Wednesday, December 31, 2008

i believe

"i believe when i fall in love with you, it will be forever."-stevie wonder

after the pronouncement of our marriage, as husband & wife, we walked back down the aisle to that song. its such a triumphant song, especially the chorus. it was a theme throughout our dating life, along with the movie High Fidelity. We've been together four years since we walked down to that song. It seems like much, much more...with all the things we've done & all the children we've had!

Our anniversary was spent at a glorious restaurant, Margot Cafe. They served this (surprisingly) amazing black eyed pea hordevour for good luck in the new year. We had course upon course and i sometimes think of the dessert we had and my mouth waters, thats how good it was. After more than two hours filling our bellies we headed back to my parents to get Abraham to bed since he had such a hard time the other nights we had gone out. We had high hopes of going to a party, then lower hopes of games with the siblings, then set our eyes onto the couch. we curled up with our new christmas books and hot tea and laid on the couch together for at least 3 hours reading. it was the perfect (albeit ridicously low key) way to end the year. we've had a wonderful, but tiring year and it was appropriate for it to end with rest.

one thing we talked about that night that has become our #1 resolution for 2009 is : Don't wait for things to be perfect.
If we wait to have a full conversation, we'll never have one. If we wait until we arent tired to go on a date, we'll never go. If we wait to be kind to one another until we've had coffee in the morning, it may be until 10am.

we're realizing that with two kiddos (& more to follow) that our marriage can not wait until life slows down. We have to continue our important conversation in the midst of a toddler singing Twinkle Twinkle at the top of her lungs. We have to serve one another, even if we feel like all we've been doing is serving. We have to keep the conversation going even when our eyelids are dropping. We have to seize those babysitter opportunities even if take out and the couch sounds better. Once we're out the door, we are always so glad.

Life just gets busier. Life just gets more crowded. And with each passing year, we have to keep pushing our marriage, our Stevie Wonder moments, to the forefront. i love you honey!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

this picture tells it all. there were many wonderful gifts that were opened that day and i will post those pictures soon. but wanted to give you a glimpse into that special day. when maggie opened this little ukelele, she got very serious and started to play it immediately. we've been singing at the tops of our lungs ever since we got back home. we've got a little performer on our hands...just like daddy.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

all in the family

our sweet baby joined his larger covenant family on Christmas Eve. Despite the fact that he had an ear infection (that we didnt know of), he was calm and smiley and despite the fact that Maggie kept trying to blow out the Advent Candles...it was a beautiful service. I love looking at the congregation when the pastor asks them to raise their hand to join us in raising this child to pursue God, that is the most special thing to me! To see everyone raising their hand, knowing the Covenant Community of Christians will love our son.
Pastor Craig performed the service as well as Maggie's and our wedding. It's been great to have the same man be there and lead us in all these important vows.





Friday, December 19, 2008

merry christmas!


abraham-6 months


maggie-3 1/2 months

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Friday, December 12, 2008

where does the time go?

from this:


to this, in 6 months:





isnt he the cutest little guy you've ever seen? obviously, he's already gone the girls in this family wrapped around this finger. and not to mention his daddy. whenever daddy is suppose to be "watching" him while he studies...daddy does no studying at all. they just lay on the floor and play.
we cant believe 6 months has gone by. we both feel like he's just two months old! we started rice cereal the other day and boy, what a eater! he loves the stuff. i'm so glad its just as fun feeding him for the first time as it was with Maggie.
he's such a joy, so easy to make smile & laugh, and we love the way him & maggie interact. he's a special, special boy and we are so proud to be his parents. we're blessed indeed.
happy 6 months little man!

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

peek into visit with grandma

since her visit with grandma, maggie loves saying the word and whenever she sees an older person on tv, she says, "there's grandma." i love it.
here is a peek into our visit this past october.



Monday, December 01, 2008

i need africa more than africa needs me

i'm apart of a group called mocha club. basically you donate the price of two mochas a month ($7) to africa and in turn recruit your friends to do the same. i'm currently trying to recruit from the seminary and apartment complex...but feel free to join even if you arent!!!

mocha club has encouraged their donors & bloggers to blog about the title above. please visit the mocha club online to learn more about africa and how we can help...

i spent the month of november, in 2000, in the countries of kenya and malawi. whenever visiting third world countries i am always struck by the fact that such stunning beauty and stark filth can be in the same place. in kenya, i visited one of the large slums on the continent. i watched a maasai warrior dance. i learned how to make maize and help feed the sweetest children in the world. i saw baby elephants, a whole pride of lions, & an entire plane of animals with beauty you could only dream of.

africa. even the name evokes so many feelings and thoughts in people. but when i say the word it makes me think of a small classroom in malawi where i learned what it meant to long to see God and for this earth, with all its beauty and its filth...to be made new.

i spent the most of my time in malawi. i went with a small group of people from church and i had decided to stay a few weeks longer to see if that was where i wanted to stay, permantely. i obviously chose a different path but the things i saw, the things i encountered awakened me to some truths i needed to learn.

i've seen "rougher" places. i've been to poorer lands. But no where had i seen a joy to know God. in that classroom, that day that shook me to the core, a group of little ones gathered to learn. i stood and watched as the teacher lead them in a prayer, after their morning breakfast, and then they sang a song.

" Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King. Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King...
No more dying there, we are going to see the King. No more crying there, we are going to see the King. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, We are going to see the King."

I sat stunned as i watched their faces sing these words, mean these words. I knew i didnt know what it was to long for Jesus to come and make all things new. To not have parents, siblings, everyone die around me. I knew i didnt know what it was like to go hungry, but to understand i would get to be in the presence of a king, The King!

Jesus promises to right all the wrongs in this world. To take ugly and make it beautiful. To take our scars, our wounds and make sense of it. He promises an unending life of goodness and rightness.

Heaven isnt some vague concept to these children I saw singing. They knew. They knew that this life wasnt it, wasnt all that was to come. No, there was/is something better. They knew that even though they were little and filthy and poor-they could meet the King! I finally got the concept of King and I believed it too!

it's a shame that i had to travel around the world to understand God a bit better. but i think thats kinda the point. He uses people and nations and tribes to teach us different parts of Himself. He is God after all and there's lots to know. Thats why I need Africa... to show me more of The King.

So as we all prepare for this Advent Season, this season where The King becomes a baby- let us all be mindful of his Kingness. And as we put lights on our tree, stockings on our mantles, wreaths on our door...let us do it because The King is coming! He is coming to earth to make it right.

Monday, November 24, 2008

a forgotten few

i forgot to post of pictures from our quick trip to nashville, and maggie's first trick or treating experience. she did great! and was adorable!!!



still cant find the plugin

so i have to resort to posting whatever pictures my friends give me! we've had a lovely, busy few weeks. we visits from my sister and two kids and Maggie's dearest buddy, E.E.
A few weeks ago, we took some photos with our new friend Laura. It was surprisingly tough to get a good shot in with Maggie being so squirmy. this is front of the art museum, one of my favorite places in all of St. Louis. Here are the outtakes:







Monday, November 10, 2008

overnight

overnight it turned winter. outside by our deck there sits a tree, that just yesterday, had blazing yellow leaves. this morning with my coffee, i also got a very bare tree. trees with no leaves make it seem colder than it really is. it seems like st. louis forgot that fall was a season. we went straight to "bundle" weather...which i like, but i missed long tshirt & jeans weather.

overnight i turned another year older.32. its a good number. it doesnt feel like me, but i bet everyone feels like this, this side of 30. i've had a near perfect day. as perfect as a regular day can be. sleeping in, breakfast in bed, yoga, pumpkin spice lattes, shopping (with no kids), & hot cocoa with marshmellows.

a sure highlight was when i was giving maggie her nightly bath. abe & i were sitting on the floor watching her play & everytime she splashed or said the word "bubble"-abraham would give a full body laugh. it made my special day even better.
friday, hubby & i are going out on a long awaited night out (with no kids!)...we are looking forward to talking without interruptions or without bouncing a baby in one of our arms.

in reflecting today on our lives, i was surprised with joy at how much i love my life. there isnt much i would change-perhaps our squeeky wood floors, but not much else. it isnt lost on me, how rare & beautiful it is to not want more than what life (ie. God) has handed you. i am a happy, happy woman.

on a less sober yet just as joyful note, i went to dinner last night with some girls from the block. there were a few bdays to celebrate so we left the kiddos to put themselves to sleep (just kidding) & had dinner together.
i think its pretty great that i have such fun friends already, when i've only been here such a short time. (thanks lisa & laura!)



Friday, November 07, 2008

morning devotions

psalms 103 "praise the lord, oh my soul"

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

october & blog tag

so...i obviously cant find my camera cord to upload photos. and thats too bad b/c october has been a busy, fun month with lots of good photos. and to top it off, i think i left my camera in nashville last weekend..have you seen it mom?
anyway, october began with a great visit from our dear friends from east nashville, eric & mandy. we had lots of great meals together and took in some sites of st. louis. we also had our first visit to the great Arch. its pretty grand but also blinding depending on the time of day...
eric & mojo went to some political lectures at the seminary and ended up talking about ethics of torture the whole weekend so mandy and i had some good time catching up and talking walks around the park.
we also had a week long visit with maggie's grandma and grandpa brad. we went to a pumpkin patch, the zoo, lots of park visits and to a groovy vietnamese restaurants. Abe got some love and kisses from them and maggie got to play lots with her grandparents.
then last week mojo had a whirlwind trip to croatia, germany, & switzerland. he played some of his solo album & some OC super. songs. he has a new croatian backing band. long story & its random, but the croats are awesome and its turning out to be a great situation!
when he was gone we headed to nashville for my first trip with both the kids. it was good and we got to have a playdate with some of our great little friends in east nashville (thanks alice!), lots of time with Mimi & Papa Joe, fun times trick or treating (Maggie's first time) with Ellie & Atticus, and a huge cookout on Mimi & Pape Joe's new screened in porch...which is awesome!!!!
it was nice to pull up to our apartment complex and see everyone sitting outside with their kiddos and waving at us, i was happy that i was happy to come home (st. louis)...i wasnt sure how i would feel and so it was really good to be happy.
Pictures to come...as soon as i get my lazt butt to look around for the cord, oh but my camera isnt here.

so one of my oldest friends, Kim, blog tagged me. i've never been compelled to respond to a tag but Kim is new to the blogging world so i want to encourage her to keep at it, since we now live 10 hours away and she has the cutest little twins in the world! so here are 5 random things about me:

1) when eating, i need equal amounts of protein and starch on my plate. for instance, if i am eating eggs and toast and finish my toast before the eggs-i have to make more toast.
2) i like ice to fill my entire cup when drinking water. i'd rather have no ice than just a few pieces.
3) i won the math award in 7th grade.
4) i only got one B in my entire time in graduate school. And although i am proud of that accomplishment, i still harbor a wee bit of resentment towards the teacher that gave me a B. she stinks.
5)today is my first time voting for a president. last election i didnt like either of them, enough to not vote. and the election before that i was in africa for the entire month of november and the election before that i was a sophmore in college and kinda just forgot. i'm voting for obama. :)

mojo, somewhere in europe.


maggie & Mimi

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

ahhhh, this is the life

i just got back from working out....i got 7 hours of sleep last night (in a row!)...both kids are napping....
i'm about to watch desperate housewives online and eat a grilled cheese sandwich...what can i say, i'm easy to please.

Friday, October 17, 2008

the latest

when maggie plays in her play kitchen this is what she says,
"momma, would you like some tofu?"
ahhhh, my little granola baby.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

the sarah jessica parker in me yells no!

i finally finished unpacking my shoes and this is what i am left with:
are my days of high heels over?
am i in a stage of life where berkenstocks and flip flops are all i need? are my "dressiest" days when i go to church and seminary class?
do i keep the great black shoes on the off chance that we'll have a date somewhere other than the sweet little afghani restaurant?
should i just start wearing high heels to starbucks? since thats the only place we go?
sadly, do i box all those beautiful shoes up? do i let maggie use them for dress up so they dont stare up at me sadly when i go in my closet and reach for my slippers?

Monday, October 06, 2008

the outakes

so sweet Evan's 2nd birthday is tomorrow. Maggie and I have been practicing Happy Birthday to Evan for about a month....and with no such luck for an actual song to show him. We have about 20 outtakes of her singing. its pretty funny. here are a couple. Evan, we adore and miss you and hope your day is filled with love, friends, and sugar!


Friday, October 03, 2008

maggie's first "girls night"

i havent had much time/energy to write these days but wanted to post a few pictures of maggie's first dinner out with a friend.
mya and mags splash in the beautiful fountain before dinner. my water baby couldnt get enough and soon had completely submerged herself. that girl loves water. thankfully, mya's mommy had a spare (albeit, way too small for maggie) outfit.

all was well and we had a lovely evening at the boathouse restaurant.




Monday, September 29, 2008

***strong man alert***

Abraham rolled over today! what a champion! only 3 1/2 months! such an overachiever! Go Son!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

picnic perfect

today we had a wonderful picnic in the park. i cant get enough of Forest Park and love to take the kids there. today we had a picnic in front of the Planetarium in a shady little area way from everyone. we ate apples, pears, cheese and crackers and of course, Maggie's favorite, a juice box.
we cant wait for fall to come!!!!






Tuesday, September 23, 2008

sweet girls

i have been meaning to blog about lots going on but nap times have tended to mean nap time for me too. lately, our nights have been full. mojo is usually studying and i have been blessed with some super fun gals. all their husbands study too, so we can just walk to each others houses and chill for a bit and then go home. its lovely here. i'll blog about that more later but here are some pics of maggie, her friend mya, and the new puppy sinclair.
sinclair belongs to our friend laura who lives a few apartments over. they have sinclair, who's new, and solomon, who is a bit bigger. maggie LOVES to run to see solomon and knows both puppies by name. laura's husband, walter is the sweetest guy and lets maggie play with the pups whenever she wants.

mya lives right next door and we couldnt ask for a nicer little neighbor. her parents moved in a few months before we did so we'll get to see mya grow up for the next couple years. we'll see her off to pre-school and maybe even kindergarten and maggie will have her etched in her "seminary memories" forever.

maggie adores mya and whenever we are walking by the house she says "mya home? mya sleeping? mya eating dinner?" if i say, mya isnt home. she'll ask "bryan home? lisa home?" she loves mya's parents almost as much as mya.

last night mya left her flip flops here during a late night playdate while their daddy's were at class. all morning long maggie has been trying on those flip flops, saying "mya's shoes!"

mya, we're so thankful you're right next door! please excuse maggie when she repeatedly rings your doorbell!!! its just cause she likes you so much!!!





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Welcome to the Morginskys blog! Our family and friends are spread across the globe and we set up this place for those that want to read about the goings on of the adventures of our family. We have lived in Nashville but are headed to St. Louis for a new chapter in our lives.