Caroline's 4 Year Old Well Check

Caroline's 4 year old well check-up was this last week, and to be honest I was really dreading it. I'd heard from friends that the 4 year old check-up is "shot heavy." With all that Caroline has had to endure in the past few weeks, I worried that more shots just might put her (and me) over the edge. Thankfully, it turned out that she only got 2, and she actually handled them like a pro (gee, I wonder why??!!)
The remainder of the visit went perfectly. Caroline is in great health and is right on track in all areas of development. Here are her stats and a little bit about Miss Caroline at age 4...

Measuring up at the doctor's office.

Height: 40.25 inches (50-75th percentile)
Weight: 38 pounds (50-75th percentile)

  Caroline is becoming quite the little lady! She is leaps and bounds better at using her manners than she used to be, is a good friend to everyone she meets, and is very interested in learning all about the world around her. She is constantly wondering "why...?" or "how...?" (sometimes to the point of frustration with her Mommy, who does not know all the answers to the questions she asks!!)
  Caroline continues to love dress-up, pretend play, and art projects. She talks frequently about marrying her "prince" and all the babies she will have :) She loves to get "fancied up" every morning and is not shy about telling everyone how "beautiful" and "stylish" she looks.
  Caroline also loves to enjoy the outdoors: digging in the mud, exploring the woods in her backyard, and helping Mommy with the gardening are some of her favorite things to do.
   Caroline is happy to play in a group, happy to play alone and she is getting better every day at playing nicely with her often meddlesome twin sisters. She is a Daddy's girl for sure but loves spending one-on-one time with Mommy too.
  Caroline takes great pride in learning to write her name and short words. She can draw a person with every detail you might imagine and loves making special cards for her friends and family members. Caroline is a self-starter. For better or for worse, she is generally not motivated by others to do anything or learn anything. She does things on her own time, when she is ready.
  Although we certainly have an overwhelming amount of things to love about our sweet Caroline, we are working through some not-so-fun phases too!
  Caroline is the queen of drama when injured. Whether it be the tiniest scratch or a full blown skinned knee, the whole world (or at least the whole block) is going to hear about it. Unless her blanket and a cup of ice water are handed over immediately, the drama and tears will continue without end.
Caroline has also been showing a little bit of sass lately and is not shy about stamping her foot and saying, "But Mommy, I'm trying to tell you something!!" when she feels she has something important to say but is not being heard.
Overall, Caroline is a joy, and we are so proud of her! She is SO excited to be four and is ready to see what this year will bring!

Birthday-Palooza 2013

June is an unusually busy month around the Hepper household. We have a total of NINE family birthdays. That includes THREE sets of twins. That makes for a lot of cake, presents, cards, and partying!
Our own girls had their three-for-one birthday party earlier in June. The "Hepper Birthday-Palooza" was held at Caroline's gymnastics studio and was a big hit!

Pre-party group picture attempt (fail).

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!

Our June birthday bonanza continued today with the birthday of our favorite (and only!) man in the house: Daddy!!
We showered him with gifts, a pancake breakfast, a special dinner, and of course, lots of love.

Julia thought it was her birthday again. 

Until someone filled her in...

Devastated doesn't really cover how she felt....

...until Daddy let her open all his gifts.

Can you believe the stuff she gets away with??

You know you're old when you ask for a Sonicare toothbrush for your birthday!

Margaret making Daddy a birthday card.

Julia hard at work on the same task.

Then we moved onto to making Daddy a sand birthday cake.

Busy girls

Caroline helping to make Daddy's real birthday cake.

Happy Father's Day and a Visit from Aunt Allison

We had an extra special weekend! Aunt Allison came into town late last week to spend some time with her favorite nieces and to check out our new house. I am always thankful for time spent with my sister, but I was especially grateful for all the help with the girls and the interior design advice Allison gave me over the past view days (For the record, Allison confirmed that I have "no vision." Thank goodness she does!).
We also celebrated Father's Day today with a family walk, a pancake breakfast at Westwood followed a nice swim, and last but not least, our last round of rabies shots!! Whew! We are officially vaccinated against rabies and are now welcoming all wild animals in our home...just kidding!

I was exceptionally lazy with the camera this weekend, so I just have a few pictures to share...

Daddy and his gaggle of girls.

Opening the necklace Caroline made for him.

Opening the picture frames Julia and Margaret made

J and M inspecting their work.

Caroline at the pool

Loving the water

So happy!!!

Julia and Margaret's 2 Year Old Check-Up

Can I just start by saying that I was THRILLED to learn that there were no shots scheduled for Julia and Margaret's 2 year check-up??!! The poor girls have gotten 4 shots a piece in the last two weeks, so I was very relieved for the reprieve, especially since we have one last rabies shot this weekend!
Aside from waiting forever to see Dr. Nelson, the visit went very well. Both girls are right on target for all their milestones and physical development.  Here are each girl's stats and a little bit about them at age two:

Julia:
Height: 34 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 28.5 pounds (50-75th percentile)

Julia

Julia is a "live life by the moment" kind of girl. She is a risk-taker, a partier, and an independent player. She likes to get messy, push the envelope, and explore. Most of the mischief Julia causes is due to her insatiable curiosity gone awry.

Julia enjoys animals (stuffed, plastic, and live), imaginative play with dolls and her collection of rubber "wizards" (lizards), swimming, and any kind of play that involves dirt, sand, water or anything messy. Julia is a great dancer and loves to jump.

On the flip side, Julia is also a "Mommy and Daddy's girl." She loves to give kisses, takes great comfort in snuggling and likes to have a parent nearby while she's adventuring.

Julia is a pretty good eater, but would much rather make a huge mess out of her meals than actually eat them. She is a milk-aholic, taking down nearly a gallon a week on her own. Julia does not have much of a sweet tooth, in contrast to her Mommy and sisters.

Margaret:

Height: 32.5 inches (10th-25th percentile)
Weight: 24.5 pounds (25th percentile)

Margaret

Margaret takes a more cautious approach to life than her twin, but she is no less vivacious.  Margaret is a firecracker. What she lacks in size, she makes up for in spunk and screaming. Most of the mischief Margaret causes is purely on purpose.

Margaret loves to follow big sister Caroline around and join in whatever game she is playing. She loves puzzles, books, anything Mickey or Minnie Mouse, coloring, and Little People toys. Margaret is also a very adventurous "swimmer."

Like her sisters, Margaret has a great affinity for snuggling, kisses, and hugs. She likes to be held in new situations (and generally all the time!).

Margaret is a great eater, and has a sweet tooth that rivals her Mommy's. The sound of Margaret shrieking if she is denied a treat is ear-piercing.  Aside from dessert, Margaret's favorite food is cheese.

Here are a few pictures from their appointment. The quality isn't great because it was my phone camera, but hopefully the cuteness makes up for it!

Julia on her way to the exam room, with Dog-Dog in tow! 

Waiting ever so patiently for Dr. Nelson.

This is taking forever! I need some reading material.

Excuse you: it's not polite to look at a lady while she's on a scale!

All done!

We did it! High five! (Note the outfit change...double trouble found a mud puddle shortly after their appointment and both required new clothes!)

Happy Birthday, Julia and Margaret!!

We didn't bother putting away our birthday banner and candles after Caroline turned 4 because today is Julia and Margaret's 2nd birthday!! Both girls were thrilled to wake up to balloons, piles of presents and cinnamon buns for breakfast. After we dropped Caroline off at camp, Julia and Margaret enjoyed a special trip to the Children's Museum with Mommy. We look forward to a birthday dinner and cupcakes later today.

Check back soon for a post on the birthday party the girls had over the weekend. It was a blast!!

Julia was mesmerized by her candles.

Margaret didn't like them at all.

That's better!

Julia loving her new sand table.

Margaret testing out the new slide.

Margaret at the museum.

Julia at the museum.

Happy girls

Julia

Margaret