First Pumpkin Carving

Though Isaac and Elliott are now two years old, they still have many "firsts" ahead.  On Monday, October 29th, the boys had a new experience...carving pumpkins for the first time!  They have loved their pumpkins since we selected them at Boyd Orchard a few weeks prior and were very excited to see them in the house!

(Disclaimer:  If you have an aversion to the color orange, you will not love this post!  LOTS of orange!)

Hugging their pumpkins

Both Isaac and Elliott were quite patient while Bob started carving the pumpkins.

Isaac did not want to miss a step of the process...

Elliott was easily distracted of his view of "choo choo red" (Wee Sings dvd) was obstructed, but quickly became intrigued once the stem had been removed...

Much to our surprise, they loved the "guts" of the pumpkins and did not hesitate one bit to reach in!

Bob had just as much fun with the goo as the boys did!

We used spoons to clean all of the seeds out of the pumpkins.  Cleaning them out actually proved to be the greatest challenge of the activity!  Elliott and Isaac liked "cooking" with the pumpkins so much that they spooned the seeds back into the pumpkins every time we removed them!

Finally onto the first facial carving...and the beginning of Bob's "serious concentration" face, which Isaac seems to share!

Eye to eye with his pumpkin!

No serious concentration faces for Elliott and Mama

After finishing the pumpkin faces, Isaac and Elliott posed with their finished jack-o-lanterns!  Apparently, Bob was doing something quite hysterical behind me.  Whatever he was up to turned their content stares into cheesy, natural smiles and giggles that we see on our boys so often...except when I am camera-ready.  I was so happy to capture these expressions that I included lots of photos!

Hugs for brother

Kisses for brother

Elliott loving his "punkie"...

Isaac loving his "punkit"...

The Jewell jack-o-lanterns!

What a fun night and the beginning of a yearly family tradition!



Fun Fall Saturday

Aunt Jen came to visit the last week in October!  On Saturday, October 27th, the Jewell boys were surprised with more birthday gifts!  As usual, they were interested in the tissue paper, but with each package they open, Elliott and Isaac are growing more interested in the actual gift inside.

Thank you hugs for Aunt Jen!

The boys were super excited to receive Lego's!  Elliott immediately began building a car.  After exploring the Lego's, they enjoyed story time with Aunt Jen.

After a leisurely morning, Aunt Jen, Bob, and I ventured to Keeneland to meet Aunt E.  Elliott and Isaac stayed warm and wild at home while they played with Meme.  

Elizabeth, Meghan
Monica, Jen

I'm sure you are thinking...Keeneland...horse racing...where are the horse photos??  They are all on Bob's phone, so I'll request he post one to prove we actually saw the races and didn't tailgate all morning!

It was a fantastic, chilly, fall day to hang out with friends...old and new!

First Friend Birthday Party

On, Friday, October 26th, Isaac and Elliott attended their first birthday party for a friend!  Their friend, Maggie, turned one!  Maggie's mom, Michelle, is a college friend.  Since Maggie lives out of town, Aunt Elizabeth was kind enough to host the birthday party.    She is a great hostess and the boys had lots of fun!

When we walked into the house, the boys were immediately attracted to the presents.  Can you guess which one was their favorite?  One hint, they named it Max!

Isaac wasted no time volunteering his cooking assistance to Aunt E.  He was very proud to help stir the barbecue!

The birthday girl was content to play with her other guests in the living room, while the Jewell boys were eager to sample the food.  They enjoyed a picnic in the den!

After much anticipation, it was time for Maggie to open her gifts!  It seemed she may have shared the same opinion on which gift was her favorite.  At least the giant dog sure was the most comfortable!  While Maggie opened gifts, Isaac helped clean up the tissue and wrapping paper.  Elliott enjoyed playing with the toys in the living room but came back to check on Maggie's progress from time to time. 

The final gift came with a balloon attached.  Isaac and Elliott enjoyed hitting it and watching it bounce back!  The even enjoyed bopping it towards Maggie's dad, Curtis.  When it bounced off of something (most often a head), they would say "boopsie" and laugh!

Maggie had a delicious cake created by Mrs. Clevinger!  Maggie was very hesitant to try her first sweet but  Isaac and Elliott wasted no time!  They enjoyed the cake, but loved the icing most of all!  Aunt E was kind enough to share more icing.  The boys consistently chose green and had lovely green mouths afterwards!

Even though we only had a couple of miles to travel home, we decided to change the boys into their pjs before leaving.  They outlasted the birthday girl's energy, constantly running circles from the living room, through the den and kitchen, and back to the living room again!  Bob would say "boo" when they entered the living room.  I know it may come back to haunt us in the future, but they are so fun to scare!  They think it is hilarious to be scared too, especially Elliott, so it works in our favor...for now! 

Though they look wide awake, Isaac and Elliott were asleep within five minutes of leaving Aunt E's house!  They greatly enjoyed their first friend birthday party!

In the words of Isaac and Elliott...

"Happy to You, Maggie!"