grandma
For most families, Christmas Eve is the night before the Christmas holiday. Yes, there are traditions, like maybe opening on gift, a chili dinner, caroling, or a midnight service at church. For my grandparents, Christmas Eve marked the beginning of their new life together. My grandparents, George and Hattie Byer’s, wedding anniversary made it an extraordinarily special day for our family. They were married on Christmas Eve in 1927 and today marked the 97th anniversary of that great day. For our family, this day marks the actual beginning of our very existence. Over the years, my grandparents became the parents of nine children, which led to thirty-one grandchildren, and countless great-grandchildren, great-great-grand, and great-great-great-grandchildren. My grandfather used to say, “Mommy, look what we started.” Indeed, they did! They were married for 53 years Grandpa passed away. Grandma followed eight years later, but their love has never faded. This year, as I reflect on their love for each other and the large family they created, I realize that this would have been their 97th wedding anniversary.
Many people might not consider Christmas Eve an ideal day for a wedding, mostly because the holiday, but many years ago, it was regarded as a suitable time for a wedding because the family 
was already gathered for the holiday. Family from afar usually couldn’t travel such a distance for a wedding anyway, so it didn’t matter. People didn’t have a lot of money, so weddings were much less elaborate. The couple typically wore their Sunday best clothes and then resumed wearing them for Sunday again…no elaborate wedding gowns. Nevertheless, the love was there, and that is what mattered. Grandma and Grandpa were made for each other, and they were happy all the days of their lives. I’m sure Grandma never expected to be here without him, and I’m sure there were many lonely days after Grandpa’s passing, but she held memory in her heart and carried on for another eight years.
Being married on Christmas Eve is probably why Grandma and Grandpa Byer always Grandma and Grandpa Byer considered Christmas Eve to be such a special holiday. They loved the family Christmas parties. They got 
to celebrate their Anniversary and Christmas with all, or at least most, of their kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. Many of the great great grandkids and great great great grandkids these days either don’t remember or never met Grandma and Grandpa Byer, and that thought makes me sad, because they have missed out on so much. While Christmas Eve is not a common day for a wedding, it was that anniversary that always made our family feel extra blessed. Happy 97th Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa Byer. I know you are celebrating in Heaven. We love and miss you very much.
My great grandson, Justin Petersen is a very happy little boy. He loves doing crazy things, like driving his toy cars off of the bench in my house, and then laughing as I go to pick it up. He tries to “help” his mom cook, by grabbing the potatoes before she peels them and taking them all over the house. He loves to make people laugh, and anything he can do to be silly…well, he is up for that. Justin is all about the laughs. His sense of humor is great big, and his pranks, tricks, and just his laugh, keep the whole household in stitches, when he gets going.
Justin loves being a big brother to his little brother, Axel, and while there are the normal tiffs, they are best buddies. For little kids, the best friends are their siblings and cousins, because they don’t have school friends 
yet. Justin was very excited to have a baby brother, even though he didn’t know quite what to do with him, but now that Axel can play, Justin really likes having him around. Justin and Axel are Irish Twins, which means that they were born less than a year apart. Justin and Axel will always be the same age from September 18th to October 14th…26 days. Their Grandma, Corrie Petersen and their aunt, Amy Royce are also Irish Twins and are the same age for 29 days each year. It’s a cool little tidbit of trivia that we love in our family. The boys also have an Irish Twin cousin (is there such a thing), named Cyler. Anyway for 5 days, they are all three the same age. It’s fun.
Justin is growing up so fast. His vocabulary is big these days, and he knows his ABCs and numbers to eight. It’s hard to believe that he is getting so big. Nevertheless, Justin is a very loving child, and just because he is 
growing up, doesn’t mean that he doesn’t like to feel close to those he loves. He likes to hold his mommy and daddy’s hand when they go places, and even likes to hold his baby brother’s hand too. He especially likes to hold hands when he goes to sleep. I think that is just precious. Those kinds of things are such a treasure, because as we all know, they grow out of this stage at some point, even though they never stop loving their parents and siblings…and of course, their grandparents. Justin loves his grandparents very much too. Today is Justin’s 2nd birthday!! Happy birthday sweet boy!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My husband’s grandmother, Nettie Knox was six months older that his grandfather, Bob Knox, and she loved that fact. I never really thought of her as a “teaser” kind of a person, but when it came to picking on her husband a little bit, I find that she was pretty good at it. Every year, on her birthday, she told him that she was now older and wiser than he was. She teased him about that for six months, until his birthday, which made them the same age again. Then, she couldn’t say that she was older anymore…so it stands to reason that she wasn’t wiser either. Grandpa put up with her teasing good-naturedly, even though he probably wouldn’t have allowed that same teasing from just anyone. I suppose that’s what love does. It allows a little more from the one you love, than would be allowed for others.
There were a number of things that gave grandma that extra little bit of pleasure. One of the biggest came w
hen I gave birth to her first great grandchild, Corrie Petersen. I didn’t realize it at the time (I was not thinking about the date), but the next day, when my in-laws brought Grandma in to meet her first great grandchild. Her first words to me were, “She was born on my birthday!!” She could hardly contain her glee. That day began 15 years of sharing their special day. It was something they both loved, and not a birthday goes by that Corrie doesn’t feel just a little bit lonely, because her birthday twin isn’t there to celebrate with her. Of course, that couldn’t be, because Grandma would have been 116 years old this year. That wouldn’t have been possible, of course, but she lives on in our memories…and especially in Corrie’s heart.
I will always remember Grandma’s sweet nature. She was always kind and happy. I don’t recall a time when she wasn’t in a good mood. Oh, I’m sure there were times when she wasn’t in a good mood, but she kept that 
pretty hidden. She was a peacemaker. Even if she might have been upset about something, she wouldn’t show that to people in public. She controlled herself too much to do that. She was a woman who lived by a certain…code, if you will. There was a right way to do something, and a wrong way to do something. She did her best to do things right…to exhibit behavior in keeping with a sense of decorum. Grandma always tried to live up to a certain standard, and I think she did pretty good with that. Today is the 116th anniversary of Grandma Knox’s birth. Happy birthday in Heaven Grandma Knox. We love and miss you very much.
My aunt, Virginia Beadle was the second daughter of my grandparents, Hattie and George Byer. Like her older sister, Evelyn Hushman, Aunt Virginia helped with their younger siblings. When you come from a family of nine children, there are always babies to care for. I don’t suppose the girls always loved taking care of their siblings. Younger siblings can be a trial to the older kids…especially as the older kids head into their teen years. Nevertheless, they did what was needed. Still, when Aunt Virginia found out that since her sister was the main babysitter, and she didn’t have to do housework after a late night of babysitting, Aunt Virginia, who hated housework, asked if the same rule would apply to her if she was working. When Grandma said it would, the deal was sealed. Aunt Virginia went out and got herself a job. She always had one after that, and true to her word, Grandma didn’t make her do housework. I don’t know how long that deal lasted, but for a teenager, who hated housework, it was a good deal.
One of the coolest events of Aunt Virginia’s life was the day happened when she was about 8 or 10 years old. 
She was playing outside with her siblings. Aunt Virginia decided to go exploring at the side of the house, between their house and Great Grandma Byer’s house. She looked at the little flower garden there and saw something shiny. When she picked it up, she saw that his was a man’s wedding ring. Great Grandpa was long dead, and her dad, Grandpa George Byer, had decided to forego a wedding ring so that he could give his bride, her mom and my grandma, Hattie Byer a wedding ring. Obviously, this was an exciting, and quite likely valuable, find.
Aunt Virginia took the ring to show her dad. Grandpa looked at it and told her it was a beautiful ring. He put it on his hand and looked at it. Then he took it off and gave it back to Aunt Virginia. She said, “Daddy, you should keep it.” He said he couldn’t, but she insisted, and that is how my grandfather got his wedding band from his daughter. Aunt Virginia was so pleased to be able to give her dad the wedding ring he had never had and would 
not be able to buy for himself, as there were too many other things that his paycheck was needed for. And Grandpa was so pleased that she wanted him to have such a beautiful ring. He wore the ring proudly for the rest of his life. And everyone in his family was very pleased that he had been blessed with the ring. Aunt Virginia was always a kind and loving person, and I can see how that ring made her day, as much as it did Grandpa’s. Today would have been Aunt Virginia’s 94th birthday. Happy birthday in Heaven, Aunt Virginia. We love and miss you very much!!
My grandmother, Harriet “Hattie” Byer, was a tiny woman, who loved kids, and had nine of them with my grandfather, George Byer. Grandpa worked hard, and he was a soft-hearted man. I’m sure he spanked his kids, but not very much. Grandma was the disciplinarian of the family, and I’m telling you, she might have been small in stature, but my grandma was a powerhouse!! She had a heart of gold, but she just didn’t take any guff. Don’t get me wrong, my grandparents’ home was filled with love and respect. During chores, there would usually be singing and much laughter. Grandma kept the atmosphere light and happy. My aunts and uncles always knew that they were loved. They also, knew that theirs was not to interfere when Grandma was disciplining one of your siblings. She would quickly turn on the one sassing her while she disciplined their sibling.
Evenings would find the family sitting in the living room mesmerized by whatever story Grandma was reading to them that night. Grandma worked so hard, and sometimes it was hard for her to stay awake while reading the evening’s story. Every time she would doze off, the kids would wake her up with calls to read on. Sometimes she just kept on sleeping, and on those days, Grandpa just had to close the book and tell the kids they would hear more the next night. Grandma worked so hard, and for that night, she needed to sleep, and do no more reading.
Grandma was a beautiful woman. She and Grandpa made beautiful children. Every year, we are amazed at how much the family has grown. My guess would be, that Grandma and Grandpa now have over 600 descendants…and counting. When we hit 200, Grandpa said, “Look what we started, Mommy!” He was surprised then. Just imagine what he would think now. Every time I mention an aunt, uncle, or cousin, people say, “Which one?? You are related to 
half the town!!” Well…yes, that is very likely true…and I have my sweet grandparents to thank for it all. We are not only a large family…we are a very blessed family. And it all started, when my grandfather saw this beauty of a girl, and never looked back. It was love at first sight. Today is the 115th anniversary of my grandmother’s birth. Happy birthday in Heaven, Grandma Byer. We love and miss you very much.
My aunt, Sandy Pattan is the youngest of my mom, Collene Spencer’s siblings. By the time Aunt Sandy came along, some of her older siblings were already dating. and when she was just two years old, her sister Evelyn got married. By the time Aunt Sandy was three years old, she was an aunt. That is very young, but then some kids are born aunts and uncles. They actually have nieces and nephews who are older than they are. That idea is really something to wrap your head around, but then again, for those born into it, being an aunt or uncle at birth is just normal. For Aunt Sandy, being an aunt is all she remembers.
Aunt Sandy has long been the keeper of the family traditions. She made the arrangements for the annual Christmas party and the summer picnic. She worked so hard to keep the family together and to fulfill the wishes of her parents, Grandma (Hattie) and Grandpa (George) Byer, who asked that the family not drift apart, but continue in the traditions they had started. Aunt Sandy embraced that dream of a close family, and for 
many years, she worked very hard to carry out and establish their wishes. And she did it well. In the earlier years after Grandma and Grandpa went home to Heaven, Aunt Sandy had lots of help, because everyone got involved, but as the years went by and some of her siblings went to Heaven too, the help became less and less. Still, she persevered. These days the next generation has stepped up and let Aunt Sandy “retire” from the family get-togethers chair. Sadly, the participators have dwindled, and we just hope to have enough people to continue. That is up to the family, I guess.
Aunt Sandy has always lived in her own place. She tells me that she has never lived in an apartment, but that is about to change too, as she makes plans to move into an apartment in Casper. It is not an assisted living…she doesn’t need that, and she is not sure apartment living will suit her. Time will tell. If not, she can always buy another place, if she chooses. Still, I think she might like it, because the yard and building maintenance will 
no longer be her responsibility, and the grounds are nice, so she can get out and enjoy them…in the warm months anyway. And best of all, she won’t have to water the lawn or shovel the walks. I am excited for this new chapter in her life, even if she is apprehensive. I pray it will be such a great blessing for her, that she chooses to stay, relax, and enjoy it. I think it will be a wonderful new start. Today in Aunt Sandy’s 78th birthday. Happy birthday Aunt Sandy!! We love you!!
My grandma, Hattie Byer was never a tall woman. I like to say that she was 5 feet…in her tall days, because most of us remember her as being more like 4 foot 10 inches, give or take an inch. Don’t let her short stature fool you, however, because my grandma was a capable woman in every way, especially in the handling of children. She raised nine of her own, and the grandchildren were no match for her either. It wasn’t that Grandma was mean, but rather that Grandma didn’t take any “guff” from the kids. I can attest to that, because I made the mistake of going up against her once. Yes, I said once. After that, I decided that going up against Grandma wasn’t in my best interest, hahahaha!!
Whenever one of her kids got out of line, Grandma was very likely to turn them over her knee. Everyone’s views on spanking children are different, but in those days, everyone spanked their kids. My personal opinion on that matter is that in the days of spanking your kids, the children were much more well behaved, but that is my opinion, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Grandma was one who believed in spanking too, and I’m pretty sure the boys might have been a little more mischievous than the girls, with the possible exception of my mom, who was right in the middle of the two boys, and very loyal to both of them. Mom made the mistake of voicing her displeasure to her mom once concerning the spanking of her brother. Grandma let her go on, while she finished the spanking, and when both of the kids started to run outside, Grandma grabbed my mom by the hair, and proceed to give her a spanking to, for “improperly interfering with the discipline of her brother.” I think Mom got the message…loud and clear, and I don’t believe she ever did that again.
Grandma was well able to handle her adult kids too, as my Aunt Bonnie found out one time, when she 
mistakenly told her mom that she couldn’t spank her these days. Well, Grandma quickly reached out, and grabbed Aunt Bonnie by the feet, taking her swiftly to the floor. While she didn’t turn Aunt Bonnie over her knee, I think they both knew that she probably could have. Aunt Bonnie sat there on the floor with a shocked look on her face, and after the shock wore off, everyone in the room laughed hysterically, including Aunt Bonnie. Grandma never lost her touch. Today is the 114th anniversary of my grandmother’s birth. Happy birthday in Heaven, Grandma Byer. We love and miss you very much.
The first official Groundhog Day celebration in the United States took place on February 2, 1887, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, but it had its roots in Germany and was brought to the United States as a German tradition. It may have had other connotations to some people, but for most of us, it’s just a fun way to break the monotony of Winter, by guessing how much longer it will last. It is my guess that old Punxsutawney Phil is wrong about the prediction as often as he is right about it.
Since, my husband, Bob Schulenberg’s grandma, Vina Hein was born of Groundhog’s Day, the day has always been a little bit of a fun day for her. Of course, I suppose the level of “fun” would depend on the prediction for that year, and whether or not she liked Winter, which I don’t believe she did…as an adult anyway. Montana winters can be 
harsh, and Grandma even had to have her daughter Esther Hein live with her son, Walt Schulenberg, and his wife Joann during the winter, so she could be able to get to school more regularly. So, I’m sure she…like most of us, preferred an early Spring prediction, not that the prediction mattered much anyway. After all, what could she do if old Punxsutawney Phil guessed wrong? The same thing we can do today…nothing.
Grandma Hein stayed busy all year long. Between canning in the summer, cleaning, cooking and baking, as well as helping out with the garden and the animals on the ranch, life could sometimes be pretty fast paced. She also raised five children, two from her first marriage, Marion and Walt Schulenberg, and three from her second marriage, Esther, Eddie, and Butch Hein. A ranch, a husband, and five kids can keep a person very busy. Nevertheless, even with the hard work and distance from town, Grandma was happy in her life…most of the time. Having an outhouse wasn’t the easiest thing, but they had one the whole time they lived on the ranch. Grandpa did put one in the house later on, but they only used it in the winter. I’ll never forget using that outhouse. It was like living in a backwoods campground. Still, I loved going to visit Grandma and Grandpa Hein.
Today marks the 114th anniversary of Grandma Hein’s birth. She has been in Heaven a long time now of course, and I’m sure that the Winter on Earth makes no difference to her. Nevertheless, for any of you that do care, old Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, so there will supposedly be six more weeks of Winter. My guess is that old Phil does better with his predicting when he sees his shadow than when he doesn’t. Happy birthday in Heaven, Grandma Hein. We love and miss you very much.
My husband, Bob Schulenberg’s grandmother, Nettie Knox was a sweet woman. She really didn’t like drama, but rather preferred that life would flow along like a peaceful river. Grandma had a houseful of plants, including a Christmas Cactus that took up about a fourth of her small living room. I guess it was a good thing that it was just Grandma and Grandpa sitting in there most of the time. They lived on the same country property as Bob’s parents, so most of the visiting took place at the bigger family home of my in-laws. The living situation worked out very well. Grandpa had his tons of books, and he read them all at the same time…oddly enough. Grandma had her plants and her cooking.
Grandma and my oldest daughter, Corrie Petersen share a birthday. I know that there are people who wouldn’t like that, because they want their child to have their own day, but for Grandma and Corrie, it was just the opposite. They loved that they shared a birthday. It was their special bond. Their birthday parties were always together, and they always took together birthday pictures. They were birthday twins, and they loved it. Corrie had her birthday twin with her for the first 15 years of her life, and she considered it to be very sad when that first birthday without her birthday twin came along. It felt a little empty, and definitely sad.
Grandma Knox left us on July 29, 1990, almost 32 years ago now. That is such a strange thought, because it 
seems like just yesterday that she and “little” Corrie were posing for their special picture. Grandma has lived on for five years after Granda went to Heaven, and while she wanted to stay with us, she also wanted to go home to Heaven. She was tired, and she wanted to be with Grandpa, so on July 29, 1990, she went home. I know she and Grandpa are having a great time celebrating her day today. Grandma, your special little birthday twin still misses you every day. Today, Grandma would be 114 years old. Happy birthday in Heaven, Grandma Knox. We all love and miss you very much.
