Little Lance

Just like his Daddy- Aidan loves to ride bikes. Problem is, he isn't strong enough to pedal any of them yet! Answer= the Balance Bike. A little bike with no pedals or training wheels, made to teach kids how to balance so that when they are big enough to ride a real bike it comes much easier to them. Aidan LOVES his present, and speeds off in this thing faster than you'd think!

Independence Day Weekend

We had a great July 4th weekend, filled with family and friends. In Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, we got to spend some quality time with our SJU family. The Brennans were kind enough to open their house to us while on vacation, and Sarah and Bill were awesome hosts as always! Our 2 days there flew by too quickly, but we did manage to snap some shots of the kids: Aidan (2), Josie (1), Evan (3) & Godpappy Truitt (31) that are worth sharing. :-)

The end of our weekend took us to Bethlehem for my cousin Emily's highschool graduation party. It was the first time in a few months we were able to make the trip and spend time with our beloved Meischeid relatives. We had a great time and Aidan was so excited to see everyone, evidenced by the pictures below!

Swinging with Great Aunt Kathy

Ryan is always good for some laughs.

LOVES his Gaga & Pappy.

Monkeying around with Pops.

And last but certainly not least...the traditional belly to belly comparison shot with Pappy.... who do you think is bigger??

"Family faces are magic mirrors.  Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future."  

Love to love you all & miss you already.

Big Boy Room!

Last month, we moved Aidan into his new room so he'd have plenty of time to get used to it before the baby came and took over his old room. We weren't sure how this transition would go.. if he'd go to sleep okay, if he'd have the will power to stay in his bed when he woke up, etc.. As usual, he proved our worries were for nothing and was actually excited and ready to start sleeping in his "big boy room." I guess he was more ready for this phase of growing up than Mom and Dad were! He doesn't seem to miss the nursery at all. Every morning he stays in his bed and just calls for us until we come in there to get him.  He really is just getting so big.. I don't think we'll ever get used to just how quickly the time goes... In fact, when Kevin tries to lay in his comfy bed Aidan reprimands him, yelling "No, Daddy! My big boy bed!"

The first night: We covered him all up with his favorite giraffe and blankey to make sure he felt nice and cozy in his new bed...

Night night kisses for Mommy.

 

Here are some pictures of the finished, decorated room. 

 

 Night night!

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Our first family trip to the most magical place on earth was exactly that... magical! We are so grateful to the Schmidts for including us on their annual vacation. The week flew by and could not have been any more fun.

We stayed at the Beach Club Resort- Aidan had a blast playing with his cousins from the moment he woke up. Often his first words in the morning would be, "Ryan go? Erin go?" He also decided to call Joey, Josie, which everyone got a kick out of.

We made it to all the parks- Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom and enjoyed many fun rides, shows and parades at each. "Donnellduck" was definitely Aidan's favorite character, and for some reason (perhaps his height?) he wasn't a fan of Goofy... evidenced by his proclamation of "No Goofy!" everytime one would come close.

We were so happy with the amount there was to do for Aidan's age group. Even though he may not remember this first trip later in life, we will, and are so thankful for the magical moments we were able to witness as he discovered all that was Disney. Below are some highlights from the week.. it was hard narrowing them down from the 200 photos we took!


This was taken on the Magical Express from the airport to the resort on our first day... Daddy and Aidan were already wiped out and we had just begun!

On the boat ride from the resort to Hollywood Studios

Aidan's first ride- the 3D Toy Story Midway Magic ride in Hollywood Studios. He loved it and would subsequently ask for a "fast ride!" afterwards. Here we were worried that he'd be scared and wouldn't participate in much... but once again he showed us just what a big boy he is already becoming.

Left to right for those who do not know... Cousins Joey, Ryan, Carrie, Erin and Emily.

Aidan and Carrie in front of bush Mickey

The first chick Aidan picked up while on vacation. He has good taste. :-)

Group shot on the Boardwalk after a nice family dinner. From left to right for those that don't know... Monica, Joe, Kevin, Aidan, Carrie, Elise, Erin, Emily, Scott and Ryan.

Animal Kingdom- Kilimangaro Safari ride. Aidan watching the ostrich heading right for us! Not surprisingly, he loved all the animals, and after every one we'd see he'd request "more, more!"

Aidan and Mommy on the Wildlife Express Train in Animal Kingdom.

Magic Kingdom!

Aidan didn't seem too impressed with the castle... perhaps we'll have to bring a little girl here next time to fully appreciate that!

Watching a Dreams Come True show with all the characters in front of the castle.. He loved cuddling with his Auntie M throughout the trip.

Carousel with Daddy- "go horsey, go!"

His favorite. P.S. He stole that Mickey Mouse waffle from Mommy- they were DELICIOUS!

The Beach Club is known for their amazing pool, which has a sandy bottom, huge water slide, and separate kiddie ship. Aidan LOVED this kiddie slide, which actually went really fast. We couldn't believe he wasn't scared at all. From the moment he'd reach the bottom he'd "swim" desperately back to the edge of the pool to do it "again, again!"

M-I-C... We'll see you real soon... K-E-Y... Why? Because we like you! M-O-U-S-E!
See you again in a few years when we take Aidan back with his little brother or sister!

Ironman

Well, it's official. Kevin Calvey is an Eagleman and a Half-Ironman. On Sunday, June 13th, months of training led him to complete the 70.3 mile race (1.2 mile swim/56 mile bike/13.1 run) in Cambridge, MD. We are so proud of his hard work and accomplishments- this was definitely no easy feat!

Kevin had to overcome several hurdles that day which made the race more difficult than he had anticipated. First, they were told on race morning that no wetsuits would be allowed due to the high water temperature. Kev was counting on his suit to provide some buoyancy but he no longer had that luxury. The Choptank River was also pretty rough all weekend, so he fought considerable currents throughout the swim. While he made up some time on the cycling portion, the 90 degree temp and 65% humidity made him feel like soup for the remaining running portion of the race. His legs may be massive, but they "didn't work" for the 13 miles after the bike. Regardless of these circumstances however, he finished, much to the relief of his equally exhausted, pregnant and worried wife!

The race raised $100,000 for the oil spill relief efforts in the Gulf. The race fees, hotel and associated costs for the weekend cost the Calveys about $1k. The feeling Kev had after finishing a half-ironman was... priceless.

For video highlights of that day, visit http://www.tricolumbia.org/Eagleman

After the swim

Looking good on the bike

Run, Kevin, run!

Finished!