BIG news.

So we have some big news to share. It's the kind of news you almost are afraid to share for fear it won't be real.
I will be honest. This was all Kyle's idea, and I really didn't want anything to do with it for a while more. BUT, I am loving the idea now, now that it is really happening.
I will start from the beginning. I asked Kyle one morning if I could take a nap. He agreed to take the kids on alone for a while so I could get a little more sleep. I was awoken by a lot of noise in the bathroom. I could then hear Kyle coaching Gunnar on the toilet. When I finally decided I had "napped" long enough Kyle informed me we were potty training. I always thought potty training was something you discussed for a while in the future, then as a husband and wife team you undertook the whole concept and went forth. I explained how it wasn't a good time for our second attempt at this. I was leaving for the weekend, it was a Wednesday, and that didn't really give Gunnar a lot of time to get it down before my parents arrived, and really I thought I needed until Monday to prepare myself for the whole ordeal. Kyle then responded with "it's never going to be a good time." Which is probably right, there would always be something (plus I got a break from it all for two days, score for me).
So, I decided to play along with the game. I told my parents they had permission to put a diaper on Gunnar anytime it got to be to much, but they stuck it out, even with many accidents.
I am finally venturing out there and going to say he is pretty well potty trained! I haven't had to clean up poop in his pants the last 5 days. He usually doesn't have wet accidents unless we are 1) in the car, or 2) he gets to busy playing and I forget to remind him. Usually however, he tells us he has to go without any prompting.
I will say we cheat a little bit. I put a diaper on him at night time. The last two mornings he has woken up dry and will go potty as soon as he wakes up. And occasionally I have left I diaper on for longer car rides, daycare, and shopping trips. He still tells me when he has to go and I take him potty if I have one available. But even in his diaper he gets sad when he pees and actually starts walking funny like his pants are wet, even though the diaper has absorbed it all. One day I will get brave and completely do away with them, but they are to convenient to throw on him with Ryker wearing the same size.
Here is a picture of the proud (and slightly dirty) kid giving a thumbs up:

So round two has been much more successful than round one and here is why I think:
1)He is older and more mature, he is the big T-W-O now!
2)He not only knows when he has to go potty, but he can VERBALIZE to us that he has to go. He either says "potty" or "poop," starts running to the bathroom, or takes his pants off. Those are the cues for us. "Poop" doesn't always mean he has to poop, it is just his universal term for saying "I need to go NOW." He gets his point across.
3)With the assistance of a stool he can get to the potty himself. He doesn't need our help. He gets to practice independence, yet we are there for support. He has given us a designated spot we are to "sit" in the bathroom while he goes potty.
4)We figured out the whole public restroom thing. We just stand him up on the edge of the toilet or the urinal and he goes pee. He can so sit balancing himself by holding our hands or the side of the toilet. However, we use an abundance of toilet seat covers and toilet paper to avoid as many germs as possible. Plus we banish his toilet/urinal touching shoes from inside the house until they have been properly disinfected.
5)We are patient. We weren't trying to potty train in 3 days, we aren't using someone else's method, we are doing what works for us. What is less stress for us and what makes us all happy.
--We didn't use candy, treats, stickers, or any other gimmicks to get him excited or interested. It's all about a simple high five and lots of praise. We never punish him for peeing his pants, but it makes us sad and after about the fist couple days we have him help clean up any messes.
So, I know that there won't always be accident free days ahead of us, but we just take them in stride. He is doing some awesome and we are super proud of him...now to get rid of the pacifier!!!
Here are some other random pictures:
Ryker is a cruising machine.

 I know this is hard to see, but I couldn't turn a light on a wake the boys up. This is how our dog Oma and Gunnar sleep at night.

 Gunnar holding a worm while him and Kyle were planting some flowers outside.

I love Elmo, so here is what him and his dad have to share about potty training.