Being a nomad isn't always easy.

Sometimes being an Air Force brat isn't easy. Today was one of those days for Princess. You see, today was the day her favorite ballet teacher in the world returned from maternity leave. Upon her return, she unveiled the costumes and dance for the spring recital. You can only imagine how exciting this is for little girls.

So, why the difficulty? You remember I mentioned we are moving? Unfortunately for Princess, we will leave the area long before the spring recital. Although she is a bit sad, she is truly happy for her friends. We've had no tears or tantrums, just focusing on the fun things we will be doing on our trek across the country. She is finding the silver lining of the cloud. Way to go Princess, I'm so proud of you!

Please pray for my three little Air Force Brats. Moving is a fun adventure. However, it is also filled with heart ache of all the wonderful things we have to leave behind.

Thank you.
:) Tami
.
This is Princess at last year's recital.
When you are eight, this is such a
magical experience. I hate having
her miss it.

A Visit to the Capitol

Over the holidays my brother-in-law was here, so we took him downtown to tour our Nation's Capitol Building. They have recently opened the new visitors' center. It is wonderful.

You began the by looking around the entrance area where they have some of the state statues on display. (Each state is allowed to have 2 statues of their citizens on display in the capitol. The rules are: The person depicted in the statue must no longer be living. The statue must be made of marble or bronze.) Next, you move on to a beautiful theatre where they show a short movie which tells the history and workings of our country's democratic government. After the movie, it is on to tour the actual building. Last but not least is the museum area they have lots of cool facts and some hands on items on display. It is very well done. They have the areas divided up into different time periods, with a model of the Capitol and surrounding area for each period. There are wonderful stories and articles to read, as well as video clips running with nice setting to relax and rest. Unfortunately by this point in the tour Bubby was ready to run and play. I was not able to take in all of the information, but we did enjoy looking at the models and seeing how our Nation's Capitol began as a swampy little place and grew into the wonderful city it is today. (Unfortunately they do not allow pictures in this area, so I wasn't able to snap any shots to share--you'll just have to take my word for it!)

We found it best to get one of the first tours of the day. Our tour was 9:30AM, so when we were leaving around noon everyone else was showing up. Also, I find the best season to tour DC is in the fall or at Christmas. Fall because the weather is still nice, but most of the tourists have gone home. This leaves you to enjoy the sights without heat exhaustion or crazy long lines. Christmas time brings more tourists, but everything is so beautifully decorated it is worth the crowds.

Parking in this area can be a hassle, so metro is always easiest. If you do choose to drive, getting there first thing in the morning is key. I've had luck parking along the street by the National Botanical Gardens.




Here are Princess and the General next to a few of the state statues I talked about. Can you see the replica of Lady Freedom in the background to the left? She is the statue that sits upon the dome of the Capitol, looking out over the city.
Enjoy the Capitol!

Have I conquered my sleepless nights??

Okay, I will try to not sound too whiny. With my first two children, God blessed me with sleepers. Sure during the day they needed lots of love and attention, and rarely napped. However, once they went to bed at night I was guaranteed a good eight hours of sleep. Which is good for everyone, as this momma bear just isn't so nice without enough rest.

Fast forward to Bubby (my 2 1/2 year old son). There is a bit of a gap between Bubby and the big kiddos. He tags behind Princess (my almost 9 year old daughter) by six years, and there are nine years between he and the General (my 12 year old son). Needless to say, he truly is the baby of the family. He is doted upon not only by mom and dad, but by big brother and sister as well.

When Bubby came along and needed lots of love and attention I thought nothing of it. That is just the way it is with my little ones. But when the weeks, turned into months, which have now turned into years of no sleeping through the night this mommy was getting desperate. Sure we've had small stints where he stays in his bed all night. But just when I think we've conquered this sleep thing, there will be Bubby next to my bed during the middle of the night.

This brings me to last night when I think I've solved another of his sleeping issues. Prior to bedtime we packed up his adorable little toddler bed, and I made a "big boy" bed out of camp mats--they are about the size of a twin bed. (Why not a "real" bed. . .you know we are the nomads. We are about to move, we'll be living out of temporary housing, and our things will be in storage for five months.) Well my big baby boy must have just needed more space. After tucking him in, there wasn't a peep out of him until 5:00AM this morning. Then I just had to help him find his CeeCee (pacifier) and he was back to sleep until 7:45AM!! So today I am almost giddy with the quality sleep I've had.

Yeah, I know about the pacifier. That will have to wait for another post. :)

Suckered

For years I've avoided this public realm, despite pleas to join the blogging world. Well, I've finally been suckered. It happened like this. . . My sister Jody began a blog a few months ago. I began visiting her site, but all of my attempts to leave her feedback were futile. Finally I signed in, actually giving out my name and e-mail address--YIKES. Initially I was just joining so I could leave little messages for Jody. Then it happened, I saw my name in the profile and I was sucked in. All rationale has flown out the window and here I am.

So welcome to my blog. I plan to use this space to keep family and friends up to date on the happenings of our little Air Force family of five. As well as sharing a little about my journey of faith and raising children for Christ.