Yes, I am alive….just busy with the fam!
Quick update:
School is in full swing here…..although a very unconventional school I would say.  Lots of reading aloud to the kids, lots of crafts, Bible memory and Bible stories, worshipping in song, playing and running around outside, baking and cooking together, caring for babies, chores, and not to mention lots of fun family trips (aka "field trips") Lots of learning going on for sure!  Actually it really feels nothing like the school I grew up knowing and I’m glad.  Who knew learning could be so much fun and contain such  wonderful elements of adventure and wonder!  I know I may not always have this opportunity so I’m purposing to enjoy every minute while it lasts.

Last weekend we went camping with the 2 older kids and had a blast….I sent lots of pictures of that out to close family and friends….I’m glad you all enjoyed!  Some of the pictures were taken at Longwood Gardens though you would never have known it b/c we were too busy trying to keep the kids from picking apart all those gorgeous floral arrangements!  Needless to say, they enjoyed the amazing firework and fountain display that evening…..that was much more down their alley than the gardens were.  Ken and I loved the gardens though…the bonsai display was awesome! (my hubby is a bonsai enthusiast =)

This weekend the weather was absolutely gorgeous…we were planning to take the kids to Hershey to visit the Chocolate Factory but we chose to do some hiking instead.  I guess we’ll save Hershey for a time when the weather is inclement and we need something fun to do.
This coming weekend my sissy is coming home and we’re going to go apple/pumpkin picking!!! Yay! ( I can’t wait to see you Ange! I miss you lots!)

Well, I took a break from laundry and cooking to check in here so that my family knows I’m still alive but now I must get back to my work. 
To end my day’s post, here are 7 random things that you may not have known about me….in case you’re wondering, on my last post if you look in the comment section, I was tagged by my dear cousin Shari to share this bit of very important information (NOT!! Ha ha!)
 Here goes:
1)  I love to color! (and by the way, this makes my 2yr old daughter exceedingly jubilant!)
2) Every month, I absolutely must bake triple chocolate chunk brownies and remove them from the oven b/f they have finished baking, and then consume, consume, consume! (a la mode of course.)  If I didn’t do this I think that I would most certainly just die.  (can you guess exactly what time of month this occurs? =)
3) My husband and I slow dance on a regular basis…weekly to be exact….our current song that we have labeled as "our song" is "New Day" by the Robbie Seay Band.
4) One of my very favorite books is " Redeeming Love." (actually Liz Curtis Higgs is one of my favorite authors)
5) I’m a neat freak….okay,  most of you probably know this….sorry.  But I really do dream of one day being "even more organized"…this probably won’t happen until my children are grown and gone….that’s okay…for now I’ll enjoy the sticky fingerprints and constant crumbs. =)
6) I was salutatorian of my high school graduation class.
7) I graduated with about 1/2 dozen people. =) (precisely why I never brag about #6  ha! ha!)
Have a great week!

Crystal over at Biblical Womanhood has once again inspired me….here is a snippet from today’s post:

"We were created to be our own husband’s help meet. It is our job as wives to seek to do everything in our power to honor our husbands and make them more successful. This is our highest calling as wives.

  Ask your husband very often, "What can I do for you today?" "Is there anything I can help you with?" Constantly be thinking: "What can I do today to honor my husband and make him successful?" Communicate with him about his dreams, his visions, his ambitions. Find practical ways to help him fulfill those. Look for opportunities to relieve him of burdens. Delight in blessing him in little ways. Admire him profusely. Show gratitude daily.

As wives, one way we can honor our husbands is by being a wise steward of the time, money, and resources God has blessed our family with. Through careful stewardship of these resources, we can make our home prosper and flourish, even on a tiny budget. We can bring honor to our husband by stretching his hard-earned money as far as possible, by seeking to relieve his burdens as much as we can, by seeking to make him successful, and by making our home a center for training up the next generation, for ministry to our community, and for evangelism to the lost. What a powerful and incredible role we have!"

Have a wonderful weekend and don’t forget to have fun blessing  the socks off your hubby!  I think I’ll go whip up something yummy for mine….the way to his heart is always through his belly! =)

Ken and I make a point to memorize scripture with the kids and constantly relate spiritual matters to them as we go about every day life.  We’re always looking for ways we can point them to the Lord through the everyday, teachable moments.  At times we wonder if they are hearing us or if it all just goes in one ear and out the other, but we continue to persevere b/c we know that we are called to lovingly admonish them in the ways of the Lord and that God has promised that "in due season we will reap if we faint not."
Our oldest is a pretty impulsive little chap!  He’s a barrel of fun, but he’s always landing himself into  trouble for lack of self-control.  We’ve talked to him about taking the time to listen b/f he speaks or reacts b/c often when we take the time, we will hear a still, small voice that will tell us right from wrong.  Until today, we never knew if he fully comprehended this or if he did, that he actually  cared.
As I was changing the baby’s diaper in the other room today, Logan was sitting in our front room near our computer, waiting patiently for me to come and put a DVD on for him.(We watch them on our computer monitor) Anyway, he yelled to me that he "heard a voice."  A bit concerned, I asked him what he was talking about.  He said that he "heard the voice of Jesus from his heart."  I smiled and said, "Oh yeah, well what did He say to you?"  He replied, "He told me not to play around with the computer b/c it belongs to daddy……"

I guess he’s been hearing us all along………

So today was supposed to be Logan’s first day of school, until he showed up next to my bed sick at 6am this morning.  After getting him a drink, some medicine, and tucking him cozily back into bed,complete with hugs and kisses, I smiled as I thought about how wonderful it was to not have to worry about him.  I mean, can you imagine if this would have been his first day of school somewhere else? What child has ever missed their very first day of school?  That would have been awful for him, not to mention completely nerve-wracking for me!  But no, I just went about my morning, not giving it another thought, knowing that whenever he is feeling better, we would start school.  Today we took care of the three R’s our own way….reading, resting, and relaxing….what a blessing! =)

I’m so happy it’s Friday!  It’s so pretty outside.  I can feel Autumn right around the corner though.  And while I absolutely love Autumn, I dread the months to follow…..WINTER!  Yes, I am a warm weather kind of girl….must be the California blood in me. (my dad is from the sunshine state=)  I tell God all the time…"Lord, if you want me to move to California, I’m game."  So far I’ve not received much of response

Anyway, today was a busy one.  Sophia had her 2month checkup today.  She got a great report and as I thought, she’s gaining like mad….so much for being 1 pound smaller at birth than the other two…I think she’s 1 pound heavier at this point than they were at 2 months.  For some reason, I was a bit annoyed upon leaving the doctor.  Everyone talking about her size, her double chin, and so on.  I mean, she’s a baby for crying out loud!  She’s aloud to have pudge…..it’s cute if you ask me. =)  I guess I’m just sensitive about things like this.  Why do people always have to go on about how chubby or skinny  their kids are…..who really cares…..Don’t get me wrong, we’ve all done it but  I grew up constantly hearing "skinny" remarks and look what good it did me.   I want my girls to grow up to be confident in who God has made them.  I don’t want them to be obsessed with the outward, nor do I want their confidence to depend on their weight. 
Okay, I’ll get off my tangent now….

Back to talking about Autumn…..
So, I had a great summer but I’m sad to see it go since the first part of my summer I spent uncomfortably pregnant and the last part I spent in somewhat of a daze.   For me, going through a summer without a beach trip ,or any vacation for that matter, well….it just doesn’t feel complete.  Oh well…..there’s always next year, Lord willing. We are at least planning to do some camping in the fall.
I’m trying to at least pump myself up for the usual Autumn festivities…..camping, hiking, camp fires, s’mores, apple picking, leaf collecting, leaf jumping( a personal favorite!), pumkin picking, hayrides, cornmazes(we’ve not done this yet, but plan to this year=), baking that first homemade apple pie of the season….yummy! sweet smelling candles, hot cups of tea, late night porch swings with my love….Okay, I’m getting excited now…..Wow, I guess we’ve got lots of fun to look forward to!  (I’m enjoying these smiley inserts!)

Well, Happy Friday to you all!  My hubby will be home soon! Yay!  We’re having a mexican fiesta tonight at our house….soft beef tacos …brown rice and black beans…..and of course we’ll finish the meal right with fun and yummy ice cream sundaes! 
I’ve been excited for this weekend b/c my hubby will be off 3 days due to the holiday! Tomorrow we’re planning to go on a family hike….I’m so excited!  We’ve not gone since the baby was born and we couldn’t go in the spring time b/c I was pregnant and had to pee a million times an hour. =)
Church fun on Sunday, picnicing Monday…..it’s going to be a good weekend.
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday! 
Oh yeah, and forgive my randomness today……hee hee….my mind is a scary place lately…..for example, while rocking/feeding the baby today I was actually considering how nice it might be to have a 4th….pretty weird, huh?