Crawfords On The Move: March 2014

Wow, it has been a while since I last posted. The past few months have been extremely busy, but incredibly exciting. In early November we found out we were pregnant but wanted to wait until we were past the "danger" zone to even mention it to family and friends. We already had a Christmas trip to Mt. Hood, Oregon planned, but decided to cut the trip early and book a surprise flight home New Years Day. After flying into Philly and renting a car (all of which was VERY hard to keep a secret from Mom as we talk each day and she is very good at asking questions) we showed up at my parents doorstep. Dad just stared at the door in disbelief and mom screamed in surprise. Little did they know, the only surprise wasn't that we just stopped in from WA State for the holidays, but that they had a grand baby on the way. I had created a calendar to give the parents as a gift and used Charlotte's ultrasound picture for the month of July. It took them some time to process who was in the photo and when they did you could hear screams of joy. The next day we jumped in the car and drove down to Richmond to surprise Robert's parents and family as well who were also very surprised and overjoyed with the news! Once we told family, we were able to call and visit with close friends. I told my students the news through a personal story that week and they can't wait to meet her. Everyday they say goodbye to me first and then give hugs to Charlotte Lee.

Robert has done a wonderful job painting and prepping Charlotte's room and we already set up her crib and changing table along with her rocker/glider so all that is left is small decorations. He has also changed out all the light fixtures, added new blinds (blackout ones) and new window fixings. In addition to celebrating our birthdays in the month of February, we had a gender reveal party with close friends here and were shocked but overjoyed to find that Baby Crawford was a girl. I had multiple dreams about a little boy and only one about a little girl, but the one I had about a little girl was very vivid so I guess it was a sign! Luckily we already had a name for a boy, Thacher (my maiden name and one that we plan to eventually pass down) and a name for a girl, Charlotte Lee so either way we were prepared. I have always loved the name Charlotte as it is classic and reminds me of our southern roots and when I brought it up to Robert back in November he liked it because they had a family friend named Charlotte who happens to be a teacher. A huge plus was that I have never had a student named Charlotte, nonetheless a wild one, so it was a "GO" in my book. Charlotte's middle name, Lee, is my middle name as well as my mom's so I wanted to make sure we passed on the tradition. I know Robert will be an incredible father to a little girl and I have a feeling she will fall in love with him the same way I did. Charlotte already has a closet full of adorable little girls clothes and has a habit of kicking my bladder during the school day. Bentley and Crissi are also excited to have another little woman in the house soon. One of our goals is to teach her how to ride Bentley so we are working on creating a harness ;)

I am continuing to teach second grade, but have also started a second job with Pearson. The great thing is that my job with Pearson is all online and I am hoping to continue with this telecommuting opportunity over the next year. I, we, made the decision to not return to teaching next year for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because I want to be home with Charlotte. Also, being military, you never know when and where you will leaving and for us it is looking like we are moving sooner than later.

Being pregnant hasn't changed how active we are though! We had a fun-filled trip to Oregon where Robert learned how to snowboard, we went on hikes through the Mt. Hood forest areas, we took a carriage ride, and were supposed to midnight snowshoe but the weather did not allow it. We recently went snowshoeing at Mt. Baker and it was simply stunning, but certainly challenging with high winds and snow in your face the majority of the time. Robert has been skiing a couple of times with friends as well up at Whistler, BC and Mt. Baker so he continues to take advantage of our big and beautiful mountains.

On a random note, we were recently asked to audition for Wheel of Fortune. Auditions were in Seattle and we had NO idea what to expect. There were about 60 people at the beginning and after a simulated game and 5 minutes to solve HARD puzzles the group was cut down to about 19. We both made it through those cuts and were asked to go through another more intense game and we passed again. We had our photo taken as a couple and were told that in the next two weeks, if we receive a letter, we made it to the show and will need to book a flight to LA to be on Wheel of Fortune. Either way it was a very fun experience, but our fingers are crossed that we get that letter!

***Robert is NOT one to brag, and I have a feeling many members of his family and close friends do NOT know this, but he was awarded "Officer of the Quarter" by his command this past February. I was not the least bit surprised and am so incredibly proud of who is he as a Naval Officer and husband, how he manages his clinic and his strong work ethic. I love to walk through the hospital and visit him because he truly has come to life and has gained such confidence in his abilities and leadership skills since joining the Navy. He will be awarded at an upcoming awards ceremony and his picture will appear in his hometown newspaper so Richmond folks, PLEASE have your eyes out***

Our next big trip is coming home in early April to PA for my east coast family and friends baby shower. We hope everyone is having a wonderful start to the spring and we can't wait for y'all to meet baby Charlotte.

Much Love,
The Crawfords

Still taking pictures of our beautiful home, Whidbey Island

Had the chance to see our niece Sofie while at home for our surprise trip to PA.
Robert's first time meeting the little munchkin. She and Charlotte will only be about 10 months apart!