August

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!

Fun on a Grad Student budget

I very willingly admit that I am one of those people who will do just about anything for a free meal. This includes shamelessly dressing myself and daughter like livestock.

ChickFilA Cow Appreciation Day: it should be a national holiday.

Actually, I love anything free, which is why I also dragged my family to the Wabash Riverfest on Saturday for free pony rides, face painting, bounce houses, etc. Sure, it was for the kids, but Caleb had just as much fun as Alaina.

A mastercard slogan comes to mind at this point. Something like 

Fast food meal: $0

Pony ride: $0

Face painting: $0

Organic lollipop: $0

An unforgettable day with your family: Priceless.

There are somethings money can't buy... And Lindsey finds them all.

Reading between the lines

I enjoy reading books to Alaina, but I must admit I have beef with some of her library selections. Only since I became a mother have I become so skeptical...

Take this one for example:
That's When I'm Happy by Beth Shoshan goes through several activities a little bear does with his parents that make him happy. The last one? Sleeping in his parents' bed, with the sentence "That's when we're happy!" Excuse me, but the last thing I want my toddler to learn is that I enjoy sharing a queen-sized bed with 2 other people. Not OK.

And then there's this one:

None of the fish will play with the Rainbow fish because he has beautiful shining scales and does not want to share them. His loneliness motivates him to give every fish one of his scales, and he suddenly becomes Mr. Popular. Now, I understand that the author is trying to teach children that sharing makes them happy. I get that. But the critic in me can't stand the other fish in the story. Is it really acceptable to withhold friendship unless people give you stuff? Some friends are richer than you, and some are prettier than you. That's life, and that's OK. I loving refer to this one as "The communist book."

Family Lovin'

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Early morning thoughts

It's 5:30 on a Saturday morning and I can't sleep. We can thank a bad dream for that. So I think I will update my blog, check (again) on Alaina (since the dream involved her safety. I hate those.), and then make some waffles. Caleb just got back from a week in Florida "working" at a conference. I guess I won't feel too jealous since I often do my "mothering" at the pool, but it's nice to have a husband again.

Several things change when Caleb goes out of town: a) the quality of my diet tanks. Like I'm gonna make a real dinner when Alaina and I would both rather eat Cinnamon Life on the couch anyway. b) My house stays much cleaner--not because Caleb is a slob, but because I have all this spare time at night, so I might as well clean. c) I also have more time to read. Just finished The Devil in the White City, which could be the worst book to read while home alone, as it is a book about America's first  serial killer, who prayed on unsuspecting women during the Chicago World Fair in the late 1800s. Very fascinating, but I think I need a dose of Jane Austen or something after that one. d) I get starved for adult conversation. It's hard when the only person to talk to has a 15-word vocabulary.

Other good news: Alaina is finally old enough for nursery at church. Boy is that nice. And I don't even feel bad about admitting it since it's the highlight of her week too. We found out that we are having a boy! Does anyone else struggle with boy names as much as me? Caleb and I can't agree on a single one. Corrie has already named him though. She calls him Scorpio Bartholomew. Nice.

Ok, I'm hungry. Waffle time.

All about me

Hi. My name is Alaina. I am 17 months old. Here is a little bit about me:

I enjoy trying out all available seating.

Like a baby seat

 Or a swing.

Or in front of the fridge, where my mom hides all the good food.

Or on top of my daddy to wake him up.

I couldn't fit my bottom in the pan, so standing sufficed.

I also love discovering new things

 Like barbecues.

And tantrums.

  

Ice cream!

And millipedes.

More about me:

I love to run. I never walk. Ever. I think it's funny when my mom has to chase me. It will be even funnier when she is 9 months pregnant. I wonder how fast she will be then.

I love making animal sounds. I currently do a horse, cow, monkey, and goldfish on demand.

I talk a lot. Just none of it makes sense to the grown ups.

I am scared of large men, and my home teacher, even though he is not large.

I eat more than my parents. My belly bump currently rivals my mom's.

I am growing a mullet. 

I can tell you where all my body parts are.

I have my parents wrapped around my cute little finger.

An objective critique

I have great parents. Now, let's talk about their flaws.

This reflection all started when I thought back to what music I was exposed to as a child. The Snell Home music collection consisted of Kenny G, MoTab, and maybe a Phantom or Cats soundtrack. Not exactly a cultural goldmine. When I would ask my parents about the music they listened to when they were younger, I'd get this response:
Mom: "I just loved elevator music." (What does that even mean? I guess it explains the Kenny G.)
Dad: "Well, I liked that one song Turn Turn Turn. But I was also in lots of musicals in high school." This comment would always be followed by him singing a show tune, which I guess explains Phantom and Cats.
And that's about all the musical exposure my parents gave me. So sad. So flaw #1 is making me discover Journey and Billy Joel all by myself.

Snells do salads, and chicken, and lots of crock pot stuff. My parents' idea of exotic cuisine was going to a Chinese restaurant so my dad could talk to the staff in Cantonese. So flaw #2 is leaving shrimp, sushi, and Thai food out of my childhood diet.

Speaking of food, I wish my mom would have taught me to cook. In her defense, she tried, but I just wasn't interested in learning. So I guess flaw #3 really belongs to me. There is a sad day in my memory as a young college student where I boiled chicken for dinner because I figured that was the only way to cook it. Ugh, vile. How far I've come since that day.

That's pretty much all the beef I have with the parentals, but to be fair I think I should name the things I'm grateful that they introduced to me.

#1-How to play pretty much every sport. Except baseball, which I find boring.
#2-the theatre.
#3-how to work hard
#4-how to teach using the scriptures
#5-old movies
#6-the value of exercise
#7-having a Christ-centered home
#8-the California Penal Code
#9-Rook
#10-quality family dinner conversation

We'll cap it there. Overall, I think they did a stand-up job.

News

So I guess I better come out and say it. I'm pregnant. (Yay!) Here's what I think about round 2 so far:

-I'm going with a midwife this time around, which I am THRILLED about. Midwives and I see eye to eye on the whole birth process. I usually don't offer this information to older people, however. I seem to get a lot of responses including "Why would you put yourself and your baby at risk?" and "Are you sure that's a wise choice?" I think most of the older population equates modern-day midwifery with witchcraft and barnyard births. By the time I get around to saying, "I am delivering in a hospital by a board certified practitioner," I've already lost them.
-I partially got pregnant just so I could have something to say when people ask me, "When are you due?" It kinda happened a lot (once it happened 3 times in one day), and was slowly crushing my self esteem to an oblivion. So now I smile and say "October!" instead of "Uh, I'm not." Fewer awkward conversations these days.
-This pregnancy has been glorious. I've only thrown up 4 times, instead of 4X/day for the first trimester.
-I'm sort of terrified of having 2 kids, for all selfish reasons. I'm afraid that a second child will suck up every ounce of free time that I cling to now, and I'll have to quit my book club, and the house will always be a wreck, and going anywhere will take FOREVER, and other such things.
-I would be thrilled to have another girl. Girls are so cute. And since Alaina and I are such pals, I would love to add a new member to our club. Frankly, I'm also terrified of having a son, since baby boys didn't happen a lot in my family.
-I think we may keep the name a secret this time, since last time around all the unsolicited advice made us doubt our choices. If you wait until the name is on the birth certificate, it's too late to say, "Oh don't pick that; that's a Grandma name."
-It's fun to see how giddy Caleb is with the news of another family addition. If it were up to him I would be posting my birth story right now instead of announcing a pregnancy. He LOVES his kid(s). And so do I.

Journal from a Pioneer Woman... sort of.

I was a mother of 8 this last week. I didn't cross the plains or eat skeeter pancakes or push a handcart thousands of miles, but I think I deserve some recognition, if only just a shopping spree with my birthday money. Here are my observations/lessons learned from the week.

You know you are being a good parent if your little kids adore you and your older kids are ambivalent to your presence.

Your whole house will never be clean at the same time.

Oh my gosh the laundry...

I am usually very conscious about creating unnecessary waste, but last week I used paper plates several times, and I don't even feel bad about it. It was either save the planet or my sanity.

Dinner time is much more entertaining with 10 people at the table.

Without proper meal planning you will spend a part of every day at the grocery store.

Something as simple as green food coloring can increase a child's happiness tenfold.

I need to call my mom and apologize for fighting with my sisters as a teenager. Playing referee es no bueno.

I want a king-sized bed.

If you every worry about your eternal salvation, just have 8 kids. 20 years of that should be enough of a refiner's fire to get you into heaven.

Snow Day!

I love this picture for 2 reasons. The first obvious reason is that it captures Alaina's first real snow experience. The second is that it was taken just after Caleb's visit to the dentist. (he he he).

Pleas sir, I want some more.

I've seen a lot of my girl friends post pictures on Facebook of the creative and adorable breakfasts they were served in bed on Valentine's Day by their loyal husbands. I just want to say that my husband was one of those men who did so--only the food didn't last long enough to take a picture of. I devoured it pretty quickly. You see, I love food. When skinny girls have food obsessions people think, "Aww, that's quirky," or "How cute." When heavier women admit to it, people raise their eyebrows and think, "Well obviously..." I hope you're not thinking the latter of me. But since I think I fall somewhere between the two groups, feel free to feel either adoration or embarrassment for me. I've never been one to hide my feelings.
So food. Yes, I love to eat. This month we had a family fast for my sister who is a missionary in Ukraine. She started training after her first transfer, and was really nervous. This meant fasting on Fast Sunday, and then fasting again three days later. It nearly killed me. Fasting is definitely the hardest commandment for me to follow. I'm one of those people who is tempted to get pregnant or breastfeed my child for unnaturally long periods of time just to avoid fasting. Ok it's not that bad, but let's just say that diamonds are not this girl's best friend.

the fester sequester

So on the news I have been hearing all about the "sequester" and I had no idea what it was. So I googled it, and thought I would share my findings with anyone else who cares.

The sequester is a package of government spending cuts that will automatically take place (or should have already taken place as of Jan. 1).

It was created as a sort of incentive for some congressional super-committee to come to agreements on budget cuts. They could either choose where to make budget cuts, or the sequester would choose for them.

Surprisingly (not), they didn't come to agreements on those budget cuts, so now the consequence of the sequester will kick in... or maybe not. Congress can just keep voting to delay these cuts until they figure out what the heck they are doing. I reminds me of some pathetic middle school group project. The kids in the group can't decide on what to do for their project, so when the deadline approaches, they tell the teacher, "We voted ourselves an extension." I wish Americans would do what any teacher would do, and give them all fat Fs.

I just have to laugh, or I think I might cry. I'm SICK of watching the leaders of our country (both parties included) ignore deadlines and delay financial consequences because they are too busy fighting with each other.