What's new??

Changes in the Life of the Witzigs:
1. We got a piano donated to our cause :)

(Thank you to Andy's parents are letting us borrow it!)

2. Sammy got braces and turned 9 in the same week!

3. Wil broke through both bones in his right arm Nov. 30th

(He fell off a Rubbermaid box ... who knew they were so dangerous?!)

4. Both boys got new beds ... car beds!! Charlie still has not gotten over the excitement. Seriously, he wakes up nearly every morning and nap and says, with secrecy and excitement, "I sleep in a car. It's so awesome!" -or- "I sleep in my very own car last night" :)

5. Wil had closed surgery Dec. 4th to set his bones and just got his purple cast taken off Jan. 19th.

And there is a little snapshot of some fun we've had in the Witzig household the past few months :)

Blogging in my head...

... but not on the computer. I think about writing all these neat and fun things about our family for us to look back on and remember someday ... but by the time I finally sit down to it, I've forgotten most of the things I wanted to remember. It's a problem.

But we have to move on. So, a few little things that get me smiling lately are:

1. Charlie saying "one" at the end of nearly everything (i.e. - Where's my guitar-one? I like a banana-one! I want a car-one! and on and on-one)
2. Wil saying, well, just about anything! He just has a way of cracking us up :)
3. Zoe wearing her favorite pink pants ... which finally had to go to pants heaven because they were so raggedy and holey and waaaay too small; only to be replaced by the brown pants (another cotton yoga-type pant) which are also way too small already and not wearable outside of the house.
4. Sammy saying "I want to be a mommy artist when I grow up so I can teach my children to draw and be artists too!"

For Easter, I made the girls some little pink dresses and they have been wearing them to death. It's really fun though and I'm thankful they like them so much :) Girls are such fun!
During our Easter party with the Witzigs that night, our 4 took a turn to sing some songs and say a few verses together. They're cute when they're all together like that :)
Next is a picture of Charlie's latest accomplishment. I know it's a bit late to be finally potty training the littlest Witzig, but hey- it's been a busy year (or years, I should say!). Gone are the days of magazine and book reading when you've got some time to kill.

The first time he went on the little potty, he jumped up and said, "Look! I make water!" Now, he frequently asks to "show baby make water" (a very instructional time for the little doll, I assure you).
And here he is trying out the big potty, but not so sure he can handle it alone :)

Wil is now our upcoming reader and pushing Zoe to continue her learning! They're both doing great and love showing their new skill to anyone with an ear and a little time to give :)

One VERY exciting thing for the Witzig household is that Daddy got his guitar out after almost 1 year after we moved here. There was just a touch of excitement that first night :)

Notice that Charlie is sitting on the couch by Andy. This was not a quick-run-and-get-the-camera moment. This little guy stayed there for the entire time Andy played (pushing an hour). It was SO cute. He just sat there strumming along on his little guitar and thinking he was just as good as daddy. So here he is playing a duet of the "barnyard song" with daddy...

And here is what the other children were doing during this song...

Such fun! Well, we also got to see some barnyard animals up close and personal during MHS's annual farm event. We went with the Rassi crew and had a great time. There is one thing that stands out in my mind though and it is from this picture that I am reminded of it...

Ok, Sammy held a little chick while I was watching Charlie pet a baby calf. As we came back together, she told me something a little shocking. After we got home with Andy, I asked her more. Here was the story that unfolded...
Sammy, "Uh, mom - I think I killed a baby chick."
Me, "Don't worry, honey, I'm sure it's ok."
Sammy, "No, really. All of a sudden it's head went limp and fell over like this" (doing the motions) "I think it's dead."
Me, "Are you sure it wasn't sleeping? What did the lady say?"
Sammy, "Oh, she said that happens sometimes."
Me, "Really? Well, it'll probably be ok after it rests."
Sammy, "I don't think so. I think it's dead."
Me, "Where did the lady put the chick when you gave it back? Was it in the incubator?"
Sammy, "Uh, I think she laid it on a box behind her. I'm telling you - I think it's dead."
Ok, at this point, both Andy and I are trying to control ourselves. We're both cracking up, but she's just killed a baby bird. How are we supposed to deal with that?!??
And lastly, the Piggy Bank auditor hard at work :)

There you have it ~ 6 weeks in 11 pictures. I would say that I plan to do better, but it's best not to lie. Not that I won't try, but life just happens. And with 4 children and adoption paperwork/training, it seems to happen a lot faster. It's been busy. I've been doing my best though to forgo urges like cleaning (and blogging) to take in these moments that I'll never have back again. I know life won't be perfect - I know I'm not perfect, but I don't want to regret how I use this time. It's hard though. Very hard. But I'm learning and I'm trying (though I must say this post rather shot that as I continuously had to "push" away 2 little boys trying to get their mommy's attention - ugh). How's a mommy supposed to do it all? I ask this of myself frequently, but I can't say I've gotten a good answer yet. It seems that if one thing is stellar, another is lacking. But that's just life, isn't it? I mean, if I had it all in perfect order why would I need to cry out to God? Exactly. It never will be in order... I need Him too much for Him to allow it... and I will do my best to be faithful and thankful for what He gives. Thank you, Lord.

Cinderellas

Last night, I listened to Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Cinderella" over and over... it's amazing. If you've never heard it (you can click on the pic to listen), let me quickly summarize: it's a reminder to parents how quickly time goes by and how precious each moment is with our children. Well, this morning I kept singing that song to myself ... but Andy had a meeting - and when Andy has a meeting, I have to clean my house. So, I'm sweeping the dining room floor 15 minutes before this man is supposed to arrive and I'm feeling a little anxious that he will find me on my hands and knees picking up pieces of popcorn from last night's movie fun and Sammy decides she wants to talk... and she's brought Zoe along too. She begins by asking me if I know what she wants to do. Ask me if I cared. I quickly say "no" and continue working away. In the back of my head I know I should at least look at her when she's trying to talk to me, but I had too much to do. So, she continues talking anyway. Then Zoe chimes in ~ "Mommy, I want to adopt a child." I looked up. And Sammy adds, "Yes, that's what both of us want to do. When we're mommies, we want to adopt children into our homes." I was so ashamed and so excited and so overwhelmed I didn't know what to do! I asked them why they decided this (we've not told them our plans yet, but we've talked about the need with them) and Sammy said, "because we want to help those children and show them love and tell them about Jesus." I was speechless ... and all the while this song is going through my head. These sweet little girls are my cinderellas and I don't want to miss a moment! I shouldn't. That little conversation turned out to be such a blessing and I almost missed it for the sake of cleaning my home (and the guy was an hour late anyway!). I learned my lesson for today, but I've "learned" it before ... so, what am I going to do tomorrow? And will the clock strike midnight while I'm cleaning and my cinderellas will be gone?!?

Click on the picture(s) to hear "Cinderella" by SCC