Merry Christmas from the Cunningham Clan!

To those to whom we couldn't mail a letter... (If you'd like a mailed letter, let us know!)

Well, here we are again, nearing the Christmas season, our second with our baby girl (who incidentally is no longer a baby). The excitement as the season changes from warm, to cool, to cold is almost overwhelming.

This year we have decided to put up our Christmas decorations a full month early, allowing opportunity for Hannah to get used to and for us to explain them to her. Hopefully, doing so will help bring us deeper into the Holiday spirit and will become infectious with those around us.

This Christmas spirit is an amazing thing. The secular world around us looks to tradition, shopping, and memories to sustain and encourage their Christmas spirit, however, for those of us who understand the significance of the true “gift” of Christmas, our Holiday cheer bubbles up from the inside. Not only do we look forward to spending time with family, watching fun Christmas movies (You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch!!!), and even opening presents Christmas morning with those we love, but we are blessed with a gift from the Originator of gifts. Our joy comes from a spiritual, not emotional experience, as we revel in the celebration of birthdays. We easily make the connection between Christmas and Jesus’ birth, but we want to challenge you this year to take that one step further and celebrate your new birth as well. Christmas is significant not only because God provided hope, but because we’ve found that hope and live expectantly in that hope for the return and eternal reconnection with Christ. We would encourage you this year to celebrate not only Christ’s birth, but the opportunity He’s given you to have your own new birth!

Speaking of celebrating babies, by the time Christmas comes, Hannah will be 22 months old. She’s at a glorious stage between the “everything is new” stage and the “I want to do it myself” stage. We are excited to allow her freedom to do her own thing, but also find ourselves a bundle of nerves anytime she wants to try something dangerous (going up or down stairs by herself, etc…) This year we’ve seen her transition from the scooter, who never crawled, to the walker, who nearly runs. It seems that at the one year mark, she began rapidly developing her language, both speech and sign, and motor skills. We’ve seen her go from sound effects, to indiscernible babbling, to actual words, even if mispronounced. We reveled in her grasping of sign language with her first word, “all done,” and she now has a vocabulary of 30+ words. Her vocal vocabulary is a bit smaller, but she does speak more than she signs. She’s transitioned from using a bottle to eating cheerios and now to drinking out of an open cup, without assistance. All in all, she’s become a very big girl.

Over the course of the last 12 months, our family has been primarily immersed in the raising of our wonderful child, but other experiences have cropped up as well. Josh spent quite a bit of time this summer with his family in Somerset, KY, working for his father, spending time with his brother, and seeking out jobs that could transition towards a career. By the time Christmas comes around, he should have his MA degree completed and will be anxiously preparing to teach his first “comparative religion” class at Somerset Community College. This adjunct position will provide the experience needed to begin applying for teaching fellowships elsewhere.

By Christmas time, Jacqui will have been with Focus on the Family (in one capacity or another) for almost 7½ years. Due to her expertise and work ethic, they are planning to continue the relationship for another year, allowing her to continue to work from home at her convenience. She enjoys the work, and hopes that her health will improve allowing more opportunities to play with the rest of the family.

This has been a good year. The next is terrifying to me, Josh, because I will finally be at a stage where I can put my education to work, and find out if I’m qualified to do what I feel called to do. I will begin to immerse myself into my career, and will probably struggle to find a balance between my work, family, and self. Also, I am seeking a full-time position which would provide us with health insurance; a need should God see to grace us with a sibling for Hannah.

As we conclude this letter, we want to take a moment to say, “Thank You”. We have family and friends who have contributed in significant emotional, financial, and time-based ways for which we can never fully show our appreciation. We love each and every one of you and hope that your Christmas and New Year will reaffirm your relationships, not only with family and friends, but with our Maker.

With all of His love,

Josh, Jacqui, and Hannah