Army brats

We are an Army Family. We have the parts of it that we love, new places, new friends, new stuff, welcome home celebrations, travel. We have the parts that we do not love, packing, leaving, moving, saying good-bye, deployments.

Summer is prime moving time for the military. And it is so good to be on a summer moving pattern because the kids do not have to change schools in the middle. I am already planning like 3 moves in advance to try and help the kids avoid that. Being new is bad enough without adding, in the middle of the year to it!

I digress. In the summer, on a military installation, when you drive through housing you are constantly dodging trucks. Just today, driving from our house to the other side of base, we saw 4 trucks. Today. This summer, we have had 3 houses in our general area pack up and move. We were really sad last Thursday when our next door neighbor, Father Bailey moved. We all loved him - especially the kids. He was their best customer every time they had a lemonade stand! And boy is the turnover on base is quick. He cleared his house last Thursday and yesterday there were new cars there. Wow!

So this morning, Spencer and I were snuggling and watching some cartoons while he was still waking up. He heard a truck outside. He asked, "is it garbage day?" I told him, "no, I bet it is a moving truck next door." And he looked puzzled. "Mom, Father Bailey already moved." And I said, "I know. And now more people are moving in." "Oh," he said. No big deal. He is used to it. He did not even go and look. Army Brat.

Then a few minutes later, Jessa woke up and wandered down stairs. She was still half asleep. She glanced up and out the window, in front of our house, all she could see was this:

She looked out the window. She looked at Spencer and me. She looked out the window. She looked back at Spencer and me. And then my sweet little Army Brat calmly and quietly asked me a question. She was not upset or worried. Just curious. "Hey, Mom. Are we moving somewhere today?" I got so tickled at her. That is my ever adaptable girl. My perfect Army Brat! She was not unhappy, just checking. I took the opportunity to assure her that if we were moving, her first clue would not be a truck pulling up to the house. We would definitely give her some warning!

And then,

they huddled at the window to take part in another

time-honored Army Brat tradition:

checking out the new neighbors to see if they have KIDS!

(or more accurately, kids with better toys then they have. . .)