This sweet outfit is from one of my favorite lines, Deux Par Deux. Anything with a bustle on it, I’m in.

Charlie also got a haircut at Snippets yesterday. She was such a big girl and never fussed! We spent the afternoon running Mommy/Daughter errands and she was rewarded for her good behavior with a sucker and pizza for dinner. I should also note the possible development we’ve had today on the potty training front. Charlie has never been super interested in the potty, in fact her little potty has been more of a storage unit for toys, so I figured she’d let us know when she was ready…and quite frankly, pushing it off until Ella is a bit older is easier for me. Today, she announced that she wanted to go “poopy in the potty”, which is kind of a big deal. Unfortunately, she had already gone by that point, but she did sit on the potty for a bit (I had to inform her that no, people don’t sit on the potty all day long, and we needed to move on down the road after 10 minutes) and wanted to read a book about the potty. Who knows if it will be consistent, but the interest in going on the potty is certainly noted. Are we ready for this??

We’ve had some fun celebrations lately, but also some sad goodbyes. Charlie’s very good friend Olivia (Ya-Ya) and her Mommy and Daddy moved to Jacksonville, Florida last week. We had one last playdate in the square and the girls each got to pick out a cookie. Charlie misses Ya-Ya a ton, and we miss Ms. Alisha and Mr. Stephen so much we can’t wait to plan a trip down there to see them.

Charlie also got a chance to wish her pal Lindsay a happy birthday at her Elmo-themed party last weekend. Nothing like a little cake and a little Elmo to make any toddler blissfully happy!

Charlie and Ella had their respective 2.5 year and 4 month appointments with Dr. Monroe last week. Luckily, they A. could be scheduled at the same time and B. Vann was there to help corral. Here are the latest stats:
CharlieHeight: 35 inches, Weight: 27 poundsEllaHeight: 23 inches, Weight: 12 poundsI didn’t write the percentages down but I think Ella is just now past the 10% mark, and Charlie is still longer than she is wider. In the picture above, Miss E is wearing a sweet Zutano dress, gifted by Ms. Jen…

Charlie’s been wearing a ton of Matilda Jane recently. I’ve stockpiled the stuff in a size 2 since the very first time I did a show, and I love the fact she can wear it all now! Still one of my very favorite brands for my tomboy/free spirited little gal…

I know. It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?

So, here’s the scoop: Arizona was wonderful. How did I keep myself busy while Vann was working? Easy. Shopping, afternoon matinees, cupcakes at Sprinkles, and lunch out without toddler food/bibs/bottles/etc. It was divine. A little too cool for the pool (except for the last couple of days), which was fine by me because apparently W hotels actually HIRE beautiful models to “pose” as sunbathers…you know, to get more business. And let me tell you, I’ve never seen bodies like that, at least not in real life. These chicks were stacked up in big girl shoes, and I’m talking 5 inches at least. What’s with wearing heels with your bikini, anyway?

Anyway, THAT was enough to have any self-respecting normal girl shaking in her flip-flops. When this gorgeous wife of a sales winner told me SHE wasn’t going to be caught dead out there I was greatly relieved it wasn’t just me. The hotel had many other amenities though, including a fantastic sushi restaurant, Bliss spa, where we had the most amazing massages, and the coolest lobby/bar/nightclub you’ve ever seen. I could get used to this!!

The girls had a great time at their respective grandparent’s houses…I swear Charlie came back with about 25 more words and Ella had grown an inch. After we returned, Vann kept the girls last weekend so I could venture to Grand Rapids, Michigan, with Auntie Em for a girl’s weekend. Destination: my girlfriend Angela’s wedding. I’m proud to say that I myself braved some 4 inch platform pumps (although NOT in my bikini) in a new dress that actually made me feel pretty decent. I am so blessed to have a husband willing to brave 48 hours of juggling so I can get in some glasses of wine with sweet Ms. Jen and Auntie Em, watch my girl Ang get hitched and have all that car time to cover every topic imaginable. Man, did we laugh. Good for the soul. Love you girls.

Here’s a belated St. Patty’s day pic of little E. As you can see, she’s holding up pretty great in the Bumbo. She still hates tummy time, so that’s our biggest challenge as of late, but she’s getting stronger every day and is just the sweetest little pea.

Oh, man, I am counting the seconds until my flight tomorrow. Vacation is so close, I can taste it. After a very spirited playdate with Ya-Ya (Olivia) this morning, I’m relieved Charlie is finally down for a nap. She was a major pill, very territorial today and absolutely unwilling to share. Between her attitude, cleaning up messes (babies and cats), and trying to finish packing for all 3 girls in this house, I am pooped.

Not only that, but I was unable to score us tickets to the “Glee” live tour this morning. The presale tickets sold out within minutes. Then, when I was attempting to backup my Itunes library, I erased the whole thing, which sent me into a moment of sheer panic. Luckily, it looks like when I plugged it back in, my purchased songs where still there. Thank the Lord, because you know 211 songs x $1.29 a song = a very unhappy husband.

Last night we had ice cream cake with Charlie to celebrate my 32nd birthday, which isn’t actually until the 11th, but you know we Bischoff’s like to stretch these things out. No big party this year…I’m afraid my 4 month old took center stage this time. Poor Vann, he really gets confused when it comes to gifts for me. Gifts is in fact my love language, which means that I love to give (and receive) gifts. I especially love it when people put real thought into things, and I love it when I’ve put real thought into a gift and the person I’m giving it to loves it. It’s how I show those important to me that I love them!

I have been blessed with some awesome gifts from my sweet husband this year, material and not, so I am not ungrateful for the small things. Between my training sessions with Tamme and our upcoming massages I know I should be set for a couple years, but I have to admit I’m longing for another pair of Lululemon “groove” pants. I’ve bought a new pair every year around this time and I’ve been living in them lately. So comfortable and easy. We’ll see if a little shopping might be in my immediate future. It’s been awhile since I’ve bought anything for myself that doesn’t involve pregnancy and/or getting back in shape, so I’m anxious for a little “newness”.

Probably won’t be blogging for a bit…please pray that Ella and I have a safe flight to Texas tomorrow and for Charlie and Vann’s drive to meet his parents on Sunday. Also pray that the girls have a ball (and you know they will!) and Vann and I have a relaxing reprieve in Arizona.

See ya!

This was a sweet “Sunday Best” pic before Charlie decided to go digging for gold. I realized I never posted this…it was two weeks ago, before the colds and coughing entered our home for the millionth time this winter and rendered us a pajama-encouraged zone.

Today is definitely one of those days. Sweet Ella was up every two hours last night, congested and struggling to breathe. Poor baby. Charlie seems to be on the upswing, which is great. I’ve been having some “mommy guilt” lately…worrying that Charlie is the last to get any attention around here and noticing how much she plays on her own (which Mimi says is a good thing)…but I also recognize it’s still winter and cold and dreary and once it starts getting warmer we will be outside doing things and going for walks and spending tons of time outdoors.

TV is just a reality when you have two…or at least I’m relieved to know it’s not just me. Thank goodness for vacation, for all of us. I suspect the time Charlie spends outside in Tennessee will far make up for all the time spent indoors these last few months. Ella will have a willing grandmother to hold her and Vann and I will have a much-needed reprieve. Is it bad that I’m counting the days?

I’m home with two sick girlies today. Nothing major, just enough of a cough/cold to keep them both out of nursery at church. Is it spring yet?

So I think you all know that I’ve started working with my trainer Tamme again. She whipped my butt into shape after Charlie and a new butt is what I wanted for my birthday, so, Happy Birthday to me from my darling husband! Yesterday, I did a full hour with her and let me just say, please call NBC because she could give Jillian Michaels a run for her money on “The Biggest Loser”. She has me doing things I NEVER thought I could do: backbends, handstands, and full-on jumps UP onto varying levels of exercise mats, like stacked up HIGH.

We started out our hour on this section of flooring specifically created to simulate ice, as in ice skating. That’s what I did, every 8 minutes or so, for 5 minutes each time. Ice skated. I put these little booties on my shoes and pushed off the sides and ice skated. It was insane. Then she had me doing “walking planks” which basically consist of slowly rolling down your spine (as if you were going to touch your toes), walking outwards into a push-up position, and then doing push-ups. Like, 25 of them. And let’s not forget the bicep curls and tricep dips…

She told me it takes two months to really see results when you’re toning up. I assume the fact that I feel like someone ran over me with a semi truck today is a good sign. On the off days that I’m not training or taking a group class at the gym I’m doing Jillian Michaels “30 Day Shred” DVD, which is not only the best-selling exercise DVD of all time but also some pretty serious business. Don’t take my word for it, buy it. It’s KILLER.

Oh, you know I’ll be back. Tomorrow, in fact. I’m really committed this time. We are eating better around here and I’m trying to make healthy choices for my body and my spirit. All of these things point me back to wellness and feeling like me again, and hopefully, being in the best shape of my LIFE.

And, I mean, workout clothes are so much cuter these days.

Yesterday marked my very first solo trip to Target with both girls. I’ve said before that getting out with both of them feels like a lot of work right now, especially with the coats/boots/mittens/hats thing…and for whatever reason, trekking to a friend’s house or mom’s group seems more doable to me…maybe because there is an endpoint with a friendly mom waiting on the other side? At any rate, I loaded them both up in the car, armed with leftover Valentine’s day suckers and a strong resolve, and headed the 5 minutes to the nearest Target. Yes, fellow readers, 5 minutes. Hey, baby steps, right? I have to say that it went very well. At first Charlie protested getting into the cart, but once I bribed her she happily sat and gave me running commentary. I even braved the Easter aisles so I could check out goodies for Easter baskets (which you know I LOVE putting together!). I managed to snag a couple things without her seeing, but it was hard to hide the eggs big enough to hold various Thomas trains (heads-up to all you mothers-of-Thomas-lovers), so I told her to tell the Easter bunny she wanted a Thomas egg (as if she knows what I’m talking about in the first place). She helped me find the things I needed and even got to pick out a new bath toy (note: she chose the submarine and not the girly flower toy), but then wanted to open it for the next half hour. I told her we had to wait till we got home to open it, but she could put it on the conveyor belt to check out — that was the most fun thing ever! She watched it travel to the check-out lady and proudly told her it was for “Charlie’s bash (bath)!” All in all, a successful trip. Mommy treated herself to a Starbucks on the way home and Baby Ella continued to snooze, as she did our entire time inside Target. Well done, Baby Ella. Speaking of Baby E, I’m really trying to remember to do tummy time with her. For some reason I feel like her head is a little wobblier than Charlie’s was at this stage. I keep sitting her in the Bumbo seat but she’s just not there yet…and it looks so uncomfortable I pull her out of it almost immediately. On her tummy, she holds her head up high sometimes and not so high other times. I guess practice makes perfect, right? Here’s a pic of her making a go of it. The sweet track suit was a gift from Ms. Marla, and just perfect for my little cupcake.