet new people and begin new friendships to be careful how you build upon those new relationships. We are there for a purpose, God's purpose. Let's pray for one another to have wisdom and love as we continue to build.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Well it's the beginning of Fall and we have a couple of months of school under our belts. Ellie is adjusting to 4th grade and Ethan has decided he likes kindergarten. Eli has decided he likes having mommy to himself during the day and sometimes asks if we can leave ellie-ethan at school. I have gone on two field trips so far this school year and have enjoyed watching the kids interact with the other kids in their class.

Ellie's field trip was to the Pink Palace and I got to ride the school bus with the group. It made me think back to when I was in 4th grade. It's funny how things haven't changed much. There is still the boy that likes to flip his eyelids out and that one person that says present instead of here when the teacher calls roll, one girl was slightly creative and said "I exist". The boys were telling "YO Mama" jokes while the girls were playing silly games and giggling. When I was in school it was called "cooties" but for some reason now it is "cheese touch" (wierd I know, the way you avoid getting it is by crossing your fingers). My personal favorite Yo Mama joke was "Yo Mama is sooo ugly she looks like you!" I wonder why there are no Yo Daddy jokes? Anyway it was an interesting trip and I realized that 4th graders are 4th graders whether it is 1988 or 2010.

Ethan's field trip was to the zoo. Ethan, his friend Luke and I spent the afternoon walking around the zoo. I enjoyed the boys and their enthusiasm over animal poop. Luke was a very energetic child and tried to join the animals by attempting to climb over the fences a couple of times. Ethan has been dubbed Potts because there is more than one Ethan in their class. So I kept hearing "Hey Potts" or "Wassup Potts", it was cute!

You can see from the pictures above that Ethan is playing football. He hasn't quite got the hang of it yet. There is a lot to remember and he ends up just running around on the field and if he gets lucky he finds a pile of boys to jump on. They look like little bobbleheads out there trying to hold up those big helmets. It's fun to watch but I don't think we will be getting offers from the NFL any time soon.

No babies for me anymore. I'm past the days of bottles and diapers. I have two in school and one on the verge. Ellie is a young lady now. Ethan is learning to read and write. Eli goes to the potty by himself (most of the time, anyway). The time goes by quickly. They each have their own personality and interests. I love watching them grow and learn. I am thankful that I am getting to stay home and be there for them during this time in their lives. I was reflecting on the simplicity of my daily life and I just thank God for this time. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice!!