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....