I just overlooked your code. It "seems" simpler than michael karas code, at least is shorter.

but...

the original code implemented a state machine, yours implement something else, maybe even a kind of state machine but without comments in your code I couldn't figure out

what makes the original a state machine is the concept, not the circuitry. the miracle of programming is to permit to solve a problem in different ways. your program gave a simmilar behaviour to a circuitry originally made as an example of state machine (using the original code).

now the big question: do you want a state machine or some way to read and signalize push buttons?