Fun with friends

A few weekends ago, the Walter Family came over on a Saturday afternoon.  Mason and Brycen like to play together and Avery always hangs right in there with the two boys. 

He was so excited to have his friends over to play!
 

Handsome 3 year old

Burke and I are so fortunate to have such a wonderful three year old little boy...

 

Towel Swings

This is becoming more and more of a nightly ritual.  Towel swings prior to the wrestling show. :)  Good thing Daddy is super strong!

Opening Jean & Pa's Birthday present

Happy 3rd Birthday, Brycen!

Wednesday, March 19th is the day Brycen turned the big 3! 

It was a special day all around and started off with Dad taking him to school that morning. He had birthday snacks at school (grapes--a favorite) to share with his friends and Dad then picked him up with two balloons! Thomas the train and a John Deere tractor balloon. 

We had supper that night and it was Brycen who picked the menu- Fareway smoked pork chops, applesauce, and grandmas green beans. We had Bunny Tracks ice cream for dessert to top it all off. Yum!

Brycen got to Skype with family, make a few phone calls, and open presents all before bath time. 

He opened up Jean & Pa's present the night before and was looking forward to the possibility of seeing hem on the weekend. He got a John Deere pillow door hanger that said " Brycen's Room" on it and a small box with a mouse, pillow, blanket, and a teddy.  He loves it!

Birthday party in Belle Plaine

The weekend before Brycen's birthday we celebrated in Belle Plaine with Gramps, Grandma, and Uncle Perry. 

It was a fun, relaxing day that Brycen had been looking forward to. He was really looking forward to wrestling Uncle Perry... He'd been talking about it for weeks! 

When we arrived, the house was decorated with a fun banner and balloons! Brycen had fun playing with the balloons, keeping them up in the air so they didn't hit the ground. 

Grandma made a good lunch and Brycen attempted to take a nap- although he didn't sleep, he did rest and stay in bed for an hour and a half. 

We had cake and opened presents afterwards. We were all so excited to eat cake and sing happy birthday that we sung to him without lighting the candles first. Ha! He didn't mind doing it again... :) 

Brycen received a new Tonka truck from Grandps and Grandma, along with new books, clothes, and the completion to his John Deere bedding set.  He also got a few puzzles and his own Toy Story dominos from Mom & Dad.

Uncle Perry's present was a big hit this year, again! He got him a weed eater that makes noise and it came with goggles. Brycen was busy weed-eating for a while afterwards. Otis does not like this present so much and will avoid the area at all costs. 

The weather was too cold to go outside for more than a few minutes, but he did make it outside to get some fresh air at one point. 

That afternoon, we had fun watching Uncle Perry and Dad shoot their rifles at targets that exploded and made big booms.  It was pretty exciting, but it sure was cold and windy outside. 

That night, Brycen stayed in Belle Plaine and got to spend some extra quality time with Uncle Perry, Gramps & Grandma while Mom & Dad went home for a quiet night and Sunday. He went to church the next morning and was a good boy in church for his grandparents. It was a fun weekend and a perfect way to celebrate his birthday with family.

Shopping partner

Brycen has become quite a shopper.  

We do our regular grocery runs to Fareway and about 6 months ago he realized that they had smaller grocery carts for toddlers. He was instantly in love with the idea. We have only had in instance where he has been a little ornery and gotten upset in the store while shopping, but normally he does exceptionally well. 

He does have a few "rules" when he shops: 1) mom is the only one who takes things off if the shelf- Brycen is not allowed. This eliminates the surprises at the checkout counter. 2) He stays close. 

When he is being really good, he is allowed to get chocolate milk. It's a real treat. In fact, he really feels that it is a fun thing just for him and Daddy. (Mom sneaks some every once in a while, too.) 

I really enjoy watching all of the other shoppers' reactions to Brycen in the store. Most people have big smiles on their faces and it's inevitable that someone comments about how well behaved or what a good shopper he is. 

His favorite part is when we check out and he gets to take his cart through first. He takes each individual product (usually produce) out and hands it to the cashier. It may take a few extra minutes, but he absolutely loves the responsibility. 

Chef Blanchard

Brycen has always enjoyed being a big helper... Especially in the kitchen. Like his Daddy, I think he will turn out to be a very good cook. 

His favorite thing to do is to help make breakfast on the weekends. Pancakes and waffles are a common thing in the Blanchard household.  He has his very own step stool that he likes to use in the kitchen and for doing laundry. 

He was very excited to help make his own birthday cake. He picked out the cake mix and got to pick the theme of the cake. John Deere of course!  

When we went to decorate it, he decided to add not only a John Deere tractor, but cows and trees too. He and Dad picked out the animals while Mom frosted the cake green for the grassy pasture. Afterwards, Brycen sprinkled on green and brown sprinkles for more grass and hay for the cows to eat. Dad decided to add some mini chocolate chips for cow pies-- Brycen didn't get it but it gave the adults something to smile about. 

Below are pictures of him making the cake on Thursday and decorating on Friday. We took the cake to Grandma Blanchard's house on Saturday for his birthday party. 

Baby Arabelle

Brycen so proud of himself holding Arabelle

Last weekend we ventured in the snow and frigid temperatures to Des Moines to pay a visit to the Weis Household.  Miles & Cara welcomed their precious little Arabelle on February 12th.  She is a sweet little girl and was awake most of the time when we were at their house on Sunday.  

We'd never been to their new house in Urbandale yet, and it is very nice.  Brycen immediately told Miles that he wanted to wrestle him, so after a quick tour of the house they were wrestling in the basement.  Brycen was excited see Wrigley, their chocolate lab, but didn't appreciate all of the kisses and barks.  At one point, I think the Wrigley wanted to play with Brycen so much he as "talking" to him in a way that only a dog moans and groans.  Brycen had moved on and was more interested in holding baby Arabelle.

Brycen holding Arabell while she was awake.

When I first got to hold her and went to the couch, Brycen was a little jealous.  He wanted to sit on my lap at the same time.  Of course being 37 weeks pregnant, my lap has limited real estate space.  He was even kind of leaning and maybe even pushing on Arabelle at one point.  That all changed when I asked Brycen if he wanted to hold her.  We got him a boppy pillow and he was so excited to do it all by himself.  

Thanks to Grandma Blanchard, we took them lunch and dessert and were able to stay for a few short hours before coming home again in the afternoon.  Cara had to attend a friend's baby shower for a few hours so she left shortly after lunch.  Brycen got plenty of snuggle time with the baby after lunch and we all cheered on the Hawkeyes while she was sleeping.  

Content sleeping baby and Brycen constantly covering & uncovering her.
She didn't seem to mind!

It was fun to see Brycen so interested in holding baby Arabelle and it made Burke and I excited to see how he will be with his baby brother here in a few short weeks.  Brycen got in some good practice and learned a few things about holding her head and what to do when she cries.  

When we got home, Brycen was pretending that he had his baby in his blankets and was carrying them around.  This lasted only about 5 minutes before he returned to his usual rough-housing self and was wrestling Burke.  

Snow Day

On February 17th we had yet another day of cold, snowy weather.  This winter has been full of them and we're all ready for Spring!  I was surprised to find that both Kirkwood and Brycen's school were both closed so that left us home all day.  

We stayed in the house most of the day but around 11:00 we ventured out to clear the driveway.  I used the snow blower and Brycen had a lot of fun using a shovel here and there and play on the front porch.  We cleared it all off and luckily it didn't snow much more after it was initially cleared.  

Afterwards we had fun playing in the snow.  We rolled down the hill, attempted to make and throw snow balls, scooped snow into his toy dump truck, and even got out the sled for a few minutes.  After about an hour of being outside in the cold and wind we went in for lunch and Brycen was worn out for a long nap.  

That night was Brycen's last night of swimming lessons and we enjoyed taking our time getting ready for them rather than rushing like normal.  It was a fun day to spend at home and I'm fortunate to work somewhere that allows me to share these days with him. 

Brycen giving Otis all of the dog toys and sharing some love

Brycen & his dump truck of snow

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Brycen & Otis 

Fun rolling down the hill in the front yard

Fara family weekend

Valentine's Day weekend the Fara Family got together for a fun weekend at CoCo Key in Omaha.  We made our way over to the farm on Friday night and Brycen enjoyed about 12 hours of everything he could absorb before taking off for Omaha in the morning.  

We got to the hotel around 10:30am to get our wristbands for the water park.  Leigh, Skylar, Logan, Grandpa and Grandma all came very shortly afterwards.  I think the kids were all in the water shortly after 11:00.  We were unable to get our hotel rooms until 4:00 that day so the kids went without a nap. They played so hard and even played all the way up until they finally had lunch around 2:00.  Leigh and Burke spend over an hour in line to order and get food.  Uncle Eric & Katie came that afternoon and they joined the party in the pool too. It was a pretty busy place and we had a difficult time finding a table and chairs to eat at one point.  

Later in the afternoon, we had Uncle Kevin, Brandon, Shaye, and their two kids visit and swim with us as well.  It was nice to be able to see them and spend some time together.  We're all keeping Kevin in our daily prayers as he battles hard through brain cancer.  

The boys (Landon 4, Logan 4, Brycen almost 3) had so much fun together that evening running around and playing games together.  Brycen got a little rough with them wrestling and even physically ran into Logan at one point and had a large bump on his forehead that left a bruise for a week.  

Some highlights from Brycen were:

 - the slides that were just the right size for little kids Brycen's age

 - going around the lazy river (about 50 times with Grandpa - not relaxing but walking the lazy river)

 - when the yellow ball was stuck on top of the hotel room and Uncle Eric went up to get it

 - playing basketball with Uncle Eric & Katie in the "deep pool" 

 - eating lots of grapes

and a few added by me:

 - watching the three boys race, run, wrestle and play together on Saturday night

 - spending precious time with the whole gang, Fara's & McCarville's  

 - eating brunch at Perkins on Sunday - yum!

I hope we do it again!

Brycen, Logan & Eric playing on Saturday night

Brycen using Mom's belly as a recliner at lunchtime

Sunday morning breakfast of champions - apples, grapes, cheese, crackers and juice in Grandpa & Grandma's room

Katie wrestling with the boys 

Grandpa and Brycen right before checking out on Sunday morning

A great shot of about everyone - Leigh catching Skylar (who is falling),
Grandma behind her, Grandpa with both Brycen & Logan at the top of the slide

Brycen preparing to go down the slide for the first time

Brycen & Dad

Brycen coming down the slide

An action shot of Logan on the water slide

Logan & Brycen sitting on the water jets

Leigh & Logan on the lazy river

Skylar's love for the fire hydrant - she spent most of the time here

Brycen, Grandpa & Logan walking around the lazy river 

Landon, Brycen & Logan playing a game

Swimming lessons - Round 3

Brycen did swimming lessons on Monday nights in January and February.  Due to some very very cold Mondays, there were a few times where they cancelled the lessons but we did sneak into the pool once just to play around a little bit.

We went to the Stoney Point YMCA in Cedar Rapids this year because it was more convenient in terms of the location.  The last two years, we went to the Y in North Liberty that had a wonderful pool for little kids.  The zero entrance would have been great for Brcyen this time around as he wouldn't have "needed" Mom in the pool because they would have been in the shallow end with a teacher.

Brycen was very adamant most of the time that he only wanted to swim with Mom - but there were shinning moments where he went with the swim teacher, Sandy.  Sandy is also a member of our church and she leads the children's programs.

Brycen was much more comfortable floating on his back, using his own buoyancy to keep himself afloat, and jumping in the pool by the end of the session.  Brycen was pretty young for the class because it was marketed for 3-5 year olds.  He will still need to repeat this level before moving on, but I hope that next time I won't need to go in the water at all with him.

He even made friends with a little boy named Jacob (who we called Jason for multiple weeks!).   They had fun holding on to the side and playing with the water jet in the pool.  They also had fun splashing each other and racing each other to get toys and back to the side.

Here are a few pictures from the last night of his lessons:

Brycen swimming on his back with Sandy

Brycen pouring water on Jacob - his friend at swimming lessons.  

Another one of Brycen's tricks- putting both feet up out of the water and holding on to the side.

Brycen learned a new "trick" as he calls it - holding his breath and dipping his face in the water