Our Spending Plan

This video has been out a couple of years, but I love it. It cracks me up. It's so true of today's society, and even of Kyle and I a few years ago. We now have one low limit credit card for true emergencies. It is hidden away in a secret file. We try to stick to a budget, and do an okay job, and yet it still amazes me how easy it is to think you "need" something versus wanting something. Just last month I had to talk myself out of buying new towels for the guest bath because they don't match each other or the bathroom. I kept telling myself "Do the towels still dry people? Okay, then!" Fortunately, I was able to overcome temptation this time...

The Culprit

Last week someone got into the trash and happily spread around the vaccuum cleaner gunk I had just dumped in there, as well as various other items. Hmmmm, I wonder who it could have been? Kyle, perhaps? Maybe he secretly loves a mess and only pretends to be anal. Maybe it was Seth? Maybe he thought, "Man, what could I do to really tick Mom, off?" (sometimes he does think this). But wait... the culprit left incriminating evidence at the scene of the crime. Gee, it was Blake, who'da thunk?

21 Weeks

Here is a pic of me at 21 weeks pregnant, taken this Saturday. We haven't been good about taking pictures of my progress, but better late than never. I am definitely showing much more this time around!

Seth was also available for a silly pic. Love his crazy face. Why do kids do this when you ask them to smile?

Slide, Slide, Slippety-Slide

For Christmas I lookes absolutely everywhere for the Fisher Price toddler slide for Blake. I hounded Toysrus, and I checked craigslist religiously, all to no avail. Apparently it is a summer only item (have they seen the weather in San Antonio?!). I thought it would be perfect since Seth has a big one, Blake could enjoy one too. Well, I'm glad I didn't waste my $39. I can now send both boys outside and they will play happily for an hour and a half or so. Both of my kids are such monkeys, at such a young age. So I guess I shouldn't be suprised when, at 16 months old, Blake was able to easily master the ladder, even dragging toys up with him. Now, he is great at motor skills, but has no real interest in talking much. Every once in a while, he'll bust out with a word, but once he's learned it, he doesn't care about using it. For the most part he sounds like Joey when he tries to learn French. Although we didn't get it on video, he also is quite entertained to let Seth push him down the slide face first, or on his back, whatever. If brother does it, it's cool. We did end up putting an old pillow down. Blake catches so much air that he lands completely on his back w/o one.

Sonogram Results

Yes, another boy! Apparently Stringers have boys. Kyle's sister is the first girl Stringer to be born in 60 years and there are lots and lots of cousins and 2nd cousins and such. So I guess we are continuing the tradition, which is fine by me. Not that we're done, but I've always said I would be fine with all boys. A girl would be nice, but not necessary. I think boys are so easy. Anyway, everything looked nice and healthy. In case you can't interpret the sonogram pic, you are viewing him from the top. His head is on the right, and to the left, around the obvious boy part are his thighs, spread like you are changing his diaper. We are so thankful for a healthy baby! Yes, we do have a name, but we aren't telling.

25 Random Things

Okay, I refuse to send the tag forward because I think everyone has already been tagged. But I will respond...

1. I am a Christian. I really try to live my life in a pleasing way to God every day. I don't know what I would do without him.
2. I married my best friend, whom I also find really good looking. He makes me laugh all the time. I cannot express how vital I find laughter to be in a marriage.
3. My feet are EEE in width. Yep. It makes shoe shopping very difficult.
4. I detest mayonnaise and mustard.
5. My heroes are my brothers.
6. I love getting all dressed up and I love getting dirty and muddy too. Preferably not when I'm all dressed up, though.
7. Cleaning fish, butchering meat, and scrubbing toilets do not bother me but I always wear gloves to do the dishes because I think it's gross.
8. I really loved teaching senior English, but when I'm not teaching I don't miss it at all.
9. I can tuck my ears in and make them stay. It's quite a party trick.
10. I think Arrested Development might be the funniest tv show ever.
11. The struggle of my personal life will always be organization and clutter, I think. I work on it all the time.
12. I am a counselor at a church camp every summer and I hate it when I can't go (like having a baby).
13. I always hesitate when people ask me what pregnancy this is. I usually say "third" because I know if I say "fourth" then I have to explain that we've lost a child at 6 months and they don't really want to know all that. But I always think of Samuel, even when people ask how many kids we have.
14. I am completely addicted to reading and usually read several books a week. I am always researching to find new authors I haven't read yet.
15. Crab and/or flounder gigging is just about my favorite thing to do in the world.
16. Rock crab is my favorite food. It will probably be in heaven, next to the chocolate.
17. I miss my dad all the time and would really like to have gotten to know him as one adult to another.
18. I find self control to be very easy for me and self motivation difficult.
19. I love cooking so much. I have read The Five Love Languages and I love it - I'm totally quality time, but I think I often give love through food. In fact Kyle gained 40 lbs. the first year we were married, so I've had to learn to give less food!
20. I haven't worn earrings since college. My ears have gotten all sensitive and weird.
21. I am a true extrovert. I feel energized after being around people and I don't require more alone time than I get naturally, I never have to seek it out.
22. When the kids get to at least junior high age, I want to backpack Europe as a family. Hopefully more than once.
23. My brothers both married girls whom I love and was friends with before they started dating. They are very different from each other, but I adore them both and think of them more as friends or sisters than sister-in-laws.
24. I love playing games. Just about anything, really. 42, Catan, hand and foot, hearts, you name it, I'll play it. But I'm not very competetive. I just like playing.
25. I put cream cheese on my sandwiches.

A Moment of Thanks

I am now officially done with nausea (whoop!). It ended pretty soon after New Year's around week 14, making 3 weeks earlier than the last 2 pregnancies. It was awful and exhausting, but it's over! I would just like to take a moment to thank the man who has gotten me through this. Now, Kyle did a great job and helped all he could and was extremely understanding of my need to stay absolutely horizontal when I was sickest in the evenings. But, he doesn't get the award. The man who helped the most was with me almost every evening. He was a nice distraction because his day was always worse than mine. He even threw up more, so I could hardly complain. Who is this man, you might ask? Jack Bauer. That's right. I had never seen 24 before and someone kept telling me how much I would love it. So, I started with season 1 and I watched them all! In case you don't know, the current season is season 7! That was a lot of dvd's!! But, well worth it I assure you. So anyway, thanks Jack!