Back to School 2013

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's back to school we go!! The summer is officially over for us, and we are back in school! The girls are excited and ready and so is Mommy!
We took our back-to-school pictures last week because I thought that the girls would pose more patiently and nicely if we weren't in a rush to get to school. And I may or may not have bribed them with Twizzlers to assist in my endeavor.
In the end, I still didn't get the perfect shot - the one where all three girls sit and smile nicely together in the same picture. But, hey, that's not exactly surprising, and the girls still look pretty darn cute. And yes, Margaret insisted on wearing her sunglasses throughout the photo shoot.

Margaret and Julia looking great.... 

...and now Caroline smiling at the camera

Individual shots of each girl...

And because I just couldn't help myself, I did take a few pictures this morning, the actual first day of school...

Meet the Teachers Day: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good:

Today was "Meet the Teachers Day" at First Presbyterian Preschool. We were up and at 'em early in order to make it out the door by 8:45a sharp. I'll admit, even though we got up at 7, it was a little tough to get all three girls to eat breakfast, get dressed, brush their teeth and coif their hair in time. Hopefully we'll streamline the process and be better on Monday for the first day of school!

We spent 2 and a half hours at school, meeting our new teachers, visiting with friends, and playing on the playground. Then we loaded up, grabbed some Chick-fil-A to go, and headed to another playground to meet up with some other friends. By the time we got home at 1:30p, the twins were zonked (and so was Mommy). Thankfully it was nap time, so we all took a nice siesta before playing outside all afternoon. It was a great day...or so I thought. 

The Bad:

I had just decided to go inside to make the girls their dinner when Julia (who was sitting in my lap) looked at me and said, "my belly hurt." Seconds later, she started to projectile vomit. All over me and in my hair. It was unpleasant to say the least. We both required baths, and despite a brief period of happiness while in the tub, it was clear that Julia was feverish and definitely unwell. 

The Ugly:

Right about the time we got out the tub, Caroline started crying and complained that her ears hurt. She has a history of ear infections coming on very rapidly and has been fighting a cold for over a week, so I called the doctor right away and made an appointment for an hour later. As soon as Daddy got home, I handed off a sluggish and hot Julia and a "not a care in the world" Margaret and took Caroline to the doctor where she was diagnosed with an "ugly" double ear infection. We got the ear numbing drops and a prescription and made our way home for bed. 

All in all, it was still a great day and by 7:30 all the girls were snug in their beds and fast asleep.  Fingers crossed the rest of the weekend is smooth sailing!

Here are some pictures from our day...before everything went downhill...

Margaret and Julia: bright-eyed and bushy tailed, ready to meet their teachers.

Julia

Margaret

Caroline

Caroline styled herself fabulous for school. 

Margaret and Caroline jumping right into an activity in Caroline's room. 

Caroline and Miss Rosie getting reacquainted. Miss Rosie was Caroline's Group I teacher.

Julia getting busy in her classroom.

Margaret was very excited to see the slide in her new classroom. 

Out on the FPP playground, Caroline surprised me with her monkey bar skills. Sometime in the last week or so, she's mastered them!

After lunch at our 2nd playground of the day. Julia chows down on a cupcake....we would see it again later. :(

My trio of girls hanging out in the train.

Julia and Margaret on their favorite piece of playground equipment: the rolling bar slide.

Caroline enjoying a popsicle on our back porch...before all the illness descended.

Oh hey, Mom. Sorry about that little mishap outside. I didn't mean to get sick all over you.

Labor Day Weekend 2013

We had a busy and fun holiday weekend! On Saturday, Caroline had a birthday party and then we just spent time around the house, hanging out as a family. On Sunday, we went to the pool and the playground, and then on Monday we went to the Labor Day party at Westwood and then to a BBQ at a friend's house. It was the perfect was to spend a long weekend! We are looking forward to one week of downtime before school starts up next Monday.

Margaret ready to ride in her sunglasses (yes, they are upside down).

Crazy-haired Julia engrossed in her Duplo blocks play. 

Margaret ready to take the plunge - the sunglasses are a constant for her these days.

Julia and Caroline clowning around in the baby pool. 

Yeah, I sprayed her. Got a problem with that?

At the playground

Julia and Margaret taking Mommy on a ride.

Julia helping Daddy across the step stools.

A bicycle built for 3 (or 4 or 5).

The bounce house at Westwood was just a tad cooler than ours.

Julia chowing down at the Westwood BBQ. 

Having fun with some friends.

I love this swing...even if I don't fit in it.

Margaret chowing down at our second BBQ of the day. Again, with the sunglasses...

Homemade ice cream in the clubhouse!

Mrs. Kathryn and her new snuggle buddy, Margaret. 

We had a great weekend!!

Winding Down and Gearing Up

The end of August is upon us, and for this Hepper family that means preschool is finally in sight! We are winding down the summer and gearing up for the start of the new school year.   While I have immensely enjoyed the extra time I got to spend with my little people this summer, I know how much they love preschool and how wonderful of a place it is to be. I know the girls will enjoy being back in school with their friends and teachers, and I am (super duper) excited for a little extra free time.

We are spending the final days of our summer doing all the things we love best: playing outside, bouncing in our bounce house, meeting up with friends, going to the pool, and just spending time with each other. In a week and a half, the school year will begin and we'll be back to a more structured routine. Caroline will start gymnastics and ballet and the babies will be adjusting to going to preschool three days a week.

And did I mention that Caroline will be in Pre-K this year?? I don't know about you, but that seems like an awfully big step!! We are all really excited about it though and think this will be an extra special year.

Cutie pie Margaret.

Caroline is getting better and better at riding her bike.

Julia looking pretty despite being covered in paint.

Daddy snuggling with his youngest daughters.

Off to the races!

This is the twins' best "cheeese!!!!" face.

New favorite activity: watching a photo slideshow on Mommy's laptop. Woodstock enjoys it too. :)

Caroline and her buddies, "Big Caroline" and Campbell.

Bubble bath girls!

Caroline climbing high at one of our new favorite playgrounds. 

Miss Margaret having a blast in the pool!