Julia and Margaret's 1st Day of School 2014

And they're off! Today was Julia and Margaret's 1st day of preschool in Group IV at First Presbyterian. They were excited to go back and see some of their friends from last year's class as well as meet some new friends. Julia was more nervous than Margaret, but overall they went off into their new room without a hitch.
I'm pretty sure they had a great first day despite Margaret's report that both she and Julia cried because "Jay-Jay hit [her] in the face with a stick." Oh boy. It's a good thing we brought the teachers baked goods this morning. Hopefully that helped smooth over that little sibling spat (and at least Julia hit her sister and not someone else, right?!)
So, without further delay, here are my pictures from the twins' first day of preschool...

Ready to go, dog purses and all!!

Hanging up their bags and unpacking their snacks. 

Margaret and Julia getting started on a busy morning of work and play at school.

After school and a lunch out, the twins wanted to hit up the Children's Museum.

Sacked out after a very busy day.

Julia and Margaret Gear Up for Back to School!

It's that time of year...when preschool starts and moms around town rejoice with new found freedom for mornings full of coffee dates, spa appointments, shopping sprees, and...oh wait, that must be someone else's life. :) The reality is that 3 hours of preschool don't leave very much time for anything other than a trip to the gym and the grocery store or a meeting and some housekeeping, but you won't hear me complaining because alone time is alone time, and I'll take it any way it comes! I do manage to fit in time to catch up with friends here and there, and yes, go shopping (sorry, Paul!), but boy, those 3 hours fly by!
Anyways, the twins are ready to go back to school and are SO excited to be "big girls" this year, with a classroom upstairs and the ability to go through the carpool line every day (YAY for Mommy!). School starts on Monday, and the twins will be going Monday through Thursday this year. They are also doing Lunch Bunch on Monday afternoons, a first for the Hepper ladies.
We spent the twin's last week of summer in a decidedly less exciting way than Caroline's, but Julia and Margaret didn't seem to notice, so it's all good. :)

I will miss having little helpers at the grocery store.

Margaret and Julia checking out the construction at Short Pump mall.

They FINALLY got to ride the train at the mall. I had been putting it off all summer to save it for a special day.

Helping Mommy make a batch of zucchini muffins. 

Being a twin means always having a playmate with whom you can try silly things.

We love our Duplo blocks. This was a zoo I helped the girls build.

Meet the teacher day!! We are SO excited to have Mrs. Schmidt and Mrs. Kuhn (aka, the DREAM TEAM! :) 

Margaret got right down to business. 

Julia was more interested in playing.

After Meet the Teacher Day, we changed into our leotards and headed straight over to gymnastics class.

Margaret bouncing down the trampoline runway. 

Ta-da!

Margaret in the swing.

J in the swing.

At Back to School Night, Mrs. Schmidt and Mrs. Kuhn asked us to make milk carton "blocks" of our house for the block area in girls' classroom.  The girls were so excited to work on this project over the weekend. They are very proud of their results (which were made better by the helpful hands of big sister, Caroline) and can't wait to bring them to school on Monday!

As you may or may not have noticed, Julia is wearing the same dress in nearly all of the above pictures. Her "pink stwipe skirt-dress" is a new obsession, the likes of which we have never seen before. It is nearly impossible to get Julia to wear anything else lately, and it does not matter at all to her if the dress is dirty, wet, or stinky. She simply does not care and wants to wear it all the time. Thank goodness the washing machine is in constant motion in our house, and the dress can usually get a quick wash before each day dawns!

A Non-Laborious Labor Day Weekend :)

We had a great Labor Day Weekend around the Hepper household. We played nonstop all weekend long, packing in pool parties and visits, a birthday party, dinner with friends, a BBQ, and even a round of golf for Daddy.

Giddy-up!! Julia was a big fan of the horse at the Chuck E. Cheese birthday party.

Margaret's favorite part of church *might* be the "Lemonade (and cookies) on the Lawn" that she gets after the service.

Even though the pool at Westwood will stay open until October, the snack bar closes after this weekend. Caroline got one last treat of the summer there on Saturday.

Margaret ready for fun in her favorite swimsuit (which she has outgrown this summer!)

Caroline

Let's get this party started...with water, of course!

Cousin Will busy loading up rocks in the trunk of the ride-on car.

Lawson and Henry making funny faces at dinner. 

Water gun fight amongst the big kids

Julia jumped off the diving board about 1,000,000 times at the Moreland Farms pool on Sunday.

Week One in the Books (and It Was Awesome!)

Caroline has completed her first week of Kindergarten and to say she loves it would be an understatement. She came home every day this week brimming with information about Kindergarten and Collegiate, telling stories about the fun and interesting things she got to do with her teachers and classmates, and even began talking about a couple new friends she made in her class. We are so proud of her for making it through the week like a champ, and we are thrilled that she is loving Kindergarten so far.
A few of us Moms decided to celebrate the end of a successful first week of school with a fun get together at our neighbor's pool. It was the perfect way to cap off an exciting (but exhausting) week!

Life is good when you can walk home from school. Especially for Mommy - not having to sit in the carpool line is a sanity saver!!

Lil' C and Big C

Pool time!! 

You know Julia was all about this playdate ...

                                                   ...she spent about 4 hours in the pool.

Not surprisingly, Margaret could be found poolside where all the snacks were.

She did eventually get in though :)

 Two sweet girls

Double trouble on the slide. 

Julia got a Collegiate balloon at the party and refused to give it up. Class of 2029, here she comes??!!

Caroline's First Day of Kindergarten!

Caroline began her school year this week with Meet the Teacher Day on Monday and her first day of Kindergarten today. We all had some butterflies in our stomachs as we began this new chapter in our lives, but everyone did great (no tears today, Mommy included!).
We are happy to report that the first day of Kindergarten was a success and that Caroline's teacher, Mrs. Beane, and her assistant Mrs. McKercher, are warm, welcoming, and have a wonderful year of learning planned for Caroline and all her new Kindergarten buddies!

Caroline baking a special treat for her teachers on the morning of Meet the Teacher day...

...because showing up on your first day with baked goods in never a bad idea!

Mrs. Beane and Caroline on Meet the Teacher Day

Caroline was excited to see that her teachers had planned a scavenger hunt for to learn about her new classroom on Meet the Teacher Day. She jumped right in and got started!

Bright-eyed and bushy tailed and ready for her first day of Kindergarten!

First Day of School 

Ready to start the day in her new classroom!

First day of Kindergarten complete! Caroline requested lunch at Chick-fil-A afterwards, and we were more than happy to treat her to it!