Oh Malachi | Eighteen Months | Personal

My sweet, sweet boy...

I don't know how we got to eighteen months so quickly. I feel like we were just bringing your wrinkly little self home from the hospital yesterday and here we are a year and half later. You are just growing up so fast and I sometimes catch myself wishing we could go back and do it all over again. But then I stop and think of all the fun that is to come and I cannot wait to see what is coming next.

This has been a bit of a tough week around here. Your grandpa had a heart attack on Monday and we are slowly trying to find our way back to normal. It was particularly rough on you little man. We left you with a sitter (Another big thank you to Calina and Scott for coming and being your friend while we rushed downtown) for bed time and you werent entirely sure how to respond to that one. Tuesday was followed up with another sitter and some quality time with your daddy and the rest of the week we spent trying to get you back to normal. We had a hard time with that but we finally found our way back to somewhat normal. I am just so very grateful that your grandpa is still alive and here to watch you grow up. Things could have ended so differently, but I will always be so thankful that it didnt.

Your Grandma Cynde was here to spend time with you this past weekend! We had such a great time just loving on one another. There was so much joy. We had lunch out, went garage sale-ing, took some pictures, went to the zoo and played. It is always so good for us to get to spend time with your daddy's family and for you to get to know them as you get older. You are so loved and any time spent with them is time that we cherish as a family. Thanksmas is coming up and I cannot wait for your aunts and uncles to get to spoil you with their love and for you to get to play with your cousins for the first time! It will be such a sweet time of laughter and joy and just sweet memories.

You are just a ball full of energy sweet boy. You open your eyes in the morning and you are on the move. You eventually play yourself to sleep, and then we do it all over again until bed time. Your just the most beautiful storm of love and chaos all wrapped up in one. You love to play. Your interests have become much more wide spread. You love to build blocks and legos. You love reading books and you can identify most of the objects that you see. You have have a few look and find books and you can find almost everything that we point out to you. You and Duffy have gotten really close in the last few months. He keeps you safe at night and you take him pretty much everywhere. You absolutely love Toy Story. Your Buzz and Woody that you got in Disney World are still easily your favorite toys. You are obsessed with the movies and you will watch them over and over again if we let you. You love to color and do stickers. We dance and sing and you are a pro at both. Your dances have become much more interpretive haha. You have this new monster walk dance that you do and you have your own car dance. Thats my very favorite. We are going to start gymnastics in the spring and I cannot wait for that. You're going to be such a rockstar.

Your food choices have become a little more picky lately. We figured out that you have a milk intolerance, so the  few things that you did like have gotten even smaller haha. You love to eat fruits, which is a plus. Its the veggies we are having a hard time with. You love chicken and you will eat waffles and pancakes for days. You love oatmeal and have finally taken to the much less expensive big people oatmeal as apposed to the very expensive little people oatmeal and for that your parents are very grateful. We even discovered the Sweet Frog has a really tasty non dairy option that you love so we can still have our dates there. That makes me so happy inside! I love my dates there with you and your daddy.

We havent had your well visit yet, but when you were very sick a few weeks ago, you weighed in at 26.2 lbs, you lost some while super sick, so Im assuming your upwards of 27 lbs now and around 34 inches tall. You were 2t shirts, 18 month shorts and jeans, 3t pajamas and size 6 shoes. You are in size 4 diapers both daytime and nightime and you are rocking the spikey short hairs now. You are quite a stylish baby if I do say so myself. We have all your clothes for the winter and fall all washed and ready to go and I have to say that I am the most excited about the Captain America hoodie. You will look so good this year!!

You are really close to putting together some sentences and occasionally they come out clearly! You say "I did it!" and "I love you" most of the time haha, and you will occasionally say things like "Look what I got" and "All done." Its pretty hit or miss. You say gone and uh oh like they are going out of style. You say most of your animals and can do all of the noises that go with them. Including what does a fish say which is you making a fish face and opening and closing your mouth. Cutest. Trick ever. You have also learned the difference between squeeze and shake from helping daddy clean up your bath toys, so we are working pretty hard on squeezing and giving mommy a foot rub in the process. Best thing we are learning yet hahahahah!!!

Your little personality has gotten so much bigger, if that is even possible. You are all about affection lately. You give hugs and kisses and you also give "ugga-muggas" which is an eskimo kiss that you learned from watching Daniel Tiger. You like to race yourself across the room  and you love to let us know what you want and how you want it. You pick out your own snacks and you are very clear about your wants and your needs. You make the best faces and they all look just like your daddy's, which I absolutely love. You are surrounded by so much love in your life and I cannot tell you enough how much I will always be grateful for that. You will never go a day in your life without knowing that you are loved and we will make sure of that.

Malachi who you are and the calling on your life are so apparent in your every day. You are so full of joy and life. And you have no fear. None at all. You will do anything, look at anything, embrace anything without even thinking twice. It has been so incredible as you have grown to get to watch the calling in you take shape and begin to be seen. Someone gave us a word over you before you were even born that you would be a child of vision, and that before you were even old enough to write them down yourself that we needed to get you a special journal for all of your dreams and visions and to write them down for you. I cannot wait to help you write everything that Jesus shows you. I can see that in you already and the day that you tell me what your seeing for the first time will be the best day of my life.

I thank God every single day that he loved me enough to give me you. You are the joy in my every day, my meaning in my life and even at my worst, you love me most. I will never be able to show you just how much your little life means to me. So know that as you grow and you become the very best you that you can be, that I will always be the very best friend that you could ever have. I will never love you less for your mistakes. Helping you grow and become whatever and whoever you are meant to be is an honor Malachi and one that I do not take lightly. You will never be alone.

Happy Eighteen Months, my beautiful blue eyed boy. There's not a day that goes by that I dont thank God for you.

I'll eat you up, I love you so...

All my love,
Your mama

Monday Moments | The Real Us | Personal

This week was birthday week!! Birthdays are a big deal around here and this week was mine! We had a few sessions to finish up in editing before going into this weekend's sessions and we spent the whole day Friday celebrating! This year I really wanted to just relax for my birthday. Having a kid is hard work haha!! So Nic made sure I was pampered for the day! I went for a massage in first thing in the morning while my parents hung out with the little man. Then they treated me and the little man to lunch, we bought a gift for my dear friend Calina's bridal shower, made a Target run, bought an ice cream cake and made our way home to meet up with Nic coming home from work. Then the parents kept the little man while my best friend of a husband took me to get a pedicure and even joined in on the experience. He really is the best around. We came home to facetime my brother and have ice cream cake. Then we got the little man to sleep and binge watched some White Collar before going to sleep for just a few hours before partying it up with the little man for a few hours in the middle of the night haha!! It was a great birthday indeed!

We spent our Saturday together making plans for our future and loving our little man. Sunday was bridal shower day for Calina! It was so fun to shower her with so much love before her wedding this fall!! I got to photograph the event and loved every single minute of it!! Last night we had a great session with a beautiful family and their sweetest little girl.

Also. Malachi snuggles a teddy bear while he sleeps now. Its pretty awesome.

We are so excited for what God has next for our family and we cannot wait to share all that is coming next for us with you all. So stay tuned over the next few weeks and look for all that is about to happen for us! We know God has big things for us and for our business! Thanks for believing in us and for helping us chase our dreams! We love every minute spent with you all.

Monday Moments | The Real Us | Personal

It has been a few weeks since we posted a Monday Moments post, but it has been a crazy few weeks around here. We have had so many sessions and we have had some crazy things going on in our personal lives.

This week we have really taken some time to seek the Lord as a family. We have had some big changes in our lives this week and it really caused us to take a step back and think about what it is that God has for us. We don't have anything we feel comfortable sharing right now, but we promise that in a few weeks we will bring everyone up to date on what is going on with us.

Malachi caught some kind of nasty virus at the playground on Friday. He was perfectly fine all day and around 3:00 he climbed up on Nic's lap and he thought he felt a little warm. We took his temperature and found it to be more than just a little warm. 103.5 and climbing. We got some Motrin in him and took it one hour at a time but by Saturday afternoon he woke up from his nap and his little face looked like a fire engine and his ears looked like he was on fire. His temperature at that particular moment was upwards of 105. We were in the car on our way to Children's within 5 minutes. We got his fever under control and made our way home with instructions to push juice and fluids and love on him. So thats what we did. We watched whatever movies he picked, played what he wanted to play, bought him his own quart of Mango Rita's Ice, and nursed our sweet boy back to health. Sunday morning his fever started coming down and over the course of the day our sweet boy made his way back to his funny, loving self. This morning the pediatrician said that the ulcers in his throat are starting to heal up as of this morning and gave us the same instructions to love on him and get him back to health. This is the first time that our sweet boy has been this sick and let me tell you it is a helpless feeling to not be able to take that kind of pain and discomfort from your child. His pitiful little face. Broke my heart in about a million pieces.

And that was our week. We have a beautiful session to show you later this week and we have another personal moment post to share with you early next week. We can't wait to show you what we have planned. You'll love it. I know it.

Parenthood | The Real Us | Personal

When we found out that we were expecting our first baby, we didnt have a clue what we were in for. For those of you who don't know us, and even for those of you who do and dont know this, Malachi was not planned. Not even close to planned. Like most newlyweds, we had this master plan for what our life was going to look like. We had been married for 10.5 months. We both had just been promoted in our jobs. We had an amazing apartment, our savings account had finally started to look like a savings account and we were ready for the next year of our lives to look remarkably similar to the one that came before it. We had planned to start trying for a baby the following year, making us married for almost three years when said baby would be born. Great plan, right?  Fast forward about a month from this on top of our world moment, and a little pink stick changed everything for us. Life as we knew it was about to change.

Parenthood changes you. And not because your life is now overrun with diapers, bottles, toys and middle of the night cuddles. It changes who you are as a person. Your whole identity changes. So instead of writing a "what to expect when you're expecting" blog post that are so famous these days, we wanted to write a little piece of reality for all your parents out there. In our own words, what parenthood has meant to us. What we have learned, what we are still learning and all the things that make parenthood such a beautiful and wonderful life. So here it is. Our hearts on the matter. Parenthood through the eyes of Destiny and Nic.

Nic: Becoming a parent has honestly seemed like one lesson after another. From day one, having never dealt with babies in any way other than waving from a distance, my primary goal was keeping our son alive haha. It changes your perspective in a huge way when you are responsible for the life of another human being. Not only that but also being responsible for helping him develop socially and spiritually. It's a huge task and one that I know I couldn't do without the help of my wife (honestly she's easily the 85% of my kid's success thus far.)

Of all the things I have learned so far, I have to say the greatest lesson has been the love of a father. I had always known my parents had loved me, but I couldn't understand the way your heart can burn for their success and wellbeing, to the point that you know you would do anything if it meant they would be better off. One night in particular I will never forget when Malachi was about 4 or 5 months old and I was holding him and singing him to sleep and also using that as a time of prayer and worship for us both; I was praying over Malachi and reflecting on how much I loved him. In that moment I heard God telling me that He loved me even more than that, even more than I could imagine. I had always known God loved me, but knowing that God;s love for me was even greater than what I felt towards my son and even more than I could imagine so much greater. It was a great revelation to me and I look forward to learning to love more and more. Parenting, and marriage for that matter, is a great about forcing you to love in ways I know I would probably not do voluntarily. You sacrifice a lot: your sleep, your free time, flexibility in your schedule to do what you want, a fair amount of money, and more. From all of that, you have the opportunity to grow in patience and selflessness and every aspect of love. I have learned a great deal so far and have much more still ahead of me, and I look forward to every moment of it. 

Destiny: Im going to be completely honest with you right now...

When we found out we were expecting, everyone had their own brilliant words of wisdom to throw my way. Things about the love you will feel and the joy that those moments bring and all the new things you will learn so quickly. I took all their advice with a painfully pregnant smile on my face and thought that I had a grasp on what parenthood would be like. My goodness was I wrong. When I saw Malachi for the first time, it was this surreal feeling of love and fear all mixed together with just the right amount of hormones (and a lot a bit of morphine) to create the perfect storm of emotions that I just couldn't quite figure out. It wasn't this overwhelming feeling of heart exploding love that all the old ladies had told me about. It wasn't this angelic anthem playing in the background as they placed this bundle of joy next to my face, as I was promised it would be. It was scary. And after three days of labor and an emergency c-section, the tears were just as much relief as they were joy. 

A rough bout of post partum depression, a hard recovery that I honestly still dont feel completely normal from, and a lot of lessons later, we have a happy, healthy, beautiful 17 month old little boy. Getting here wasnt easy. There have been times when life felt like it would never balance out. There were times when I just sat down and cried because I didnt think I could possibly do another thing or take another step. But amongst all the trials and the learning, there has been so much joy. So, so much joy. 

As I look at my son now, and I think about what parenthood has meant to me, I can't narrow it down to just one thing that I have learned. But I can give you my top few for sure. The biggest thing? We will never have a plan that sticks ever again. No roadtrip. No single day. Nothing will ever be exactly as planned. Which for anyone who knows me knows that I have a hard time not having a plan. But the beauty of this new season is that I have learned something very valuable.  Life is messy when you have kids, and for that I will always be grateful. Everything you do is an adventure and everything is so brand new to their little eyes. And the more that I slow down and I begin to see life through my son's eyes, the more I realize just how beautiful this world is. Parenthood has taught me that every single day we live is so valuable. No tomorrow is guaranteed. I am grateful for every single moment with my Malachi. Every giggle is forever etched into my mind. Every new discovery or Evil Doctor Porkchop voice that is demanded over and over again as we play Toy Story for the 100th time that day is hidden away into the deepest part of my heart. Because these moments are going to disappear all too fast and I can promise you that when they are gone, I will want every single one of them back. I have learned to let the small stuff go and choose my battles. Not everything is worth correcting so that when the big stuff does happen those corrections matter. I have learned that corrections and discipline are necessary no matter how hard it is to implement. Your kids will be better off for it. I have learned that when you have kids, your relationship with your husband becomes something so different and new. It makes your realize just how selfish you actually are. Life isnt ours anymore. Its all about this little person who very much has needs and wants and makes them known very loudly and very persistently. But amongst all those changes, that relationship becomes so beautifully strong and you learn the new together and find a balance in it. Thats the beautiful part about life. There is always grace to handle whatever is in front of you. Even when it feels like there isnt enough, its there. Just keep reaching for it. It will never leave you empty.

See the thing that no one tells you about parenthood is that its hard. There is nothing easy about it. You are tired and worn and sometimes feel like you have nothing left to give to this little person who is constantly needing more from you. But what they also don't tell you about is the feeling you get when your baby looks at you and actually recognizes who you are for the first time. Or the feeling that you get when you say "Okay bubba come on its time to go," and he walks over to you and grabs your hand and guides you to the door. Just because he knows he is safe as long as he is holding your hand. Or the pride you will feel when your little boy smiles that innocent little smile at the older gentleman who is all alone at Walmart, waves hi to him and reaches for his hand just so he can be close to someone he doesnt even know but I believe with my whole heart that Jesus whispered to that sweet little spirit that that old man needed someone to show him love that day. Little did he know that the littlest person in the store would give his heart the biggest joy he has felt in a long time. See God has a way of giving you a perfect balance in the chaos. And someday, when we look back on this season, we will want those middle of the night cuddles and those ouchies that need kisses all back again. If parenthood has taught me anything its that the love you feel for that child will know no ends. There will never be anything that little boy does that could make me love him any less. Because I have a father in heaven that loves me so much more than I love Malachi, and its because of that love that I can love my sweet boy the way that I do. Parenthood is so much more than a season of life. Its joy, fear, chaos, calm, pride, sadness, happiness, anger, guilt, beauty, and so much love all rolled into one neat package. Its the greatest gift I could have ever been given. And it is one that I will never take for granted. 

And thats parenthood through our eyes. The real story of the Morris family and everything that we are going through in this beautiful season of our lives. We are real people. Just like you.

So to all you parents out there that are figuring out this crazy journey of parenthood too, know that you arent alone. And the things that you are feeling aren't wrong. Theres a pretty good chance that you arent the only out there that is feeling that way. There are two parents and a beautiful little boy with two front teeth with a gap in the middle in southwestern Pennsylvania that are going through it too. Just remember to love every single moment. You ARE doing a great job, and to that little person you are their entire world. Embrace every tear and giggle and watch Toy Story as many times as he wants to. Because this season is short, but the memories of these moments will last you a lifetime. We promise.

Monday Moments | The Real Us | Personal

It has been a busy week around here!! We had so much fun during our last week with Uncle Jonathan being home and getting ready for Nic and I's first weekend away without the little man! 

This week we continued with Malachi's trend of taking off his own pants and running around that way. Its a good time. Also. With figuring out that Malachi has a milk allergy, we have been on a scavenger hunt for snacks and meals that don't have milk in them. Which, you would be surprised how many things that shouldn't have milk in them, actually do. But we did manage to find a puffed corn snack that is veggie flavored, and to my surprise, he absolutely loves it. As you can see from the photo below.

Also, operation get Malachi attached to something so that he will sleep is working! Well. The attachment part is. The sleeping part still needs some work. But he snuggles this bear everywhere that we go and when he wakes up in the morning. Its the sweetest.

Block building is serious business in our house, but so is getting all of your round blocks to fit into the back of your truck. All but one would fit. He was very frustrated by this.

Our weekend away was so refreshing! We spent the weekend in Columbus, Ohio, which I know, to most does not sound all that exciting, but it was for us! Nic was only able to take Friday off so we couldn't go far and my mom and I had my cousin's bridal shower to attend not far from Columbus, so we decided to kill two birds with one stone and go for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary!! Here we are in the car on the way there and also enjoy this tonka truck strapped to the back of an eighteen wheeler. Your welcome.

It was so refreshing to be able to just spend some time investing in each other. To just hold hands, walk around, talk about whatever we wanted to. We kept with anniversary tradition and we had dinner at PF Changs and got lost in Barnes and Nobles for a while. We found Nic a pretty awesome pair of sunglasses at a kiosk in town center and had so much just being on a date. We then enjoyed what I think is our first uninterupted full night of sleep since Malachi was born. It was a beautiful thing. So very beautiful. 

The next morning we binge watched some White Collar and then headed to Utica for Jenna's shower. My mom had Malachi for the weekend so she brought him along and while we were showering the bride, Nic and Malachi had a daddy son date. They had chicken nuggets at the local dinner and then spent the whole afternoon at the playground! Malachi can now slide all by himself. Doesnt seem like much, but its big to us haha!

We had dinner at Pei Wei that night, which I havent had since I lived in Tulsa and oh my goodness do I miss Pei Wei. So. Freaking. Good. 

On Sunday we went to church at The Bridge which is pastored by a dear friend of ours, Pastor Lenny Weston. My brother and I traveled internationally with Pastor Lenny and his ministry VMI when I was teenager and it was so good to be surrounded by so much love and so many people that are like family to us. It was so good to get filled up and to enjoy being in church together. Watching Nic lead worship is one of my very favorite things, but sometimes its good to just step back and be together and allow God to speak to both of us. It was definitely a beautiful morning.

Being away from the little man this weekend allowed us to really invest in each other and remember what we love about us. Sometimes when you become parents, its so easy to be so invested in your kids that you forget what created them in the first place. We definitely learned the importance of taking time for each other and remembering that invested in one another is the most powerful thing you can do in marriage. It makes life a little easier for everyone!

We have so many fun sessions coming up in the next few weeks as well as a promotion that we will be announcing soon!! Look for a fun family reunion feature on the blog later this week and also  special post from Nic and I. There is so much fun happening this week!!!! 

Monday Moments | The Real Us | Personal

We had a busy week around here!!! Malachi ended up sick after being at church with us last week, so he then proceeded to cough that adorable little cough all over Nic and I which resulted in a not so adorable cold for both Nic and I. Lots of tea. Lots of kleenex. Some White Collar binge watching. And some snuggles and books for the little man and we are all on the road to recovery I think. 

Our whole week was spent gearing up for our big day trip to buffalo on Saturday!! We got to spend the day with one of my dearest friends from college, Sarah, and her boyfriend John. And my goodness I cannot tell you how much good it did both of our hearts to spend the day with some of the most genuine and caring people we have ever known. 

We had many adventures including breakfast at the cutest little restaurant, wondering around a beautiful park and letting the little man explore the playground, long heart talks on a bench in the shade while Malachi napped, a trip to the Buffalo Zoo, and French crepes at another perfectly adorable coffee shop. After our day of adventures was over, we headed back to John's parents house for dinner and to take some amazingly perfect love story photos of Sarah and John.  The Hogenmiller's were some of the most beautiful people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. We could not be more grateful for them welcoming us into their home and allowing us to feel at home. After dinner, complete with pizza with Chicken fingers on it (my new favorite by the way), and a sad goodbye, we made our way home with more love in our hearts than we have had in quite some time. Its so amazing what a day filled with love and joy and good friends can do for your spirit. 

This season of life is full of changes and so much love. But this weekend served as such a gentle reminder of God's love and his grace in each of our lives. Sometimes I feel so grateful that God ultimately holds the plans for our lives. Had I gone to college somewhere else for my last three years I would have never met Nic. I would have never sat next to Sarah in Acting I and began a friendship that would last for the rest of our lives. If Sarah hadnt chose Regent, she would have never met John's sister Emily and met the love of her life. And Nic and I would have never gotten to experience all of the wonderful that this weekend was. So even in the seasons where change is abundant and God seems quiet, just remember that he is always working. And that he always holds the bigger picture. Even when we can't see it, he does and he will never let us fall. Life is a beautiful series of events. One that I love watching unfold. I am so grateful for every moment that this week held for us.

Look for a special post from Nic and I later this week. And have an amazing week!