Merry Christmas 2020!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, loved ones!

Attending Hamilton with Dad, Michael,
Mom, Bentley and Seth

(to be updated when he comes home!)

Andrew continues his studies at BYU in biochemistry. He worked overthe summer for Michigan Sugar. We are excited to spend Christmas break with him - his brothers have missed him! Andrew makes us all laugh daily with his meme posts in the family chat - and then he educates most of us as he explains the chemistry ones. He has a real gift for teaching others, and his sense of humor is the best!

When Chandler visited in the spring,
we got to celebrate his and Clayton's
birthdays together

(to be updated when he comes home!)

Chandler is also at BYU, and has settled on a Mechanical Engineering
degree. After finals, Chandler will take  a quick visit to Anaheim and then he’ll also be coming home for Christmas; we’re so excited to have the whole family together again for a week or two. He has been working as a Physics TA this semester and really enjoys it. He’s been asked by 4 different professors to TA a class (math and physics). He is a great teacher and we love seeing him use this gift of knowledge to help others too.

Pizza, cake and a movie? A perfect
combination for a birthday party!

Jordan worked at McDonald’s in Idaho at the beginning of this year, but came home from BYU-Idaho during the Covid shutdown in the Spring and took up his old job at Greater Michigan Oral Surgeons. He helps clean instruments and also works the front desk some days. It keeps him busy! He is considering a career in dental hygiene or something in the dental field. In the meantime, he’s enjoying earning money and continuing on his road of independence. His brothers have sure enjoyed having him around (he lives in the basement) - every time he walks in the door they’re asking him to play with them or teach them something. He’s such a kind loving brother.

Golfing with Mike, Bentley & Mom

Seth (16, junior) is taking a couple AP classes, and continues to play the cello in orchestra (as much as that can be a reality these days!). He is really shining on the piano - he’s close to conquering Moonlight Sonata - all 3 movements! He’s got a Youtube channel in the works that will be published any day now.  He also has a few music students (cello and piano). He continues to have 100% attendance at seminary. He also did the tennis team again in the fall. Seth is very self-driven and diligent, and at the same time optimistic and funny. He inspires everyone around him!

Homemade pizza using our garden
tomatoes to make the sauce!

Michael (14, freshman) has had an interesting, to say the least,
introduction to high school, with all the virtual, half and half in-person and virtual, and then back to all virtual learning. He’s taking a drawing class and discovering some hidden talents there, is doing well in his honors coursework, and is also in early morning seminary for the first time this year. He joined the tennis team with Seth and had a great time. He also is in orchestra, but boy it will be nice when things get more normal - that’s pretty tough to do over zoom. Michael also loves to cook and improves his culinary skills daily! Michael is still our funny man. He’s quick on his feet with his jokes, but also with his problem-solving skills! I can depend on him to fix things around here with his 3D print design skills.

The huge catfish Bentley caught
before releasing it back.

Bentley (10, 5th grade) is very responsible and self driven. He attends
all of his virtual classes (there was a blessed 3 week period where he got to attend every day!) and does all of his homework without any problem. He puts forth his best efforts and has a great attitude considering all the circumstances. He is progressing quite well on the piano this year, and is beginning to branch out into more “fun” music. He is also following his brother Seth’s example and tries to eat healthier, plus he is working on running a faster mile. Bentley still amazes me with his insights and questions - he doesn’t takes blanket statements or explanations for granted; he wants to know, “but why, but how?” until it really makes sense to him.

String art! One of many covid projects

Clayton (6, 1st grade) is such a fast learner! The first few days of at-home learning Mom thought she would have to sit by his side all day. He wanted to do as much as he could on his own, and now he’s an expert! He’ll call her in for help spelling a few words here and there, but he’s mostly independent. He is my best worker, and fights to set his alarm as early as possible each morning so he can get all his jobs done before school. He has consistently done all his jobs every day since school has started! He has also started playing the piano this year and has a great sense of rhythm. His tender heart is such a blessing to our family. Recently, he served his brother Seth by doing all his Friday jobs and kept telling mom over and over how good he felt inside. What a great example he sets.

Joseph baking and frosting a cake

Joseph (3 ½) has amazing observational and experimental skills. You have to be real careful what you do in front of him, or in the next moment, he’ll be doing the very same thing, confident that he is just as capable (he loves to work the apple corer/spiralizer, peel carrots, cook and butter toast and bagels, and so on). He’s also decided he can go on runs just like Seth, and I can barely keep up with him as he runs down to the end of the street and back. The sweet phrases he says each day touch our heart: “I need you Mommy!” “I love my Mommy.” and “Okay!” even in response to something he might not want to do. He brings us such joy!

Greg presenting about creating patents at an
Optum conference in India. He arrived home
from this trip on March 13th, the day that
everything started shutting down.

Golfing with friends for our anniversary -
one of our few dates this year that wasn't
takeout and a movie at home!

Greg and Sherie are still the early morning seminary teachers. We currently teach over Zoom, as we have been since the Spring. That was a big adjustment, and not our favorite, but there are some things we’ve learned to love about it. We’re most grateful for the great spiritual start it gives for us each day, and the consistency it’s provided in our upending lives. Greg continues to work for Optum (the technical division of United Health Group), building up their patent culture and adding to his own patent portfolio. 

Fun at the beach at Lake Michigan

Our family outings this summer were both camping ones. We enjoyed camping on Lake Michigan in July, and on Higgins Lake in August. Both were with good friends and left us with such great memories. Early in the year the older ones enjoyed going to see Hamilton in Grand Rapids, and the Blue Man Group in Midland. It’s been an interesting year. Not easy, but, as we’ve counted our blessings, we have found ourselves happy and optimistic.

We are most grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ, and for the blessing that God sent His only begotten Son. We are grateful to focus on this gift during this season of Christmas. We pray you will feel the love of our Savior and Heavenly Father during this time. We love you all!

Love,

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

Merry Christmas 2019!

This year has been a monumental and blessed year for our family. In August, we were united with all eight children for the first time ever! (Joseph, our last, was born during Andrew’s mission, and when Andrew returned, Chandler was on his mission). Chandler returned from his mission in July, and we all travelled to Utah in August to reunite with Andrew. It was an amazing time! We are looking forward to our first Christmas together in just a couple short weeks.

Andrew (almost 23) is studying biochemistry at BYU (Provo) and working at a storage facility. It’s been great watching Andrew take on the challenges of adulthood and face them with courage and a strong will. He is going to do great things!

Chandler (20) is home from serving his 2 year mission in Anaheim California. He is a freshman at BYU (Provo) probably majoring in Computer Science or some kind of Engineering degree. He continues to program like it’s second nature, and also has an amazing problem-solving mind. We can’t wait to see what impact he has on the world!

Jordan (18) graduated from high school and is at his first semester of college at BYU (Idaho)! He is majoring in Computer Info Tech and minoring in Music Performance and ace-ing his classes. We are looking forward to hearing him tickle the ivories again when he comes home (and share some original compositions as well!)

Seth (15) is a sophomore, taking honors and AP courses, learning to program, playing the cello, and making amazing progress on the piano as well. He has also begun composing music! He joined the high school tennis team this year and just beat his PR of 6:30 for his mile run. He continues to arise consistently at 5am each day to attend seminary in our home - he’s still at 100% attendance since beginning seminary!

Michael (13) is in his last year of middle school (8th grade), and managed to finish his eagle before the year ended! He is also in honors classes, and did well at the Delta Math competition in the spring, placing in the top 25 again. He also plays the cello in the orchestra. Michael continues to impress us with his out-of-the-box thinking and engineering skills.

Bentley (9) is in 4th grade and loves it! He enjoyed going to a few weeks ago (his first 3 days away from home!). Bentley excels at math, and is also excited to be in the upcoming school spelling bee! Bentley continues to wow us with amazing questions, and interesting bits of knowledge that he picks up and shares with us.

Clayton (5) is in Kindergarten and loves school! He is careful and patient in his work, and has the perseverance to work on a project or worksheets to completion. He loves to build legos! He is still a tenderhearted sweet boy. His reading skills improve each day and we love to watch him read to his little brother.

Joseph (2 ½) is a bundle of fun! He’s currently resisting potty training, but still makes us all laugh daily. He loves to “sing” and dance and loves all music .A couple of weeks ago Seth was singing in the church choir. Joseph gave us a good chuckle when he stood on his seat and cried out “yay!” at the end. He is picking up new words every day, and Mom’s favorite is when he grabs her face and gives her a kiss. He brings us so much joy!

Sherie and Greg continue to serve as early morning seminary teachers in our home. We love this calling so much! It is a great sacrifice of time, but the blessings are uncountable. Greg is working for Optum (of United Healthcare) and continues to add to his patent portfolio (moving up on the list of most prolific inventors!). We enjoyed finishing our basement over the last year and a half.  

 Our family enjoyed a vacation to Utah in August (our niece/cousin Samantha got married our there too), and a beautiful week on Lake Michigan at a house we rented with family the last week of summer break. A family campout at Lake Higgins at the end of July left us with some great memories with good friends as well.

We are so grateful for this time of year to remember our Savior Jesus Christ. We love you all and send our love and greetings as you celebrate His birth and the light He brings to the world.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

With Love,

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

Merry Christmas 2018!

Merry Christmas friends and family! 2018 has been a great year for our family. Here are some of the highlights from this past year.

 

Andrew (almost 22) completed his two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Mesa Arizona area, and returned home in May. What a wonderful reunion that was! He got to meet his youngest new brother for the first time! Many tears of joy, laughter and hugs were shared. We enjoyed having him at home as he worked over the summer for Michigan Sugar again. He returned to BYU in the fall, where he continues his studies in Chemistry and girls. We’re not sure which subject he finds more complex! We are looking forward to having him home for Christmas break.

Chandler (19) is in the second year of his mission in the Anaheim California area. He is doing fantastic! We love reading his emails each week, hearing about the progress he is making personally and with those he is teaching. He makes us laugh with every single email as well - his sense of humor is awesome! Chandler is currently serving as a Zone Leader and has learned so much about personal revelation, hard work, and enduring through physical exhaustion and sleep deprivation!

Jordan (17) is in his last year of high school and senioritis hasn’t hit too hard yet! He has a schedule he really enjoys - lots of music classes! He’s taking piano, guitar, choir, (and would be in orchestra as well if there hadn’t been schedule conflicts), AP Calculus, IB English, and Peer to Peer. He’s also tutoring and teaching piano lessons after school. He played a lead role in the school musical this fall (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and continues to amaze us with his performing and musical talents! We’re excited to see what his future holds.

Seth (14) is shining in high school! He’s in his freshman year and keeping stellar grades in his honor classes. He continues to excel in math and science. He finished his eagle project in the spring and is just needing to do the final paperwork to earn his Eagle. Seth is in seminary for the first time this year and is a star student, arising at 5:00am, arriving 15+ minutes every morning and maintaining 100% attendance. He serves in the Teachers Quorum presidency. He is also influencing his family to pick up on his healthy habits of eating better and exercising daily. 

Michael (12) is a 7th grader at middle school and is also an honors student. He loves going to math clubs and participating in intramural sports before school. He is loving being a Boy Scout and camping, fishing, being outside, etc. He was ordained a deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood in October and faithfully passes the sacrament each week. He has an inventive mind and is a creative problem solver. A few weeks ago he repaired a Nintendo DS that was in my Ebay “sell for parts” pile (it was completely dead, not charging or turning on). I still don’t know what he did to fix it!

Bentley (8) was baptized over the summer when he turned eight. He chose to have his oldest brother Andrew baptize him. Bentley is loving 3rd grade - he really is! Whenever I ask him how school was, he enthusiastically tells me, great! And tells me some fun thing they did. This is a change from 2nd grade, when it was always a negative response. I think he’s feeling more challenged this year. Bentley started cub scouts over the summer and is loving the outdoor activities as well. Bentley loves to build legos, build in Minecraft, and play with friends.

Clayton (4) is in preschool with his cousin and loving it! He loves to feel more grown-up like his older brothers. He is a great older brother to Joseph and is always watching out for him. Clayton is starting to get into Legos and still loves swords, Star Wars, Mario, and superheroes. He is very kind hearted and is often doing helpful, peacemaking things without being asked. Just the other day, two of his brothers were arguing about a spill and who’s fault it was. Before I could intervene, Clayton had already cleaned it up for them!

Joseph (20 months) is our happy smiley boy! His face lights up for everyone. He is very friendly and happy to go to most everyone, though Mom is his favorite. When Andrew came home from his mission he went right to him, let Andrew hold him for a minute and just smiled at him. He is very curious and quite nimble. We have found him on top of the grand piano, inside the sink with the water turned on, on top nightstands and end tables, and we’re just waiting for the day he crawls right out of his crib. He has refused the high chair and must sit at the table with the family. He is always watching and trying to imitate - if we can do it, he must be able to do it too - all by himself! He’s not speaking a lot of words yet - too many older brothers anticipating his every need. He brings so much joy to our family!

Greg and Sherie have had an eventful year! We both changed church callings. Sherie was released as YW President and Greg as primary teacher; we were both called to be early morning seminary teachers. This means teaching the scriptures to the 14-18 year olds in our ward every school day from 6:00 to 7:00 am. We are loving this calling! It is the first time we’ve worked together in a calling, and though it’s been a great sacrifice of time (and sleep!), we have already seen blessings from it. 

We teach in our home and therefore had a great excuse to finally finish out basement! It has been a monumental task that has taken all our spare time and weekends. We started in July and are feeling pretty close to the end. We held seminary in our dining room until just after Thanksgiving when enough of the basement was ready.

After 20+ years with IBM, Greg has changed jobs. He now works for United Health Group (Optum) and his work is primarily focused on intellectual property and creating patents. We are blessed that he continues to be able to work from home, and he still travels occasionally.  

We are looking forward to a great 2019! Chandler will return home in the summer, and we will be united as a family of 10 for the first time ever! We pray that you and yours have a blessed Christmas, a happy new year, and a memorable 2019! We love you all!

Love,

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