I'm back! August was a really fun month for the Miskins. At least the first half. Then Caleb left out of town for the second half, which was not so fun. But let's look at the full half of the glass first:
My mom, dad, and Corrie came to visit! We spent 3 days in Chicago, and then a week back in West Lafayette. Get ready for picture overload:
We went to the Chicago temple first. The best picture we got was from across the street.
We went to the top of the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower.
They have these clear extensions on the top level so you can go out and see straight down. Scary! I love this picture of Alaina.
The best family pic we got up there.
By this point Alaina is ready for bed.
We made a trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo.
This monkey took a liking to Corrie.
The petting zoo. Quite frankly, our local zoo was better than this part.
The kids got to climb up in a huge John Deere tractor.
We of course had to stop by a park because both of these girls LOVE the swings.
Other places we visited:
The Shedd Aquarium
The Field Museum of Natural History
The Museum of Science and Industry (A highlight for everybody. We could have spent hours more there.)
Other Attractions not pictured: Giordonno's Famous Deepdish Pizza, The Adler Planetarium, an architecture river cruise, and the Chicago History museum. It was a jam-packed 3 days. So stressful, but so fun.
What is a trip to Chicago without a stop at Albanese Candy Factory on the way home? Free samples, anyone?
Alaina obviously had her fill.
We also went to the Fair Oaks Farm Dairy Farm. We went on a really interesting bus tour, played on some fun rides, and even saw a cow birth. (I didn't get any pictures of that.)
We took my parents (or rather they took us. My dad paid) to our favorite restaurant in West Lafayette: Mountain Jacks.
My mom and I redecorated our guest bedroom. I am going to brag about the comforter. I made it out of a bed sheet via pinterest. I am so proud of it. The rest of the decor we either made or found at garage sales/Goodwill. We love designing on a dime.
Other fun included a tour of Caleb's lab at school, an intense game of Password, a repaired kitchen sink, aerobic dance for the ladies, and golf for the men.
Some pics with the fam before they left:
Caleb left for what I like to call "Summer camp for PhD nerds" the day after my family left. That left Alaina and I alone for just over 2 weeks. It was lonely, but I was very productive. I read 3 books, made Alaina and I matching skirts, deep cleaned the house and the car, and still found time to watch the BBC Miniseries "Bleak House" on Netflix.
And here's a belly pic just for fun.
7 weeks to go!
