Motherhood Lately

Life has obviously gotten in the way of me keeping up this blog and that makes me so sad. I am going to try to be better at keeping better records/memories for the sake of my family. So instead of back-tracking, I'll just start where we're at. Crazy. That's where we are :) I guess we asked for that when we chose to have four babies, right?

Most days are overwhelming and exhausting mixed with laughter, hugs and tears. Ezra is in first grade and has finally started to enjoy school. So much so that he actually told me a couple weeks ago that he DOES NOT want to be homeschooled next year! I was shocked to hear this and a little saddened, but I am grateful that he is happier in public school. Between school, homework, sports, dinner, chores, church stuff and bedtime, he doesn't get a lot of down time and we all really miss him. 

James' schedule is a bit trying for our young family. It feels as though a lot (or most) of the weight falls on my shoulders. He is doing what he can to provide for our family and we are so grateful. It makes a big difference to see him so happy to go to work, but sometimes he is so happy he won't come home! He says they are busy and he can't leave. I say he's busy playing and doesn't want to leave. Either way, we miss him. He is currently on the Midnight shift so he sleeps ALL day and works all night. It's such a tease because he's right here in my house and yet I can't spend time with him. It drives me crazy. Maybe I should admit here that I am an incredibly difficult and needy person to live with. ha. I do a lot of things alone and it's difficult and often very lonely (even though I have 4 kids to keep me company, it's different). 

There are still HUGE bugs and constant bugs in Texas. They make me want to run away. I HATE bugs! I find so many in my house all day long that it grosses me out just to walk on the ground or even sit on the carpet. I guess I just needed to complain for a moment. lol

Makai is learning so much and has started giving in more and more to his gentle, sweet side. I love it. Far less tantrums from him which helps me so much. Although he still gets great pleasure out of taunting his little brother and it drives me insane. I have so many images of him running around the house holding a toy over his head while Deklan is running behind him screaming and reaching for it. Hopefully one day they'll learn to play better together. He loves playing math games on the computer and he is even learning to clean up his toys! This is huge because he never used to do this and it was a constant battle.

Deklan is still a bundle of trouble, but he has enough cute moments to help me get through the screams and meltdowns. He is communicating better and I would venture to say that more people can understand him now. He still refuses to go to nursery so I have given up trying. Sunday is a battle enough and our attempts to get him to stay in nursery made me never want to go, so he comes with me and Brynlee and it works out ok for the most part. 

Brynlee is such a doll. She's 9 months now. I couldn't have dreamed of a more easy going baby. She doesn't sleep through the night, but she is really easy when she does wake up, so it's okay. She loves her little jumper toy and she is currently fascinated by touching faces. Deklan still adores his "Brynee" and always want to hold her, give her toys or kisses and even sit on her. I think he thinks it's showing love because he really is gentle with her. She says "Mama" all day long. She is not interested in moving around much, so we are not at the crawling stage which is ok with me. 

My days are so packed with trying to keep up with these kiddos. Even on a good day life is crazy. I can't keep up with laundry and dishes and meals and sicknesses and fights, etc. Why does it seem like my kids are always hungry? I make breakfast and before I even have a chance to clean that up they're rummaging through the pantry because they're hungry. I have to kick them out of the pantry and fridge all day long. Then while I fold laundry they like to jump over the piles which often results in falling on them or knocking them over so that I get to fold the mounds of laundry all over again. Then there is the constant, "I don't know what to do.." I had no idea I needed to be a 24/7 event planner for these kids. I used to play by myself all the time and rarely remember playing with my mom, but these kids expect to be entertained all day long. I'm lucky if I get a shower without someone banging on the door or whipping back the shower curtain because they "need" me. I love to be needed and I love to be their mommy, but, my goodness, I'm exhausted. I wouldn't even be writing this blog post right now if not for the TV! Don't judge me.

Makai likes to pray for mommy to always be beautiful and I told him that is very sweet, but even more than mommy would like to be beautiful, I would like to have the patience I need to be mommy. I'm in survival mode most days and I guess that's going to have to be ok for now. 

We are planning a big trip to Utah this summer and we can't wait! It'll be so nice to see our family and friends and America! It is getting me through these crazy days. I'm trying to resist the urge to start packing 3 months early!

Brynlee Kay

This munchkin is my darling Brynlee. (Aka, Bryn Bryn, Brynee, Bryn Bear, BB, B, or if it's coming from her daddy, she is known as "Princess")

I'm not sure I could love this little girl any more than I do. I am exploding with adoration even just looking at this picture. She makes me heart so full. Brynlee is the easiest baby. She is so patient and so calm. She just sits and snuggles for such a long time. People are constantly commenting on how sweet she is and how they have never even heard her cry. She really doesn't cry much at all. It's weird. 

She loves to watch her brothers. They get her smiling and laughing often. They are all very sweet to her, but I am surprised to admit that Deklan seems to be the most attached. Ezra will hold her and help me take care of her (and he loves to make her smile), Makai will talk to her or notice her there if someone else is playing with her or holding her, but Deklan always says hi to her, kisses her head, touches her head, tries to play with her, etc. I've also discovered that he is very protective of her. It's very sweet how much these boys love their baby sister.

Brynlee has a very sweet giggle, the most adorable smile, pretty blue eyes, and bright pink toenails. She loves to be held by her daddy, but is always looking around the room still to find mommy. Just recently she has started going through stranger anxiety and becoming more attached to me and I kind of love it. 

She is sitting up and eating some foods, but we're starting slowly on that. She will do tummy time for a little bit, but almost indefinitely she will give up quickly and you'll find her laying her head down to take a nap. I guess she thinks it's comfy or something? Don't know when/if this girl will crawl if that keeps happening. haha.

She loves to hold things and touch everything. James thinks it's the sweetest thing how she grabs his face when he holds her. She is great at going to sleep. She wakes up usually just twice to eat and then goes right back down. She's a super fast eater too. She is a thumb sucker. She is rarely seen in public without a bow or flower on her head and she is always dressed better than the rest of us. 

She is such a doll and I couldn't be more proud or excited to be her mommy :)

Deklan Steele

This adorable little face belongs to our Dekle Bug (aka Dek-O, Dekle Freckle, Dekles, etc)

Deklan gives me a run for my money. Holy cow, this kid. I don't even know where to start.

We just said goodbye to one of our ward missionaries and the last time he came to our home he told us one of his favorite stories of Dek-o. He said, "There was one time we were here and Deklan was about to hit one of his brothers and you told him to make a better choice, so he put his arm down and gave him a hug instead." I just laughed. That is the epitome of Deklan. He's our real life sour patch kid; sour one moment, sweet the next.

This past Monday night I hid around the corner while I watched him brush his own teeth, rinse his toothbrush, climb on the toilet to turn the water off, climb back down to tap his toothbrush on the side of the sink (which he learned from Ezra and his daddy) and then climb back up on the toilet to put his toothbrush away. It's little moments like this that make me so proud and yet so incredibly sad that he is growing up.

I pull him off the counter all day long! If I'm not in the same room with him, I can guarantee he's finding trouble and/or making a huge mess. He throws food or dumps cups just for fun. He's got a milk allergy still, but I am still hopeful that he will grow out of it. I do not eliminate all dairy from his diet with the hope that his body will become used to it. 

He's finally talking. And talking. And talking. Though most people can't understand any more than a word or two. He will tell you very dramatic stories (complete with slobbery lisps) and you really wish you had a clue what he was telling you because he's so passionate about it. He is a combination of the hulk and wolverine. This boy is all boy. The most boyish boy I have which is saying a lot. He still has the most ear-piercing scream which makes me feel justified in the fact that he is still very attached to his binky. I have straight up told people (you know, those people who like to tell you that your kid is too old or this or that because you still give him a binky) that I am really doing the store, restaurant, world a favor by making some attempt to muzzle him because glass might shatter if I don't. 

He is obsessed with balls and "Pie-er-man" (spider-man). He hates nursery on Sundays and refuses to go without letting every person in a 5mile radius know that he protests. They bring him to me within minutes every Sunday if I even try to drop him off. 

He has colored in every room of our house mostly on the walls, but he will settle for windowsills, dressers, stools, blankets, the carpet, himself, whatever. Ugh. We also have to lock him in his room every night otherwise he doesn't stay in. It sounds so cruel, but it was the best decision I made regarding his sleep (and mine for that matter). He's still my early riser, but instead of waking me up screaming he now just knocks really really loudly on his door until someone lets him out. It's kind of funny.

He gets really excited when you tell him you love him. His favorite thing to do is play with play-doh or wrestle daddy. He hates being buckled in the car, loves going to the park and enjoys being splashed with freezing cold water in the bath tub. Deklan is not an easy child, but I wouldn't want to live a day without him.

Makai Neil

This cutie pa-tootie is our Mak-a-Duke (aka, Duke, Mak, Kai, Doodles, etc...)

Makai is 4 and loving being four. He's a little small for his age and unfortunately seems to have a hard time feeling little. He feels like he's not fast and that he can't do a lot of things, but now that he is 4 that is slowly changing. Actually, now that he finally wears size 4T is what is making it slowly change. He's growing! Makai is my little sunshine when he wants to be and my attitude the next second. He's confusing. He is sensitive, but instead of crying he just gets mad.

He's our story teller. This boy can go on and on and on making up stories. He loves to talk. When he makes up a name for one of his characters he usually uses some kind of sound instead of a real name like, "Thap". He prefers that I tell him stories at night instead of reading them and then he will usually repeat my story back to me with his own twists. When I do read books he hardly lets me finish a whole page without asking me for some back story or more explanation. He also enjoys singing and can go on and on doing that too.

He's hilarious. He loves making people laugh, but he really hates when he feels like people are laughing at him. If he didn't mean to make you laugh then you better not start laughing. He gets distracted easily and hates cleaning. Usually he sits down to clean and ends up making a bigger mess because he gets caught up playing again.

He hates eating unless it's candy. He loves being in charge even though he doesn't understand what that means. His favorite thing to do is play with friends. His best buddy is Ryan and they love playing with cars and wrestling. He gets super serious when he wrestles daddy. To the point that I'm not sure he is still playing. He tells me sometimes he "loses control of my body". lol. He has an answer for everything and is always making up different scenarios that he can either solve or explain.

He is caring. Awhile ago I showed him pictures of kids who didn't have any food and it really concerned him. He asked me a couple weeks later if we could send some of our food to the hungry kids since we have too much. It was so sweet that James and I agreed we need to follow through with that on some level.

He is obsessed with superheroes. His favorite is still Spider-Man, but he also loves Hulk and Thor. He thinks he has real powers, but he told me that he can't control his powers yet. When he is a dad then he will be able to control them. (He also thinks his dad is a superhero.)

I think he might be going deaf. Or maybe he just has selective hearing. I swear I have to shout to get his attention even if I'm talking about sweets! I hope I'm joking, but I really am taking him in to get his ears checked the end of this month.

He asks me all the time when it's going to be his birthday again. He loves to snuggle and gives the tightest most amazing hugs. I love to snuggle him and let him talk my ears off. I love my little Mak-a-Duke.

Ezra James

This handsome stud muffin is our Ez Trez 

(I may have like a million nicknames for all my kids if you haven't noticed :)

Ezra is 6 and will be turning the big 7 July 17th of this year! He is awesome. He is still my greatest helper and now he is my "work for hire" anytime I'm having a hard time keeping up with the other kids and need an extra hand. He will clean the whole house for me, take out the trash, hold the baby, wipe off the table, take care of some dishes, etc. Though he never lets me forget that he was promised some sort of payment in exchange for his services.. though I'm sure he'd do it for free.

He is always going for the laugh. Whenever we have friends over, Ezra is the life of the party. It's hard to tone down his crazy sometimes. Just as much as he is crazy, he is also super calm. His energy is like a roller coaster. He crashes hard and still needs daily down time. We can always count on Ezra for a super silly moment or a heart melting sincere cuddle.

His favorite thing to do is play his Lego Super Hero wii game, but since he can't play it that often because he has a mean mommy, he also likes building things with Legos or MetroMags or any kind of blocks. He loves wrestling (actually this one might be his absolute favorite thing to do). He likes running and practicing cool tricks like roller skating. He recently learned to whistle. He would whistle himself to sleep some nights practicing (not a joke). 

He knocked out his two front teeth last year (one fell out right when he crashed into Makai's head and the other got lose the same time and fell out soon after). His grown up teeth are finally coming through though! It's so weird to see his sweet little baby face turning into a non-baby face.

He's a great eater and compliments me on my dinner all the time even if it makes him throw up because he doesn't actually like it and has a weak gag reflex (sweet potatoes are his least favorite which I just don't understand! And why I keep serving him some is just dumb of me. Though at least he tries.)

He still has a very "matter of fact" personality and can be very serious sometimes. When he gets tired he is just like his mommy and either gets really sad, or really goofy. He loves to be in charge and really tries his best to set a good example for his siblings. He loves sitting by himself and reading books. He is so particular about his space and how he sets up his area around his bed. 

He is thoughtful and always kind and very trustworthy. I can always rely on him.

What can I say? He's simply the best 6 year old I've ever had!

First Grade

Ezra is in first grade this year. We homeschooled last year and found it to be extremely difficult. I hesitatingly made the decision to put him in public school for first grade. I found a school out of district that had more of the things I was looking for in an elementary school, so we applied as a transfer student and got accepted.

It was incredibly difficult for both Ezra and me with many tears and discomfort. Ezra cried every time I dropped him off for the first 3 weeks or so and would sometimes cry after I met him for lunch in the cafeteria and then left. He was begging me almost daily to homeschool him and it made my heart ache.

For now he's still in public school. Is it the right choice? I honestly don't know. We don't fight as much, so we have a better relationship, he has made some friends, he understands what a full day of school means and he is learning some things that I wouldn't have even thought to include in our curriculum. I am happy to have more time to take care of our other kids, but I still really miss my Ez.

I really think my heart is still set on homeschooling. I loved that we could focus on what he's good at (like math.. they don't do much math at all at his school and it's so frustrating!) Thankfully his reading is improving and I am not pulling out my hair any more when we sit and read together. He is learning and growing and his teacher is great so it's working out okay.

I do plan on homeschooling through the summer regardless of what we decide for him next year. I'm pretty sure Makai will be going to public school for kindergarten so if he goes then I'm sure we'll end up sending Ezra back as well, but I'm keeping my mind and heart open trying to figure out what is best for these babies. I just wish school was three days a week for like 4 hours a day and then he was mine the rest of the time. That would be ideal. Ugh. Toughest decision I've had to make as a parent so far :/ Wish me luck!

Here is Ez Bez on his first day of school:

Sleeping Babies

The way kids sleep just cracks me up. I love peeking in on my babes before I go to sleep and finding them half off their beds, with their bums in the air, or curled in a ball over just their pillow. There is something so sweet and beautiful about a body at rest ;)

Oh Ezra. How is this even comfortable? I guess it was keeping his head from bobbing. lol

Makai was in a timeout on the wall and four minutes was apparently too long to wait. I found him like this and almost didn't want to move him. 

This is how I have found Deklan napping a few times lately. My theory is that he just gets up to play after I have tucked him in and then wears himself out so much that he just can't quite make it back into his bed. Though at least he had enough energy to throw the blanket around himself.

Last but not least...Brynlee was holding her dolly's arm! I was in love when I saw this tender little moment. She loves cuddling this thing and it makes me smile.

GAH! I love sleeping babies! Just found Dek-O with his bum in the air :) They are my favorite things in the world when they're sleeping!!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from those crazy Tressler's!

We had a great Christmas this year. James got the day off which was totally unexpected, but it was so great to have him home! We even braved our first big Holiday dinner together and even though there was some stress involved, we both really enjoyed working together and making yummy food! The kids all had a wonderful and happy Christmas. We hope everyone had a good Christmas and is now enjoying the start to 2015!