Disney World 2008
September 28th, 2008 by Mariah
Well, we are home from our 10 day adventure to the ” hottest happiest place on earth.” We had so much fun! We made so many wonderful memories and had some really great family time together. Of course, since my husband rocks, we only had to spend one night in a regular room ( 2 full sized beds.) He got us upgraded to a suite for the rest of the stay. We had our own room, 2 bathrooms, a kitchenette and the boys both had their own beds. We even had an extra bed. The front desk quoted us over one thousand EXTRA dollars (if we paid for it.) But, as the wife of Shaun Buck - I did not! hehe. 
We went to all 4 parks. We went to the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot. We had 10 days to ensure that we rode everything and saw everything. I think I can count on one hand the rides we did not have the chance to go on. Most things we rode, we rode many times. I will say that Space Mountain is still my favorite; although the Aerosmith’s Rockin’ Roller Coaster was pretty awesome!! There is always the good old Pirates of the Caribbean. I loved it all!
It was fun to be with Brandon at the parks because he could point out hidden Mickey’s and tell us fun facts about the rides and the park. His mom is a bit of a Disney fan. Brandon shares the same enthusiasm for Disney that she does. It was also really fun to be there with Brandon because we could share in the fun “grown up” rides with him. Poor Tyler had to endure many baby swaps.
However, Tyler was in awe and amazement from the moment we arrived at the airport to ride our “three big jets.” He met all of his favorites.. Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy… The list goes on. my baby boy loved every minute of it!!
Now we are home and have to get back to the real world. We sure had a nice break from reality! We are in the process of changing up our blog. We have added a “photo section.” It is not completly updated with our disney pics yet, but check back. I will have it done soon.
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Mmmmm!
September 7th, 2008 by MariahSimple Pleasures. Need I say more?
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Family Time!!
September 6th, 2008 by Mariah
A couple of weeks ago I got a last minute phone call from a customer/friend, who was offering our family her luxury cabing for a week FREE OF CHARGE!!! Shaun has discussed with her using the cabin for our anniversary. Basically the dates got jumbled and it ended up being for the last week of August. We were not able to leave the business for a whole week, but we DID manage to sneak away on Wednesday and we stayed through Friday. The timing ended up working out in a cool way. Brandon had just come home on Monday AND Grandma Kitty was here from Arizona for a visit. So, the five of us packed up the car and headed to beautiful McCall Idaho for some relaxing fun.
This cabin was totally awesome! Luxury all the way - 3 bedrooms + office/loft 2 additional couches that pulled out into beds, 3 bathrooms, tons of space and SO MUCH FUN!!
There was a pool, spa, steam room, gym, and all of this was on a giant golf course. The beach was about a 5 minute drive. The weather was nice and cool. We ate great food, went exploring, swimming, and Tyler got to see his first woodpecker. You will have to see the movie, it is hilarious!
mov043TYLER CALLING WOODPECKERS - CLICK TO SEE17
Brandon took some time to ponder some very important things. In fact, he came up with a very profound question he would like to pose to all of you reading this blog…
BRANDON\’S THOUGTH PROVOKING QUESTION - CLICK TO SEE
The boys really loved going in the pool. we all got on our suits and headed down for a swim. I lasted about three and a half seconds. It was too cold. Grandma Kitty chickened out and didn’t go in at all. Shaun was forced to brave the cold water to play with the boys. Way to go honey! Thanks for taking one of the team!
We also went into downtown McCall and walked around. We also went to the beach. The weather was perfect!
It was so nice to have this family time together with Brandon since he has been gone all summer! we hung out a lot! We all made some great memories together! There are some especially precious moments with Grandma Kitty!
We all had so much fun. There are a ton more picture I will post another time. It is so wonderful to have our family together again!
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I’m Not Who I Was
September 3rd, 2008 by Mariah
There are many times when I will hear a song on the radio and get lost in the words.. Some take me to special memories from childhood or make me think of my wedding day. I have always loved music. I think that this comes from my mom. I can’t remember a time when we rode in the car in silence. The radio was always on. When she was cleaning the house, the radio was on. It was the soundtrack to our lives. I have “inherited” the music gene. I can’t sing well or play a musical instrument, but I LOVE music!
It is no secret that my childhood was troubled. There are many memories from my childhood. Some good. Many bad. I understand (now) that all of those memories and the things that happened were clouded by my mom’s alcoholism. My mom had many problems of her own. Her dad abandoned their family when she was young only to seek her our later for reasons I won’t mention. My mom began smoking and drinking very young. She ran away from home, met my father and became a teen mom.
My dad was killed in a motorcycle accident when I was three. By then my mom was already married to another man, my brother’s dad, who was physically abusive. My mom had a hard life. However, I understand that, for the most part, her choices were the reasons for her hardships. Even in the face of death, my mom couldn’t turn away from alcohol. And ultimately it was her demise.
As I have grown up (without parents) I have come to discover that I was not parentless. All these years, I have been cared for. I have been loved with a pure love, unclouded by alcohol or anything else, before I was formed in my mothers womb. My Heavenly Father has been there all along, loving me, watching out for me, and waiting for me to understand his grace. I know now. And I praise Him. I am eternally grateful for his love!
That being said, and now as I am a mother of three; (Brandon, Tyler and baby Riley in heaven), It makes me mourn the relationship with my mom. It makes me long to “know” my mom. Who was she? Who could she have been? What if?…
The reason for this post is a song I heard on the radio. It has made me think of my mom since the first time I heard it. It talks about anger, hurt, resentment, and finally grace and forgiveness. The word of this song touch my heart as I think of how I have gone through all of these emotions with my mom’s life and death. It is titled “I’m Not Who I Was.” It starts out saying..
“I wish you could see me now, I wish I could show you how, I’m not who I was. I used to be mad at you, a little on the hurt side too. But I’m not who I was. I found my way around to forgiving you some time ago, but I never got to tell you.”
That is just how I feel about my mom. I love her, I wish she was around, and I have forgiven her. Without the love of Christ, I am not sure that is possible.
Thank you Lord for Your love and grace. Thank you for Your forgiveness. Your grace allows me to forgive and to be free.
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Cuzzie Time!
August 11th, 2008 by Mariah
Cuzzie time is a precious thing to us! For those of you who don’t know - a cuzzie is a cousin (named by Tyler) Anyway, many times we think of cuzzie time as the big kids together or all of them as a group. But today, I got the privilege of experiencing cuzzie time with the babies. (minus Jessica)
I picked up Jonah and Jamesyn this morning and Tyler and I took them to “Old McDonalds.” (Named by Jonah) They got to play on the playground and have cheeseburgers, fries and soda. They were so cute together! I am so thankful that God has our families together again so that the baby cuzzies can experience some of the fun moments that the big cuzzies go to back in Ca.
Soon Brandon will be home again and it will be cuzzie time all the time!
14 days and counting!!!!!
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4th of July
July 15th, 2008 by Mariah
July 4th’s are the best in Idaho! I can’t remember when I have had more fun in the 4th! The BIG BIG bummer was that Brandon wasn’t here - otherwise it would have been perfect! Carly was in town, The Hussey’s live here if we could just add Mom and bring Brandon home - it would have made a great day perfect!
Everyone came over to our house for some yummy goodness that we call home-made chili, and nacho’s! Yah baby! Mmmmm! We hung out all afternoon and well into the evening before we heard our first bang.
You see, in Idaho you don’t have to go somewhere to see fireworks…You can just go outside! They are legal here and it seems as though everyone is doing them. It is an amazing experience to sit in your own backyard or front yard and watch the fireworks! We had so much fun! I think Tyler and Jonah were the most excited though. Each and every light that filled the sky seemed to be more amazing and more beautiful than the last. It is so fun to experience things through the eyes of a child!
So without further ado, Happy 4th! Enjoy the pics!
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Cousins Camp
June 21st, 2008 by MariahWell, our Cousins Camp has come to an end. The Bucksey kids all had a great time! Tasha brought all 6 of the kids over yesterday about 3:45. The 3 babies stayed until 7:45ish. I loved that part because then the babies got to participate too! Then Tasha brought the babies back over today from about 3:45 - 6:30. The big kids spent the night in a tent in the back yard. (Brandon’s 1st time ever sleeping in a tent outside) They had to try to put up the tent themselves and not use any directions. They tried for about 40 minutes. They got the tent up all the way, but once they let the poles go, it collapsed. So we drug out the instructions and they put it up.
They roasted marshmallows and made smores. They played all sorts of games that I had for them. It was about 90 degrees today so there was a lot of water play too! They played the Wii and just had a lot of great conversation together. They even braved the heat to jump on the trampoline. I have enjoyed having all of them and I am very, very tired! (in a good way)
I don’t know why they all look like they are on fire in the above picture. I promise there were no children burned in the making of this photo.
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Fathers Day
June 18th, 2008 by MariahLast weekend we celebrated Fathers Day with one of the greatest dads I know.. My husband. The boys mad him a hand print board and Brandon picked out a back scratcher for his daddy. The funny thing about the hand print board is that it inadvertently idolizes Shaun over Christ. Talk about your goof ups! Here is how it happened: The boys and I went to the Craft Wherehouse to get some idea of something to make for their Daddy for Fathers Day. We saw a really cool picture with some vinyl lettering on the top. Instead of paying for a pre-made gift, Brandon and I thought it would be cool to make it ourself. So that’s is what we did.
We bought a plain square board and painted it white. Then the boys stamped their hand prints in their favorite colors. Brandon’s print is red and Tyler’s yellow. Then I bought vinyl lettering from a gal I know. It says:
The greatest gift we ever had
was a gift from God,
we call him Dad.
It came out really cool! Shaun loved it but quietly reminded me if the implications of what was written. Effectively, the greatest gift we ever had was the gift if Christ’s sacrifice on the cross - not Shaun Buck (Dad). DUH! I guess I didn’t really think that one out! Brandon had the idea of penciling in except for Jesus on the board. I think we’ll leave it how it is, knowing that Dad is in no way an idol in this household.
Thank God for his forgiveness for my thoughtlessness. The Bible says that I am “beautifully and wonderfully made.” That means He made me just the way I am - absentminded. He,he.
Anyway, the boys and I are so thankful for their daddy! He is thoughtful, fun and kind. He almost always has a song to sing, a joke to tell, or a silly thing to say. He brings joy and laughter to our home each and every day! Shaun works very hard for our family! He has so many wonderful qualities of a great father and husband. The boys and I are thankful to God for choosing this man as the head of our family!
What Makes A Dad
God took the strength of a mountain, The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun, The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature, The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages, The power of the eagle’s flight,
The joy of a morning in spring, The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity, The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities, When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it … Dad
~Author Unknown~
Happy Fathers Day to the love of my life. We love you and we honor you! Thank you for being the daddy to our children.
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Why Brandon Likes Idaho
June 16th, 2008 by MariahThe other night Brandon and I were out in the front yard enjoying a beautiful sunset. Brandon decided that he wanted to be interviewed about why he likes Idaho. Here is what I got:
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Attack of the Baba
June 14th, 2008 by MariahTyler was playing with his cars yesterday and he was so cute. He was pretending that his chocolate milk ba-ba was attacking his cars. You gotta watch.
In the middle of the movie he is saying - “Oh no ba-ba! No, no ba-ba.”
At the end when he knocks over the baba, he says - “I got ba-ba.”
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