Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2014!

It has been a blessed year for our family, and we hope you have found blessings to count as well. We welcomed our seventh son into the family on March 1st!

Clayton (10 months) is such a joy, as all our baby boys have been. He is well loved by all his brothers and is loving being mobile. He always has a ready audience that claps and smiles for him, and he claps, smiles and “talks” right back. He is pure joy!

Bentley (4 years) is loving preschool, trains, and Jake and the Neverland pirates. He is a great bigger brother and loves to giggle with Clayton. He loves to color, paint and create, and is very particular and patient in any task he undertakes. He’s always the last to finish eating, and will sit for a good 30-45 minutes as he carefully colors or paints a project. He has great persistence! We can’t wait to see what talents continue to develop in him as he grows!

Michael (8 years) was baptized this year and is such a sweet boy. He loves to draw, paint, color, and writing cursive is his favorite subject. He insists that all his schoolwork is to be done in his best cursive, and goes to work to do it well. He also loves playing the piano and playing chess. He placed second in the school chess tournament for the second year in a row! He also placed 2nd in a Mathnasium Trimathlon this fall. Michael shows great persistence, brightness and creativity. We love him!

Seth (10 ½ years) is also a chess master. He placed first in the aforementioned chess tournament, also two years running. He also loves to play the piano, has mastered some difficult pieces, and is working on a fancy Pachelbel Canon for the piano. Seth is also still loving soccer and played on a season-winning team this fall, which was a lot of fun. Seth loves math, and placed 3rd in his grade in the Mathnasium Trimathalon. Seth is always willing to help out, and is often the first to get his jobs done. We sure love having his positive attitude and peacemaking skills around here!

Jordan (13) is a middle school master. He’s ace-ing all his honors classes, and making it look easy. He has mastered several difficult piano pieces, and is getting to be a great sightreader. He is a natural with children and babies. I sometimes call him my baby-whisperer. Jordan has served in his deacon quorum presidency, and continues to honor his priesthood responsibilities, serving the sacrament each week, and being a good friend to all the fellow young men. We are so proud of the spiritual strength he brings to the family!

Chandler (15 ½) is conquering high school like a pro. As a sophomore, he’s got a heavy load with AP, honors and pre-calculus classes (and is ace-ing all of them), and has plans to beef up his schedule even more next year with 3 AP classes, all math and science (his strengths, for sure)! On top of this, he is swimming with the Men’s Varsity swim team again, and arises early each morning for seminary starting bright and early at 6am. He continues with cello in the philharmonic orchestra as well. Chandler has well-outgrown his mother, and is almost on par with his dad. We’re replacing his clothes every 3 months it seems! Chandler also fulfills his priesthood duties as Teachers quorum secretary and priesthood chorister. We love the enthusiasm and humor Chandler keeps going around here!

Andrew (almost 18) is an amazing young man. He continues to ace his classes, and is also busy with the swim team with Chandler, and early morning seminary. Andrew has a great gift of persistence. We see no sign of senioritis (yet!) as he takes his studies quite seriously. He is taking AP Chemistry this year and more than once has been the highest scorer on an exam. Science is definitely Andrew’s strength and love. He has plans to attend BYU and serve a mission in the next year or two (he’s still deciding which one the Lord wants him to do first). Andrew also plays the cello with the philharmonic orchestra. Having Andrew around is like having a third parent - he is always willing to help out with kids, work, cleaning...whatever we need. We are so grateful for the great example Andrew is, and the help he provides around here. Wherever he is next year, he is sure going to be missed!

Sherie dressed up to attend a Downton
Abbey season 5 premier event

Sherie Clayton and Bentley on the train

Sherie (40) is busy busy busy. She is now serving as Activity Days leader. It’s fun doing girlie things with a bunch of girls! She had a great time doing chess club at the kids’ elementary school last spring and this fall/winter. Having another baby has been a tiring, but rewarding experience. Nothing like the joy a baby brings to a family!

Greg ready for pioneer trek

Greg and his bear

Greg (43) had a fun adventure early in the summer this year. He went on a bear hunt with his brother, dad, uncle and nephew in northern Idaho. This was a first for him! He was one of three in his group to get a bear! Pretty exciting stuff. Greg and Sherie celebrated 20 years of marriage this last May! Hard to believe it’s been that long. We also celebrated Sherie’s parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. We were able to fly to Utah with just Clayton for a few days to celebrate with them. We also enjoyed attending a mission reunion in Louisville Kentucky in late June. Greg continues to serve as stake YM president.

Clayton, Seth, Michael, Bentley riding the train

Visiting the Detroit Zoo

We had a fun summer this year - not as much “whole family” travelling as last year, as there was a baby this year. Andrew and Chandler went on a canoeing high adventure in late June. In July, Sherie took the younger four on a mini-vacation to Detroit while Andrew and Chandler recovered at home from getting their wisdom teeth removed (and Jordan would have been at scout camp, but got ill). In Detroit we went to the Zoo, visited the temple, went to an indoor trampoline park, and rode a real steam engine. It was a blast! In late July, Greg, Andrew and Chandler participated in a Pioneer Trek re-enactment. Sherie had a good time sewing some pioneer clothes for them in the weeks leading up to it. In August, Greg took Andrew, Chandler, and 8 other young men who earned their Eagles on an Eagle Reward trip. They went to Washington DC by way of Cedar Point amusement park, a water-rafting adventure, and a high-speed go-cart track. The rest of the time, we relaxed at the neighbor’s pool and soaked in the summer fun.

Eagle Scouts in front of the White House

We wish you all a Merry Christmas! We love hearing from each of you at this time of year!

Love,

Greg, Sherie, Andrew, Chandler, Jordan, Seth, Michael, Bentley and Clayton