The Miskin Family

On December 1st, our crazy little Nadia turned three!

My parents had to leave on her birthday, so we celebrated the day before, This was divine intervention because Nadia ended up being very sick with a bad stomach virus on her birthday, and was in no mood to celebrate.

We spent the day having fun with grandma and grandpa and getting ready for the party. Grandma and grandpa Miskin came in the afternoon, and the girls had a lot of fun playing with the fun things grandma Miskin brought, including dress-ups!

For her party we invited family and served all of Nadia’s favorite foods. Nadia loves to dip things, so everything we served had a dip to go with it. This year I decorated for Christmas before her birthday, so it was interesting trying to incorporate birthday and Christmas decor. Other then grandparents, Trent’s sisters Elise and Kristana came, as well as Trent’s brother Ben, his wife Michelle and their twins Eve and Savannah.

After food we had presents and cake! Some of Nadia’s gifts were: baby all gone, window markers, baby Cinderella, a play tent and my favorite, hello kitty legos! Oh, and Nadia was a pro at blowing out her candles this year.

We had a great time celebrating, and we had a lot of fun with all the family that was able to come!

The idea that she was still two the past few months was crazy! Nadia can talk really well, and does a lot of things other three year olds can’t do yet. She is a smarty pants, but definitely has her opinion and is very strong willed. Nadia can go from being the sweetest  little girl wanting to snuggle and give hugs and kisses, to a crazy child that will not wear pants and will not do ANYTHING you ask her. Out of all the kids she is our pickiest eater. She really really likes bread, dad’s bbq and apples. Nadia also has a hard time sleeping at night. She usually will wake up 2 or 3 times in the night, and sometimes stay awake for an hour! Nadia is also a huge helper, especially with Alexandra. While the older kids are at school she is always helping me take care of the baby, or helping me with my housework. Nadia very much likes to be included in the big kid things, and will cry for hours if she is left out. Nadia is also very attached to me, but is usually ok with babysitters or with dad when I leave (thank goodness!). Nadia loves to do pretend mom things like play with the kitchen set, play vacuum or play with babies. She also loves playing barbies and dress up with Natalya, and loves playing video games or watch Tanner play video games. Oh, and Nadia is a huge BYU fan, of course:) Nadia is the best shopped and errand runner, which we do a lot of while the kids are in school.

For Thanksgiving this year, we did things a little different. We did not spend Thanksgiving at home, nor did we spend it at family’s house. We spent it at a condo in Heber Valley, Utah! My parents, my brother and his family and our family got together to split a giant condo to spend Thanksgiving.

We arrived in the evening on Wednesday, and planned on staying until Saturday morning. We were all really impressed with the condo. First of all it was huge, and it was also very nice. The first floor (or third floor), \ had the kitchen, family room, a bathroom, and a balcony. The second floor had a master suite, a queen bedroom, a bathroom, a laundry room, and a theater room. The bottom floor had another master suite, a bunk room, and a walk out porch with a hot tub! Our three family’s fit perfectly! The condo also had an elevator, but it was so little and sketchy that I refused to go in it! The men used it to transport luggage, and the kids played in it a few times. Our bedroom was the master suite on the bottom floor, and lets just say, I went up and down those stairs so many times that my legs ached and I actually lost weight during Thanksgiving!

After getting the kids in bed on Wednesday, we spent some time in the theater room, and also prepped for Thanksgiving dinner.

When we woke up in the morning, we got together and had a delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast, and all that yumminess. Then the rest of the day was spent playing video games, watching football, prepping for Thanksgiving dinner, online shopping, doing crafts, prepping for black Friday, eating and  hot tubbing!

Then it was time for the main event! We all had a part in making the meal. I made rolls, provided drinks, and assisted in other food matters and Trent was in charge of the turkey! Thanks to my mom we had beautiful place settings (and my dad and her did a lot of the other food). It was ALL delicious! And it was an enjoyable meal, even with 7 kids!

After dinner we enjoyed opening poppers (a tradition my parents started several years ago), and a delicious apple pie made by my sister in law Erin! The kids also convinced Trent to take them into the hot tub again.

That night around 9:30pm my mom, Erin and I took off on a black Friday shopping exhibition. We had a lot of fun shopping walmart and the Park City Outlets, getting some awesome deals, and having fun hanging out! I think we got back around 2am. Trent and my brother also took off around 11pm and hit up Best Buy. They were out a lot later than we were however. Grandpa was the lucky one who got to stay home (while the kids slept).

That morning I was lucky enough to sleep in until after 9am! My dad had pancakes ready for everyone when they woke up too, he is awesome! We spent that day much like the day before: internet shopping, eating, watching football, playing video games, more hot tub, crafts, and even a few shopping excursions. Steven had to work so him and his family had to leave in the late afternoon. We then spent the rest of the evening watching movies and relaxing.Saturday morning we just had a quick breakfast, and spent the last few hours packing and getting everything ready to take back home! My parents planned on opening the following week with us, so we were just moving the party back to our house!

Every year around October/November we like to go in the field behind out house and take a family picture, along with some pictures of the kids. Because of our Hawaii trip we were a little thrown off this year, so we didn’t make it out until the middle of November. Luckily it was a mind day, but unluckily the sun was going down (it was the last evening before Thanksgiving that we could do it). My awesome neighbor/friend who takes amazing pictures agreed to come snap some picture for us. And just a note, she has a REALLY nice camera, but her batteries were dead so she had to use ours. Ours is nice too, just not as nice as hers!

Amazingly enough, were able to get some great pictures of the family. Trent stayed out longer to get some of the kids. In years past we have been able to get some great shots of the kids, but because of the sun going down, the cold, and overall grumpiness of some of the children (ahem, Nadia), we were only able to get a few decent ones.

Little did we know, we would have weeks and weeks where we could do pictures. We have not had a good snowfall as of yet… so here I go. I want an epic winter! Where is my snow? I want lots and lots of it, and it will happen, the Hawaiian Shaman promised me.

This summer I put Tanner in charge of the governors reading challenge for our family. He kept track of all the minutes we read, and then filled out the info and mailed it in. At the beginning of November we got a giant packet in the mail with all the certificates for completion, and a bunch of coupons for free meals and such. I guess I should have looked over the entry form before he mailed it in. This is two of the certificates. Just a hint, it is not Tanners or Alexandra’s.

Either Tanner doesn’t know how to spell Nadia and Natalya… or they couldn’t read his writing. Both are possibilities.

One day the kids were bored so they started playing with our big legos. All of a sudden Tanner came running into me, “mom, you have to come take a picture of this and put it on the blog”. So, here you go Tanner, your epic lego tower.

Okay, she is really 7 months now, but at the beginning of November Alexandra turned 6 months old. At 6 months Alexandra was sitting up like a pro, and she started crawling! It was a surprise but this little thing was just crawling around on the floor.Luckily she doesn’t get into too much trouble yet.

At this time Alexandra was starting to eat a lot of real food, and loves it all! She also has become more smiley, but still doesn’t laugh a lot. When we do get a chuckle it is the cutest thing ever! Her brother and sisters still love her to pieces and insist on holding her all the time, and even fight over it. Tanner will wake up in the morning and goes in to Alexandra’s room and watches tv while he plays with her and takes care of her until I wake up. Alexandra is still waking in the night to eat, but I really don’t mind those extra minutes I get to spend with her. She is also very tiny for her age, but I love it!

Here are her stats:

weight 14.4 18th percentile

length 24 in 4th percentile

head 16 in 17th percentile

I feel like Halloween was super rushed this year because of our trip to Hawaii. We still were able to have fun though. I love buying the kids Halloween shirts, but unfortunately I didn’t get pictures of all of them this year.

Because we came back Friday morning, we were able to go to our wards Truck or Treat Activity that evening. I was smart and had all the kids Halloween stuff ready before we left on our trip. Tanner was a demon, Nadia was Princess Tiana, Natalya was Princess Snow White, and Alexandra was a witch! The truck or treat was packed! So, we are really quick, ran into Princess Rapunzel (Natalya’s friend Halle) hit up the “Trunk or treat” portion, and headed home.

On Halloween Tanner and Natalya’s school did a costume parade, and then I stayed to help with Natalya’s class party. They played a lot of fun little games, and I loved meeting all of Natalya’s friends. I had to get a picture of her and her friend Gavin, he is the cutest!

Later that evening the kids got all dressed up in their costumes, and per tradition, Aunt Kristana came. This year I decided to take the kids out trick our treating, so we all (even Sasha) went out, along with Aunt Kristana. We made it partially around the neighborhood and the girls got tired. So, we dropped them all off with Dad and Aunt Kristana, and Tanner and I finished up the neighborhood! Next year I am going to stay behind, I think I prefer to hand candy out and see all the cute kids! The kids got a haul, and even Sasha was allowed to indulge a bit.

Our last day! Though our flight was not until late that evening (a red eye), so we had the whole day to hang out. When we woke up that morning Trent took the older kids to the pool one last time, and I stayed around to clean and pack. And we were off! Our first stop was to return our snorkel gear and boogie boards.

Next came Whalers Village. When I was in Maui on a family vacation at age 12, I remember going to Whalers Village. It is basically an outdoor shopping mall. We spent a few hours looking through all the shops and finishing up our souvineer shopping. We also ate lunch there with some of our leftover food we still needed to eat up!

From there we headed to the aquarium and it was a great way to kill several hours. The kids loved see the giant aquariums full of fish, sharks, sting rays and other aquatic life. There were some outdoor exhibits too! While we were there, we ran into another family with a daughter named Sasha, we mentioned our baby’s name was Sasha. They then explained that their daughters name was Alexandra, but her nickname is Sasha! And of course we told them our is the same.

After the aquarium it was about time for dinner. During our trip Trent researched everywhere we ate to make sure we ate at the highest rated eateries. So, the one place we had not gone to yet was a shrimp truck. This shrimp truck was in the middle of industrial Maui, and totally a locals place. The people we ran it were true Hawaiian’s and Trent said they were missing half their teeth too. Trent ordered two shrimp scampi meals, and one Thai shrimp meal. Because it was just a shrimp truck we had no where to eat, so we found a local park to eat at. This park was definitely a locals only hang out, but it was a perfect place to go on our last day. The shrimp was AMAZING. I have never eaten shrimp so tasty in my life. It also came with rice and crab salad, and all of it together was seriously the best. I know I will go back there if we return someday. I dream about that shrimp.

After dinner we hit up the local McDonalds for some ice cream (and to kill more time). Tanner was still hungry so we ordered him a meal to eat. We laughed because one ice cream cone was more expensive than Tanner’s hamburger and fries. While at McDonalds we had the kids change into their PJ’s and we made sure everything was packed where it needed to be. We made one last stop at Walmart (we were seriously in need of killing time) and then we drove to a beach near the airport to watch the sun set one last time, and let the kids have a little sleep before we got on the airplane.

Our flight home deserves a post it self. I still shudder when I think about it. We had one baby that didn’t sleep at all (though she was happy the whole flight), a 5 year old with an ear infection that caused her to wake up screaming every 30 minutes or so, a 2 year old who had night terrors, and a mom and dad who got NO sleep. I think everyone around us loved us. The only highlight was that we got to watch X-men: First Class and Tanner slept almost the entire flight. We had a layover in LA where we had some breakfast and then boarded a short flight to San Fransisco. Our flight was empty, so we had the entire back of the plane to ourselves, and our own stewardess that just happened to be e member of our church!

My dad picked us up from the airport and I feel asleep (as did the kids) as soon as we got in the car, and I slept until we pulled into my parents driveway. I spent the first part of the morning asleep, then my Mom and I went to go visit my newest niece Anabel (who was born while we were in Hawaii). After the visit we took a quick trip to the Ghiradelli outlet to restock our chocolate supply and share a dark chocolate shake with my mom. LAter that night we went out for chineses with my parents, my brother and his family, and my grandpa. We were able to get some cute pictures of the cousins!

Trent had slept the entire day, so we deiced to leave that night and drive through the night again to go home. On our way out of town we stopped at a gas station, and seriously I thought we had entered a scary movie. There were thousands of black birds just hanging out. I was surprised Trent even got out of the car. I stayed put and had my camera ready for when they attacked.

From there I slept most the way home (and the kids did not even wake up at all until we got into Salt Lake City). We arrived home just after 9am. We had such a fun trip, from visiting family, to being in Hawaii. We feel so blessed to have been able to make this trip! My biggest fear was that one of the kids was going to drown while we were there. I am so thankful that did not happen (even with Nadia’s many near death experiences).

This was our last full day in Maui before we headed home. Therefore, we tried to squeeze in a lot! As soon as we woke up Trent took the kids out to the pools while Alexandra took a much needed nap. After she awoke, I joined them. The pools at this place were really nice, there was a great kid pool with a water slide, waterfalls and caves, and even a toddler section with a “beach” full of tiny rocks to play in. We went down the water slide a few times and then played hid and go seek in the pool.

When we were done swimming we went back up to the condo for lunch and got ready to head out to a beach in Lahina called black rock (where we heard as some great snorkeling).

After arriving on the beach we noticed a huge crowd gathered together looking out towards the water. My first thought was that someone was drowning, but then I saw this giant mass appear from under the water, it was a whale! As we were standing there Trent mentioned that it was early for  whale season. This is when the Hawaiian Shaman appeared out of nowhere and said “early whales means hard winter on main land”, and then disappeared…

Okay it didn’t really happen that way, but that sounds better. After Trent mentioned it was early for whales, a local food vendor  said that as long as he has lived in Hawaii, this is the earliest he has ever seen whales. He then mentioned that the earlier the whales come, the harder the winter is in the states. So, you heard it from me, “hard winter on mainland”.

When spent the rest of the day playing on the beach and taking turns going snorkeling. While Trent and Tanner were snorkeling, Natalya and Nadia were building sand castles. After a bit Natalya decided to get in the water. From where I was sitting (feeding the baby) I couldn’t really see the shore line, I could only see a few feet into the ocean. I wasn’t worried because Natalya had her life jacket on and I knew that if she went further out than the shore I could see her. After I bit I noticed I hadn’t seen her in a while, so I stood up and she wasn’t there! I kind of got a bit scared until I looked about 30 feet to the right of me and saw Natalya about 10 feet out . I started yelling for her, thinking she was caught in some current, but she couldn’t hear me. A couple close by noticed my predicament and the husband ran down the beach to get save Natalya. At some point she must have seen me and started swimming towards the shore. By the time the guy got to the shoreline she was out and running towards me. I asked her if she was ok and she was like, “Um, yah I was just going to see Dad!” So, she was in no trouble at all, she knew exactly what she was doing!

The snorkeling was pretty awesome, and I really enjoyed going out and swimming all around the rocks. It does get a bit scary at times when the fish get a little too close, and a little too big! All too soon it was time to head back for dinner. As we arrived it was sunset so we were able to snatch a few sunset pictures. While we were taking pictures the kids were running around. Natalya went to run back into the condo and she ran right into the glass door. It was pretty funny. That night we had an epic dinner (did I mention I did not cook one meals while I was there, Trent did all the meals for us!). We had fresh tuna, pineapple, crusty bread, avocado (Maui’s avocados tasted smokey, they were delicious), chips and salsa. After dinner we watched a movie and enjoyed our last night in Maui.

We woke up our last morning at our condo in Kihei. Trent and the kids went out to spend one last day at our beach and pool, while I pack and cleaned! By 11am we were gone. One our way out we ate at another awesome food place called Eskimo Candy. The seafood was divine, and we got to eat outside (I seriously could live in Hawaii).

We then took the long 45 minute journey to our new home for the next two nights in Kaanapali. The distance is only about 20 miles, but the speed limit and traffic make it take a little longer. All four of the kids conked out on the way. Since we were a bit early for check in we stopped at a place called “baby beach”. Baby beach is great because it is a local hot spot (which means not very crowded) and the waves break about 30 feet off shore, so it is super shallow and calm, perfect for kids.

After playing around for a bit, we headed to our new condo! I adored this place, it was so nice and all updated. There were board games and movies for the kids, and a huge lanai with an ocean view. We had our own master bathroom with a giant shower and separate giant tub, there was a tv in every room, and the kitchen had brand new appliances. Overall, I wish the condo in Kaanapali was on the beach we had in Kihei and it would have been perfect! After checking out the place we all bathed and got ready for the Old Lahina Luau!

Lahina is just the next town over and is the big tourist city. The Old Lahina Luau is the best rated and most popular Luau on Maui, and you have too book your table months in advanced! Luckily we had been planning this trip for several months, so we were able to get an awesome front row table! From the moment you walk in, to the moment you leave you are pretty much catered to and waited on hand and foot. We were all given lei’s and drinks as we were walking in, we were personally brought to our seats. Anything we wanted we got! Before the Luau started we were able to walk around and look at what some local vendors were selling. We bought two roses made from palm leaves, and Tanner bought a hand carved wood sea turtle.

We then headed back to our seats where Natalya and Nadia made friends with another little girl sitting near us, and Nadia also made friends with another grandma! The luau was served buffet style and the food was pretty good! Soon after we got our food the show started. We all enjoyed the show a lot, except Alexandra who just wanted to sleep. The show told the story of Maui and it was neat to learn the history of the island. During the show we were served desserts and as many drinks as we wanted! It was a really fun experience and I am so glad we were able to go.

On Sunday we decided that we would attend church, and just go to sacrament meeting. Church was at 9am (eeek!), but since we were waking up around 7am every morning that was no problem for us! The view from our lanai Sunday morning was amazing, and I couldn’t help but take pictures of it (and a picture of Nadia eating her breakfast).

Church was awesome, every one was very welcoming of “the visitors” and I always enjoy attending church in different areas. I love that our church is the same wherever you go, you know just what to expect and the spirit is always felt.

After church we headed back and I was able to get some pictures of the crazy kids.

We then  used the rest of our Sunday as a sightseeing day. We packed lunch and headed to the Iao Needle. This area of Maui had some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever experienced. I didn’t know things could be so green! The pictures do not even come close to capturing the beauty. My favorite part was the wild chickens. I get a kick out of wild animals roaming around for some reason. There were also a lot of cool looking birds  The hike was short and easy, perfect for kids. Except when we were almost done, Nadia just sat down and refused to move, she even said she was going to just stay there forever! Overall, the views were amazing and we were able to see some awesome looking plants and flowers, including banana and guava trees.

The hike did not take as long as we had expected, so we decided to take the drive up to the Haleakala volcano. It took us about an hour to get there on a super twisty road. The kids all started feeling a bit car sick, and I unfortunately only packed the essentials for the short hike we took. Luckily we survived, and I got a kick once again out of the wild cows and goats roaming about all over the place. The other cool thing we were so high up we drove through the clouds, and ended up over the clouds. When you looked down off the volcano you could only see clouds below. We made a few stops once we were on top, each with different views. The craziest was looking down into the crater and the fact that it was freezing cold!

We then raced back to the condo so we could catch one more sunset from our lanai and let the kids swim one last time in the pool. Come Monday morning we were leaving our little home for 5 days so we could go experience a different part of the island. That night for dinner we had surf and turf tacos. Trent used the meat and shrimp leftover from previous dinners, chopped it up, made a sauce, and served it with warm tortillas. It was amazing!