Thankful.....Are You?????

Today I am thankful. Thankful that Mark has a job that allows me the opportunity to be able to stay home and raise these children that God has blessed us with. Thankful that he is able, for the most part, to be home by 4:00 to help relieve mama of her neverending duties. Thankful that he makes enough money to put food on our table. Our pantry is full and the fridge is well stocked. There are however, many people that aren't as fortunate. I love working with the Food Pantry at church whenever I get a chance. It helps me keep things in prespective and reminds me just how blessed I am. Today was one of those days. I knew I only had one hour to give, but I wanted to be a part of the outreach today. Normally the Pantry is open everyother Friday, but today was a special day. The St. Louis Food Bank was bringing in food that we could use to bless the Monroe County residents with. There were 50lb. bags of carrots, 3lb. bags of onions, cases of apples, turkey meat, corn, spaghetti (sp?) and even Gatorade. I've never seen so many carrots in my entire life and I swear I will be dreaming about carrots tonight when I sleep!!!! There were around 15-20 Hopers Packing food today to bless the less fortunate with. What really struck me was when I pulled up 1 hour before they would be passing the food out, and seeing the long line of cars waiting. I was told some had been there since 7:15. They were willing to wait in line for 4 hours for food!!!!! I tend to take for granted that which God has blessed me with. I tend to take for granted when I am hungry, I can walk in my kitchen, and my need will be met. I am thankful to God blessing me and my family and for all the good things he has given me. What are you thankful for???

Birthday Bash!!!

Well, it's official, my "babies" are growing up!!! Their party went real well. We kept it fairly simple this year with family only. We however had 13 kiddos running around from the family, which made for a FUN party. The weather was absolutely GORGEOUS, so the kids were outside most of the time jumping on the trampoline, riding the moped, playing ball, and blowing bubbles. It was great!! We kept the menu simple, hot dogs, with a few sides and chips. I'm learning that simple is O.K., the main thing is to be able to get together and celebrate with family. The next series of photos are great, because they kind of tell a story.....

Connor is getting ready to pinch Corey, because he touched the cake.....

Gasp!! Caleb says, "He did what!?!?!?"

Corey telling Connor, "If you ever do that again, your going to get it.." Connor is totally ignoring him and Caleb, who knows what he's doing....

Then the confrontation is over, as quickly as it started and we begin to put the candles on the cake....

Corey's favorite gift was a SpongeBob basketball....

Connor got a tractor. Yeah I know he looks real thrilled but he does love it! He was so proud of his Birthday crown from school he wore it for the entire party!!!

Caleb is happy as ever. He waited for 4 weeks for his "umbwella!!"

Here's a shot of the three together checking out the goods....

This picture cracks me up. Connor my O.C.D. boy is thinkin' who is going to clean this mess up?!?!?! This my friends is what a triplets Birthday Bash looks like. PRESENTS EVERYWHERE!!!!!

The Eve Before My Boys 4th Birthday....

As I write this post I realize it was nearly 4 years ago, that my world was forever changed. This has been an emotional post for me. The photo above was taken 2 days before my baby boys arrived.-My own self-portrait! The next one is of me and Mark and Mackenzie right before going to the hospital.- I think it's so cute how Mackenzie has her hand on her stomach.... When I started going through all of these photos of the innocence and most precious gifts God has ever given me I was very humbled. He chose ME to carry and be the parent to these precious little boys. I have often abused that privelage, by not always loving them as I should.-Caught up in the moment in the stress of all of lifes happenings. Life as I knew it changed so drastically in one short afternoon. I went from raising 2 children to all of a sudden 5!!! I really needed to make adjustments to survive in this new lifestyle. Before the boys arrived, I was a very scheduled/orderly person. I had to learn to relinguish control and to live in the moment. I had to know if the dishes didn't get done and the beds weren't made, that was O.K.!!! A good day for me was if all of the children were fed and had clean clothes on!! I remember the days very clearly when I look at these photographs, and I am so thankful I have them, but so much of the other days "in-between", I have no recollection. Thankfully my mom blessed us with help 2 days a week from 8-6. She would come in do the laundry, dishes, cook meals, and help me feed and care for the babies and Mark and Mackenzie. I don't know how I could have possibly survived without her help. She has been such a blessing to me and my family. Other than my mom, Mark and I did most everything by ourselves.-Not that we didn't have offers of help, but rather that I wanted to keep life as "normal" as possible. There were some weekends that we had very close friends keep a baby overnight so that I could get a little more much needed sleep. That was an awesome gift, and for that too I am very grateful....I look at these photos and rejoice at the perfect little beings God created for me and I am FOREVER thankful. I can't dwell in the past. I most look forward and make the rest of these years I have with them the best that I can.....

I marvel at all the nurses and doctors that needed to be in the delivery room.....

Corey James Yochum 4lb.90z.

Connor David Yochum 4lb.80z.

Caleb Michael Yochum 5lb. Caleb had to be on C-Pap. We were not allowed to hold him for several days. I really struggled with this. I didn't bond very well to him initially.-Perhaps I didn't want to make that connection in case something went terribly wrong.... This was very difficult for me.

I LOVE this picture of Connor. He was always so ALERT and wide-eyed....

Connor-My sleeping angel....

This was a neat photo of Corey. It shows just how tiny he was....

Here's Mackenzie with baby Caleb. The first day we got to hold him. Caleb is her little mini-me.-Everybody tells me so....

My Dishwasher Broke, So I Had To Get A New One....

My dishwasher broke a couple of weeks ago, so I figured with all of these kids, certainly I could get SOMEBODY to help me with the neverending dishes duty!!! -Just kidding it didn't really break, and if it did, I highly doubt Corey would be the one volunteering for the job. For the most part he is not very motivated. In general, if I want something done, I know I can always count on Mackenzie or Connor. This day however, Corey decided he wanted to help mom in the kitchen and since he is generally lazy, I mean unmotivated, I thought who am I to spoil his fun!!!

He had quite a stack of dishes goin' there, and no, they weren't rinsed after they were washed, but that's o.k......

I love the action of the water pouring here. He loved it too; so much so that I had to MOP the floor when he was done!!!

Cute little hands with tiny little bubbles.....

Birthday Party Fun....

Mackenzie wanted to have an overnight party this year, so she had her three closest friends to spend the night with her. Taylor (with the glasses) is an older neighbor girl who is more like Mackenzie's big sister; She only got to stay at the party for a short time.

Her BFF arrived later in the evening because her mom had to work.....

This was her favorite card which plays the Hamster Dance tune... Very fitting, because her FAVORITE gift was her new hamster TEDDY....

She loves this little guy as does her four brothers. I just love his little paws in this picture.-To cute!!! The girls had a good time eating pizza, cookie cake and watching Bedtime Stories. It was a very late night for them. They were up until 11:00.- Which I thought was late considering most Friday nights Mackenzie is exhausted from a full week of school. Then they were up at 5:30 a.m.!-Way to early for mom. We made pancakes in the morning and than we went "park-hoppin'" and exploring on some trails. Overall, I think the girls had a really good time. Later that evening, we had the grandparents over for hamburgers and hotdogs. Mackenzie had a very FULL day and I hope this next year has many good things in store for her. I'm excited to watch her grow......

Celebrating Mackenzie....Today she turned 8!!!

Sixth Birthday celebrating at Woody's Cafe with 10 of her friends...

It's hard to believe eight years ago today, God blessed me with this most awesome gift. A little girl that I would actually be blessed to be able to keep, and watch grow!!! I have enjoyed my years with her and each year, I can see her blossoming into the little girl that God created her to be. He has given her a kind, loving heart and an incredible ability to write. She loves to draw pictures and she's most certainly the apple of her daddy's eye! She can make you laugh even when you are having a bad day. - I say she definantly is a good mixture of daddy and I. She is quick to think about the needs of others and really ENJOYS learning!!! She has required little to no help in school and brings home straight A's.-That has been such a relieve to me, considering I still need to help big brother in school prepping for tests and other things....She is very compassionate and LOVES animals. In fact she decided for her Birthday she wanted dad to build her a clubhouse. When she found out we would not let her sleep in it everynight, she decided against it.-Much to the relief of dad!!! Somehow, she managed to talk me into letting her get a hamster. So now, we have added yet another "addition" to the family. -I will post pictures soon. She has been a joy to me. I am so thankful for her. I treasure our times together when we get to do "girl" things. Shopping, nails, a quiet afternoon together. I sometimes wonder what our relationship will be like when she grows. I hope and pray we will always stay close and that she knows how very blessed I am to call her "MY DAUGHTER".......

Well Hellooooo Mr. Frog.....

About 2 1/2 weeks ago the boys were playing outside after school and happened to discover Mr. Frog hiding under my van. They soon decided they wanted him to come out and play. So began the chase.....I was quite surprised that Connor was the only one pursuing Mr. Frog while the other 2 watched at a distance.....

Then he decided he was going to try to catch Mr. Frog so he could show him to Mark when he arrived home.....

It wasn't long, and Mr. Frog was "trapped!"

Caleb and Corey were still a little on guard, so they decided to observe from a slight distance...

Then Corey came over to congratulate Connor with a pat on the back for a job well done!!

Connor was quite proud of his frog catching expertise!!!! F.Y.I. No frog was injured in the shooting of any of these photos. Connor soon released Mr. Froggy to go find his mommy......

Easter Egg Fun!!!!!

Spring has sprung!!! WooHoo!!! With Spring there are not only beautiful fresh blossoms on the trees, but Gorgeous daffodils! Spring represents a new start. A time of new beginnings. I LOVE Spring. Spring is the time we celebrate the resurrection of our Christ. On the way to grandma's yesterday for an early Easter Celebration, Mackenzie questioned how hunting eggs fit in with celebrating Christ rising from the dead. I told her that was a tradition that was started long ago, but that it had nothing to do with the real reason we celebrate Easter. Her response was, "Who started the tradition?" Corey replied, "Grandma did." Too cute.... Anyway, this was the first year the triplets have experienced coloring Easter eggs. They are going to be 4 in a couple of weeks and I have never given them this experience... I know, bad mama. I truly didn't want to deal with the mess three little boys could potentially make with egg dye. This year, I finally broke down and gave them the experience.-They loved it. I let the boys each dye three eggs and that was sufficient for them and not overwhelming for mama. Here are some photos of their first egg dying experience along with big brother and big sis....

Corey got a little carried away, and forgot to use the "egg dipper!"

Now that's coordination!!!!

Corey's finished products. SpongeBob of course!!!!!

Caleb chose Patrick.....

Connor was frustrated because he couldn't get his stickers to stick just right....

Mark's finished product!!Pretty cool huh?!?!?!

Mackenzie was pleased with her finished product...