Hiking

This last weekend we decided we needed some outdoor activity to break up the monotony. We live really close to a state park so we went on a hike together. It actually was pretty fun, but started out a little crazy. For one thing, we waited too long so somebody was a little tired. (I'm not going to say who it was, but it starts with a "D" and ends with a time out! Just kidding - after a few minutes he decided nature was pretty cool and enjoyed himself from then on.) The other thing not in our favor was the weather - 90 degrees and a bazillion percent humidity! Despite those two negatives we had tons of fun. The kids said that they wanted to go again this weekend so I guess it was a success!

Alexis was our expert frog spotter/catcher.

I kept trying to get a picture of Sam, but he wouldn't stop long enough for one.

Look at Dayne and his mad tree climbing skills!


Ben ended up holding Dayne towards the end of our hike. He earned his keep by keeping Stina entertained.

I love this phase. . .

My kids have been super good the past few weeks. Well, they're good most of the time, but they've really been outdoing themselves lately. Here are just a few examples:

-Alexis has been getting up with Stina in the morning for the last month. She gets her up, changes her (cloth) diaper and her clothes and brings her into me when she gets hungry. It ensures me about 1/2 hour to an hour of extra sleep. Consequently, I've been a lot happier this month! =)

-This morning I was in the livingroom and kept hearing dishes being banged around in the kitchen. I kept asking Sam what he was doing in there (of course he didn't answer - typical Sam). I walked into the kitchen and found him putting the dishes away . . . without being asked!!!

-Last night I asked Alexis to clear off the dishes from the table. Not only did she clear off the table (without giving me attitude about how she has to do everything), but she took all of the food and put it away in the fridge (ie - put it in ziplocks and rubbermaid containers), wiped off the table and washed some food off of the floor.

-Yesterday was laundry day for the kids (Lexi and Sam) and I didn't even have to ask them to do their laundry - they just remembered and did it without being asked!!!

I'm so grateful that they are at such a helpful stage and I hope it will last through the teenage years (it could happen . . . maybe).

Fourth of July

This year we checked out the fireworks from both our town and the neighboring town. The neighboring town wins though because they had better places to view the fireworks. Plus, we went with a bunch of friends and that always makes it more fun while you're waiting for the show to start.

It's funny how excited the kids were before the fireworks started. As soon as they started I had 3 kids hanging on me and scared. Kristina just kept staring at them and trying to figure out what exactly they were.

Sam took refuge inside the van.

She's such a happy baby!!

David Johnson!!!!

Okay, so I already put this on facebook, but I think it's really funny. For those of you who've never seen me upset or surprised - David Johnson is my "term of exclamation." My friend was in Georgia a few weeks ago and lifted this sign for me and said, "Hey, your swear word is running for office." Just for the record, I don't know any David Johnsons.

Turtle Release

I have a friend that works with the Forest Ecology Preserve here in town. She found some turtles on the side of the road and brought them to the preserve to be released. The preserve invited the public to come and view them being released and my friend did a little tutorial about turtles beforehand. My kids had tons of fun learning about turtles. They've added them to their list of pets they'd like to own.

All of the kids there got to hold the turtles that they had there. One of the turtles they got to hold was a soft-shelled turtle named Chocolate Chip Pancake. He really did look like a chocolate chip pancake.

Alexis and Dayne released one of the turtles into the wild.

Fun for the rest of the family

While Sam was at the hospital with Ben, the kids and I went a few places to pass the time. We dropped off Ben and Sam at 11am, but couldn't check into the hotel until 3pm so we had some hours to kill. We actually had a lot of fun despite a couple of kids missing their naps.

We made lunch and had a picnic on the temple grounds in Birmingham. I'd never been to one of the smaller temples - they're really SMALL!! I think the church building that was next to it might have been bigger. However, even though it was small it was beautiful!

After the temple we went to the zoo. It was definitely worth getting the year membership. Now we can go whenever we come to Birmingham (which is a lot). The kids loved playing in the water and it helped keep them cool in the hot weather.

They were offering camel rides at the zoo. It was a little extra, but it was worth it - the kids are still talking about it!

Without a doubt, I had to take them on the train. Dayne would have died if we didn't. Like most boys his age, he has an obsession with trains.

This was the next morning when we got to see Sam before he was discharged from the hospital.

Sam's Surgery

Last Wednesday, Sam had surgery up at the UAB. He was having his soft pallete worked on - it wasn't closing all of the way on one side so air was escaping through his nose when he spoke. They went in and cinched up the muscle so that it would close when he spoke. He's doing really well.

He was supposed to go in for surgery at 11:30am on Wednesday. They wouldn't let him eat past 6am. We were a little worried how he would do because he eats like crazy and it's hard for him to go without food. We got to Birmingham at about 11am and Ben went in with him for the surgery. The kids and I had our own adventure during this time (which hopefully I will blog about later) and we left them at the hospital.

There were a few surgeries that were scheduled before Sam's and Ben said that one of them went long. It ended up that Sam's surgery didn't start until a little before 5pm - and he went the whole day without eating!!! It was a miracle - Ben said that he didn't even complain about it. He's such a good boy!

He got out of surgery about 6:30pm and was pretty much out of it until 2am. Ben stayed up with him until about 4am and then Sam slept until 7. In order for them to release Sam he had to eat and drink. By 8am he had eaten a big breakfast and the nurses were surprised by his appetite. They ended up releasing him at 10am. Maybe it was a tender mercy that they had starved him the day before! :)

After he was released he wanted to go to the zoo, so we went to the zoo for a bit (we've got a year long membership and the other kids got to go the day before). We stayed about an hour and then Sam said he wanted to go home. What is amazing to me about his recovery is that he hasn't been in a whole lot of pain. They gave us an Rx for tylenol w/ codine, but he hasn't needed it. He's had a couple motrin the last few days, but that's it. The doctor said he might have a bit of a relapse after a few days and then get better so the story may be different in a few days. All in all, he was an excellent patient and has been recovering well. Thank you so much for all of your prayers - they've definetely made a difference!!!

Everybody was KungFu Fighting

Impromptu dance party at my house. Our kids have just discovered the song KungFu Fighting and I got a few pictures of Ben and Alexis gettin' down.

I was going to fix Alexis' red eye, but it adds so much to her moves in this picture.

Alexis' Baptism

I'm a little late blogging about this, but there's just been so much going on. About 2 weeks ago Alexis was baptized. It was such a wonderful day and we were so grateful that the grandparents could be there to share in this special day with Alexis. Grandma Puffer played the piano, Grandma Godbold conducted the music, Grandpa Godbold gave the closing prayer and Grandpa Puffer gave a talk on baptism. They all did great! Alexis was baptized the same day as one of her friends so that made it special for her as well. Here are a few pictures.

Alexis and her friend Megan.

Alexis was super happy that the Griffins came (Laura, on the left, is her best friend).


Megan and Alexis walking around making sure everything was in order for their big day. Girls are so cute!

Grandmas Puffer and Godbold getting the food ready for after the meeting.

Grandparents' Visit

Both sets of Grandparents came down to Alabama for Alexis' baptism and Stina's blessing. They arrived at the same time in Atlanta on the 10th and got to stay until early the next week. We had so much fun having them and we really miss them.

I guess this is why we didn't get any landscaping done.

Here is Stina praying that the grandparents will stay forever.

We went to Montgomery and checked out the state capital.



This is from when we visited the First White House of the Confederacy.

Outside the Alabama History & Archives building they had a huge map of Alabama. I think we were trying to squash Tuscaloosa like a bug (home of Auburn's arch rival)

Super cute picture of Stina with Grandma Puffer. Stina is pretty reserved and it's hard to get her to smile on demand, but Grandma perservered and by the end of the trip Stina loved smiling for her.

The Puffers took us out for some fine Southern Dining. Everyone was feeding the catfish in the pond just outside of the restaurant.

Alexis' Birthday

Alexis had a pretty monumental birthday. It was her 8th! I can't believe that I have an 8 year old. She turned 8 on the 7th and was baptized on the 13th (more on that later). She is such a good example to her brothers and is always helping me out with Stina. I don't know what I would do without her. Sometimes I see families that don't have girls for the oldest and it makes me wonder - how the heck do you guys do it? Girls that are the oldest are like mini-moms. I'd probably have to hire help if I didn't have her to help me out.

She loves being in the 2nd grade and loves her teacher. She enjoyed watching the Olympics last month and really would like to try out ice skating. Luckily there is an ice skating rink in Montgomery which isn't too far from here (I'm actually surprised there is even one in the state). Something surprising about her is that she loves watching college sports with her Dad, especially football. She's just starting to get a little into the March Madness. Go figure - she's such a girly girl. She also has started a new hobby this year - making jewelry. She's way better than her Mom and her favorite thing to make is earrings (and I'm reaping some of the benefits).

Instead of a cake or cupcakes she wanted to make cream puffs. I can't say that they turned out as good as the ones at Costco, but they didn't taste too bad. For her birthday, Sam made her a chalkboard and Dayne made her a pillowcase (with a little help). From us she got a set of scriptures and a case for them. She's been reading from them everyday. Like I said before - she's a great example to her siblings (and parents)!!

Sam's Birthday

I'm a little behind on blogging and am just getting back into the swing of things. It sure would help if everyone at our house would stop getting sick. However, the weather and our eating habits are changing so we should be sick free soon (I hope).

Sam celebrated his 6th birthday on the 2nd of this month. I can't believe he's already 6. He's such a big boy and I'm so proud of him. He is an avid reader and is reading pretty much every hour of the day he isn't sleeping. He especially loves fact books like almanacs - he'll probably kick all of our rears at Trivia Pursuit in a few years (or months). He's always saying super funny things. Here are a few examples:

-Ben was taking Sam to kindergarten and was just coming up with conversation pieces. He said, "True or false Sam: It's raining outside." Sam answered, "True. Okay Dad, true or false: Frogs lived before dinosaurs." Ben said, "I don't know, false?" and Sam said, "Nope, that's true!"

-Yesterday he informed me that Texas is north of Mexico, Oklahoma is north of Texas, Nebraska is north of Oklahoma, South Dakota is north of Nebraska, North Dakota is north of South Dakota, and Canada is north of North Dakota. (Correction: I was telling this story to my mom and Sam overheard me. He said, "Mom, Kansas is north of Oklahoma." Oops!)

-"Mom, South Dakota is in the north. Isn't that funny?"

-He came into the room the other day with a can of black beans. He had a really concerned look on his face and he was reading the nutritional facts. He said to us (while shaking his head), "Sad news guys. These things don't have vitamin C in them."

As you can see he's a real character and he keeps us on our toes. For his birthday Lexi made him a chalkboard. Actually Lexi made Sam a chalkboard, Sam made Lexi a chalkboard (for her birthday) and we made one for Dayne (to keep the fights to a minimum). Ben laser cut the boards with their names in them and then the kids painted them with chalkboard paint. I helped Dayne make a pillowcase for Sam and then we gave Sam a National Geographic Kids Almanac and a map of the Western Hemisphere. Now he can help us with our geography and anything else we wanted to know!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I've been getting a lot of requests for the laundry detergent that I use. I've been a little hesitant to give out the recipe because it has worked OK, but not all that great. I would wash my laundry with it, but every 3 or 4 weeks, I would use the regular detergent to get things really clean. Plus, it was kind of a pain to make.

However, a couple of weeks ago while talking to one of my friends she mentioned that she uses vinegar to clean her clothes. I thought I would give it a try and voila - it worked! I use the detergent and the vinegar and it works just as good as the detergent I buy in the stores. I knew it was working really well when I told Ben I hadn't been using the store-bought detergent for a month and he was surprised. He thought I had stopped using my detergent. He also thought I had been using bleach with the whites. For those of you that don't know - Ben is a laundry freak. He used to work at the BYU laundry in college (well, last time he was in college) and he's really particular about clean clothes. So, now that I've worked out the kinks, I'll give out the recipe (and I figured out how to make it faster). Now you can save money and the environment! =)


HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT

1 quart boiling water
2 cups finely grated soap
2 cups borax
2 cups washing soda

1. In a large bowl, stir the borax and washing soda together. Try to remove most of the lumps.

2. Add soap to the boiling water slowly (whisking while you add the soap), until the soap is completely dissolved.

3. Put soap mixture into a large detergent container (I use a 5-gallon bucket).

4. Add borax and washing soda to the soap mixture slowly, stirring while you add. Make sure to mix it well (no lumps) before adding more - like gravy.

5. Add 2 gallons of water to the mixture, stirring as you add, until completely mixed.

6. Cover container. Once it's cooled you can add 5-7 drops of your favorite essential oil per gallon. Once it has cooled it will gel, so just give it a stir every time you use it.

7. Use 1/2 cup of detergent and 1/2 cup of vinegar per load of laundry (my loads of laundry are always super sized). If you want you can put a few drops of essential oil in the rinse cycle.

Alexis' Baptism Dress

Alexis is getting baptized in a few weeks - I can't believe that I have a child old enough to be baptized! I told her that I would make her a baptism dress (not to get baptized in - just to wear afterward). Well, after much tribulation and a lot of phone calls to my Mom and my sister, Kerri, I finally finished it. Lexi really loves it and can't wait to wear it. I have to say I'm pretty excited about it too. Who knew I had it in me?

Stina at 3 months

Stina is getting so big and she is the BEST baby ever. If all babies were like here, people would be having tons of kids. She sleeps through the night, takes naps, cries maybe 2 minutes a day and is growing so well (considering how small my other kids were). The other kids love her so much, so she never lacks for companionship. Here are a few recent pictures:

This is one of the first pictures I have of her smiling.

She loves her Daddy!

Deer-in-the-headlights look.

"You mean I have to stay with the Puffers FOREVER!!!"

Callaway Gardens

Yesterday was a holiday for everyone in the family so we went with some of our friends to the Callaway Gardens in Georgia. It was so much fun and it was FREE (in January and February)! They have all sorts of exhibits and centers at these gardens plus lots of biking and walking trails. We only had time to check out some of the things that it had to offer. We went to the Discovery Center and the Butterfly Center. The kids had a blast and what was best was the weather was awesome (60 and clear).

At the Butterfly Center one of the workers brought out a parrot for the kids to see. I have a feeling they may have loved that more than the butterflies!

Everybody out enjoying the beautiful weather.

At the Discovery Center coloring some of the pictures.