Happy New Year!

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--

Humble Pie Anyone?

We decided to serve ourselves up a few juicy slices these past 7 months. If you'd like a taste or at least share a few laughs and tears with us, read on...

Carl's job in Bullhead City came to an abrupt end on May 23, 2011. It was something we sensed might happen, but never in this way. We scrambled to find alternative employment, and after much thought and prayer accepted a position in Toledo, Ohio. We spent another month tying up loose ends, and preparing to move 2000 miles with our 7 confused children and large drooling labrador. It was denial in it's finest form.

For those that know us, we have been dreaming of home ownership for many years now. The economy and our hard-to-fit group has kept us in the rental world, and we thought that this was a prime time to buy and start living the "American Dream"... (scary music fades in)

Carl flew out to the Toledo area in June, and found a lovely home with all that we desired at a good price, but as he was boarding the plane to return home, the whole deal fell through, and he came home empty handed. Due to our financial limitations and the craziness of our lives, we were forced to complete the home searching process online and do our best to secure a home through our realtor. We thought we found a home that would be great for us. It was good sized with a large yard, and we went ahead and signed the final paperwork on July 26. We piled the kids into a minivan and a moving truck, and began our long drive across the United States. We dreamed of our new "home" and thought that we'd done a brilliant job researching the property through the eyes (rhymes with lies) of others.

After 4 grueling days of driving, at 11:00pm, we pulled into the driveway of our "dream home", only to find out that we'd stumbled into a "night mare". The home was a mess. The whole kitchen and breezeway smelled heavily of cat urine, the windows were painted shut, the ceiling was not square and the rails on the second floor were swaying loosely. Needless to say, we were devastated. The kids were disappointed and crying, and we just couldn't believe it. We decided to sleep there one night. It was horrible--no air circulation, and the house was settling so badly, it sounded like gun shots when the beams would creak.

The next morning, we called our realtor, and to our surprise, he was just angry and told us to "get a good lawyer". (click) So there we were, no where to live, a full moving truck, 2000 miles from anyone we know and a new job starting in 2 days. Thankfully, we had managed to pull ourselves together and find the church building. We attended church and fell into the arms of some of the kindest people we have yet met on this earth. We stayed the next night at a hotel trying to gather our thoughts and get some rest. By morning, some ward members had found us a vacant house to stay in until things settled with our real estate blunder. We moved our stuff into the garage so we could return the moving van, and just brought in some clothes, and bedding to "survive" on for a while.

Carl started work the next day. We couldn't find any nice clothes, so we bought him some. He managed to shower and dry off with a clean T-shirt (we are classy folks) and show up to his first day of work. Lora and the kids stayed in the borrowed house. The owners of the scary house continued to harass us and drove us to involve lawyers. They wanted to sue us for $10,000, then $50, 000. We didn't know what to do. Life became surreal and we just lived day-to-day out of an ice chest and the laundromat. Some kind sisters in the ward opened up their homes to our children to play and it took an edge off of their confusion and fears. We pulled together every night on the floor of this little house with 1 bathroom, and would just read together and pray for miracles like we'd never prayed before. Days turned into weeks, and the school year was starting. Our poor children were lost feeling and very worried. Finally, we found a rental that was sufficient for our family and at a price we could finally afford. We moved in exactly 30 days from our arrival.

The kids started school about 1 week late and Clay was able to get into school on time at a Magnet School, that didn't require a permanent address. All of our down payment money was now spent on the rental for the deposit, and the first and last month installment. We felt like we'd been through an emotional war. This home felt like absolute heaven after living in such sub-par conditions. We appreciate things like: a refrigerator, working stove, dishes and silverware, home cooked food, beds off the floor, and a place to collect mail.

This has been the single most poignant experience of our lives and has helped to define and humble us in ways we never suspected. We struggle daily with feelings of this experience being a blessing or a curse. We cannot decide if we brought it upon ourselves or if it is a rare gift of adversity that drove compassion, humility, and charity into our very core.

So here we are, in Toledo, Ohio. If we had a dime for every time we heard a person say, "You moved from Arizona to HERE? " we might have enough money to settle the lawsuit pending against us. Yes, the owners of the "scary house" continue to hound us. We received a subpoena from the sheriff on November 21. They are now suing us for $200,000. So, the plot thickens, or "sickens", as they say. (sigh)

On a happier note, aside from all of the "house-stuff", life is pretty good. We literally feel of the prayers on our behalf and are especially grateful to see the light in our children's eyes returning. In their innocent and wise ways, they have come to love Ohio. I hope it is evident in the pictures running along these words that they are happy. We are happy, too, but changed forever. We no longer seek for happiness in the things of the world. We still like to have fun, and some "stuff" is of course essential and enjoyable, but we see it for what it is--stuff.

There are of course a million details and nuances to all of these events that could fill volumes. The bottom line is, we are fine. We decided from this experience, that losing money is not eternally significant, but losing the spirit is. We strive every day to keep the spirit of forgiveness and love and fight the anger that could be justified.

Top 10 things we love about Toledo?

1. Beautiful trees and plants
2. grass (no rocks!)
3. 4 seasons (still a novelty)
4. Amazing art museum
5. Theaters
6. Symphonies
7. good schools
8. beautiful libraries
9. Large Metro-Parks
10. Strong Boy Scouting programs

Top 10 things we miss about California, New Mexico, Missouri, and Arizona?:

1. you
2. and you
3. and you
4. and you
5. and you
6. and you
7. and, oh, you
8. and yes, even you,
9. and you too...sort of
10. oh, and the mountains.

Happy Holidays from the Wild-Wild- MID-WESTphals!!

Happy Holidays!

St. Patrick's Day

WE WILL-WE WILL

SHAM-ROCK YOU!

(Leia was heard singing this today

when riding her scooter on the back porch...

we had a good laugh!)

The goofy Westphal clan spent another silly holiday together making the best of it. We all thought "GREEN" all day, from clothes to food...here's a few pictures to see how people with more kids than money spend a day in the life.

Corned Beef and Cabbage (Carl's favorite meal...)

We tried "Irish Soda Bread" for the first time...the kids gave it a sporting taste, but only Carl liked it. We are sure he has some irish blood!
Grasshopper Pie to finish the meal (pistachio flavored...)
Lacey and Luke being cute---colored lemonade and apples for a little more GREEN!






Cora testing the lemonade ...
(sporting a green striped sweater and holding a green cup!)

Christian thinks green things are magical now...made the apples taste extra good

(he ate 3 today!)

Clay and his green shirt...

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY-

WESTPHAL STYLE

Chinese New Year 2010

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

It is the Year of the Tiger! Catie is the only "Tiger" in the family and she proudly poses with a little tiger and her best Chinese costume. We were so glad to have John, Jessica and Ethan to join in our silly festivities this year! We had a lot of fun preparing delicious, authentic Chinese food, making homemade decorations and enjoying the company and ethnic treat.

This is Clay performing as the "Dragon" in the parade. The kids suprised us by putting together an after dinner show that they prepared while we were cooking.


Christian was his usual silly self, and we all took an opportunity to "rub Buddah's Belly" for good luck in 2010! (Thanks Ethan!)


Luke took his part as Lantern bearer very seriously--he lead out the parade and the kids dazzled us with their dancing and artistic flare.

Luke meditating and bringing in the spirit of the Tiger!

Ethan and Jessica getting ready for "the feast"!

The decorations are in place and the table is set!

Ethan and Christian have some fun while they wait.

This is a cute pose of Leia and Ethan,
She just fell in love with him at this visit.

Lora looking ever so matronly and making the "dumplings!" (these are yummy...but I still need to perfect them somehow?)

Carl specializes in Chow Mein...it blows away any we've ever had before!











Jessica is a good sport and helped us fry up the tempura chicken...you can never have enough hands for this meal! (John was very helpful...he cheered us on...)

Lacey and clay having a "dumpling fight" (yeah...we've watched Kung Fu Panda one too many times...)


Lacey performing as "Grandmother Chang", the story teller" --she did a great job retelling the story of "The Empty Pot". We were all very impressed with her improvisation.

All in all, it was a nice evening and a great visit! Thanks John, Jessica, and Ethan (and Gemma, too!) We enjoyed seeing you!

"

Salt Lake City Trip

uhhh...Dad, ARE WE THERE YET?

I think we mentioned to most of our family that we took a spur of the moment trip to Salt Lake City the weekend before Christmas. Sometimes it's good not to think of something too long, because we talk ourselves out of doing it. Logically, taking 9 people to Salt Lake City, in bad, dreary weather, in a van built for 8 people, driving 10 hours one-way, and staying in a hotel with 7 kids sounds like a horrible experience...right? Let's just say that we had some ups and downs, (the few downs were mostly due to cramped spaces, hunger, tiredness, and snow...) but we had WAY more ups. And that's what blogs are for, right? The "Ups", so here they are:

Day 1: Driving to Salt Lake, Arrival at the hotel, live nativity at Liberty park.

The Little America hotel has quickly become our favorite place to stay in Salt Lake. We were introduced to it for John and Jessica's wedding, and then Carl and Clay stayed there to attend General Conference, and now we will probably always choose to stay there when we visit. The rooms were huge, affordable, clean and cozy. The beautiful indoor, heated pool was a big hit with the kids, and the opportunity to jump on "Trax" right out the front door to visit Temple Square was so convenient and completely fun for our city starved kids who thought it was the only way to travel. The live nativity got us happily in the mood for the real meaning of Christmas, as we traveled around from scene to scene, being reminded of the "Echoes of Christmas", as we are still in awe of this amazing story even 2000 years later. There was singing, and real animals (sheep, camel, donkey...very big plus with the little ones). All of us enjoyed it, except Luke. He muttered the whole time that it was "Boring", but in the end a kind older man, seeing his sulkiness let him hold his dogs leash, and in the magical way of children, he somehow thought that it was a perfect evening after that!

Day 2: Church in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, dinner at Sizzler, nap time, a trip across to the Grand America for a Teddy Bear and Gingerbread House Display, and a finale to Temple Square for the beautiful lights and to hear a choir in the Assembly Hall.

We began the day blissfully choosing a ward to attend that wasn't too early and not too late. We dressed the kids in cozy sweaters and sweater dresses, and took our first trip on "the train". We arrived to the "oohs" and "Ahhs" of the children as they admired the intricate beauty of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. We found the chapel, and sat cozily on the back bench. Cora was already a mess with tiredness, but even that was not a damper on the day as we were constantly attended to by a "children starved" ward that offered compassionate smiles, and assistance. The meeting was pleasant and uplifting. We filled up on food at Sizzler to make it last the rest of the day, and went back to the hotel for even more delicious naps. Later in the evening, Clay, Lacey, Luke, Leia, and Lora went across to the Grand America hotel to see a Teddy bear Exhibit in the Presidential Suite, (collected for Charity) and a saw a breathtaking Gingerbread House display by the Grand America head Chefs to help support juvenile diabetes (I know, a bit ironic...but it was so cool) Probably the best part was the trip up to the 23rd floor via a high speed elevator.

Having children reminds you that everything is fun!

After some relaxation, we went back to Temple Square, and enjoy

ed the awesome display of lights and a lovely choir in the Assembly Hall to make the night feel so like Christmas time!

Under the 75 foot tall "Cedar of Lebanon", our favorite tree

Christian looking thrilled...

Day 3: The Church History Museum, Dinner with Santa, and Hogle Zoo Lights Spectacular.

One of the reasons we wanted to take the kids to Salt Lake was for them to experience the Museum. I have many fond memories of going there as a child and young adult. It quietly strengthened my testimony and we hope that it instilled a sense of the strength of the church into our children's souls. We took each of them to Joseph and Hyrum's death masks for that one on one connection that we hoped would make the history a reality to them. It was an enjoyable trip. All of the children loved it.

I think these "sermon" pictures are HILARIOUS!!!

In a total internet fluke, I stumbled across an opportunity to have a hot buffet dinner with "Santa" and a trip to the Hogle Zoo for not much more than dinner would have cost us, and it turned out to be such a fun evening. (By the way, this was the REAL Santa. We were lucky enough to actually meet him. )The dinner was delicious and the whole thing was wonderful. We really enjoyed the Zoo lights even though we were freezing, it was good winter fun, and an excellent way to end the trip. Cora was completely in love with all of the animals. We can't wait to take her to a zoo in better weather. She is too cute.

Can you guess which one is OUR child? (below)

This is so FUN! Cora's first Carousel ride


Clay found a snow "gun" and said "FREEZE!" get it????

Day 4: pack up, check out, visit Carl's brother Brian and his family and meet their new son, drive back to sunny Bullhead City.

This day started a bit rough as the snow began to fall heavily and we were silently concerned about the Beaver/Fillmore area. We stopped briefly near Lehi, in Eagle Mountain, and met Brian, Emily, their cute girls and their new, beautiful son, William Brian Westphal. He is precious and all is well with their family. The snow dissipated and we set off on the long ride home. We met Carl's parents briefly in Las Vegas to exchange gifts as they were on their way up to see their new grandson and spend Christmas up there. We arrived home to find all well, and welcomed the warm weather and coziness of familiarity. Sometimes the best part of a trip is coming home. We are sure glad we went and look forward to other unplanned trips in the future!