Two Years of Honeymoon!

Here in the Gillispie house we are celebrating 2 years of living and loving Miss Kendi Mae! This is so cliche to say, but it's true that it seems like just yesterday and a lifetime ago, all at once. I was looking back at my September 2009 blog posts tonight and this one titled "No Tears" was meaningful to me. It's two years later and much of me still feels as if we are still living a honeymoon. This child completed our family. The contentment in my heart that her homecoming brought, will never be matched.The picture above was the first one I took of Eric and the kids after everybody left our homecoming party. Look how tiny (and bald) she was! I remember this little dress. It was 4t. I knew it would be big, but it was HUGE on her tiny 20 pound frame. I forgot how poochy her belly was then, but I hadn't forgotten that sullen look that she wore for about the first 48 hours we had her. That is classic Kendi to this day!The above photo is probably one of my favorite photos ever of my four kids. Aren't unposed photos the best? It says a lot--taken a few days after she came home. She is looking so confused. Bright is in his own little world, flipping around. Taevy is the princess, as always. Samren is in the back (as he often is) with his quiet thoughts. The sidewalk could be a symbol of the long lives they all have before them, and the many things they have all survived to get them to this point! I really should print and frame this photo.This photo made me smile. Now, Bright is wearing the shirt that Samren is wearing in this photo. Kendi still has this dress, but it now comes to her upper thigh.
I don't have a photo from this month or last of all four children together, but I did have this photo of Kendi and Bright. Back in September 2009 I imagined that they would be best friends. I thank the Lord that is exactly what has happened. Despite Bright's special needs, these two depend on each other for so much in life. Sometimes he is the big brother. Other times she plays the role of big sister. They teach each other how to navigate the world. I asked myself tonight if Kendi had changed much in the past two years. Even her pictures don't seem THAT different. She has put on a whopping (read sarcasm) 8 pounds in the last two years, and about 14 inches! She has grown about 1-2 inches of hair. She is still "the diva." She still cries (and stops crying) at the drop of a hat. She doesn't much care to play the role of "baby" in the house, although she will certainly use that to her advantage if it suits her! She is cunning and clever and witty and full of energy. She will run into a stranger's arms as quickly now as she did 2 years ago. We now know this is just her super loving (and possessive!) personality. She is a tiny package of personality! Concentrated. Yes, that's it. Whatever is usual in a child, just concentrate it and that is Kendi. She is extreme in her love, her anger, her successes, and her failures. When I first asked my friend Muna about 2.5 years ago what Kendi's (aka Mabel's) personality was like she sighed and said, "Oh, this Mabel!" And that's it! Ha! I can't tell you how many times a week I say, "Oh, this child!" She is something else, and I am so thankful that she is ours. The Lord has truly blessed us.

My dearest Kendi...Kendi Mae...Mabel...Mae-Mae...Lil' Bit... words will never suffice to express how thankful I am that you are in our family. September 2009, when I thank back on it, was one of the happiest months of my entire life. It is because truly, you completed us. You brought us to the end and the beginning, all at once.

Love,
Anita