Trip to MA

Highlights from our trip to Massachusetts:

1. 4 hour delay for Maddie's 1st plane ride - Here's how Maddie spent most of the delay:
Overall, she did well for her 1st plane trips. She was a bit fussy for each descent and screamed a bit but we made it!

2. Spending time with cousins and second cousins3. Spending time with family



4. Having a favorite food (Alex's favorite at least-corn on the cob)
5. Spending the 4th of July with your brother at the RedSox game (only 20 rows back from homeplate - Thanks to my SIL, Jill!) Then spending the rest of the night relaxing with the family.
7. Spending time with friends and their kids (some of which we had never met until now - 3 years later). Bounce house, horseshoes, beer, good food and great friends make a great combination!












8. Doing sparklers for the 1st time!
9. Alex sharing with everyone how he can read! We're so proud of him!

10. Wishing vacation never ended!

Alex is Missed ALOT!

Alex has gone to visit grandma and grandpa for the week. So far, it has been nice and quiet...matter of fact, too quiet for Shawn & I. We enjoyed our weekend with just Maddie...going to the pool every day, eating dinner out with only 1 kid (who didn't need any entertainment), and just relaxing. Maddie and I have been busy shopping and cleaning the last few days. It's been so quiet that Maddie has even looked around (where big brother usually is) for Alex. She seems bored with mommy always playing with her and looks around every time we put big brother on speakerphone.

Alex has recounted many adventures so far. He's caught lots of lightning bugs every night (which means he's going to bed really late since it doesn't get dark until after his bedtime). He has enjoyed lots of one-on-one time with grandma and grandpa. We've heard about trips to the grocery store, many trips to the library (where he is impressing everyone with his early reading skills), and trips to the park. He is really enjoying himself. There have been a number of times when he says that he really misses all of us but doesn't want to leave early. "No mommy. I still have 5...4...3 days left" seems to be his favorite phrase these days. Never knew it would be so hard to wait to see your little man again or that it would seem so quiet and boring during the day. Of course, as soon as he returns I will be counting down the days until August when he visits grandma and grandpa for another week!

Our Summer Vacation So Far

Our summer vacation so far has been filled with lots of trips to the library, Target, Chick-fil-A, and playdates with friends. Alex has also had the chance to visit the pool twice when Shawn is around. (I got some stitches recently & need to keep them out of the sun.) As you can see, he was not too thrilled about how cold the water was this day.
A typical summer vacation day for us so far goes like this:
1. sleep in a bit (Sometimes until 8am! Yes, the kids rock on these days & mommy needs less caffeine these days.)
2. play for a few hours (go to the library, run some errands or have a playdate with some friends)
3. tell mommy "I'm bored" a million times between 10am and 5pm
4. have the same lunch menu every day (salami, cheese, a pickle, some crackers & juice...this is all Alex wants for lunch lately. This from the same kid who used to hate lunch meat & only wanted to eat PB&J every day.)
5. read a few chapters from a new library book
6. take a nap (Mommy needs some quiet time during the day. If only Maddie could get on the same afternoon nap schedule or at least take a nap, we'd be set!)
7. wake up in time for daddy to come home (if he doesn't get enough sleep, he is quite grouchy...I hate those days!)
8. eat dinner
9. play with friends & go for a walk around the neighborhood
10. bath & bed time (AWWW...the kids go to bed around the same time now! Shawn & I are loving this new bedtime schedule!)

It all seems like an exciting day to a 3-year old but it's driving mommy insane! I need a break from the constant attention & wanting to be with mommy always again. I can't wait until he visits his grandparents for a week!

HELP...The School Year's Almost Done!

Alex's first year of preschool is almost done and I'm wondering what I will do to keep him busy over the next 3 months of summer vacation. Alex has grown so much over this past year. At the beginning of the year, he would cry and throw a tantrum any time I dropped him off at school. He wanted to be at home with mom every day. Of course, this only lasted a short time and he began to love his new school and his new friends. My little toddler was soon becoming my little man. His face has changed and his personality, too. He's more outgoing...saying things I would never imagine him saying. He walks around saying things like "Hey guys...", "Come on mom", or "Did you know that (insert any new fact he's learned here)."

To wrap up the school year, Alex's preschool had a Spring Music Program on May 13th. There was lots of singing and funny moments from the kids. I was a proud mom to say the least. (He even made me cry a few times.) Alex's favorite thing to do at school is go to music class so we were so excited to see Alex shine. What I didn't expect was seeing Alex be the class clown (in a good way). He was so excited to see all of us (Shawn, myself, Maddie, and Grandma Gail) at his program that he kept waving and yelling to us. He said things like "Hi, mommy, daddy & Grandma Gail", "Happy Mother's Day!", and "Can you guys see anything? I can't see a thing with these sunglasses on." BTW, they wore sunglasses for part of the music program for a summer song or two. After his program, we treated him to lunch at the Olive Garden (what used to be one of his favorite places to eat). When we got ready to order, we were all in shock when he ordered just salad and breadsticks for his lunch. What? This from the same kid who could eat pasta for dinner each night. This from the same kid who won't eat vegetables unless it's corn on the cob. (Yes, I sneak in some veggies by giving him V8 juice every day. Gotta do it somehow.) So Alex really has grown alot this year. With only 2 days left of the school year I'm wondering where the time has gone and what it will be like this time next year when I'm preparing a kid for Kindergarten. For now, I'm going to soak up all of his hugs & kisses & little antidotes every day.

Spring Break

Alex's Spring Break & Opening Day began with a stomach virus. Poor little guy had a stomach ache and spent the day throwing up. He was so excited to wear his RedSox t-shirt and had to change about 4 times that day. I guess wearing 2 RedSox t-shirts during the day brought good luck to the Sox since they won! Not a good Opening Day for Alex but a great Opening Day for the RedSox!

Luckily, Alex quickly recovered from his stomach virus and spent the rest of his spring break with friends, family, and animals. The kids and I took a trip to VA & MD. After normally a 4 hour trip which took 6 and 1/2 hours, we made it to grandma and grandpa's house. I was ready to go insane from all the stop and go traffic (this is why we moved!) but the kids did a wonderful job during the whole trip and kept me sane through it all. The next day, we took a visit to MD to see some good friends, Susan & Will. Shawn flew up to Baltimore to join us and our family was complete once again. Alex enjoyed lots of fun moments playing with his buddy, Christopher and Maddie got to meet her new friend, Ryan. All of the kids and parents enjoyed lots of good times together. We just wish we could see them more often!Then, it was back to grandma and grandpa's house for Easter. The kids loved visiting with their grandparents and Auntie Lindsay! Alex even practiced his soccer skills with Steve who plays soccer all the time. He was showing Alex all his moves. As you can see from the pictures, Alex loved all of the goodies the Easter Bunny & his grandparents gave him. He was quite surprised when he woke up on Sunday morning!Then, it was back home! For the rest of April, the kids have enjoyed lots of outside time. Unfortunately, the weather went from winter temperatures to summer temperatures so we're enjoying many hot days in the 80's. I can't believe we already have our AC on! To stay cool, Alex has enjoyed playing with his water table and Maddie experienced her 1st time in a pool.
Along with the nice temperatures, Alex has begun to run and occasionally kick the ball at soccer. And we actually got it on video. Luckily, grandma and grandpa came to watch his game, which helped motivate him to play. Of course, he also spent some time playing with bugs, picking up trash, and dancing on the field.As for Maddie, she is growing up so quickly. She is now smiling, cooing, and wanting to play ALL the time until sleep finds her. Maddie has also found a fussy time between 8 and 10pm in which only mommy can seem to calm her down. It used to last for hours if I wasn't around, but recently she has reduced her fussy time to about 10 minutes. Hopefully, this won't last for much longer.

March Madness

March has been a busy month. As you can see, it's been awhile since we've been able to post anything new. So here is our take on March Madness.

Alex started playing soccer. He's not into kicking the ball much or running around the field. His idea of a fun time is to find bugs in the dirt or dance around the field while running away from the soccer ball. We can only hope that one day he will understand the concept of soccer and find a love for playing the sport like his dad.
Madelyn began to interact more with us and her toys. She loves being on her Einstein gym or under her Elmo toy. She is kicking and moving her arms around so much these days. She even scoots herself off her mat or sideways from all the excitement.
Auntie Lindsay and Grandma Kathy came to visit. Maddie wasn't so sure about her aunt at first, but then quickly warmed up to her.


Alex found a Parents magazine with his favorite tv show "Word World" in it. He now has to look through "his" magazine every time he goes to the bathroom. We are so submitting this picture to Parents magazine someday soon.



We celebrated St. Patrick's Day by kissing our two favorite kids...Alex & Maddie who both sported a shirt that read "Kiss Me I'm Irish."



Our family celebrated my birthday by taking me out to Cheesecake Factory for lunch and spending a great afternoon outdoors.
Alex found some quiet time playing his LeapPad. Mom and dad found the joy of headphones! Gotta love technology. Alex has also found a new love these days...spelling and reading. He wants to spell everything and sounds letters out all the time to try and read different words all around the house, in his books, and at the store. We're so proud of him!

Alex tries to make his baby sister happy by playing with her. He also fed his baby sister for the first time. It was only for a minute but at least he wants to help out.
Maddie began to outgrow her newborn clothes. We loved seeing her in this polka dot outfit but now have to pack it away. Our little baby girl is quickly growing into a big girl these days. No more are the days of sleeping all the time. Maddie now wants to stay awake for much longer periods of time, play with her toys, give us lots of smiles, and talk nonstop to anyone who will listen. She has also found the joy of torturing her parents during the hours of 8 to 10 at night. This seems to be her daily "I want to scream and be fussy" time. The only way to have a calm, happy baby is to have mommy hold and rock her to sleep. Works every time!

As for our "Final Four", it is Alicia, Shawn, Alex and Madelyn (the Motyka family) enjoying lots of time together, going for walks, and spending lots of time outside enjoying our beautiful North Carolina weather. On a side note, we're hoping UNC will go all the way. Go Tarheels!