Happy Halloween!

Halloween evening began as all special events do at the Jewell household...with a photo shoot!

Our little pumpkins loved the real pumpkin, the grass, the leaves, and loved watching the other trick-or-treaters.  Isaac, however, did not love his stem hat.  Elliott was a good sport, but Isaac pulled his hat off faster than we could put it on his head!  After a few minutes of playing and admiring Elliott's stem, he tried to put it on himself, but he wanted no help.  Needless to say, the hat spent more time in the grass than on his head. 

Our French pumpkins! 
That's what Bob called them since the stem was beret-style.
The first shot before Isaac realized he was wearing a hat.

Only Isaac can put the hat near his head.  So independent!

Brother, is your leaf better than mine?

Precious pumpkins!

Nature and other kiddos beat taking a picture with Mom and Dad any day of the year!

After our photo shoot, we went to a Halloween party at Ann and Brandon's house.  We had lots of yummy food and excellent company!  Elliott and Isaac played with their little buddies and had so much fun!  No candy for these kiddos, but lots of puffs.  A line of puffs on the floor worked like magic to get the babies to stay in one spot for a quick picture. 

Pumpkin Isaac, Dinosaur Isaac, Pumpkin Elliott, Snow White Madeline, and Strawberry Hadleigh.
All little buddies except Dinosaur Isaac were born within two weeks of each other in October 2010.  Isaac was born two months later in December.

One would think none of the children ate supper by the way they swarmed Laura.  Thankfully, Isaac and his mom did not mind sharing their food with the other little trick-or-treaters.  Food is always better when it belongs to someone else!

Elliott was such a good sport with his costume.  He kept his hat on throughout the entire party!  He only took it off in the car when we were about halfway home.  Isaac thought the party was a blast--he was asleep before I finished buckling his car seat!  The evening ended with a special Halloween treat from Meme--fun, new cars and trucks.  After checking them out and crawling around the den with them, our pumpkins pooped out!

We hope everyone had a great Halloween!



The Guinness Book of World Record's Youngest Whistler is...

ELLIOTT JEWELL!!

When Elliott woke up this morning, he was whistling in his crib.  I thought it was a fluke, but he mimicked us throughout the day.  During our extensive research (i.e. Google search), he very well may be the youngest whistler in the world!

See it here first!



We love Saturday!

After a busy week, we had a wonderful Saturday!  We had a lazy morning and then went shopping in the afternoon.  Nothing exciting, but everyone was in a great mood so that made the day fantastic!

Thanks to Bryce and Tessa for letting us borrow fun toys!

No bird-watching at this house...we Otto-watch!

Isaac seems to understand why Otto enjoys his bone so much!

As Ellen DeGeneres would say, the photo below is a "What's-wrong-with-this-picture picture".  I sure did not think anything was wrong until Elliott started crawling away.  Then, I realized I had put his overalls on backwards!  It did not slow him down and it is photographic proof that dressing a moving baby is a definite challenge!

The boys played with the first toy we ever purchased for them.  We found two of these walking/riding toys at a twins' consignment sale shortly after finding out we were expecting two babies.  The toys are a hit, even if they only choose to play with one at a time!



One Year Stats

On Monday, Elliott and Isaac had their one-year well child visit with Dr. Parrott.  My how they have grown in a year!  Last year, well actually 364 days to be exact, they were both hovering around six pounds.

Weight: 20 pounds, 10 ounces
Length: 29.5 inches
Head circumference: 47 cm

Weight: 18 pounds, 9 ounces
Length: 29.5 inches
Head circumference: 48 cm
(Isaac's stats, not Bob's--Bob did not want me to display his weight or head circumference, he just wanted in on a picture!)

At their first visit with Dr. Parrott last year, we were a bit overwhelmed with the joy of being parents of newborn twins.  We realized we never took a picture of him with the boys for their baby books.  Luckily, Dr. Parrott is a good sport and was willing to pose for pictures with two boys who were beyond ready for naps.  Dr. Parrott is a smart man--he posed before their 12-month shots were given. 

Fall Festivities

Today, we took advantage of the beautiful Fall weather and went to Boyd Orchards in Versailles.  We had a wonderful day!  First, we checked out the petting zoo.

After getting our fill of the "Goaten Gate Bridge", we walked through the patch of mini pumpkins.  Perfect for our mini humans!

Waving is a favorite activity these days!

We also went on a hayride to a corn maze.  We opted not to do the corn maze since the stroller could not go on the wagon with us.  Instead, we played in the grass and played a little cornhole.

 

Look at the winners of the next Jewell reunion cornhole tournament!  The boys dominated the cornhole boards...literally!

Elliott enjoyed the breeze blowing through his hair on the return hayride!

Our day ended in the "pre-picked" pumpkin patch.  They are much easier to climb on and roll than those silly ones attached to vines!

Isaac practiced his balance!  He was so proud of himself!

My favorite!

What a gorgeous October day!

Post-birthday Fun

Though Isaac and Elliott were still tired on Sunday morning, there was another special birthday to celebrate...Aunt Jen!  Aunt Jen came to visit for the weekend and celebrate the boys' birthday.  We were so glad she shared her birthday weekend with us!

Elliott would like to say that Daddy assured him his stomach was not showing in the picture.  Daddy needs new contacts.

Our friends Jeff and Karen happened to be in town on Sunday.  We met them for brunch at Ramsey's.  It was great to see them and their son Xavier, and we loved meeting their daughter, Elise!  A table full of kiddos!



A few random pictures from the week...

Elliott is so resourceful--notice his improvised pacifier!

Fun chairs, but they are rarely used for sitting!

The boys are fast climbers!  It is a good thing Daddy is still faster!

Birthday Bash

On Saturday, October 8th, Elliott and Isaac welcomed family and a few friends over to celebrate their first birthday!  They knew it would be an eventful evening, so they had a low-key morning relaxing in their comfy chairs.

While Elliott and Isaac relaxed, we prepared supper and decorated the house.  For their first birthday, we chose a jungle animal theme with lots of bright colors.

A picture of the festive napkin...yes, I know I'm weird, but it's an example of the decor!

Before guests arrived, we attempted a quick family photo...

Despite their facial expressions, the boys really were excited for their party!

Isaac and Elliott welcomed everyone to the den with waves!  They were excited to see their cousins, Bryce and Tessa, and play with them!

Everyone enjoyed a fall meal of chili, potato soup, cornbread, and pimento cheese sandwiches even though the weather felt more like the middle of July than the first of October!

After supper, Elliott and Isaac opened many wonderful gifts. Well, truthfully, Elliott and Isaac opened very few. Their parents appreciated all the great gifts while the boys toured the room visiting with their guests! 

After the presents, it was the moment everyone had been waiting for....C A K E!!!  An awesome part about a first birthday party for multiples is that there are multiple smash cakes!  

Multiple babies = multiple smash cakes = multiple laughs

Elliott and Isaac enjoyed white cake with white icing, while their guests enjoyed carrot cake with cream cheese icing.  Delicious!

Isaac was not too sure about the icing

Elliott ate icing by the handful

Can you tell who enjoyed their cake the most?

Isaac smiled for his audience

Elliott wasted no time being social

What messy boys!  They definitely love cake!  Elliott does not discriminate, but Isaac preferred the cake to the icing.  He discovered the cake tasted best when eaten upside down!

 

Elliott scraped every bite he could grab, then finger painted with the icing!

Isaac decided to rub his eyes at the last second. In that moment, he became just as messy as his brother!

The guests enjoyed the yummy cake too, but were much, much neater!

One last family picture before bath and bed time...

Thanks to everyone for making Elliott and Isaac's first birthday so special!  We have had a wonderful year and are so thankful for our precious boys and amazing family and friends! 

Love to all!