The holidays

The (Christmas) holiday season lasted over a month - we had parties and celebrations and family dinners and out of town guests and post New Year's Christmas celebrations for those family members we couldn't or didn't see the week of. It was long and fun and tiring and wonderful all at once.

Matt, Brighton and I spent most of the month sick. First Brighton with a head cold, turned sinus infection, turned deep body shaking cough that kept her from sleeping, then I got the head cold turned sinus infection turned cough, then Matt. Then Matt's eardrum ruptured one night after Christmas due to all the fluid behind his ears. He spent the next day in urgent care for 3 hours and then went to see a specialist a few days later. That poor man was sick for two and a half weeks.

Despite our sickness we went to a National Lampoon Christmas Vacation themed party (there was a food truck there too), I took a half day off work to attend Brighton's school party and take her to see these singing/dancing robotic bears; we made Christmas cookies, we had a loud and chaotic Christmas Eve dinner with 30 members of my extended family and a nice quiet Christmas morning with just the three of us at home. We ate turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes with my parents on Christmas night and took so many photos of Brighton opening presents and dancing in her new Queen Elsa dress.

Party at B's preschool

The only family photo I got of us during the week of Christmas (and it's blurry!)

Opening gifts on Christmas Eve

Queen Elsa

My best friend and her family came into town for a few days and we took them our favorite places, let their girls and Brighton run wild and have a sleepover in Brighton's room. We played cards and drank bourbon and talked into the night about their next adventures and ours too. I cried when they left, as usual, since distance has kept me from seeing them regularly for almost a decade.

My best friend and sister Crystal

Greenlee, Leland June and B-Love - these crazies got up at 530am after their sleepover!

We celebrated New Years with a quiet dinner with friends, did the countdown at 9pm for the kids and were in bed before midnight. Then we had a second Christmas with my in-laws last weekend -  first a dinner and present exchange with the siblings and their significant others, then a full fledged brunch at our house with the rest of the family.

NYE fun

Our Motts family Christmas

We spent whole days in our pjs too. We went to the park when it was sunny and we watched movies under big blankets when it was raining. We slept in when we could, stayed up late when we wanted to. We relaxed and enjoyed each other.

We also had a bug infested tree, but that is another story for another day (it was gross and I screamed a lot as I frantically took off ornaments and lights.)

As I was watching Brighton open her gifts and hug her toys with delight, then run around kissing and hugging and yelling "Thank you" over and over to her family on Christmas night, I thought "this is the best gift - watching her joy overflow." When I had gifts to open I could hardly remember what I had asked for because I already have what I need and I want for little. We are so blessed, not because we are well to do financially, but because we have so much in the places that count. We have our friends that we consider family, we have our community, we have our blood family, and we have each other. We are wealthy where it matters.

This was my favorite holiday season yet. Hope you had a good one too.

Saturday brunch

Last Saturday I hosted a little tea party for Brighton and three of her friends and a ladies brunch for their mamas (who are my friends). The girls wore frilly dresses, sparkly shoes and bows and then we all ate a ton of great food. It was so much fun!

We also somehow convinced the girls to sit still for 3 minutes so we could take some pictures. They turned out pretty great (although blurry - so hard for this amateur photographer to get all these wiggly toddlers in focus!)

Florida

We went to Florida's gulf coast almost a month ago and I'm just now getting around to posting about it. If you follow me or Matt on Instagram a lot of these photos will be familiar (sorry). We spent the week with our best friends/family Garrett and Crystal and their daughters (my nieces) Greenlee and Leland. Garrett's parents own a beautiful home in Santa Rosa Beach and we were lucky enough to spend a few days with them there, plus time with Garrett's younger sister Haley and her two precious boys Clayton and Grant.

It was sunny, and hot and humid of course, but the sand was soft and white and the ocean was the clearest blue I have ever seen. It was a little slice of heaven - days upon days of playing, swimming, sleeping in and eating yummy food with our favorite people.

Our home for the week

And our view for the week!

Our little diva. 

Matt spent the week paddle boarding and took a bunch of shots like this with his Go Pro camera

Napping on the beach is the best!

Leland, B-Love and Greenlee

The daily afternoon ritual - big kids swim in the pool, the adults make an afternoon cocktail and the little kids napped inside!

So beautiful!

Haley's youngest son Grant and Brighton. These two were so cute together. 

The house had its own saltwater pool

My best friend and sister Crystal. I love this girl so much! 

Brighton had a serious love for her Uncle Garrett. She insisted he carry her - a lot!

These girls have my heart!

My little family

My family. Love these people. 

An Update on Sparrow

Here is an update on sweet Sparrow (and for more details, read Jessie's blog here):

Sparrow has been home from the hospital since October 31 and is on two blood thinners to keep her blood very thin so she doesn’t get a blood clot.  This is important because of the fold in the Fontan – if a clot were to form it would be extremely dangerous and life threatening.

Her next appointment with her cardiologist is November 25 - they'll do another echo to look at the fold in the Fontan and have a discussion on what’s next based on the findings.

Sparrow is scheduled for another cath lab surgery December 9.  During this procedure she will most likely have an incision in her neck and thigh (like last time) where they put a tiny camera through her major arteries to look at her heart more closely.  They specifically will look at the Fontan to see what the next step needs to be.  The fold is not something that can be left unattended as it will undoubtedly cause problems in the near future. The least intrusive thing they could do to try and straighten/open the Fontan is to place a small balloon in the Fontan and gently inflate it in hopes that the fold would open up and not cause an obstruction to blood flow anymore.

Thanks to each of you who left comments, tweeted, emailed for / to Jessie - she and her family are so thankful for the amazing support across the globe. Please continue to send good thoughts and prayers for Sparrow leading up to her echo on the 25th and her cath lab on December 9th. 

We love you Sparrow Song!

Update on Sparrow

Sparrow's surgery was a success! No complications and they finished an hour or so before the expected time. 

Jessie was surrounded by her family and a big group of her girlfriends while we waited. We prayed, we gave her back rubs and hand massages and told stories and drank lots of coffee. There were cheers all around when the surgeon came in to tell her and Sparrow's daddy Mark that all went well.

Please keep her on your mind as she'll be in the hospital for the next two weeks and then on bed rest after that. Thanks to everyone who sent sweet thoughts and prayers through social media!!!

Sparrow

This little angel is Sparrow.

And this is her story, told by her couragous and beautiful mama, and my dear friend, Jessie Mathis:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quPy0bYBVUk&feature=youtu.be

 I hope you will join me in prayer for sweet Sparrow Song - for her surgery on October 16 and her recovery after, as well as her parents and big brother Noah. 

I am also asking boldly for help for Sparrow's medical bills as well. Her "pre" work before this massive surgery tomorrow was a outpatient cath lab that cost almost 65K! While insurance will cover part of her medical expenses, her family will be burdened with the majority of the cost. I cannot imagine the stress of watching your child go through a massive surgery, long recovery and then to know that you'll be indebted financially for so long.  I have never asked my blog readers to donate to anything before as it's my policy not to, but for the sake of this precious little girl who I love terribly, and her mama who is like a sister to me, I'm breaking my rule. If you would like to donate to help offset Sparrow's medical bills, click here. 

Thank you for your support! 

FYI - I'll be with Jessie all day of the surgery and will tweet updates as appropriate. If you have any prayers or words of encouragement for her, please feel free to send to her directly, or to me and I'll be sure to pass them along.

Buy an album and help fund an adoption

I love watching the story of adoption unfold. It is a beautiful process - to hope, to wait and then to fall in love with a child that you have dreamed of for so long.

One adoption story I have been watching is that of Matt and Amy Stanfield. They, along long with their precious daughter Nyah, have been in the process of adopting from Ethiopia for the last few years. They are in the midst of fundraising to cover the expansive costs and have created something beautiful in the process - an album of lullabies.

Matt works as a musician in Nashville and has recorded this amazing album with Amy. The proceeds go directly towards their adoption fund. The album is simply beautiful and a great gift for the holiday season. You can purchase the CD (physical copy or downloaded version) here. 

Matt, Amy and Nyah - we are praying for your future baby, that precious fourth leaf on your family tree.

Girls Mountain Trip

Last weekend I had the chance to spend a whole weekend with some of my best girlfriends (and my baby). We rented a pretty cabin right outside of Asheville, North Carolina and spent the three days laughing, talking, eating, making crafts and hanging out in downtown Asheville.

Here are some photos from the weekend (some courtesy of my friends Lorean, Beth and Jessie):

All the babies - Brighton, Asher, Cedar and Athens. Aren't they so sweet?!

Brighton and her boyfriend Asher (Lorean's son) giggling together on the bed

Me and B in downtown Asheville. She slept in the Ergo most of the time!

Me and Jessie acting silly (see the word Moms on the post?)

Lorean, me, Kate and Jess - all our babies were born within a few months of each other!

Beth and me acting silly again. And no I'm not flipping off the camera - it's a peace sign.

All my girls!

It was a perfect weekend and I was reminded of how incredibly blessed I am to have all these women in my life. My friends are simply the best!