Dear Friends and Family,
We hope this holiday season finds you all well and happy. We are all doing quite well here in Arkansas. It is just unbelievable to us that we have been here for 9 years now. The years are going by so quickly, and the children are growing quickly, too.
Chyloh is 14 and in 9th grade. She is starting to become a real young woman, but for now, she’s a teenager that drives Mom crazy with her sass...just like everyone other teen before her. Chyloh is now a couple of inches taller than Mom, too. She still loves to read and listen to all kinds of crazy music. She dyed her hair a dark red/brown for her birthday. Mom doesn’t like it.
Rebekah is 12 and homeschooled. She is in 7th grade and doing well. She does attend the homeschool academy that Tom and Christa teach at, but only takes a couple of classes. Rebekah likes to play piano and do needlework as well as play outside. She is a big help around the house, especially with the little ones. Rebekah is almost as tall as Mom now, just a couple of inches left to go.
Angelah is now 11 and in 5th grade. She is still known for her temper which can escalate quickly. We just can’t figure out where she gets it! She is very interested in natural history and enjoys catching bugs and learning about different plants and their uses. She is short for her age and gets ribbed for it quite a bit. She appreciates that it does make crawling under stuff easier, though. She is our only straight “A” student.
Aliannah (Annah) is 9 and in 4th grade. Annah is our little sunshine most of the time. She can have a temper, but mostly she’s the positive one. She is a very typical student, but she makes friends easily and seems to enjoy school.
Sarah is 7 and in 2nd grade. She is our glamour girl. She often stays indoors while the others are out playing. When Sarah tells someone off (which happens frequently) she will turn around, flip her hair, and put her nose in the air. We find it funny, but the girls call her “the little snot”.
Faith is 5 and in Kindergarten. She is a kind-hearted girl that is nearly fearless on a scooter or bike. Faith is another that can be friends with just about anyone. She likes school, but in Kindergarten, what’s not to like?
Lindah is 3 and finally talking some. She is still quite stilted, but it’s better. For some reason, people, especially over 50, just dote on Lindah. She is a very gentle spirit and does not enjoy rough-housing, unless it was her idea and Mariah is the victim.
Mariah is 2 and oh, boy is she 2!! She is in everything, all the time, and drives us all NUTS! The girls have to take shifts watching her so that Mom and Dad can get things done. She is so cute, though. We think the curls hide her horns.
Tom is doing well. He has been pain-killer free for about 9 months now, save for a few Tylenol now and again for headaches. He still has some pain, but seems to be managing it well without any outside help. His newest interest is in No-Limit Texas Hold-em Poker. We had no idea how much strategy was involved in playing poker, but he is reading 4 different books on strategy and statistics concerning the game. It is often compared to chess in its complexity, so it’s not a wonder that he likes it. He is still teaching. This year he has biology and geography, and he is tutoring pre-calculus.
I am expecting again in July, and am only having trouble with a hiatal hernia so far. I am enjoying teaching along with Tom. I have 3 classes: life science, advanced math, and algebra 2. I also tutor geometry. I have let my poor garden go to weeds for the most part, but I just can’t find time to go out and weed. I guess it will wait until spring.
Tom’s mother moved in with us just after Christmas last year. We lost Tom’s brother, Tim, and it was decided that his mother would be in a better situation if she was closer to us so that we could help her if she needed anything. We really have a full house now. I think that’s a pretty good poker hand, too.
We all hope that you are all doing well and that you have a wonderful, blessed Christmas and many happy returns for the New Year.
God Bless,
The Bartok Family
Well, the big day came a bit early. After convincing myself for over a day that my water had not really broken, I waddled into the hospital and ended up in surgery. I knew I was going to have to have a c-section because John-Paul was in a "Frank breech" position with his little feet up by his ears. However, I didn't plan on him coming so soon. This picture is of him about 12 hours after birth. He had trouble getting a deep breath for a couple of days, but he is now only attached to an IV/heparin lock that is giving him antibiotics once a day plus the required monitors in the NICU. The shiny thing above his diaper is a foil covered sticker that keeps a temperature probe next to his skin so they know if he's getting to warm or too cold on the warming bed. It is heart-shaped and VERY difficult to remove. He has it off as of now, though. After his antibiotic series is finished (a 10-day run) he will get to come home. Right now Tom and I go to the hospital twice a day. We bring breast milk from home and then feed him while we are there. 
