Merry Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas 2011!

What a great year it’s been for our family! We are astounded by the blessings the Lord continues to pour out and count each one of our friends and family as part of those blessings! Here’s what’s going on with our family this year:

Andrew (almost 15) is showing great drive and responsibility in high school! His parents may actually let him drive next year. He is getting all A’s in school, and even putting out A+ scores and marks in some of his classes (science is still his favorite subject). Every one of his teachers is amazed at the responsibility, leadership qualities and brains that this boy has. Andrew worked real hard this summer and fall, and earned enough money to buy himself a laptop! It’s all that boy has breathed and talked about for the past six months; and now he can play Starcraft 2 on his own computer! Andrew continues to play cello in the high school orchestra, and is also very close to earning his eagle. He faithfully fulfills his priesthood responsibilities each Sunday. Drivers’ ed is on the docket for next month, and Mom’s looking forward to next year when Andrew may be able to drive himself to early morning seminary! Speaking of which, Andrew has faithfully arisen each morning at 5:15 to get ready for seminary and school. Wow!

Chandler (12 ½) is doing fantastic in 7^th grade! He’s getting all A’s, making friends with many, and involving himself in as much as he can. He participates in Math Counts, Science Olympiad and has plans to join the swim team, play basketball, and hopefully qualify for Math Olympiad like he did this last spring (he scored in the top 25 of his age group!). Chandler has an artistic side to him as well: he’s had several art pieces entered into displays or art contests, and he loves being part of Clay Club. He continues to play the cello in orchestra and take piano lessons, and he is the Ward Priesthood Pianist! He is working towards earning his Eagle, which he plans to have earned before his 14th birthday! Wow! Chandler faithfully passes the sacrament each week as part of being a Deacon in the Priesthood. And he somehow finds time to play Starcraft 2 and Xbox with his friends and brothers. This boy has a lot of drive and passion for life. Unbelievably, he has a hard time getting up in the morning! His parents can’t seem to figure it out…

Jordan (10) is in his last year of elementary school (5th grade) – hard to believe! He’s doing fantastic, and loves his teacher, Mr. Bailey. He is continuing piano lessons, cub scouts (Webelos) and played soccer this last spring as well. Jordan has also played in chess clubs and scrabble club, and he has fun running in mileage club with his cousin Ben. Jordan loves building legos, creating projects and games for his brothers to play, and of course playing Starcraft 2 and Xbox. He is also a natural story-teller and uses this gift to entertain his classmates and teacher with funny puppet shows and stories as part of school assignments. Jordan has a streak of independence that will serve him well in the years ahead as he stands for the right and forges new ideas like his dad. His parents are trying their best to remember this vision!

Seth (7 ½) is gearing up for baptism next year! He continues to show musical prowess, is now officially taking piano lessons, and loves to play his pieces at lightning speed, the same way he runs. He is quite the natural soccer player, swimmer and runner, and has SO much enthusiasm. Mom tries to remember that it’s ENTHUSIASM, not try-to-drive-your-mom-crazy-ism. He’s doing great in 2nd grade, reading lots of books, and showing independence in his homework. He also loves chess and has participated in a couple of chess clubs this year (as the youngest member!) He has joined his brothers in the Starcraft 2 world, and loves it too!

Michael (5) is loving kindergarten! He has the innocence and wonder that makes this age so fun. He comes home each day with some treasure (real GOLD pebbles from the playground) or an interesting rehearsal of the day’s events. He is learning to read at a great pace, and loves his math like his brothers. Michael speaks very fluently for a kindergartener, and with a lot of gusto and passion. He is a fun pal to have around. Of course, he also loves computer games and Xbox – he’s a Boss isn’t he? He has an interesting view of the world – he fits his view to his liking, and he will insist that things are the way HE sees it. Right now, this is funny to his parents. We’ll see how long the humor lasts.

Bentley (1 ½) has so much personality! He truly brings such love and laughter to our home. He’s very easy going (a smart choice, being the sixth!) and everyone loves taking their turn watching him and playing with him. He’s starting to make sound effects for his cars and trains, and loves to throw and kick around balls as well. When he starts shooting guns and dueling with light sabers here in the near future, it will be official – this boy is all boy! He already plays toddler games on the computer and mom’s phone, so, yes, he’s on track as a Boss boy!

Greg is still with IBM and still loving it! He has been able to continue working from his home office. It is somewhat amazing that this still works, as things get pretty crazy with six boys, and his office is right at the front of the house. But he’s a great dad and husband, and will come out during the day to help mom with dishes, conflict resolution, and calming the fray. He travels occasionally, generally in San Jose, CA, New York and Toronto, but this year he also went to France. He was recently honored with a Technical Achievement Award, partly due to the fact that he now has filed over 250 patents through IBM! He continues to serve on the Stake High Council at church.

Sherie is not deaf yet. It’s a noisy busy house, but thank heavens for school! She actually has a couple hours of quiet time to get things done. Then, at around 3:15, chaos ensues: the baby awakes, the children come barreling home, the homework gets worked on, dinner hopefully gets made, and somehow the family tries to have a few crazy moments together before the younger ones get shipped off to bed. When Sherie finally gets to her bed at night, she sings, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time…of the Day.” But, amidst all the craziness, it’s a happy time for us. We try to remember that one day, these will be the “good ol’ days.” Sherie is no longer the Primary Chorister at church, she is now serving in the Relief Society Presidency. It’s been a fun change for her to be with the grown-ups again!

Our family had some fun travels this year. In May, Sherie, Greg and Bentley had a short jaunt to Utah while Greg was there on business. He celebrated his 40th birthday while we were there, both with friends and with Sherie’s family. It was a lot of fun!

The summer was full of one thing to the next. The older two went to boy scout camp, and Jordan got to go to day camp for four days with his cousin Ben.

In July, Sherie’s brother Jered came out with his boys to Detroit. Greg and the three older boys joined them down there, where they attended a couple of Tigers’ games (baseball), did some sightseeing, including the Ford Factory Walking Tour, and did some boating as well. They had a blast! Later that month we met Sherie’s brother Richard and his family in Palmyra, New York. We stayed there a few days, saw the church history sites, and loved seeing the Hill Cumorah Pageant. On the way home we visited Niagara Falls.

In August, we had an exciting family reunion with Greg’s family. We were scheduled to arrive at the Outer Banks in North Carolina right at the same time that Hurricane Irene decided to come! So we spent the first few days of our reunion in Scarsdale, New York at Greg’s brother Gary’s house, and then drove down to the Outer Banks for the rest of the time. It was beautiful and we had a fantastic time!

In October, Greg and Sherie went on a cruise with their good friends, Heath and Cora Merkley. It was a great break from all the craziness, and fun to relax and enjoy the sights and sounds of the Bahamas and Key West. One of our favorite excursions was kayaking, snorkeling and dolphin watching in Key West. What a great time.

We are so grateful for all of you that we have come to know over the years . Each one of you has impacted us for the good in some way, and we love you! We appreciate the continued friendship and keeping in touch. We are also so grateful at this time of year especially, to reflect on the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him, life truly would have no meaning. We love Him, we love you, and we wish you a most Merry Christmas, and a Beautiful Year to come!

Merry Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas 2010 from the Greg Boss Family!

We send our love and greetings to all our friends and family! We hope this letter finds you enjoying this Christmas season.

This year has been another year of blessings for our family. We are most excited to announce the arrival of Bentley Cleon Boss, who arrived in our family July 16, 2010. (8 lbs 1 oz, 19 inches) He is most adored! Everyone fights over whose turn it is to take care of him, and it’s hard to say whether it’s because he’s so cute, or because someone’s trying to get out of other jobs.

Bentley Cleon (5 months) has a nice relaxed and sweet personality. He fits in just great with the chaos of a house full of boys. He always has a ready smile, and plenty of coos and gahs for whoever stops to say hello. His chubby cheeks are the targets of many kisses all day long.

Michael Victor (4 years) is in preschool this year and having a ball. He is always full of questions, and hates to be left out of anything. He’s outgrown his stutter, but still has plenty to say, and with all the expression of an adult. He loves to learn new songs and has a cute body wiggle to go with them. He has a very outgoing personality and burrows into the hearts of all those that he meets. We love our Michael!

Seth William (6 ½ years) is doing fantastic in first grade. He was accepted into the accelerated program this year and is reading like it’s second nature and showing math expertise as well. He continues to love music and can be found rocking to anything with a beat. He is also a very energetic and talented soccer player. He played positions for the first time this year, and as defender was often the MVP of the game with all the opposing goals he stopped. We love Seth’s laugh; no matter what he’s doing – swimming, boating, playing sports, running -- there’s always a laugh on his face.

Jordan Eric (9 years) is loving the fourth grade. He continues to excel in the accelerated program and show responsibility in his work. Jordan is doing great in cub scouts; he earned his Wolf this year. He loves Pokemon, reading, playing his DSi, and kissing Bentley’s cheeks. He also played soccer this year and did fantastic. Jordan loves to create – he is often making crafts and paper projects to share with the family or give to his mom. He has a very creative mind. He is also a great swimmer, runner, and sports boy.

Chandler David (11 ½ years) started middle school this year, and is loving it. He is in all honors classes and doing very well. He is participating in the orchestra for the first time, on the cello. Chandler is a great help to his mom and dad around the house; it’s great to have another “man” growing up to help them out. Chandler played basketball again this last winter and loves swimming. He’s also amazing on his ripstick (a self-propelling skateboard). Chandler is doing great in boy scouts this year, and has set a goal to get his eagle before his 13^th birthday. Wow!

Andrew Gregory (almost 14) is growing into a great man. He shows great responsibility in all that he’s asked to do, doing his homework, housework, and other tasks without needing reminding. He’s a great example to his younger brothers. He’s also a great babysitter and help to his parents with his younger brothers. Andrew’s doing very well in school, getting nearly all A’s and a few B’s. He continues to show strengths in science, and is in the accelerated science class this year. He also continues to play the cello in orchestra, and is making progress in boy scouts. We are so proud of him.

Sherie (36) is happy. Her hands are full, but they are full of blessings. Most days are quite exhausting, but she’s grateful for the health and energy she does have. Besides being mom and having a new baby, she’s found the opportunity to do a little scrapbooking, painting around the house, and playing the cello a bit. She continues to serve as the Primary children’s chorister, and is also now playing the piano for the ward choir. She also had a great trip to Hawaii in February with Greg, a final “honeymoon” fling before the new baby. We vacationed there with some good friends from Utah, and had a fantastic time.

Greg (39) continues to have the blessing of employment with IBM. He has travelled this year a bit, with another trip to Australia, and several trips to both coasts and Toronto. He was released from the bishopric and now serves on the stake high council. Greg’s biggest project this year was an amazing treehouse that he constructed around one of the red oak trees in our back yard. The kids are in heaven! It was quite the undertaking, but after much planning, was constructed in record time (2 months) just before the cold set in. The kids have been having a blast playing on it now, and can’t wait to sleep out in it next spring!

As far as family vacations, we were blessed with visits from Kristen Parker and Annie Budge (adopted sisters from Utah) in August, the New York cousins (Gary and Michelle Boss’s kids) in August, and Sherie’s parents in September, who were able to be here for Bentley’s baby blessing. With the new baby, we didn’t travel far this year, but we enjoyed a surprise trip to Great Wolf Lodge in the spring, some camping and boating in the summer, and swimming almost every day at the neighbor’s pool. The treehouse has added another dimension of adventure to our back yard, in addition to the water fights, ball play, and laser tag in the woods. We are happy!

We love you all! Have a Merry Christmas!

Love,

The Greg Boss Family

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

Bentley Cleon Boss - The First Three Months

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!