Acker Country Living: Hello, Fall!

So many things to share since the last post!

One of the many valid reasons I have for not posting in so long is that I was offered 2 online classes to teach this fall, which has taken up a TON of my non-kid time. I'm teaching English 12 and Creative Writing, and I'm loving it! I've been teaching with ACCESS (online classes for high school students in the state of Alabama) for 5 years now, and it has been a huge blessing.

Pete's been up and out of the house by about 6:15 almost every morning to go work on the new house before he has to go work his real job. We're getting very close to being able to move in, and we're falling in love with the house even more with every step. Pete just finished putting in the kitchen cabinets, and I actually have a job out there, which is painting trim and baseboards. It's going to be so amazing when all is said and done!

Now for the kids.

Susannah started preschool back at the beginning of September, and not surprisingly, she loves it. She walked in to class by herself on the first day and never looked back! She told John last week on the way home, "John, you are going to LOVE preschool when you're old enough to go." Something tells me John might spend more time with his nose in the corner than Sus, but I bet he'll love it, too...most of the time. Susannah also started gymnastics lessons this month! She really enjoys it, but she also still talks about going to ballet lessons alllll the time. I was really hoping gymnastics would take the place of her desire to dance, but the girl just wants to move to choreographed routines! Susannah is turning 5 so soon (I'm sure before I remember to post again), and it's just so surreal.

John is still getting bigger and funnier every single day. He's ready to be 4 already so he can take gymnastics, too. He also wants to do karate, t-ball, basketball, and be a workin man; so we'll hopefully have it narrowed down to just 1 thing to try come May. Quick funny story about John. Last week I took the kids to Chick-fil-a for lunch with some friends. I took John to the bathroom, and since he's not quite tall enough to stand while going potty yet, I hoisted him up on the toilet. We talk all the time about how we are not supposed to touch things, especially toilets, in public restrooms; but of course like always, John's hands wen't straight for the toilet seat. There were people in the bathroom, so I leaned in really close to give him a whispered reprimand, "John! We talk about this all the time, Buddy. Do not touch the toilet! It's so dirty!" John was just watching my mouth move with a little smile on his face, and as I finished, he reached up and placed his little, toilet-touching hand right on my mouth. "JOHN! You just touched my mouth! After you touched THE TOILET! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gossssshhhh!" I've never pulled that boy's pants up so fast. I darted out of the stall and was getting foam soap and hand sanitizer simultaneously to coat my mouth (and maybe a little inside) faster than you could say, "dirty toilet." John, having no concept of germs and how they work, was perplexed. And now, I'm just thankful I lived to tell the tale, because you know I was the biggest hypochondriac in America for the next 48 hours. The slightest stomach bubble, and I was immediately, "Oh no, this is it. Tell the children I love them!"

Our Mary Girl is sassy pants and all over the place. She keeps up really well with her big siblings, and LOVES to run around the house with anyone who will run with her. She has a vocabulary like no other and knows all game and farm animals and the sounds they make. One super impressive thing she does is count. From 1 to 10, she can tell you almost every next number. If I say 1, she'll say 2; if count to 3, she'll say 4. She's a little sponge! And now about her sass. She's already crossing her arms at me when she says, "No," and she says that word A LOT. She pulls Susannah and John's hair because she knows it bothers them, and she'll take the punishment every time just to see their feathers ruffled. She's been paci-free since early July, and I'm fairly certain that's when her sassiness solidified. Even still, she's the most darling little one-year-old on the planet, and we are SO in love with her. She hugs me approximately 27 times a day, oftentimes just coming up to squeeze my leg while I'm working in the kitchen. I don't think I've written about Mary's love for books yet, but it's an unreal obsession. Every time we turn around, she's following either me or Pete holding a book saying, "I sees? I sees?" which is her way of asking us to read to her. It's precious, but it's constant; so I confess, I often want to hide the books by the end of the day. But it's also the best way to get Mary snuggles, so the perks are good.

And here's an assortment of pictures in no particular order:

Reading with Daddy

flower pickin' pretties

More reading with Pop and Figgy

Following suit of the ones who've come before her: in love with Pop

This was on Day 2 of no pacis. Just LOOK at those sweet cheeks smooshed on that bed.

Took the kids to the beach with some friends back in July!

John and one of his best buds, Wes, pushing back those waves!

beach-obsessed

These buddies took swim lessons this summer and did awesome!

At the lake for Ware Fam Vacation, and loving Fake Mom, aka Aunt KK

She only put up with this life jacket for about 10 min.

Sus and Holland are 2 peas in a pod!

All the grandbabies (except for the one in Katie's belly) with Dizzy/Susu and PopPop

Mary was just a tad jealous of Baby Blakely's attention

SOOOOO PUMPED that there's a baby in there!!

This might've been my favorite moment of our lake vacation: looking out and seeing John totally passed out while my mom paddled him around the lake. There's just not a whole lot sweeter.