Greetings! Happy Holidays 1993 from Kotzebue, Alaska!

Published December 1993 - Kotzebue, AK

Believe it or not, folks actually have ASKED for our newsletter this year! Most of 1993 has been busy, particularly this holiday season.

This year, we don't even have an excuse of flying off to the Florida Keys for the holidays like the previous two years. Nope. We are celebrating the season this year right her at home in Arctic Alaska. We even bought a Christmas tree and decorated it, with the children's squeals of delight punctuating every moment as they placed each ornament on the tree. The weather also has been unseasonably mild. Yahoo!

Little Myles and Tiffany had a wonder 1993. In March, they accompanied Mama and Papa to a conference in San Diego for a few days in the sunshine and palm tress of Southern California. They visited the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, and even "Disweewand," which Mama and Papa think is grossly overrated and overpriced. (The kids didn't go for much of it, either.) They sure liked seeing all the wild animals at the zoo and in the wild animal park, though.

The Creed/Andrews family spent the summer again in Fairbanks, where John taught summer school at the University while Susan worked on their book. We completed the manuscript this fall! It's now been sent off to agents and prospective publishers, even though we still may go with the University of Washington Press. Look for it on the New York Times Bestseller List sometime in 1994 (NOT!). In Fairbanks, Myles and Tiffany did big-city things such as swimming and dancing lessons. They also returned to Eneput, their summer day-care center, where Myles bonded with his friends Scottie and Jakie and Tiffany further developed her considerable PR skills. They loved camping in Dawson City, Yukon Territory, last summer with Grandud and Uncle Ken.

Myles was ecstatic upon our return to Kotzebue in mid-August, if perplexed that Kotzebue was no longer covered with snow as when the family left for the summer in May. "I'm proud to be home," said Myles upon walking into their living room.

In Kotzebue, Myles and Tiffany for the first time entered the local day-care center, called Ililgaat Tupqat in Inupiaq Eskimo and Children's House in English. They love it. Myles' best friend is Ezra, who turned 5, he said, "December Two." Tiffany just got "promoted" by virtue of her third birthday on Dec. 16, 1993, to the Polar Bear Room at Children's House. She's no longer a toddler, rather a spunky, giggly, clowny, happy little girl who doesn't like to go to bed at night-- just like her brother. They both know what "B-E-D" spells. They like walking on their parents' bed in the early morning, oblivious to whether they are stepping on their parents or not.

Myles is four-and-a-half and will celebrate his fifth birthday next June 4. This fall at Kotzebue Elementary School, Myles started "ECE" (Early Childhood Education-- other places call it Pre-K), a 90-minute daily session. The day-care center takes the students to the school. Myles loves school and his teacher, Mrs. Swenson. He comes home every day carrying some new things he's made or talking about some new concept he's learned, such as "the birds fly south in the winter, except ravens" or "bears hibernate in the winter." Myles can write his name and his sister's, too. Myles sure wants to learn to read. Tiffany's most frequent request: "Will you read this to me?"

This October, Mama Bear, Papa Bear, Myles and Tiffany flew to Seattle for a week to meet their book publisher and visit friends Tomas (Conlon) and Dale (Evans). Susan taught dance to kids in Kotzebue this past spring and fall.

So far, the arctic winter has been kind, even as the Lower 48 gets battered with snowstorms and frigid temperatures-- ain't that the way it always happens? Peace on Earth to all. We send our best wishes for goodwill. Susan's sister, Jane, recently had a baby girl! Welcome to Planet Earth, Carolyn Andrews Oehrig!

Love,

John, Susan, Myles, Tiffany, and KUBLA!