Birthday Party Mania!

Today was all about fun as we juggled two friends' birthday parties in the same afternoon. The first one, a friend of K2's, was at the local skating rink and hold on to your seat cause Daddy took his roller blades. I was a little nervous since K2's arm is still restricted to a removable splint but everyone had fun and made it through without injury. Going to a skating rink certainly brings back memories of my hot pink racing skates (sorry, I couldn't find a picture to share).




Then, K1 and I (with K3 in tow, of course) took off to Froggy's (an inflatable party place) for her friends party. She had a great time and baby sis' got in on a little fun, too!





Hope you had a great weekend!

Miley - a Mastercard Moment

Remember those commercials that played on your deepest emotions about overly expensive things and concluded that the monetary cost shouldn't matter because the memories far out weigh the cost?? Well, I have to say that the "Girls Night Out" K1 and I had Friday would definitely fit that category - it was a Mastercard Moment (since we bought the tickets over 4 months ago they were long paid for and I opted not to spend $35 on a t-shirt, or $400 for a limousine ) but no matter what the cost the GNO was well worth it.

It was a rite of passage so to speak - I had so many thoughts during the 90 minute show that had absolutely nothing to do with a Hannah or Cyrus or even Disney - to watch my oldest daughter walk into the Civic Center and stand in awe as she looked at all the thousands of people was amazing! To watch as she finally (after about the 8th song) realized it was okay and appropriate to raise her hands in the air and sing out loud to "Party in the USA" was a moment of pride. I was so thankful and excited to be a part of a somewhat special experience for her. In the grand scheme of life her first music concert is definitely not the most important thing - but it was neat, it was a "life memory" and we had a great time. Miley even performed Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n Roll" which I'm convinced was for the mom's in the crowd, so I got to sing along, too.



All in all it was a great night and I wouldn't trade it. She was old enough to enjoy the event but young enough to enjoy being with her mom (although she did ask me once if I was going to the "Mommy Room"). I know these times will fly by and all too soon she won't want me to participate in her "new experiences" so, while I can, I'll take every "life memory" I can get. I wrapped my arms around her and together we swayed and hummed along to These Four Walls (of course, I'd never heard that song but the artist or songs didn't really matter at that point) - it was a great mom/daughter moment!!

Below are some photos of K1 and her friend KG as we were leaving the house for the concert - they were so excited and all decked out with sparkles in their hair and lip gloss!!




Have a blessed night and don't forget to soak up a "life memory" every chance you get!!

Thursday Rambling

I have some cute pictures to go along with activities over the last couple of weeks but I'm too cozy on the couch to get up and get the camera and plug it into the computer (lazy, huh!). I'm disappointed in myself that there was no Travelin' Tuesday entry this week - it's not due to my lack of checking for travel deals as I'm always looking. I'll be sure and make it up to my 2 readers next Tuesday.

Tuesday night a little drama/trauma in the Calvert Abode when K1 tripped and fell in the basement and broke her front tooth. Thankfully there is a pediatric dental hygenist in the neighborhood - we went the following morning and the dentist fixed it right up and it looks great (just no apples or corn on the cob for the rest of her life). The good news is that she didn't break her nose and there was no blood on the scene.

Wednesday night was a make-up little league football game and, unfortunately, our undeafeted Rockets lost 33-25. It was a nail biter but I've really enjoyed watching the boys play this year (and the girls cheer).

Tomorrow night me and K1 are off to the Miley Cyrus concert - I'll let you know how that goes.

Today's gripe: Why does everything have to have some "super duper secret sensitive password user id secret question personal photo" method of access? I can't begin to tell you (you already know due to your own experiences I'm sure) how frustrating it is to honestly have to maintain a spreadsheet with all of your personal passwords. And, to make matters worse, there is absolutely no "super secret industry standard" - I mean why does each one have to be different? Some have to be 6 letters, others 8 characters that must have letters and numbers, yet others only 7 characters but must have letters, numbers, upper case, lower case, and a special character...for heaven's sake I'm hurting just thinking about it.

And, then, when the password expires (and it seems like one of them is constantly expiring) you are forbidden to select a new one that in any way resembles one that you have used in the past 16 years. To top it all off, after three unsuccessful attempts you become locked out (which is what happened to me tonight when I tried to pay a bill online) and you are forced to call customer service to have your account reset (which requires you choose yet another new password that you won't remember).

Forget national healthcare, we need a national standard for passwords - please, bring on some needed change!!

Our Fall Beginning...

Today the girls carved their 2009 Pumpkins. This is becoming a little tradition with their cousins. It is hosted by their Maw Maw and Nanny!





Their favorite part is 'cleaning the yuck out'!

What a Long Day!

Ya know how some days you feel like you've accomplished a ton and your energy level is still running strong at 9p. Then, there are those other days when you're not real sure why you got out of bed. The days when nothing seems to go right, you take one step forward and four steps backward. When you finally get home you are just absolutely exhausted and can't wait to retire for the evening. Apparently those days even come when you're only 9 months old. When I picked K3 up from daycare this afternoon I was greeted by the associate director who informed me there had been "the strangest incident" today - apparently another child's parent had stepped on K3's hand. So, you see, little ones can have an exhausting day, too. Check out K3 in her high chair at the dinner table tonight!





Here's to hoping we all have a great day tomorrow!

Travelin' Tuesday

Okay, I know its been twelve days since my last post but the good news is that I am alive and my computer has not experienced any difficulties. Heath was out of town last week and I go into a deep funk when I am "solo mom" - staying by myself is not something I enjoy, at all. Anyway, he's back and we've returned to some degree of normalcy at the humble Calvert Abode. With that out of the way, let's move on to much more important things - Travelin' Tuesday it is, yessireebob!!

I've decided we cheat ourselves if we limit our travel diaries to the Gulf Coast. I mean Panama City Beach has its place in life (mainly a spring break and graduation trip) and certainly provides opportunities for funny memories but at some point we must expand our horizons and commit that outside of Gulf Shores, Six Flags and Miracle Strip there are some beautiful getaways just calling our name.

So, if you've decided (or your spouse decided) that Bora Bora is not the place for your next getaway, possibly because you're afraid you wouldn't be able to sleep in an overwater bungalow knowing that salt water 'things' are constantly swimming in the water beneath you - have no fear, there are other options. Today, we'll highlight a much more northern option located in British Columbia. It's the Rockwater Secret Cove Resort and it looks out of this world -



Imagine yourself spending a few days in one of the Tenthouse Suites!


Don't overlook the two person tub surrounded by 'windows' with a panoramic view



Can you just imagine a massage on this deck?



So, in conclusion, if an overwater bungalow is not your style perhaps you'd entertain a tenthouse suite - whatever the case, you're not likely to find either of those in a 200 mile radius of the Magic City (Birmingham)!

And the New Color Is.....

Yesterday was a great day for K2 as she said goodbye to her "hot pink" cast. Mark the "Cast Man" was awesome and did a great job entertaining K2 as he sawed away at that cast.



The saw was cool but a little too close for her comfort - it was a little nerve racking but she did great and only teared up when Cast Man brought out a huge pair of scissors and started cutting away.



And then came the moment of truth when K2 had to select the color for her next cast. After all, there are not many decisions to be made by a 5 year old that are more major than what color to select for a cast. I think I completely underestimated the complexity of such a decision despite the fact that we had been casually discussing it for three weeks. The color choice for her first cast was a "no brainer". As a matter of fact, on the way to the Emergency Room she proclaimed that she wanted a pink cast but didn't want to have to ride in an ambulance. But, for cast #2, do you stick with the ever-so-faithful pink or venture into another color scheme that you may not like....after moments of suspense she asked the Cast Man if he could do a rainbow...or...polka-dots?!? Those were a no-go but he agreed to do two colors if she wanted to keep a cast above the elbow - that's when my motherly instinct suddenly kicked in and I exclaimed, "No, we'll take a solid color and a 'short cast'". Ya see, she can't close her car door, buckle her seat belt or get herself dressed or undressed with the cast above the elbow and after three weeks of assistance I was ready for a little more freedom; after all, she is 5 years old now. So, at last, she elected for purple (it made the decision somewhat easier when Cast Man told her that a silver Sharpie looks really good on a purple cast). And, Mom had to agree to leave the physician's office and drive straight to a store to buy a new silver Sharpie which was not much of a trade off for a 'short cast'.



Have a blessed night!