It's here!

Our big yella fella has arrived! Let the moving begin...

Best Babysitter Award

Our sweet friends Tiffany and Teresa watched Will for us all day last Thursday, so we could focus on packing. He had so much fun, he didn't want to leaf. (Sorry, I couldn't resist!) Their family has been such a blessing to us (friendship, babysitting, and car repairs to name a few), and we will really miss them! As an added bonus, Teresa is a fabulous photographer who usually snaps pics of Will's visits, so we get to see what he's been up to!

Home Sweet Home

Currently, we are in the midst of box-packing, bubble-wrapping, wall-painting, fence-removing chaos! At least we'd like to think of it as an organized mess, as our moving day is now only one week away! The word I seem to keep using about everything is bittersweet. While we are thrilled to move closer to our family and friends in North Carolina, we were afforded the rare opportunity for a military family to stay in one place for a while and really put down roots. We've spent nearly all of our married life in Columbus and started our family here. I think it will always hold a special place in our hearts. As blogging has become my new means of scrapbooking, I figured it was fitting to include pictures of our home here. At some point, I think it will be fun to show Will where he was "reared up" (for at least his first two years of life).

The living and formal dining area.

The "office." Picture the grad students toiling over textbooks and papers in this very spot.

My kitchen. Such a sunny space. Almost my favorite room.

Breakfast area. But who am I kidding... we ate every meal here!

Guest bedroom and bathroom. Host to many wonderful houseguests traveling near and far to visit.

Laundry room and storage (Maddie's room). Not necessarily the most attractive, but oh so appreciated! And I'm not really sure why, but Will loves hanging out in Maddie's crate, opening and shutting the door. And further confounding us, Maddie likes to get in and join in the fun.

Master bedroom. The large picture frame in the top left of the collage will sadly not be making the move (double click to view larger). I made it in college from the dozens of roses Aaron had given me. Now it's dusty and falling apart. Aaron told me it wasn't worth the trouble to move. I told him fine, but I'll be needing some fresh roses as a replacement. I think that sounds fair.

Will's nursery. My favorite room.

Mimi and Aunt Kate painted this mural the day after we found out we were having a boy! It matches his crib bedding. Not only has it made for the sweetest room, but I love that Will loves it, and I'm having a hard time painting over it.

Planes, cars, trucks, boats. Made for one little boy that adores all things transportation! Good thing my muralists will only be a phone call away.

And that was our Mississippi home sweet home.

IFF Graduation

Aaron graduated from IFF (Intro to Fighter Fundamentals) this afternoon. Completing this 8 weeks or so of training means he's officially "mission complete" at Columbus AFB. He did a great job in the course and received the Air-to-Ground Top Gun award and was named Distinguished Graduate. It's a joy and blessing to see him do so well at a job he so enjoys. Strike Eagle, here he comes...

Fall Fellowship

Back in October, we invited some church friends over for some good 'ole fall fellowship. It was actually our last hoorah in the house before we started packing things up (yes, we decided to do a full-DITY or do it yourself move... more on that later).
Anyways, the group was mainly our Sunday School class and their families, so it was a fun mix of ages ranging from toddler to adolescent to the more mature (ahem). They have all been very special to our family during our time in Columbus, and the evening was a sweet reminder of how much their friendship will be missed.

Will had so much fun playing with the "big" kids, from the tire swing to the Wii. We also have this lovely bunch to thank for teaching him how to go down the slide face first. :)

Dinner consisted of a delicious chili potluck, followed by smores and a few other yummy desserts around the firepit. This was prior to the burn ban in Mississippi... so no worries, we weren't breaking any laws. All in all it was a fun, encouraging gathering!

"For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers." Ephesians 1:15-16