Christmas has come and gone, yet I'm just getting this blog post up.
Brycen had a wonderful Christmas with family! It went by way too quickly and I wish we would have more time with everyone to just relax and be together, but there always seems to be a rushed agenda to the holidays.
We went to the Farm on Friday night and spent the weekend with Grandpa Dave and Donna, Leigh, Logan, Skylar, Uncle Eric, and Grandpa & Grandma Fara. It was a full house! Brycen attempted to sleep in a separate room on Friday night but shortly after putting him to bed, he tried to come and find us and ended up in the walk-in closet. He was screaming, crying, and scared to death. He ended up sleeping on a mattress on the floor of the same room that Burke, myself, and Otis stayed. Needless to say, no one got much sleep the first night.
On Saturday morning, Brycen was up early and ready to go out and do chores with Grandpa. It was incredibly cold so he packed his boots and snow pants to stay warm. Afterwards, Brycen played in the basement with all of the toys (mostly tractors) that were out and had a relaxing morning.
We went to Manning in the afternoon for the Fara side. Brycen napped for a while and came in to the party a little shy but after some food in his belly, he warmed right up. Alan and Laura had a big buffet of food set up in their garage and we had more than enough for everyone. Brycen's never had food at his level for so long and we realized this quickly when he was indulging in too many sweets. Someone had to take the M&M's off the table because he was taking handfuls of them. At one point, I walked into the garage to see Brycen with fists full and a mouth chomping of fudge and Kendall asked me if he
really liked to eat candy... I had to laugh and say that he's just never had this much before... ever!
He had the best time wrestling with Will and Carson in the living room! They're older and bigger than he is but he could definitely hold his own. Carson was even surprised that Brycen could take him down. He had to do something to burn off all the sugar energy that he had. He and Kendall also had a great time bonding. They're about a year apart and had fun playing with toys and flashlights. The dynamics of this Christmas will change next year because there will be a total of FIVE babies born in 2014.
He was sad when we had to leave but was excited to go back to the farm because Grandpa had to do chores and he needed to check on Otis. By that time, Leigh, Logan and Skylar were at the farm and they had fun playing and ruling the house together.
The next morning, we opened Christmas presents together and Brycen later described the experience as "loud and messy." I'm pretty sure he was overwhelmed with all of the gifts but very happy for everything that he got. He scored clothes, a few games, Hot Wheels, a combine, some Dinosaur books, and other toys that have now found their place in the basement. I'm pretty sure he had more fun passing out the presents than opening them.
 |
| Logan, Skylar & Brycen having breakfast. |
 |
| Opening presents - Brycen opens very carefully. |
 |
| Helping Grandma & Grandpa - dressed for Redneck Christmas |
Later on Sunday, the McCarville side of the family came to the farm for a Redneck Christmas. Again, this all seemed too short as we really only had a few hours together, but still a fun time with lots of food. It was exciting to see all the kids play together, the boys are nearly the same age and Skylar and Rylan are very close in age as well.
We ventured home to find five inches of fresh snow on the driveway. Lucky for Brycen and I, we had the next two days off and could spend time at home. On Monday, Ross & Sarah came over to the house to spend the day with us. We had a relaxing time and Brycen was soo happy to see Penny Lane who made the trip back to Iowa with Ross & Sarah. Otis and Penny played very well together and were both exhausted by the afternoon.
 |
| Cousins- Penny & Otis playing |
That night we made our way back to Belle Plaine and stayed at Grandpa & Grandma's house through Wednesday afternoon. Uncle Perry came back shortly after we arrived and Brycen loved being the center of attention in the Blanchard household. He had lots of fun playing in his play kitchen, with family.
 |
| Uncle Perry & Brycen finding "Gold bug" |
 |
| Playing Don't Spill the Beans with Uncle Ross |
 |
| Bonding with Uncle Ross - |
On Tuesday we stayed indoors because we had temperatures that got down to -12 at one point on Monday night. Brycen wore his pajamas all day long... right up to the point before changing for church on Tuesday evening. I'm sure he loved every minute of it! Brycen looked very handsome for church and wore a tie and suit jacket. He did pretty good and was excited that he got to hold his very own candle when we sang songs at the end of the service.
We opened presents after we got home and Brycen once again scored BIG. He got some more books, games, a truck with a horse trailer, helicopter, more toys and Grandpa Blanchard put a lot of work into making a toy box for him. It was difficult to get a little boy to bed that night and I think the clock struck 11 before his eyes were closed.
 |
| Posing after church on Christmas Eve with Penny Dog |
 |
| Playing the new fishing game |
Santa even came to our house this year. After about three weeks of "Johnny" the Elf (Elf on the Shelf) visiting our home and making sure Brycen was being a good boy, he got some of the items he'd been asking for. He's been wanting a toy gun for a while and had picked one out at Gander Mountain a few months ago. It was Brycen's first tantrum in a store when we left without the gun. Also, Brycen had fallen in love with the "Little Blue Truck" book that we bought for our Angel Tag gift this year and was sad to give it away. He got some socks, new Spider Man underwear, a new dinosaur, an apple, and an orange around his stocking.
 |
| What Santa had laid out for Brycen |
Down in the basement, Santa left him a John Deere Gator! He was very excited and has really enjoyed driving it around. It will be more fun when the weather improves and he can drive it in the back yard.
 |
| Taking his gun to see his new John Deere Gator |
 |
| Driving the Gator- learning to back up. |
Overall, Brycen had a VERY successful Christmas holiday. As much as we wanted to have the holiday be about Jesus and the reason for the season, it is difficult when every family get-together involves presents and food. He went back to school on Thursday and Friday to see his friends and detox from being the center of attention.
