My actual BirthDAY wasn't the greatest, as I had a cold and felt crummy. But Ben & Jen showed up at our door that evening with a birthday cake and lots of cheer! Here Greg re-lights the candles after the fan blew them out. Then I pretended to blow them out, since a virus blown all over the cake didn't seem like the best idea.
I'm feeling better already though, and ready to jump back into life.
So Sunday, I turned 31. Very exciting.
Not really, especially since I came down with a cold Saturday night. But thankfully, we spent the afternoon on Saturday at the beach with our friends and neighbors, the Myers family. We had such a great time at the beach, that I decided it was my official birthday celebration.
So here we are!
And here's the Myers fam.
Greg checks out the waves with Ally & Addie.
Jen and I had a blast- mostly just standing around watching the kids play and watching the guys play and yaking.
I had heard it said, and now I agree, that if a parent wants a relaxing day with their children along, they should go to the beach! I couldn't believe how long the kids played contentedly without any parental involvement!
Here's Addie & Ally playing in the sand.
Ben, Ceana, & Ally
Addie in her swimmin' suit! (notice the bandage covering the huge skinned knee she had)
And finally, she takes after Greg on something! Little miss walked up to our beach bag, got out the frisbee, walked a few paces away, said "Mommy, play!" and threw it to me! This is a shot of her throwing the frisbee!
I would say that the best part of the beach experience was definetely watching the boys boogy-boarding in the waves. I couldn't have planned a more entertaining experience for Jen and I, and the guys said they had a lot of fun too.
Even though they are total novices, they gave it a good try and stayed in playing for a loooooong time. They got pretty beat up by the waves, but seemed to think it was fun.
I know I have mentioned before that we've been enjoying finding so many similarities between Greg and Ben, but perhaps this best demonstrates it. Both guys thought before going into the waves to take off their wedding bands, lest the ocean knock them off (which it would have), and we had to laugh as we were holding them....
Notice any similarities?
Here is a shot of Greg, after the ocean had it's way with him.
How was it honey? You a little thrashed?
Out in Ventura, there's this fish & chips place that we just love. We go everytime we're out there. And more fun than just going, is bringing someone new there to experience the delicious food. Here's Greg, giving his approval.
Addie sucks a lemon. She chose to do this- no one suggested it to her- and to our surprise, she did it repeatedly.
Ben & Jen approve!
A cute picture of Ben & Ceana from the harbor.
After eating at Andria's, we took a walk throught he harbor village shops and stopped at the amusement area so the kids could ride the carousel. What little girl doesn't love the carousel?
Here's Ceana- can't you feel the excitement?
Greg and Addie
Ben & Ally
And already I have ANOTHER funny statement from Addie to share! (well, at least it cracked us up) We went to the grocery store yesterday, and to a store we haven't been to before. So when the checker said hi to Addie, she didn't know that this isn't the friendly kid. Usually when the checker says hi, Addie very quietly says hi back, and only because it's a rule at our house that you respond politely to adults. So imagine our shock when Addie responded to this woman, "Hi!" The checker then asked the obligatory, "How old are you?" and we were surprised to hear "Two and a half." (She knows she's two, but I've never heard her say "and a half"!) The conversation continued with, "what's your name?" and Addie knew that one- "Adelyn Grace Spang-a-ler" she answered proudly. The checker finally asked, "are you in prechool or anything?" and Addie looked at the woman with this funny look, as if to say, don't you know this? and said "No.... I'm in the grocery store." Duh lady. It just made us chuckle.
I am realizing that this blog is not the most honest representation of our dear daughter. After reading about a funny incident with my friend's Melissa's daughter having a public meltdown, I realized that only the good and funny parts of Addie are being shared here, so in all fairness, let me tell you that yesterday when Addie was playing in Grant's room, I had to intervene SEVERAL times because Addie was yelling "No No NO" at him. This is a popular phrase with Addie. She and Grant have become almost officially brother and sister, becuase she will react SO big over him touching her, and he, being a boy, can almost not resist doing it again just to get the reaction. Most play times together now involve the joint discussion of "We don't need to holler about being touched" and "let's not touch her then if she doesn't like it." Yes, she's prissy, I'm afraid. We have also begun to reach the phase of "mine," and though we're trying to explain that everything actually belongs to God, the two-year-old mind has not quite latched on to this thinking. That's OK, my 30-year-old mind hasn't quite got it either.
Sleep, I think, is an elusive beast.
I had never thought so much about sleep during all my years (stop laughing) than since we've added Addie to our family. It is the reoccuring issue of our home- lack of it anyway. When Addie doesn't feel well, it is the first thing to go. And I miss it!
So this last week we've had a touch of the flu- nothing really bad, just a bug with fever and EXHAUSTION. We all got it- even Greg- who spent one day sleeping in, then spending another 5 hours during the day sleeping more. Greg feels fine now, and Addie seems to be mostly better, except for waking at night (of course) and being extra cranky. I feel fine, except for the really tired thing.
The funny thing is, I'm up blogging right now while the rest of the family is asleep. Why? Because I can't fall asleep!!! All day when I want to sleep, I can't, and when I finally get the chance, I'm wide awake! And the worst of it is knowing that because I'm not sleeping now, I'll be more tired tomorrow! Augh! Oh well. God's given me the grace to get through each day so far and I'm sure tomorrow will be no different.
Here's a picture of Addie from last week, running through the hallways of the SAG building (the Screen Actor's Guild). I know I have to explain now WHY she was running through SAG of all places- it happened to be next door to the La Brea tar pits and have a great bathroom, OK?
Anyway, as I look at this picture I think "She's getting SO big!" And this morning we thought the same thing, so we measured her. Turns out, she's grown 2 inches since the last time we measured her! I'm not sure how long ago that was, since she virtually stopped growing for forever and so we gave up measuring, but nevertheless, here she is- a BIG girl!
So all that money spent getting degrees from the Master's College- it's paying off! The alumni association invited we local alums to a Dodger Game- on them! Not just the game, but all-you-could-eat food and bus ride down and back. Now, turns out the bus ride thing wasn't my favorite. I got car sick (well, bus sick) on the way down and almost gave the whole bus a show as we were arriving at Dodger stadium. Greg took a picture of me, but oddly enough, I decided NOT to post it for public viewing. Once on solid ground though, I started feeling better and we had a great time.
Here are Brooke & Chris Kropf (our favorite neighbors who go to church with us) :)
Tom & Yetta Garwood (our favorite lovers of Ireland and fellow reflux parents)
Nate & Ashley Murray (Our favorite friends from Chapel Media Days)
And then of course, Gary, who likes to try and mess up my pictures. Gary is our favorite.... well... Gary.
Just to torture Kim, Krista, Heather, and others...
Greg's pastrami dog and "Mulholland Drive" dog
My "Lord of the Rings" dog (with onion rings) and "Walk of Fame" Dog (with coleslaw and tomatoes)
Julie models her beverage of choice 
Last week when my cousin Julie was visiting we were able to spend a little time looking at the La Brea tar pits. I am just now getting around to posting the pictures!
Here we are, with big fierce animals perishing behind us. (Don't worry, it's only pretend).
Julie and Addie. Notice Addie the sassy waver.
Oooh! Fossils! Addie loved these since a fovrite thing lately has been growling "like a dinosaur."
If you look closely in the shadows, there's Greg and Addie.
After taking my cousin Julie to the airport that afternoon, we Spanglers found a spot to watch the fireworks at the mall. Knowing we'd be sitting awhile waiting for the fireworks to start, we decided to get some glo-sticks to play with while we waited. We had a blast with them! 
Addie and I wore them, and Greg played with the different settings on our camera to get a picture.
Here's what happens if you use the flash... 
And what you see if you don't!
(That's Addie, with anklets and bracelets, holding a big ring in front of her face)
