Dreaming & Doing

Something has changed inside of me. I have a much deeper level of reflection than before.
Before what? I'm not sure.
Perhaps kids, or being a stay-at-home mom, or maybe even before I lived in Colorado.

I can't exactly tell you when it happened, but something has changed inside of me, and my desire to make the best of what is to come has taken over the desire to make the same goal and resolutions that I make every year.

At the beginning of the year my Pastor challenged our church to pray that God would reveal a word to each person for 2015. It didn't take much prayer before I felt God impressing the word "action" on my heart. It didn't also take much reflection before I knew exactly what He meant by that word.

Keep dreaming, but start doing.

I could hear the still, small voice of God saying, " I have created you to be a dreamer and doer. You have a very specific gifting. Stop only thinking about what you could do with that gifting, and start doing it."

And just has God's voice echoed through my mind I found myself listening to this song on repeat.

 "Called Me Higher" // All Sons & Daughters 

I could hold on to who I am and never let you change me from the inside.

I could be safe here in your arms, and never leave them. 

Never let these walls down. 

But you have called me higher, you have called me deeper. 

And I will go where you will lead me Lord.

The words speak to my soul. They have become my prayer.

Because time is passing me by. My kids are getting bigger. Jonathan and I are getting older. And for crying out loud it is already mid February! And I don't want to be a person who only thinks about what could be. I want to be a person who savors every moment. I want to be a person who takes full advantage of every opportunity. I want to be a person who serves others, loves well, an and uses every gift that God has entrusted me with. I want to go on adventures. I want to show up when needed, before I am even asked. I want to lead people closer to God through the way I choose to dream and do. I want to be a person of action.

Mom Bliss

It is almost 10am on Wednesday.
Macy is baking cookies in her kitchen.
Piper is taking a nap.
I am sitting on the couch drinking coffee, looking at my computer.
I am also savoring this moment of "mom bliss".

This is mom bliss, because these moments are few and far between.
It is not often that everyone is entertained. It is not often that someone doesn't immediately need something from me. It is not often that someone isn't demanding my attention. It is not often that everyone is quiet. It is not often that my to-do list isn't towering over my head.

Yes, there is laundry to be done and bathrooms to be cleaned and appointments to be made. Yes, I have things on my to-do list that have been there for three months, but just never take priority over the more pressing tasks. Yes, I have deadlines for work and a book to read for my small group and gifts to make for new babies.

But for now, I am choosing not to do those things.
I am instead choosing to sit in the quiet. I am choosing to be thankful for the moment of rest. I am choosing to drink my coffee while it is hot. I am choosing to just be.

Macy is now sitting next to me on the couch. She is {quietly} talking to some imaginary friend while she pretends one of her toys is an ice cream cone.
Piper is still sleeping.
And my coffee is still hot.
Mom bliss.

Happy April Eleventh

I love April 11th.
It is a red letter day in my book.
A day worth celebrating.

Seven years ago on April 11th I went golfing with my boyfriend and on the ninth hole he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife, and the rest is history.

My love ran deep for Jonathan Witt way before he proposed on that day, but April 11th is the day that we began the journey of our two lives combining into one glorious life. It is not perfect, and at times it can be chaotic, but it is ours. And every day we are reminded that God is good, all the time.

I personally am reminded on a daily basis that God doesn't just know my story he is a part of it, and when he brought Jonathan Witt into it he knew exactly the kind of person that I needed to be my husband and my partner. A patient man who understands the importance of laughter and being silly. A man who leads our family with great thought and conviction from God. A man who is quick to forgive. A man who does not hold grudges. A man who is not scared to be spontaneous and adventurous. A man who anchors me as I float among the clouds.

Our little family has now grown to three and now I get to see Jonathan in an entirely different role as father. Everything has been brought into a new light. How we spend our money. How we eat and exercise (or don't exercise). How we show each other we love each other. How we communicate. How we fight.

Little eyes are watching our every move and absorbing them, even if she doesn't understand it yet. And this makes April 11th all that much more important. All that more worth celebrating. Because this celebratory date is now a part of her story as well.

I love us.
The Witt family.
Established 2006.

Hands Down

Lately my kid has been obsessed with her hands.
She holds her hand up and stares at it, like she is anxiously awaiting it to do something amazing. But really all that happens is her hand stays an open palm waiting for her cue to pull my hair, again.

Last night when I was putting her to bed, she was drowsy in my arms with her eyes closed but not asleep. And all of a sudden she held her hand in front of her face and opened her eyes for a couple of seconds to look at it and then closed them again, as if she was checking to see if it was still there.

And I all I could think was, "I never want to forget this."

I want to remember every second. Every phase. Every new discovery.
I want to take a photo or a screen capture...and remember this moment. Right now. Right here.

Lately, I have been at this interesting crossroads where I don't want to be in too much of a hurry that I miss anything, but I don't want to be too lazy that I waste my days. It is really hard, and so so important. Because I want to soak up every second of our blessed life. I want to be thankful. Joyful. Patient. Loving.

But in order to really achieve this I need to start with defining "missing" and "wasting". Because some times it is ok to be excited and fully engaged in something, and other days it is ok to put on a pair of yoga pants and not leave your house. But you have to have your own definitions, and you also have to know your own boundaries, which can often be the hardest part.

Six Months

Today is Macy's half birthday.

A hot topic amongst me and my husband lately is that six months ago she did not exist in our world, and nine months before that she didn't exist at all. I am still trying to wrap my brain around the miracle that she is. I am not sure if that will ever be accomplished.

And even though she has been "life" for fifteen months, now she is a real human.
She sits up.
She laughs.
She peers around you in curiosity.
She spits food everywhere.
She reaches for things
She reaches for me.
She is a real human. And she is the best.

My sweet Macy, 

For four years I prayed and pleaded with God to give me a baby, and he did. Then for nine months I prayed the same two things for you everyday: that you would be healthy, and that you would bring joy to people. Again, God has answered my prayers. 

On the day you were born and I held you for the first time I knew it was you, it was always you. You were the one I had been waiting for. You were the one God has sent specifically to me. 

And now I get to live every new adventurous day with you. You have given me a new meaning to the word "blessed". You have taught me so much about God's love and grace and mercy. Even on the hardest days, toughest moments, or most exhausting mornings...you are mine, and I am so in awe that I get to be your mama. 

I love you my sweet girl. I always have and I always will. 

Mom

A Spring In My Step

Well hello, Spring. Fancy seeing you here.

It is Spring, people.
If I still lived in California it would just be any other day.
But I don't live in California anymore, I live in Colorado and the second day of Spring means something gosh darn it.
I haven't asked any Colorado natives or anything, but I am pretty sure what it means is that any snow or cold weather from now on is "unfair". That seems about right. With that said, I see you snow on the five day forecast, and I do NOT appreciate you.

I got the car washed last week. It was kind of stressful, because I was trying to create the perfect Vine, praying that my sleeping baby didn't wake from her nap, AND to top it all off they left the drying up to me. I had 45 seconds to drive through the dryer. This gave me great anxiety. I wasn't prepared. I drove way too fast with the front of my car, and ended up getting an extra 10 seconds on the back of my car. That's what an $8 car wash will get you...anxiety. Next time I will be better prepared. Fifteen seconds for every third of the car...I got this.

Getting the car wash was a symbol of Spring to me, because that is what Spring is all about...washing the winter off.

And we in the Witt home are welcoming the cleansing.

We are ready for more days spent outside.
Bring on the sunshine.
We will always gladly except more energy.
We are all set to explore the outdoor part of living in Colorado.
Pass the sunblock please.
Sign us up for the hikes.
Make us an appointment for a pedicure.
And for Pete's sake put some ice in our coffee drinks.

The Witts have been waiting for you, Spring. We are so GLAD you are here.

These Are My Confessions

{Feel free to sing the Usher song while you read this}

I need to come clean.
I have an addiction. It is so much worst than my addiction to Diet Coke or terrible reality shows about the Kardashians.

Let's start at the beginning shall we.

I have always said that I would not be a mom that heavily relied on technology to entertain my kid. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I just knew it wouldn't work for our family. I just knew that I wanted to be in control of our screen time, and not have the screen time be in control of us. {"Screen Time" is a phrase that you have to start using when you become a parent. Just trust me on this one.} And even though Macy is only five months old, I think we have done a pretty good job. Aside from one episode of Yo Gabba Gabba on a flight with no car seat (desperate times call for desperate measures), Macy hasn't watched any TV.

As far as our (Jonathan and me) TV watching goes I think we have it fairly under control. We don't have a lot of shows that we "watch". And besides the occasional lazy day or EVERY Sunday of football season, our TV is rarely on for hours on end. Now don't get me wrong...I LOVE television, but I can appreciate a quiet room as much as the next introvert (I know this is not really what being an introvert is...no need to write me any letters of correction).

So of course I entered into this idea of less screen time with the utmost arrogance.

Enter moving to Colorado, becoming a stay-at-home-mom, and snow.
But it wasn't the TV that got me. It was the other "screens". My beloved iPhone and laptop.

I have always loved my phone and laptop. I have been known to pay more attention to my phone than the actual people in the room. And my love affair with the internet started in Alanna Moine's living room in eighth grade. But it is like when I moved to Colorado I became a pro internet user.

It started with my new renewed obsession with blogs, and my discovery of BlogLovin' (Are you using it to read blogs? You really should be.) All of a sudden I had more time and more interest in what total strangers were posting on the internet.

Then it moved over to Craigslist and all the free pieces of furniture I could pick up and refinish (I got over that after one piece...sanding...the worst).

Then I moved on to obsessively searching realtor.com for a potential house for us. Since that process has been stalled for a week or two I decided it would be healthy to take a break from that website.

That was just on my computer.

My phone is next level.
Just to name a few.
Instagram. Vine. Twitter. Facebook. TimeHop. Pinterest.
Every hour on the hour.

Here is where the addiction kicks in.
It's called Candy Crush Saga, and I am thinking about starting a support group for it.
I don't know what it is, but I can't get enough of it. I have become O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D.
Like when you run out of lives they make you wait 30 minutes before you can earn another life. 30 MINUTES! So you know what I do? I straight up delete that app, and reinstall it and start from the beginning.
It. Is. Sick. People.
We aren't talking a couple of times here, we are talking like erasing it probably 20 times in the last two days.

Then something weird started to happen. Macy started to grab for my phone. And my laptop. And all of a sudden things she never even noticed were things she needed to get her hands on. And I had a realization...life moves fast. And if I am going to stick to my limited "screen time" for Macy, then I probably need to do it for myself as well. I don't have an action plan yet, but I know it involves some kind of "only when Macy is sleeping" boundaries...and reading a book (goodness gracious...ANY book).

So wish me luck.
Actually, do me one better.
Pray for me.