our christmas letter

Happy Holidays from Alaska!

We are quickly approaching the one year anniversary of life as a family in Marshall. 2012 began with our family of five traveling on four planes over the course of twenty four hours covering 2000 miles to arrive “home” to a place I had never been.

January and February held lots of unpacking, adjusting, parenting and prayer.  But slowly we began to adjust to the slower pace of life here, embracing the natural beauty and the opportunity to be unplugged from the world, and plugged in as parents.

Before we knew it, it was time to fly back to Vancouver.  Over the summer we had a big birthday bash to celebrate the twins’ fourth birthday and the baby’s first birthday.  We also did lots of camping, beach trips and bike rides.  We squeezed every ounce of sunshine out of those three short months and in early August headed back for Josh’s second year of teaching.

Back in Marshall for the 2012-2013 school year, Josh has had many amazing opportunities.  He has been able to travel to other villages for training (including Hooper Bay where he got to see the Bering Sea!) and holds the title Lead Teacher, which in the Lower Yukon School District (LYSD) means when the principal is absent, Josh gets to cover for him.  This counts as a year of principal experience in LYSD.  Josh is also running the tutoring program three days a week after school.  All of this is in addition to the seventeen students he has in his 4/5 split.

Coming back in August was bittersweet. We were excited to get back to our routines and meet new staff, but we were equally sad to be leaving our loved ones in Washington.  Upon our arrival home, we experienced more rugged Alaskan living than I’d have thought possible! Josh caught his first moose, an 800 pound bull (I was so proud!) which he then butchered and shared with elders & other members of the village; our neighbor let us watch him butcher a seal his son sent, and let us try some of it (good& tender, if a bit oily); Josh filleted his first fish; we attended a celebratory potluck and Eskimo dance in honor of the new school year; it snowed in September (!!!); and the boys and I attended our first school carnival where they spent their tickets trying to earn a blow up hammer & sword. (Boys!?!)  

After a year in Marshall, it is finally feeling like home. I know a lot of the families here, and we have a great staff this year.  The sense of community in such a rural setting is priceless.  I love when we all get together (like for birthdays and Thanksgiving) and am so grateful for our “Marshall Family” as Logan calls them.  I feel so blessed to be celebrating nearly two years of being a stay-at-home mom.  I love being here with our boys, embracing my role as a homemaker and working on my kitchen skills for the good of the family.

This will be our first Christmas away from home.  We are excited to make it special for the boys.  We are just happy after spending so much of 2011 apart, to have been together as a family for all of 2012.

I will close with my favorite quote of the year:

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

-Mary Oliver

 Merry & Happy!

The Cunningham Family

{Josh, Shelly, Logan, Jack & Wyatt}