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!