MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Merry Christmas and happy 2009! We are so thankful for the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Without his birth, death and resurrection we would be forever bound by sin and separated from God. We also thank God for each of you our dear friends. You have blessed our lives in so many ways. Thank you for your friendships.

This Kartak family is so thankful for God's graciousness and faithfulness throughout this last year. Overall, we are healthy and doing well. We are so thankful to God for Jason's jobs. He has been with Audio Logic Systems (ALS) now for nearly 4 years. He is currently the systems designer there. Throughout the year Jason has had to travel to California and Las Vegas for training. He has also had to do some traveling for designing projects outside of MN. In addition to his 40+ hours at ALS, Jason also works weekends at our church - Eagle Brook Church Lino Lakes. Although the work can be exhausting we are so thankful for the income. It also leaves very little time for family but when we do get time together we try to make it as memorable as possible. Having some time together this Christmas has been really wonderful.

This last year has been really exciting for Rebecca. This summer Rebecca learned how to ride her bike (with training wheels). We have many kids in the neighborhood for her to play with as well. It has been fun watching her build those friendships. The biggest news in Rebecca's life is that she started preschool in September. She attends four hours a day/three days a week at CrossRoads Preschool in New Hope, MN. She LOVES school and her teachers! I know eventually she will get tired of school but right now she just can't get enough! This fall, Rebeccas started her second year in AWANA Cubbies. It is so fun to watch her learn and grow from week to week. We continue to pray for her as she develops a tender and hungry spirit for knowing Jesus as her personal Savior.

Jescelyn has had a little more difficult year physically. At the end of March, I fell while holding Jescelyn. Although I had some severe deep tissue bruising, Jescelyn ended up with a broken leg. Thankfully Jescelyn's leg wasn't broken really bad so she only needed a cast for two weeks rather than the four weeks it could have been. We were also thankful for this as she got her cast off right before her 1st birthday. Her birthday went off without a hitch. We just had a small party with family. Jescelyn loved it! Jescelyn has adjusted well with Becca being in school. I know she is just soaking in alone time with mommy. She has always been a mommy's girl! Jescelyn started walking at about 16 months. This has brought on a new set of issues as we needed to begin physical therapy at the beginning of December for hyperflexibility and hypotonia. Right now we are preparing to have braces made for her feet. The braces are called SMO's and will only come slightly above the ankles. The purpose is to help her stabilize her ankles and to keep her feet straight. Jescelyn's spirit has been so precious. She can be quite the character. God has definitely given her a sense of humor as well as a loving spirit. We are so excited to see where God takes her.

As for me, I have been blessed with the opportunity to stay home with the girls. Everyday is so enriched by seeing to girls grow up. Most days are spent running Becca to and from school and Jescelyn to and from the physical therapist. In recent months, God has allowed me to be in more of a mentorship role for a young woman that I have known for a while. It is a responsibility I take very seriously and treasure deeply. For whatever reason it may be, God has allowed me to have a part in her life and to help her through a very difficult time in her life. A highlight of mine has been spending Saturdays afternoons with a dear friend of mine and her two children in Lino Lakes before we both head off to the evening service at Eagle Brook. Her husband also works at Eagle Brook as the lighting technician. It has been such a blessing to see our husbands and children become such good friends. Last spring I completed the Beth Moore study on Daniel. This fall, I joined another Beth Moore bible study through New Hope Church in New Hope. This has been a great outlet for me to not only meet with other women but to renew my relationship with God.

The major event of the year was our family trip to Colorado in July. On July 15th, a dear friend of mine got married in Estes Park, CO. Jason and I decided to take a road trip via Aberdeen and Rapid City, South Dakota. It was a blast. First we stopped in Aberdeen, South Dakota to visit my brother Darren and his family. After that we chose to do some site seeing through South Dakota. We stopped by Mount Rushmore, Bear Country and several other locations before ending up in Loveland, Colorado where we stayed for the week. One of the most memorable events of the trip was our horse back ride. It was the first horse back ride for both of the girls. Cody and Sherman (the horses) were a lot of fun! We also enjoied some of the other attractions around the Loveland and Estes Park areas before taking the all-night road trip home through Nebraska.

Well, this pretty much sums up 2008 for our family. We hope all is well with you and yours. Please know that you are loved and thought of often. Happy New Year everyone!