Lila's Chinese New Year Program

Lila's kindergarten class had a little performance to celebrate the Chinese New Year.  The teach sent home little outfits for them to wear.  It was so fun to watch.  This program has been wonderful for Lila--it has given her something special and she teaches it to Ellie so they are both learning.  It is amazing how quickly they pick it up and how often she laughs at me and says that's not how you say it Mom.  It has been fun to learn more about the Chinese culture through this program with Lila.

Lila with her teacher Tian Loashi and one of her dear friends Helen.

Woof Woof!

We watched my sisters dog at the beginning of the year while they went on vacation.  Andrew loved the big dog and would say "woof, woof" while running to the patio door to talk with the dog through the window.  He loved to go outside and pet him whenever Daddy would take him and sometimes he would reach and scream for the door handle because he would want to go outside with the woof, woof.


We had an incident a few weeks ago where we tried to put shoes on him for church and he would throw the biggest fit when he tried walking in them, but then would sit happy and play with the girls until he tried walking again realizing the shoes were still on.  So needless to say he goes shoeless everywhere.

He can now pull himself up onto the piano bench and then he climbs onto the keyboard and all the way up on top of the grand piano--so we move the bench away from the piano when it is not in use.  We had to change our method of blocking the stairs and all bathroom doors must be shut because he likes to pull himself up and into the bathtub and then turn the water on.

He can now say, "yeah" in the sweetest tone.  I enjoy that much more than his "NO. NO. NO!" when you are trying to keep him from getting hurt.  He also makes the cutest little, "oh" with the roundest mouth (been trying to capture that on camera).  He loves to dance and has now advanced his skills to stomping around in a circle--makes me dizzy just watching. 

We sure do love our little charmer.

 

Girls First Skiing Adventure

Last week my sister was going to watch our kids as part of swap so we could go on a date.  We were having a difficult time coming up with something to do.  Steve somewhat sarcastically throughout the idea of skiing--I said we could probably do night skiing.  So we started talking through things and realized we could probably pull it off.  We were both nervous since it had been over a decade since we both had skied, but we ended up having a wonderful time.  We made plans to take the girls the following weekend which was today.  Steve managed to find a great deal on helmets and goggles at the Costco in Draper near where he works so we tried those on last night and had the girls practice their pizza wedges (snow plowing).  They were so excited to go.  When I did kinder pick-up Lila came running straight to the car (she usually saunters out).  She explained that she was so excited to go skiing that she ran.  The girls had three hours of private lessons.  After the first hour the instructor took them up on the lift and they made three runs down the mountain.  By the end Ellie was snow plowing down all by herself and Lila was still using the little stretchy thing to keep the front of her skiis together.  Ellie decided to go down again with Steve and Grandpa (Mimi & Grandpa came down to go with us).  Grandpa said she went so fast it made him nervous--Steve said she did great.  Lila wanted to go in to the lodge after lessons to obtain the promised hot cocoa.  She hiked up the little hill to the lodge in the ski boots like a pro.  After our little dinner and cocoa we were ready to head home, but Lila didn't realize we had already turned in the skis and started crying because she wanted to go again.  It broke my heart and I felt bad that we had turned in our stuff, but after being in the car for 20 minutes the tiredness settled in and I was glad we left when we did.  Lila asked how come we didn't sign them up for lessons on Saturday again.  I explained that we wanted to try it and see how they liked it before we signed them up for too much.  We will definitely be skiing again!

Family Fun Days

Last Friday, Jan 9th, Steve went to Costco in Draper after work to pick-up some items for us. Late that night he realized that he somehow lost the van keys and that it was most likely at the Costco. Well you know expensive keys can be to replace with all of the high-tech stuff that have in them plus it was attached to one of our keyless entries. So we decided to drive to Draper to look for the keys and planned an adventure to the new museum at Thanksgiving Point to make the day fun. The girls had fun exploring the different areas and Andrew even enjoyed the little kids zones, but it was packed so after almost 3 hours we decided to get some lunch. We enjoyed a hot dog at JDawgs. Then we debated doing some shopping at the outlets there, but we were all beat so we headed home.

Today was a holiday--the kids didn't have school and Steve's Monday meeting had been cancelled so we decided to take the kids bowling.  They each had received a free game of bowling from their teachers and Lila had some arcade money left over from when Mimi & Grandpa took her so after our game of bowling we enjoyed a few arcade games, spent a few of the tickets and went home happy.  Did I mention that I beat Steve bowling--I told him we need to go bowling more often so he can practice. ;) Andrew even held a bowling ball in his stroller for a while thinking he was all bad.  The girls really wanted to order pizza with bowling, but we went first thing in the morning which I'm glad we did--it was busy but we beat the big crowd so when we got home we made our own pizzas.  The girls are becoming pros at rolling out the dough and distributing toppings while eating pepperonis. :)

2015 - Love One Another

Every year for our first family home evening we set family goals which may include a few personal goals for the girls.  Then Steve gives them a father's blessing.  We had planned to do this on Sunday before they went back to school, but the first Sunday of the year in primary wiped me out.  I was at the church from 9-4 and it was fast Sunday which triggers migraines for me, but I was trying to set a good example for Ellie.  I should have known that with the stress of the first Sunday I should have eaten something simple.  All evening I was afraid the girls may suffer like me from fasting, but they were happy after scarfing down dinner and then eating apples for snacks.  Anyway, the migraine knocked me down for the rest of the evening so we held our goal meeting tonight and Steve gave beautiful blessings to the girls.  Lila was so excited she couldn't stop grinning and it eventually led to a giggle, but it was pure joy.  I'm so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who sent me such a wonderful husband who loves our children and is supportive of the crazy Sundays I have with my calling.

Our family theme this year is Love One Another.  Here is our goal sheet:

 

2014 Countdown

Ellie and Lila spent the night at Mimi and Grandpa's so we had to go to Mt Green to retrieve them and so Steve could install the surround sound.  We spent a couple of hours there crashing their little gathering. :)  Then we came home gathered our supplies and went down the Olenslagers--they had invited us and the McConkies (April's family) to come for pizza and enjoy the evening with them.  The kids always have fun playing together.  We enjoyed pizza and ice cream and visiting.  Andrew started to get a little feisty around 8 so we headed home where the girls found our banister decorated with crepe paper, balloons filled with coins and jokes, New Year glasses and tiaras, and some firework poppers.  

Andrew latched onto one of the balloons that had begun to shrink and enjoyed shaking it around like the girls to hear the clinking of change.  Ellie tried sitting on her balloon to pop it, but that only caused it to become misshaped so we got out a pin.  Lila was still too nervous to pop the balloons.  They enjoyed the jokes and gathering their coin treasures.  Here's a few for your enjoyment:

Q: What do you call an alligator in a vest? 

A: An Investigator

Q: Why can't you give Elsa a balloon? 

A: Because she will Let It Go.

We then watched the King Julien count down on Netlix and popped the poppers.  Bless Lila who was worried about the mess they would make and asked if they should do it outside--I told her it was too cold outside and we could vacuum afterwards (honestly they didn't make that big of a mess and it was very festive).

Another note to remember from the end of the year is that Andrew has started folding his arms during prayers.  It isn't something we have consciously taught him yet, but I saw once that he looked around and saw us all doing that and so he folded his arms.  I used this to talk to the girls about the power of examples and how wonderful it is that Andrew can see us praying and wants to be like us.  Well the kids are in bed.  Steve and I started a movie, but decided we are both to tuckered out to finish it--maybe tomorrow.  Tonight we will sleep for the rest of 2014.  Happy New Year!

White Christmas After All

Carole and Russ joined us for Christmas this year.  We were so excited to have them here and share our Christmas fun with them.  They arrived Christmas Eve, we visited and caught up on life with them.  Then we grilled steaks and made our traditional Christmas birthday cake--delicious made from scratch devil's food cake.  After dinner we watched the new bible video The Nativity

After leaving a piece of cake for Santa it was off to bed with the kids.  They were pretty good and only came out once to move their Christmas tree out of Ellie's room and into the play room (the tree had been taking turns in their rooms since the toy room was not an option with Andrew roaming around).  Then Christmas morning around 7:30ish Lila finally awoke and was roaming around here asking if Santa really did come.  We said yes and sent her to wake up Ellie so they could see what he brought.  Later when Lila saw the video camera she asked if we got a picture of Santa Claus with it and we said we didn't turn it on at night just as they came down the stairs--maybe next year. ;)

Andrew went around taking a bite out of everyone's orange from their stocking.  He loved the stuffed animals his sisters gave him from their collections.  Then Grandma helped him open this big car track which all the kids love.  He finally got into tearing the paper into small pieces and handing it to me.

It snowed on Christmas day which added to the festivities.  After opening presents, Ellie, Lila and Grandpa went outside to build a snowman.  Lila came in to get carrots for their noses and when she went back out Grandpa threw a snowball at her.  Lila said, "Grandpa, I don't think that is an appropriate activity."

Stan and Denice joined us for our Christmas lunch.  Steve and I cooked our first turkey and it was quite delicious.  We enjoyed it with all of the fixings.  Then we watched the new movie Santa brought, Planes, Fire & Rescue.  The kids enjoyed playing with their new remote controlled cars from Grandma & Grandpa Moore and relaxing.

We went up to Mt Green to go sledding.  It was nice to be able to go right outside my parents house--we could send the little ones in to get warm while the older ones enjoyed a few more runs.  It was a little rough as some of the thistles still stuck out.  Ellie tumbled head-over-hill a couple of times but still kept going.  Lila some how out got of balance and her face dragged on the ground for a bit.  It was a good thing I packed hot chocolate because it is nice to take a hot cocoa break after such incidents to get feeling better.  Fortunately Andrew did not have any bad runs and would not let go of me to go back inside.

Carole and Russ were able to stay until Monday, the 29th.  We enjoyed playing card games, watching movies, laughing at Andrew's crazy stunts, and the girls especially loved crafting with Grandma.  On Sunday we were able to have Steve's sister Melanie Flake and her clan of 9 join us for church and Sunday dinner.  We of course made another chocolate cake. :) It is always fun to share such special memories with family!

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

This year our Christmas tree is placed on top of an end table to keep Andrew from rocking it.  The day we put the ornaments up he took a pencil over there and stood on his tippy toes waving the pencil trying to reach anything he could.  We love our little boy and can hardly believe this time last year he had just entered our lives.  Now our house has been Andrew proofed and he provides great entertainment for our family.  Last night we spent 30 minutes watching him walk back and forth between all of us; one of his new tricks.  He also gives kisses, it's so cute and he will even make a little kissing noise to go with it.  He loves music and will shake his little leg to the music.  He still has an ear piercing scream that is so loud and high it can be quite terrifying.  Hopefully we can continue to expand his vocabulary and cut back on the screaming.  Right now he says Mom, Dad, Lila, Ell, bye-bye, no, boo and can make complicated sounds when he jibber jabbers making you feel like he is carrying on a real conversation.

Lila started kindergarten this year and is in the Chinese immersion program so she goes until 1:30pm taking a lunch. She loves to teach Ellie what she learns in Chinese, but is too shy to do in front of anyone else unless Ellie will do it with her.  She is a good reader and got a Barbie book from the library that she takes every where with her.  I cannot believe how much she is learning and how fast she is growing up.  The other day she was trying to make a decision between two good activities and asked if she chose A could she do B tomorrow and I said maybe.  She responded by saying, "I cannot make a decision when you say maybe, I need to know yes or no so that I can decide." 

Ellie started the 3rd grade and is reading like crazy.  At one point she was in the middle of 3 or 4 series at one time, that would drive me crazy, but she seemed to manage it and just kept reading.  Her favorites have been Wilma Tenderfoot and currently the Janitors series.  Steve coached her soccer team this year which was fun for her.  She continues to enjoy playing the piano and is doing better at sight reading so Mom doesn't have to help her with practice as much, but I still enjoy listening to her practice.  She is a wonderful big sister who helps out with Andrew while I try to make dinner and looks out for Lila at school.

Steve has been really busy at work juggling several different clients, who always manage to have similar deadlines making late nights for him.  He still enjoys his work and the guys he works with so we are very fortunate.  We spent a lot of time working outside this spring putting in a play structure and finishing the garden area so he still hasn't had much free time for the Datsun--hopefully some day.  I enjoy spending time with the kids on our little adventures, reading, crafting, play-dates, homework, etc.  Life has been quite busy this last year and at times when I think of all we've been through and what we've been able to accomplish, well I'm in awe and grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who guided us, gave us strength, and softened our hearts when we needed it.  I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of the birth of Jesus Christ and the light it brings into our lives every day.  He is the Gift

Merry Christmas!
Steve, Britney, Ellie, Lila & Andrew

Deal or No Deal

We had the Buckley family Christmas party today.  We had planned on going skiing, but due to lack of snow and Steve's leg still hurt a little from his biking accident that we postponed skiing and decided to do our party.  After dinner the kids opened up their pajamas from Mimi & Grandpa.

Then Mom & Dad had us all go downstairs while they set up a game.  We came upstairs to Buckley Deal or No Deal.

Venessa was the first one to play.  The boxes contained amounts ranging from $1 to $900.  It was fun and a very generous gift.  As you can see Andrew was fascinated with the bell and eventually became difficult to distract from all of the boxes.  We all had fun playing, but I have to admit that mine was the most intense game.  I got down to the last two boxes $1 or $700 I was a little sick to my stomach at that point and took the deal offered.

We then exchanged presents and visited for a bit.

 

Christmas Recitals

Lila had her Christmas dance recital yesterday and had a lot of fun showing us some moves and doing her dance.

Then we went out to dinner for our Anniversary--I thought it would be fun, but Andrew was a handful.  He was entertained for a while by using a straw to poke a roll.  Then Lila began to melt down due to lack of sleep from all the activities.  Well I didn't have to make dinner and it will definitely be a night to remember.

The girls have been singing Christmas songs they have been learning at school.  Lila has been learning We Wish You a Merry Christmas in Chinese.  When I asked their teachers about a program I was informed that it was a simple assembly where each grade level performed a song in front of the other classes not something parents usually attended, but the girls really wanted me to come.  Lila especially kept asking so I went and she saw me as soon as she walked in and kept waving to me and blowing me kisses.  Unfortunately my position did not give me a good view of Ellie performing her song (I even tried to move).  Oh, well it was fun to see them and it made their day.  :)

Steve's Crash

We've had such lovely weather for the beginning of December--we're talking 60s.  When we watched the weather forecast the other day we were only 4 degrees cooler than St. George.  Anyway, Steve and his riding buddy, my cousin Matt, decided to go cycling today and enjoy the lovely weather.  They were about a mile from home when Steve hit a 2x4 in the road causing him to fall straight to his side and sliding several feet down the asphalt (they were going 18mph when it happened).  Matt felt so bad because Steve was drafting behind him and Matt didn't see the 2x4 in time to warn Steve due to a passing car.  Steve was not upset at all, he knew it was just an accident (he's good like that--coming from a wife who may or may not have hurt the bumper on his beloved Audi earlier this spring).  Any how, he managed to ride the last mile home, got in the shower where there may or may not have been a few tears during the cleaning process--imagine road rash up the whole left side of your body.  We bandaged him up and I made him take some tylenol.  He tried going to urgent care because he think he broke his pinky on his right hand (his handle bars must have twisted his hands or something because that is the only injury on his right side), but urgent cares weren't open and the ER was busy so he came home.  He's going to be sore for a while, but we're really grateful it wasn't worse and that no cars were involved.

This picture doesn't do it justice. He has a huge bruise on his hip where he hit first and road rash all up his leg.  He had a long sleeve shirt on which protected his arm.

1/2/15 - Update: his muscles were bruised and sore for about 10 days.  He managed to do normal activities by bandaging up and then ace bandaging to keep his pants from rubbing.  The scab is gone now, but the skin is still healing.  We have the best home teachers who came and checked on us the day after they found out and offered to help with any Christmas projects we had and brought some delicious pumpkin bread--Steve's favorite.