Illness was with us while we rang in the new year--not the preferred way to begin a new chapter, but it was the reality. I am super thankful for the children being independent enough to run their own celebration as John and I were pretty useless this holiday. Nikolas even wasn't top notch. Jozsef was the saving grace. Without him, I believe we'd have all been in bed very early! Thank you to all the children who stepped up and filled in and made memories the best they could be to start the year off as positively as possible. May 2022 be filled with joys! God bless us, everyone!
Chronicling the journey of raising children in this day and age. Psalm 127
Monday, January 3, 2022
Friday, December 31, 2021
From Our House to Yours--Christmas Greetings
Dear Friends and Family,
Greetings to you this blessed holiday season! I pray you are
well and that the counting of your blessings in November has laid the ground
for increased joy in December while we celebrate the birth of Christ our Savior.
This wonderful season gives us a much-needed time of pause that enables us to
reflect on all that has happened over the year. In those reflections, it’s
interesting to see what weighs heaviest for us—the trying times, or the good of
the times. We all have both every year. It’s easy to get weighed down by the
things of this world and the incredibly unstable times we currently live in--but
take heart! Though life in this world is a topsy turvy ride, the one constant
that matters most is still very present and ever true. Jesus is the same
yesterday and today and forever—Hebrews 13:8. Counted blessing #1—His mercies are new
every morning!
Though employment has changed much in recent times, we are
thankful that the men of the house still have their jobs and are doing well in
them. Kellogg continues to be the employer who stretches and grows John’s
abilities as they wrestle with company expansion during the supply and demand
issues of our current time. John is eyeball deep in numbers all day long and is
the numerical puzzle master as the Forecast & Sales Analyst for the company.
Chick Fil A continues to stretch and grow both Jozsef and Nikolas as they learn
to best flux with the daily changes of employee shortages during high customer
demand. Both boys have done incredibly well and have been blessed with leadership
positions. Despite the growing pains, we still attest to them having the best
location and team to work with. While Jozsef is continuing to work towards his
seminary degree, Nikolas is taking a gap year this school season to better lay
the education and career path before him. Blessing #2--Employment
The school setting and lifestyle may have changed for
countless students this year, but our students are thankful to press on in the
security of a homeschool routine many years in the making. Connor, now in high
school, is most enjoying science and good literature. Sonja, now in junior
high, is appreciating her step up in social circles but is still grappling with
the higher demand of scholastics in this tier. Riley, a sixth grader, is kind
of feeling like he’s floating in middle ground—he’s finishing elementary school
this year but he’s on hold for all the “cool” things he’ll be able to
participate in during junior high. However,
he’s doing quite well in school and is enjoying reading much more and it’s been
great to see him grasp bigger concepts across the board which allows for us to
dive deeper into conversations and concepts, and that’s exciting. Hannah, a
fourth grader, is blossoming at her own rate which is not surprising and
completely historic for her. 😊 We
plug along and meet her where she is. For as challenging as it can be, there is
great reward in watching her hit a new marker with success. She is absolutely
making progress, and for that we are thankful. Blessing #3—Home Education
Hudson and Charlotte have been with us a year now. They are
healthy, happy, and a great addition to the household. Hudson is a gentle soul
who loves close proximity, exploring the scents of the outside world, and playtime.
Charlotte is our watch dog. She alerts us of all sights and sounds that are not
of the normal routine. She’s high energy and loves to run and play. They get
along very well and can play together for hours at a time—oh the puppy days! 😊
We often reflect on how Hudson and Charlotte came to us, and their unexpected
story still leaves us in awe and gratitude for their placement here. Blessing
#4—Animal Companions
As for me, I’m predictably in the middle of the mix. I am wearing several hats daily while trying
to impart the how-to knowledge of tasks, tradition, good character, and strong
faith onto the up-and-comings of the household. It’s truly a never-ending job
that causes me my own growing pains, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything and
is only truly carried out by the grace of God. These are my people and I love
them dearly. Blessing #5--Family
Who knows, but God, what the next year holds? And who better
than God to know it and hold it all? Come what may, I pray hope is greater than
fear for us all, as we are called to live not in a spirit of fear but rather to
live as courageous. And courageous we
should be as we walk in the way and security of the Lord. The Lord is the
one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail or forsake you.
Do not fear or be dismayed--Deuteronomy 31:8.
Now, if you are reading this and cannot relate to the security of
living in Christ, I’d be remiss to pass up this moment and not be clear that
Jesus came for sinners (we’re all sinners) and He sacrificed himself, in love,
that all who believe may live beyond this life, in heaven rather than spending
eternity in hell. The bible is clear, that
if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in
your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with
the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation—Romans 10: 9-10
(emphasis mine). So, there it is—you now have your personal “how-to” in
salvation. This is your eternity and He’s invested in it. He made a way, you
must act on it, and I pray you do. Blessing #6--Salvation
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so
that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the
glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of
His power toward us who believe—Ephesians 1:18-19. Peace be with you.
Merry Christmas from the Bartoks
John, Gina, Jozsef, Nikolas, Connor, Sonja, Riley, and
Hannah
Christmas
We had great expectations for Christmas but illness overshadowed our weekend. On Christmas Eve, our church was having a candlelight service that we were all excited to attend. Jozsef was to read scripture and Hannah and Riley were supposed to sing on stage. On Christmas Eve we ended up doing a divide and conquer. I stayed home with the other two who were sick--Nikolas and Riley, while John took the others to candlelight service. We were bummed that the church didn't stream the service, so we had to rely on reports from attendants upon their return. It was a lovely service and Hannah and Jozsef both did well on stage.
When they returned home, we had our traditional saran wrap game and opened our one gift before turning in for the night.
Sadly, Christmas Day brought no relief from illness. As a matter of fact, John was added to the ranks of the ill. We took our time opening gifts and enjoying conversation along the way.
The carolers |
Riley made this Lego tree--I love the details he puts into his work |
This is the toy maker section |
We had great food lined up for the day but no one ate much. Still, all things considered, we had a good day. Besides, ill or not, Christmas is all about honoring our Savior. However we thought Christmas was supposed to go, we are thankful that we had the time and opportunity to spend the day together.
Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus!
December Fun
This holiday season has been a bit set apart for us. We've been affected by illness for the entire month of December to some extent. Most, not all, of us have been ill, but me specifically. I've been ill, off and on, all month long. Sadly, this meant that we missed out on many of the activities that we had hoped to enjoy. However, we did manage to squeeze some fun in.
The kids enjoyed baking cookies and making some of the treats we have begun to make annually like fruitcake, cookies, and rumballs.
Cookie making with Nikolas is becoming a cherished time |
They're getting good at making rumballs |
We also managed to make an evening out to ice skate. Nikolas and I stayed off the ice but the rest of the crew all ventured out.
Hannah began with an ice assistant, but quickly ditched it to free skate. John did well on the ice with his ankle, which was wonderful to see as the ice is like second nature to him. He did experience discomfort, but he toughed it out for a bit just to enjoy the ice.
Everyone tuckered out in just short of two hours, which seemed to fly by.
We closed out the night with cups of hot cocoa and candy canes. What a great night of holiday fun!
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Thanksgiving Weekend
Thanksgiving is a day of giving thanks for your many blessings. We may not have had the blessings of extended family or travel in our weekend, but it was super full and we very much enjoyed it.
On Thanksgiving proper, we enjoyed food, family, friends, and fun. There was the Macy's parade, the dog show, games, and drinks. We hosted a friend of the boys' and that just added to our enjoyment.
We counted our blessings all month long |
They made Great Grandma Pree's Pecan Tarts--so yummy! |
Riley made a Lego feast |
We like to be sure that Thanksgiving is fully celebrated *before* Christmas comes on the scene |
This year was the earliest we've ever gotten our Christmas tree--the day after Thanksgiving! Circumstances were just right so we jumped at the opportunity to head out to the tree farm. It was a beautiful afternoon and it was great to set up Christmas in our house.
We don't usually visit Santa, but the opportunity was prime so we took it |
Saturday we attended a Christmas kick off festival. It was bigger than we anticipated so we ended up spending all day there--it was great! The boys met up with friends and extended their fun with a game night.
Just as we were going to get truck food, Sonja spotted a wonderful stand selling charcuterie boards in a box--a much better buy! |
Sunday we had lunch with another large family from church. No pictures were taken, but we did put more opportunities on the calendar for us to meet up--such a fun group.
Blessings abounded for sure--good weather, good company, good food, good fun, good rest--who could ask for more? A blessed weekend for sure!