A Visit from Baby Mason

We were SO excited to get a visit from the Phillips family yesterday! Steve, Olivia, and little baby Mason joined us for the day. It was also Olivia's birthday - her 25th, I think :) - so we were excited to have her for a visit on her special day. Little Mason has already grown so much in his first few weeks! He is one handsome little dude. He slept most of the time they were here, which left the adults plenty of time to catch up and gave Caroline the pleasure of hogging most of the attention. We gave the Phillips a tour of our new house, and then kicked back to enjoy each others company and eat some delicious BBQ. I also made a cake for Olivia's birthday. It was quite possible the ugliest cake to ever come out of my kitchen (ANY of my kitchens). I don't know what I was thinking when I designed it, but I do know that it was ugly! It still tasted pretty good though, and that's what counts, right?

All in all, we had a wonderful time with our dear friends and we were sad to see them go at the end of the evening. We're comforted by the fact that they at least reside in the same state as us and will only be about 1.5 hours away once they move to DC. Caroline and I look forward to some weekday trips to visit with Mason and Olivia and I know Paul is looking forward to some weekend golf meet-ups with Steve.

Caroline shows off her new toys and house.


Caroline checks out Mason...a little wary of his presense.


Caroline helps Olivia blow out her candles.


The mommas and the babies

More House Pics

Here are additional pictures of our new house. I'm still in the process of decorating the master bedroom, but who knows when that job will get finished so I figured I may as well post pictures now. We're also in need of some wall art throughout most of the house, but that will take time as well. The kitchen is definitely in need of new cabinets as they are the only thing the previous owners didn't update (and I can see why after having someone come out with an estimate for refacing them - hello pricey!!). Hopefully those will get done in the next 6 months or so. I think it will make a big difference.
My favorite things about the house so far are the master bath (LOVE the double vanities!), the fridge, the front porch, and the master bedroom closet. The guest bedroom and living room are still works in progress. I'll post pics of them eventually.

Back porch table finished with umbrella and seat cushions.


Teeny tiny, but perfectly functional office.


Master bath with amazing shower, tub, and vanities.




Master bedroom with lots of space that we haven't quite decided what to do with yet.




Fantastic master closet with shoe rack!!



Kitchen



Back hallway

The Big 3-0 and Father's Day

It was a weekend full of celebration in the Hepper household. Paul celebrated his 30th birthday on Saturday, and today we celebrated Father's Day!

Yesterday Paul got to spend his big day just how he wanted: relaxing, playing with Caroline, and watching golf. Paul received some great gifts and is looking forward to buying a grill soon!
We were also lucky enough to go out to dinner since I was FINALLY able to find a babysitter for Caroline! I was so excited that the girl I found is not only a live body (which was all I was hoping for after weeks of looking) but a college student who is CPR and first aid certified AND quite friendly! It also helps that her parents live directly across the street from us, so I always know how to find her :)

After Daddy sleeping in first this morning, and then swapping parenting duties so Mommy could return to sleep herself (now that Paul and I are SO old, we don't recover so quickly from a night out on the town), our family set out for lunch and a little shopping. We took a detour a Dicks so Daddy and Caroline could do a little bonding over the putting green.


I never go shopping without my cool sunglasses!


I was really enjoying being Daddy's caddy...


...until I saw the stuffed animal golf club head covers!!

Hot Wheels

I'm pretty sure that Caroline has more vehicles than should legally be allowed for a one year old who has no ability to drive. I decided to line them up and snap a picture for everyone to see for themselves. And these don't include the two ride on cars that are in the house! Caroline is awfully lucky to have such "hot wheels!" Too bad we don't have a three car garage to house them. Chaining them to the porch will have to suffice for now. :)



Here are the specs on each vehicle...

The Cozy Convertible Car is for rolling down the block with Mom or Dad pushing behind with the handle. It features push button noises, a cup holder, and a sun canopy. Once Caroline is older, the floor of the car pops out so she can propel herself Fred Flintstone style.

The wagon is perfect for taking longer strolls through the neighborhood. It features seat belts, two bench seats, a storage compartment, a door (with lock!), AND two cup holders.

The standard stroller is our go to choice for exercise. Caroline and Mommy go for long walks in the morning before it gets too hot. It has a nice tray for Caroline to have a snack on while we stroll.

First House Pics

Here are several pictures of our new house in Richmond. I'm not posting pictures of all the rooms yet because they either aren't done or weren't clean :)

Caroline's room (She's sooo proud of it!)




The front of the house and the front porch




The backyard and back porch




Caroline in her personal pool :)


The dining room


The laundry room and my AMAZING new washer and dryer!!

One Year Stats!!

Yesterday we went back to Charlottesville to visit our pediatrician for Caroline's one year well-visit. We'll be switching to a Richmond doctor from now on, but it didn't make sense to do that before this last check-up.

Here are Caroline's latest stats and developments.

Height: 29.5 inches
Weight: 20 pounds, 11 ounces

Motor Skills:
Dr. Ranney said Caroline looks "great and has really well developed muscles!" She also commented on how good Caroline's sense of balance is. This happened as Caroline climbed up and down a step stool in the exam room, looking quite pleased with herself. As far as walking goes, we're still at a standstill. Caroline will take about 5 steps on her own before she goes back to crawling. She seems to have the ability, but lacks the confidence and interest to give walking a good try.
She has no fear for climbing, however. Aunt Allison dubbed her "little Monkey" during her recent visit. Caroline loves to climb up and down stairs, into the dishwasher, and on any piece of furniture she can manage with her 29 inches of height! Let's just hope she doesn't attempt climbing out of her crib anytime soon!

Play:
Caroline loves to play with all kinds of toys! Her current favorites are her Little People school bus and farm set. She also really likes to collect objects and put them into containers and then push the containers around the house. I'm pretty sure she inherited my love of organizing :) Other fun pastimes for Caroline are riding around the neighborhood in her wagon, giving her teddy and Minnie Mouse hugs, and reading books. Caroline is good at playing by herself for about 15-20 minutes at a time, so long as Mommy or Daddy is in close proximity.

Eating:
Caroline has shown increased interest in solid foods lately. Her all-time favorite food is blueberries. If Mommy doesn't serve blueberries as the first course of EVERY meal, Caroline turns into Miss Sassypants faster than the blink of an eye! Our sweet baby girl goes through 1 and a half bags of frozen blueberries a week! Once the blueberries have been served, Caroline will eat pretty much anything. Cheese, whole wheat pasta, eggs, and toast with jam are other big hits.
We introduced milk last week with no (digestive) problems, although she's still warming up to the taste of it.

Personality:
Caroline continues to be a curious,outgoing, go with the flow (but determined) baby who also loves her snuggle time with Mommy and Daddy. She remains obsessed with animals, LOVES to go shopping with Mommy, and enjoys dancing to music.
Lately, she has developed a couple alter egos that Paul and I have named "Whiny McWhiner" and "Miss Sassypants." The former follows you around going "mum, mum, mum, mum" until you give her all your attention. The latter grunts and shrieks when she isn't getting her way. Luckily, these two alter egos usually come and go quickly, but Dr. Ranney recommended ignoring both of them at all times!

Words:
Caroline says Mama, Dada, and dog, but it isn't always discernable to the average person. Other than that, Caroline "talks" quite a bit, although it's jibberish to us!

Moved In!

We are finally in Richmond! Yay! We moved in last Thursday and have been crazy busy unpacking, painting, cleaning, and shopping for the last 5 days. Allison came in town for the weekend to help unpack, so that made everything go even more smoothly. I was so looking forward to her visit and was glad we were going to have the extra help. What I didn't expect was to benefit from her interior design skills! It was like having my own interior decorator around all weekend! All I had to do was feed her three times a day and she would offer all the decorating advice I needed!
As a result, the house looks fantastic, even though there are several more things that need to be done before we are completely settled.

Caroline is loving her new "crib", especially the front and back porches. And of course, the dogs are in heaven. They LOVE their new back yard and were SO excited to meet their next door neighbor, Addie. Addie is a toy fox terrier, so she looks almost exactly like Isabel and Frances, except smaller. It's really funny to see the three of them together.

Also, amid all this chaos, Caroline had her first birthday! I'm so glad we celebrated with friends early because there wasn't much time for birthday festivities on Caroline's actual big day. We did open gifts and eat cake though. Aunt Allison also treated Caroline to a clothes shopping spree. Caroline is rockin' some serious style now!!

We go tomorrow for Caroline's 1 year checkup, so I'll be sure to post all her latest stats soon.

Since we're so busy posting may be sporadic over the next week or so, but I'll try my best to at least put up some pictures. I'm not going to post pics of the house yet because there are still boxes all over. Hopefully by this weekend, things will be more presentable. Sorry for the wait! Here are some pictures of Caroline from the past week.

Caroline inspecting the boxes before the move.


Caroline on the front step.


Touring the new neighborhood in her fancy new wagon.


Checking out books in her new room.


I'm a whole year old!!!


Riding around town in her "big girl" carseat!