00:06 For those of you who don't know, I'm still bored of why I have a changed last name.
00:09 A last name that I took long before I knew what it really meant to be married.
00:15 A last name that I still have because I've learned what it really means to take someone's last name.
00:22 A last name I'd only consider changing again if I was absolutely certain it was forever.
00:28 But most importantly, it's the last name that's shared by two special little girls named Kennedy and Harlan.
00:36 I'm shaking.
00:40 You see, I never planned on being mom one of two.
00:46 I never dreamed that I would have to share such an important role with someone else.
00:50 There was a time when the thought of watching him build a life with someone else would have been absolutely devastating to me.
00:57 Let alone to witness him ask someone else to be his wife.
01:01 There was a time when civil co-parenting seemed impossible.
01:05 Let alone being able to form a friendship built on mutual love for our daughters.
01:10 But all of that, with those things that seemed absolutely impossible, became a reality when you came into our lives.
01:19 Long before he found you, I was praying for you.
01:25 I prayed first for someone who would love our daughters just as much as I do.
01:29 I prayed for someone who they could trust and count on and who they knew would have their backs no matter what.
01:36 I prayed for someone who understood the concept of putting the kids first and why it had to be the driving force behind every decision we made.
01:45 I prayed for someone to make kids really happy because I know our girls needed and deserve to see what a happy marriage looked like.
01:53 Lastly, I prayed that she would be secure enough in herself and her relationship with him that she would be okay with the co-parenting relationship we now had.
02:02 Because it took us years to build.
02:05 Not only would my prayers answered when you came along, my expectations were defeated so many ways.
02:12 It's hard to believe you're even a real person.
02:17 I've told you this before and I'll tell you again, but I couldn't have hand-picked a better woman to step into this role.
02:25 So now I just want to thank you. Thank you for loving our girls like they were your own.
02:31 Thank you for respecting the relationship that him and I had for the girls.
02:38 Thank you for being willing to have a relationship with me that has grown into a friendship.
02:46 Thank you for taking an active role in their upbringing and being the voice of reason when tough decisions had to be made on their behalf.
02:52 And finally, thank you for not trying to replace me, but instead becoming absolutely irreplaceable.
