The Pruetz Family: June 18, 2006

To all of the dads out there, especially mine and the dad of my three kids, happy father's day. Anyone can be a father -- it takes a real man to be a dad. You deserved to be honored.

I am sure you are all sitting around on pins and needles saying, "Oh my gosh! When is Erin going to post again? It's been days since I've heard from her and I'm starting to have blog withdrawal, since I hang on her every typed word, wondering what exciting installment of the Pruetz family life will come next..."

Ha.

The reason for my lack of posting is this: lack of things to post about!

This makes me very, very happy. Lack of information to post means that life in our house is status quo. The girls are still doing great, with Faith gaining on her sister at nearly four-and-a-half pounds, and Grace tipping the scales at over five pounds! Faith is up to two by-mouth feedings each day, while Grace is eating two-thirds of her meals by mouth. Once they are taking all meals by mouth, they will be monitored for 48 hours. If they gain weight and do well, they'll come home! Each day brings us closer and closer...

But that's about it. Tomorrow, June 19, is Todd's 38th birthday. Of course, since he looks like he's 17, it really matters not.

And the biggest news from the Pruetz front: We did it. We bought a minivan.

Funny how life likes to bite you in the rear-end. I swore up and down, my whole life, that I would not drive a minivan, but logic took over when the girls were born. SUVs are great -- I would have prefered one, in fact -- but they are not nearly as practical or useful as a minivan. When you have to get three little ones into car seats in the cramped conditions of a parking space at Super Target, you realize just how easy it is to have big, sliding doors and seats that you can walk in between. They are also better on gas mileage than an SUV and have more standard features (seriously). Like it or not, it's a no brainer.

So we have invested in a Kia Sedona. It was between that and a Honda Odyssey. The Kia won out because it had a higher safety rating, more standard features, a longer warranty (ten years!) and was significantly cheaper. Again -- a no brainer.

I told Todd that if I was going to drive a minivan, I was going to do it right. So we got all of the bells and whistles: DVD system, power doors (the sliding doors and liftgate open with buttons, not manually), heated memory seats, six-disc changer, tri-zone climate control, reverse sensor, etc. I have to admit, it's a pretty nice car. In fact, it's a really nice car. It drives like a sedan and is very comfortable. I am actually very happy with it.

That's right folks -- hear me now: I like my minivan. I like it a lot (said like Jim Carrey from "Dumb and Dumber...).

My point -- and I do have one -- is for all of you moms-of-many out there: Do not be afraid of the minivan! You may not look cool, but I guarantee you're not as cool as you think you are anyway. So go ahead, buy that Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Nissan Quest or other ones out there. You'll love it, even if you only admit said love in private.

I'm off to see my girls. And I am secure in the knowlege that I am well-equipped in the automobile department should they come home at any time. :)

Below are some photos of the girls this week, in their new co-bedding environment. Have you ever seen anything cuter? (Hint: if the answer isn't, "Yes," I don't want to hear it. :)

With love,
E