hello monday|sixteen

hello rain. As I was shutting the sliding glass door last night, I thought, "Hmmm. It smells like rain is coming." and it made me smile. For the most part, I love rain.  I think it's because I am from Washington state and also because we don't get it too often here in the Inland Empire of Southern California!

When I woke up, I could see that it did indeed rain during the night and probably early morning.  Is there more to come?  I hope so!

hello swim banquet planning. I am helping out with the planning of the banquet and am a little nervous about making things look just right for the team. They had such an awesome year.  The girls got Second Place at the League Finals, while our boys finished in First Place.  They have the CIF championships and that is it for the school year!  I know they will do well!

hello signs of spring.  You are all around me, but I know I have to really look for you sometimes!  One of my disappointments in living in Southern California is that I miss the definite changing of the seasons. Little buds like this go unnoticed if you are rushing here and there, but learning to slow down and look for them has helped me to MINIMIZE in so many ways.
hello mother's day. I was just looking at my pictures and started a file titled MAY 2013 when I noticed May 2012 right next to it. I clicked on it and opened the folder.  WOW. So much has happened in just one year. It really made me stop and think about it all.
I will be trying to get a card or gift in the mail before Wednesday for my mother who lives in Washington.  Not an easy task for me - it gives me some stress, to be honest.  Getting it to the post office won't be the hard part.  Deciding what to give her... That's another story. *sigh*
hello personal decisions.  Time to push the RESET button and get some focus!  Many areas that I am working on and planning with purpose!

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.

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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?? ;)