Carter's Mountain 2014

We took our annual trip to Carter's Mountain today to pick apples with the Benjamin and Milligan families. The weather was perfect for apple picking: blue skies, crisp fall air, and a nice breeze coming across the mountain.
We collected over 13 pounds of Granny Smith and Fuji apples before we were all "picked out." I have no idea what we are going to do with all these apples, but I have a feeling I'll be baking a massive amount of apple inspired goods in the coming weeks. Apple muffins, apple pie, apple fritters....you get the idea. :-)

Two Wheelin' It!

We are so proud of and excited for Caroline! She officially made the transition a two wheeled bike today! Check it out...

Princess Shooting Star and Brave Flying Eagle

Caroline and Daddy began a really fun adventure this past weekend as they joined a Y Princesses tribe together as Princess Shooting Star and Brave Flying Eagle. I have great memories of doing Indian Princesses with my Dad, so I was really excited for Caroline to have the opportunity to take part in this experience with her Dad. The first event of the year was the Longhouse campout at Camp Whitehall. It was Caroline's first time ever camping out, and from what I heard, she did a fabulous job and had a great time!

Pumpkin Patch Visit

Yesterday we took our annual trip to Ashland Berry Farm to the pumpkin patch. I have to say, it was our most pleasant visit thus far. The weather was perfect, and I have never seen the patch less crowded. We didn't have to wait in any lines, we had a great pick of pumpkins, and we were in and out of the farm in a little over an hour. It was a really nice and easy outing.

Where Did the Month Go?

I swear I blinked and the entire month of September flew by without any warning at all. The start of Kindergarten and Preschool, ballet and gymnastics classes, and tennis and horse riding lessons have kept our lives full, happy, and busy.

Caroline is absolutely loving Kindergarten. The transition to a long school day was a lot easier than I thought it would be.  We adore her teachers,  are excited to see that she has made some great new friends, and we're pretty sure she could be a walking billboard for the Admissions team at Collegiate School if they needed one.

A lot of parents have a hard time getting information out of their children at the end of a school day, but for some reason we are lucky with Caroline. She is a wealth of information. She is always singing the songs she's learned in music, spouting off new Spanish words, reading her "just right" books or reciting poetry, talking about what she did as a scientist that day, or reporting about who was or was not being a "good listener" in her classroom that day. :) It is a joy to see her thriving.

The twins are enjoying school as well. They are happy as clams, hopping out into the carpool line every day and scurrying off to join their friends in their "big kid" classroom.
Unlike Caroline, the twins are not a wealth of information at the end of the day. I am often left wondering where on earth they have been all morning because it does not appear that they were at school...or at least not at the same school. For example, Margaret will share that the class went to Music, but Julia will vehemently deny that they went to Music that day. Or Julia will share that a particular friend was not in attendance at school that day, and Margaret will quickly dispute that statement, saying that the friend in question was, in fact, at school that day. Sigh.

 One of the most exciting things going on right now in the girls' world is a four-legged creature named Vinny. Caroline is taking riding lessons on this adorable pony, and even though the twins are not officially enlisted, they have somehow managed to finagle their way into every lesson!

Caroline's first lesson. Getting acquainted with Vinny (and all the work that comes along with riding a horse!)

Doesn't Vinny look thrilled to have Julia grooming his mane?

Caroline leads Vinny out of the barn for her first lesson.

Lesson two: two point position.

Back in the barn and feeding carrots to one of the other horses.

Margaret was the most hesitant around Vinny, but by our 3rd visit, she jumped in and got busy with the grooming brush!

Before long, she was up on Vinny too!

You know Julia had to have a turn, too! 

Julia back on the ground (but not for long!) at gymnastics class.

The weather has been perfect for bike rides in the neighborhood.

Caroline went apple picking at Carter's Mountain with her Kindergarten class. She was nice enough to bring home an apple for her sisters.

We welcomed a new cousin into the family this month! Baby Catherine was born a couple weeks ago. Caroline loves to hold her.

The month of September was fun but exhausting!!!

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!