Welcoming the New Year

The Kemmerer family (my Dad's side) came down from Pennsylvania and Ohio to celebrate 2010 and Will's birthday with us. They were in town for a busy few days. My cousin Samantha is getting married in September, and she asked Kate and I to be the Maid and Matron of Honor. So, we had a fun-filled two days of shopping for bridesmaids dresses. I think we tried on close to 50 dresses, but finally found just what she wanted... and they're super cute, too! We're definitely looking forward to her big day and excited to welcome her fiance Tyler to the family.
Here we are opening even more gifts and surrounded by cousins, Samantha, Ben and Hannah. We took advantage of the time together to play some Kemmerer(turbo)-speed Nertz (card game) and the Wii. I got a new game for the Wii called Just Dance and we all took a turn busting a move. First it was hysterical to watch everyone from behind, while Ben recorded a video of everyone from the front. It was quite amusing. Reminds me of the time our whole family once got together at a tranquil lake house in Tennessee. Apparently some of the older neighbors thought we were too big of a crowd. Their complaint... "People of all shapes and sizes were out there enjoying themselves." We try to live up to that description when we can!

Here's our New Year's spread, being enjoyed by Samantha, Pappy, Kate, and Tyler. And look who found the stairs...

Happy 2010!

A Carolina Christmas, Part II

The Sunday after Christmas the Kiser family was recovered from the stomach flu, and we headed across town to spend the next fews days with them. Even though our time together was shorter than planned, we made the most of it. We played lots of games, and of course, the kids had a blast crawling/toddling around. Will discovered the staircase and could literally spend all day going up and down the stairs. I'm sure glad our house is only one level! Here's Will with Grandpa, Aunt Dana, and Tali.

The wagon of blocks is always a hit... with old and young alike! And it demonstrated firsthand the difference between boys and girls. Tali sweetly watched Gigi build a beautiful tower, then along would come Bulldozer Will to knock it down.

The inaugural wagon ride was more fun with TWO little riders, all bundled up to stay warm.

Off they go....

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:14

A Carolina Christmas, Part I

Ah, home for the holidays! We arrived the day before Christmas eve, just in time to see the last of the beautiful snowfall. Quite a picturesque welcome! Usually, Aaron's family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve, opening gifts and such, while mine does all this on Christmas day... meaning we never have to miss out on a family celebration. This year, however, things didn't go exactly as planned, as a nasty 24-hour stomach bug started to sweep through the Kiser family on the 23rd. We were able to meet up with the healthy extended family for the Christmas Eve service and to enjoy the annual Christmas Eve feast at cousin Amy & Phil's house. Will enjoyed some quality time with Great Grandma & Grandpa Kiser...

And playtime with his cousins! Aaron's sister, Dana and husband Stan were able to fly in this year from Kansas City with their sweet little girl, Tali. Will is just a month younger than Tali, and they're super cute together. Here are the little prisoners in the pack-n-play as cousin Ainsley plays doctor.

We finished out the evening at my parents house. Kate thought it'd be fun if we started a new tradition of wearing matching Christmas PJ's. I must admit, they were quite cozy! Here we are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on Christmas morning.

While Will didn't exactly understand what was going on, he really enjoyed the paper and the bows. Here he is opening up his own pair of pajamas on Christmas eve. And then on Christmas morning...

Santa brought him a red wagon (with the help of a few elves). Too bad, he didn't leave his sleigh to help Mommy and Daddy transport it back to Mississippi. But good thing the Jeep has a spacious trunk!

After a morning of gift opening, we headed over to Nana & Papa's for the Nethery celebration. Nana made her classic Christmas brunch complete with sausage and egg casserole, the best grits you've ever tasted, baked cinnamon apples, and toasty little rolls. Such good Southern cookin'! The highlight of this year's gift exchange was Papa's Tarheel snuggie....

It was great to spend some time with my cousins, especially Matt, who I hadn't seen in a year...way too long! Nana prepared another yummy feast for dinner. Then we played some charades before heading to a late screening of Avatar (which I enjoyed way more than I thought I would). Thanks to Mimi and GrandBrad for staying behind to watch the little guy.

"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people." Luke 1:68

Will- 11 months, by Paige

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

These are a bit belated... but here are pics from November, including trips to the park, Thanksgiving, and more of the Spouse Taxi. Also, some of Will with his friend Carson. His mom Laura and I became good friends while she and her husband were stationed at Columbus. They were passing through town and the boys finally got to meet.

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Strikin' Snake for a Day

There's so much to post about, including Christmas and Will's 1st birthday, but I'll start with the Spouse Taxi Day Aaron's squadron organized back in November. Since, we're not allowed to actually have our husbands fly us around in the T-38 (fortunately for motion-sick prone me), we get the next best thing... a high speed taxi down the runway.

We started out the day in the Physiology building learning how to buckle our seatbelt (much more complicated than it sounds) and getting accustomed what it's like to sit in the cockpit. Here's Will taking a turn in the seat...Next, we got fitted for a helmet and put on all the gear, including a flightsuit complete with all the patches. We got a briefing and practiced radio calls since we'd be taxiing in a four-ship formation. Here I am, all strapped in and ready to go...

The weather was beautiful, unlike it was two years ago at the last Spouse Taxi. Actually getting to see out of the canopy was pretty incredible, as we whizzed by the world at 100 knots. It was a breathtaking experience, and we didn't even leave the ground! Such a fun day and wonderful opportunity to see firsthand Aaron doing a job that he truly loves.