It's all over but the goodbyes...

When all the things were in boxes and the ginormous yellow penske truck in our driveway, we had no choice but to start saying our goodbyes.  I did not even come close to having this camera on hand for every farewell.  Most times, it was all I could do to get myself through the goodbye let alone take photos of it!  We had to say goodbye to our church family, pathfinders, friends and neighbors.  Right, Amy Naylor? ;)  Please excuse the quality of the pictures.  By this point, I was using the camera on my phone.

 Abby and a few of her favorite girls from Pathfinders.

These girls were such good friends to her over the years and I never had to worry when she was on a Pathfinder outing because I knew they would be looking out for her.

Marshall and his buddy, Natus.

It still amazes me that we were in AZ for 3.5 years and that the time to leave has come.  Amelia and Mabel were only 3 years old when we moved here!

We met our friends, the McLeod family, at a local park for one last play date.  They were one of the first families at church that adopted us when we moved to Yuma.  They have one more boy a little older than Marshall, but he had to go to his baseball game by the time I got around to taking pictures.

 Abby and Michelle have been such good friends since the day Michelle moved in next door to us.  Michelle is a little bit younger than Abby, but they are so much alike.  We were super excited to learn that Michelle was also homeschooled.  Living next door to each other was a great incentive to get their schoolwork done each day.  They could literally spend HOURS outside in the hot desert sun playing with American Girl dolls or Schleich animals.  They also loved running together in the occasional rain and meeting each other in the patch of rocks between the houses to enjoy their dinner.
(All photos of Michelle and Abby stolen borrowed from Michelle's Mom.  Thanks, Heather!)

 Abby lived for these play sessions.

 Sweet Girls

Our church got together and had the sweetest send-off party for us.

It was so hard to say goodbye to each of these sweet people.  I prefer to think that I am collecting lots of friends for Heaven, when we will all be together forever.  The menu was a Yuma favorite, Tostados!  Delicious as it was, it was hard to swallow around the big lump in my throat.

Regan, the lady in black at the end, is clearly happy to be getting rid of my husband.  Turns out she found him to be a scary addition to Pathfinders and is now looking forward to being able to attend Pathfinder events without fear of being mistaken for a wayward child.  ;)

More sweet faces and just a few of the people who worked so hard to give us such a lovely farewell.

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The church presented us with quite a few parting gifts, this AZ shaped plaque and a beautiful wall print that is one of the few things that is already hanging at the new place.

This particular photo makes me so sad for my boy.  It is hard enough for me to say goodbye to my family, these poor kids have to do it too.

Believe it or not, that's Amelia's "I'm trying not to cry face".  After hugging her favorite Sabbath School teacher and Bobbi Jo, she had to wipe her tears with the bottom of her dress.

Thank you, Yuma Central!  You will remain in our hearts wherever we go.  We can't wait to see you again!

Moving Day has arrived.  The Beavens are leaving just as they came.  In a yellow Penske truck!

After 2 days of loading the truck and cleaning the house, it was time to get in the car and drive.

Marshall and his buddy Myles have spent lots of time playing jedi swords and lego's.  Myles is quite a bit younger than Marshall, but it was so neat to see the way they played together.  The sight of the two of them walking down the street together was hilarious.  Marshall is about twice Myles' height.

Myles' sister Emily was Amelia's good friend.  Abby made Emily's list of "favorite babysitters".  Luckily for us, their family moved to DC, so we'll be stopping by to visit them during our trips north to PA.  Their mom, Amy, was a great friend to me too.  Whenever I needed flaxseed or wheat germ, I knew which neighbor would just happen to have it on her shelf.  I greatly enjoyed our afternoon chats over a cup of keurig.

Creampuff spent the afternoon with Amy while we had our housing inspection.  She's nosy and had to see what everyone was doing from her spot in the bathroom.  Proof that Amy is a dear friend and not just a neighbor?  She let my cat hang out at her house even though she is allergic.  ;)