And So Another Adventure Begins ... Let's Do This 2018

Happy New Year Everyone!! Each year I write an end of year post, looking back at the past 365 days. This year I am going to focus on the best thing that happened to us.

Our year was filled with a whole lot but above and beyond everything was our transition from a Family of 3 to a Family of 4! We were blessed us with the perfect addition to our family, our Aedan Conroy Crawford! He arrived on his due date (only 5% of babies do this) as beautifully as any baby could enter the world. My water broke and we were told to go to the hospital and that I would be admitted. My doctor told us that he had some planned C sections which he would attend them as scheduled unless our little man decided to make his entrance sooner. I was monitored but my labor progressed slowly and steadily with very little pain. Shannon and I got to spend some lovely time together before the big arrival. I decided to get an epidural earlier than I had with Jack which was an AMAZING decision! My nurse told me to try and change position because it could speed things along and did it ever. 5 minutes after I changed sides, I felt the need to push. I was told it was time and 3 pushes later our little man was here! 10 pounds 2 ounces. 22 inches long. And as yummy as could be. As the doctors were tending to me after delivery, Aedan let out an “UH OH” and everyone in the room fell silent followed by a thunder of laughter after my OB said, “Please tell me everyone just heard that baby say uh oh”. He let everyone know he was on the scene from the very start and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Everyone in our family fell instantly in love. From me, Shannon and Jack, to Nana & Pop Pop, our love as a family expanded and it was as if this little man has been here the whole time! Not only did our family grow this year but our hearts did too!!

We wish everyone a New Year filled with boundless LOVE, PEACE, HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND JOY!

Lots of Love,

Katie, Shannon, Jack & Aedan

2017 Highlights

January

Attended the Women’s March with Mom in Hartford

February

We took Jack to the Yale Peabody Museum with Nana

Started my 3^rd Trimester

March

Put together Aedan’s Paddington Nursery with the help of Nana

Hosted a family St. Patrick’s Day Dinner with tradition Irish food made from scratch

April

Nana surprised me with the most beautiful and perfect Baby Shower for Aedan!

Last family of 3 fun day to The Boston Aquarium

May

Aedan Conroy Crawford was born!

Shannon and I celebrated meeting one another 7 years ago on Memorial Day Weekend

June

Family trip to the newly opened Dr. Seuss Museum with Nana

2^nd Annual Strawberry Festival with the whole family

July

Jack turned 3!! He had a truck themed birthday party with all of his closest buddies from the neighborhood

Painted the breezeway and turned it into a playroom for the boys

August

Took Jack to The Danbury Fair Mall with Nana and Uncle Matty for his first back to school shopping trip

First family of 4 vacation to Maine

September

Jack begins 3s (2day) Preschool

October

Aedan is baptized at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and had the most perfect party with our dearest family and friends

The entire family dressed up as Paw Patrol for Halloween and it was the perfect kickstart to the holiday season

November

Spent Thanksgiving in Vermont with Nana and Pop Pop when they surprised us with a handmade/painted, one of a kind BELIEVE Santa’s Mailbox

Bought our Christmas tree in Vermont

December

First snow of the season on Shannon’s Birthday

Hosted our Annual “Simsbury Family” Holiday Party

Hosted a Christmas Party for Jack and his preschool buddies

Met Santa

Aedan’s First Christmas

Jack and Aedan LOVED Truck Christmas 2017

Shannon and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary!

Family Resolutions

Aim to be greener

Seek new family adventures

Continue trying new things to cook and bake

To A Year Gone By ... Reflecting on 2016!

Hello everyone and Happy New Year!

So, as I have done for the last several years, I thought I would recap the highlights of The Crawford Life as we end 2016 and enter 2017!! But before we get to the highlights …

Most importantly, we are having a baby!!!! Jack is going to be a Big Brother to Aedan Conroy Crawford, who is set to arrive May 2, 2017! We discovered we were pregnant on our first family trip to Maine on August 30, 2016. It was so special to be in such a beautiful place together and discover such fantastic news. We had an inkling we might be pregnant and bought a few test kits the night before we checked. I woke very early with excitement hoping that it would be positive. The test turned positive so quickly I thought there might be something faulty with the test so I took the other 2 and they turned positive just as quickly as the first! I cried tears of joy but kept my composure because I wanted to surprise Shannon with the news. I had dental surgery the week before so when I came back to bed I asked him to get me some Tylenol and strategically placed the 3 tests right near the medication. He got right up and I sat in bed so ecstatic to share this moment and he quietly returned with the pills and proceeded to get back in to bed. 530 am is very early in The Crawford House so he was on a mission for those pills and clearly had blinders on. I calmly asked for some water too and followed him to make sure I could guide him if needed be but he realized what was going on, saw the tests and burst into tears as he ran to embrace me! It was such a beautiful moment that I will cherish for the rest of my life!

Highlights of The Crawford Life 2016

·       Jack got to see his first live theatre performance, Daniel Tiger Live in the front row!!

·       We painted the entire first floor, stairwell and upstairs hallway! We also redid our basement bonus room and updated Jack to a toddler truck room!

·       We bought our 2^nd car a Honda Odyssey and it was a great decision!

·       Found Jack (and Aedan) a playscape for the backyard. We disassembled it (with the help of the lovely people we bought it from), somehow loaded it into a U-Haul van and reassembled in one day. It was a lot of hard work and even confusing and frustrating at times but exemplified what a great team my husband and I are together.

·       Tilly had a relapse of her spinal myletis but is in remission again. We know that Tilly will forever have issues due to her immune suppression but we are thankful for every day we get to have her with us! She Linus (who has been with us a year) and Jack are best friends. It is beautiful to watch them together!

·       We updated our back deck and it was such a great investment and worth the time and energy!

·       We created our first compost (Shannon did 99% of the work) and it is great! Just trying to do our part!

·       Sue came for a visit!

·       Jack turned 2 BIG!!!! We spent the day at the Science Museum and he loved it!!

·       Completed my first big DIY project for Jack’s 2^nd Birthday … A train table where I painted the country scape from scratch! It is official I have a hobby … I love attempting DIY Projects!

·       Jack celebrated his 2^nd Birthday with a Minions themed birthday party with amazing family and friends. Always a reminder of how lucky we are!

·       Uncle Danny & Aunt Lindsay came to visit for a few days and we got to catch up with Nana and Pop Pop in Amherst!

·       We drove to Cold Spring, NY for the day and got to catch up with some great Chicago friends (by way of New Zealand & England). We got to see the whole Nash Family and met Rosie for the first time!!

·       We took our first true family vacation to Wells, ME. We rented our good friends family bungalow and it was perfection! And, we got to find out we were pregnant!

·       Autumn was overall pretty quiet for us and being in my first trimester it was amazing to lay low but had such love and support from my husband, family and friends.

·       Jack is OBSESSED with all things trucks but is particularly partial to Garbage/Recycle Trucks and Bins. So, Jack was a garbage man for Halloween with Mommy Recycle Bin, Daddy Compost Bin and Nana carrying “a bag of trash”. It was so great for us and Jack loved getting to walk around the neighborhood. Trick or Treat was not a saying he loved rather he preferred to ask each neighbor for “more please” and for only going to 8 houses …. This kid made out like a bandit hahahaha! I even made him his own pull bin!

·       Finished a DIY kitchen for Christmas for Jack & Aedan. Mom and I found this old 1970’s play kitchen that had a ton of potential. Dad gave it a new top, 2 new doors and a sink. Mom primed it and I put all the finishing touches … Black top, spray paint, faux tile and shelving paper.

·       Finished Shannon’s office. I painted the walls, his desks and we hung a corkboard and shelves! It used to be my holiday room but it has been put to much better use as Shannon’s office … NOW THAT HE IS WORKING FROM HOME FULL TIME!!!!!!!!! One of the best things to happen to our family this year!!!!

·       Found out we were having a boy and decided on the perfect name for our little guy ... Aedan Conroy Crawford.

·       Watching Jack already interact with his little brother may be my ultimate highlight! Jack hugs and kisses my belly all the time on his own and has started talking all about "Baby Aedan" ... Makes our hearts swell!!!

·       Completed a weekly news year resolution of making something new each week! Finished today and it was a great challenge and I love it

·       Finally, Shannon and I are celebrating our 4 year wedding Anniversary TODAY! Happy Anniversary my love!!!

Resolutions

·       Concentrate on baking now that I have some good cooking basics down.

·       Continue to lessen my online time.

·       Work on myself; mind, body and soul.

·       Prep for Baby Aedan and Jack becoming a Big Brother!! We can’t wait to see the 2 of them together!!!

·       Keep a weekly good happenings jar to open next New Years Eve!!

Happy New Year Everyone!  I know everyone has talked about how rough 2016 has been and although there have been moments of undoubted turbulence … there is always good! Writing this each year is a good reminder that there are always ups and downs but we always have to be thankful for the good we are given and our family has been blessed so much good!

May everyone have a New Year filled with Love, Health & Happiness! Here is to 2017!!!!

Much Love,

Katie, Shannon, Jack, Aedan, Tilly & Linus

Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016!!

Hello everyone!

Somehow it is time for The Crawford end of year update! I know I say this every year but I can't believe another year has come and gone. My Papa used to say that each year goes a little faster and we are realizing how prophetic his words are!

This has been a year filled with a lot, some good and some not so good, but as  always, The Crawford Family came out stronger than ever.

2015 Crawford Highlights

⦁ Made some amazing friends in Simsbury!

⦁ Applied for Shannon's 10 year green card!

⦁ Tilly endured paralysis due to spinal myelitis but made a miraculous recovery!

⦁ Celebrated my first Mother's Day & it was just perfect!

⦁ Shannon and I celebrated meeting 5 years ago (May 2010) and had our first night away from Jack (Nana and Pop Pop watched Jack and he did great! )! Shannon surprised me and we went to New York City! We retraced the steps from our first moments, hours and days together! It was so romantic and a beautiful way to reflect on our relationship. We also squeezed in a trip to FAO Schwarz for Jack Man before they closed their iconic location!

⦁ Survived our first major house project ... renovating our breezeway! Shannon and my Dad did an AMAZING job together!

⦁ Shannon celebrated his First American Father's Day and Second Australian Father's Day!!!

⦁ Aunt Tiffany visit us and met Jack for the first time!!

⦁ Celebrated Jack's First Birthday with a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party! Our closest family and friends were here to be a part of such a special day! The world would be a better place if all the world was loved the way Jack Francis is!

⦁ Jack has started walking and talking ... He is quickly becoming a big boy!

⦁ Spent our first summer getting to listen to music from the downtown venue and even got to see fireworks ... all from the luxury of our back deck!! Not a bad way to spend your summer nights!

Surprised Shannon with Counting Crows tickets!

⦁ Took Jack for his first family trip to The White Mountains!

⦁ Jack Trick-Or-Treated for the first time. He was a bat in the afternoon and Daniel Tiger in the evening!! He was the cutest!!

⦁ Jack watched his first ever movie in the theater ... A Peanuts Movie! He did such an amazing job and kicked off the Peanuts Theme for Christmas 2015!!

⦁ Hosted the first ever Crawford Christmas Cookies, Cocoa & Cartoons! Jack's friends got to decorate cookies, wrote letters to Santa, watched cartoons and got goody bags ... It was too cute!!
⦁ Hosted a neighbor Holiday Breakfast for the phenomenal people that we are lucky enough to call our neighbors and friends!

⦁ Added a new member to the Crawford Clan ... Mr. Linus! We found him at Petco, which hosts cats from a local animal shelter. There was just something that told us he needed to be a member of the family and we did just that! We love that our family's love just simply grows!

⦁ Celebrated our first Christmas in Connecticut! Last year was spent in Vermont so it was really exciting to host Christmas this year!! Jack received beautiful presents from all of his family and friends. He is one lucky little boy and not just because of his Christmas haul!

⦁ Celebrating our 3rd Wedding Anniversary TODAY! I am in awe every day that this is my life and that not only were Shannon and I were lucky enough to find one another but we made it against all odds. I am a true believer in everything happening for a reason and I know that handsome Aussie was on that balcony at that precise moment so we could have our love story ... Which I am so thankful for each day! I truly love him a little more each day and the life and family we have created!

Resolutions

I love The New Year because I love the idea of starting anew! This year, I feel like I have some great resolutions and am excited to share ... It may help me to stick to them when people really know what they are!

⦁ Limiting my Facebook time. I want to be present and constantly checking Facebook does not help me achieve this. It has become such a habit to check Facebook any time I pick up my phone ... So, I am going to try to seriously cut back! Facebook is a total vice but I am hoping to limit it in the New Year!

⦁ Cooking one new meal a week. I can be a creature of habit so I need to stir things up ... Pun intended hahaha!

⦁ Continue my exercise and healthy eating routine (excluding December when we were all very sick and the mainstay of our food was butter, sugar and salt with all my baking lol!) I am finally a few pounds less than my pre-baby weight which I am so proud of! I want to simply maintain that with healthy living!

⦁ Work on my Mindfulness. I taught this in my classroom and I know how beneficial it is! I am going to attempt to find a simple meditation/yoga program that works for me and help to keep me present!

• Putting positivity into the world. If this year has taught us anything, it is there is a lot of terrible things happening in the world but I truly believe there is far more good that exists. So, if everyone does good in their own way, it will help combat all the bad we are inundated with!

All of these resolutions are not only for me but for the benefit of my amazing family! I know how important modeling good habits are. Each day my aim is to be a little bit better than I was the day before. There are days I definitely fall short of my goal but I know that I am always working towards betterment for all of us! They make me want to be the best version of myself I can be and I want to be that and more for them.

So, there you have it! Full on year but again, we have come out stronger than ever and I think that is all you can ask for. We have high hopes for 2016, we think some pretty amazing things are going to happen and we know that no matter what it has in store for The Crawford Clan, we will face it together! Thank you for being a part of our lives!!

FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS, HAVE A HAPPY & HEALTHY NEW YEAR!
Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016!!

Love,
Katie, Shannon, Jack, Tilly & Linus

What?! Half way through the year?!

Hi everyone!

Well, it has been six months since I updated the blog so I thought it was about time hahaha.

When I started writing this I was so happy that there was some quiet and normalcy however that is just silly that I would even say that because within a few days our lives were truly turned upside down.

Last weekend we spent the weekend in Vermont with my mom and dad. We had a great weekend. Put some finishing touches on some work my parents had been doing over the past few months. Since finishing the stairs, my dad redid the wall around the fireplace and defined the mantle. I painted the kitchen and hallway and we all updated the cabinets, mom redid the countertops and Dad and Shannon put in a window in the attic. It looks great. Shannon and I even got to have a date night.

We got home and all was good until Tilly suddenly collapsed that evening. She had some movement and knew we would take her to the vet first thing in the morning. She worsened so rapidly in the early morning that we thought we were going to lose her. We went to a local vet who immediately referred us to a Vet Hospital an hour away where they have a neurologist on staff. Over the week, Tilly had an MRI, spinal tap, physical therapy and was put on a combination of antibiotics and steroids. Before the MRI the doctor told us to prepare ourselves because he did not things looked but we knew that we had to give out Tilly Bug every chance possible. After the MRI he said the prognosis was better but we would have to evaluate in a few weeks time because he thought she would be incontinent and may never walk again. He suggested the addition of the spinal tape to get a better picture and thank God we did that because it showed a sever infection of Myelitis. He said he never saw such a severe and fast onset. Luckily, he was excited by the feeling she still had in her leg and the fact that there is some movement! All the things we feared have been allayed and Tilly will make a recovery for sure. What that looks like exactly we are not sure but we know that there will be good quality to her life!!

Tilly came home on Friday and I don't think Shannon and have ever been happier. It was like bringing your baby home from the hospital for the first time especially because we thought we were never going to bring her home again. It was such a blessing and what we are now calling a Father's Day Miracle! :) This week has been one of the most intense of our lives but with the best outcome possible. Since being home Tilly is already on the move as much as she can. She is using a sling under her belly when we take her to the bathroom but she is in great spirits and we have no doubt that she is on the rebound. She is all Tilly just minus a bit of movement in her back legs. As long as she has a good quality of life that is all we care about. Jack could not be happier to have his big sister home. He may have figured how to open her pen (which she needs to sleep in for safety) and crawls in to give her kiss and snuggles ... it just melts your heart!!

So, that is the most important thing that has transpired in recent Crawford history! Below are a few highlights and I promise to post for Jack's First Birthday!!! I can't believe it is almost here! :)

Highlights From The Past Few Months ...

• Jack is doing amazingly! He is chatting up a storm, waving, can show us his tongue, clap, hug, give kisses, blow kisses, climb up and down the stairs, stand and has taken several steps each day! We are just so proud of him and are putting the final touches on his birthday in just 2 weeks ... 1 year big!!!!!!!!
• We have started to meet people in our neighborhood and town! I have met some great mommies with babies Jack's age as well as meeting neighbors with children a bit older and are awesomet! It is slowly but surely feeling a bit more like home each day!
• I co-chaired an event for the Junior Women's Club and met some phenomenal ladies. 
• Shannon and Dad redid our breezeway and it looks amazing!!! It was really great watching them work together and it means even more!
• I celebrated my first Mother's Day with Jack and it was phenomenal!! And, Shannon surprised me with a trip to NYC for the weekend!
• NYC was amazing and coincided with the 5 year Anniversary of our meeting. We went to all the places that had significant meaning for us and it finished with Shannon taking me to Tiffany's!!! I got a beautiful infinity band that has a beautiful significance for our family! 
• Shannon got to celebrate his first Father's Day today! He defines what it means to be a man, husband and father! Watching him each day inspires me and what he does for our family is unparalleled ... THANK YOU MY LOVE!!! we.love.you. Jack and Tilly are lucky to call you Daddy and I am blessed to call you my husband!!!!!
• We absolutely love our home and are starting the list for things that we would like to do, slowly but surely, to personalize it even more.
• Our backyard is wild kingdom ... we have seen a ton of small birds (that now come right up on the deck while we are out there because we feed them every night, squirrels, chipmunks, hawks, eagle, a fox, bunnies, coyotes and there are bears in our neighborhood. We are yet to see one but fingers crossed.
• Tiffany Rudy is coming in 2 weeks for Jack's first birthday and we are so excited!!!!
• We are hoping to spend some quality time in Vermont over the summer (it is our escape and we just love it up there!!)
• Working on dropping those last few baby pounds ... :) Haven't been trying too hard hahaha!
• We are finalizing the application for Shannon's 10 year green card!!
• We are hoping for a few days at the beach if we can!

That's pretty much it for us! This past week has reprioritized a lot for us. At the end of the day as long as your family and friends are healthy and happy that is all you can ask for. We are so thankful for the way this week concluded and are taking a deep breath ... together!!

STAY TUNED ...

Love,

Katie, Shannon, Jack and Tilly

I think this says it all ...

2014 ...Nothing Short Of An Amazing Year!

Hello Everyone!

Well, we don’t know how it has happened but we are saying goodbye to 2014 and hello to 2015. Simply said, 2014 has been the most amazing year of our lives. Here is a recap of the Crawford Highlights of 2014 …

Found out we were having a baby boy over Valentine’s Day Dinner!!

Had a beautiful baby shower with my preschoolers (and mom flew out to be there too!)!

Got the official word we were being transferred to the Hartford office!

Over the spring and early summer, we traveled to St. Louis, Springfield and New Buffalo … our last Midwestern excursions!

Finished teaching at FXW!

**Had The One & Only, Jack Francis Crawford on July 6, 2014!**

Bringing home Jack and meeting his big sister Tilly for the 1^st time!

Said goodbye to the beautiful friends we made in our almost 3 years in Chicago!

Moved from Chicago back to the East Coast!

Jack meeting Nana and Pop Pop for the 1^st time!

Living between Vermont and Connecticut for almost 2 months!

Jack meeting his Nan for the 1^st time!

Bought our first home together in Simsbury, CT!

Celebrated my 30^th Birthday!

Had Jack’s Baptism (Met Uncle Adam & Aunt Ashley)!

Bought a Subaru!

 

Jack's First Halloween (As A Spider)!

 

Hosted Jack's First Thanksgiving (Met Uncle Danny & Aunt Lindsay)!

Jack’s First Trip To NYC!

Jack Got His First Tooth!

Had Jack’s First Christmas in Vermont!

Celebrating our 2^nd Wedding Anniversary!

 

And now it is on to 2015. I usually love moving into the next year but this year I leave 2014 with a swelling heart and wanting to soak in every moment of the last 365 days just a little longer. This year has brought our family to a place I only ever dreamed of. All I am is full of gratitude, gratitude for an amazing year filled with so many life changing moments but above and beyond everything, brought us our beautiful son. We have never known a love like this and whatever the future holds, we will always hold 2014 fondly in my memory for the rest of my life.

With that said, bring on 2015! I can’t wait to see all that this New Year has in store for The Crawford Family. With this crew, anything is possible and I would have it no other way.

One last thing before we leave you for the year. We need to say a special thank you to our baby boy, Mr. Jack Francis. As you all know, this past year has been hectic to say the least, especially since Jack arrived on the scene. He has gone with the flow at every turn and we truly don’t know what we would have done if he was anyone else. They say that baby’s pick their parents. All we can say to that is thank you Jack. Thank you for picking us to be your Mommy and Daddy and thank you for being the most amazing baby we could ever ask for!

We are wishing all of you a New Year filled with Love, Health & Happiness! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!

All The Best,

Katie, Shannon, Jack & Tilly

 

We went from this on December 31, 2012 ...

 

To this in 2014!

*Truly Blessed.

The Crawfords Are Connecticut Residents!

Hello everyone!! 

Well, as most of you know it has been a whirlwind for The Crawford Clan since our departure from Chicago. We arrived in Vermont on Aug 15^th and began looking at houses on the 17^th. We were spending half the week at my parent’s house in Vermont and the other half of the week in a hotel in Connecticut. We nearly put an offer on a house we found on the first go. We decided to see a few more properties and decided to put an offer on a house that was on the market for 360 days. The day we put an offer in, so did another couple. I know it doesn’t seem plausible … but it happened lol! As fate would have it the house we bought was put on the market 3 hours before our final offer was to be submitted on the other house. We were the first and we believe only couple to see our house. We closed within one month and it still all seems so surreal.

Sue, Shannon’s mom arrived from Australia at 11 pm October 1 and Shannon and I went for our final walk through at 730 am the next morning. We signed papers by 915 am and then we were off to Vermont that evening. The next morning, Shannon and I rented a 14’ van (which I drove) with all the stuff we accumulated and bought in Vermont, dropped it off at our house, went to our CT storage unit and dropped that all off before heading back to Vermont that night. The next morning we were on the road to start unpacking the house and hosted our first dinner party the next evening. It was the last night of my twenties and I couldn’t have imagined a better way to spend it than with family and friends.

Throughout the week we finished purchasing furniture and other odds and ends. On Saturday my mom came down and she and my dad bought us Jack’s nursery furniture. We put that all together that evening. Mom and dad also bought us Dr. Seuss prints from a special gallery in Chicago that mom and I went to the day after we told them I was pregnant along with a beautiful Dr. Seuss bedding. It is so beautiful and unique, I couldn’t imagine anything better for Jack! And we have a fully furnished home and it feel wonderful!

On October 12, we had Jack’s baptism at our new church, St. Mary’s. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day, ceremony or time spent with family and friends! It was so wonderful to have everyone here (minus a few important people we missed) and to have our first party. It is pretty wild that we did that 1 week after moving into our house. It was a day and a memory for Jack that we will always hold near and dear to us.

And … SHANNON GOT HIS ADULT LEARNER’S PERMIT!! He had an Australian license but in order to obtain his license he needs the permit first. He also has taken the required safety course so now we just needs to take his driving test. It takes a while to schedule because it books quickly.

 I am convinced that the old adage, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, is the slogan for our lives the past few months. Shannon and I have had a beautiful baby, moved 5 weeks later, moved in with my parents for half the week and living out of a hotel the other half, bought a house, had Shannon’s mom here for the first 3 weeks while moving into our new home, had a baptism within days of moving in, finally bought a car (a Subaru Legacy) and Shannon got his permit. That is it. Simply put, I told Shannon no more major life decisions until Jack’s first birthday. I think we have earned just existing and truly living in our new home. I love saying that, home. I have always felt at home when I have been with Shannon but there is something beautiful for us to be in one place that is ours. We have been around the world together and have had an amazing time doing so but now we blissfully enter this next chapter of our lives and have a home for our Jack and Tilly to grow up in. Simsbury has always been on our radar. It is about 30 minutes from Shannon’s job in downtown Hartford and the schools are amazing … we truly couldn’t ask for more!

We also just needed to recognize our parents! They helped in so many ways ... we are so grateful to them! We are truly blessed!

That is all here for now. Next, we look to Thanksgiving. We are hosting it this year and we are so excited. We are supposed to be getting a snowstorm … come on now you know the Crawford Family doesn’t do anything unmemorable hahaha. These are the memories that we will forever look back and think, this is what made our house a home. 

Best Wishes,

Katie, Shannon, Jack and Tilly

And On To The Next Great Crawford Adventure ...

Hello Everyone,

Well, we don’t know when it happened but the time has come and we are East Coast bound!

Many of you know that Chicago was not an easy start for this family and although we are excited for our new adventure, it is indisputable the amazing and life changing events that have happened during our time as Chicago residents!

Shannon and I moved here at the end of November 2011. It was his new job with UBS that allowed us the opportunity to finally live in the same place and take our relationship to the next level. We got our very own downtown apartment!

That following May, on the second anniversary of us meeting, Shannon got down on one knee under the Navy Pier fireworks and proposed!

We got Tilly here in Illinois. We flew home 2 days after our wedding and immediately drove to get her and make her the newest member of the newly established Crawford Family.

I got my first real teaching job, post grad school at FXW. It was such an amazing positions and my colleagues, students and their parents were fabulous. I learned so much about myself as a teacher and made so many good friends, I could not have asked for anything more from a job.

We applied for, interviewed and got Shannon’s green card which was such an accomplishment! It made us feel so good knowing he had that for our family!

And finally and most importantly, it was here in Chicago that we made the decisions to have a baby! On our third anniversary, over dinner at Petterino’s, Shannon and I made the decision to start trying for a family in the fall. Little did we know how quickly that would happen and Jack Francis would be conceived immediately! 41 week and 1 day later, on July 6, 2014 the most wonderful gift came to us here in Chicago, our sweet baby boy, Jack!

Chicago, it has been a wild ride. You have truly put this family to the test in more ways than one but you have also given so many of our most important memories to date and for that, WE THANK YOU!

And now, it is on to our new great adventure. A new chapter for The Crawford Family is right around the corner and we cannot wait to see all that it has in store! 

All Our Love,

Katie, Shannon, Jack & Tilly