Best Friends

I've written a little bit before about the great group of friends Aubree has at school.  The girls she's found as friends are just the bee's knees.  Despite the fact that they're heading into fifth grade, almost all their play remains in the imaginary realm.  "Aubree," I'll ask, "What did Bethelle do for her birthday this weekend?"  Aubree just shrugs, "I don't know.  But we came up with a whole new series of characters for our Pern game!"

Bethelle, Bethany, Aubree, & Gina

Towards the end of the school year, we took turns hosting Friday afternoon play dates. 

By the front door, we were always greeted by the following sight (yes, all four girls had matching shoes!):

When the girl's came to our home, they spent the entire time "playing school."  They took turns being teachers and turned every activity into a teaching opportunity.  They ended the night in "writing" class (Aubree as teacher), and churned out some pretty impressive stories (and they generously let Bryce join in when Thane and Graham went to bed).  

Since they're in the Discovery Program, they get to stay in the same class together the entire three years the program spans (3rd-5th).  That's been great!  

Here's the bad news.  Bethelle just moved to another state with her family.  

I found out they were moving about a week before Aubree was able to know.  That was a terrible week.  Every time I looked at carefree Aubree, I knew heartbreak was right around the corner.  I had no clue how she'd handle the news.  Once Bethelle found out, she immediately wanted to tell Aubree, so I took Aubree over to her home.  I was surprised to hear the girls laughing and playing!  Yes, they were sad, but at that point the move was still months away and didn't feel like an immediate concern.

Since then, it's obviously become much more real and there have been numerous instances of tears.  I hate to see Bethelle and her family leave.  I hadn't realized just how much our family's life was tied to their family until we were faced with their departure.  

Aubree and Bethelle have impressive attitudes.  "Don't worry, Mom," Aubree assures me, "we'll still get to be roommates at BYU!"

I'm glad Aubree had the opportunity to have such a true friend.  I hope their friendship is able to withstand the distance, and that fifth grade without Bethelle is still a good experience.