18 Month Well Check Stats and Update

Margaret and Julia, 18 months

Where does the time go?? Julia and Margaret turned 18 months old on the 10th...that makes them a year and a half old, folks!! I swear it was just yesterday when we brought them home from the hospital as newborn babes. Sentiments aside, I am thrilled that the girls are hitting this 18 month milestone because for me, it's one of the funnest stages of development.
Here are Julia and Margaret's latest stats and a little bit about each girl at 18 months.

Julia:

Height: 32 inches (50-75th percentile)
Weight: 24 pounds, 12 ounces (50-75th percentile)

Likes:
Julia likes doing whatever big sister Caroline is doing. Painting? Julia wants in on the action (and could care less that paint is not meant for an 18 month old). Brushing teeth? Julia is going to sidle up next to Caroline in a flash. Playing dolls? Julia wants to be right there, and probably wants the same exact doll that Caroline has.
Other likes include dancing (the girl can move!!), driving (the red cozy coupe is her car of choice, but she'll take the helm of any set of wheels), and art projects.

Food:
Julia is a solid eater. She does not care much for meat, but put any kind of carb in front of her and she is happy! She also likes a wide variety of vegetables and fruit, and eats a lot of yogurt. Julia loves milk and can often be seen draining her own cup, then tossing it aside and swiping one of her sister's cup and polishing it off.

Personality:
Julia continues to be headstrong and bullish but charming and sweet at the same time. She is a girl with a plan who is often seen running off, her eyes ablaze with a new scheme. In public she is like a politician, walking up and down the aisles of church or the grocery store waving, smiling, and saying, "hey!" to anyone who will pay her mind. Julia continues to be a Mommy and Daddy's girl though, and loves to smother us with kisses and hugs.

Julia in the driver's seat of her favorite set of wheels: Mommy's car.

Julia loves any kind of doll and is especially interested in grooming them :-)

Dressed up for dinner.

Margaret:

Height: 30.75 inches (25th percentile)
Weight: 22 pounds, 6 ounces (15th percentile)

Likes:
Shoes, shoes, shoes, lovies, lovies, lovies, coats, coats, coats. Seriously, the girl is obsessed. Margaret likes wearing her shoes and coat all.the.time. Wearing nothing else but a diaper? No problem. Been inside all day and don't really need a coat or shoes? No problem. Just give the girl her coat and shoes and she is a happy camper. Same goes for her lovies. She carries them around like they are necessary for breathing.
Margaret is also greatly enamored with Mickey Mouse, any kind of Little People vehicle and books.

Food:
Margaret continues to have a hearty appetite for most any kind of food. Yogurt, cheese, meat, fruit and popsicles are some of her favorites. Vegetables of any kind? No, thank you.

Personality:
Margaret continues to be our sweet snuggler who loves a good time and will let you know she's happy by screaming with delight.  She tends to more shy in public in comparison to Julia, but is starting to come out of her shell more, especially at preschool where her teachers report that she been "talking" up a storm to her classmates. Margaret loves to follow Caroline around and is always happy to join in on whatever play scheme his biggest sister has going.
Margaret has recently revealed a new side of personality - Miss Goody Two Shoes (which is pretty apt, considering her shoe fetish). She likes to tell on Julia whenever her sister is misbehaving, and she is proving to be quite the rule follower. Margaret can also be counted on to bring every family member their shoes. She always knows exactly where to find them and never brings a mismatched pair (again, with the shoe fetish).

Margaret and her beloved lovies.

Shoes, shoes, shoes!

Margaret enjoying a popsicle

Caroline and Santa (and Mommy too!)

Here's Caroline's picture with Santa. I was very pleasantly surprised at how it turned out! I will say that we definitely caught Santa at the end of his shift. If you look closely at his face, you can see he is not smiling and his eyes are saying, "OK lady, get your picture and get out of here." :-)

Precious Little Ones

Along with the rest of our nation (and places beyond), I was reminded last Friday of just how precious our children are and just how quickly they can be lost. I've been hugging each of my girls a little tighter these past few days and holding those families up in prayer in the hopes that they might find some peace and comfort during this unimaginably difficult time. 

Today I have an assortment of recent photos and videos of my girls to share; images and moments that remind me to appreciate the minutes, hours, and days I am given with my precious little ones.

Julia and Margaret dancing together.

Margaret and Julia dancing to "The Wheels on the Bus."

An oldie, but one of my favorite videos of Caroline this year..

Caroline enjoying one of her favorite things to do: get "coffee" with Daddy.

Julia snuggled up with Daddy.

Caroline and Margaret bundled up for a wagon ride to look for holiday lights.

Julia is ready to go too!!

Margaret eating a cup of straight marinara sauce...she must have some Italian in her ;-)

Julia decorated herself in head bands.

Daddy reading to his girls

Sweet Caroline patiently waiting for her dinner.

Margaret and Julia hamming it up in the tub.

Julia and Margaret decided to eat their breakfast on the floor.

Caroline making her holiday treats for her friends and teachers.

My sweet girls immersed in various art projects.

Miss Margaret has a bit of a coat and shoe fetish - both must be worn at (nearly) all times, even when indoors :)

Isabel and Julia (Isabel is growling, but J is happy as a clam!)

Margaret, Caroline, and Julia

Tacky Sweaters and Lights and White Elephants

It's not the just the little girls having fun this holiday season. This Mommy has been a busy little elf too, enjoying holiday parties and dinners aplenty. But this week I enjoyed the most fun events so far: a tacky Christmas sweater party and lights tour and a white elephant party. I had so much fun!

It took over an hour and several glue sticks to produce this tacky masterpiece.

Katherine, Sarah Ann, and Annie in all their tacky sweater glory (except SA - she rocked an awesome festive necklace).

Love these ladies.

Annie and me, so comfy in our fabulous Christmas garb

Some of the wonderful HW ladies at the white elephant party.

No tacky sweaters at this party, but I had just as much fun.

Aly and Caroline laughs over the enormous Christmas bloomers

Santa Brunch and Introducing...Jingle!!

Today we went to Westwood for their annual Santa Brunch. There was delicious food galore, beautiful decorations, and of course, Santa!
Caroline talked a BIG game all morning long, saying how she couldn't wait to see Santa and sit in his lap so she could hand over her wish list in person. Alas, when the big moment finally arrived, Caroline got cold feet and refused to visit with Santa. It was only after I informed her that only children who sit with Santa were granted access to the ice cream station that she changed her tune. ;-)
As you might imagine, the twins were less than thrilled with their encounter with Santa, but in the end I did get pictures of all three girls with the jolly old elf. The twins picture is below, but Caroline's will be posted later since the real photographer took it.
Also, last but not least, the girls were delighted last week to welcome a new friend into our house! Jingle the Elf made an appearance for the first time ever in the Hepper household. Jingle arrived bearing gifts, Christmas pjs and a Little People Christmas set, which made him very popular despite the fact that he arrived with instructions not to be touched and that he was really only there to make sure the girls are on their best behavior this holiday season . The girls were so excited to meet their new friend/spy and take great pleasure in scouting out Jingle's new vantage point every morning!

Caroline and her wish list (blog post to follow soon on her list - it's pretty funny)

Classic (Julia/Margaret)

Happy girl - she earned her ice cream.

Julia

Margaret

Back at home, burning off energy before nap time...

Daddy yawns as the twins act silly.

The girls playing one of their favorite games: races. Caroline false started (as usual).

Margaret and Julia left in the dust.

And finally....Jingle's arrival in the Hepper house!

Caroline seeing Jingle for the first time.

Margaret seeing Jingle for the first time.

Jingle and his gifts.

Sweet Margaret at play.

A rare moment of quiet, peaceful play.

Happy girl Julia

Jingle tucked up in the garland.

Gingerbread House Decorating

Today we went to Westwood to take part in their children's gingerbread (and gingertrain) decorating event. It was a lot of fun and despite the amount of candy and frosting that was consumed in the process, we did actually decorate our house and train!
Tomorrow we head back to Westwood for the Santa Brunch. Fingers crossed we get some nice pictures with Santa!

Caroline immersed in decorating.

We're here to eat candy, right??

Mmmm, frosting!

Daddy and C hard at work.

Margaret doing a little decorating of her own.

Julia putting her touch on the gingerbread house.

Caroline sampling the gingertrain.

Mmmm!!

Caroline with her completed projects!

Margaret and Mommy.

Mommy, Julia, and Caroline next to one of Westwood's many Christmas trees. Margaret was on the floor throwing a temper tantrum...we cropped her out of the picture ;-)

Julia in her favorite spot in the car: the driver's seat.

Back at home, Margaret happy and in her Christmas jammies!