How To Tell Your 3 Year Old Their Best Friend is Moving

When I was pregnant with Kate and depressed because we just moved and I was lonely and nothing tasted good and I couldn't even drink tap water and I felt guilty because I was only drinking bottled water, a new family moved into the house two doors down.  I saw that the girl was pregnant. I saw that they were Aggies. I saw that they had a little girl about Wyatt's age.  I prayed.  "Please God, can we maybe be friends?"

He answered. He soooo answered. She had 3 beautiful babies about a month before Kate was born (yes triplets!!).  She was basically homebound because triplets. I was basically homebound because schedule crazy and working form home. I think she needed a friend almost as bad as I did.  We text every day. We talked about sleep and lack of sleep. We got through starting solid foods. Our kids took first steps together. We worked out together. We compare crazy wife stories. We talk about what we are cooking for dinner. We know when the other person is going to the grocery store.  We talk about "back when our brains fully functioned before kids". She has an engineering degree and I have a computer degree.  We just were meant to be friends. But neighbors and friends???  Awesomeness.

Wyatt and Isabel became instant best friends. They talk about each other every day. They can go play in a room by themselves happily for hours. Hours. They never tire of each other. She actually called Wyatt "Snow White" the first few months she knew him which is hilarious because she has coached him on the princess world.  Our kids play outside together almost every single day. Perfection.  Perspective (because I got to see her have every parenting struggle times 3).  Now we have a bunch of almost 2 year olds that sleep great and play at playgrounds and have opinions and attitudes.

And now they are leaving us. Work moves people around. Work is moving them closer to her family. Work is taking away our bestest neighbors and friends. I am mentally blocking everything out, but I am crushed because having conversations with a real adult every day is so priceless.  Every time I walk outside, I still glance over at her empty house. Auto Pilot neighbor stalking. I fear that I will turn back into needy wife, counting down the minutes until Hunter comes home every day to save me.  Wyatt doesn't really understand yet. He keeps asking if Isabel can come play.  I kinda felt like I needed to read a book on how to tell your 3 year old their bestie is moving.

I know God has something else in store for each of our families. Sigh. I am so thankful that he put us together to survive the newborn phase and 3 and 4 year old older sibling phase. Not sure how I would have survived without them. So cheers to the next phase. And as of now, we promise to see each other once a week even though we live 2 hours apart. 

The Bigs

The Littles (a long time ago)