Coming Home to the Blog: Life After Baby and Returning to My Why

At the start of this year, I had a vision and big plans. I was going to launch this blog and pour my heart into sharing the journey — the highs, the heartbreaks, and the healing. I had all the posts planned for before and after I gave birth—I wanted to write all about our journey through infertility, the miracle of our natural conception, the beauty of home life in Hawai‘i, and my transition into motherhood.

But then… our little ‘opihi* arrived.
Our baby was born in February, and everything changed in the most wonderful (and sleep-deprived) way.

Those first few months were a beautiful blur of snuggles, the long nights, the baby smells, the crying (hers and occasionally mine), and the magic of watching my husband become a father. I found myself wrapped up in those early days and poured myself into learning this new rhythm of motherhood, one breath, one feeding, one grace-filled day at a time. And the blog? Well, it quietly slipped to the back burner, right next to the reheated matcha I kept forgetting about.

Around the same time, we also made a huge decision for our family:
We decided to goodbye to our cozy little life in Hawai‘i and moved to California.

This wasn’t easy — Hawai’i would always be part of us. But this choice was led by love. With both of our parents now living on the mainland, we knew we wanted our daughter to grow up surrounded by her grandparents and aunties. It was time to root ourselves where family, support, and extra hands to hold the baby — or the laundry — were more accessible. Moving allowed us to create more rootedness — not just for us, but for our little one.

So yeah… plans changed… but the dream didn’t go away.

If anything, motherhood has deepened my desire to share. It’s made me more reflective, more grounded, and more passionate about documenting this season — the real, raw, beautiful moments that are shaping my growing family. 

This blog is my way of saying:
You can pause.
You can pivot.
And you can absolutely still pick things back up again, even if it’s later than you planned.

So here I am. Coming back to this space — not with a perfectly planned editorial calendar or polished brand rollout — but with heart. With honesty. With a tita bun and a baby on my hip.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more of our story.

What You Can Expect Here:

• How we walked through infertility and found healing
• Real-life motherhood (the beautiful, the raw, and the “is that poop or chocolate?” moments)
• Life as a first-time, stay-at-home mama
• Homemaking, simple routines, and finding peace in the mundane
• Reflections on faith, resilience, and raising a family with intention
• Probably a few sarcastic mom jokes and too many baby photos

If you’ve been following along since the beginning — thank you. And if you’re new here, welcome. There’s a seat for you at our messy, grace-filled table.

This blog is Seasons with the Mitchells — and right now, our season looks like burp cloths, big life changes, and all the moments in between.

With love (and reheated matcha in hand),
Kirsten Dawn

*’opihi: a type of limpet (native to Hawai’i), which are marine snails with cone-shaped shells. Some parents refer to their children as “opihi” because of how they cling to their mothers.

Have you ever had to hit pause on a dream? What helped you pick it back up again?
I’d love to hear your story — share it in the comments below. 💛