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