Life in the Fast Lane

We've been having a rip-roarin' good time here at the Pruetz house. This weekend took us to Houston to see my parents and step-sisters (two of the four live in Kingwood near my parents). We arrived on Thursday and enjoyed spending time with Nana and Pa-Pa. That night, my step-sister Heidi, her husband Ross and their little boy, Luke, came over. Devin had an awesome time playing with Luke and they devised a new game with Pa-Pa in which they threw items into the swimming pool while Pa-Pa fished them out. I'm not sure Pa-Pa found it to be as fun as Luke and Devin did, but he was a good sport nonetheless.

Friday we took Devin down to the town of Kemah (KEE-muh) on Galveston bay. Kemah is not much to speak of as a town, but in the past few years, a traditional Coney-Island-style boardwalk has been built. There are lots of restaurants, shops and rides to play on.

Devin isn't much of a daredevil (contrary to his parents who love a good thrill) and we thought he wouldn't get on any of the rides. But lo and behold, he hopped right on. He rode the Ferris Wheel, the airplanes, the tower and the train. He played on the playground and even reached right in to pet a Stingray in the Stingray Reef. We ate lunch at the Aquarium, a restaurant built around huge fish tanks with sharks, rays, and all types of fish in them. We all had so much fun!

Later, just before we headed back to Kingwood, we stopped for ice cream. As Dad, Devin and I enjoyed our frosty treats, Todd decided to see if the girls would like a bite of frozen concoction.

Faith was unimpressed (as she usually is!), but when he laid a tiny bit on Gracie's tongue, the screetching started. Over and over again, Grace would take a bite of ice cream, swallow it and then proceed with flapping her arms and making lots of noise in request for another bite. It was hysterical. I wish I'd had my video camera. It was priceless.

That night was dinner again at Nana and Pa-Pa's house with Heidi, Ross and Luke and another step-sister, Amy.

Saturday morning, the Pruetzes and Pa-Pa headed to Beaumont. Beaumont is the town where my mom grew up and where my grandparents lived their entire lives. It's not a beautiful town and, in fact, was named the "Cancer Capital of the World" a few years back. But it holds a lot of good memories for me. My mom's parents were very special to me -- they were the ultimate grandparents, taking me places and always showering me with attention. I miss them very, very much, but it warms my heart to know that they are reunited with my mom in Heaven.

It had been nearly 11 years since I last went to visit Nana and Poppa's graves, so we made the trek to the cemetary to pay our respects. We also drove by their house -- the dream house they built when my mom was 17 -- and sat out front remembering countless good times. It was bittersweet and I am so glad I went.

When we returned to Kingwood that night, Todd and I got a special treat -- Dad and Jean babysat the kids while we went on a date! We went to the movies to see, "Hannibal Rising," (save your money...it was horrible) and then to one of my very favorite restaurants, Pappa's Seafood. We sat at the bar first and had martinis and then dined on some of the best, freshest seafood in Houston. It was awesome and we felt like adults!

Sunday morning, Jean fixed a delicious brunch for all of us and we headed back to San Antonio. Thanks for the hospitality, Dad and Jean! We hope that you have recovered from the onslaught of loud children!

Here are home, things are going great. Faith is continuing to make strides in her crawling (pun not indended!). She's now figured out she can actually get to destinations and has even mastered crawling on the wood floors and the tile, despite having on jammies or some sort of leg coverings. We have to watch her like a hawk, too, because she can very easily go from a sitting position to a crawling position and be off like a shot!

Faith also pulled up yesterday. She only got herself up to her knees, but soon she'll figure out that from her knees she can get to her feet. Then it's only a matter of time before she starts to cruise and then walk. Oh boy...

Grace isn't quite as mobile as Faith yet, but she's working on it. Yesterday she managed to coordinate both arms and both legs and took her first real crawling steps. She hasn't learned to go from sitting to crawling yet, though, so she stays put when you set her down. But she watches Faith intently and I can see the wheels turning in her head. She'll be crawling around all too soon, I can tell.

So I am spending my days chasing after munchkins and making sure that Hot Wheels and other choking hazards are out of the way. Just one more thing to think about, I guess!

Today is Valentine's Day, which also means that it's Heather "ODUS" Russo's 31st birthday. I hope it sucks, ODUS. You stink.

(You've got to know Heather and my relationship to appreciate this humor. While we've been the best of friends since college and I was even maid-of-honor in her wedding, we communicate with hatred instead of love. It's all in good fun, even though Heather is easily the ugliest person I've ever met. :)

Happy Valentine's Day to all of the Pruetz family friends and family. Enjoy the love and spread it around...

Us