We appreciate all of the sympathy that we got from our last blog. We are looking into the face of 2012 with a renewed hope that things will be brighter and try to enjoy each moment a little more. We are doing well and adjusting to life here in the northern midwest. We have experienced a very mild winter, hardly any snow. We've had some cold days in the single digits, but we really cannot complain. We went from summer in Bullhead City, AZ, to summer in Ohio, to winter in Ohio. To those fellow Star Wars fans, it was like traveling from Tatooine, to Endor, to Hoth, all in 2 months time! Poor Cora was wearing shorts and snow boots. It's very confusing to adjust!
Christmas was fun. We really enjoyed having Carl's sister Carrie and her husband, Will at our home. They are very loved by the Westphal kids! Carrie took Clay and Catie on a whirlwind day trip to Chicago for a day of "highs"(the Sears Tower) and "lows" (the subway)--topped off with a taste of Chicago Style pizza. Everyone needs an "aunt Carrie" to remind them to enjoy life.
We have also tried to keep the kids busy, which of course keeps mom and dad busy. Carl is the Scout Master, and has had one campout, with another "Klondike" style scheduled next week. We are utilizing the great resource of the YMCA. It cures the winter blues. We just completed our annual "Westphal Style" Chinese New Year celebration. We had some new friends over and had some homemade dumplings, chow mein, orange chicken, rice and homemade fortune cookies with silly fortunes with a little twist of "Lora" humor.
Here's an update:
Clay is still at the Toledo Technology Academy. His skills and understanding of science are growing and we do not doubt that mixed with his established sense of curiosity and "out-of-the-box" mind, interesting things will come of it. In addition to all that he does, he is taking karate classes, weight training and a weekly swim class. He also takes good care of his baby (80 lb labrador, "Scout") and is trying to earn his "Eagle" in scouts.
Catie is looking to attend an interesting magnet high school called the Toledo School for the Arts. She and I toured it about a week ago. It is a really unique school, with arts (music, visual, dance) integrated across the curriculum. She is interested in percussion, drama, visual arts, and has a natural talent in writing. So we hope she can get in. It's a lottery system, and there's only about 15 openings per year, but we'll see!
Lacey is still playing flute in the band at her school. She has made a few friends, and continues to receive high grades in all of her classes. She is very dedicated to learning and has made a great start in junior high. She still likes to tease us daily, and can be very entertaining. (at least to us...)
Luke is a cutie and developing a funny sense of humor, also. He loves to draw and it is still a large part of who he is. He loves history, art, and science and tires me with his endless barrage of questions. I hear myself say, "Hmmm, I'm not sure" as in "I'm not sure if atoms are made of atoms..." (ouch my brain!)
Leia is adorable and lovable and like a butterfly in that she is beautiful, but it also represents her attention span. (as in she doesn't have one). In some way, it makes her endearing, but it is interesting to watch her march around the house in the morning with one shoe on, half an eaten bowl of cereal, and a comic book in her hand. I grumble that I can't take another minute of it just when she comes running back from the bus stop to say in a panting voice, "I almost forgot to hug you!"--all is forgiven.
Christian is finally enrolled in preschool and in love with all of it. We found an excellent 3 day a week program for him. He is absolutely adorable and it makes me mad that kids become so cute right before they leave you for kindergarten! He is writing his name and wanting to be very "grown-up". I took him to the park yesterday and by the time we left about 4 girls were following him around and giggling at all of his silly antics. He's going to be heartbreaker.
Cora is hilarious. She cocks her head and talks on her (broken) cell phone to "Justin Bieber", and passes the phone to me to say hello. (yay) When asked if she is beautiful, she responds with a quick and surprisingly humble, "yes". (I hope that never changes.) She loves to "dance" her own way (no formal lessons), go swimming, play babies and in her little pretend kitchen and play with her brothers and sisters.
As for Carl and I, sometimes we live life, and sometimes it lives us. We are still recuperating quietly from the roller coaster of our past year, heck, the past 16 years. We've had some interesting times together. Not that we're saying we have it harder than anyone else, but it's no doubt been a ride.
We love and miss you all--
