Branson Day 2

Day 2 at Branson was a GORGEOUS 68 degrees, so we took the kids on their first Duck ride. For those of you who are not familiar with the Duck ride in, it is a REALLY COOl experience that you must embark upon. I got to ride the Ducks when I was about Mackenzie's age. This car/boat will take you on an adventure on land and water. You even get your very own quacker for a keepsake!!-Fun for the Duck ride definantly NOT for a car trip home.L.O.L. The kids thought Captain Magic was kidding when he said, "hang on, were going in the water!!!" The looks on their faces were priceless....

This was a view before we actually entered the water....

Here is a pretty neat shot of the Branson Belle right after we entered into the water....

Mackenzie got to drive the boat!!! I had to remind her to watch where she was going, she seemed to be captivated by Captain Magic!!!!Connor and Mark enjoying the ride....Later that day, we enjoyed some shopping and the boys got drive their own go-carts for the very FIRST time!!!! They had an absolute blast and couldn't get enough rides on them...Cute how they had enough people to enjoy their very own race...Mark and Mackenzie decided to have a race too....After Mark passed Mackenzie up for the second round, I caught her sticking her tongue out at him!!!!-Wish I could have caught that on video...so spontaneous and yet SOOOOO Mackenzie....-I'll be posting go-cart pics in a couple of days...It's time for lights out

Branson Day 1

We spent Thanksgiving in Branson this year....Instead of having a nice Turkey Dinner, we enjoyed Subway Sandwhiches L.O.L.!!!!!!! Mark and I decided to take the kids to Branson for a short trip...We were able to get into the Holiday Spirit by enjoying the ever famous Sheperd of the Hills Christmas Light Display..For our family of seven it was $47.00 to see these lights.-Not something we'd pay every year to see, but it was a nice 2 1/2 mile ride of a Christmas Fantasy World that helped get us all in the Holiday Spirit...

Much of the experience were these adorable Christmas displays behind plastic plexi glass....It reminded me of the windows decorated downtown at Famous Barr that my mom would take me to see when I was little, only a whole lot bigger!!!!

Each scene held a lot of detail...

Then there was a cute little coke-cola cart...Who doesn't enjoy themselves a good old ice cold coke-cola????

They had several of their buildings adorned in lights too. When we were done with the drive, we got to go up the Scenic Tower to see the lights...pretty neat experience!!!

Upon arrival at the hotel, the kids were pumped and ready for swimming...Notice Caleb's red cheeks from the hot tub???

They started the first day in their swim rings, but by day two, they were mostly "swimming" without them...I think I'm going to have some swimmers by the Summer...They all LOVE the water and Connor is doing so well trying to learn how to swim under water...Maybe he'll be on the swim team come Summer!!!

Corey lookin' all cute!!! He usually takes a little longer to feel comfortable in the water, but once he builds up his confidance there is no stoppin' him!!!

Had to get a shot of dad with just Mark and Mackenzie...They both look so grown-up here!!!!!

I thought this turned out cute...I know I know were missin' a kiddo; that would be my stubborn, I mean strong-willed child Corey who refused to get in the picture...Always got to have one in the bunch!!! This picture turned out pretty darn cute though, so I wanted to post it!!! I plan to add more Branson photos within the next few days, so check back soon!!!!

A Visit To The Zoo....

Last Wednesday Mark was off for Veteran's Day, so we packed up the kiddos and headed out for the zoo. We got to bring baby Kendall with us (the little one I baby sit) and enjoyed watching her have her very first visit at the zoo!!! The weather was gorgeous, and all of the kids had a great time enjoying the outdoors...

One of the very first animals we saw were the penquins, and they were a big hit with everyone..I think they might have been Kendall's favorite!!!! We arrived at feeding time, so we got to see and hear the penquins as they enjoyed their lunch...the kids found that to be very fun!!!

Connor and Corey getting a close-up view of the penquin...

Here they are having lunch...It was fun to watch, not so fun to smell.....

Then we got to see the baby giraffe up close!!! He was very intent on watching my kiddos...

Mackenzie and Corey posing by a statue at the bird sanctuary....I call this Corey's Gomer Pile smile....

Mark, Mackenzie, Corey and I had about 45 min. together while daddy took the other two boys on the train... I thought the bridge made a cute picture...

Here is daddy buying the tickets for the train....Every year we go to the zoo, Connor always wants to ride the train...At $5.00 a head, I usually always say, "Maybe next time..." He wasn't buying it this time...He wanted to ride so bad...I told daddy to take them on, because this was so important to them...Corey could have went too, but he wanted to hang out with big brother and sis...

Connor was so PROUD to be on that train...

Just look at Caleb's smile....worth every bit of $15.00!!!!

Corey....

I took these photos yesterday afternoon. Little did I know just hours later, Corey would experience an accident that could have changed our lives forever.... Psalm 91:11-12 says, "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone..."I can tell you that there is NO doubt in my mind that my little boy had his angels watching over him yesterday. We ventured out on a hayride with the cousins and ended up stopping at a small bridge in the country to throw rocks in the water. My brother in law was over at the bridge with the 10 children while me and two other women remained in the wagon. A car was coming from the opposite direction and I instructed the triplets to stay exactly where they were and not to cross back over to me...Next thing you know, Corey turns his back to the bridge to scoop up some rocks, and falls off of the bridge!!!! I can't tell you how terrified and helpless I felt at that moment, not knowing what was at the bottom of the bridge, nor just how far he had fallen!! I hollered for Stephen (my brother in law) to get him, because I knew that he could get to him much faster than me....I have never seen a man move faster than he did in that very moment...Mackenzie said Corey had grabbed on to the edge of the bridge when he fell and was hanging on for...not sure how he did this since he fell backwards, but she saw his hands gripping the edge....she bent down to grab a hold of him and he fell 21 ft. to the bottom landing, thank God, on soft squishy mud...one to two feet further over to the left, and he would have been in the water...he could have hit rocks logs anything...Steve saw him hit the ground and said he knew he was going to be alright when he started immediately crying...He landed on his right side caked in mud....The only injuries he sustained where some minor abrasions and slight bruising on his back...I have absolutely NO DOUBT in my mind that his angels broke that fall for him...his injuries could have been much worse, possibly even tragic...I stand in awe and praise my heavenly father for his mercy and his protection over my little boy...I am thankful on this day for him and for the joy, craziness, and chaos he brings to my life!!!!!!

Kindergarten Readiness...

Corey

Connor

Caleb

Ever since the boys were about 2 years old, I have heard two repeated questions about school. (1) Will you start the boys at school when they are 5 or 6? (2) Will they be in the same class, or will you seperate them? So for quite some time, I have put the questions off, knowing that there was plenty of time to decide this. Now, they are 4 1/2 and I am faced with this question once again. Kindergarten year is quickly approaching. I have known for quite some time that Caleb would not be ready for Kindergarten at 5. He is currently in a smaller class size than Corey and Connor as well as in speech classes every week. Although I have seen progress this year, such as he can currently write his name with verbal prompts and he can actually sit and complete "homework". However, he seems to lag behind the other two boys overall...After sitting in Caleb's I.E.P. meeting, my concerns were confirmed, and although they recommended me to test him for Kindergarten in the Spring, just to see what they say, after having Parent/teacher conferences on the other two, I feel I've solidified my decision. Connor as I already knew could quite honestly go to Kindergarten now and be successful. He has been writing his first name since the Fall of last year. He just recently learned to write Yochum. This little boy LOVES to learn. His coloring is incredible which is fairly unusual for a boy. Corey on the other hand goes to school for the social aspect. He "romances" the little girls on the playground with fresh picked flowers. He has the ability to write his name but quite honestly doesn't like to take the time to do it. He would rather be playing with his friends than sitting in a chair learning. I will say that he was the first to recite and recognize his ABC's and when it comes to learning new songs, he is always the first to catch on. His teacher said he would do fine in Kindergarten at 5, but would absolutely soar at 6. After having that meeting, I knew that doing another year of Pre-K would be the best decision for my boys. Miss Beverly assured me that I need not worry about Connor having behavioral issues because of boredom because he is a child that does not like attention drawn to him and loves to please his teachers....he is his mother's son..As for whether they will be together or seperate, at this time I plan to keep them all together unless it begins to present problems...I figure once the homework load starts getting heavy, I won't have the energy to keep up with three different sets!!!! I have to admit I feel confidant and full of much relief that this question is no longer a "question." I know that I will be getting my boys started off on the right foot and I look forward to what the future holds for each of them....

Everyday Life....

Corey-gotta love the milk splatters on his face!!!

Caleb was crackin' himself up!!!!

Connor was trying to figure out where all of Caleb's bubbles went?!?!?

For some reason Connors Cinnamon Toast Crunch didn't bubble up!! That didn't discourage him from trying though!!

Corey on the other hand had a bubble overload!!!

Caleb kept right up there with Corey....We've decided to make the BEST bubbles, you need to have Frosted Mini Wheats!!!

I'm not quite sure what happened to the poor blog, but I've abandoned it since August...Not that I've been busy or anything(l.o.l.) but I do want to try to update at least once a week...The boys have all been doing well in school but not quite sure we'll be heading off to Kindergarten next Fall.-More update on that in the next post to come soon...I have started watching a precious little baby girl named Kendall Mon. thru Fri. All of the kids are totally smitten with her!!!-She definantly is not lacking love at the Yochum Household..Kind of nice for me to be able to have a baby around that I can actually ENJOY, plus not have to be responsible for financially; I kind of get a taste of what being a "grandma" may be like someday!!! She is a VERY good baby and I am really having fun with her...Markie finally got his haircut which is a HUGE deal considering we have not seen his ears or back of his neck for nearly 18 mos!!!! I'll post a picture of him in the next post too. The princess is in the process of growing her hair out for Locks Of Love in rememberance of her Aunt TiTi who passed away from breast cancer 2 years ago...I'm hoping that it will be long enough by Christmas so she'll be able to give some special little girl an extra special Christmas present....The boys and I have been also involved with AWANA's Wed. evenings at church...I listen to the 1st and 3rd graders as they recite bible verses and the boys go to their class and have A LOT of fun playing with their friends at church as well as reciting their weekly verse.-I have been so impressed with their ability to memorize scriptures; they have been soaking it up like little sponges!!! I'm so excited that at just 41/2 they are hiding God's word in their hearts!!! I decided to post the series of cereal bubble-blowing pictures, because I thought it would be fun to see the games the boys play at night when they have their bedtime snack!!!! Hope all has been well with everyone and I look forward to once again giving you a small glimpse into our "crazy" little world...

Here Comes Peter Cottontail....

A couple of weeks ago Mackenzie found some baby bunnies on the church playground that we believed to have been abandoned by their momma. The kids begged us to take them home and after much pleading, Mark and I relented. They went back later that evening and retrieved the little cuties. They spent about five days with us before they were released into the wild again. I explained to Mark and Mackenzie that if we kept them to long, they would forget how to live in the wild, and I encouraged them to release them as soon as possible. Rabbits I must say are VERY smelly, but Mark and Mackenzie had a fun week taking care of their new pets. Mark's was very mellow and would allow you to hold it. Mackenzie's not so much.(Other than the pic. I was able to get). They were very sweet bunnies and a joy to watch for the week. Mackenzie decided the following Sat. to release them, because she was afraid hers was going to hop right out of the tub they called "home." I told Mark they needed to be released together. Interestingly enough they both hopped in opposite directions when they were released!!

Mackenzie with her bunny....

They had "blankets" for the bunnies and plenty of grass. After a day or so, they started eating the lettuce and carrots we fed them...

While Mom's Away, Sis Will Play...

Last week I had a much needed girl's night out. A dear friend and I went to see a movie followed by a Kid-Free dinner at Applebees. So VERY nice and relaxing....We then decided to walk to work off the "tub" of popcorn we ate. I arrived back home a little after 10p.m., certain that the darlings would all be asleep.-I told Denise to wait outside just in case I needed a get away car if they weren't.(L.O.L.) This is what I came home to. Caleb standing in the hallway all "dolled-up." Yes, sissy had been playing dress-up. Caleb was so proud of his new attire!!

I didn't know until I was uploading the pictures that Corey got in on the fun too....I told daddy she really is in need of a little sister. Shannon, maybe we can do a "kid-swap" one day. Mackenzie for Sawyer!!!!!L.O.L.

Sweet Summer Time...

Summer and swimming they just kind of go hand in hand dontcha think???? This is our second year of being members at Hilltoppers Swim Club in Dupo. This has been a crazy Summer weather wise with all of the rain and cool temperatures. It doesn't seem like we have used our passes this year as much as last, but the kids always have a lot of fun when we go.-Especially when daddy comes, which is a treat because they love playing with dad in the pool!!!

Corey with Flounder his new found friend....

Caleb showing off his muscles and his ability to balance in two rings at once!!!

Connor boy just being cute...

This was the game they played that day. They would link together as a chain and take turns pulling each other around the pool!!!!

They had so much fun together that day....

Mommy and her little girl. Not to often mom will actually get in pictures.....

Caleb was in the baby pool when we took this one and Mark was at camp this week, that is why he is not in any of the photos....