Birthday Blog Bonanza!

Elliott and Isaac's first birthday was so exciting that it could not be contained in just one posting. 

There are three!

To view the days' events in the order they occurred, please scroll down to Part One and work your way up.  Thanks!

The Grand Finale (Part Three)

Two one-year-old boys + presents and cake = BIG FUN!!!

A music book to inspire a birthday boogie (a dance, not what Isaac woke up with this morning!  See first post)

Elliott decides birthday presents are just as much fun to play on as they are to play with!

Comfy, new big boy chairs to replace their baby bouncy seats.  Thanks, Aunt Jen, they turned out perfect!

Pottery Barn Kids must have put something on these chairs.  The boys went crazy silly after they opened them...wrestling, hugging, flipping all over them!  It was like they ate cat-nip for babies! 

And finally....the cakes!!  The boys will have fun cakes for their birthday party on Saturday, but we could not let their actual birthday pass without a tasty treat to celebrate.  Just a simple mini yellow bundt cake with a bit of chocolate frosting.  The cakes ended up looking like doughnuts and the boys seemed to really enjoy them!

Isaac's before, first taste, and messy face...

Elliott's before, first taste, and messy face...

Yep, they officially like dessert!

Sugar overload!

A sign it is time for the party to be over...eating cake off of one's diaper!



A Zoo Birthday (Part Two)

To celebrate Elliott and Isaac's birthday, we went to the Louisville Zoo. It was their first trip to a zoo. They were mesmerized, but I couldn't tell which was more mesmerizing...the animals or the people! Because of the perfect weather, it was a popular day to visit the zoo.  We saw many beautiful animals, but below are some photos of my favorite wild animals! 

Waving at the sea lion!  He was their favorite animal!

Brotherly love!

Happy First Birthday, Elliott and Isaac!! (Part One)

What a difference a year makes!  Last year, I woke up feeling as big as a house...

My last "belly picture" before leaving for the hospital on October 6, 2010

And this year, I woke up feeling like I was in a mad house!

We'll pretend Elliott is laughing and not crying on his birthday!

We'll pretend Isaac has drool on his chin and not snot from waking up with the runniest nose ever!

After breakfast, we started the day with the boys' monthly pictures.  As predicted, they continue to become less cooperative with every session.  Isaac sitting for two seconds is impossible.  Elliott was a bit more patient this morning.  A joint picture is torture for everyone involved, especially Bob.  He is the baby catcher as they try to hurl themselves from the chair mid-photo.  Here's the best we could do...

Elliott looks bored because he was tired of waiting on Isaac to decide cooperate!  Isaac finally decided to give us this smile after multiple seating changes, several toy swaps, and lots of tears.

This is the real story of the joint monthly pictures...patient Elliott waiting on silly brother Isaac.

The picture below is not the best, but it is photo documentation of an important first.  Today was the first day the boys wore shoes!  Barefoot boys for an entire year...No Kentucky jokes, please!  Bob decided they automatically look older by just wearing shoes.

A week of Ham and Dinner Guests

As always, the last weekend in September is Marion County Country Ham Days.  Elliott and Isaac traveled to Lebanon to celebrate their first Ham Days!

Even though pigs are sloppy, Jewell boys are not!  Baths and a nap are musts before church and downtown festivities. 

Meme's house is so relaxing!

We had not even left the driveway before the boys realized how interesting Ham Days is...well, at least something on West Walnut Street is interesting.

On our way to the country ham breakfast, we were super excited to see our friends Carol and Chris and twin buddies, Jonah and Jacob!  Jonah and Isaac took in the surroundings, while Jacob and Elliott evaluated each other.

It was so exciting catching up with our buddies and spending time visiting with lots of other friends that we missed breakfast! 

Whew!  After an afternoon of seeing old friends, meeting new ones, and lots of people watching Isaac and Elliott were exhausted!

On Tuesday, Poppy came to play and join us for dinner.  The boys enjoyed eating at the big table with family and snuggling with Poppy before bed!

On Friday, we had another dinner guest.  Aunt Elizabeth brought dinner and the boys first, 1st birthday presents!  The boys may have preferred the tissue paper, but Mommy loves their new UK outfits! 

Elliott is mesmerized by Aunt E, but Isaac is focused on his cheese.  Sorry, Aunt E!

Since this post began with clean boys, it only seems fitting to end with clean boys. Though Elliott and Isaac are almost one, we will continue to squeeze them in their baby hooded bath towels as long as we can!  Love Bob and his bath time boys!

Isaac says, "That's all folks!  Good night!"

Wobbler Room, here we come!

Today, Elliott and Isaac officially transitioned to the "Wobbler" room at daycare.  They are no longer considered infants by Creation Kingdom and as much as I hate to admit it, our boys are getting big!  They look like mini-Bobs in their jeans and polo shirts!

Our Wobblers!

I thought the picture below was a sweet moment.  Though it appears they are sharing brotherly love, they were actually turning around to grab Miles.  Isaac just happened to be using Elliott for a boost and as a still shot, it looks like a hug.  I'll take it!

Future Extreme Couponers?

I hope to post about our beach trip soon...once I filter through the 700+ pictures we took!