A Brief Stop in Chicago

So . . . as it turns out, you really can go home again. After 5 1/2 weeks of what turned out to be a four stop tour of Latin America, we are back in Chicago for 3 weeks. More specifically, we are back in Oak Park - in our old condo. We are so fortunate that our dear friends (and renters) David and Rodney have agreed to take us in until the end of the month while we touch base with my mom and reorganize ourselves for the trip to Spain.

It's funny to think that this condo was our home for 10 years. It is where we began our family - it was our first home, where we brought our babies home from the hospital and where we created so many memories. Because of the boys' impeccable decorating abilities, the condo looks nothing like it did when we lived here, but there is still something very familiar about it. Though I know it isn't here anymore, I keep looking at the wall in the kitchen where we hung our clock to try to see the time (it is now a chalkboard). We had so much dirty laundry to take care of when we arrived yesterday, so I decided to use our big washer and dryer in the basement. It had not been used in 2 1/2 years, since we also installed laundry in the unit and D&R use that. However, much to my delight, the bottle of laundry detergent that I bought before we left was still sitting there - waiting for me! I also ran into an old neighbor while I was in the basement, and we talked as if we had never left (except for how shocked he was at seeing how tall Henry has grown).

I still can't gauge the kids' reactions to being back in the old place. They definitely see it as D&R's home, but they are extremely comfortable here. On the train from the airport yesterday, Caroline said that she feels so much safer in Oak Park than she did in Chicago. I'm not sure where that came from, but I'm glad she feels it. Henry and Caroline absolutely love having D&R's dog, Lars, to play with (he even slept on their bed for a while last night) and are thrilled that they are now old enough to walk over to Mills Park alone (together, but with us watching from the balcony).

We'll be here for 3 weeks - unpacking, repacking, visiting with friends and family and spending as much time with my mom as possible. We leave for Spain on the 28th of September, and are VERY excited. We have learned a lot these past weeks and look forward to using that knowledge in the adventures ahead. Our focus now is trying to ensure that D&R still like us as much when we leave as they did when we arrived!