Wherein Robyn continues to discuss her emotions about her family's impending move. Read at your own risk.

Today we attended church with our Chicago congregation for the last time.  Next week we will be in town, but the regular church meetings will not be held so that we can participate in our church's General Conference. 

In the middle of the main meeting today the congregation sang a hymn.  A fairly well known hymn in our church called I'll go where you want me to go.  I have always really liked this song, but it turned on me today and made me cry.  The first verse initially made me think of the fact that Arkansas doesn't sound very cool and is no "mountain height" or anything.  And I might have laughed at Arkansas.

Then came the clincher: "But if by a still, small voice he calls to paths I do not know, I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in thine, I'll go where you want me to go." 

I'm not trying to say that I have a calling to go to Arkansas, but I have a calling to be a mother, wife, friend and a myriad of other things and dang it, I'll be living in Arkansas while I work to fulfill those callings!  And I don't know those paths!  And they're right by the Ozarks!  I love the imagery of putting my hand in the Lord's and moving forward.  My hope and prayer is that I can do that very thing.

When we left Atlanta I was sad because I was leaving people and places and a life that I loved.  I mean, we had a dishwasher in our house and a Trader Joe's only two traffic lights away!  What could be better?  But, I really didn't love Atlanta specifically.  I knew Atlanta and was very happy there, but I loved the people (and TJ's).  And those people were relatively settled and I knew we would see them again and probably soon.  We've actually been back twice since our move and been able to see those old friends.

But, Chicago is different.  So many friends we've made here have already moved far away.  And many more of them will move in the coming months.  There are definitely friends we've made in Hyde Park who are here for the long term, but in reality the majority of our friends will be gone in 3 years. 

I also sort of fell for Chicago hard.  It's such a beautiful city.  The only summer we spent here was magical.  Our "golden summer".  The boys would pile into the stroller each morning and we'd go to one of the many nearby parks, or the beach, or a museum almost every day.  And it makes me sad to leave.  There, I said it.  (For the hundredth time.)  For the record, Chicago is also cold, inconvenient, and hard work and I've whined about it plenty.  But now that it's all over I've got nothing but love.

We have put together a schedule for the next week and a half in order to maximize our visits to people and places and so the good-bye is in full swing.  It all feels very real.  So begins and ends another wordy, emotional moving post.

I'd like to leave you with a video.  One you have to watch.  You just have to.  It's from Muppets take Manhattan when "the gang" has realized that they have to leave the big city and find real jobs because their dreams of hitting it big on Broadway haven't materialized.  I find a lot of parallels to my life.  For real.  Watch it.  Please.  All of it.

Muppets Saying Goodbye. Watch more top selected videos about: Goodbye, The Muppets

Somehow I know, we'll meet again
Not sure quite where and I don't know just when

You're in my heart, so until then
It's time for saying goodbye. 

Maybe we'll all come back some day and finally hit it big.  Finally.

I'm sorry that this is crude

But Jacob filled out a purposefully losing NCAA bracket for Nicholas yesterday morning.  For example, he chose West Virginia after they had already lost.  What a nice brother.

He did it all by himself.



Oh, what phonics hath wrought!

Virginia, Jacob, Virginia!!!! 

This baby

This baby is growing up.  In a big way.  He started waving today.  His hair is thickening.  He giggles.  He crawls super fast.  He blows 30 raspberries a day. 













He eats 30 million cheerios a day. 



Oh yeah, and he can also cheer for the team!  (Thanks to J.J., Josh and Barbie for introducing this to him.)

Touchdown!!!!  (Sorry for the super grainy phone pics.)