Renton downtown

Last night we went to some friends for dinner and meant to make it to the lighting of the trees in downtown Renton.  We got to talking about adoption and missed it.  Everyone was gone and they were packing up the chairs.  The kids had fun running around and rolling too.  Look at the wet knees on Tay and Bry.  Bryant kept trying to touch the lights on the plants.  He likes to touch the ornaments on our tree too.  I'll post those photos later.

He did it!

Bryant finally wee'd in the toilet! I pumped him full of juice and set the timer for 15 minutes.  After two accidents, he says I have to go potty as he was weeing, I set the timer for 10 minutes and it worked.  He wee'd three times.  Then it was off to Target, as I had promised him a train if he went.  Then today, nothing.  He wouldn't even put on the underpants!  We have playgroup at our house tomorrow, so we'll try again!  Wish us luck!  

Lunch at McDonalds

I really don't think I ever took my girls to lunch at McDonalds... because I don't like it! But, Bryant is another thing all together.  We go to get out of the house.  Our friends live around the corner from us and then it is a short walk, just a couple of blocks, to McDonalds.  This day our friend Rylee was wanting to be called "Hopper" from A Bugs Life movie.  Today at church the graduating nursery kids, we have three, went to singing time in Primary.  They were asked to introduce themselves... Rylee said, "I'm Picasso".  Bryant said, "I'm Bryant, call me Hopper!"... he he he!

Toilet Training and training and training...

Bryant will be four in April.  He refuses to use the toilet!  He won't even let me put underpants on him anymore.  Today he walked by me and I smelled a pooh.  So, I asked him if he'd gone in his diaper and he said, "No Mom, I farted!"  I laughed at that!  Yesterday and today he's come up to me right after he'd gone and has asked me to change him...  Maybe this is it, I think we are getting really close.  Did it take anyone's child this long to even be interested?  I spent $42 on a box of diapers yesterday at Costco... yikes!  Think of the money I'd save, that I could spend elsewhere!  :)  just kidding Todd!  What have your toilet training troubles been?

Toilet troubles

Sometime during the week our downstairs toilet got plugged up.  So after many different attempts to unplug it and it not working, and Todd out of town, and Bryant twice flushing unbeknownst (is that even a word?) to me and standing water left on my hard wood floor TWICE!  and a wet Woody doll dragged across the floor... I figured something must be stuck, something like a toy put in there by Bryant!  Todd tried to unplug it and couldn't either, that made me feel a bit better!  We ended up keeping it locked up while our guests were here and made everyone run upstairs to use the loo, and hoping they made it!  This is Saturday night... Todd made Bryant reach in to see if he could feel anything...  we ended up buying a toilet auger, that thing they call a snake, and it didn't bring anything up... so Todd sent me to the store for a toilet seal part and he took off the toilet.  Way at the bottom of the toilet he found a knight!  It was Bryant after all!  Now it is all fixed and I will be watching Bryant a little better now.

Thanksgiving

This is my sister Molly.  She made a boat load of sweet potatoes!  They were yummy, but I still have tons leftover!  

Here are the men watching some movie, oblivious to our slaving in the kitchen all daylong!  Look at all the toys and train tracks all over the floor, I'm glad I didn't get sued from someone tripping!
The kid table... not sure why Bryant is looking at the lights...hmmm...
Starting with Todd, to his left is Lindsay and my brother Ben (they must like each other, she is still hanging around.  We first met her this summer at my Grandmother's funeral reunion... he just moved in with her, so she must like him.  We have to tease him as this is the first girl we've ever been introduced to and yes, we like her a lot too), then it is Molly (sister) and her husband Casey, then Cliff who is married to my other sister, Shana.  
See this rainbow jello salad... about ten years ago my friend Stacey Hansen taught me how to make this and I have made it every year since for Thanksgiving, once a year is enough!  It takes FOREVER to make!  You have to set each layer for 25 minutes each. Every color has a cloudy and a clear layer... but it sure is yummy, even with all those flavors!  

Thanksgiving morning

Two of my sisters and their families came from Walla Walla, Washington Wednesday night for the weekend.  This is Thursday morning after, we're bored!  Todd went to play in the Turkey Bowl with some friends from church, my brother in laws weren't interested, and so I walked the kids to the park nearby.  On the walk home I carried one scooter and a trike!  The little ones were too tired and Bryant was walking the dog.  

This is Sophie.  She belongs to Grandpa and Grandma Jensen.  The came in Sunday night and flew out Monday morning to Texas to stay with Todd's sister for a week and a half.  We were dog sitting.  The first night we had her on our own was a nightmare.  I went out to get the mail in the evening, Todd was in Portland, and Sydney was to shut the door so the dog wouldn't get out.  I came back in and asked where the dog was... no one knew.  We searched the house everywhere!  Then I drove the neighborhood with Sydney in the car yelling, "Sophie"  in the freezing, dark!  I recruited my friend and her daughter who searched near their home, they are a couple of blocks from us, in the cold and dark...  No luck!  So after nearly 45 minutes Taylor called me.  She had found the dog under her bed, asleep!  It must have been really tired to not have answered us, the many times we called her!  Or, maybe she was just scared and was just hiding from us!  The only thoughts running through my mangled mind was having to call Todd's Dad and tell him we lost his baby and she was out there freezing somewhere, or hope that someone took her in and was calling the name on her collar... except for the fact that they were still in the air flying to Texas and that it would be late by the time they got the message and then called me to pick her up... oh the thoughts rushing through my head and to top it all off... Todd was in Oregon and no help at all!  So, I'd like you to meet Sophie!  Bryant refused to take off his helmet after riding his bike to the park.

This is my sister Shana, she was in charge of craft for the kids to do.  They made pilgrim hats and turkeys, they sure were yummy!  Sydney, was of course, the last one working... she is so detail oriented!  Aren't they cute?
Taylor enjoying some snack foods, we ate dinner around 3:30pm.