Spangler Christmas Letter

This is the time of year when we summarize the last year of our life for those who aren’t part of the day-to-day operations around here (or those who are, and just don’t pay attention and need a recap).
It’s been a good, relatively calm year at our house. Mostly because Addie and Niki were sick much less this year, praise God. Not only were there fewer illness, but because of that we were also able to be out and about more this year, having a lot of fun!
We’ve enjoyed all the things we love about Southern California- being out in the sun, going to Disneyland and several botanical gardens, local eateries and landmarks. We went on our first camping trip as a family, and to the beach several times, where Greg surfed for the first time. We visited Greg’s family in Phoenix this Spring, then Greg and I took a short trip to San Diego for our anniversary. We went to Seattle twice; once for Niki’s Grandma’s funeral in the spring, and again in late summer for Niki’s mom’s 60th birthday. Greg also had a Grandparent pass away this year, and was glad to be able to go to Pennsylvania for his grandfather’s funeral and some quality time with his family. We were so glad for the chance to take these trips, even the non-vacations ones.
We had a double visit from Greg’s parents this spring. Once for pleasure, then Greg’s mom returned a few weeks later to help when we all got really sick at the same time. What a lifesaver! She got to see Addie covered in red dots from roseola- she was a sight. We also welcomed Niki’s cousin Julie for a visit over the Fourth of July and had such a great time with her.

Even at home, we had a blast this year. Greg has joined me in an interest of cooking (and eating) and we’ve really enjoyed trying new things and working together. Greg even prepared the Thanksgiving turkey this year.
Addie has kept us entertained. Her strengths lie in her verbal abilities. Her athletic abilities… well, that will keep her humble throughout her life I think. She loves books and is even starting to read- sounding out words like cat, dog, stop and such. We were so shocked when she started to do this! She also likes music and cuddling.
We’ve had a great time with our neighbors this year. They are more than neighbors, and are some of our closest friends. We’ve had several potlucks and parties together throughout the year- at Labor Day, Fourth of July, and Halloween especially. We appreciate the little community here so much. Addie’s 3 closest friend live just doors away and they play together almost every day.

And now, a special reward for those of you who have read this far. Actually, it’s for those of you who either have gotten our Christmas card and went to the effort to check out our blog, or are just a regular to our blog. Our thanks for your interest is that you get to be some of the first for this announcement: I am pregnant! We just found out a few weeks ago and we are excited, though since I have already become quite sick, that takes some of the enthusiasm out of things. I was very sick during my pregnancy with Addie, and had to be medicated all nine months, so we know there’s a chance that we’re in this for the long haul. Regardless, this will just be a season, and well worth it for the payoff of another Spangler in the family! We’ll keep you updated as another great year unfolds, even if the updates consist of “Niki still sick, still laying on couch.”
Oh yeah, and Merry Christmas!