They MAKE these? Have you ever heard of Fitflops? The tag-line on their website says “It’s the flip flop with the gym built-in. Put a pair on and get a workout while you walk.” Supposedly they work your calves all the way to your butt. I am very intrigued and am tickled at the idea that all the trips that I normally take around the kitchen and living room chasing Johnny and Matthew could be even more productive for my calves and glutes. I’m going to buy a pair and see what all the hoopla is about… 

In case you haven’t noticed, this post is about to be all over the place.

Number 2 on my list of obsessions this week are these things. Why did I not discover Chocolate Raspberry Luna bars sooner? I’ve tried other flavors and they’re definitely good, but not like these…I am seriously going to need some intervention soon– I wake up and can’t wait to go downstairs and eat one. Then I am tempted to trade in my other meals of the day for more bars. I don’t know what they put in these things but all I know is that I want to fill my pantry with them… and eat them… all the time…

Number 3 today is my new best friend, Chalene Johnson and her set of Turbo Jam workouts. This woman deserves major props for being able to haul me out of my morning daze and inspire me to dance, kick and punch intensely around my living room. I have a confession to make. I have been on a huge “get fit” kick after having Monica. After being pregnant for what seems like three full years, I haven’t felt “normal” in a while. Well, I have found that the only type of exercise I will ever do in this phase of my life is something I can do at home. Popping Turbo Jam into the DVD player while the kiddos are napping has been going well for the most part… of course there are plenty of interruptions when naps don’t work out so well, but the effort is there! And I don’t really mind the “What is she doing?” looks from my 2 1/2 and 1 1/2 year olds anymore…

Thirdly, I just bought a whole slew of new memory cards from Hoodman. I wish I would have known about Hoodman cards sooner. Hoodman RAW Compact Flash memory cards have yielded ZERO failures for 2 years (and counting). I am so lucky to say that I have never had a card fail on me, but the mere thought of it makes me break out into a cold sweat. These cards are expensive, but they’re the most stable and reliable out there. If you’re photographing someone’s wedding, you have no excuse not to have the most reliable cards you can get. They also have a very fast writing speed. I am a RAW shooter and I shoot very fast so I am constantly maxing out my buffer and waiting for it to clear so that I can keep on shooting. Hopefully that won’t happen as much since they write twice as fast as other CF cards.

Lastly, here are some cuties… Here’s Mattea who just celebrated her 3rd birthday. If you don’t remember Mattea and her incredible story, check out this post. She has come so far and we are all so proud of her! What a huge journey she has been on. Her fighting spirit is just a-maz-ing.

And here is her little sis, Mackenzie. I LOVE her!

Happy Friday!

If you have e-mailed me in the past week and I haven’t gotten back to you yet, here’s why! Monica Rose was born last week and our little family has never been happier. It is truly amazing to have her finally here and even though this is our third child, it has felt no less magical this time around. Mike and I laughed every time the nurses would ask us if this was our first baby, only because we always knew the question that would soon follow when we answered, “No this is our third.” They would, without fail, ask us how old our other two are. “Two and a half and one and a half” would always get such crazy expressions out of them. Yes, we will be busy, and yes it is going to be crazy around here more times than not, but the closeness that the three of them already share and the joy that they all bring to us is absolutely priceless. What can I say? We love babies! Here she is within moments of us meeting her for the first time:

Six hours old:

Mike holding his little princess…

And here are some quickie shots of our low-key Easter at home, first time as a family of five.