Happy 31st, Kelly!

To the sweetest, kindest, BEST daughter-in-law any parent could hope that their child could be fortunate enough to marry - happy birthday, Kelly!  I have lots of memories that make me chuckle about Kelly, but the best was just the other night in the "big house"!  We were watching the new "Christmas Carol" and the door knocker opened it's mouth and yelled and Kelly screamed!  She is such a good sport and puts up with so much from this family.  But there isn't a group of non blood family members that would ever love her more than we do.  Hope your day is special!!  Love you much!  Marc and Jan

P.S.  Kelly's hair is short now and very cute, but no current pictures are on my computer.  She is very chic looking!

Ski fun

16 family members (including Mary Beth and Kelly) gathered on December 27th and braved the slopes of Great Divide outside of Helena. It was a great day, a bit breezy at the top, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The boys seemed to be racing all day to see who could get to the top and back down to the bottom the fastest. Nick and myself decided to brave the top of the mountain, and ended up on a black diamond with an exclamation point, and we knew there was only one way to go down: take off the skis and slide down. No shame in that :)

Peter put on the skis for the first time and was a few runs away from going to the top :) Congrats on learning to ski Peter, it was fun going down some runs with you.

I definitely enjoyed my day surrounded by family and it was a great way to spend a wintery Montana day. I only wish more family could have made it up, but I know how hard it can be to try to get everyone's schedules to line up.

I am grateful I was able to see a lot of family over this Christmas. Guam is but a few days away. Safe travels to all during the rest of this holiday break. May you all have a blessed New Year and good luck in 2011.

Love you all,
Jen

Merry Christmas!

Hello family! Merry Christmas from all the Buyskes in Helena. Hopefully you are all enjoying the time today with your families. We had quite the morning with all the little ones opening presents and have yet to finish unwrapping every gift. I guess that's what happens when there are a bunch of cool new toys to play with. Enjoy what is left of your Christmas day, and we will see some (if not all of you) soon!

Schulte Christmas Card

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Luke 2:14

The year of 2010 has brought much joy to the Schulte family. Unfortunately, it has also brought some sorrows and challenges. Again, we are thankful for all the family and friends we have supporting us, loving us, and praying for us. Please continue to do so into the year of 2011.

To start the year of 2010, we received news that Ryan would be deploying in the fall. He started extensive training with extra drill weekends and some trips to Boise, Idaho. He serves as the Executive Officer for C Company of the 1-163rd Battalion. On the family front, we started preparing ourselves for a year away from each other.

On March 15, we joyfully welcomed our second child - Charlotte Ann Marie. She immediately captured our hearts with her dark hair and beautiful blue eyes…and Ryan immediately started ruing the day she would enter high school! Big brother Tyson hasn't stopped loving her since the day he laid eyes on her, although we think he's realizing she will take his toys if given the chance.

With joy comes sorrow, and in April we had to say goodbye to Ryan's paternal grandmother - Mary Pat Schulte. She was an amazingly strong Irish woman who created a legacy of a family. She will be dearly missed.

May brought another Schulte girl to the family - Margaret Mary, daughter of Rob and Molly (Ryan's brother). We all started ruing the day the two "twins" would be in high school together!! We feel they are already conspiring against us. May also brought a bittersweet end to Ryan's second year at Helena High School. He bid farewell to the seniors he first taught as Juniors and temporary good-byes to his fellow staff members. I, meanwhile, said hello to a new job. I am an office manager for a small business in Helena and absolutely love the work and my bosses!

Once summer started, it was a whirlwind of trips to the cabin on Holter to assist with a massive addition, Mr. Mom duty for Ryan, visits to Great Falls, Troy, and with the Florida Buyskes, Puppy Kindergarten for Ellie, Ryan temporarily moving to Great Falls for training, and the beginning of daycare for Tyson. We celebrated Tyson's second birthday and Charlie's baptism with a barbecue surrounded by many friends and family. Charlie joined her brother at daycare in September, and both have adjusted well to the changes.

The beginning of September brought Ryan home and took us to Yellowstone for our first official family vacation. It was a wonderful way to spend our last few days together away from the everyday hubbub. Tyson was enthralled with all the animals, especially the elk and bison, however, the massive grizzlies he saw a few feet away at the Discovery Center didn't interest him as much as the waterfall they were next to. Go figure!

On September 17th, we said goodbye to Ryan as he left for training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. I was able to travel down to see him for three days over Halloween weekend. It was a huge blessing to be able to spend those days together. Ryan then traveled to Kuwait for a few weeks then officially to Iraq - his home-away-from-home for the rest of the year. It has been difficult and exhausting to step into the role of two parents, but we are extremely blessed to have both sets of grandparents so close and my youngest sister Molly living with us for the year. Her presence is often the strand of sanity I need!

Tragically, on the day Ryan left the country, we received news that his maternal grandfather passed away. Fredo Palagi was another strong figure in our lives and an influence on our marriage. He, too, will be missed greatly.

Ryan is adjusting to being distant from everything as best as can be expected. I am adjusting to wrangling a full-blown two year old and a quickly growing 9 month old. Charlie is a crawling maniac who loves to chase Tyson around (who, in turn, loves to run away from her). Tyson loves all things relating to sports, cars, and music. He also has discovered the magic of Santa…but doesn't quite get the concept that Santa comes once a year…while he is sleeping…and he probably won't ever get to meet him. Ah, the minds of babes…

As this year closes and another gets ready to open, we look back with tears of joy and tears of sorrow. We know that many more challenges lie ahead of us but so do many moments of happiness and blessings. It is because of our friends and family that we are able to experience more of the latter than the former and for that, we are extremely thankful to you all. We only ask that you continue to keep us in thoughts and prayers, and that you find 2011 to be a joyful year for you and yours.

With Love and Blessings -

Ryan, Meghan, Tyson, and Charlie Schulte

OOPS!

Gosh, maybe I shouldn't post this late.  I meant to say "who" this is harder on.  Oh well, I come from such a forgiving family . . . . . . . NOT!!  :)

Our Special Guy!

I just want to remind everyone to keep this little family in your prayers during this holiday season.  I really don't know how it is harder on - dad, mom, child or gramma!  We hope to keep our little group here entertained during the holidays, but let's all keep Ryan in our prayers.

addresses

Hey Family Family!
I hope you are all well. This is my request for you to email me at briana@thedragontree.com your address! I have some basics, but with all the cousin moves ya'all are hard to keep up with! I just want a super accurate family database. I might even be willing to put it into an excel sheet and email it out to everyone who wants it. Just a thought :)
Happy Holidays!
love you.
B

Green Christmas

In an effort to cut down on the waste during the Christmas season, we thought it would be a good idea to post our Christmas card to the Blog instead of sending them out via postal service to extended family (nothing against the postal service...or extended family). :) We invite everyone to consider doing the same.

When all things

were in greatest silence

and night was in the midst

of her swift course,

Your Almighty Word leapt down

from Your royal throne.

Alleluia!

- liturgical antiphon

A few things we've learned this year:

The promise of donuts afterward can get a toddler through about 45 minutes of Mass. When 45 minutes are up, grit your teeth and ride it out, folks.

Cars, trucks and trailers, excavators, trains, and airplanes are pretty cool. Garbage trucks are the coolest. Period.

Five year olds wear many hats: Mama's Helper, Ingenious Instigator, Loving Big Brother, Annoyed Big Brother, Daddy's Biggest Fan, Mr. Slippy-man... William loves making people laugh and thinks preschool is pretty great (especially recess). He is starting to learn how to spell and sound out words. His parents will have to come up with a new secret code soon.

Banana chocolate chip muffins help heal a wounded 3-year old ego. Benedict is a cuddler who spends many hours a day in the playroom or backyard honing his culinary skills, perfecting his garbage collecting techniques, and reenacting Notre Dame football games.

One year olds can make a convincing pterodactyl impersonation if they really want your attention, and bipedalism is overrated. Leo melts hearts with his dimpled smile and sweet disposition, and gives Kelly hope that one of these kids might remotely resemble the Perry side.

A miter saw, received as an anniversary gift from your husband, might at first seem like a crappy gift. The long pined-for patio that results from use of said gift is the huge payoff. If you are ever in our neck of the woods, please stop by and we’ll show you the new outdoor living room. We’d love to see you.

May God bless you abundantly in 2011.

Peace,

The Buyske Family

A Bit of History

Had a very interesting experience on Sunday. Part of the Holiday Home Tour featured the MacDonald House, the old stage stop and toll house on the east side of MacDonald Pass.


The new owner of this house is Mike Maixner and his bride, Annie. Here’s the news story that caught my interest. Mike’s from Harlo, and his folks were my godparents, so Ann and I went out to look at the place. Interesting, and it gets more interesting.

The Maixners bought the place from Peggy Phalen. She and her late husband Ambrose used to ranch on the Smith River outside White Sulphur Springs, then ranched over here. She still lives in another home on this property and says her “rent” consists of telling Mike and Annie as much history as she can recall. I’m betting Cousin Jim knows something of the Phalens.

Well, the most interesting piece of history is this. One of Alexander MacDonald’s daughters, born in that house, married Edgar Moore Hall. He was the son of Nancy Moore Hall; Nancy, of course, was sister to Perry, John, and Sanford Moore.

I learned the MacDonald connection by chance. Standing in the kitchen, I overheard a visitor talking about “Mrs. E.M. Hall” with Peggy, and they were looking at a 1939 newspaper article about her memories of growing up in that house. The visitor mentioned she was a Hall relative, so I introduced myself. She was the great-granddaughter of E.M. Hall. I’m sorry I don’t remember her name, but her mother, Linda Hall Jacquez, was also there. We chatted about the family connection and exchanged phone numbers.

I know the Halls have been a Helena family for many decades, but this is the first time I met any of them. I hope to gather some additional family history to add to the impressive work that Kay and others have done.

See last post ...

It's a pity that five days have gone by, and only about 19% of family members have posted any preferences for their wish lists. Santa sez, "C'mon people, do you really want coal in your stockings?" If I were you, I'd listen to Santa. Get your wish lists posted! Parents, this goes for the little ones, too.

Post your wish lists!

Yes, the official name of the blog is still "Moores' Christmas." So it's time to let your wishes be known. Also, to add those wishes of children yet too young to log on. Let's get started!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, replete with the realization that we all have so much to be thankful for. And one of the things I'm most thankful for is this family -- all of ya. I wish I could spend the day with each and every one of you, yet I wish you the best wherever you are celebrating.

Brawl of the Wild

The annual game that divides the family. Ben and I had dreams of making it to Missoula for the game but Mother Nature kept us in Billings. Here in Billings, Miranda and her kids, Joey, Ben, my parents and I are going to watch it from the warm confines of our house (Picture to follow). Here's to a Cat's victory in a tundra-esque Missoula! Anyone else watching today?

Ryan's Address

Hello Moore Clan:

Well, Ryan has officially landed in his home away from home for the next few months. I wanted to post his address in case anyone who wasn't assigned a week felt the inkling to send a letter or box or even an email his way.

1LT Ryan Schulte

C CO TF 1-163rd

COS KALSU

APO AE 09312

Thanks for thoughts, love, and support!

megs

It has been a relaxing visit to Chicago. Abe and Dez have been busy, so it made more sense to hang out, instead of chasing after a lot of "visit to Chicago" activities. Yesterday, we watched the ND-Utah game from the warm, dry couch in Chicago, rather than the cold, wet bench in South Bend. Abe and Dez then treated me to a stupendous dinner last night at the North Pond. It's great to be here, and they are wonderful hosts.

Great Trip with Abe and Des

We had a great weekend with Abe and Desiree out in Utah. We watched the TCU/Utah which was disappointing for me but gave Abe hope that Notre Dame might have a fighting chance this Saturday. We also had a kickin' game of Laser Tag in which Carter smoked us all and the boys triumphed over the girls. But to be fair, I am pretty sure that Kaitlyn got me quite a few times with her random spray of firing. :) We also had some great late night games and a fun drive in the mountains. It was great to have 'em!! Thanks so much for coming.

WILL TURNS 5!!!

Will is FIVE years old today! Such a sweet little boy enjoying the sun at Hauser Lake. Hard to sum up in one post what a blessing this guy is to Kelly and me, but here are 5 words that come to our minds: Conversationalist, Problem-solver, Instigator, Comedian, Breakdancer.

Just one example of how unique Will is can be seen in his request for a green firetruck cake. Not just any green, but "a green that is more beautifuller than a green apple."

LOVE YOU SO MUCH, WILL-BOY!!! God bless you!

Love,
Dad and Mom

Halloween Fun

So, Briana just told me she had uploaded all of her halloween pics to facebook (so lame!!). But as a non-facebooker I think ya'll should post some of your dressin' up pics here for Grama and I. (Bri and I also decided that we are probably the only two people in the family -if not the world- that don't facebook.)
So here we are: Mikayla was the White Queen from Alice in Wonderland, Carter was a Zombie Skateboarder, Kesiah was a dead bride (I know it is morbid but she has wanted that costume for three years so I finally gave in), and Kaitlyn was a lil Fairy.
Really think ya'll should post yer Hallowed Halloween pics as well. :)

Grilled-Cheese

So with Halloween and the obnoxious month of October now on the backburner, we can focus our respective attentions on the upcoming, and perenially most important, months of November and December. With last years landmark breakthrough of the Post-Turkey Day Grilled Cheese Burn Off in mind, I would like to know if we are planning the event again for this year. I think the results of last year, while still very controversial, left us all impatiently wondering what next-year would hold. Well, my dear family, "next year" is a mere 3 weeks away, and hardly a whisper of Cheese-Grilling can be heard. I motion to reopen discussions, criticisms, trash-talking, bragging, and all sorts of analytical and competitive banter on this here blog. I further motion, as many of us struggle to find time in our daily citizenry, to institute a family commitee on extra-holiday family development. This inter-generational committee would regularly discuss, in the public forrum of the blog and/or facebook, the organization of family events surrounding the major family holy days of obligation (i.e. Christmas, Family Picnic, and Thanksgiving.) I believe this committee should be selected by each generational group as defined by the the committee's inagural dicision on election perameters. To form the inagural committee, I take a quick break to catch my breath then continue my motion to form the committee by volunteer, discernment, then lottery decision. The members of this committee must keep the best interest of family unity, fun, and interclan dialogue as first and most precious priority. Adherence to committee decisions are to be left to each clan leader or head of household, holding qualification as defined by future committee decision. Any comments, criticisms, and lauds regarding the formation and purpose of this revolutionary committee are welcomed and democratically encouraged by any and all family members.
With love and sincerity,
Nick

Happy Birthday Mike!!

Seeing as Mom and Dad no longer realize their children are still around, as they are caught up in their grandchildren, I thought I would remind everyone that today is Mike's birthday. He's the big 33 today, and the only consolation for him on that age is that it was Larry Bird's number. Anyway, hope you had a great day Mike, and you are an awesome older brother!

Flag Football Champ!!

I just thought I would give a shout out to Carter whose Flag Football team just won the 7/8 Division Championship. He was a great quarterback this season and well known for his long bomb. Jerry was a fantastic coach and we had a really fun team. Go Steelers!! :)

HAPPY 29TH BIRTHDAY BEN!

Today is Benjamin James Wingerter's 29th birthday. He had quite the birthday weekend...visits from Jake, MaryBeth and Nate, a trip to the play off game and just hangin'. We wish we could be there to celebrate with you...but we are sending our love all the way to Dallas!

Love you Ben! and we can't wait to see you in a few weeks...

Mom and Dad

Masters Man

With a break in the birthdays it's a good time to congratulate my old man on getting his Masters Degree. Back in August after a lot of hard work, my dad received his Masters of Science in Financial Services from the American College. My mom thought it would be a good idea to steal Shannon's graduation robe and make him pose and, much to our surprise, he obliged. We're all very proud of you. From the emails that we've sent back and forth at work, the new designation (MSFS) looks great beside your name. Nice work, padre.

Drum Rolls, Trumpets, etc. The Christmas Names are Here!

Well another Christmas in the making!  The names have been drawn and here we are!  The first name is the one giving and the one behind the dash is the one receiving.

Connie - Annie

Bill   - Tommy

Jan - Connie

Marc - Mary

Johnny - Jan (lucky duck)

Annie - Marc

Tommy - Jimmy

Jeanine - Bill

Mary - Johnny

Jim W. - Jeanine

Jimmy - Jim W.

Rika and family - Sam

Abe and Dez - Jake

Hannah and family - Madison

Briana and family -  Shannon

Mike - Ben

Matt and family - Abe and Dez

Joey - Randa and family

Meg and family - Nate

Jen -  Rika and family

Molly - Nick

Nate - Bri and family

Shannon - Jen

Randa and family - Meg and family

Ben - Mike

Jake - Hannah and family

Nick - Matt and family

Sam - Molly

Madison - Joey

So, there they are - in the books for 2010.  Next will be requests for lists and ideas so you might as well just get them out there!

New Wells Manor

I went over to Missoula on Friday to play music at Sean Kelly's. It was also a great opportunity to visit Maurika and family. They're all doing well. They've been moving over the last few weeks, and are not quite done with the process. But they are settled into a new place at 339 E. Beckwith (Missoula 59801) just a couple blocks from U of M. It's a nice house on a corner lot. Here's an exterior shot from the street. Congratulations to the Wellses, and best of luck with completing the move!

That Time of Year!

Well, Connie texted and asked if we had drawn names for Christmas yet.  I didn't respond (cuz I didn't see the text - really) so she called tonight.  We decided that we need family input.  Do we want to do families like we have been doing for the cousins and individuals for the siblings and spouses?  So, we will make the decision by the weekend and either draw or not depending on what everyone wants.  I will do a facebook message to all of those with facebook too.  Let me know!

Ryan's Address

(Sorry to post this on top of Jen's.....Make sure you read hers!!!)

Thank you everyone who volunteered to send a letter or package to Ryan! I am getting the list together so hopefully you will get something in your email this week. And to answer Connie's question: You are assigned a week and can ship your stuff during that week or right before it. There is really no guarantee for when things will get to Ryan; the military shipping system isn't the best. Thus another reason to pack things VERY WELL! Flat Rate boxes are the way to go.

Aurie: We have an address for Camp Shelby but nothing for overseas right now.

For ANYONE who wants to send him a little letter or whatever down in Mississippi, he is there for another month. Here is that address:

1LT Ryan Schulte
C CO 1-163rd CAV, 116 CBCT
BLDG 2490 25th St
Camp Shelby, MS 39407

(It might change the address to Hattiesburg, MS automatically - don't freak, same thing. )

Update

Well, I figured since Mom decided to let you all know the news of my passing the bar, I would update you on the happenings in my life. From August 15th to September 17th I attended Officer Development School (ODS) in Newport, RI. I loved every minute of it and am so excited to continue my studies at Naval Justice School, which is also in Newport. The picture of me in uniform is during graduation and is when I received my first salute from my Senior Chief. It is tradition that when you receive your first salute, you give the individual a silver dollar. Well, since silver dollars cost about $22, I handed Senior Chief a good ol' dollar coin. Anyway, I flew back to MT and will be here until October 10th, when I will fly back to Newport to begin school.

The reason for the first picture is to show everyone where I will be stationed following Naval Justice School. I will spend the first two years of my Naval career in Guam. It is a tiny little island surrounded by tons and tons of water and far far far away from MT and family, but I am really excited about this opportunity. I know that I can be stationed anywhere in the United States, but my opportunity to go abroad is limited, so I decided to jump on this and voluntarily chose this as my first duty station. I know a lot of you may be thinking "why?" when I could have chosen San Diego or Jacksonville or Corpus Christi, but I am thinking "why not?" I know that it will be a huge adjustment and an even bigger change for me, but I am looking forward to the challenge. I graduate from Naval Justice School on the 17th of December and I will drive back to MT to spend some quality time with family before heading off on a 14 hour flight to my new home.

Over the next couple of years I will be depending on this (and facebook for those of you actively on it) for keeping in touch with family, so make sure things stay current! Thank you all for the support over the years and I am so blessed to have such an amazing family who cares and looks after each other. I am sure I will see you all (hopefully) before I ship out, but I just thought I would give you all a little update on where I will be going.

Love always,

Jen

SHE DID IT!

A huge congratulations to Jen!  She passed her bar exam and is off to Naval Legal school October 10th.  We had no doubt that she would pass and we are so dang proud of her!  Onward and upward, Jen!  Love you much!  Dad and Mom

Happy Birthday, Jimmy and Nick!

Today marks the birthday of Jimmy and Nickolas! YAY! Hope you both have a great day today. We love you tons~

Care for the Company

Hello, Hello all Moore Family Members!!

This is my official "plea" to you. As most of you know, Ryan shipped out Friday morning. The rest of his company gets there today. So far the report from Mississippi is that it is a) hot b) not the Ritz and c) very busy. Hopefully he stays busy so the time flies.

To help that time go by quicker, I would like to set up some regular mailings to him. With both his brother and a good friend of our's, friends and family were assigned a week to send a letter, care package, thoughts and prayers, etc. It was a great morale booster for them and a wonderful way to stay connected.

If you would be interested in getting a week to send stuff to Ryan, just email me at schulte777@hotmail.com with your email and your physical address (in case I don't have one or both - not sure how I'll be sending the information out). I will then send a letter with the address information, a list of suggested items (but feel free to be creative), a copy of how to fill out the customs form with Ryan's information, and suggested methods of packing boxes by the military.

Hope everyone is doing well!!!

Love,

Meghan

Happy Birthday and Congratulations to Shannon

Today is Shannon's 23rd birthday and the day she hops in her new car (see picture) to move to Spearfish, SD. It's been an eventful year for Shannon. In May she graduated from MSU (GO CATS) with her nursing degree, she had a restful summer in Billings, and she starts her new job at Spearfish Regional Hospital on September 20th. On Labor Day weekend we went to Spearfish and found a nice, quiet one bedroom apartment. Shannon's very excited to get out there and get started. We're going to miss her around here though. Anyway, Happy Birthday Shannon and congratulations on the start of your new journey. We love you a whole bunch, and we're very proud of you.

Love,
Mom and Dad

Okay, so the boys have had their fun. I think the girls can one-up 'em. I say we start planning a girls weekend for all the wild women cousins. Significant others should be included. I'm sure Des could use an uptake of estrogen after all that testosterone last weekend! Let's get to planning!

THE EPIC COUSIN WEEKEND!

First and foremost, happy birthday Madison! Second.... wow, boys. That was a spectacular weekend, and we may need a few blog posts to do it justice. I don't know if my post will be big enough to do the job.

Thursday night, Nick, Nate, Ben, Jake and Mary Beth arrived and we had a nice evening at home with some cribbage (Jake dominated) and late night pizza. The Buyskes and Fabianne (Des's sister) arrived the next day and the cousins toured around Chicago a bit while Des and I were at work. Friday evening we went to an art gallery where a friend of ours had an exhibit opening then out on the town for dinner. Because we had to get up early on Saturday, we went home fairly early and intended to get to bed. We were having so much fun, though, that bedtime turned into about 2:00 a.m. Joey and Mike played a little guitar. Matt, Jake, Nate and I had a memorable discussion out on the deck (where Nick slept!). The girls did girl stuff.

Our place is not very big. But with a little creativity, everybody was able to cram in there . . .

Then in the morning it was time to hit the road for South Bend for the big game! Here we are in the elevator leaving our place...


We battled some rain on the road and at the tailgate, but it didn't dampen our spirits. The wetter the better! A friend of mine from law school had his tailgating van all set up for us and we grilled burgers, had a few beers, and even had a little dance party pre-game. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much. (Coo coo ka CHA!)
Everybody got into the game, thanks largely to Matt's connections. What a rollercoaster it was. This is how we felt for about half of the game:
And this is how I prefer to remember it:
After the game, we were all pretty depressed for a couple of hours, but we went back to our tailgate and made the best of it. Before you know it, we were having fun again. So much so that we were the very last people in the parking lot at the end of the night! Then we went to my friend's house to hang out and hit the sack. Des whipped up some late-night pasta for the boys, which I missed due to a little nap. Hard to keep up with these guys!
On Sunday morning, the Buyske boys headed back to Chicago to catch (or narrowly miss) their flights. The rest of us had a nice walk around campus . . . Overall, it's difficult to put into words how much I loved having everyone come up for the weekend. This is such a wonderful family that we are all a part of and it warms my heart to see the cousins make the effort to get together like this. Miss you guys already.

Happy Birthday, Maddie!

Just want to jump in and post birthday wishes for Maddie!  This girl is something else.  Since the day she was born she has followed her brothers in all of their sports activities.  She is a real supporter of all that they do.  She is making a mark of her own, too!  Hope that your day is special.  Since you have the wrong year on facebook, I am guessing you are either 13 or 14 today.  Either way, you are one fantastic birthday girl, niece, sister, daughter!!  Love you, Marc and Jan

Speaking of family reunions...

... ONE WEEK UNTIL THE MALE MOORE/BUYSKE/WINGERTER COUSINS (minus Sam, next time little bro) INVADE SOUTH BEND TO OFFICIALLY GIVE OUR WELCOME AND BLESSINGS TO COACH KELLY!!!!! GO IRISH!!!!!!!

Moore Family Reunion 2012!

Just want all of the Moores to know that we discussed at great length the 2012 reunion last weekend.  We were all together for Mom's 86th birthday and in planning our next family picnic I brought up the fact that we have $400 towards the next Moore reunion and told Jimmy (the younger) that he had better get in gear and get to planning.  We have some great ideas for where and when, so just keep in mind that we will be getting together in the summer of 2012!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy 86th birthday, Mom!  I was hoping someone else had some more recent pictures of you, but I will use last year's birthday picture.  You have a large family that adores you and you have done so much to earn that adoration.  We are so lucky to have you as a part of our lives.  I hope you have enjoyed your day!

Happy Birthday, Big Ben!

Happy birthday to our sweet little grandson who turns 3 today!  He is lucky to share his birthday with Gramma Jeanne.  He is such a clone of his daddy - tender hearted, blue eyed, curly blond hair, basically adorable.  These pictures show the many faces of Ben.  Enjoy your day and remember that we love you!  God bless, Grampa and Gramma