Growing Right Along

We had another appointment today to check in on the littlest ladies in the Hepper family. We were excited to see that both girls continue to grow very well and with no apparent problems! Baby girl A weighed in at 2 pounds, 10 ounces, and Baby girl B weighed in at 2 pounds, 8 ounces.
  They are growing right on track for my 29 weeks, and are already busy practicing breathing, kicking up a storm, and jockeying for position. In fact, Baby A is breech and blocking the way with her legs for Baby B who is head down. The doctor assured us there is still time for both of them to go head down, so nothing major to worry about yet.
  Mommy looks good as well. They confirmed that I don't have an iron deficiency (common with multiples) or gestational diabetes. Other than feeling quite large and unwieldy, I don't have any complaints.
  The only bad part of today's appointment was that our ultrasound technician had the bedside manner that I imagine a rock would have. She was all business and didn't even take any good images for printing! We only got ONE picture and in my opinion it stinks! It's so bad, there's not even any point in posting it. Boo!

Happy Easter!

What a splendid Easter weekend we had! We were excited to get a visit from Marmee and Grampy as well as enjoy lots of fun Easter activities.
We started the weekend out on Friday by getting reacquainted with Marmee and Grampy. It wasn't long before Caroline was playing with and showing off for her guests. Grampy helped break the ice too by mesmerizing Caroline with his fancy iPad. Then Marmee and Caroline made bunny cookies together and we all enjoyed a tasty dinner.
On Saturday, we went to the botanical garden despite it being overcast and slightly chilly. We admired the tulips and especially the orchids before loading up and heading out for lunch and naps at home. Marmee was kind enough to do all the Easter brunch cooking and baking while Mommy put her swollen feet up for a good stretch. On Saturday night, Miss Claire came over to sit for Caroline while the adults enjoyed a nice dinner out.
Easter Sunday was a beautiful day and busy with church, an Easter egg hunt, the "opening" of the Easter baskets, and brunch. And as if this wasn't enough fun to pack into one day, Caroline enjoyed a long play session in her pool because it was hot, hot, hot outside!
The only thing that could've made this weekend any better would have been our little peanut sleeping past 5:30am both mornings! I guess she was just so excited to have guests in her house that she just had to get up before the sun!

I was a little snap-happy with the camera this weekend, so please forgive the extra large amount of pics below :)

Grampy and his super cool iPad.

One of the many lovely orchids we saw at the botanical garden.

Marmee giving Caroline a squeeze at the botanical garden.

Mommy and Caroline.

Easter Sunday family pic

Caroline and Grampy hunting for Easter eggs.

Grampy, Marmee and Caroline on Easter Sunday.

Caroline scoping out her Easter basket.

Caroline loved an extra special part of her Easter basket - a handmade bunny from Grandma Hepper!

Mmmm...bunny cookies!

Caroline having a blast in her pool.

The dogs had a great weekend too, but Frances couldn't hide her "crazy" from Marmee and Grampy!

Birthday Party!

Yesterday afternoon we braved the tornado watch called for in our area and headed out to celebrate Mary Michael's birthday at Cartwheels and Coffee. All of Caroline's best friends were there - Hailey, big Caroline, Wingrove, and of course, the birthday girl Mary Michael. Caroline is no stranger to Cartwheels and Coffee, so she jumped right in playing on the slides, running around with a balloon, and riding an inflatable donkey. She only paused to scarf down a cupcake and a juice box. The party went by quickly and when it was over, both Caroline and her friends weren't ready to say goodbye. So we headed out for pizza to spend a little more time together. The best part of this whole outing was that all the mommies sat at a table by themselves while all the little girls sat with the daddies. Now that's my idea of a good time!

Last evening topped off a marathon of fun adventures for Mommy and Caroline. We are looking forward to a more low-key week ahead!

Mommy and Caroline at the party.

Having a great time!

Getting ready to climb up the slide with a ball. After she successfully did that, she climbed the slide again - this time with a chair in hand. A complete stranger commented on her amazing athletic ability! :)

Face-jamming a cupcake.

Off for pizza on Daddy's shoulders!

Post-party and pizza pic - our adorable and sweet Caroline.

Easter Egg Hunt!

This afternoon we went to our friend big Caroline's house for an Easter egg hunt and party! Hailey, Wingrove, Avery, Lawson, and Mary Michael and their mommies joined us for a fun time. 

Caroline spent the afternoon happily playing in the fantastic back yard and packing back an impressive amount of grapes, Goldfish, and cookies. When it came time for the Easter egg hunt, I was a little worried that Caroline wouldn't understand how to participate. But boy was I wrong! After watching her friends lead the way, Caroline got down to business and collected an impressive amount of eggs. In fact, she was moving so fast that I wasn't able to get a lot of pictures of her in pursuit! I did get lots of pictures of her playing though, as you'll see below...

Off to hunt eggs!

Looking for more eggs while picking one up.

Checking out her loot.

Wingrove and Caroline playing at the sand and water table.

Wheelbarreling around the yard.

Going for a drive!

Avery, Big Caroline and Caroline post cookie-eating binge. They all look like they're in sugar shock.

Morning at Maymont

We enjoyed another fun outing with friends this morning! Today we went to Maymont to visit the petting zoo and have a picnic lunch in the garden. Hailey and Wingrove joined us, with their mommies Miss Holly and Miss Aly. This was Caroline's second trip to Maymont. During her first visit this past fall, she dove right in to feeding and petting the animals she encountered. This time around, even though she was so excited to see each creature, she was less enthusiastic about feeding or petting them. She much preferred to watch them from afar.

After we visited the goats, sheep, chickens, donkey, bunnies, and pot-bellied pigs, we thoroughly washed our hands and staked out a nice spot in the grass for our picnic. After lunch, the girls wandered around the flowers in the garden. The landscapers have probably banned us from re-entering the park after more than one flower lost it's petals thanks to Caroline and Hailey :)

We've been enjoying all this wonderful spring weather and time with our friends! We have even more fun coming up during the rest of this week and this weekend so stay tuned!!

The girls get ready to explore.

Caroline and Hailey watching the goats.

Watching a goat from afar.

Enjoying a tasty lunch

Hailey and Caroline - both with evidence of crimes committed against flowers :)

Fun in the Sun!

With plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures predicted in our area today, Caroline and Mommy met big Caroline and her Mommy, Miss Annie, at the outdoor mall here in Richmond to have some fun in the water play area. At first, both Carolines were very hesitant to do much more than dip their toes in the water, but after a few minutes (and lots of encouraging from the mommies), both girls jumped right in and had a blast!

We finished the fun morning with a picnic lunch and some window shopping, and then we headed home for a well-earned nap! What a fun day!

Taking it all in, not too sure...

Well, maybe this could be fun!

Carolines contemplating play...

Let's do this!

Having a blast!

Picnic lunch!

Off to "Cool" We Go!

Thursday mornings are very exciting around the Hepper household. Caroline goes to school, or "cool", as she calls it and Mommy gets 3 hours of solo time. Caroline loves going to school so much that we don't tell her it's a school day until it's time to get dressed and walk out the door because once we mention it, all she wants to do is get out the door and off to see her friends, even if she's half naked and hasn't eaten breakfast yet.

The weather is incredibly nice here in Richmond today, so Caroline got to wear one of her new spring dresses and I decided it was a good day to snap some pictures of her as she was on her way to "cool."

First I help put the dogs in their houses. They do NOT like this at all.

Ready to go! School bag in hand plus one extra bag for good measure.

Looks like a beautiful morning!

Don't I look cute?

Going up the stairs to school. It takes a LONG time because I like to stop and stare at all the kids.

Headed to my room, dragging my school bag as usual.

In the classroom and happy to be there!

I get started with my play right away!

After school, Mommy surprised me with a tasty lunch - Chick-fil-A!