Weekend Away

I have been so excited to share the story of our fabulous weekend away!
A little back story. I've talked before about my Warrior Mamas group, the amazing ladies who support me. Well over the course of this year Sofia has become friends with a little girl named Ava, who's mom is in my group. Ava is five and just about the sweetest thing you'll ever meet. She is so patient and kind with Sofia and they get along so well! Luckily the moms and dads get along too! A couple of months ago they told us that they were starting to work with an organization called Jessie Rees Foundation: Never Ever Give Up - NEGU. This amazing organization fills Joy Jars and sends them to kids who are battling cancer. These jars are filled with toys-items that literally bring joy to these kids lives.
All of this is done in honor of Jessie, who started the Joy Jars before she passed away from DIPG, which is a type of Brain tumor. Her parents and family promised her that they would continue filling the jars and spreading joy.
We were so excited when we found out that Ava was going to curate her very own jar as a special addition. We were even more excited when we were invited to help fill the Ava Jars! So we planned our trip to Southern California!! Now, we've been waiting weeks for this and than both kids get colds a 2 weeks out! As the days were ticking by the coughs weren't going away!! So the day before our trip I took both kids to their doctors. Both doctors confirmed it was just a cough that takes a little longer to go away, but they were cleared for the trip.
Knowing Sofia couldn't handle the long car ride, we decided to fly. I of course got pre-boarding so I could Clorox everything in our row!! Sofia was also a trooper and agreed to wear a mask just to be safe. The flight went great and Sofia was buzzing with excitement. The first day/night we stayed in Huntington Beach and had so much fun. But Sofia couldn't wait until Friday when she got to see Ava!
We arrived at NEGU in Irvine and were greeted so warmly. Our two families and the whole NEGU team worked together to fill these jars. And I know the toys inside are joyful but the biggest thing going into those jars is love! You could literally feel the love in the room.
Sofia followed Ava around, wanting to do whatever she did. And Noni flirted with all the ladies! He was quite the hit!! After the jars were filled and the kids had snack time we headed to Laguna for lunch and than to our hotel in Newport. Best thing about our new hotel? Ava (and her little brother) were just a couple doors down. We played at the beach, swam at the pool, went out for dinner and we laughed. It was a really great weekend and we are so honored to have been a part of it.
Now, back to reality! Tomorrow Sofia goes in for her second round of maintenance. Lumbar Puncture and chemo bright and early followed by a week of steroids. We pray that her LP goes smooth and that she has an ok week. Thank you all for your kind words to us and for helping me spread the word this month!!#teamsofia