A Review of my 'Year in Review'

One last post of 2009...

Each year I create a scrapbook of the past 12 months. A few years ago I converted from the traditional hand-made scrapbooks to Shutterfly digital ones. I love the convenience of them but more than that, the ability to replace them if lost as well as the ability to order an extra for my mom (or for Matt when he left for Iraq).

The next few paragraphs are comments I put on the last page of the 2009 Year in Review, comparing '08 and '09. Below that are some additional thoughts on this past year.

Last night I flipped through my 2008 Year in Review scrapbook and noticed quite a difference in those photos and the ones I took this year. It seems I had a lot more time in '08 to look around me and take pictures of things I simply found beautiful. Random things, inanimate objects. I had that time because my favorite person in the world was half a world away. He was proudly serving our Country in Operation Iraqi Freedom while I stayed behind raising our boys and tending to the proverbial home fires. That scrapbook is one I am very proud of and some of the images are soon to be framed and placed in my home as many of them are really quite beautiful. This year's pictures, however, have a much different feel. They are almost utilitarian. I took pictures of our reunited family doing things together, being together. My focus during the past year has been more on the time I had with my family and simply documenting our adventures. This scrapbook is much longer than last year's, by 20 pages! There are more images per page in this one. But it's not as fancy. So, how do I feel about that? Just fine. I can honestly say that our family has relished being together again and has taken many opportunities to "get out and do." My camera was with us almost everywhere, but it was not at my eye as often. When it was at my eye I was doing my best to save memories for later viewing and not nearly as focused on the quality of the image that would later be viewed. So, what about 2010? How do I want to see my next "Year in Review" after a full year in Germany? I want both. I want to increase my skill level to be able to document fully our adventurous year which will include learning a new language, adapting to a new culture, and adding a new member to our family. At the same time I want to see those moments of beauty around me and skillfully capture it for future appreciation. As far as New Year's Resolutions go, that's mine.

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As I was getting ready this morning, Matt was at the Vehicle Registration office officially becoming a car owner again. We are getting this car THE DAY we had to return the car we've been borrowing for over a week. Also, the same day we have (tentative) plans to go to Ramstein to visit friends in from the states. (I say tentative, because the trip hinged on whether or not we got this car.) Tomorrow we have plans, again, hinging on whether or not we got this car, to go visit my close friend, Stephanie, in Stuttgart.

My thoughts turned to the way God has ordained the events of this entire year, from Matt's return from Iraq to the timing of adding to our family. I was able to enjoy Disney World during the most comfortable trimester and before developing Gestational diabetes. Every doctor's visit I've needed to make has been made possible by the generosity of others: either by loaning us a car or by new friends who were strangers to us 30 days ago taking me. I feel hugely blessed by how He has just worked everything out and made straight our paths.

I could write more giving you more proof of His love for us, but Matt's on his way home right now in our new car. We have a little more packing to do as we're going to live in the lap of luxury for one night. The Air Force has an AMAZING hotel in a town called, "Little America." We're going to stay there tonight before going to visit the Bailey's tomorrow.

We pray God places his hand on your lives as He has ours. We also pray His blessings continue in the next year as we excitedly welcome new adventure and a new baby!

With Love From the Hamricks

Some thoughts on Germany...

This entry may be a bit scatterbrained, but at least I’m admitting it up front. The past several weeks have been a complete whirlwind and I’ve loved almost every bit of it. Six weeks ago today we entered the Colorado Inn at Fort Carson since much of our stuff was in boxes and it was next to impossible to be comfortable in our house. We loved that place very much and hated to leave it at all, but with me being pregnant and the boys being, well, boys, we needed to get away from the boxes and on to a place that would house us. Staying at that hotel afforded us the chance to still be on post, near our friends, and among our familiar surroundings. We had a great view of our mountain and the boys had plenty of room to run around. After six nights there we loaded up our van and drove across the country. We chose a southern route in order to see new sights! We stayed in Amarillo and Dallas TX, Lafayette, LA, Pensacola, FL, and finally made it to Orlando a day early. We stayed in a non-Disney hotel for 3 nights before the grandparents arrived for our real vacation and we got settled in Port Orleans, Riverside for six nights. Great hotel with wonderful food, on site with a convenient shuttle bus system to take us back and forth to the parks. That trip was a dream come true, one we had waited and waited for. I so appreciate Disney for offering the Military Discounts that made the magic possible! The only disappointing part was Animal Kingdom but Matt and I had suspected that and, as it was our last day, all of us were pretty much ready to be done and none were too sad to leave the park early. (Not much on animals in the first place.) After we completed our stay at Riverside we moved into a hotel I had selected along with the help of our fabulous Travel Agent, Melissa Sims. It was within walking distance to the POV Processing Center where we were to drop off the van for shipping and it had a free shuttle to the airport. We spent 3 nights in this hotel waiting for our flight to Germany. I’ve written about our experience getting to the airport, about the flight, and our first night in the German hotel in this blog.

So I want to write a bit about our time here in Germany with some pictures I’ve taken of random things I have found neat or interesting.

I’m going to start with some things I noticed at my doctor’s appointment.

* When they had me drink the sugar water, it was not an “orange soda” kind of drink at all! It was 75 g of water that they had mixed up probably the day before with some serious sugar or something. It was just in a mason jar and the nurse poured it into a Dixie cup. I had to drink it all right then…no 5 minute window.

* There is only one chair for giving blood in the offices that I saw, so when they needed to take my blood and the chair was occupied, the nurse just took it in the lobby.

* When they take a vial of blood, they take it to the lobby and put it on the receptionist’s desk. You’d never see that in America. (Not saying there’s anything wrong with this, but it just doesn’t happen in America. Blood doesn’t come to the lobby for any reason!)

* They do an ultrasound at every visit, and the dr. does it herself. She was very quick and I’d say she was better at it than any technician I’ve ever had in America. Got a beautiful picture of Parker in just seconds!

(I took a picture of myself at the request of a few friends wanting to see the baby bump. Here it is at 25 weeks 5 days.)

Here are some random things I’ve experienced:

* Drinks in restaurants – they don’t give you ice in your drinks and since I was prepared for this, I just accept it. I don’t try to order ice, I just drink my coke as it comes. There are no refills so we tell the boys to go easy on it. There is a neat concoction that I had been told about before we came that my boys really like – coke mix. It’s a mixture of sprite and coke! The boys love to go to fountain machines and get a little of everything (GAG) so this is like a toned down version of that!

* It stays dark until 8:30 am and is dark again at 5 pm. I have heard that the summer is the opposite, with it light at 5 am and still a bit bright out at 10 pm.

* It rains almost every day. This leaves everything, sidewalks, streets, playgrounds, benches, etc, soggy and moist all the time. I am using a LOT of stain remover on their clothes and washing their coats all the time due to moss and mud. But at least they’re playing outside. We are currently borrowing a car from some friends and it is SPOTLESS. They don’t have small children with muddy shoes so we’re putting walmart bags on the boys’ feet before they pull their feet in the car. Works pretty well! (And, of course, they don’t get in with muddy clothes. We only get muddy at the playground and if we’re going somewhere in the car, they change into clean clothes.)

* The dollar is very weak. We had to pay 50 Euros for something and we can just use our debit card. The receipt always shows the Euros and the dollar amount, which was something like $76.00. (This pic is of our first ATM withdrawal of Euros - I blurred out important info...)

* The windows are strange here. There’s a handle on the side that turns ¼ of a turn to open the window like a door or ½ a turn for the window to crack open from the top. Odd, but effective

* There are water shut off valves on wall above sink and toilets in my house and they were in the hotel as well… strange placement.

* The houses around here are beautiful and very old! Most were probably single family homes for very wealthy people years ago and have been converted into multi-family apartments. (Wiesbaden is an upscale town, very wealthy. We have seen stuffed animals in store windows downtown that cost 700 Euro, and that is $1025.19!!!!)

* Most of the cars are SUPER small! They look hilarious to me, considering I have 4 kids and these cars often don’t even have a back seat or any storage at all.

* There are few bathrooms in public, if any, and those you run across might require a fee to be able to use them. This picture was taken in a restaurant we ate in. The sign says that if you are a customer of the restaurant you don’t have to pay, but if not, place 50 Euro Cents in the box.

So, to wrap up the past few weeks since arriving in Germany:

We got here on the 25^th of NOV and had Thanksgiving with friends we had met in Columbia a few years ago. We spent 9 nights in the American Arms hotel, ready to be home. We had no trouble sleeping the first several nights after just being so exhausted. But then the time change caught up with us and we needed to “help” our systems adjust so Benedryl became our friend. (I even had to give the boys some two nights… wide awake at 11:00 pm is not my idea of okay, but their systems thought it was somewhere between 3-5 pm…not sure if their body’s were on Mountain time or East Coast time). I also started having my annoying issue with hives again, though until this past Sunday they were not severe. During the time in the hotel Hayden felt Parker kick, and was the first one other than me to feel him. Matt felt him a few hours later. Bailey asked the funniest question: (he's 5 years old) "When Parker comes out, are you gonna love him?" Me: "Oh yes, I will love him so much." Bailey: "If he's not our color, you'll still love him." Me: "I sure will." (But if he's not our color, I'll have some serious explaining to do to Matt!)

And we purchased iPhones after waiting years for them. Very pleased with our purchases and haven’t regretted it for one moment!

We moved into our house with just the things we flew here with on 4 DEC and have felt at home ever since. The Army had placed beds, couch and chairs, and a dining set in the house for us to use until our goods come. A friend in Matt's new unit loaned us enough bedding and linens as well as some curtains to tide us over, and CH Kesling loaned us a TV and DVD player. My what a blessing! Since I can’t purchase coffee yet (must have a ration card for that) Heather gave me some from her house. I think Matt and I would have been growing beans out back if we hadn’t had that gift given to us! He’s going to try to find out about getting our ration cards tomorrow, his first official day on the job.

Our Unaccompanied Baggage (that we had shipped 7 OCT) was delivered 10 DEC and I put our tree up right away. (Our Unaccompanied Baggage in front of our Colorado house being packed for shipping.) (Our baggage being unloaded here in Germany.) Found out that night as I was putting lights on that half of them were out. Matt bought more the next day and we’ve had a beautiful tree up since then! We are lamp people, using overhead lighting very seldom. Being in this house without our belongings, however, has caused us to have to use overhead lights. Now that we have the tree up we can turn off all the rest of the lights and watch TV by the light of the tree, which gives a much more homey feel. LOVE those moments! Oh, and I had asked my facebook friends to pray that my sentimental ornaments arrive unharmed… they did! Not a single one damaged! These are so special to me as Matt and I have been collecting them since we met.

We have had one crying spell with Hayden (8 years old) because he misses his friend, Jeremy. It breaks my heart but at the same time, I know this is part of the experience. He’s learning hard lessons and how to handle them well. He’s written several notes and now I just need to get them stamped and in the mail. We have a trip planned to visit our great friends, the Baileys, for New Years. Stephanie is one of my closest friends and our kids are close as well. I have missed her since she left Colorado ahead of us back in the summer. We’re only 2 hours apart and once I get my van (and driver’s license) it’ll be MUCH easier to visit. For now, we’re excited about getting to see them soon!

I failed my one hour, then my 3 hour glucose tests, so I have to go to a diabetologist. Never heard that word before, but I’m going to see one.

Love the milk… Army milk and its organic. Who knew?!?

Carson lost his 3^rd tooth and he says, “I have an “L” in my mouth!”

I got my internet and phone turned on yesterday and feel SO much better. Access to the outside world and the ability to type with both hands makes me happy! It’s the little things in life…

Well, I’ve been under the weather for the past 4 days and the boys have had to fend for themselves for the most part. I think I’m feeling better so we may attempt a walk around the neighborhood. Tomorrow I go to WAAF (the Army post where Matt works) to schedule my diabetologist appointment and to see if I can get my glucometer. Yuck. Glad to be feeling better!

Merry Christmas, my friends and family! If you celebrate a holiday other than Christmas, then Happy Holidays! (But I must say I'm a bit annoyed that so many TV stations are ignoring that this is actually a Christmas Season and refuse to say that word. I don't mind if they want to add the other Holidays to their well wishes to their viewers, but I wish they would recognize my holiday!) At least they're still showing movies that say Christmas, like 'A Charlie Brown Christmas.' Off my soap box for now!

~Jennifer

From hotel to home...

This very long entry journals the process of our family getting from the hotel in Wiesbaden to our new apartment.

Before I left the states I emailed the Assistant Housing Manager of Wiesbaden Army Air Field (where we are stationed). She was able to tell me that they had several units open that we qualified for and no one with 4 kids, at the time, was scheduled to come here. We arrived here on the day before Thanksgiving, which meant we were not going to be able to go to housing until after the 4-day weekend. Matt headed to work bright and early on Monday and began in-processing, to include a trip to housing. Because we didn’t have one piece of paper (a statement of pregnancy) they had to put us on the list for a 4 bedroom unit. No worries. The next day I was off to run a few errands, to include a stop at the Clinic to get that ever-so-handy piece of paper that would give us an additional bedroom. Since we don’t have a car, our Sponsor brought Matt back after he finished what he was doing, arriving around 3 pm. This would be PLENTY of time to get the piece of paper signed and over to Housing by 4 pm. The lady who was responsible for getting the paper generated did a more than thorough job and explained so much to me. Quite helpful information, but I missed getting to housing by 5 minutes. I had Matt take the paper over the next day (Wednesday) and they put us on the list for a 5 br. As far as giving us an estimated wait time, all they would tell Matt was that there were several empty but they were on hold, needing something else done to the before they were going to be made available. At this point we had been in the hotel one week. Not that a week was a long time, but after having been in hotels for the past month, we were pretty anxious to be home. That night I had a girls’ night out with a new friend, Heather, whom I had met at the PX. (On our 3^rd day here in Germany I noticed a lady nursing a baby and she was using one of those fancy nursing covers I’ve heard about. I wanted to ask if she thought it was worth the price, so I asked. Well, we’ve become fast friends and she’s been invaluable to me since that meeting!) During our dinner at Vapiano’s Heather, and another hotel guest, Katy suggested I stay on top of the housing office because Katy had already been in the hotel almost 4 weeks. I decided to be proactive, so Thursday morning I packed my boys up and we rode the bus to the Airfield. I walked in and immediately was introduced to “G” who checked the list again. I had a few questions about the houses we could get into and sat there leisurely asking my questions while the boys sat in the hallway coloring. After hearing the same thing, that there were houses empty but still on hold waiting something like painting, cleaning, etc. I informed “G” that I’d be back on Monday to see. Her first comment was, “No, that won’t be possible.” I thought maybe Housing was going to be closed or something so innocently, I asked why? She got a bit flustered and I said that I didn’t mind coming back out to check. We stumbled over a few sentences, and I don’t really remember what she said but basically, she was trying to get across the idea that nothing was going to change between then and Monday so there was no use even coming back. After this strange exchange of jibberish, she said “Hang on.” She reached over and placed a phone call. She told the person on the other end of the line that she had a mother in her office with three sons, one on the way. That we were still in the hotel and that the houses that we qualified for were on Hold status. She asked if she could find out what exactly they were waiting to be completed before releasing the houses for availability. I sat there hardly breathing, trying to keep my composure. The boys were getting restless at this point so we started a game of, “I SPY.” I was trying so hard to act interested in that silly game while hearing what I could of the conversation on the phone. After she hung up she said that the person who was in charge of the contractors, the same person who had the keys to all the houses we were qualified for, was out to lunch. She’d be back in 2 hours. I said, “I’ll be back here in 2 hours and we’ll call again.” “G” didn’t seem to mind that, so I headed to the clinic to get my OB appointment scheduled and a prescription refilled. Waiting those 2 hours was difficult, but we managed. When we returned, we found that “G” was missing. I about had a heart attack, but her desk-neighbor, “S,” was willing to help. She said that she knew “G” had called but that the houses were still on hold. She decided to get into the system, as I looked pretty comfy in her chair and the boys were back to their coloring. As she pulled up the screen she noticed that the statuses had changed for two of the units. (Air from the room was sucked out by a preggo lady trying not to get her hopes up.) I tried to breathe normally as I realized that there was a chance we were going to be moving into a house within the next couple of weeks! The only catch was that Matt was taking his driving test and not able to sign the paperwork. She let me do that, and told me that I needed to get the keys. The next catch was that we didn’t have a car and the keys had to be picked up within 30 minutes, as the lady with the keys was leaving for the day. No worries… “S” found someone willing to drive me over there. As we were walking to the car, the kind gentleman realized I was not alone. That I had 3 kids in tow. He was either worried about his car or their safety, as I didn’t have their booster seats…most likely the former which doesn’t bother me at all! He decided he’d run over to get the keys and meet me at the Food Court in a few minutes. He returned and handed me the keys to two apartments that I got to take my choice of. I was speechless, which is pretty much a rare occurrence. Eventually I found my voice, well, my fingers, and typed that as my Facebook status. We had to have the keys returned by 4 pm, as all Civilian offices close at 4 (that may be a sarcastic remark…not sure). We were hungry and the bus back to the housing area where these two apartments were located wasn’t due to arrive for 30 minutes. I got the boys settled with pizza from Anthony’s and ordered a steak and cheese from some strange place that severely pales in comparison to Charley’s Steakery. (We have one of those at Mainz-Kastel, but not at the Airfield.) I determined that if Matt didn’t finish his test in time that the boys and I were leaving for the house without him, as we needed to get to the house and back by 4. Fortunately, Matt finished (and passed) his test in time and we were off as a family to see our possible new home. Before we loaded the bus I bought a box of 9 Cinnabon’s fresh out of the oven and dropped it off at the housing office. My new friends were out to lunch but the lady at the front desk said she’d give it to them when they returned. The address was 29 Merkurstrasse 1. We had never had to read a German address before and so we tried our keys on 2 houses before we got to the right one. Fortunately, either the incorrect houses were under construction or the tenants weren’t home. When we saw our house it looked better than the two we had mistaken for ours, which was good, but we still had no idea what the inside looked like. We tried the key and for the first time, the lock turned! We were in! I really wanted to be on the bottom floor, so that’s the one we tried first, as the other option was in the same building, one floor up. We walked in and were absolutely amazed at the sight. Our house is huge. Bigger, even, than our house in Colorado! We had expected to gain a room and lose a few hundred square feet. We actually gained several hundred square feet! The kitchen is 3X the size of my CO one, my dining room is over 2X the size, and my living room is at least 3X the size. The boys’ rooms are average size and ours is pretty big! We don’t have 3 bathrooms but you won’t hear me complain! Just two to swish-and-swipe every night! We were thrilled and didn’t want to leave. I let Matt go explore the basement, which turned out to be huge, as well! What had originally served 4 families is now shared by two. We have the space under half our building, and the apartment above will have the other half. There are 220v outlets inside the basement so I’ll be able to put a chest freezer down there. PUMPED about that! Matt also ran upstairs to make sure that apartment was the same and didn’t have something we would really rather have than the 1^st floor apartment. They are identical, so we decided we’d take the lower level. This particular house was originally a 4-unit building and they’ve converted it into a 2-unit building, and for now, we’re the only family in the entire building. We look forward to when another large family moves in above us and are praying for good friends for the boys.

(This picture shows 2/3rds of our house. The far left balcony is our living room, the two windows to the right are our bedroom, and you can see the balcony that stretches the rest of the way to the right side of the building in the edge of the picture. In that balcony are windows for our bathroom and Hayden's room).

We got on the bus back to the Airfield where we reluctantly turned in the key. We accepted the lower one and declined the upper level one. Matt could come in at 8:00 am and get them for real! Less than 24 hours after I made my first appearance in front of “G” we had keys and full access to our house! God really paved a way for us and we were thrilled!

Friday morning came and I couldn’t sleep past 5 am! SO excited to know that I had spent my last night in a hotel for a while! It was a crazy day, with Matt at work for the first couple of hours, my first OB appointment at 10:00, housing inspector at 2:00, Matt was going to purchase a car at 2:30. Our sponsor took me to the apt just for me to find out that I didn’t have the one sheet of paper I needed. I rescheduled and he had to turn around to get me back. He dropped me off at the PX so I could purchase a few things. He finished getting the boys and Matt, as well as the last of our belongings, over to the house before coming to back for me. I picked up $40 worth of Burger King (gag) and we had our first meal in our house. As of yet, I haven’t mentioned that housing put a kitchen table, 6 chairs, a living room set, and 5 beds in the house so we would be able to get by until our goods come. So we ate lunch with our Sponsor in our new dining room on borrowed furniture. And it was grand!

Matt left after a while to buy the car only to call me later saying that the deal fell through. We prayed for wisdom and discernment and we both feel a peace about not having made that purchase. While riding the bus is getting old, it is doable and sufficient during the week. And God has provided me with a friend, the previously mentioned Heather, who took me to my rescheduled OB appointment.

So there is our journey from hotel to home! More to come as I find the time to write!

(This is a 3-minute walk-through video of our house as we saw it the first time we saw it. We moved in less than 24 hours later.)

From Disney World to Germany

So I pick up where I left off... Animal Kingdom. I could go back to Disney World and never enter the gates of Animal Kingdom again. Matt and I had been there years ago and we told ourselves that the main reason we didn't like it then was because it was so new and very few attractions were open. Nope, just don't like it. Hayden enjoyed Expedition Everest, but his favorite ride of the week was the Rockin' Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios. We all enjoyed the Nemo show, but not enough to make us spend a day there just to see it. So, when we take Parker in 5-6 years, we'll do 2 Magic Kingdom Days, 2 Hollywood Studios Days, and 1 Epcot day.

We had half a day left on our tickets after Animal Kingdom and had planned on going back to Magic Kingdom for a few hours, but we decided we'd rather go back to our hotel and prepare for our flight the next day. We stopped by Target and got a few odds and ends before returning to the hotel. Matt took the car to be cleaned and the boys got settled in with their Legos while I began the serious task of packing our stuff. It looked like we were going to need to purchase another duffle bag to fit the expansion of our belongings. I had done this before we left Colorado and ended up with a couple too many, so I gave those extras to my mom. I was determined that I was not going to have to re-purchase bags... it was the principle of the matter! The next day as I was able to get serious and pack things for real (meaning I could pack everything since we had already showered and put on new clothes) I was able to get all our things in the suitcases we had.

When Tuesday came we were given a measly 2 hour extended check out. We would have appreciated being allowed to stay in the hotel until 3-4 but the manager was not very giving. I was quite nervous about what to do with the boys for 7 hours in the airport so we drove the three miles to check it out. Matt dropped me off at the correct departing airline gate and I walked in and looked around. I found this airport to be MUCH more conducive to waiting with children than the one in Charlotte. In Charlotte, as soon as you walk in the door, you're faced with the baggage check desks. There is nowhere to go other than the desks, then through security. This would be fine if we were within 3 hours prior to our departing flight, but since we were getting there 7 hours early we couldn't check our baggage yet. BUT PRAISE THE LORD, the Orlando Airport is mostly open to all visitors and you don't have to check your bags or go through security to get to the restaurants and stores. While I was scoping it out I saw there were many groupings of chairs and tables which gave me so much relief! I left the airport knowing that while the specific prayers I had prayed were not answered the way I had asked them to be (for there to be someplace to store our luggage, etc) the prayers were answered in a different way.

After we went back to our room Matt left to drop off our van. It will arrive in Germany no later than 8 Jan. Oh, I do hope it's before then! While he was gone I inventoried our luggage. This was for my own peace of mind in case we arrived in Germany missing something. I wanted to easily know which piece was missing and a general idea of what was inside. As I rearranged stuff to fit and to hopefully be under the 50 lb mark, I wrote a number on the luggage tag with a Sharpie. After I numbered each bag and listed the contents, I put neon green curling ribbon on the top. Down in lobby I took a picture of the boys in front of the mountain of luggage. Quite funny!

After being dropped off at the airport, we rented 3 of those carts and filled them as full as we could. Here's our breakdown: 10 checked bags, 7 carry-0n bags, 3 car seats, 3 kids, 1 stroller, 1 dad, and 1 pregnant lady. HA! It was a sight! But we found a great place to turn into our mini home for a few hours.

We took turns running for food while the other parent stayed with the luggage and kids and ate lunch pretty late, around 2. (During the day I splurged and had 3 of my favorite Fast Foods: Starbucks, Chick-fil-a, and Krispy Kreme! YES, they had KK in the airport!!) The boys played with Legos, they colored, they played UNO, and for the most part, they did just fine. During our time waiting Matt took a few of the heavier pieces of luggage to the scales and found that only one was over weight, and by only 5 lbs. So he rearranged it and all the bags were within our limit. At around 5 pm we went to get in the massively long line of people flying to Germany and it only took about 20 minutes to get through the line to the desk where we checked our bags. Then it took about another 15 minutes to get our stuff handed over. We returned our carts, receiving $0.25 back for each of them out of the $4.00 per cart we had spent. Oh well. They were a necessity.

Then we were off to security. The nice lady saw our posse coming and sent us through a new line and with relative ease we were cleared to go through the gate. After picking up some Burger King for the boys we sat and waited for our flight. I got to speak with my brother, my mom, and Anna before we boarded the plane.

Our flight was long, 9 hours, but pretty painless, I guess. The food was gross so I'm really glad someone suggested we feed the boys something before we boarded. Our first taste of Germany was the water... one of the boys wanted water with their dinner and they got "bubble water." Plain soda water, which is gross! I tried several times during the flight to just get plain water, which I knew they had because I had seen it when the flight attendant walked by. I ended up slightly dehydrated since I hadn't eaten since 2 pm and was only able to get about 3 small glasses of plain water all evening. I felt parched and worried that the dehydration sickness I had experienced before was going to kick in. I think it was starting to toward the end because I started feeling queasy, which is rare for me. I found my Seabands and that helped me make it through the rest of the flight.

I watched 2 movies and 2 TV shows, thankful to have the ability to pause, rewind, and select what I wanted to watch. I didn't sleep at all because I was afraid my boys would to do the stranger next to them what the toddler next to me was doing to me. She was completely asleep and sprawled on her mom with her feet facing me. Every now and then she'd try to stretch out (who wouldn't?!?) and her feet would land on my stomach or arm. At one point she kicked so hard I grunted and it actually made the mom pay attention. I'm not sure which I disliked more... the kicking or when she'd lay her head on my arm rest, getting all in my personal space. I eventually stuck a pillow between us so at least there was some layer of distance between us. I was terrified my boys would do this to some poor stranger that I stayed up watching. Bailey slept upright the entire time, and Carson and Hayden, who were seated next to each other, slept with their heads sharing pillows on the same arm rest. For the most part they weren't a bother. Around 2 am (east coast time) Hayden yelled out, "WE'RE HERE!!" I was so glad he didn't wake anyone and that he went right back to sleep.

I enjoyed watching the flight on the map. I tracked us all the way across the ocean and into Frankfurt. It was a lot like watching a pot of water boil so I tried to focus mainly on the movies. I had packed a lot of stuff for the boys to do and had planned on getting my pictures from Disney edited while on the flight, but the space was so limited and the bags were stored in overhead compartments, so we just made do with the TVs. No one complained and we arrived at 5:15 am (east coast time) after eating a breakfast around 3:30 am...that was strange. Local time was 11:15 am and we made it through the passport guy with ease. All our luggage arrived and our Sponsor was waiting for us as soon as we walked out the door.

Our ride from the airport to the hotel was uneventful and we were able learn from Matt's Chaplain assistant, who has lived here for much of his life. (Dad was Army, mom is German.) We're fortunate to have someone who is so familiar with Germany to work with! Matt had to ride on a charter bus to do some serious in-processing so the assistant and our Sponsor brought the boys and me to the hotel. While checking in the hotel clerk said someone had dropped off some stuff for us. The hotel gives a bag to each guest that has paper towels and a few snacks. Our bag was stuffed to the brim with juice boxes, poptarts, popcorn, oatmeal cookies, nutrigrain bars, and more. There was a card on it and it was signed by another Chaplain and his wife! How thoughtful! It was such a treat to have someone think of us and have something ready for us the moment we arrived! Our Sponsor has been super and has gotten us well set up. AND, on top of all that, we received in invitation from Matt's Brigade Chaplain to spend Thanksgiving with them. As it turns out, we had met this family at Jackson several years ago so they aren't strangers! And our Sponsor and his wife will be there as well as the Chaplain and wife who gave us the treats at the hotel! We are amazed and blessed and we have only been here 24 hours.

Last night we ate dinner in the hotel downstairs which was pricy but it turned out to be a really good meal. Plus, we have a fridge and microwave so our leftovers will be consumed sometime soon! After dinner we walked to the PX. It's probably about a mile and a half away, and after a week at Disney, seems like nothing. We purchased a few things that will make hotel-living easier: adapters so we can charge our computers, laundry detergent (since I accidentally left mine at the Disney hotel), and a huge rubbermaid box with lid for the massive quantities of Legos the boys got from the grandparents for Christmas.

(Oh, cool, I'm hearing a police car outside and it's so "European." I've only heard that sound on TV before!).

Between our hotel and the PX is the hospital I've been told that I'll have Parker at so it was neat to see.

When we got home we got the boys settled in "their room" and that is a beautiful thing! The last time we had 2 rooms was the 8th of NOV in Colorado. It didn't make much sense to spend double the money for suites or two rooms when we were traveling, but now that we're parked for a while, it becomes worth it. We set them up with popcorn, juice boxes, and headed to bed. I think I was asleep before 10 and our entire family slept until 8:30. We had to get up then and rush downstairs for breakfast. I'll laugh at that 6 months from now because I'll know of so many pastry places that will blow this place out of the water, but for now, I just want something close and free. Breakfast ended at 9 so we got moving.

Now the boys are in their room watching a movie with Matt while I update this journal. If I don't do it every few days, I'll forget and will regret not taking the time.

As today is Thanksgiving I am reminded of how much I have to be thankful for. I'm extremely thankful that even though we're not with our family on this day we are still part of amazing families who will think of us and are praying for us as we start this new adventure. I'm thankful that God has ordained our steps and that this Thanksgiving was planned years before I was even born and he set in place the very people we are to be with today, some of whom I've never met. I'm thankful for a Country worth defending and for the chance to see other parts of the world as a result of my husband's obedience to the Lord. I'm thankful for Benedryl that clears itchy hives even though it makes me want to take a nap. And I'm thankful that it's Thanksgiving, a day made just for napping!

Disney World Journal

So here I am, with only 40 hours left in the US before we fly to Germany and I sit here wide awake. It's 3 am and the rest of the US is happily snoozing away and I'm WIDE AWAKE! I'm going to blame it on preggo insomnia but it's more likely that I've just got so much to do in the next 2 days that I want to get started now.

We have had an amazing time getting to this point and I wish I had had the time to journal each step of the way. I must say I'm grateful for Facebook as I've updated statuses along the way and can go back and read bits and pieces of our adventure later.

Our packers were efficient, though I won't know their level of quality until I receive my goods on the other side. We had one set of movers come out in early OCT and that stuff, our unaccompanied baggage, has already arrived in Germany. Our 2nd set of packers came 2-4 NOV and packed/loaded our HHG (household goods... almost everything we own). The 3rd and final set came 5 NOV to get the things that we had decided not to take with us, as well as the things that were decided for us that we couldn't take. Among these items there are 4 things I will miss the most: my side-by-side large fridge, my deep freezer, my super-capacity washing machine, and my new, AMAZING front loader dryer. I got them prepared for storage down to putting a tube sock full of charcoal in the deep freezer and my refrigerator. The moving company says this is the most effective way to keep them smelling fresh for 3+ years.

We began our hotel adventures on the 3rd of NOV to simplify matters... many people are willing to "rough it" in their house with no beds, plates, cups, etc. but since I'm expecting and, on top of that, have 3 active boys to entertain, there was no way I was going to do that. The hours we spent at the house with the movers were enough to confirm that we made the right choice in staying at the Colorado Inn. We had 2 rooms connected by a non-functioning kitchen area but each room had a microwave and mini-fridge. We made do just fine and appreciated the free laundry room at the end of the hallway. On Saturday the 7th the carpet cleaners came to do their magic and the next day we spent our last Sunday at New Life. I was given some adorable gifts for Parker by friends both at New Life and Fort Carson. I can't wait to see the little guy wearing them! I also celebrated my birthday that week and we went to Olive Garden to celebrate. YUMMY!

Monday, the 9th, we met our housing representative at the house for the final walk through quite nervous about what he'd find. Specifically speaking, when we moved in I had painted the downstairs walls a beautiful color (Contemplation, by Behr, if you're curious) and we had to prime over it before clearing. I was terrified the rep would walk in and say, "I don't think so... Go get more primer and add another coat." Let me stop here and say that on Thursday Matt sent me and the boys to the hotel to rest while he sat with the Non-temp packers. At 4 I called to check in and he had surprised me by painting 2 coats on these walls... something I had expected to have to do myself. Turns out it was good that he had done it since the Kilz was not safe for me to be around while pregnant. But my fears that these two coats were insufficient were not realized and we cleared quarters with no unexpected fees. The fees we did have to pay were the lost key fees. Over the 3 years I had lost a mailbox key and a house key... expensive mistakes, but at least I knew what to expect.

So after we left the house we headed to the housing office and Matt did the final-out paper work while the boys and I played on "Aidan's playground" one last time. I snapped a few pictures of my mountain while they played and I got a picture of Corie's house just for sentimental purposes. I'm gonna miss her! Once we left there we stopped at 4-10 CAV for Matt to officially sign out and I got to say good-bye to our FRSA one last time. Then, we were on the road to Amarillo!

That first night we were SPOILED by the Holiday Inn Express. Beautiful lobby, amazingly large and well decorated rooms, great pool with mood lighting, and the manager sent us on our way the next day by gathering 5 bananas and 5 bottles of water so we'd have snacks on our way. We decided at that point we'd stay in as many HI Expresses as possible. Though none of our nights compared to that first one, we were satisfied each night nonetheless. The only down side of our hotel nights was that first night Hayden had a major chemical reaction to the pool and spent quite a long time in pain and it spoiled swimming for him. He has yet to get into a pool since. I'm praying that once we get to Germany and find that the pools are treated with something other than Chlorine that he'll try swimming again. He's so good at it and it is such a shame for him to have to sit out while the others play.

Here is a quick list of where we stayed over the next few days:
Tuesday night we stayed in Dallas, TX and visited the Sixth Floor Museum.
Wednesday night we stayed in Lafayette, LA and Matt took the boys to see Astroboy and gave me the night off.
Thursday we drove through New Orleans at lunch time and ate at Landry's for lunch and Cafe du Monde for dessert. I wasn't really impressed with the city itself and left nothing there, but now we can say we've been there! We slept in Pensacola that night.
Friday we arrived in Orlando, a day earlier than expected. (Mapquest said it was 8 hours from Pensacola to Orlando but our GPS got us there in 6...)

Our amazing travel Agent, Melissa Sims, had recommended a hotel for us to stay in for the few days before our actual Disney trip started so we had 3 nights in Comfort Inn, Orlando. It didn't quite match the quality of HI Express but we were close to Downtown Disney! (If I had to do it over again, I'd stay in the HI Express next door but we wanted to go on recommendation and overall got a good deal on the hotel.) It was a nice change to be able to leave my shower stuff in the bathroom for 3 nights instead of having to pack it up for another day on the road.

Saturday the 14th we took advantage of the great military family deal that Sea World offers and we spent all day with Shamu. For $63 total we got our money's worth and more! These deals are very much appreciated and I can't even begin to express our thanks to Anheuser-Busch for running this special for the last several years.

Sunday the 15th we enjoyed breakfast at Cracker-Barrel and then explored Downtown Disney. We had no idea where we were going or what we'd see, but we happened to park right near the Lego Store. As we walked up we saw tons of kids and people and a GIANT Buzz Lightyear being built in the center of the store. We had entered the side doorway and realized that if we were to go in the front, the boys would get to help build this massive super hero. Bailey is the biggest Buzz fan I know so this made his day and mine as well! We didn't have to wait long to get a table and start working. This was a treat and we went back the next day to see the finished product. He is an impressive feature, for sure!

Monday, the 16th the grandparents arrived and set up the motorcoach at Disney's Fort Wilderness. We checked out of our temporary hotel and drove the 2 miles to Port Orleans, Riverside, getting checked in. Since our room wasn't quite ready and they said they'd text me when it was, we drove over to see Grammy (Matt's mom) and Nana and Papa (my parents). The boys enjoyed running around in the woods and stretching their legs in and among trees, something which Colorado severely lacks (along the front range, high desert area, anyway). We all took a bus to Downtown Disney for lunch (Wolfgang Puck Express --- YUM!!!) and had to show the grandparents the boys' handiwork at the Lego Store. That evening we had a dinner reservation at our hotel's nice restaurant, Boatwright's, and the grandparents whipped up something in their home-away-from-home. (They didn't do the meal plan this time, but after seeing the value in it, they might do that next time.) We headed back to their coach for some late-night fun and saw that some people go all out in decorating their motorcoaches for Christmas and/or Disney themes. That was a fun ride around the campgrounds by golf cart. We decided to skip the movie under the stars as Bailey was getting close to losing control and it turned out to be a good choice. We avoided meltdown by being willing to miss something that would have been fun but not at a good time.

Tuesday the 17th we had a most magical day. I wouldn't change anything about this day. The weather was great, the crowds were minimal, the boys were amazing, and the Character meal was delicious. As an added benefit, the grandparents joined us for this one reservation and as it was our first meal with characters, it was a very special one. We had allowed each kid to pick one ride to do first at one of the parks and we were fortunate that the rides they selected were at 3 separate parks. Bailey had chosen Buzz at Disney World as his top choice and we got to ride that several times. Of course we hit Dumbo, Peter Pan, and we learned that Hayden LOVES roller coasters. Carson rode Big Thunder Mountain twice, a feat I'm quite proud of. That's his size roller coaster, though Hayden wanted bigger and scarier. (Bailey needed to be brushed once during the day and he recovered from the brink of a melt-down with charm and grace, making me extremely proud of him and thankful for Ms. Kirstin and the tips she had given us during our time in OT.) Space Mountain had been closed all day for testing and I was terribly disappointed that Hayden would leave this magical place without the chance to ride it. Toward the end of the day we rode the Blue Line (a slow tram-like ride that takes you around Tomorrowland (?) and inside Space Mountain. We heard the roller coaster going and also heard people screaming and wondered about that. When we exited that part of the ride Dad noticed that they were letting people on Space Mountain. We called Mom immediately (who had Hayden on the race track ride) and they ran to get in line. Matt and Dad headed over there as well, while Grammy, the boys, and myself went back for more Buzz. As it turns out, Matt and Dad's car rode just fine, but Mom's and Hayden's got stuck at the top of the track. FOR 20 MINUTES! But once it got going again, Hayden loved it and I'm happy to say that his Magic Kingdom experience was complete. We left that park at 7:30, half an hour after it officially closed for the day. We had arrived at 9...it was a full day!

Wednesday the 18th was EPCOT day. We had worn Grammy out at Magic Kingdom so she stayed behind at the coach and rested for this day. Hayden had chosen as his first pick to ride Test Track. We went straight there and they rode it first thing. HE LOVED IT! We grabbed Fast Passes for later on so they could go back and ride it again. Our posse headed from there to the section to the right of the giant ball and spent much of the day there. I honestly can't remember what all is over there right now but we did many things. I do remember that this was the day we had dinner reservations in Epcot so we decided to take a nap time during the middle of the day. Hayden was the FIRST one asleep! Driving test cars will wear a kid out! One fun thing I had never done before and was glad to do was the ride inside the ball. Bailey was quite nervous about this one (after being freaked out a bit by the big dip in Pirate's of the Caribbean the day before) and the lady who put us in our car handed him a flashlight. How thoughtful was that?!? He did great and enjoyed his time, using the flashlight only occasionally, when it would get totally dark. That evening we went back to the park for a dinner reservation at the rotating restaurant, Garden Grill, I think it's called. We met my parents for a walk around the lake and stopped in Germany for them to enjoy sights, sounds, and tastes of where we're moving to. We stayed for the fireworks and, frankly, were disappointed. I wish we had seen the ones at Magic Kingdom, but we weren't in that park on the days they had them. Eh, small thing. Nothing to complain about.

Thursday the 19th was our Hollywood Studios day after a character breakfast at the Beach Club. Grammy had recovered enough to join us and this was Carson's day to pick the first attraction. He made me happy as Indiana Jones Stunt show was the first thing on the map and it worked well in the timing of our morning! The first part of our day went incredibly smoothly. We hit Indiana Jones (AMAZING!) then the Star Wars ride (all 3 boys loved this), the Jedi training show, (adults were bored, kids enjoyed it) and then my favorite, the Stunt Car Show. After that we sort of lost our mo-jo and things didn't work as well for us the rest of the day. Buzz had an hour wait and it was too late to get a Fast Pass (and if we had gotten them earlier it would have messed up the plans for the things we DID get to do). Matt, Dad, and Hayden went off to ride Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster, and let me say, they had a great afternoon. Hayden is not afraid of any ride, that kid! They were able to do both rides twice. Mom, Grammy, and myself, however, were not so lucky. Every ride/show we wanted to do was either full or already starting. We eventually got into the Playhouse Disney and by then the day was done. We knew early on that we'd revisit Hollywood studios before our vacation was complete. That evening was the night my kids had been waiting for... SOUVENIR DAY! I had told them that we would get them a souvenir but not until Thursday, since I wanted to be sure they had seen all there was to see and could make a good choice. The grandparents all decided to do Christmas for the boys as well, so you can imagine the joyous occasion this was! We left Downtown Disney with each person carrying bags and 3 boys who were ITCHING to get into their packages.

Friday the 20th was the grandparents last day with us. My kids needed a break so we decided to not go to a park at all. My parents headed to Hollywood Studios so mom could ride the two big rides with Dad and then they went to Animal Kingdom for a few hours. Matt, myself and the boys stayed at the hotel and grammy joined us for the day. We spent this day partly by the pool, with the remainder of the day in the room building the Lego creations that were designed for someone with a higher level of education than I have been blessed to receive. We had an absolutely relaxing, wonderful day and highly recommend a day off rather than forcing 5 straight days of Disney fun. It was really hard to see the grandparents leave, but it helped that we had dinner reservations at the Grand Floridian that made us get the good-byes done and our minds off of the sadness. Let's just say this Character meal was not my boys' favorite, as it was the Cinderella one. I got my picture taken with the most beautiful Cinderella I've ever seen!

Saturday we headed back to Hollywood Studios and had the magic this time! We got to do EVERYTHING we wanted. We made sure that the first thing we did when we entered the park was to get our Fast Passes for Buzz. Then we got in the line and rode it then, knowing we had another turn coming up later on in the day. On top of that, we got to meet Indiana and take pics with him. Then I got to do my favorite again, the Stunt Car show! This park was our favorite so far... we only lack going to Animal Kingdom and we do that tomorrow. Saturday's Character meal was at the Contemporary Hotel (the triangle one that the Monorail goes through). Food was good and the characters were fun, though we were worn out by this point. The boys had wanted to ride the Monorail but since it really didn't go where we were going all week, it was never really an option. BUT, since we were in the Contemporary and needed to get to Magic Kingdom for a transfer bus, they were able to ride it after all. Just helping to fill out their Disney Experience a bit more!

And that leads us to today. Shew. I've been writing a while! I wonder if Blogspot will let me have this much text in one blog... Anyway, since we had to check out of our Disney hotel today we decided to take another day off and rest. (I highly recommend that if you're going to do a 5 day pass, stay at least 7 nights in a Disney hotel and take 2 rest days. I wish we had stayed one more night, but eh, no biggie.) We saw a movie this afternoon, got the car unpacked in our final hotel, took the boys for a swim (the two who will get in, at least) and ordered pizza in. Tomorrow is Animal Kingdom, the next day we prepare our car and ship it (the place to drop it off is 1/2 a mile away), and fly outta here.

So, that's what I've been up to... How about you?

(Pics to come sooner or later.)

The Littlest Brother

The title of this blog, Three Big Brothers, was originally intended to reflect the life that our adopted daughter would lead. Imagine being a little girl entering an entirely new family pre-set with three protective brothers. We had envisioned adopting a child quite young who would grow up with a full memory of this family and would see her former life only in pictures and stories. My, how things change! God knows each of us by name, and even beyond that, He knows each of our desires and deepest longings. For Matt and me, one of the desires we have felt is to be parents of a daughter. After being so blessed with three amazing sons, it is natural to want to experience what the fairer sex has to offer to a family. So when it came time for us to find out the gender of Baby Hamrick #4, we were not-so-secretly hoping to hear, "It's a GIRL!"

However, the day of our ultrasound began quite differently than we would have liked. Matt had come down with a 24 hour bug, thankfully not the "pig flu" that has wreaked havoc on our country this fall. I had a regular check-up scheduled at 8:00 to be followed by my ultrasound at 9:30. Matt had planned on keeping the boys at home during the first appointment and then meeting me at the hospital for the big show. There was no way he was going to be able, much less allowed, to go to the hospital, so I got the boys up and ready myself. I packed wisely, with three snack baggies with cereal, pieces of bagel, and a few M&M's hidden in there. This bag was to be used only during the ultrasound, since I was told it was a lengthy procedure. I had also packed 3 iPods with headphones. Both of these came in handy! They got their wiggles out during the first appointment, during which I threatened them within an inch of their lives, so that by the time we got down to radiology they were being very good.

I ended up downstairs an hour before my appointment but went ahead and checked in. I let them know that I was there and ready in case they could take me early. Sure enough, just a couple of minutes later the technician came to get me. That's when she saw them. The boys. The tone in her voice was less than sympathetic, "Ma'am, children are not allowed back there... there's a sign." I looked all around me for this elusive sign and found it hidden in an alcove totally separate from where we were sitting. I stammered something about calling my husband, because that's what wives do when they need help... at least the ones whose husbands are (thankfully) in the same geographical location! I glanced down at my phone, realizing three disturbing facts: 1. I have NO reception in the hospital; 2. Matt's puking at home; 3. We are down to one car and I HAVE IT. At this time it was only 8:35 so I say, "I'll just run them home," though as anyone who has tried to park at Evan's hospital knows, it's more than just driving them the 1 mile home...the parking is atrocious. (Think of trying to fit 10,000 people into a building that has only 100 parking spaces, it's sort of like that.) The annoyed technician says, "Well, you'd better hurry, we have a full day." To which I politely, but assertively comment, "My appointment's not until 9:30. I can easily be back by that time." So I start putting iPods back into their bags and get them headed toward the door when she totally takes me by surprise. "Just bring them in, but if they start to get fussy, we're done." I'll take it! I pray really, really hard, that they'll behave. I had already given them the warning and the detailed description of how long we'd be in there and what the technician was going to do... as well as what I expected from them. If there were ever a time I needed them to be great, this was it.

We get to the room and the tech points to the corner where they were allowed to be and orders me onto the table. And for the next 30 minutes my children eat their snacks, listen to their iPods, and occasionally ask relevant questions about what they are watching on the screen. The lady holding the goo and wand actually apologized to me twice for being rude. She said she could not believe how well behaved they were. Made me proud to have three amazing sons!

So, to go back to the reason I'm on the uncomfortable table to begin with, she measures some things while I have a full bladder and then she lets me go relieve myself. I don't usually use that phrase when referring to the experience of going to the bathroom, but during pregnancy, very little gives me more true relief that peeing! Especially here, at this altitude, where I've been instructed to drink no less than 94 oz of water every day! Let's say there are times I have complained about how often I am in the bathroom. However, after my bout with the 24 hour bug that got worse as I dehydrated, landing me in Labor and Delivery getting 2 IV bags of fluids pumped into my system, I decided I'd try to complain less about peeing so much and just be thankful I was not puking up every sip of water I consumed. I have N-E-V-E-R been so thirsty in my life... I was crying sans tears in the hospital because I was so thirsty, and a bit incoherent, I bet. Miserable feeling! After the first bag was in I felt about 95% better and continued to get better from that point on. I digress...

When I returned to the table she checked all the other things she needed to check on the baby and very soon I knew that "he" was no Anna! "He" was not shy about his gender as his oldest brother had been (we didn't know what Hayden was until he was born) and I was able to spot what I needed to see before the tech pointed it out. She, of course, confirmed that our next addition is a boy and I just smiled! 4 boys. 4 of a kind! We only had a 12% chance of having another boy. (Yes, I know that each pregnancy is 50/50, but after 3 boys, the chances of having a 4th are only 12%, according to this scientific, 100% accurate website. Note: I know websites are not the end-all in statistics, but it's too late/early for me to do much more research.) That makes having four boys a pretty special thing, if you ask me! I've always said I love being a mom to boys. And I prayed earnestly that more than anything, I would have another healthy baby. All the fun, pink colored stuff aside, for which I'm sure Parker will be thankful, we're excited to welcome Parker into our family!

So what about Matt? He was at home during all of this, totally unaware that we were gone. We needed to find a way to tell Daddy that we're having another BOY! So, we drove to the PX and headed for the baby section. (For those of you who don't know what the PX is, it's the "Post Exchange," sort of like a mini-Wal-mart on post.)

This next part is me being brutally honest. As I got to the baby section I was smacked in the face with a fact that bothered me when I had all my other sons: The pink portion of baby departments is about 4 times the size of the blue portion. My dreams of dressing this baby in pink were washed away by the tears I shed right there in the Fort Carson AAFES Post Exchange. Looking for cute baby boy clothes is kind of hard only minutes after wondering if you were going to get to shop for cute baby girl clothes. It's actually quite hard at anytime, a fact that has annoyed me many times. Fortunately, the boys don't care at all and are quite satisfied with a pair of jeans and a Star Wars tee shirt, which means less for me to deal with as they grow older. But saying good-bye to the pink frilly dreams was not fun. It was impossible to explain this to the boys when they noticed my tears so I, well, I didn't lie, I just told them a part of why I was crying... because daddy would have loved to have gone to the ultrasound.

I ran into a friend in the PX, and she saw me and of course, asked what was up. I explained to her while the boys picked out the tackiest clothes for Parker. The only way I could explain it then, and still to this moment, is that I'm not sad that Parker is a BOY, just sad that I don't see a daughter in my future. I'm 100% happy that he is a boy! I love boys, I know boys, and I can do boys. But my tears were for the loss of the idea of having a girl. I've never been more split on a single emotion. Happy to be having another son, sad to not be having a daughter. I really am happy to be having a boy! So hard to communicate this concept!

So, as my friend said her good-byes and walked away, God sent a little joy my way: Hayden found the perfect shirt!

A tiny "Rock Idol" shirt that resembles the kinds of shirts H, C, & B wear all the time, and it has a guitar on it! Hayden knew it was a shirt Daddy would LOVE, so that was that! In my sadness over not being able to shop for adorable girly clothes, God placed the perfect little boy shirt in Hayden's path and it made me happy! On the way out the door we stopped at the flower shop to get 4 blue balloons and some extra blue ribbon. A few days before our Ultrasound Hayden had an idea that we put a pink ribbon on the antenna of the car if we find out we're having a girl, and blue for boy. I thought that was a great idea and precious of him to be so involved and excited about this baby. When we got home, Matt was still in the bed but was slowly coming back to the land of the living. He was excited about our news and really did love the shirt!

The boys played with (and ended up destroying) the balloons and we put the blue ribbon on the car for all the world to know about Parker.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks since our ultrasound, and things are going so well here. Sunday's talk at New Life was about living life through the valley. Aaron Stern preached on finding peace in the storms of life and Matt and I can tell you that we have found God there, and His peace is there. We know that, we've lived it. But we are both thrilled to finally be on the mountaintop for a breather. We have come out of the valley for a chance to rest and see His glory. To look around and see all that He has done, all that He has brought us through. The valleys look so much smaller from way up here, but we KNOW the valley and we can say we were not alone while there. We discussed on the way home from church the fact that it's hard to enjoy the mountaintop without looking around for the big falcon waiting to knock us back into the valley. We know that life is not made to be lived 100% of the time in either of the two places, and that most of the time we're either walking into a valley or climbing out of one. That's a very reassuring thought while you're IN the valley because you can tell yourself that it won't last forever. But on the mountaintop that can easily become a foreboding thought. I told Matt that we really need to quit looking for that mean falcon whose voice sounds eerily like James Woods' (referencing Stuart Little 2). It's a time to reflect and be thankful. A time to breathe and remember what God has done for us. A time to remind ourselves that if/when we descend into the valley we know we will not go alone. That those are the times when we often feel closer to our God than even when on the mountaintop.

So, from my mountaintop perch here in the Rocky Mountains, let me share my view with you:

* I can feel Parker kicking around in there, reminding me to be thankful that I need to go "relieve" myself. 2 blessings there...his movement and my blessed hydration.

* I am about to embark on a new adventure that includes DISNEY WORLD and moving to Germany!

* I don't have to pack and move all my stuff. (Oh, what a wonderful thing!)

* My husband is not at NTC preparing for an upcoming deployment. I write that with some hesitation because I feel very guilty about that. My 4-10 Cav friends' husbands are all in California as I write preparing for the next deployment and we "got out of it." Not by doing anything, not even by asking to. We were sure we were here for the next tour, but the Army had other plans. I'm not complaining, and wouldn't trade this assignment to Germany, but I still feel like I'm leaving my Blackjack sisters. (This is a bittersweet thing that makes me cry. Funny...to cry because my husband is not deploying. The bond you develop with women in your unit is unlike any other bond on this earth. It cannot be described. It can only be experienced.)

* My children are healthy and amazing and God-loving. They constantly surprise me with their facts and knowledge about the Bible, and it's in large part to the Adventures in Odyssey and Jonathan Park episodes they listen to on their iPods during naptime. Sometimes they ask questions about less-known characters and I have no answer for them. I need to look this stuff up sometimes! We are watching this knowledge and those facts sink into their Spirits and become wisdom even at such young ages.

* I am seeing my God save us from financial ruin that was headed our way! No, we're not debt free and our snowball has had to be put on hold with this major move, but we have not used a credit card in a LONG time and have had a zero balance for months and months! The rest will be attacked with "Gazelle Intensity" once we've gotten settled into our new lives.

* I am watching Bailey fall in love with his baby brother in most unexpected ways. He hugs ME first and then my belly. He comes in the room and says "Hi" to ME and then to Parker. I lifted Bailey out of the buggy at Target a few days ago and he said, "I hope I didn't hurt Parker." He shows me how gentle he's going to be when he hugs him. Bailey says, "You're belly is going to get bigger every day, right?" as if he's checking on Parker's growth. The other two are interested in my pregnancy, but Bailey seems to already have a special connection with Parker.

So that's my view from the mountaintop. If you're not on your own mountain right now, find peace where you are because God wants to offer it to you. It makes for some spectacular views once you get here. My prayer is that when my time on the mountaintop is over that I can look back and think of the majesty I am viewing and it will carry me through the valley and increase my peace.

As for my physical view, here's what I can see from where I sit!

You might be a military spouse if...

You might be a military spouse if...

...You live on your own, by yourself more after you're married than before you were married.

...You know all of your husband's coworkers by their last name, and rarely know their first name or even gender.

...Your husband's work and dress clothes cost more than yours do.

...You only write in pencil because EVERYTHING is subject to change.

...You know that a 2 month separation IS short, no matter what your civilian friends say.

...You have enough camouflage in your house to wallpaper the White House.

...You don't bat an eyelash at 22:45 and 0300 duty times.

...You are asked to stop talking in acronyms and translate it all to English.

...You've done more oil changes than your spouse, and even when your husband is home the mechanic asks to speak with you.

...You ask someone to hold on a second by saying, "Stand by."

...Military homecomings on TV bring tears to your eyes because you can relate so well.

...You've ever checked your email multiple times an hour in hopes your spouse has written you, and know how horrible email being "down" is.

...You wouldn't dream going anywhere without your cellphone, and all your other numbers forward to it.

...You've researched ways to surgically attach your cellphone to yourself.

...If you have a power of attorney, USE it, and freak out when it expires.

...If you know that not everyone accepts a power of attorney, despite the fact it gives you permission to practically BE your spouse.

...If you've ever argued that fact with someone in person or over the phone and gotten nowhere.

...Your husband spends more time getting ready for a formal function than you do, and on an average day spends way too much time ironing, polishing shoes, and shaping his beret.

...You can literally hold down the fort while your spouse is deployed or in the field.

...You know that 'dependant' means anything but.

…the floorboard of your car is littered with french fries, yellow foam earplugs and chem lights.

…you’ve shopped in the Class Six while being noticeably pregnant and explained to the unfazed clerk that you’re “just buying stuff for my husband.”

…you lean to the right while driving on post so the MP’s won’t see you talking on your cell phone.

…you’ve ever wished your husband would get the Medal of Honor so you could get front row parking.

…you know better than to shop the Commissary on the first or fifteenth day of the month.

…you have a “favorite gate guard.”

…you don’t feed your kids before FRG meetings but plan to let them fill up on brownies and Sprite once they get there.

…you watch “Army Wives” just to yell at the TV whenever something is unrealistic.

…you’ve ever stopped your husband on the way to work because of pair of your panties was stuck to his velcro.

…you plan a special day because of the words “Case Lot Sale.”

…you’ve ever had a nightmare that involved not knowing ”your sponsor’s last four.”

…you know all the words to “Blood on the Risers” but still cringe when you hear it.

…you save an especially stinky shirt to get you through a deployment

…you think the only thing sexier than ACU’s on a man are ACU’s off a man.

…your sentences start containing more [acronyms] and numbers than actual words.

…you refer to everyone not in the military or dating someone in the military as a Civilian, you can rattle off the time in perfect military time without having to think.

…you start referring to all girls & women as “females”

…you tell the timeline of your past through deployments.

…you think 6 months away from your husband is “not bad”

…you can’t remember the last four digits of your own social security #

…you constantly have to explain to businesses on the phone that your husband can’t call to fix the problem because he’s in the middle of a desert somewhere.

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I found this on a friend's blog and laughed out lout at these! Hope you enjoyed the laugh as much as I did! (But I admit, I have to do the math to figure out military time!)

A little of everything...

What a full month we've had. Let me start by saying how thankful we are to live in an era that appreciates its service members. Every time I am thanked for my service I am taken aback because I am not in the service, my husband is. But on a regular basis people tell me how much they appreciate my willingness to let my husband serve our country. I know the wives of Vietnam vets had a completely different experience and for that, I am so sorry. I wish things were different. They served in even more difficult times, times without internet connections and DSN phone lines. They really had to serve in ways I never will. I am thankful I am a military wife during this particular time.

The community around Colorado Springs is especially sensitive to the needs of military families as we have 5 military installations located here. One of the many organizations that has taken time to give back to the military is Operation Military Kids. One of the ways they reach out is by hosting a Night in the Museum at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. We arrived after the Museum had closed and picked our sleeping spots. (This picture is of the boys viewing a HUGE dinosaur skeleton at night, while the rest of the world slept... it was much later than our normal bedtimes!)

Then we had a four different "activities" that gave us hands on opportunities to learn. (This one is the boys learning how to heat an MRE... Matt said these are Meals Reluctant to Exit (although their technical name is Meals Ready to Eat.) I think my boys' favorite was the Planetarium where we got got to "fly" from the museum to Afghanistan! It made us all a bit queasy as it felt SO real, and then while we were in "space" we actually flew THROUGH Mars. Bailey LOVED that!

We slept in the Space Odyssey Exhibition and felt quite a bit like we had lived through yet another youth group lock-in! But it was fun nonetheless! (This picture shows the "room" we turned into our bunkhouse before we unpacked...) (This picture shows the same room from the back corner after we unpacked. I placed our suitcases near the door to make a "door.")

Changing subjects and going back in time a week we had one of our biggest medical emergencies as of yet. Many of you remember Hayden busting his head open when he was 3 and getting 5 stitches, poor guy. Most of you will remember Bailey's bike crash a few months ago that really scared me. Now Carson has had his turn at reminding me that I am the mother to three very active boys. He was riding his bike on the sidewalk from home to the park (they are not allowed to ride in the street without me outside with them). The park is one unit away and behind all the houses so the most dangerous part is riding on the sidewalk toward the park... mostly a safe trip. Well, a lady was walking her dog on the sidewalk (how dare her!! Just kidding. Pedestrians have the right of way and bikes aren't supposed to be on the sidewalk... I know, I know.) Carson swerved to get in the grass but his front tire went into a small groove between the sidewalk and the grass. Not sure exactly what happened but he busted his mouth on the handlebars and knocked out his front tooth. (This is his first lost tooth but at least we found it later!!) He came home screaming and as I heard he enter the house I knew that it wasn't a small injury. I met him at the door and blood was everywhere, as mouth/head injuries produce absurd amounts of the red stuff. Fortunately the floor plan of this house has a bathroom place right by the garage door and we were right there at the sink. I tried my best to settle the little guy but he was screaming in pain. I tried my best to keep him from seeing his mouth and all the blood and did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself. Once he was rinsed and had soft paper towels stopping up the blood I went back out to find the tooth. There was blood all over the sidewalk and I later had to clean it up. (BBC was going to come clean it but they couldn't find it. How in the world they missed it, I'm not sure. But it took some Peroxide and an old toothbrush to get it cleaned up.)

Anyway, I called the boys' dentist and the receptionist answered. She tried to get in touch with the hygienist or dentist but they had all gone home. While I was on the phone Matt arrived which was great: he was able to snuggle Carson who was no longer screaming but was still crying. It was too hard for me to hear the receptionist while Carson was crying so it was really perfect timing. Poor Matt had to come home to chaos that night! The receptionist gave me some tips for taking care of him and told me if I was uncomfortable I could take him to the ER. We hung up and I was debating on taking him in when the phone rang. She called back to let me know that she had eventually heard back from the dentist who was already on her way home. She wanted me to have the option to bring him in right away and of course, I needed to do that. 15 minutes later Carson was in the chair having X-rays taken of his mouth. I was so pleased that she was willing to do this! I was even MORE pleased that back in April I had changed dentists and the boys all had taken X-rays there so she had something to compare the new ones to.

After cleaning his mouth and examining him, she sent him with the receptionist (who stuck around to be an extra set of hands) and she talked to me. She really felt like he could use stitches but thought it would be a good idea to wait 24 hours to see how well his mouth would heal on its own. She sent me home with all sorts of things to clean and medicate the wound with, as well as instructions on how to do that. Carson had stopped crying by the time we left for the dentist and he never even whimpered while she was digging around in his mouth! She could not believe how tough he was! 20 hours later we went back in and she was ABSOLUTELY AMAZED at how much he had healed. He did not need stitches and she just wanted me to continue treating his wound and having him eat only soft foods for a week. This past week we went in for his 3 week check-up and she was completely convinced we had made the right choice. His mouth looks great and as far as we can tell, there are no tooth fragments in his gums. (To explain exactly what happened when he knocked his tooth out, notice the tooth below. It still had live roots attached, and was at least 6 months away from coming out on its own. He probably knocked it up and it hit the adult tooth. It came straight out through the gums making an incision all the way up to where his top lip is attached to his gums. Looking back I could see that he HAD to have been in severe pain! When I got my wisdom teeth removed I had them completely put me under and my 6 year old had this done in one split second with no pain relief!)

I've had some people ask me if I could have had them put it back in and the dentist said it was not a good idea with a baby tooth. An adult tooth, yes. I would have put it in milk and they would have done that. But not a baby tooth.

(This was the syringe I used to clean his wound several times a day with salt water.) Bailey in the background glad it's Carson about to be worked on and not himself!) Carson would lie perfectly still while I worked on him! Again, a tough little guy! And here's the cutie with a swollen top lip! Missing a tooth!

And a final note to update you on our little one. I had my 12 week appointment this week and it was SO neat to see our fourth child moving around. He/she was very active and adorable! It should not surprise me to see this child go from shrimp-like to human-like in a few short weeks, but it never fails to amaze me. He/she was sucking on a hand, and kicking around. I can't wait to start feeling him/her, but more than that, I can't wait to be able to officially call this child a him/her. The anticipation is fun, but I know I won't be able to wait until March to know if we're having a Parker or an Anna. Unless, of course, this child is as modest as Hayden was and refuses to show us what we want to see! Seeing our child made this a bit more real! We are excited and are thankful (almost) everything is going along well. The "almost" refers to the fact that I failed the one-hour glucose test and will have to go this week for the three-hour one. While I don't look forward to this, I will sit in a waiting room sans kids for 3 hours reading. As a mother, I must admit it sounds kind of relaxing.

Okay, so I said that last one was a final note, but there's one more note...

We're going to Disney World!

I have always wanted to take the boys there while they are still of the magical age, but never thought it would be possible. Well, thanks to Disney for having amazing military deals on 5-day park hopper passes and to Melissa, our travel agent, who got us a hotel/food package for less than half what it would have been otherwise! I can't believe this is happening, but I am thankful it is!

A friend from high school suggests letting family and friends who would have purchased Christmas gifts for the boys give us "Disney Dollars" so the boys can each buy a souvenir. I thought that was a great idea. Only problem is, we're going in November, before Christmas, so I'm not sure this will happen! But it's a great idea, anyway!

Well, off to make lunch for my stinky boys! They've been out playing on the playground... mmmm... yummy.