Merry Christmas 2009!

Dear Loved Ones Near and Far,

We send you our love and greetings this beautiful time of year again. We have so much to be grateful for, including the wonderful family and friends that we are blessed with. We hope this letter finds you enjoying the season.

This year has been busy, but wonderful. We have settled nicely into our new home here in Saginaw, Michigan, and are very happy. Greg and I celebrated 15 years of marriage this year by spending a few days in New York City in the spring. Our family also had a blast returning to Utah for a couple weeks over the summer. It was so good to renew relationships with our loved ones there.

Andrew (almost 13) is turning into a man at our house. He shows great responsibility in his schoolwork, in arising on his own every morning to practice the cello, and always getting his jobs done as early as possible so he can be “free!” He participated in Lego League these last few months, an after-school club where the kids build a robot using Lego Mindstorm, and then participate in a competition at the local college. Although he loves swimming and building legos, he most looks forward to anytime he can play Starcraft with his brothers and Dad!

Chandler (10 ½) is a great worker. I can always depend on Chandler to do a careful job of whatever I ask of him. He is doing very well in school, with math still his strongest subject. He has become an amazing reader this year; he has read the entire Harry Potter series in just 3 months. Chandler also participated in Lego League at his school, is a great basketball player, and is also enjoying Chess Club right now. In his free time, he can be found reading, jumping on the trampoline even in the cold, or playing Starcraft with Andrew.

Jordan (8) was baptized this year! We are so proud of him. He was very excited to get glasses just a month ago, and was shocked at how much he was missing without them! Jordan continues to excel in school - he is a great writer, and still LOVES to read. We will bring 30 or so books home from the library, and he will have read and often re-read many of them by the time they are due. Jordan enjoyed going to Scrabble club this year, and is now going to Chess Club with Chandler. He also played soccer this fall after a few years’ break, and found that not only does he love it, but he is very good! Jordan loves organizing his Pokemon figures, building legos and bionicles, and outdoor adventures with his brothers.

Seth (5 ½) is in Kindergarten and belongs there! He started the whole school routine without a hitch, and he loves it! He’s already reading, knows his math, and just struggles a bit with shyness, which is somewhat of a surprise, considering what a happy boisterous tike he is at home. He is a great buddy for Michael at home, and also loves his swimming lessons. He continued to play soccer again, and does pretty well when he focuses! Seth loves to play Chess with Mom– he does pretty good! It takes some patience on Mom’s part, since he’s more interested in how many pieces he can “kill” rather than actually ending the game with a checkmate!

Michael (3) is such a fun buddy for Mom now that all his brothers are in school all day! She really wondered if it would be hard or lonely for him, but he seems to enjoy the solitude as much as her. He loves choo choo trains, Go Diego Go, and building the marble run toy. He has a bit of stutter, just the kind where you know his mind is going faster than his mouth can keep up. It’s really cute. He makes very astute observations about the world around him, and it’s a blast having conversations with him. We love our little Michael!

Sherie is loving her calling as Primary Chorister. It has been fun to be in the Primary again with her kids, and she’s had a lot of fun teaching and learning from all the children. She has bittersweet feelings about how quickly her boys are growing up; she cherishes little Michael all the more because of it! But she’s so grateful for her bigger boys that are such a help to her as well!

Greg has travelled with his work this year more than any other year. He has been to Australia a few times, Singapore, and of course from one coast to the other here in the states. We are so grateful for his employment and that he works so hard for this family. He continues to serve in the bishopric in the Saginaw Ward, and is a wonderful husband and father!

We love you, and miss those of you that live far. We look forward to the cards and letters we get from each of you. Thank you!

Love,
The Greg Boss Family
Greg, Sherie, Andrew, Chandler, Jordan, Seth, and Michael

P.S. Oh, and by the way, some great news!

July 19, 2010!