Snake Saga Continues

Well we have had more action over the weekend with the snakes in our yard. To back up a little, John had seen two at the tree in the back yard while the girls and I were gone at the beach. So the whole time that we have lived here I had personally not ever seen one myself. Until now!
John had killed one of the snakes he had seen in May but had missed the other. So we were under the impression that one still remained. But after spreading moth balls around the yard and throwing them into the trees, we figured that they were gone for the time being. But we were wrong.
Friday afternoon I came home alone, well almost alone - with Clara Bea who had fallen asleep in the van. I pulled in the driveway and parked next to the gate at the side of the house. I opened all the doors of the van so that I could quickly unload some cold groceries while Clara was napping in the van. I went into the house but when I came back out, I froze. There was a huge black snake on the trunk of the tree that I had just walked by, 2 feet from the gate and right beside our van that Clara was sleeping in. I called John on the cell phone, knowing that he was on his way home, hoping that he was close by. He told me to get the axe from the garage and kill it. i ran to the garage and got the axe but when I returned to the tree my knees and stomach got weak and I just couldn't do it. I was afraid and was screaming like a little girl. Apparently I was cursing too, but don't remember that part. I decided to hang up the phone - there was no way I could swing an axe with one arm, but gave up on the idea and rescued Clara from the van took her inside to her bed. I came outside a couple of times to check on the snake's location but it slowly moved it's way up the tree and behind a nook where he disappeared.
Now fast forward to Sunday - Father's Day.
John's mom and step dad had come for a visit in their motor home. That morning my step dad was telling us of the snake he had been watching all morning come in and out of a hole in tree. So the boys spotted it and began target practice. After some time they finally hit one and it fell out of the tree. They thought they had gotten the one that I had seen on Friday but it seemed too small to me to be the same one. My dad also arrived that afternoon for the Father's day, snake hunting festivities. He had cut into the snake and discovered about four eggs it was carrying. We were thankful that they were not yet laid and 4 less snakes to worry about.
Now it is Tuesday. This morning another smaller snake peeped out of a whole. John was able to pull it down with the garden hoe and kill it. The larger snake was seen by my in-laws yesterday so we know it still exists and another was spotted traveling across the driveway. So we know there are at least two more alive, three have been killed, how many more remain is yet to be determined.
I am a little less fearful of them. We know that they are nonpoisonous. But who wants a family of snakes living in their back yard? There is still a creep factor of walking around outside. The kids are scared to go out by themselves - I don't blame them, yet I tell them it is no big deal. We are trying to make sure that our new batch of chickens are protected so they have been spending their nights and some days in the garage.
So anyone want to come visit us? LOL Let's just say there is never a dull moment around here.