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! 

Mason and Kenleigh | Infants and Children | Portraits

A few weeks back we had a birthday session with the Spardy kids. Mason turned five and Kenleigh turned two! I cannot believe they are that big already! Kenleigh was only four weeks old when I met their mama Michelle for the first time! They are just growing up way too fast! 

We met up at Peter's Lake Park and spent some time with each kid and then did some fun sibling shots! I was loving the perfect evening light and all the fun flares that we caught of both kids. It was a photographer's dream that night. Enjoy a few of our favorites from this session!! 

We cannot wait to work with the Spardy family again soon!! They are one of our favorite families to work with! 

Be on the lookout for another fun session feature later this week and a super exciting Monday Moments next week!!!

Monday Moments | The Real Us | Personal

I can't believe another week has come an gone already! This very rainy summer is flying by way too fast. This week has been full of runny noses and nasty coughs and lots of big boy things. First. Enjoy the many faces of Malachi watching Toy Story. This is serious business people.

Malachi has started talking up a storm the last few days!! He has said everything from "I want that" to "Jonathan." Big progress around here!! He has also taken to stealing phones from people and running around the house yelling hello at the top of his lungs while holding the phone up to his ear. Cutest thing ever. Until we take the phone from him and then he isnt so pleased. Its alright though. He will get over it eventually haha!! 

I got to spend Saturday afternoon with a dear friend eating yummy Olive Garden food and showing her all of the baby must haves for her soon to be little man!! It was so much fun spending time with someone so near and dear to my heart and sharing such a precious time in life with her!! I loved every minute of it!!! 

Nic also decided to spike malachi's hair after his tubby the other night and that resulted in a desperate need to get his hair cut haha! Also he was starting look like he had a bowl cut. Which isnt flattering on anyone. So we made plans to get it cut later in the weekend!! Also. Enjoy Malachi eating breakfast.

I so enjoyed watching my Nicolas love my Malachi this week. You never realize how deeply you can love someone until you watch them love your children. It changes everything. 

We have really started trying to make sure that we are teaching Malachi about Jesus more now that he is old enough to start understanding what we are talking about. We watch a lot of Veggie tales and read him bible stories from his Jesus Calling book. We try and make sure that one or the other happens every single day. No matter what anyone tells you, its never too early to start feeding your children's little spirits. Its such a valuable part of our every day.

And here's his haircut!! Such cuteness!!!

We have a few sessions on the books for the next few weeks and have a few booked up for the fall already!! And! This weekend we get to go and visit one of my dearest friends from college in Buffalo!! I cannot wait to spend the day with her and hear all the wonderings of her heart. It has been far too long!!

Stay tuned for double session features this week and a few sneak peeks in there too!! Happy Monday Friends!! 

Monday Moments | The Real Us | Personal

The Monday Moments are back!! Its been a busy few weeks for us since getting back from vacation!! Quite a few sessions, lots of family planning, some sleep training with the little man and a whole lot of giggles, stories and love in between. But!! We are back with some fun cell phone moments from the last few weeks and some stories of our adventures!

We moved Malachi into his big boy bed! Much much earlier than planned, but necessary at this point. Malachi slept in his own bed while we were in Disney, and once we got home he would have nothing to do with his crib. So we sleep in the big boy bed now. Fun times haha. So that was a busy few days of trying to make that switch happen and training him into the new bed. It took about a week, but Saturday night he slept through the night for the first time in a long time and last night only got up once! So we are making progress people!! Three cheers for Malachi!

Nic and Malachi play the guitar together. Sweetest thing ever. Believe it or not, even though he just slaps the guitar, he isnt that far off when it comes to rhythm. Music lessons start next year. He just doesnt know it yet haha!! We also bought the little man a new pool for out on the deck and he is loving that!! What little boy doesnt want his own Pirate ship!! So that has been so much fun for him!!

He has also become very attached to Duffy bear this week. Our pediatrician recommended getting him attached to something that he could sleep with so that when he does wake up in the night, he doesnt automatically scream for us. He will look for his comfort item. And because he wasnt attached to anything, we got to pick what we attached him to. We thought Duffy bear would grow well with him and its something we know we could get a second one of if we ever lost it. Plus we can order Duffy his own pajamas to wear to bed. That may or may not happen in the near future haha!!

We celebrated the 4th of July by doing it right with the parade and the fireworks! We spent some time with our New Life family that morning and enjoyed watching Malachi's face as he saw all of the new things pass by him. It didnt come close to the reaction to the Disney Parades. But, I mean, really... what could. We fought for a nap that afternoon and then swam a bit, cooked out and went to the South Hills Village to watch the fireworks!! It was a great show!! We loved every minute of the family time and so enjoyed Nic having the day off to spend with us!!

As far as whats happening in our life or the things we have been working on, Nic and I are working to try and prioritize our relationship a little more. Its so easy when you have a kid to get caught up in what youre doing and everything that this little person wants and needs that our relationship gets lost in that a little bit. So we are going to start having our weekly date night again, be it alone or with friends, just a time for us away from Malachi, and also start prioritizing what the other needs a little more. Time alone or even just something that the other wants to do. Its important that we thrive so that our family can thrive!

We are gearing up for two weddings in October and some really big news to follow those!! We got our final logo designs back from the fabulous Christen at Allocco Design and Crafts and we cannot wait to show those off!! Our new website will be going live in just a few months!!!

This week we have an amazing themed session on the books and I am so excited about this one. Into the Woods is about to meet a nationally ranked dancer. Magic is going to happen. So much magic.

Thanks for being a part of this Monday Moment! See you later this week for an adorable siblings birthday session!! And remember to follow us on instagram at destmorris or with our family hashtag, #morrispartyofthree !!

Jennifer Inskeep | Headshots | Portraits

In may we had the opportunity to do some professional headshots with Jen! I actually went to high school with Jen so it was great to get to reconnect with her and to meet her new husband!! Jen is an amazing coach for BeachBody and works alongside Kelsey, who was featured a few weeks back!! Jen wanted a more natural feel to her session, so we met at Mingo and spent some time walking to park and aimed to capture her as she sees herself. Enjoy a few of our favorites from Jen's headshot session! 

Thanks for trusting us to help with your journey Jen!! We enjoyed every minute of it and we hope to get to work with your family again in the future!! 

We offer a variety of headshot packages so if you or anyone you know are looking for some professional photos to help push you ahead in your career goal please don't hesitate to contact us! We would love to work with you!!

Look for our Monday Moments posts to return this coming week and stay tuned for some pretty adorable kids in next week's featured birthday session!!