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.