Thursday, June 23, 2016

Julia and Margaret at 5 years old

The twins are so excited to be five! For some reason, it was an especially big milestone to both of them, but especially to Julia. She waited with great anticipation for the arrival of her birthday, and has since started many a sentence with, "Now that I am five..."
Five year old check ups are in the books! Both girls did great, but both need additional vision check ups. Not really surprising since their mother is pretty near-sighted!
Julia hitting the scales!
Margaret measuring up!
Blood pressure: check!
Vision: check!
Awaiting Dr. Nelson (and also 4 shots apiece...ouch!)
Both girls continue to make us proud with how much they grown and developed. Here is a little bit about each twin.

Julia:
Height: 43.5 inches (75th percentile)
Weight: 49 pounds (90th percentile)

Julia's temperament continued to mellow over the last year, and she now shows a lot more patience and control over her emotions than before. Having said that, she continues to be a very passionate child who feels things very deeply, whether good or bad. She gets very disappointed when she feels she has "messed up." On the flip side, she is compassionate and thoughtful of others feelings.
Julia is enamored with animals of any kind, and boasts a pet collection which includes a hermit crab, a hamster, and an ant farm. Julia enjoyed every moment of watching caterpillars transform to butterflies this spring...except the part about letting them go. She says she'd like to be a "vetinarier" (veterinarian) when she grows up, and we think it would make an excellent profession for her.
Julia is a very active child who enjoys swimming more than any other activity. She would spend every minute of every day in the pool if we let her. Julia also enjoys drawing, "reading," and playing imaginary/role play games with her sisters. Julia looks up to Caroline very much, and is always excited when Caroline wants to play with her.

Margaret:
Height:  41 5/8 inches (25th-50th percentile)
Weight: 39 pounds (25th-50th percentile)

Margaret continues to be sweet but sassy. She is a pint-sized firecracker who can show amazing empathy one minute but lash out in anger in the next. She is sensitive and does not like to be "wrong" in any situation. Margaret is especially attached to her lovies and blankies and arrives downstairs every morning with an enormous mass of these comfort items piled up in her arms. Margaret is a child of routine who likes to know the schedule for the day ahead of time (much like her Mommy!)
Margaret enjoys coloring, building with Legos, imaginary/role play with her sisters, and playing with Play-Doh. Margaret still enjoys playing "kitty-cat" at a moment's notice. She can often be seen posing as a cat with her "paws" help up in front of her chest and a "meow" escaping from her mouth.
Margaret was a pretty good soccer player on her team, the Cheetahs, this past spring. We are hoping her interest in the sport will grow in the upcoming season. She does not enjoy swimming as much as Julia but is getting better with lessons.

Caroline at 7 Years Old

Caroline at 7 years old 

Caroline continues to grow into an amazing young girl. She is sensitive, silly, decisive, imaginative, and kind. Over the course of the last year, we have watched her mature and grow in so many ways. She is an excellent mathematician, a wonderful artist, and a strong swimmer. She is more confident at school, despite being one of the younger students in her grade. We are so thankful that despite becoming more mature, she is still Mommy and Daddy's girl at heart. I enjoy spending time with Caroline more and more every day. We have great fun together, and I love the "Mommy and Big Sister" relationship we share.
Caroline continues to enjoy art, playing outside, swimming, and imaginary/role play with her sisters. She especially likes playing dolls with the twins, so long as she is in charge. She continues to be an early riser, and often shows up at our bedside by 6:30am, fully dressed, with her room clean and ready to tackle the day!

Height: 47 3/4 inches (50th-75th percentile)
Weight: 52 pounds (50th percentile)

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Julia and Margaret's 5th Birthday!

Julia and Margaret's 5th birthday was a (very) much anticipated event! The twins were so excited about turning five (Julia in particular!). They requested a pool party at ACAC, and we were happy to oblige. Their best buddy, Amory, was unable to attend the party, so we held a mini party at the CCV pool for the three girls the day before the big birthday party. Both parties were a great success!
The twins chose to start their birthday on a delicious note: at Einstein's Bagels!
One pool themed cake, made to order!
The 5th birthday called for a lot of Lego sets. The twins were jazzed!
Amory, Julia, and Margaret at their mini birthday pool party. 
Sweet buddies. 
Cake time! 
Margaret, 5 years old.
Julia, 5 years old
Ready for their pool party at ACAC!
Of course, Caroline had a blast.
She loved the water slides at ACAC.
Julia was a HUGE fan of the slides, too! 
Happy birthday, girls!
Time to bow out the candles. 
The birthday party crew. 
Splash buckets were also a hit with Julia. 
Kyleigh, Drew, and Margaret 


Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Caroline's 7th Birthday!

Caroline's 7th birthday was a fun-filled extravaganza that she managed to stretch over the course of a week! First, she had a small birthday party at Build-A-Bear with a handful of her classmates, and then she hosted a backyard BBQ for family and friends. Her actual birthday was spent enjoying all her favorite foods (breakfast casserole, cinnabons, and tortellini among other treats!), a long swim at the pool, and lots of present opening. This 7 year old knows how to celebrate a birthday!!

Lunch at Red Robin before our trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop.
A fun and goofy bunch of girls!
Caroline chose a pink bear and named her "Stella."
Caroline makes a wish for her bear before putting her heart inside.
Time for a bath and brushing!
We finished off out fun outing with milkshakes from Chick-fil-A.
Unifix cube 7!
Caroline and I made a fun mermaid cake for her birthday BBQ.
Daddy worked hard to make ribs and a pork shoulder on the Big Green Egg.
Lots of fun was had at the backyard BBQ!
Rib time!
Cousins Will and Claire
Mommy and the birthday girl!
Time for cake!
Great friends + great food and drink = a good time for all!
Uncle Tate, Aunt Donna, and Catherine
Dance party with Avery, Julia, and Claire.
Caroline makes fruit salad for her birthday breakfast.
One last birthday treat!
Caroline was lucky to get some pretty awesome gifts from family and friends!



Monday, June 6, 2016

End of School Year Picture Post

 Just like that, another school year is in the books! Caroline completed 1st grade with Mrs. Williamson and Julia and Margaret completed PreK (and their time at FPP) with Mrs. Woo, Mrs. Jamieson, Mrs. Lovelace, and Mrs. Cuce. All the girls had terrific school years and are very much looking forward to a fun and relaxing summer.

In May, Caroline had "Career Day" at school. She chose to be an artist.

One of the highlights of the year at FPP is the Mother's Day Tea. These ladies treated me to an wonderful time!

Collegiate hosted a JK Playdate for all rising JK students. The twins were excited to test out the JK playground and meet some of their new classmates.
Julia is ready to be a Cougar!
We enjoyed a nice visit from Grandpa and Grandma in May. 
Last day of PreK at First Presbyterian Preschool!
Margaret
Julia
Margaret the PreK graduate.
Julia the PreK graduate.

Julia, Amory, and Margaret: best buddies.
Caroline's last day as a 1st grader!

I'm so proud of how much all the girls have grown this year!
The girls taking their last morning scooter ride to Collegiate for the school year.
Let's get this summer started!
Caroline chillin' in the swing. 
Lunch outside in my swimsuit? Just another summer day!! 
Caroline ready to hit the pool.
There's a lot of play time in our future.
Look out summer, here we come!