BABY'S ALMOST HERE!

I had my 38-week appointment today, and without going into specifics, I'll just say this: the baby might be sliding right on out if I sneeze hard enough today.  The doctor was kind of baffled that I hadn't had any contractions yet, so we're thinking it could be soon!  But who really knows.  So I figured before life gets even busier, I'd post an update on the 2 kids running the show currently since I haven't posted anything since January.  My apologies, but you really should just get on Instagram and follow me because that's where all the cutest pictures go.  It's just so easy!

BUT, Instagram doesn't get all the fun stories and milestones.  We'll start with my PRECIOUS ANGEL John:

Oh that boy.  I fall more in love with him every day.  He is talking up a storm now and runs everywhere he goes.  He smiles 90% of the day, the other 10% is spent making toot noises with his mouth, which is (obviously) followed by a laugh, and thus another smile.  He hugs me about 46 times a day ("Bi' hug, pease, Mommy?") and LOVES when Pete becomes a "tay bea" ("scary beast"...we still need to work on some of our sounds).  He is a major tattle tale on his little buddy "Dizza" (Susannah).  For example, they both know they're not supposed to stomp at someone when they get mad, so John will jokingly stomp at Susannah to get her to stomp back at him, and he immediately comes running to tell on her: "Dizza 'tomp a' me, Mommy.  Dizza 'tomp!  No, Dizza!"  He's a hoot, for real.  I just don't think I laugh harder at anything in life than when my Johnji is around.  

Now for Sus: 

She is getting so PRETTY I can hardly stand it.  The baby in her is almost gone, and she carries this light in her eyes that makes her look so mature.  She is also so, so smart and has a surprisingly impressive memory.  She remembers things from before John was born, and that blows my mind because she could barely talk then.  Susannah is also getting more and more independent, which is both wonderful and challenging.  She rarely ever wants to do things the way I want her to do them, so we're butting heads quite often.  Why did my mom not tell me it started this early?!  But even in those difficult moments, I know she's learning (as am I, good gracious, as am I), so I'm thankful...generally a couple hours later after my blood pressure lowers.

They are both still the talk of the town anytime we go anywhere.  My ego is so massive because of the compliments and doting these two get.  We'll see if Baby #3 can keep up with the Joneses! 

And here are some top pics of the last few months:

From back in late January -- cheese faces are so funny now!

Sus reading to Buddy John

Anytime these kids get nakey, it is absolutely necessary to hug-wrestle.  It's the cutest and funnest!

Last month, we got to host all our Gilbert cousins for a weekend of fun!  It started with homemade pizzas.

Two to a pie!

Figgy was helping the boys, but Than man knows it's best to just let others cook for you!

We went to the park and had the whole place to ourselves!

We made our own tie-dye t-shirts!

And played in ball pits! (Part of our obstacle course)

And loved on each other!

And were SO THANKFUL for Pops and Figgy being in on the fun and chaos, too!

THAT BOY.  My friend Katie has a fancy camera and snapped this one (along with the next few) last week for us.

We got so many good ones!

For the love...they're so cute.

SQUEEZE!

37 weeks pregnant here!

Merry Thanksgiving New Year-mas!

I am going to stop apologizing for my lack of consistent postings -- life is crazy now, and I know you know that!  So we've got some fun pics from the past couple months, and I'll try to hit the highlights rather than post every darn one.  

As for the FUN of our kids right now -- because seriously, they are SO FUN RIGHT NOW -- there is much to tell.  Susannah is hilarious.  She told me yesterday, "Mommy, you don't call me 'Sus' anymore because, well, it's DANGEROUS!"  Her new favorite phrase is "in no time."  "I gonna take dis bath in no time!"  "I gonna be done doin' dis in no time!"  She's been known to use that phrase over 10 times in 10 minutes -- she'll make the record books someway, somehow.  

John is in a toddler bed now!  And he never skipped a beat.  He still loves going to bed and waits for us to come get him when he wakes up.  He will move in to Susannah's room probably next weekish, so we'll see if he stays in bed then!  (Yeah right.)  He is more obsessed with balls than any kid I've ever encountered in my life.  I think he'd probably prefer to have one to snuggle in bed over the bear he keeps in there.  For Christmas, Figgy and Pop got him a basketball and hoop, and I cannot tell you the hours he and Pete have spent out on the porch playing; since we put it up not quite a week ago, that's almost all he wants to do.  John is talking a lot more now, too, which is lots of fun!  It's still mostly that language that only Pete, Sus, and I can interpret, but it's still fun communicating with him.  He understands just about everything we say and is really good at following instructions, too.

We are now 6 months along with Baby 3!  We decided to wait on finding out the gender until delivery, so that's exciting!  Boy or girl, we have what the babe needs, no doubt.  As for names, we're still at the drawing board.  Hopefully we'll come up with a couple solid choices soon.  And as far as how I'm feeling/looking: same song different verse: my belly is staying small again (thankful!), so I'm not uncomfortable at all. 

Now for what you're all here for anyway -- PICS!  (And a lot of them!)

Ware clan cousins at Thanksgiving.  I said, "Whoever smiles biggest gets candy!"

This is just too sweet of John and Aunt Lauren!  (She's a boy expert, no doubt)

Sus and John had the best time with Sydnie, Maddie, and Aunt Carissa at the Children's Museum in Hburg

The best I could get of [most of] the Acker clan cousins during Thanksgiving week.

John was so happy to meet Uncle Bill! (And Aunt Carol, who's not pictured unfortunately) 

This was my birthday gift -- snuggles and football!  FIVE WHOLE MINUTES! 

Sometimes my big boy lets me pretend he's a baby again.

Brinner for Christmas Eve dinner!  Pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruit salad, and strawberry poptarts -- This might have been my best decision of 2016.

CHRISTMAS!  John got his own "iPad" from PopPop and Dizzy!

Showing off the earrings her sweet brother got her for Christmas

Our 2016 Christmas experience in a nutshell. (New princess dress from Dizzy and PopPop and ball from Uncle Bear and Aunt KK.)

No damsels in distress tied to to tracks -- just some crazies under them!  A fav gift from The Ware boys!

Just your average pile of dirty laundry

Figgy and Pops got Susannah a beautiful tent for Christmas, and the girl LOVES IT!

Celebrating Christmas a week late (thanks to Sus and croup) with the Gilberts! 

These girls were super excited to discover that they had matching PJs after spending a whole day in unintentionally matching shirts!

As described above, this boy is ballin' nonstop.

Celebrating NYE (and our 5-yr-anniversary!) with friends and lots of kids!

These three are the sweetest little friends -- all born within 3 months of each other.

Lunch dates then and now -- she still can't take her eyes off him!  (me either, for that matter....yowza!)

Her first ever written word, and she's already name-calling.  Poor Hello Kitty never stood a chance. 

SUGAR BOWL GAME FACE.

My first baby bump pic of the pregnancy in honor of being in the THIRD TRIMESTER!

Watching a movie together in Susannah's new tent.  I melt.

Today Needs This Post

Praise the Lord the bandaid is being ripped off today and election season will finally be over (hopefully) tonight as the results come rolling in.  We're all disgruntled; we're all a tad anxious about the long-term effects on the US because of the next 4 years regardless of who wins tonight.  So we NEED some pictures of some cute babes.  WE NEED THEM.  

We also need to remember who is ultimately in charge here.  Beth Moore puts it best: "God can turn Pennsylvania Avenue into the road to Damascus, for crying out loud. He can soften the hardest heart. Transform the vilest offender. Thank God no sin is too great for the power of the cross. Oh for grace to trust Him more."  Let's trust Him and His power to remain SOVEREIGN in all this mess.  AND let's be "publishers of peace" (Isaiah 52:7) in the midst of all the upcoming reactionary words/posts/etc.  Please, there's no better time to create and/or solidify your witness as a Christ-follower than right now!

Now, turn that frown upside down and lift your furrowed brow!  Here are those precious babes!

(Milestones in 3 lines: Sus turned THREE on Friday!  John says some words!  They pick at each other like  real siblings now!  Bun-in-the-Oven is 19 weeks!  And we have the gender in an envelope that we're still not sure whether or not we're going to open!)

**THESE ARE IN COMPLETELY RANDOM ORDER:

Whenever you say, "John! Say cheese!"

SO SWEET!

All the little princesses at Sus's bday party with THE princess herself, Cinderella.  Susannah was slightly overwhelmed by her surprise appearance...TEARS, REAL SAD TEARS.

But they made amends, and Sus got to hug her most favorite person ever.

Cinderelly reading to the girlies the story about, well, herself!

This was not posed.  Watching Aunt KK's snapchat videos is the best!

SUSANNAH IS THREEEEE NOW!

"Here Johnny, drink this water you probably peed in."

Cutting paper, cleaning deer racks, and shooting the breeze.

Can we all agree that WE COULD JUST EAT THESE CUTIES?!

With our favorite Figgy at Susannah's princess party!  LOVE this picture!

Sus had not wanted to remove her pink princess dress for anything since before Halloween until Bethany brought her a matching dress.  Twinsie love!

Should have cropped this, but there are the girl cousins after the party, hangin around.

I love this picture so much of two of my favorite people!