#95- January; the busiest time of year!

We are coming up to the last week of January, and not one eensie-weensie post from me!!

WELL, let me tell you! If I thought December was busy, I wasn't ready for January.
We really didn't have anything planned for January, but suddenly it was upon us, and it didn't take long for each week to fill up.
As someone who really doesn't like having to 'schedule things in', it has been making me a little edgy. Although pretty much everything we've been busy with has been delightful, visitors, visiting, I started volunteering more regularly at the nursing home, doctors appointments, Eric went on a little trip snowboarding, (I had the house all to myself for a day and a half!!! And even that time got easily gobbled up in 'things to do') meetings, work, playdates, helping out our neighbours with their kids, and we've started watching my cousins daughter once a week, and...well, so on!
My February resolution is to slow down a bit. An open schedule is a good schedule, I'm not much of a planner, I prefer things to just come up that I can ho and hum over and say yes or no to depending on the weather and whether or not I've yet had my morning tea and if the children's sleep schedule has been on cue.
But all that to say; we've been feeling very blessed already in 2014. Surrounded with so many wonderful people we want to spend time with, so many exciting opportunities for myself, Eric, and the kids. With Oliver walking (starting to RUN!) Things feel a lot more active and (literally) fast paced around here. We are having fun. (Though I must say, that first spring breeze in the air where we can venture out and take off our coats is high on my wish list these long, cold days!)

As I have been exploring new things for myself to be a part of, starting at the nursing home has been really exciting for me. I recently was able to be at a party celebrating one couples 75th wedding anniversary! Incredible! They were both 94, some lovely words of how they have lived/stayed married for so long were 'have only one child who is well behaved' and 'get along and laugh a lot, you know, we love each other, so that's just it.'
It's also been a very interesting perspective to be with the elderly at the end of their lives and then go home to my children at the beginning of their lives, this spectrum of life and death is something that has always fascinated me and I reflect on often; which I think we all really should do more. I feel that we would all lead more satisfying lives if we regularly considered where we started and where we will end up. Not in a foreboding way, but a reflective and appreciative one.

...On another note, registration for kindergarten this fall is on NOW. Yes, Isaac will be in JK this year... I am still a little apprehensive of the thought, IF we do send him we are going to start off with half or every-other day and see how that goes. Part of me knows he is more than ready for going to 'school', another part is fearful of the brand new world that awaits him there... while we have talked about homeschooling Eric and I are mutual that it isn't something we feel we can commit to, although we would consider doing it for the early years if the 'system' isn't working out for our kids.
Well I've talked enough about that for today! Maybe if I don't think about it it will all happen by itself in September:)
Now, here are some photos of our month:

Story time with our friend Kyle

Hangin' out with our neighbour, Silas!

Isaac and Lena, they are besties! She loves him

#94- Oliver turns 1!

Lats year, December 24th, just shy of Christmas day, Oliver entered the world! We named him a name that means 'peace'; appropriate for the time of year.

Oliver a few minutes old

Oliver was an unexpected surprise to Eric and I, we were a quite a bit nervous about having a third child. There's a cute Youtube video about Jesus being an unexpected Saviour! (check it out, these kids are so cute) I think about the wonderous ways God works and moves, his ways are not our ways, and the way he does things are so beautiful.
Oliver is such a gift and a blessing to our lives. He has always been a very content baby, on dark nights as I would pick him up to nurse him, feeling exhausted and grumpy, the touch of his warm little body and soft fingers would fill me with comfort and peace, like he was saying 'it's all good, ma!'

He brings such a good balance to our family and I can see a wonderful future ahead as these 3 siblings, born so close together, grow up and share life, learning how to get along.

For his birthday we had a few close friends over for a pancake breakfast, unfortunately the poor little guy has had a rough couple of days, we suspect those nasty molars are coming in, his poor gaping, drooling mouth and tired eyes, we can barely put him down! We almost cancelled but he perked up with the company and the breakfast and had lots of smiles and chatter for everyone. 

Here are a few recent pictures of our little blue-eyed-blondey:)

Happy Birthday Oliver! We love you

Twas the night before Christmas!!

#93- Christmas Update 2013!

My, but do the seasons fly by, and here we are again with Christmas right around the corner (literally, it just waved at me!:)
With a deep breath I will try and look back and put down some of the highlights, really, isn't it just one big highlight? Even those long, boring days, every day has highlights.
Without further ado -try to keep up- highlights of 2013!!!



-We settle in to life as a family of 5!! Sometimes I feel it is getting harder, some days it seems easier, a challenge, an adventure, all the cliches, my family rocks, I think our dynamics rock too:)
-My sisters son, Hasten, is born! (Feb 18)
-I celebrate my 24th birthday (April 6)
-Isaac turns 3! (April 28th)
-Eric and I celebrate 4 years of marriage (May 23rd)
-Eric turns 27 (Aug 4)
-We attend the wedding of an ol' friend, Chris Banks!
-We attend the wedding of another of my old friends, Kayla Martin!
-Our dear friends Wade and Krista welcome their daughter, Lena! (July)
-Several different close friends of ours announce their pregnancies! Finally our friends are having babies!!

It's hard to describe a year with three children three and under... Somehow it was boring hand-in-hand with exciting and fast!
Were I to try and describe it in an organized format simply is not possible, as my life is anything but organized! A daily schedule with my children varies upon moods, individual temperaments, Eric's schedule, how I'm feeling, how the weather is...:)
Our day looks like, wake up, eat, play, sleep, play, whine, eat, play, play, eat, sleep, play, whine, 'Watch a show??' play, eat, bath, sleep...Ah, finally, bedtime.
The mysteries and joys of parenthood!! Indescribable until one has personally experienced it...

Eric and I are a great team and work well together (maybe thanks to our past work experience) so we both take turns when the others patience is running low as well as make sure we both have time to do 'our own' thing, and when it comes to finding time for us together, there's nothing like a good dose of humour and making time for eye contact in a day! Although Eric works a lot of evenings, we still treasure those quiet moments when he gets home while the children are sleeping just to relax.
Eric recently was promoted to full-time hours which means a few extra hours of work, and also extra benefits which will be helpful! We are thankful that his job allows him to spend some afternoons and mornings at home as well as flexibility when he needs to take time off. He is still on the board of our Church, Sanctuary, and heads up a weekly games night (this is no snakes-and-ladders folks)

I have recently applied to volunteer at a retirement home near us, probably not more than twice a month, but I have long had a desire to work with and learn from the elders and as most of you know was employed at 2 different retirement homes before we started a family. I`m looking forward to this opportunity and have already met a few people, this place is much MUCH bigger than anything I am used to! But hopefully I will learn to find my way around and remember peoples names. As well as remember how to carry on a conversation intelligently...
Now that we are done having children (Lord willing:) and Oliver is no longer an infant, I am prayerfully looking for more opportunities to be involved in my community as well as still being home with my children. Something I have barely considered since I`ve been pregnant or nursing for the past 4 *nearly 5* years!!:)

Isaac is turning into quite the fine young man, of course he is only 3 1/2 but, he still seems like he's thinks he ought to be treated older. He can have quite the serious conversations, a lot of questions and thoughts about God and the Bible, his favourite story is David and Goliath and he also loves anything about trucks and mighty machines and has recently taken an interest in building lego and being 'superman'. He also has a very sensitive side which most people might overlook as it still comes out mostly in negative ways, but we are working on it and he is doing much better. Although dealing with people he finds difficult or simply doesn't like is something very frustrating for him, he earnestly loves to be around all sorts of people and shows gentle attention to babies. He shows increasing maturity (for his age) in empathy and being more helpful around the house, which is something I certainly can appreciate!

Rosalie is 2 now and lately the alleged 'terribleness' of the two's has hit her quite hard, considering her generally good-natured and easy-going personality, we would be shocked by her meltdowns and screaming fits if not for the experience of our elder son. Because of this recent difficult time with her finding her 'will', she has also refused potty training and we have not yet put her in a 'big girl' bed as even night-times have been a little tricky (this from the girl who used to ASK to be put to bed because she was tired!!) We know this phase will pass, and it is almost comical to see her intense glare and little temper flaring (almost).
Rosie loves playing with dolls, reading, colouring, playing with play-dough, singing and snuggling with mommy. She loved going for walks when the weather was nicer pushing her stroller and chattering away to herself. She has a caring, gentle personality and is always trying to make people feel better if they are sad and always has a joke to tell, even if you haven't the slightest idea what she is talking about.

Oliver will be 1 year old on December 24th, one way to be incredulous at the passing of a year is to think of the fact that this time last year I was still pregnant with him, and look at him know! He is crawling, 'talking', playing, jumping, and...drum-roll....WALKING! He started promptly at 11 months and has been on the go since, it is so hilarious seeing kids this age walking around, I love it. He is an excellent eater and has 8 teeth, I believe he is working on those nasty molars too.
We're going to have to watch out for this little guy, he is the sweetest little snuggler ever, but he's got a glint of mischief that is coming out more and more as he gains strength, weight, and speed, he actually will sidle over and push his big sister down when she's not paying attention, and then laugh about it! The two of them are pretty much the same weight, and I don't think it will be long before he has her in height, and probably not too long until he beats Isaac, in weight at least! Oliver can't wait to wrestle around more with his big brother, and while Isaac is pleased to oblige, it's not quite a fair 'fight' yet.
Oliver brings smiles and delight wherever he goes and I have had so many people tell me there is just 'something so sweet and peace-filled about him'.

Peace on earth, good-will to man!

2014 feels like a new chapter in our lives, we will be moving out of 'Age of the Babe' and into different territory. 2 preschoolers and a toddler! Part of this is difficult for me to grasp but at the same time I'm excited! We have so many adventures to be had, I'm hoping 2014 will be the year we finally go camping as a family and maybe I will go on a few lone escapades myself:)

We feel we will be here in London for a few more years at least, though my heart strings are oft pulled to the country air and open fields, everything in it's own time, one day this might become a reality but for now we are learning how to best love and serve our community here. We are also getting to know more of our neighbours, one couple who live a few doors down are expecting their first child, we are looking forward to getting to know them better. Many of our friends here in London have also recently announced their first child due in 2014, so there is much celebration and joy ahead!

As always, we love hearing from friends and family even those long out of touch, so please stop by if you are ever in the area, we don't get many out-of-town visitors and would love to visit with you and hear about the latest, worst and greatest, in your lives:)

To all of you loved ones, have a wonderful joy, peace, love filled Christmas!
I encourage you to meditate on Romans 12 as you ring in the new year, and as always, there's a tea-kettle boiling here at the Buckley's :)

Love: Eric, Tessa, Isaac, Rosalie, and Oliver

#92- Daddy

We are overwhelmingly blessed to have this guy around:) I'm thankful for his work hours that allow him to spend different mornings and afternoons at home, I'm thankful for his constant assurance and his calming presence, not to mention the relief of all his help with the kids! And all is well in their world when daddy is home

#91- First snow

Although we have already seen snow while driving or in other towns, London's first 'real' snow came about a week ago. I love that first snow, like all that cold finally means something.
Silent, graceful little flakes...it's a wonder that such delicate things can blanket the ground in but an hour. It's mesmerizing to me every time.
I remember as a child laying out on our sledding hill in the cow field with my crazy carpet spread out to catch snowflakes and I would examine them each in their unique, intricate details. How beautiful and incredible!
I love seeing the excitement in my own children's faces, complaints of the cold suddenly turn into begging to go out and play (at 8 in the morning!) Leave tracks, lick the snowballs, go sledding??
Delight and peace in life starts with small things like snowflakes, and never losing the awe.

#90- Then and Now: Autumn

3 years ago, 2 years ago, 1 year ago....

Isaac, 6 months, and 3 1/2 years

Rosalie, 2 months and 2 years

Oliver 8 months in womb, Oliver 9 1/2 months out of womb:)

#89- Thanksgiving weekend

..Summed up in a whole lotta pictures!!
Apple picking, weddings, family time, playing in the leaves...

We had the privilege of attending my long-time old friend, Kayla's, wedding, In the very same church she and I met as little girls 17 years ago! Though over the years and distance we have not always kept in close contact, she is a young woman I still hold dear to my heart, and share many happy memories with, and is indeed a blessing to the nations and to everyone who knows her! Her new husband, Tobias, is a blessed man INDEED! It was so wonderful to be able to be there to see her married and so happy, beaming and giggling away as she always has, x10!

We got to spend lots of time with my sister Bethany and her family as we stayed overnight at her house to celebrate thanksgiving the next day. Sadly, sister Katrina and family were unable to attend due to a visit from Mr. Pink Eye, nonetheless we soldiered on and ate more to lessen the blow.
Alas, we were not able to make both family thanksgivings happen this year, so we missed our trip up north to see Eric's family, but we plan to visit in the next couple weeks and hopefully see everyone then! and spared ourselves the extra pie calories:)
Holiday time seems to be busier every year, it is unfortunate that distance and Eric's work schedule does not always allow for as many visits as we would like (I haven't been to an extended family gathering in years!)
But we are thankful for what we can do!

SO without further adieu: Pictures that will warm your heart:

(Eric had to work but we wish he was here!!)