14 years

Kassidy turns 14 tomorrow…and I can’t believe the time has gone so fast. I met Kassidy a few days after her 3^rd birthday and I can still picture her sitting in her car seat singing Shania Twain’s “I feel like a Woman” as loud as her voice would go. I had only visited with her 3 times for about 5 total days before I moved to Connecticut and yet she welcomed me into her life with open arms and a wide open heart! When I think about it now, I am amazed that she eased right through this huge transition but am not surprised. I wish I could say I handled this time with as much grace as she did, she is and always has been very good at change and I am not.

I can’t remember the exact date, but shortly after we moved into our Chambers apartment and started our life as a family Kassidy asked me if she could call me Mommy. I stuttered something about her asking her Dad if it was ok, but at that exact moment she let me in and a Mommy was born. I truly feel like a Mom to her and she doesn’t treat me like a step parent.

Kassidy was a precocious toddler and little girl with a very strong sense of who she was. Her confidence often surprised us, she sang the National Anthem at a minor league baseball game in front of about 5,000 people at 5. I have never seen her back away from a challenge out of fear; she will always confront it head on and plow right through it. She was certainly sassy then too but knew the line never to cross.

As she becomes a young lady she has started to show some insecurity but overall she is still true to who she is. We tease her a lot about how much harder she is on us now than she ever was when she was little, but the truth is she isn’t that hard. She is a typical teenager finding her way in the world and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

While last year was probably Kassidy’s hardest year personally, as always I was inspired by her. She found her voice and decided to give living with us full time a shot. I know it was the hardest thing she has done so far, but she hasn’t looked back and is doing great. I love having her part of our everyday and watching each new thing she does.

I am certain great things are in store for Kassidy! She starts high school in three short weeks and the possibilities are endless. I love my Shoosh and will forever be grateful to her for loving me as only she can do.