loss, defense, and staying dry

Sounds like a somewhat sad title but they have all been very good things for our family.

First...Owen lost his first tooth yesterday! It has been loose for about 2 months. The one next to it started to come a bit loose as well and then the two bottom front adult teeth started coming up right behind them. I was getting a bit nervous that he would have four {crooked - ack!} teeth for a while before the baby ones came out, but we finally did it. I say 'we' because it was definitely a team effort. The three of us worked on that tooth quite a bit. :) There was a lot of drama surrounding that tooth, but Owen was really brave toward the end.

The tooth fairy gave him a gold dollar, which is giving him a little more incentive to be more proactive about wiggling his other loose tooth. I'm hoping it comes out before his adult ones pop through all the way.

Jared defended his thesis on Friday and did a great job. He was super nervous about it and didn't really want me to take pictures - so there are none and I'm regretting it. But I was glad I got to be there. We got sitters for the kids so I could go.

He was poised and well-spoken. Twenty people came out to see him from his department, which is a relatively good turn out. It was nice to see people there supporting him on a snowy Friday afternoon...nice for me anyway. Usually, the grad students want as little people there as possible so they don't get pounded with questions.

His committee met with him afterward and he passed! It's just pass/fail and then there's the matter of his thesis. He still has more revisions and edits for that, but he won't have to pay tuition again which is a huge plus...obviously. I'm really proud of him. He learned a lot from this experience and has gained greater insight into the positions he should and shouldn't be applying for.

Speaking of... he has been applying and interviewing for jobs. No offers yet, but he has another interview lined up in a couple of weeks, which is exciting.

And staying dry. That's for Reid obviously.

We have been potty training for a couple of months. At first the pull-ups were working great.

We had a potty watch to help us, but then it broke after the first day. Walmart was out of replacements so we pressed forward without the watch {which I don't really think he needed anyway}.

He was set on not wanting to make the little tire on the front disappear. I loved it because when he did have an accident it didn't make a mess, but then...he eventually started treating it like a diaper. We went for the plunge and switched to just underwear and some pretty exciting incentives {candy each time and a Cars car after a certain amount of successful trips to the potty}.

He had a few accidents at first but now he mostly stays dry. He had an accident at church today but that was one of a few he had all week. For our last incentive approach, we pulled out the big guns. It involved having 7 days of staying dry all day {non-consecutive, we wanted to keep it as positive as possible}.

He got a pair of cool Cars 2 underwear for each day he stayed dry, which he loves to wear backwards {when will underwear companies wise up and put the picture on the front?}, and then two Cars 2 cars at the end of 7 days. He surprisingly took only a week and half to earn his cars. This really sealed the deal and now I feel good enough to say he is potty-trained. We will still tote around a change of underwear and pants with us for a while, and he still gets gum/candy when he goes, but only if he remembers to ask for it himself.

Potty training has been so easy this time. We aren't tackling nighttime potty training yet, but he has been dry a few times at nap and at bedtime on his own. I can't tell you how nice it has been waiting until after age 3 and then taking a much more relaxed approach then we did with Owen. Like...instead of being terrified of it because it's such horrible process, I think it's just inconvenient now.

As for me...the baby moves ALL the time. I wonder if she'll be a super active {doesn't like to sleep much} baby like Owen was. I'm carrying her pretty low I think, so it's saving my back a little bit of grief as long as I don't lift heavy things {i.e. Reid, etc.}. With Reid I carried him straight out and it hurt, but I already feel pretty huge and awkward. I'm 25 weeks...only about 15 to go!

And here are some random things about the kids...

Reid is unpredictable. You never know what will come out of his mouth. The other day I was reprimanding him for 'talking back.' He turned his back to me and said, "I'm talking 'back' to you  Mom!" How am I supposed to keep a straight face when he does that?! :) He is such a wit.

We saw Santa at our ward Christmas party on Friday. Reid kept asking why Santa didn't have a mouth. :) He was really worried because couldn't see one hidden in that all that beard.

He loves to use the word "also" and when he saw the garbage truck he asked me if garbage trucks "collect" trash. :) I swear he's a grown-up in a little child's body.

 
Owen loves to read to Reid.

This scene is a common occurrence in our house.

Owen loves being in Enrichment {only a few top students from each class get to go}, learning about leeches and squids {which I get to hear about a lot!}, wants to be an aquanaut when he grows up, and has reported that several girls have asked to kiss him this week...eeek! Owen doesn't seem to be interested yet and thinks it's gross. I hope it stays that way for as long as possible.

And because I post so infrequently...I better get these pictures up too:

 

Reid and Owen sang Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for our Christmas program at our ward party. Owen is completely hidden in the back but somehow Reid got to be right up front. Even though he totally knows the words, Reid would not sing. He just smiled knowingly, swayed his hips a little and gave a big kiss at the end. At the rehearsal the night before he looked ticked off the whole time, didn't want to be on stage and wouldn't even smile. I guess he just needed the lights and the audience, because he loved it during the program. :) Ham...

Oh and just a fun fact. The back of that man's head right there...that's L. Tom Perry's brother. Brother Perry is our Stake Patriarch and in our ward. I love to hear him speak. Although he doesn't sound just like his brother, the quality of his voice is as mesmerizing as any apostle.

Santa came to visit. Owen showed him his loose tooth...

...asked for a million different spy accessories and Reid...I have no idea. :/

I asked him later and he didn't seem to know or remember...so I'm hoping Santa will be able to figure it out alright.