emi

Today when I go to church, and walk a protesting little Simon to his primary class, there will be a very  important little face missing from that room.  His only friend in the class. Emi.


When we moved to our townhome last year, I was determined that I was going to make friends.  I was not going to repeat our 5 years in Clearfield, where I only had one person that I opened myself to.  Because when that 1 person cuts you out of their life, it hurts.  It hurts so much more than I was prepared for.  And it hurts the kids, because their kids were YOUR kids lifeline.  Not too confusing right?  So, the first day I saw people out back, not only did I send my kids out there to play, I went out.  I went out and smiled and introduced myself.  A couple of days later at church, I realized all those people I had met had been in my ward, and I couldn't remember any of their names.  One of them came up and sat next to me in Sunday School, and said "Deb, right? Mind if I sit here?"  I was attending church alone with Ava and Simon that week, and Chris was home with the babies.  We were trading off weeks-since the twins were too young to go.  Bryan McCracken was the first person to make a sincere continuous effort to help us feel at home.  His daughter, Kalli, has become best friends with Ava, and his wife, Rachel, is one of the funniest and kindest amazing people. We are hoping their boy, Dillan-who is a month older than the twins, will also be great friends with the boys.  They wave to each other in church ;) It's going well, as far as babies go. :)  I also came to know Jenny and her kids Addy-who is another girl that we have come to adore, and Ava considers a bestie.  Kalli, Lucy, Addy are all a year younger than Ava.  But when you're 4,5 that doesn't matter.  They are inseparable in the summer.   I was so excited that Ava had so many friends.  She had been so homesick for her best friend from our other neighborhood, but in the past year, that pain has lessened, and even though she tells me from time to time that she still misses that girl, it's less frequent and the tears are as well.

I was worried, however, about finding kids Simon's age.  And then, one day, I saw my neighbor.  We were both loading up our car and I shouted--hi! I'm deb!!!! how old is your little girl?  She looked over-and I could tell she was in a hurry--uhhh she's 3.  And I have a baby boy. I gotta go!"  I was so excited. a three year old!  I got to know Emi when the weather warmed up. She was so so tiny!!!  She was in a dress up.  And she had the most ity bity dog I'd ever seen.  Simon was PETRIFIED of that dog.  Emi was too.  It took a few months, but Allison and Adam became really great friends to Chris and I.  We had family dinners together, went on double dates, guys nights, girls nights.  There was no drama. Emi and Simon were like an old married couple.  They got along great and then would scream and scream at eachother, and then go right back to playing perfectly together.

Yesterday, Emi, Cooper, Allison and Adam moved to Kaysville.  Not so far that we'll never see eachother again, but the summer is not going to be the same without emi's jelly shoes being left at my house--the "NO SPLASHING" fights she and Simon had while splashing each other.  Who will fight Simon for the pool stairs?  Who will wrap up in comforters in the 102 degree sun with him?  Who will willingly melt milky way bars into heavy creame and dip pinapples into it with me?  I am sad that our friends have moved.  I am going to miss them more than I've been able to allow myself to talk about.  Their family changed ours.  Without Emi, without Adam and Allison...I'm not sure we'd feel like we had found our home.  I don't mean to discredit the other amazing friendships we have here.  Jenny, Rachel, Bryan, Annalynn, Laura--they're all incredible, giving, loving happy people who have helped our family weather many storms this last year.  It's just amazing to me how much you can come to love someone in a year.  I hope we do remain in touch.  I am the worst at keeping in touch.  But I sincerely hope that we do.