The hardest part about saying goodbye

The #1 hardest part about saying goodbye is leaving my BFF, Betsey. The only thing that makes it bearable is that she is about to move to Florida. She got a teaching job at an awesome school down there. When I told Jake that she was leaving us, he said "Well that settles it, it's time for us to go too. We can not live in CT with out Betsey." There are many reasons why we have chosen to re-locate to the West Coast, but a huge part of it is that we are losing the one person who has been the biggest source of support for us. She's been there for us every single week, several times a week. Having 3 babies under the age of 2 is a tad bit easier than having 3 babies under the age 1, but it's no picnic. We had a lot of visitors and meals in the first few weeks after the girls arrived, and when Coby came home. But when everyone else went back to their lives and forgot about us, Betsey was still there. We never had to call her up and ask her to come over. Day in and day out she would call us and say "I'll be there in 10 minutes." She just knew we needed her, and she was there for us. I can't even count the number of times she just showed up at 4pm when I was exhausted and about to cry. She has spent so many hours, so many days of her free time helping us out. And the best part about it is that she actually enjoys it. She loves to come over to the chaos and the crying and the giggles. She loves our babies as if they were her own. I don't know how people survive with out a Betsey in their lives. She knew that we wanted to adopt long before anyone else did. She was the second one(after my parents) we told about our referral and she was the first person to know we were expecting #3. She's been there for all three of our babies from day 1. She's like a second mother to them, which is why we chose her to be their godmother. It's been really neat to see the girls develop a relationship with someone that means so much to me. When I tell them that Aunt Betsey is here they push the chair over to the window and climb up and say "Betsey, Betsey here, Betsey here!!!!" Taylor used to call her "bu" and now they both can say "Betsey" and it is the cutest thing ever! She's been so great these past few weeks, helping us pack and get ready to go. My mom usually flies out to help us when we need a ton of help like we did the last few weeks. But she couldn't this time so Betsey stepped up once again and spent many long days with us helping watch the babies while we packed up our house. We couldn't have done it without her. I love you like a sister Betsey. You better come visit us!!!

The one thing that makes me cry every time I think about it (yes I'm crying now) is that the girls won't grow up seeing Betsey several times a week. I know life changes and people move and come into and out of our lives. But I can not and will not let the girls grow up with out Betsey in their lives. I won't let them forget about her. I will put her picture up in their room and make them a book about her and we will talk about her all the time and we will visit her and she will visit us and we will go on super awesome fun-filled vacations with her.

Dear Taylor and Chloe,

You are not even 2 years old yet but I want to tell you about someone that is very special to you, Aunt Betsey. You love your Aunt Betsey so much and when ever she comes to visit you, you get the biggest smiles I have ever seen on your face. She spends alot of time with you. She comes to visit you 3-4 times a week and these are your favorite parts of the week. Chloe you love the silly songs she sings you. You especially love "where is thumbkin." You run up to Aunt Betsey and hold out both of your thumbs and jump up and down until she sings it to you. When I say she is here you get the cutest look on your face and you start talking really fast in baby gibberish. I can't understand you but I know you are saying how excited you are and how much you love her. Taylor you love Aunt Betsey's I phone. You have figured out how to unlock it and you love to look at the pictures and listen to the music. Your favorite part about playing with her phone is sitting on Aunt Betsey's lap. She only lets you play with it if you sit with her. You love having that special time with just you and Aunt Betsey. Aunt Betsey is not only a huge part of your life but a huge part of mommy and daddy's life. We are sad that she is moving and we are moving but it doesn't mean that we won't see her. I want you to remember how much you love her and how special she is to you. She thinks about you all the time and she loves you very much.

Love, Mommy