Where's Daddy?

James got a promotion a couple of months ago! This is an exciting change for him and for our family. He has been away at training for the past 3 weeks and we really miss him. I think he enjoys the down time a hotel provides versus our crazy chaos here, but he misses us too. 

He's been able to come home on weekends and has also been sneaking away Wednesday night to come play with the boys while I go to mutual (our youth group night at church). He'll be done training the beginning of May and he will be able to get back to work at his store. He'll be there just in time for the grand re-opening (they are remodeling into a SuperCenter right now). We're so proud of James and his hard work. Finding jobs is not easy and this promotion has not been an easy one to get, but he didn't stop trying. The day after his interview his Store Manager said he "blew the other guys out of the water" and really showed he wants the job. Must be true since he got the job :)

Ezra and Makai are really sad that daddy hasn't been coming home every night. Whenever Makai is sad he asks for daddy. He asks for daddy right when he wakes up or when he gets in trouble or when he looks at the window. The beginning of training Ezra said, "We should tell dem daddy belongs to us and he should come home because he belongs here wiff us." 

Last night he got upset and told daddy he thinks he needs to come home and not stay in a hotel all night. It makes me kind of sad that it's so hard on them, but thankfully he's almost done. 

We sure do love that Tressler Dad!

Never an Answer

Ever since I got a cell phone I have received this complaint from numerous people: "You never answer your phone!' or "You're so hard to get ahold of."
I even answered the phone and caught the person on the other end talking to someone next to her saying, "I have never caught her.." I was a little embarrassed when I said "hello."

It's true. I'm sorry. I very rarely answer my phone. I never answer if I don't recognize the number and am not expecting a call from a random source. However, the others time I don't answer are because I don't ever keep my phone by me. It's always in the next room, in the car, at the bottom of my diaper bag, or buried in a toy box.

I could change this. I know it bothers people. But I just don't have the desire or need to be reachable at all times. If I am in the car I almost always have my phone next to me for emergency (though there is a strict no cell phones while driving law in Maryland). Or if I am away from my boys I have my phone close by and check it often.

I am embarrassed to say, texting works better for "my type". Okay, so I'll admit that I do like texting because I am sooo awkward on the phone. I don't know how to converse with the strange voices in my ear. Texting is also better for my type mostly because I can get a text, send a text, leave my phone, and come back to the conversation when I get a chance (or find my phone). I don't mean to sound like I can't be bothered, but my life doesn't normally allow for even a 5 minute peaceful or productive phone call. If I step away to talk, Makai finds something to spill on the floor to quickly get me back.

I'm a direct contact kind of person. I like talking to face to face. I feed off of emotions and expressions and meaningless stories and long not-at-all-awkward pauses. I heard a character from a show once say, if texting was invented first and then the "phone call" we would all be amazed and going crazy about the fact that we can actually hear the person on the other end and have actual conversations. I laughed and agreed.

Here's my sincere apology for missing your calls including calls that I will continue to miss. If it's important, don't stop calling and I'm bound to hear it soon. If it's business, send a text and if it's a "hello" come on over. Or just call and I'll try to be better ;0)

Clemyjontri Park

A couple weeks ago we met up with a group of moms and kids at a wonderful playground called, Clemyjontri Park. It was a huge playground and perfect for any age. The boys had a blast. 

They LOVED the tire swing and spent a big portion of their time playing on it.

I began taking the picture of my happy boys swinging and this is what I ended up with a picture of. Poor little Makai slipped right through and landed face first. No tears. He got up and just wanted to get right back on the swing. Thank goodness for padded playgrounds!

All this stuff to play on and yet Makai spent over 5 minutes just staring at these construction workers.

Ezra started pushing Makai and Makie Doodle got major giggles from it. 

Ezra was attempting an underdog. Makai had a seriously tight grip on those chains.

I love the way Ezra can make Makai laugh by just paying attention to him.

Some of the kids

Ezra's buddy Rachel

The preschoolers, Emily, Ezra and Rachel

It's about an hour from here in Virginia, but it was worth the trip for us. Just look at Ezra's face in the photo above and you can see it was worth it for him too :)

Our Easter: Part 3

Part 3: Egg Hunt

We never got around to our Easter egg hunt on Easter Sunday, so we settled for an egg hunt on Tuesday.

Makai got the hang of it fast started searching for eggs out of Ezra's basket. Ezra didn't think it was funny, but I thought it was too cute.

Ezra loved this so much. He keeps asking me to do an egg hunt at least once a day. We did come inside from this and do another inside at his request. Makai, on the other hand, cracked one egg open and realized there was candy inside and would no longer donate his eggs for the hunt.

We did eventually get to dying some eggs a couple days after this too, but there wasn't much to that other than some Baby Zilla cracked eggs and giggling.

Our Easter: Part 2

Part 2: Ready for church

These are the only pics I got of the boys dressed all fancy in their new Easter outfits.

Ezra picked out the purple shirt and tie. He told me he didn't have a purple shirt, so he really needed one.  

Makai just woke up before church, so he wasn't in the mood for taking pics.

They looked handsome. I love seeing all the cute kids in their new Sunday best on Easter Sunday.

Our Easter: Part 1

Part 1: Easter Morning/ Baskets

(My camera was acting up, so I apologize for the ridiculously out of focus pics)

Here's what we did Easter morning:

This is one of those cardboard boxes that is normally priced obnoxiously high for a box. I found it hidden on a shelf for an amazing discounted price and couldn't pass it up. We've been coloring it all week and have already taken several trips to the moon.

Their Easter "baskets".

He's looking at hand tatoos. He was so excited. He wore one on each hand to church and showed them off to everyone.

FYI

In case you were wondering... my mommy blog is now hidden. I took the step to make it private, but I found that that just wasn't enough, so for now it isn't open to any one. I know you're completely devastated that you can no longer read my mushy love letters to my children or read my sometimes brutal and other times fluffy opinions of motherhood. It will most likely come back eventually, but for now my thoughts, letters, and deepest darkest feelings are private.

I had a few people ask me what happened and I didn't want any of you who were on the e-mail list to think that I chose to delete you. It's not you, it's me. I just need some space. It's not personal.

There, officially broken up. I know it hurts, but really, there are other blogs on the web to make fun of, so I know you'll be okay ;)

Some Days We Just Cry

Yesterday was this kind of day for all of us:

Mess after mess after spill after hit after something broken after something lost after melt down after melt down after melt down. Some days we just cry. Thankfully the "sun will come out tomorrow." Am I alone in this? 

A friend of mine once told me I was like Mother Teresa. I don't think it was meant in a necessarily good way. She said sometimes she feels like a bad mom after spending time with me. I felt awful. 

Another time someone told me they don't know how I do it and that I am too nice sometimes. 

You need to know... Some days we just cry!

And that's okay. 

No one is perfect, no matter what their facebook or blog tries to tell you. 

We all have different strengths and struggles. 

I answered my friend by saying, "I do it the same way you do. I cry through some days, and laugh through others."

And truthfully I just pray ALL DAY LONG.

And that's okay, too. 

Our Baby Girl

According to Ezra (what you thought I was pregnant? April Fools :)

This is baby Jillie:

I've introduced you to her before. She is darling and we miss her.

Ezra thought she needed all the car seat toys on at one time.  She didn't know what to do with all of them.

The other day we were plowing through the clearance aisle at a store when we came across some beautiful crib bedding for a baby girl that was 80% off.

 Ezra said, "Oooo, let's get dis!" 

I looked at it. I even took it out of the package to examine closely. Was I seriously considering buying crib bedding for a baby girl that we didn't have and may not have for many years? Yes I was. I put it in the cart and we strolled through the store. Then as we approached check-out, I turned around and headed back to clearance to place that beautiful crib bedding back on the shelf. Ezra was so sad.

 I said, "I want it too, but, Ezra, we don't have a baby girl, so it would just be silly to get it." 

He said, "We do have a baby girl mommy. We have Jillie."

Ezra is always talking about having a baby girl. He already has her name picked out and everything. Someday Ezra.

But for now Jillie will be our baby girl. (If her mommy will let us claim her as such.)

How Embarrassing

So we're getting ready to check-out of Target today. Right when the cashier begins scanning my items Ezra shouts out, "Mommy, that guy looks like a girl!" followed by some inappropriate laughter. I was so embarrassed. I didn't know what to say or do. I just said, "Ezra, that was rude. He does not; he just has long hair like Uncle Kevin.
I mean, the guy did have hair longer than me, so maybe he should expect comments like that now and then? I should've apologized to him or had Ezra, I was just too embarrassed to acknowledge that he surely heard Ezra's comment.
He didn't look at me the rest of the time. I tried to give him an extra big, extra nice smile when he handed me my receipt, but I'm pretty sure it went unnoticed.

What do you do when your children embarrass you? Forget about it? Laugh about it? Run and hide? Maybe men everywhere should have short hair and girls everywhere should avoid men's shoes just so my 3 year old doesn't have any material to make embarrassing comments, deal? Okay, we'll work on it.

Temple and Kissing

This is my conversation with Ezra today:


E: When I'm a daddy, I can kiss you on the lips.
Me: Well, not me, but you can kiss your wife on the lips.
E: Who will be my wife?
Me: The girl you choose to take to the temple.
E: But I might get lost when I try to find the temple, so you'll have to help me get there.
Me: Of course I'll help you. You won't get lost. We'll give you great directions :)

To him it was literal, to me it was a spiritual lesson and a task I hope I don't fall short at.
 I will do my best to help little Z get to the temple. (All so he can kiss on the lips :)