The Mota Family: May 2014

Preston 3 years 9 months/ Kelsey 3 Months

This is my first official month as a stay at home mom! Getting to be with these kids every day and watch them grow, has been such a blessing. We have had so much fun together! I love playing knights and playing outside with Preston and getting to watch Kelsey begin to hold her rattles/teether and hear her sweet giggle she's starting to share with us. It has just been incredible! Preston goes to Mimi and papa's house on Mondays and he loves his time over there. This gives me some one on one time with Miss Kelsey. Wednesday's Steve's parents come over for a couple of hours to spend some time with both of the kids and to let me run some errands without hauling the kids around. It's been super helpful and gives me a little break. Some things the kids are into this month...Preston is really into wrestling with daddy, fighting with his swords and helping mom take care of his baby sister. This month he had one of his first experiences running through the sprinklers. We weren't planning on it, but we were outside and the sprinklers came on, so we played! He had a blast! He also took Mimi and Papa to see the movie "Bears". This was their first time at the movies with Preston, he showed them how good he is, it was fun! Kelsey has given us a couple of giggles which is super cute! I can't wait to hear her even more! She LOVES her snuggle time with daddy, holding and playing with her toys and watching her big brother. She smiles and laughs at just about anything he says/does. I can already tell she's going to look up to him. I think all of us are enjoying me being home. Stephen even likes coming home for lunch to all of us, having meals on the table at night, clean clothes all the time and things being a little more organized around here. So far, so good! Life is wonderful with this sweet family!

My sweet girl 3 months old!

Preston playing at Mimi and Papas

So alert

Happy girl

Giggles!

Isn't she precious?!

Playing with her toys

Alright, my own bean bag chair!

Hanging out in the playroom

Brave knight bubble time

Snuggle time with daddy

They love their daddy

My baby boy is getting SO big!

Trying to capture this moment of looking at her in her bassinet while she's still in it...not much longer :(

Big Brother (Superman) feeding "baby sister"

Preston loving on Buddy

It's a beautiful day for a bike ride...

And a nice little drive

WOOHOO! The sprinklers came on!

So excited he doesn't even know what to do

"This is the best day ever!"

Big brother reading to Kelsey

Such a snuggle bug

Love her!

That smile!

Our super hero running in the yard

Collecting rocks

Teaching Preston how to take a selfie

Rocking sister, waiting on mom to run an errand

They take good naps together

And he WINS the game!

Wrestle time with daddy

"Bears" with Mimi and Papa

Fun day at the Heard Museum with Mommy, Daddy and Kelsey

A New Chapter Begins: The Stay at Home Mom

Throughout my maternity leave, I contemplated the idea of staying home with my kids and leaving a wonderful career in Marketing at Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Stephen and I had many conversations at the dinner table, over a glass of wine, laying in bed and on walks around the neighborhood. Was this the right thing for me to do?! I LOVED the idea of getting to spend every day with my kids and getting to share in all Kelsey's firsts and getting to spend some time with Preston before he starts real school! That all sounded wonderful, but the idea of leaving my career, part of my identity, not having adult conversations, expectations of the "stay at home mom" and housewife and the reduced income all scared me to death! Needless to say, it was a very difficult decision, but after lots of prayer on May 13, 2014 I turned in my notice at Dr Pepper Snapple Group and made the leap from Marketer to Mom! I figure, there is no better job in the world than to be here for my kids and work will always be there. My kids will only be young for a while! So far, I LOVE it! Even the fits, laundry and budget. I know I made the right decision for right now. This won't be forever, I want to go back to work eventually, but for now, I'm HAPPY and thankful to have a husband that can and wants to support us. So here goes nothing, let the next chapter begin!

Turning in my stuff to DPSG

Time to celebrate...CHEERS!

Mother's Day

Since grandma's funeral was on Mother's day, we didn't do much other than celebrate her wonderful life. I was lucky to come home to gifts from Stephen and the kids and a card that Preston picked out himself. He was SUPER proud! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family. I am thankful everyday that I was chosen to be the mom of these two beautiful kids! Feeling grateful!

Grandma Riley

Well, our quick trip back to Mineral Wells from San Angelo was worth it! Mom and I were able to spend my grandmother's last day on this earth with her. When we got to the nursing home at 2am the night before, we knew she was pretty bad. We spent a couple of hours up there with her letting her know that we were there. My grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's, what I would consider the most cruel and horrific disease known to man. Over the past several years I have watched my grandmother go from bright, energetic, loving and caring to slowly losing her mind, forgetting her loved ones, forgetting how to walk and function and how to talk. There were moments in her last few years that I thought she knew I was there, like on her 80th birthday. We threw her a surprise party and everyone she loved came to the nursing home to celebrate with her. I hugged her neck and told her who I was and that I loved her and she looked me in the eye, smiled and said, "Yeah! Yeah!" as if she completely knew! So, these last few years had prepared us for the inevitable. Well, at least we thought. As we spent her last day with her, we recalled wonderful memories we'd shared, told her new things that were going on with everyone in the family. Introduced her to her newest great grand-child (Kelsey), made a few phone calls so others in the family could tell her goodbye, hugged her and gave her our last goodbyes. It was a tough day! When the nurse told us she would probably only give us a couple more breaths, mom and I held grandmas hands and we all said a prayer. Once the prayer was over, grandma took her last breath. She left this earth, the way she lived on this earth, with peace and grace. Before they came for her body, we played her favorite hymn "In the Garden" and sat there in silence. We had her service on Mother's Day, I couldn't imagine celebrating a better Mother's life on this special day. My grandmother was the most amazing woman I have ever met! She LOVED her family and would do anything to have her family together. She was such a peace-maker. I never heard my grandma talk bad about anybody, she wouldn't hurt a fly! I remember me being upset with someone and talking to her about it and instead of telling me how awful they were, she just looked at me and said, "Well, you know what I think about that, okay?!" She was a strong Christian woman, who helped teach me to be strong in my faith. She was FUN! I remember her taking me to the park and letting me play for hours! She would just sit patiently, as if she had nothing else to do. She was always at everything important to my brother and I, and she was always there to support us and loved us unconditionally. She was the kind of woman that I hope to someday be more like. As prepared as I thought I would be, I've never had a more difficult time letting go! I loved that woman with all my heart! Since she helped teach me my Christian values, I know she is now in heaven rejoicing with the Lord and with my grandpa. I'm thrilled to know that when my time comes, I will get the chance to see her again and rejoice with her! Until then, I will keep her memories alive and she will be greatly missed!