Halloween Sweets and Treats

Our Halloween Sweets dressed as Obi Wan Kenobi and Minnie Mouse.  Alex refused to be Darth Vader after trying on the costume and hating the fact that he would have to wear a mask.  So his second choice was Obi Wan Kenobi (still in the Star Wars theme) since he wouldn't have to wear a mask.  We were down to the wire with this one.  He's been looking for another costume for 2 weeks and finally found this one (of course, with no mask or head dress of any kind) exactly 1 week before the big day.  Maddie is so much easier to deal with and to please.  She loves to dress up all the time so when she saw Minnie Mouse, we knew we were done.  She loves Tinkerbell and probably would have dressed up as Tinkerbell any day but we know she can be Tinkerbell any other Halloween so we went with Minnie Mouse.  We think they both look adorable and have become our Halloween Sweets this year!

As for Halloween treats, the kids got plenty of those.  Candy of many shapes, sizes and types filled both of their bags.  The night was full of fun and laughter.  Of course, there were a few screams or hiding behind mom and dad when they got scared.  It is Halloween after all.  The Motyka family hopes you enjoyed your Halloween Sweets and Treats this year.

Alex's 1st Day of Kindergarten

1st Day of Kindergarten
Today was Alex's 1st Day of Kindergarten!  The day started with Alex running into our room, dressed and ready to go at 7am after hearing Shawn's alarm clock.  He thought it was his alarm clock so he had gotten up right away and got ready for the day.  He was bouncing all around then finally took some time to cuddle with mom and talk about all the things he will do at school today.

On his way down the stairs, this sign greeted him.  And another sign and some balloons to celebrate his big day.  We are so proud of him!  For those of you who may not know the story here it goes:

Alex's birthday is exactly 7 days past the Kindergarten cut off date of August 31st.  But he's been ready for quite awhile to start school.   So we shelled out $675 to go through all the educational and psychological testing by a private psychologist.  Of course, Alex did an awesome job!  He scored on a first grade level for math and a second grade level for reading.  Alicia knew what his reading level was since she's a former reading specialist and Alex was reading chapter books like they were going to disappear in his hands.  After all the testing, we still had to put together a portfolio of Alex's work which showed his various academic skills.  We also had to get 2 recommendations from teachers, pediatrician or anyone who was able to testify to the fact that Alex was ready emotionally, socially and academically for Kindergarten.  Then the waiting game began.  The board of education had to review his testing scores and decide if the portfolio should be moved onto the principal of his potential elementary school.  Luckily, it was passed on but we waited a long 3 weeks to hear anything.  After 3 weeks, we took things into our own hands and began to email the principal and the board representative about a decision.  Keep in mind that school had already started for 3/4 of the school.  Finally, we heard the good news that Alex could come in for a day of assessments and observations.  This would be the first day that my baby went to school all day and I missed it!  I was traveling to Salt Lake City for a Stampin' Up! Convention.  I am happy to say that Shawn and my mom were able to handle the first day of school and Alex.  We got a wonderful call the following morning that let us know that Alex would be starting Kindergarten.  We are so proud of our little man!  We never doubted his abilities but we just weren't sure what others would think and what decisions they would make. 

Alex has waited for years to ride on the big yellow bus.  He was so excited that the day had finally come!  Here are a few pictures of Alex waiting for the bus with his friends:

  

After Alex got on the bus, we went to meet him at his school.  Here are a few pictures of Alex on his 1st day of Kindergarten:

 

There were no tears from us or our Kindergartner.  Just two proud parents who were so excited for our little man Alex! 

Maddie missed her brother all day and kept asking me, "Where's daddy?"  "At work."  "Where's brober (as she says it)?"  "At school."  Then she would give a little sigh.  I only heard these questions about a million times today.  The picture below shows her waiting for her big brother at the bus stop.  And Alex getting off the bus with the biggest smile in the world...he's just beaming from excitement that he is finally a Kindergartener and can ride the yellow bus with the big kids in the neighborhood!

 

 











A special afterschool snack...fresh baked cookies for my Kindergartner and his little sister.

 

A picture is worth a thousand words...This is truly how Alex felt about his 1st day of Kindergarten.  Happy and excited with a big smile on his face all day (morning to night).  So proud!

 Maddie has a big day herself while big brother was in school.  She used the potty all by herself.  For those that may not know, Maddie has been potty training herself in the last few days.  She's been telling us when she has to go potty and does a pretty good job of it.  We weren't ready to even think about potty training her yet but she just wants to be like her big brother.  We are such proud parents of two wonderful kids!

DC Wedding

May 1, 2010

Lindsay and Steve's Wedding in Washington, D.C. at the DC War Memorial.  All family members were an important part of the wedding.  Alex was the Ring Bearer.  Maddie was the Flower Girl.  Alicia was the Matron of Honor for her sister, Lindsay, and Shawn videotaped the ceremony.  It was a great day for a wedding!

Alex did a great job as the Ring Bearer.  He led the way up the walkway and went up the stairs all by himself with a smile on his face.  We were so proud!  He was such an adorable "Little Man" in his suit and tie.  Maddie did a great job as the Flower Girl, too.  She walked with Alicia holding onto her bright pink sandpail with flower petals.  She looked adorable in her beautiful white dress and sandals and bright pink flower barrettes.  It was so cute!  We are just so happy that Maddie had finally learned how to walk on her own before the wedding.

Fortunately, we all survived the day with 90 degree temperatures, a shuttle with broken AC and no naps for Maddie.  She did a great job all day and there were no meltdowns!  For anyone who is a parent, you know how important this little feat is for such an important day.  We were so happy to spend the day with the newly wed McCords!