Spangler Family Communication Center

Jessie- what is the address where I can send things to you guys?
-Niki

Okay let's start with Greg and Niki. I agree with Sarah you all should head out to Indy. We could have a small reunion. Mark won't be there :( but his kids will be :)

Now with the thyroid thingy. My mom has some kid of issue with her thyroid. Is there anything I can do to keep from getting it? So far I don't cry before I vacuume and I don't think life is hellish so do you think I'm a ok? I just know my mom has to take meds to regulate her thyroid.

Lastly I've heard good things about that book but I haven't read it yet either. I think I shall read it soon though.

Now an update with #4 and fam

Micah can roll from his back to front and front to back. We are loving life here in TX. Our friends from AL are great. Kelli and Jess go walking/jogging every weekday and then the kids play on the playground together for a while to wear them out just in time for naps. It is good times. Mark wakes up in time to go to PT at 6am and then goes to work by 9am on a typical day. He is going to be getting a lot more flight time as time goes on. This week he's doing a bit of that. He has a lot of studying to do because he is working being the pilot in command in his helocopter. It is very exciting! We just went to a new church this morning and I think we will be returning to it next sunday. It was pretty good. Jess and the kids are very excited to be going to IN and PA. It should be a fun trip to see almost eveyone. Unless of course Niki and Greg come then it will be everyone. Good times.

Now for some motherly advice for Jessica. You all know we are staying in a dorm room and we use the one next door, where Ali sleeps. The kids can't cry here cause the walls are so thin we can hear full conversations from next door clearly. So, they can also hear our kids loud ane and clear. We don't want to ruin a good thing but we are slowly doing this. The kids used to go to sleep with no problem but slowly they are getting more and more crazy at bed time. I'm not sure how to get them to bed without a fuss. I can't let them cry for five minutes and fall asleep and Ali has figured this out. I do know that if I spoil them here I can undo the done when I get back to PHX. I just want to avoid this if possible or at least not completely ruin their good sleep habits. They don't sleep as well here either. Ali wakes way early :( Oh well. Any good ideas?

So, we have a webcam too. We had MSN chat with Mark and Jess last week, and were so impressed with the video and audio, we got one too.

So, Brad and Sarah, it is your turn. As far as price, we got a great one for $40 from an online electronics place in South Bend, of all places. $39.97 with free USPS shipping. Here is the link. It is the lower model of that Mark/Jess, and Mom has, but it does not suffer in performance at all. Their cam has advanced face tracking software and video effects that ours doesn't, but it wasn't worth the extra $60 to us. Easy USB stuff, so it won't be really hard to figure out. And if you get into trouble, I can help you out through one of the features of MSN messenger.

Just a thought, up to you guys. I have to admit that it is a lot more fun seeing people, than just hearing them.

Well, I'm proud to call you both my sisters!

Jess, Greg and I have said numerous times how glad we are that Mark brought you into the family (or that you agreed to Mark's offer to be part of the family). You are an excellent "help mate" to him and handle the challenges that come with this chapter in your life with an up-beat attitude and a "can-do" spirit. What a great example to Ally & Micah! I know that someday you'll arrive on the mission field better prepared than many other families, and your kids will be better prepared too.

Sarah, hearing you talk about discipling Dalton was great. I can't claim any expertise in that area yet since Addie isn't old enough to start much training, but have read a lot trying to get prepared for that stage. (Though reading about something and actually doing it are two different things, I know). Have you ever heard of the book "Shepherding a Child's Heart"? I would be curious to hear what you think about it. We were told about it by some families at church and read it- it seems really good, but then, we haven't had to put it into practice yet. I would love to hear an opinion from someone who is in that stage right now. It was so nice to hear a little about our precious nephews and niece. We really miss you guys.

As for the California Spanglers, I think we are finally calming down. We found out that the first four months of Addie's life she had acid reflux and it was causing her a lot of pain. She was always crying and screaming and I was exhausted. Now that we've caught the issue, she takes medicine twice a day (it's a battle to get her to take it, but it's worth it). We saw a huge change in her once the medicine was started. She is still very strong willed, but overall much happier. She just started sleeping through the night, which really helps too. Praise God!

We also just found out that I've had medical issues going on too. Through an odd series of events, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which means that my thyroid hasn't been working right to regulate my body. It was causing exhaustion, forgetfulness, and sensitivity to cold (i.e. it would be 80 degrees in the house and I would think it felt fine). I laughed when talking with the doctor- how would any new mom not think that being tired and forgetful is just part of her new life? So I've started on a new medication too! It takes several weeks to fully take affect, but I think I'm feeling a little better already. For instance- I don't want to cry at the thought of vacuuming the house (before, that seemed so tiring it would just overwhelm me).

We just had a nice visit from my parents a few weeks ago and my sister a few weeks before that. It was nice to have extra help in taking care of Addie and some family around. It made us both wish that we were closer to family. Greg and I have both been feeling stronger than ever lately that we want to move away from here. A lot of the things that held us here before just don't have as strong of a hold as they used to. The issue is where would we want to go and there is no perfect solution. Both Seattle and Phoenix are strong contenders, but the weather in both places is hard to imagine for one or the other of us. Ultimately, we just wish God would audibly speak and say "Go.... (here)". If not that, then maybe a job transfer or something so clear it would be undeniable. We'll just see. For now, Greg's job is going really well, so picking up and leaving immediately doesn't seem like a good choice.

Greg was just able to hire a part-time guy to help carry some of the hours he was trying to do alone. We had prayed for quite awhile for a dependable and responsible person, and God answered that prayer. The newbie's name is Dennis and I keep saying how much I love him (even though I haven't met him yet). For instance, when on a Saturday afternoon Greg is home instead of working, he'll say "Dennis is taking care of things right now" and I'll say "I love Dennis." Greg is still working hard and still doing a very good job. I think the whole "work ethic" is a Spangler thing- I've never seen so many diligent workers in one family!

That should keep you all up to date on us. Also, you can always read about what is current with us and see lots of pictures at www.calspangler.blogspot.com

Oh Yeah. Mark and I are taking Spanish on line too. Fun times.

I hope everyone is having a delightful Sunday afternoon. Mark has just left for work and the kids and I are winding down after church. We were out looking for a good church. Well, just to update everyone. We are all here in TX. We are staying in a one room place that shares a bathroom with the room next door. Thankfully he is gone most of the time because he's staying with his family somewhere else, and let's us use his room to put ali to bed. It's working out. Yes people think we're nuts but we really don't have another option until we sell the condo. That is if the kids and I are to stay here. Next time one of you is feeling restless and cramped where you are living pray for us :) We need it. The kids and I go out a lot so as not to be driven nuts. I do think there are benefits of being here though. I mean Someone else pays the bill and someone else washes and changes my sheets. Oh yeah someone else cleans the bathroom and vacumes. There are ups that is for certain. I could do anything nutty like this for a time. We love to show off our room so next time your on messenger just ask for a tour. We are just preparing ourselves for the mission field you see. Mark will start his night shift on Monday. He works from 8pm until 5am. We aren't sure how he'll sleep. I'm guessing the kids and I shall leave all day so he can sleep. It'll work out somehow. The kids don't seem to mind the small quarters at all. The only thing we worry about is that the walls are paper thin and even happy kids cry. We have some friends here that we met in AL and have gotten to hang out with them a lot. We are all in all doing pretty good. We could sure use prayer though. Everything is overwhelming even church. We went to sign the kids into sunday school and needed shot records our ssn and everything else you could imagine. Gees. I don't even know my street address. I barely know my name. Stress does some crazy stuff to ya. Anyhow it's all very weird. We will try to keep you all updated. And we will try to keep pics updated on our web site from our wedding. Right now we still don't even have Micah on there. Only when I was prego. Well I hope everyone keeps using this to stay updated. We would love to hear from EVERYONE.

I think we should probably schedule a family chat. Maybe Mark and I will make some more phone calls to see when everyone can chat. It doesn't sound like Mark will have much time in between training and leaving to go to flight school but he would really like to see everyone before he goes. I'm not sure if this is the way to do it or not. There are many different ideas for plan B. Let's Chat....