Day 5: Mom & Day 6: Dad

(I'm already falling behind on the 30 day photo challenge! How embarrassing!)

Day 5: Mom

This is my mom. She's my biggest fan. She thinks I'm funny and that makes me even funnier. If you see me with my mom, you'll see what a goof I really am. We used to stay up late watching Rescue 911 together. She'd twist my hair around my ears and let me bite her hand as hard as I could. (Why did I enjoy that? No idea.) We also had some good times when I'd get home from kindergarten. She'd make us some mac-n-cheese and we'd talk for a bit. She's a crafty lady. She can make the coolest gingerbread houses and homemade Easter baskets. She can do just about anything she sets out to do. One thing I know about my mom, and knew even during my trying teenage anti-parent years, is that my mom would do anything for me. I could ask her to stay up all night to help me with a project and she'd do it. There's nothing that brings her more joy than being a mother and I love that. Love you mom.

Day 6: Dad

 I'm a daddy's girl. There's nothing like snuggling up to a comfy, loving daddy and watching movies that I don't understand while he strokes my hair and instantly begins to snore. He was always a fun dad. He would come out and play all the time. He was ready and willing to take me to any daddy daughter event. I especially loved our daddy daughter dates. He's a hard worker. He's always got some kind of project going on. He's also very smart. He's a computer guy. He likes to build computers and just about anything else. If he ever comes to a problem, he works and works until he can get through it; he never gives up. He is so supportive of me and trusts my instincts. He's also a bit of a softy. All it took was, "look at how cute this shirt is daddy" and it was mine. I really didn't abuse this, I just appreciate it in retrospect. He also has a great laugh. His jokes are sometimes over my head and very corny, but I just have to wait for him to laugh and then I can't help but join in because it's so contagious. I love talking with him and learning from his life experiences. Love you dad!

Day 4: Sad and Tired

Here's how everyone in the Tressler home seems to be feeling today:

(Ezra said, "No more pictures please mommy" while I snapped this shot.)

It started out rough and has so far continued through the day. At least Ezra isn't screaming any more. Though there is a very whiny child running through my house who greatly resembles my toddler. We're all just a little tired. 

James and I are kind of in limbo right now. We're just trying to make some big decisions. It's a little (a lottle) stressful. I don't usually talk about money. I don't stress about it. I just pay the bills and forget about it. But lately it's on my mind and the lack of it is starting to take its' toll on my focus.

 I'm really learning the truth to the expression, "When it rains, it pours." I just wish I was learning a positive take to that quote. It seems like everything we own is breaking all at the same time. Our fridge, oven, car, itouch, crockpot, TV. I don't like the constant pressure of living.

 It's just one of those days and I'm ready for bed.

Day 3: Meet Norbert

Name: Norbert Nemo Tressler

Gender: Male

Age: unknown

He's a fish. A beta fish to be precise. Come this April Norbert will have been in our family for a year and I still haven't even mentioned him. He was a gift to dear little Ez from my mother. We went to run some errands and spontaneously got Ezra his first pet. When we asked him what he wanted to name him, he said the only thing that probably made sense to him as a name for a fish: Nemo.

James didn't like the name Nemo. James had just finished reading Harry Potter and Eragon, so the name was either going to be Saphira (or whatever the name of that dragon is) or Norbert (Hagrid's dragon). Since the fish is a boy, Norbert won. We didn't tell Ezra that daddy was overruling his name choice for the fish, so if you ask Ezra, the fish is still Nemo.

I like to look at fish, but I don't like to eat them or touch them or swim with them. I feed him, but even that grosses me out because the food stinks. I do sometimes have to change his water though because James is busy. Well, that has stopped. I refuse to change the fish's water ever again!

Why? I almost killed it the last time I did! See, James scoops him out with his hands and gently puts him in another bowl while we clean his. I, on the other hand, use a metal spoon to scoop him out because I refuse to touch him. Well, I almost squished him with the spoon and then the second he was on the spoon I tried to basically throw him into the clean bowl. He fell. Lifeless on my counter. I started to scream and jump while making disgusted noises. Thankfully James was there at the time to scoop him up and get him into water. The next three days his color basically faded to white and we were waiting for him to die.

(you can't really tell, but this is Norbert nearing death.)

Every time I'd come around the corner I'd walk extra slow preparing to see a dead floating fish. I kept telling James that I felt so badly that he was dying. He would ask why since he didn't think I liked him and I'd say, "Because I feel like I killed him." His response? "Well, you did. I can't argue there." Thanks James, I'm feeling much better. However, Norbert survived. He's a fighter. His color came back over night. And he lives on. And I no longer change his water.

(Clearly his water needs to be changed now, but I just can't do it.)

Day 2: Boys and Toys

Ezra had his friends Paden and Bracken over to play while James and some of his buddies played racquetball. The boys had lots of fun together. My house was literally covered with boys and toys. Mostly we played trains, but we also ate goldfish and yogurt, Bracken and I did silly jumping dances throughout the house, drove almost all of Ezra's cars throught the water, splashed water all over my bathroom, threw the balloon back and forth, played with the flashlight in the dark and watched American Idol.

They were too into the trains to look up for a pic, so this was the best I got.

Happy March 2nd Peeps!

Day 1: Hats

30 Day Photo Challenge

Goal:

At least one photo a day for the next 30 Days!

You should join us!

Makai and I would like to know... how many people actually make their children wear those matching hats?

 I got this cute outift from my friend Kassie and I totally love it. I just don't know about the matching hat. Though I think it is adorable how his ears stick out when he wears it, so maybe it's not so bad.

Ezra likes to dress himself. It takes a lot longer to get out the door because of this, but I am patient while he puts his pants on backwards or tries to put both legs through the same whole and I can't help but laugh when he gets stuck in shirt by putting his arm through the same whole as his head. This style, however, was a new look.

Meet Makai

Makai is our little chunky chunk. I can't stop squishing his roly poly thighs and kissing his fluffy, soft cheeks. James calls him Big Mak. He actually isn't very big. He's much chunkier than Ezra was, but he's still a little guy. He's in the 10th percentile for weight. I know he's short too, but I can't remember his percentile for height. He's got blond hair and blue eyes. I'd be surprised if we have any babies that don't. He's got a dimple in each cheek. His eyes have a sort of sparkle to them when he smiles at you. No teeth yet. I'm not expecting any for awhile if he's anything like Ezra was. He has a big red birth mark on the back of his head. He also has the biggest soft spot I have ever seen. The doctor's say it's normal, but it has caused concern for me while I watch it pulse with his heartbeat or even sink in real deep some days. I did research and said lots of prayers that his head wouldn't cave in. He's fine. I'm ridiculous.

He's rolling over. He has been for awhile, but it seems like it took him forever to make the final flop and once he did it one time he couldn't stop. He likes being on his belly, but he grunts a lot on his belly. He's sitting up now too. I'm still not confident enough to walk away from him sitting up, but he's getting better.

He eats everything, but then again, what baby doesn't? He's been saying "mama" since the beginning of January though I have yet to get him to say it for James, so he doesn't believe me. Okay, so it's just a sound at this point, but Ezra can say "Despicable" and have no idea what it means, so I'm counting "mama" as Makai's first word.

He likes to twist his ankles over and over and over again. He loves when I sing to him. He gets the biggest smile and just watches me. He's a talker. He's always squealing and squeaking to tell me stories. He's sort of a binky fan, but only when he's tired and if his nose isn't too stuffy to suck on it. He likes to be held. His new favorite thing is splashing in the water. He gets really hyper and won't stop kicking. Last night he was getting so hyper when I was giving Ezra a bath that I just had to hold him in the water so he could kick a little bit. He was very content afterwards.

He's such a happy baby. He doesn't cry very often. When he does he's easy to console. He loves watching Ezra. He is constantly smiling at him and reaching out for him. Though he does get scared easily. Ezra just has to laugh a little too loud and it sends Makai into a frightened scream. It's quite sad to watch actually. It makes me want to hold him and never let him out of my arms to a scary brother who can bring about such fear.

(It's string, not boogers or whatever else it might look like to you. I was working on a project, he was doing tummy time on our bare carpet with a snotty nose and this is what I discovered when I picked him up. Awesome. I know.)

How's he sleeping? Better. Thanks for all of your words of advice. I have been trying just about anything that I can and it's slowly working. He has always been good at falling asleep on his own, it's just the staying asleep that we have trouble with. Now he wakes up about 3-4 times instead of the minimum of 6 times from 10pm-8am. One night he only woke up twice! James kept commenting on how I must have had a great night sleep because I was obnoxiously happy that day.

He's got issues with his adenoids which is part of his sleeping problems. He has been stuffy almost every night since he was born. Seriously. It goes through the day too, but gets worse at night. He snores and can't breathe a lot. He has also had a chronic cough and constant snot since we brought him home. We finally brought him to see an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist who confirmed my assumption that his adenoids are enlarged. He didn't give any exciting solutions though: surgery, steroids or nothing. We decided on the nothing for now, but he has trouble sleeping and nursing because of it, so we might have to take action sometime in the near future.

He's eating real food. Well, real mushy food. Though he did manage a big bite out of brother's banana the other day. Ezra was upset that Makai slobbered on his banana, but Makai was quite happy to be given such an exciting new treat. He loves bananas now. He's getting better at containing his messes. He would somehow manage to get his food everywhere when we first started. His favorite is carrots. He goes nuts. We had our friends Thomas and Caley babysit a couple of weeks ago. I brought carrots for Makai. When we got back he was crying. She said she just couldn't get them in fast enough. He just gets so excited that it makes him really sad when you take the spoon away to get another bite.

He's our little ray of sunshine. He's always there smiling at us. He's very patient with me and loves watching us. He's got a special smile just for his daddy. I love watching those two play. I never thought it was possible to love another baby as much as I love Ezra, but I have discovered that it is indeed. I adore Mr. Mak.

Makai, our little heavenly reminder to smile.

Meet Ezra

Ezra was born July 17th, 2008. He's the weirdest of all of us. If you know either James or I then that is really saying something.

His favorite things are getting dizzy, driving cars, running, playing with trains, and sword fighting.

If we ask him to get something for us and we end up getting it instead it really makes him sad. For example: I asked him to get me a diaper for Makai. His response was, "actually, I can't." So, I went and got it myself. He started screaming, took the diaper from me, put it back and then brought it to me with a smile. He does this ALL the time.

He also enjoys destroying things, playing catch and practicing ABC's.

He is a handful, but he is my best little buddy. He shows me the same affection I show him and I love it. To him I am "sweetheart" or "baby love". He plays with my hair, rubs my cheeks and gives me constant kisses.

He never stops jumping. Like, seriously. He jumps and twirls and runs and jumps and flops and run and jumps.

He is easily excited. And very expressive. Both facially and vocally.

He loves having friends and thankfully he feels pride in sharing.

He adores his little brother. He's always asking where he is and then giving him kisses or rubbing his hair. He always shares too well with Makai, so we monitor all interactions carefully.

He's slow to warm up, but gets attached to people easily afterwards.

He loves the Wheels on the Bus soundtrack in our car and requests it EVERY TIME WE DRIVE! He also begs for it to be loud because "brudder not sleeping right now!"

He hates being left behind and always says, "mommy, you be right back please?" It melts me.

He has a very sensitive gag reflex and often dry heaves or actually vomits at the sight or smell of boogers, poop or spit up.

He still loves to shake his booty.

Every time I cry he asks, "you okay sweetie?" and never fails to provide me with a Kleenex. He'll also be there to rub my back.

He quotes movie after movie even if he's only seen it once.

He thinks the shark in our fridge has magic healing powers. I should mention the shark is a cooling pack. When he falls or gets hurt cries for the shark immediately and within a second of putting the shark on the injured area he is free of tears and back in the game. I should also send of a farewell to our dear magic shark who has leaked out all the magic liquid and been thrown away recently. He has now been replaced with a magic Buzz.

He likes this little jumper here mainly to spin around so fast over and over again.

He spins so fast and so much that it makes him lose his dinner. As noted above, it doesn't take much to get this boy to vomit. We've become vomit cleaning champs over these last 2.5 years.

We're potty training right now. See HERE.

He's a goober. Right now we're working hard on ABC's. He's off and on with what he recognizes and doesn't. Usually when he sings the song he goes to g and then skips to q, so we're a little lost somewhere in the middle. He always says, "Z for Ezra." I blame myself. What? There is a "Z" in his name. It made sense to me.

He's a full blown daddy's boy. It's sweet. He does everything daddy does. He loves to wrestle him, jump on him, fight him, play catch with him, snuggle with him, and especially laugh with him. James just has a way of getting Ezra to laugh like no one else can.

I just don't even know what to say about this picture...

He enjoys dressing and undressing though he usually gets things a little backwards. The other day he wore a backwards and inside out pull-up with backwards pants. I love the outfits he chooses too. He's a free spirit.

He hates going to sleep. He is always coming out to check on us or to tell us something or to ask for water, blankets, flashlight, books, cold water, a song, another prayer, more water, etc. He also hates having his door closed. He has to sleep with two puppies, most of his Disney Cars cars, water (cold and filled), two blankets, a flashlight and usually a book. He needs to be read to, say prayers, be sung to, hugged and kissed and tucked in. He hates going to sleep so much and is so difficult to go to sleep that even when he finally conks out he sleeps with one eye open. Can't quite tell? Scroll down.

Here's a creepy close-up for ya.

He had his first crush when he was 1 and a half. He would always search for her belly button each time we went into Old Navy. One day I guess he realized she was perfect for him so he made his move. I don't know why he decided to go in for the kill without even introducing himself officially. I'm keeping him locked up for the next 17 years. My mom happened to catch him on camera. Here she is:

Out of all us Tressler's, you probably know Ezra the most because he's the one we always talk about. He's just the most interesting. He's got his own little style and charm about him that make him irresistible. I could just eat him sometimes. He's so much like his daddy and I guess a little like me too that he's just a mess when it comes to being normal, but who wants to be normal? Ezra is my wild child and we just adore him to itty bitty pieces.

Meet Kayleen

(Written by James and completely unedited, even though I wanted to. I did, however, re-title this ...)

"His Revenge"

My wife Kayleen- How would one describe her? To start off she is a 5 year old little girl trapped into a 24 year old body. I say this because if you were to see her when she gets goofy and you were to see a 5 year old little girl next to her at the same time you would not be able tell any difference. I would say the same for when she tries to dance. She Has The Rhythm Of A Five Year Old.

This is not entirely a bad thing because it is funny when Ezra starts playing along. Also to the positive side she is as sweet as one too. Her love and kindness could make oceans overflow, but I do give a warning if you upset her, for the next day or two that love and kindness flows about as well as water does in the Atacama Desert, ( I had to Google that) which brings me to my next thought.

To try and explain Kayleen better I feel that giving personal experiences would better pin the tale on the donkey. When Kayleen gets upset or better said when I make her upset that fountain of love and kindness turns off fast. I’m sure that this is the norm for most people. Me being a guy or just me, can let things go easily or not bother me and I can get over things pretty fast only when I turn my internal switch to the off position. Kayleen CAN NOT. The switch that Kayleen has does not have that option, in fact for some reason it goes into internal hyper drive. Every outward emotion reverts inward. On the outside she is as cold as ice but on the inside she is steaming HOT. So this is the dilemma I’m trying to lead into. She tells me that I need to talk to her to let her know that I care and so she can get over her frustration, anger, etc. with me. After reading that, one would most likely say “James that’s easy and to just do it”. I would and I have tried many times but when I do she some how knows how to say things directed to me that reach inside me and turn that switch to the on position no matter how hard I try to keep it off. I do not like how I act when that switch gets turned on. The outcome is always negative. This is why I choose to not say anything and try to let her cool off on her own. I can do that pretty well but I guess she can’t. Me letting her cool off is a bad idea. Talking to her seems to bring very similar outcomes. This is my dilemma.

She is my princess and I don’t ever want to yell at her. She definitely deserves a prince or knight in shining armor. I actually like talking things through and working things out as long as Kayleen doesn’t shoot those fiery darts. I wish they made some kind of emotional bullet proof vest to take that kind of punishment Kayleen dishes out when I try talking to her, but then I think “James is she right?” then I tell myself “Yes” and “Do you probably deserve it?” and once again I say “Yes”. They say it takes two to tango but some how women always make it seem you’re the only one doing it and what’s worse is you end up truly believing it too. I used to think that I was a big strong rock but now I can see that I’m just a piece of clay getting molded into Kayleen’s ideal prince.

Something I find admirable in Kayleen is that she tries very hard to be not just a good mom, but a great mom. She does the same with being a wife. For example she knows that I love having food made for me. I am a fat kid trapped in a skinny body. I like to eat yet I’m too lazy to make it myself. Kayleen is so great because if anyone burned food the way she did when we first got married they would have given up a long time ago. I literally couldn’t understand how she could burn everything. Toast is something you turn the number to its correct setting and then let the toaster do its thing. Not with Kayleen, some how she could go through half a loaf of bread in minutes. This went on for months. Kayleen did not get blessed with the cooking skills, in fact she got cursed. At times I really didn’t understand how she would burn everything. At first she blamed the oven, but later just accepted the fact that she was truly cursed. It’s a good thing I ate some pretty nasty things in Mexico which were a lot worse. The Wonderful thing about Kayleen is that she never gave up. In fact she has come a long way since then. I actually enjoy her meals now and look forward to them. Kayleen is not a quitter, she is persistent and a very hard worker. I love this about her because she not only knows how to get things done, but she does a really good job getting things done. She is definitely my better half.

When I think back through the past few years of marriage I realize that Kayleen is a rock to me. She gives me strength and is always there for me. She is also always there for our two boys. She is a light and example to me in many ways and always makes me want to be better. I am lucky to be a piece of clay she has control over. With out her I would have probably ended up as a turd in a bucket that deserved to be thrown out, but instead I get to become a true knight in shinning armor. I guess those fiery darts is her putting pressure on those hard stubborn lumps of clay that need molding.

Meet James

Aside from his obvious good looks, there are a lot of things that you probably don't know about James. It also tests just how well I know my husband. He never reads this, so we'll never know if I'm wrong.

Mainly as a record for our family, let me fill you in:

-He's a 12 year old boy stuck in a 28 year old man's body. The end. Just kidding. Kind of.
-James is from Maryland and that's where is attitude is from too. Or maybe it's from his mom? (love you Gramalene!)
-He says he doesn't have a sweet tooth, but requires that I always stock up on chips ahoy chocolate chip cookies. He also devours any sweet I make within minutes.
-He does asset protection at Wal-Mart and not only does he like his job, he's really good at it.
-He also works at the county jail and gets to carry a gun to work. I think it secretly makes him feel cool, but he'd probably never admit that.
-When we were first married he was making us milkshakes and decided to stir it with a spoon while the blender was on. He's smart. I'll never forget the look on his face when I ran in the kitchen to find him completely covered. We chucked the spoon and were still finding chocolate milkshake stains on our ceiling months later.
-He has back problems and snuggles with a HUGE body pillow each night. (I got it for him, so no, I am not jealous.)
-He loves nothing more than a home cooked meal and a clean house to come home to. (I should apologize here for the fact that he rarely gets it.)
-He can't help but get home and get the boys all wound up right before bed.
-He makes it look like our bed has been destroyed by a tornado when he sleeps and then blames it on me. (Nights that he works at the jail the bed looks like it has barely been slept in and he knows it!)
-He served a mission for our church in Mexico and therefore speaks spanish.
-He graduated in Sociology (thus his success at his "people-watching-suspiscious-behavior-finding" job). He minored in Business and Spanish.
-He would love to start his own business.
-He loves learning and welcomes trials and failure with open arms.
-He plays racquetball on a league. He likes to win, but he loves losing. Really. He has his reasons.

-He has strange dreams ALL the time. He also remembers all of them in full, even years later. They are very long. It goes like this, "I had the weirdest dream..." me: "weird. let me get you some breakfast." or "cool, the baby needs me." (No, I am not heartless.)

-In connection to the previous, he makes short stories long and long stories longer. He always says, I'll give you a short version, but it never really is. He knows it, so it's okay to make fun.

-He's the President of our Home Owners Association.
-He hates getting hot, slapped in the face and being left home alone.
-Before I met him he was described to me by one of my roommates as "butt boy".

-I won a date with him and he planned on spending the gift card on his roommates instead. Again, he had his reasons, but c'mon!

-He says the longest prayers ever. He also forces me to kneel on a book if I refuse to kneel on the ground instead of the bed.
-He hates when people say "shut up" even in a joking tone.
-He almost always makes one of our neices or nephews cry whenever we get together with them. He just plays too rough and forgets he's a grown man now, not just one of them.

-He loves being a dad. He watches the boys sleep with the same adoration I do.

-He's a great dancer. Never had training, but one day I will get him into a hip hop class or something and he'll be a star for sure!

-He loves video games, but for the most part he is careful with when and how long he plays.

-He loves guns.

-He plays airsoft and dreams of one day creating his own airsoft arena. He always sees things on the side of the road that would be perfect for it. Like this old run down bus just past Idaho Falls. He wants it. He tells me every time we drive by.

-He made his own ghillie suit because he's cool. (the above picture is the incomplete suit.)

-He makes the best breakfast sandwiches and thinks it would be cool to open his own breakfast shop.

-He hardly ever gets mad (unless he is slapped in the face or gets hot). He never ever yells or has yelled at me.

-Most people who don't know him think he is very serious. Especially if they see him at church. He's not. Not at all. His face is sometimes, but not my James.

-He laughs so hard when he watches America's Funniest Videos or Wipeout or sees anyone fall with style.

-He makes fun of me for watching The Bachelor, but if he can't watch it with me then he almost always asks what happened.

-He can see Heavenly Father's hand in every situation (good and bad) throughout his life. It's really inspiring.

-He has three sisters that he totally adores.

-He's definitely a momma's boy.

-He never stinks. Not even after a hard workout. (Unless I'm pregnant, but then who doesn't stink?)

-He's good at almost everything he does. If he isn't, he works so hard until he's good at it.

-He is very laid back and calm.

-He loves the smell, touch and look of leather.
-He is grateful for everything he has and is always quick to remind me how blessed we are. Especially when I complain about the ants I keep finding in the kitchen he reminds me of the little girl he saw on his mission playing on the dirt floor in the middle of her living room completely content and happy. (Boy do I hate these guilt triggering, but necessary reminders sometimes.)

-He can fall asleep in a matter of seconds. On our honeymoon he was asleep before the plane even took off. Then he woke up right when we were about to land and said, "we haven't even taken off yet!?" I tried to hold in my annoyance while I told him he had been sleeping for hours while I just sat there.

-He desires nothing more in the world than to raise his boys well and send them off to worthily serve missions for our church and then see them married in the temple.

-He wants 5 to 7 kids.

-He's my best friend and accepts criticism or instruction well.

-Sometimes he needs a little push to get out of his 12 year old boy mind set and change that poopy diaper before I get mad.

-He doesn't watch sports; he'd much rather play them.

-He has an obsession with camoflauge.

-James is not a perfect man, but he is the best man for me. He brings me closer to the Savior and is quick to comfort me. He always tries to do the right thing and fulfill his divinely appointed role as father and husband in our family and I love him more than I'd ever be able to express.

Meet the Tressler's

To know us is to love us.

If you don't love us, then you might know us a little too well ;)

We're quirky and fun. Silly and serious. Shy and outgoing. American and Russian (well, maybe just Kayleen. Well, maybe not). Ugly and cute. Young and old. Stressed and carefree. A little bit looney all around.

There's probably a lot you don't know about us. Don't ask James, he'll go on for years. I'll tell ya what you want to know about the Tressler's. I'll probably tell ya more about what you didn't want to know, but that's just a little something you need to know about all of us: We talk. We don't make sense. We linger longer. We laugh too loud. We make jokes that aren't funny. We don't get jokes that are. I can keep going here. Let's break it down. One Tressler per day ... I'll start with James (tomorrow). Why? Cuz he's my favorite Tressler.

well, he's in my top 3!