It's Called Unconditional Love...

My little guy: "Mom, why did you and Dad do all this cool stuff for me even though I'm bad?"
Me: "You're not bad. Don't say that."
My little guy: "No, like sometimes I do bad stuff or I don't obey you guys."
Me: (Lump in my throat) "Well, because we love you always. No matter what.  Mommy and Daddy always want to do good for you and give you good things... it's called unconditional love."
My little guy: "Oh..."
Me: "And guess what? That's how God loves us. Even though we don't always obey. Even though we sometimes choose bad over good. He loves us.  He died on the cross for us."
My little guy: "And He even died for the people that did bad stuff to Him..."
Me: "Yes, He sure did..."
*************************************
This conversation took place today at the park.  Our two oldest daughters were at volleyball and water polo practice and our youngest daughter was at a summer program at her school.  Marco and I decided we would spend some special time with our little guy at a nearby park. We brought his fishing poll and he did some "fishing" (translates to casting, reeling in, casting, reeling in, splash tip of poll in water, get distracted by every splash or movement around him...), then we went exploring and tried to catch some frogs and ended it with him playing at the play ground and getting wet at the splash pad.

After the conversation, you better believe that my husband and I both looked at each other with so much gratitude in that moment. So thankful for my little Thinker.  He talks a lot.  Yes, he sometimes gets out of control or gets too loud or acts without thinking - but this kid's got a heart of gold.

So thankful I took the time to listen.  To really hear him and answer his questions.  We constantly learn from our kids.  That's okay, you know.

Did you know that our God loves us no matter what? He doesn't care what we look like, what we know, how much money we have, or what church we go to - or even if we go to church at all.  That is not what makes Him loves us.  He loves us because we are His children.  He created us.

So stop worrying my friend. You can't make Him not love you.  Ever. Even when you are "bad" or sometimes do bad things.  It's called grace. It's called unconditional love.

Romans 5:8

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that,

while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Catching my breath...

Looks like I have a post in my edits that was supposed to be posted last Monday for "hello monday". Hmmm...
Not too sure what happened except that it has just been so crazy that I imagine I meant to post it and never did.  Anyway, I didn't even notice until I went to check what number "hello monday" I was on...
*sigh*
So, what did you miss? Well... my oldest graduated from High School.

I love that she spotted us right away in the crowd!

That's her!

She has already started at Chaffey College and will be studying Kinesiology  as well as playing water polo for the school.

Some very faithful cheerleaders here...

Daddy's Girl

Halleluyer! WE did it. lol

Me and My Girl

Then the next day, THIS happened

 My Taryn promoted from 8th grade and will be attending North High School next year.

She graduated with honors!

 Naomi ended the second grade with an amazing field trip to a local park that has a splash pad. They played all sorts of games and enjoyed a picnic lunch with all of the other second graders. She had such an awesome teacher this year. Mrs. Hernandez was all about fun + learning.

And lastly, this little man.  He completed his first year of school.  Kindergarten was intense. Each full day was stuffed with learning writing, reading, math and more from the moment they walked in until the time they headed home which was 2:55 just about every day.

Also during the week were award ceremonies, parties and celebrations of course - you get the idea.

It's been wild, but I am finally able to sit down and catch my breath.  Sort of...

Another big huge thing - is that after 6 years of giving it our all, we've closed the doors to our Freedom Church and ministry.  There were many reasons and events that led up to this decision, and although I still haven't been able to process it all, I have faith that it was the right decision.

So as that door has closed, we are watching to see what other doors will open.

We are praying for a job for my husband - his other job at CBU is done for the summer and won't resume until the fall classes begin again.

Learning to walk our talk and trust Him.

hello monday|eighteen

hello monday! You wait for no one.  *sigh*

 hello monday mugshots.  This is my favorite mug these days and the other belongs to my guy.

He's always my Monday morning coffee date. My sister, Esther, bought this mug for him when she was visiting and he won't use any other mug.  

hello coffee with sugar-free french vanilla creamer. You are so needed today.

 hello piles of laundry to be folded. We had an issue with our dryer, but it's all fixed now, thanks to my amazing Marco and YouTube how-to videos. =)  Just a little backed up on folding, but that'll be caught up today!

hello faithful friend. Our dog Oso. He's a mix of Jack Russell and Chihuahua. We've had him since he was a puppy - about 6 years. This is his favorite place to hang out and that's at Marco's feet whether he's watching t.v. or working in his office.

hello senior pictures.  We drove down to Oceanside and La Jolla for a session with Digilife Photography.

I was able to capture a bunch of shots from the sidelines.  The little ones got to play while Hannah was busy posing.

 Ah. This girl. I love her so much.

 She's a little bit of me and a little bit of Marco and a whole lot of something special. 

I love that she's not afraid to be herself.

 hello to new decisions.

hello being honest about my feelings.

hello to the unknown...

This is my life and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  No matter what we are doing or where we are, we are first and foremost - FAMILY.

So there you go. hello monday and new beginnings.

Inspired by my friend, Lee at Embrace Life, Hello Monday provides a peek into the coming week - in all its glory. Join us and Lisa for the Hello Monday fun.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

~~Winston Churchill

hello monday|twelve

hello  Monday Mugshots.  Started out the morning with breakfast made by my guy and a full pot of coffee.  The first cup was great - and necessary - but I love how the second cup is just a bit hotter.  The first one tends to get gulped down and the second one gets to be sipped...appreciated a little more.

Jaws!

hello universal studios - I missed Monday Mugshots and hello Monday altogether last week and this is why. The kids had the week off for Spring Break and my guy decided it would be really great to take them to Universal Studios. Except for Hannah, they had never been!  It was quite the investment, but with the purchase of one day - you get a pass for the rest of the year!  You can't beat that. We had a wonderful time together.  Marco had to work the rest of the week of course, but the kids and I enjoyed taking it slow.

Optimus Prime at the Transformers ride

Hannah and Taryn could not get enough of The Sugar store at Universal

hello family time - I really love these people. Seems I can't get enough of them.

my favorite

my specials

hello reality check - I think it was late last night when it dawned on me that the school year is almost over. My girl Hannah is graduating high school. Little Marco is promoting from kindergarten and T-girl is finished with junior high.  Time moves so fast. *sigh*

hello new week new start - many things that I feel like I've got to hit the reset button on... here's to hoping that I can.

So there you go. hello monday and new beginnings.

Inspired by my friend, Lee at Embrace Life, Hello Monday provides a peek into the coming week - in all its glory. Join us and Lisa for the Hello Monday fun.

“In three words, I can sum up everything

I've learned about life. It goes on.”  ~Robert Frost

Is it Spring Break yet??

I love this picture I was able to capture of my girl Hannah doing the butterfly.  So proud of her!

We have been running like crazy this month with so many activities.  Throw in a Flu Bug and it just makes for some rough days at the Morales home.  I am really looking forward to having the kids on break in a few weeks.  Marco still has work that week, but it will be nice to have that slower pace to maybe catch up a bit.

Here's a couple things that I thought were worth mentioning this month...

 Naomi finally decided she'd like to cut her hair. She needed at least ten inches to donate to Locks of Love (she was really excited about this part) and she had no problem sharing almost 12 inches!

 First shock of seeing her hair cut off from the back.

 Here it is! Wow. I did get a little teary eyed watching it all go.

 This is my dear friend Vicki. She has been cutting my hair (and the kids) for about 10 years.  I'm pretty sure she's given all of my kids their first hair cuts.  We love her so much.

Naomi was very happy with her new look and can't wait to show her friends at school.

 Here's my two guys at Hannah's swim meet. We are her biggest fans you know!

 The two little ones like to get in the "splash zone" when the kids do their flips. :)

 HEY!! Don't leave yet!! Two more pictures to go...

 Trying to get better on selfies. My kids think it's hilarious that I still can't take them very well. Oh and I got my hairs cut too...and colored. ;)

Here's my girl Taryn and me doing a photo bomb.  I love this girl. She is such a big help to me at church in the nursery.  She is great with babies and small children. Her obsession with One Direction cracks me up. You've never heard so much talk about London and Ireland... hehe.

Thanks for sticking around until the end.  I know it was photo heavy - but how can I choose when I've got these amazing kiddos?? ;)

Good Morning Valentine!

Marco and I love to make every possible holiday special for our children. 

It doesn't take a lot of money to make someone feel special and to show your love for them.

I made each of the children their own mailbox designed just for them, got them a pair of fluffy dollar store pair of house socks, and a little thing of chocolate. Then their dad, who was also planning on spoiling them, had picked up some inexpensive chocolate for each of them.

For My Little Guy Marco

For my sweet Naomi

For my "Directioner" Taryn

For my all-grown up Hannah Joy

Marco and I prepared breakfast for them before school/work.

Yummy Valentine Pancakes with Strawberries and Whipped Cream, bacon and sausage.

Celebrating our 23rd Valentine's Day together. <3

Take time to show your love to those around you. All it takes is a little bit of thought! 

You'll never regret it!

“Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action.” ~~Mother Teresa