Olympic Overload

We've really enjoyed watching the Summer Games from Beijing....though I must say I'm glad they're over. All these incredible gold medal performances have meant really late nights for me. When the olympics don't end until after 12....or later...the news can't go on until after the olympics. So tack on another half hour and a twenty minute drive home and you've got a long night...short overnight. A couple of time, I've gotten home around 2, only to have Sawyer wake up at 5. UGH! I'm left craving sleep...and a little cranky.

Anyway, the Olympics have offered a few cute blog notes. Connor was watching gymnastics the other afternoon. He commented that he loved the girls nice tight red suits...and they looked nice on her butt! Another time he was watching and told me the gymnast had "really nice moves." So cute.

Jackson is talking up a storm. He's totally coming out of his shell. He'll tell you what he wants to do...and if you don't listen...he'll grab your hand and pull you along. He's been really sweet with Sawyer...calming him if he cries, tickling under his chin.

We had another visit with the therapist Friday. She thinks he's going great with his interaction. So, she's heading in to day care to observe there. Katy tells us that Jackson doesn't really talk there...and keeps to himself. So, we'll see if there's anything we can work on.

During Friday's session, Connor and Jackson were going back and forth playing. Jackson said, "its Connor's turn." At which point, Connor said, Mom...how does he know my name? HA!

Sawyer is continuing to grow and thrive. He's pulling himself up on the furniture and even started climbing up the stairs last week. We've got to keep an eye on him, he's so quick! He was 8 teeth (4top, 4 bottom) he's really starting to eat table food...he loves raisins, bananas, graham crackers, ham and chicken nuggets. He'll be turning one before we know it!

Craig is coaching volleyball at Conestoga Valley this season. He got lots of media coverage this week since he coach Olympic medalist Kim Glass when she was at CV. WGAL had him on and he was in the Lancaster Intelligencer too. He said he'll soon need an agent! They start the season this week. I'm praying for patience...and lots of sleep.

August Already?

Connor and spent a Saturday morning turning him into Clifford the Big Red Dog. The craft project was part of a DVD Grandma Esbenshade rented. Connor couldn't wait to have his own Clifford ears and nose...we even made a tail!

Here are my guys! Enjoying a special evening watching Tom and Jerry on the portable DVD player in Connor's room. Aren't they cute?

Yep, it's August already. Where did the summer go? Time just sweeps past us. Life has been good for the Esbenshade clan. I've been feeling a little under the weather, but I'm trying to get more sleep, eat better, and take vitamins. Hopefully, I'll be feeling better in no time.

We had our first visit with a therapist for Jackson yesterday. She was really nice...Carol is her name. She asked a lot of questions, then helped show us some ways to encourage Jackson to interact with us. We'll work on it...and she'll be back in two weeks.

Sawyer is growing like a weed. It seem like he's getting a new tooth every time we turn around. He's got 8 choppers now. He gets a little fussy, but it usually his pleasant self. He's also crawling at full throttle! Boy, can this kid move. Things have gotten a whole lot busier with him on the move.

Connor is doing great. He's really into spider man right now. He loves the Saturday morning cartoon and could watch it over and over, if we let him. He's cute to watch...he tries to remember the theme song, then sings it back to us. He got into a little trouble pretending to be spider man though. He was using a bungie cord with hooks of the end to "swing" from the top of the swing set. Well, he tried to pull Jackson up to the top of the swing set with the hook (also known as his web)...the hook broke free and snapped up hitting Connor's eye. Fortuantely, I was outside mowing...I didn't see it happen, but I did see Connor in tears, sliding down the sliding board. He has a nice gash on the top of this eye lid...and the eye lid got pretty swollen, but after a good bit of Mommy TLC...and a Hershey kiss, he was doing pretty well. I think he'll have a scar, but it would have been a lot worse!

Assessment

So, we had Jackson's assessment yesterday. The "team" came at 2:00 and stayed until 5:00. It was three people for three hours.

I took the day off...and was nervous about it all day. I kept having butterflies in my stomach. I wasn't sure what to expect...and I wasn't sure I wanted to know the outcome. I want Jackson to be perfect and brilliant...and he is, but I don't want him to ever have to struggle with anything. I makes my heart hurt just thinking about my sweet little boy.

Well, Jackson did great. He was his usual laid back self...he didn't get worked up at all with all the strangers and the questions. He did what he was asked...then did his own thing until it was time to do another activity.

In the end, the tests showed that he's doing great in gross motor skills, cognitive, fine motor skills and adaptability. He's on the border line with some speech stuff and with social/emotional. So, we're going to start having some therapist come to the house every other week to help us help him.

I want to do whatever I can to help him. I'll read every book, every article...do whatever it takes to help him. I pray God will give me the knowledge and the skill to give him what he needs. I know what it means to be willing to laid down your own life for someone else. I would do anything for my children.

I keeping looking at Jackson's picture on my desk. He has such great smiling eyes...his grin is contagious...and his laugh, oh his laugh...

I love you jackson!

My Guys

It's been a while since i've blogged. We've been pretty busy...

Life's been good, but really, really hot. We're in our second heat wave of the summer. Four days of 90 degree plus. Ugh. We finally put in an air conditioner!

some cute stuff to savor....at church today, connor sat with us. When the pastor read scripture, he said "in the Bible it says..." Well, Connor piped up and said..."in the Bible it says to love our enemy...and Larry Boy!."

Ha! Ha!

A big week

I feel like I have a whole lot to share...and I don't want to forget any of it.

Tomorrow is Connor's 4th birthday. I can't believe it! How could four years have gone by so fast? It truly feels like the blink of an eye. I cannot imagine my life without my boys. They bring me such joy.

Connor, I cant tell you how happy you make me. You are like a little ray of sunshine in all of our lives. I can still remember the first time I looked at your. So cute...your big eyes, your chubby cheeks, your crazy hair. The other night I watched you sleeping. Your face looks much the same...just bigger. You will always be my sweet baby.

We had a bunch of people over on Saturday night for a birthday party. it was mostly family...along with close friends. We had hamburger and hot dogs. The funny part of the evening came when it was time for cake. I had made two cakes...Larry the Cucumber and Bob the tomato. They turned out really good. I stuck them in the fridge so they wouldn't melt. Well, Kelly had made sangria and placed the container sideways on top shelf. About half way through the night, Connor came out and told me there was an emergency...some of Kelly's juice had dripped on Larry. I wasn't quite sure what he meant, but I went to look. The sangria had spilled all over the fridge...leaving a sangria soaked Larry. After emergency medical treatment, Mel and I rescued Larry...he looked pretty good. No one was the wiser...and Connor was actually really good about it. He told Kelly that it was an accident, but he was still upset. We let him eat a very small piece of Larry...served the Bob the Tomato cake...and had a good time. Eventually we threw out Larry. Oh, my.

A couple cute Connor-isms of late.

He was running around the other day and I asked him if he was pooped. He turned around and told me no, he hadn't pooped. I said, i meant were you tired...he said, no mommy you said pooped and I didn't.

His teacher told him he was cute enough to eat. Connor looked at her, a bit stunned. He paused and said, Miss Brandy, at my house we don't eat people, we eat food. I almost fell over when she told me that one.

Sawyer hasn't been feeling well over the last few days. He's had a cold and is now cutting his front two teeth. He's had a fever and has been a bit fussy. Poor guy. He's still smily and sweet though.

Jackson is doing great. He's really developing a sense of humor. He loves interacting with both his brothers. This morning he was racing around Sawyer's room trying to get him to smile. We set up his assessment for July 29th. We'll see what happens. More and more, I think he's on the right track. He loves to read...and really has been enjoying Thomas the tank engine books. He can't get enough of them...though right now, we're getting a big sick of reading them.

This weekend marks our wedding anniversary. We're heading to a phillies game Friday night with fireworks to follow. I'm really excited. I'm so thankful for Craig. Our life is good. The last few years have been remarkable. Three beatiful little boys, a great house and property...lots and lots of fabulous memories. Who could ask for more?


I had five days off this past week. It was such a great time. Craig and I took Connor's birthday off. We took the boys to the Strasburg Railroad...then went out to lunch at Burger King...for dinner Connor requested taco pie without onions and Pop Pop. He asked, we delivered. It was a fun day for all of us.

As we neared our wedding anniversary, I really started to think of all the poeple who helped us get ready for our wedding. All the people who helped paint and pull weeds and set up. All the people who stood up for us. All the people who played a role in our courtship. All the people who witnessed our commitment. I went through a lot of those people...and prayed for them. I prayed for my best friend Chris who honored me by being my matron of honor. Her friendship remains a treasure to me. I prayed for Mel and Ger who spent countless hours helping us to manual labor on the farm. Mel served as co-matron of honor and Ger was a groomsman for Craig. I can never thank them enough. I prayed for Steph and Brian who were in the wedding party and whose friendship we value. I prayed for Chip and Donna, Kevin and Kim, and Joel and Lonna who had to travel to be part of our wedding...yet they never gave it a second thought. I prayed for Pastor Ken who shared the ceremony with Frank Ferrarri. What a blessing. I prayed for our families who were there for our whole courtship. They've seen us at our best and our worst. I asked God to bless all of the guests and others who had a part in our special day...and in our marriage. I prayed for Craig...my honorable and adorable husband. Frank Ferrarri prayed at our wedding that the Lord would enlarge our territory....and bless us abundantly. We can see that happening.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you for blessing us beyond measure, for giving us more than we could ever deserve. Thank you for the sweet little boys that make our lives a joy....and make the little sleep we get well worth it. What would we do without them? Thank you for giving us a love that endures. Thank you for blessing us with forgiving and forgiven hearts. Thank you.

Friends....

I'm an incredibly fortunate person. I mean that. When it comes down to it, I lead a pretty darn good life.

There are a number of reasons for that. I'll begin with the three tiniest reasons. Connor, Jackson and Sawyer. They make me laugh. Everyday I am reminded of how lucky I am to be their mom. Sometimes its as simple as a laugh...or a funny face.

We had a really good day today. We were in charge of children's nursery at 8:15 today. We barely got there in time. Turns out, there were no kids other than our own. So, we laid on the floor and played with our boys. It was great fun. We all really enjoyed it.

At church, they have a puzzle with the alphabet. I thought I'd test the boys a little. Connor wasn't really interested, but Jackson...he's the man. He knows about half the alphabet. I think S is his favorite letter. He knows a,b,c,d,e,f,l,m,n,o....a whole bunch of letters. And the ones he gets confused with are letters that look similar to other ones...like o and q, w and m, y and v. I'm way impressed!

After church, Connor wanted to go to Burger King and have a picnic. Since it was before 10 am, we decided to drive over to the Strasburg Railroad. Little did we know, it was Day out with Thomas. It was mobbed! But...the minute the boys saw Thomas, they flipped out. We decided to stay. It was spur of the moment...but we had so much fun. We ended up riding a little steam engine and promising that we'd return the next time Thomas was in town. I know this sounds cheesy, but watching the boys the first time they saw Thomas chugging in...it brought tears to my eyes. They were so excited. Connor just kept talking about how great this was, and how neat it was. Wow.

Last week, we went to visit my best friend and her boys Robert, Joe and Mitch. We were joined by two other girlfriends and their kids. It was a great time...except....We were supposed to go to the bay to swim, but the bay was closed. Too much bacteria. Yuck! There were dead fish everywhere, but that didn't spoil our time together. We went to the park...played in the sand...and ended up getting home at 8:45. It was a long day, but a lot of fun. More on that, next time.

Sad

Yesterday I sat in a courtroom and saw a boy who killed three people get sentenced to three consecutive life terms in prison. It was overwhelmingly sad. He was only 16 when he brutally stabbed his best friends' family to death. I'm not sure which is the worst part.

First, his family sat right behind me. i couldn't help but think of their pain. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to see your son in that situation. My heart hurts for them.

The victim's family sat in the jury box. They were so composed at first. They cried quietly as their loved ones were remembered. I tried to hold in the tears.

Then, there was the boy. Just 16 years old when he did this. He pled guilty. The evidence was overwhelming. He'll spend the rest of his life in prison. He showed no emotion. Not a bit. Not a tear, a quake, a shudder. He didn't say anything either. When asked, he couldn't or wouldn't say why he did it.

The DA says he did it just because he could. Because he wanted to kill someone and his friend was an easy target. I don't get it...I don't want to believe that that is possible. I can't wrap my head around it. He stabbed his best friend 15 times. It was brutal.

The only survivor of the family spoke to the court via a video tape. It was hard to watch. The judge released it to the media and we aired it on the 6:00 news. It felt so invasive. It's so sad