HannahsHope.net

Xmas 2005

As always, we have had quite a busy year. Our biggest news this year is that Kevin graduated from Strayer University with his Bachelors of Science Degree in Internetworking Technology. It was a long road and we are all very proud of him. He is now looking forward to pursuing his master’s degree early next year. Haley started Kindergarten this year and she absolutely loves it. She has met many new friends and has already fallen in love with her new teachers. She also started to take Ballet classes and is really enjoying being a little ballerina. She continues to make us very proud. She is starting to read and write this year so it won’t be long and she will be writing the Christmas letter. Karly is a bundle of energy. She is so busy and into everything. Her favorite words are “no and why”. She is so outgoing. She loves to sing, dance, play baby dolls, and play in the “hideout” with Haley and Alyssa. Haley is her idol and she copies everything she does. Today she said ‘I go to school with Haley”. Alyssa is our little Mommy. She loves to take care of Karly, and everyone else for that matter. She is such a calm baby. She loves to cuddle with mommy (and I don’t mind it either) and play with her sisters. She is very independent, yet incredibly loving. All three of the girls keep us incredibly busy, but they are worth it. To say that we are very proud parents would be an understatement. We are very blessed with incredible children. As for me, I am STILL chucking away at my teaching degree, finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This week, I was officially admitted into the teacher education program at Brenau University (Yeah!!). I have 10 classes left until I graduate. I am not in too much of a rush because I hope to stay home with the girls until they start preschool. As always, Hannah’s memory fills our hearts and home this holiday season.

Merry Christmas and hope for a Happy and Healthy New Year, Kevin, Tricia, Haley, Alyssa, and Karly

Xmas 2004

What a busy year we have had. I can hardly believe it is already Christmas. This year has been full of fun, blessings, and complete CHAOS in the Bartoletta house. We had a busy year, adjusting to being a "five-some". It seems like we are all starting to settle into our roles, and our life is calming down a bit. Haley started preschool this year, and she absolutely loves it. She has two wonderful teachers that Haley just adores. She is learning so much everyday. She is adjusting well to being a big sister. Alyssa and Karly just adore her. We continue to be incredibly proud of Haley everyday. She is just a joy to be around. She truly has a heart of gold. Last night, we had the honor of watching Haley perform for our church Christmas program. She did wonderful. Haley takes such pride in everything that she does. Her smile lights up a room. Alyssa and Karly are simply irresistible. They are both walking, almost running, around the house everyday. They keep us very busy. Their individual personalities are starting to emerge. Karly is so affectionate and loves to hug and kiss her babies. Alyssa is so head strong, she loves to steal Karly's babies, and she loves to play with trucks. They have been so much work, but they are worth every bit of it. It is hard to remember our family without them. I may be bias, but they are perfect in everyway. Any reservations we ever had about being the parents of twins is long gone. We feel double blessed. There is nothing like watching the way these two interact with each other. I am so fortunate to be able to still stay home and care for my children. My days are filled with diapers, crying, fieldtrips, lunches, library activities, and kid party's and I wouldn't change it for the world. I still feel like I have the best job ever. I am also proud to say that I have returned to college. I am a junior at Brenau University. I hope to graduate by the time the twins start preschool. Kevin is still chucking away at his degree. He is all but finished. He has three classes to take and is having some difficulty finding them available to fit his schedule. He keeps busy working, going to school, dping house projects, and taking care of the kids. He also does his fair share of fieldtrips, and kids activities. All three girls adore their Daddy. Haley is at the age where anything her and her Daddy do together is so "special" to her. The twin's faces light up when he enters the room. Hannah's memory still fells our hearts and our home, especially this holiday season. Haley has taken a special interest in Hannah's memory. She talks about her "angel" big sister and she loves to visit Hannah's grave and leave her one of her special toys. I hope this letter finds all of our friends and family happy and well this holiday season. Until Next Year…

Kevin, Tricia, Haley, Alyssa, Karly, and Alyssa

Reflecting on recent years... Xmas 2003

Seasons Greattings to all of our friends and family.

Oh Boy, what a busy and exciting year we have had. We relocated from North Carolina to Georgia in February to be near Kevin's family. Soon after, we got the surprising news that we were expecting twins. Thankfully, Kevin was quick to find a good job here and we were able to buy a new house in Jefferson Georgia to accommodate our rapidly growing family. We have settled in nicely here and are all enjoying the new area

The best news of our year is of course the birth of our precious baby girls, Alyssa June and Karly Ann on October 9th. . They arrived 6 weeks early, but were quite an impressive size for their age. Alyssa weighed in at 6 pounds 9 ounces and Karly followed a minute later at 5 pounds 9 ounces. They both spent 8 days in the neonatal intensive care unit, but were overall very healthy. Now, they are home and are fitting in perfect to our family. Hopefully, they will start sleeping soon, and allow Mommy and Daddy a chance to get some much-needed rest.

Haley is becoming quite the little lady. She loves to play Mommy, dress-up, and all the typical girly things. She is so proud to be a big sister and isn't shy to tell anyone about her sisters. She continues to amaze us with her quick wit and intelligence. She had a great summer, meeting new friends, playing in the pool, learning to ride her bike, and hanging out at the lake. She is also enjoying spending time with her Grandma and Grandpa Bartoletta. Her Papa and her get to spend a lot of time together since he is retired, and Haley just adores him. Their typical weekly date includes a visit to the park, carousal ride at the mall, and of course lunch at Ronald McDonalds. I don't think we could ever express in words how proud we continue to be of her everyday.

Kevin is finally getting ready to complete his Bachelors Degree in Internetworking Technology. It has been a long time coming. Hopefully, in our next Christmas letter his degree will be our big news. He is enjoying his new job at E-Deltacom. He is enjoying spending time caring for his big new yard. Being the father of three girls seems to suit him well.

I am keeping myself incredibly busy caring for the house and the three little girls. I spent the majority of the year pregnant and some of it on bed rest, but it was all worth it in the end to have my beautiful baby girls. Thank Goodness, my Mom was able to come help out for a month while I was on bed rest trying to get these babies to grow a little. I truly believe she is the reason they were as healthy and as big as they were. As stressful as motherhood can get, I wouldn't give up my job for the world. I feel like the twins have completed our family and I just feel so blessed. I am looking forward to returning to school after Kevin graduates next fall.

Finally, a Christmas letter would never be complete without remembering our precious angel, Hannah Rae. I still know that she guides our family everyday. I feel the twins were a gift from her.

Wishing you all health and happiness this holiday season.

With Love,

Kevin, Tricia, Haley, Alyssa, and Karly

Reflecting on recent years... Xmas 2002

Dear Friends and Family,

Seasons Greetings form North Carolina. As always, we hope that this letter finds all of our friends and family in good spirits and good health. This has been quite a busy year in the Bartoletta household. We spent the summer having fun at the beach, camping, and hanging out at the swimming pool. In July, we added a new addition to our family, "Cherokee". Having a Dog has brought us a lot of work, mixed with a lot of fun to our lives.

Haley is turning into quite a little lady. She is always busy exploring the world and learning new things. She is such a smart little girl. She is talking up a storm and can just about hold a conversation. Her newest accomplishment is that she seems to have mastered the art of Potty Training. She loves to do artwork, read books, and play with all her friends. Her favorite thing to do is play Mommy to her babies. She loves clothes and is very picky in what she wears these days. Usually, a pair of orange shorts, a purple winter coat, and a pair of sandals is her style. Kevin and I are so proud of her. She is so special and we thank God Daily for bringing her to us.

Kevin has been keeping busy trying to finish his bachelor's degree. It seems like we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. He has about 12 classes left. Unfortunately, his job was finally affected by the downturn in the economy. His company has laid off over 3/4ths of their employees over the past two years, and last week his number came up. Kevin is seeing this as an opportunity and not a disappointment. He spends a lot of time playing with his "pup". They have quite a special bond.

My big news this year is I finally finished my associate's degree. I also have about 15 classes left until I receive my Bachelors degree for teaching. I am taking my classes at a slower pace until Kevin finishes, but I too am starting to see a glimmer of light at the end of my tunnel. I have been keeping busy taking care of Haley and working a very part time job at the gym daycare. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to stay home with Haley. There could not possibly be a more rewarding job for me.

We are all looking forward to the new year and are anxious to see what opportunity's 2003 brings for our family. Overall, this has been a great year. We have been blessed with health and happiness.

As always, we would like for all of our friends and family to remember Hannah this holiday season. She remains to be a constant influence in everything we do. Her memory brings a special peace to our family at Christmas and always.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with happiness and love. We apologize that this letter did not reach everyone personally, but as you can imagine it has been a bit crazy around our house traveling out of state for interviews and reorganizing our lives. Thank Goodness for E-mail.

Kevin, Tricia, Haley, and angel 'Hannah'…………Oh and Jasmine, Sadie, and Cherokee too.

Reflecting through the years... Xmas 2001

This year has been a busy one in the Bartoletta household. We purchased our first home in North Carolina, and we are settling in here nicely. We have met some new friends and we are beginning to appreciate North Carolina as our new home. Haley is doing wonderfully. She is such a big ham. She is talking up a storm, and learning new things everyday. She has met many new friends through her playgroup here. She is a true blessing, and Kevin and I feel so incredibly lucky to be her parents. Her smile and laughter brighten our home. In recent months, Kevin tried his hand at finishing his degree "online" but after two classes has decided to return to a traditional campus, at North Carolina State. I am keeping busy as well, attending school in the evenings at the local community college. I am finally looking forward to completing my associate's degree next semester and transferring to NC State in the fall. I am still staying home with Haley and enjoying it more and more everyday. I stay rather busy keeping up with her social calendar, which is quite a bit more demanding than mine. Finally, the holiday season would not be complete without paying tribute to our beautiful angel, Hannah. We love and miss her so much. Everyday, we realize the impact that she continues to have on our lives. Please remember her beautiful smile this holiday season and always. As always, we hope this letter finds all of our friends and family in happiness and good health.

Kevin, Tricia, Haley,

and angel Hannah

Reflecting through the years.... Xmas 2000

Wishing you all happiness and joy this holiday season. In reflecting on the last year, we feel that we have truly been blessed. The 24th of June brought us the birth of our second daughter, Haley Rae. She is an incredible joy, and she has bought a great deal of happiness and laughter into our lives. She is a constant reminder of everything good in this world, and we are so thankful for her. She is extremely adorable and holds many resemblances to her big sister, Hannah. With fall, the year drew to a close, as did another major chapter in our lives. In September, we separated from the military and found a new home in North Carolina, a far cry from life in Washington, DC. We are extremely happy here and have been keeping busy house hunting, and getting acquainted with our new surroundings. Kevin is enjoying his new job at Nortel Networks, and I am enjoying staying home with Haley.

We hope this letter finds all of our friends and family with great happiness and good health. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Reflecting through the years.... Xmas 1999

Wishing "Happy Holiday's" to you and your family! As many of you know, this year has brought many difficult times for Tricia and I. With the passing of our precious daughter, Hannah, in early February, we were faced with greatest loss one could ever know. However, we are finding strength in Hannah's memories and within each other, and slowly beginning to heal. As the year has past, our heartbreaking memories of Hannah have been replaced by the reminiscences of the overwhelming joy that she gave us, and the fond memories that we will cherish for a lifetime. Trish and I have used her love and memory as the basis for our strength to again find happiness. Ironically, we have found that we have many things to be thankful for this holiday season. Throughout the latter part of this year, we have been busy preparing for our lives after the military. We have spent most of our time working, going to school, and supporting one another's hopes and dreams. This holiday season brought more gifts than we had ever imagined when we found out that we are expecting our second baby. This is truly a gift from above. We hope that this holiday season and the New Year brings joy to all of you as well.

Reflecting on recent years... Xmas 1998

From Our Home to Yours, "Wishing Joy and Happiness to All This Holiday Season"

Well, It has been quite a year. As most of you know, Hannah was diagnosed with cancer this year. That news was quite a devastating shock. However, we have pulled together and are doing very well. Hannah has taken her treatments like a true champ, weathering very little side effects. She is developmentally right on target. By looking at her, you would never know she is sick. Her diagnosis is excellent, and we fully expect for her to be cured SOON. She is expected to have surgery early next year. We would like to thank all of our friends and family for all of the support and prayers sent our way. Please continue to pray for our little princess. On a lighter note, Kevin and I are doing fine. We are both keeping extremely busy with Hannah's treatments and school. Kevin has been working diligently to finish his Microsoft certification. I am now enjoying the luxury of staying home with Hannah Banana, and keeping busy doing research on neuroblastoma. We hope that this letter finds all of our friends and family in good health and spirits. We wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year. We are approaching this New Year with a tremendous amount of anticipation and faith.

Happy Holidays,

Kevin, Tricia, and Hannah