When we made the decision to pack up and move our family out to the burbs, we did so for many reasons. One of which was to have neighbors like us with kids and we imagined bbq's and beers in the driveway while the kids played, kids in the neighborhood Ava would go to school with and grow up with etc.. Well as soon as we moved in we found out our neighbors across the street had a 2 year old daughter just a few months older than Ava, Christy the wife was in HR and worked a flex schedule like I did and Steve and Erik instantly hit it off and shoot skeet together every week. We very soon were spending many weekends, 4th of july, new years, labor day etc at each others houses, we even have matching Christmas decorations. Christy and I went to the nutcracker market each year, registered our kids for school together,Christmas shopped together, had our kids in ballet and soccer together, we went trick or treating as a group every year and we joined a MOPS group together. Emma is Ava's very best friend and Brynn loves the Hiemstras. Ava lives for play time with Emma and every Monday Christy picks Ava up from school and brings her home until I get home. Two days a week I take Emma to school and pick her up on Fridays. In other words, we are each others village.
Well Friday night they broke the news to us that Erik has been transferred to Oklahoma and they are moving. I am heartbroken for many reasons, I'm losing a good friend, we are losing wonderful neighbors who we've created traditions with and most of all Ava is losing her very best friend. She is about to suffer her first heartache. She won't have Emma to play with anymore, to go to school with anymore, to play with at recess or to trick or treat with, and no more birthday parties with Emma. It's going to be so hard on Ava. I just know she's going to be devastated. I'm personally having a hard time coming to grips with the end of an era. It could not have been a better situation for all of us and now it's changing. We are so sad this weekend. I can deal with change and usually embrace it, but this is not the kind of change I like. Christy is going to try and stay until the end of the school year, so I have some time before I need to tell Ava.
We are going to miss our friends so much!
