Quiver Full

Fourth of July Party

Lot of fun with family and friends. We swam our hearts out and then ended the night with smores and fire crackers!

Our summer fun started off with a trip to Orange Beach, Alabama. We just missed the oil coming in the gulf. It was an relaxing week with good friends, relaxation and beach. I miss the beach so much. Growing up in California as a child. I developed a strong love for the sound of the waves. As a little baby and toddler, I spent most of my afternoon with my mom relaxing on the beach. The waves relax me and bring me so much peace.
We enjoyed awesome fellowship with our friends and it was so good to catch up and so awesome to talk and laugh. We also enjoyed all the fun Alabama phrases and things. Boiled peanuts and the Mullet Wrapper. Khloe broke her arm in the elevator. She decided she needed to ride the elevator without supervision and didn't understand the importance of pulling your arm in. She kept insisting that the alligator broke her arm. She can't pronounce elevator. All in All in was a ton of fun!

Our Growing Family Tree

We have a tree theme this year. Can you guess why? Yes, you saw correctly. We have two more children in the picture. Our branches just keep growing. We added Khristelle to our family in April. She came to America through the Haitian Hearts program and we are blessed to get to be her adoptive parents. It has been a journey for her but she is a happy, adjusted Oswald and she brings us great joy every day. The other addition was an unexpected surprise. A BOY!!!! Sean and I about fell over at the sonogram in the spring when the doc said “It’s a boy”. Sean Keegan came July 21st and he really was a boy. We all held our breath at the delivery and the first thing I said to the doctor was “Is it really a boy?”
Not much has happened this year other than just adjusting from 6 to 8 children. Kirianna went to China for three weeks with People to People program and we took a family vacation to Smokey Mountains. We had rapid growth this year and are very pleased and blessed that God keeps giving us the opportunity to be parents and share our love. We just keep asking God for grace in raising all of them and know that our strength comes only from Him alone. Stay tuned for next year…. you never know.
As a tree grows through the years its trunk and root system becomes stronger and wider each year. This is why we feel like a tree this year. When you look at the rings on a tree stump, you can see the history of the tree. You can tell the years of drought and the good years of lots of rain, slow growth and fast growth.
This may describe our relationship with God and others also. We have years of growth, change, drought and hardship. The scripture says that a tree that bears fruit is the one that is deeply rooted by the river bank. What is our river bank? Is it our life in Christ? The scripture says that our leaves will never wither and we will bear luscious fruit eachseason if we gain our life, and joy from the streams of living water.
I pray this for our family and yours, that as we add branches to our trees
(doesn’t have to be children) that we will bear fruit in every season – the fruits
of Christ love for others, living our lives as He would have lived it. Always raising our branches towards him, knowing our source of life and strength comes from Him alone.
On the back of our card you see Sean and I with little Keegan sleeping, Christ came
to us as a babe, an infant. He died on a tree for our sins so that we may have a life that is eternal and abundant in Him. Let’s be fruit bearers this next year. May our prayers this next year be: more branches, more fruit and deep roots!!!!
Love,
The Oswald’s

New Family Pictures

Here's the family pictures from our Christmas card photo shoot. It was freezing out but you would not know it from the smiles on the girls faces. We just had a blast.

A Tribute to My friend

I lost a very close friend this week to cancer. She was 39 years old and is leaving a husband and three boys behind. Cancer is an evil, evil disease. I am going to miss her dearly. When I met Kim 4 years ago. It was an instant connection. As Anne of Green Gables would say, She was my kindred spirit. It's not very often that you meet someone that can say I have adopted children and understand that feelings that come with that, I have a child with learning disabilities,I'm a homeschooling mom, I've buried a child- the list goes on but the one thing that was our strongest connection was Jesus and our love for Him. Kim was one of a very short list of people that knew the real me. I could tell her anything( the way I really wanted to say it ) and it would be safe. Two years ago when I went through a scary period of illness with my husband. She was my rock. Her phone calls, emails and cards got me through the weeks of uncertainity, worry and fear. She always brought me back to Jesus. She lived as a shining light, she was in a little package but her influence, heart and Spirit weren't cased in a little package. They were long reaching. I was looking for comfort in God's word this morning and I came across this scripture in Hebrews. It is talking about great men of faith like Abraham and Issac. It says that many of these men died before they received what God had promised them but they saw it from a distance and welcomed the promises of God but that they were looking for a better place. A heavenly homeland. I had a dream on Monday night( Kim died Tuesday)- I believe that God gave me this dream to help me be okay with this and know that it is okay to let her go. I saw Jesus welcoming her to Him. His arms open wide and beackening her to run to Him. She began to run to Him ( no limp- body whole). She got to Jesus and she was hugging him and He says to her. "I'm so glad your here, but I already have work for you. He took her to a field- Green grass, sun, beautiful babies everywhere. Babies laughing, giggling, cooing, laughing. Women were feeding them, playing with them, dancing and praising God. Jesus said to her-" I need you to run my heavenly nursery." I saw her smile and run through the gate. Kim a women of great Faith is in her heavenly homeland. Kim give my little ones a big kiss for me and tell them how much I love them. The last words I got to hear Kim say to me were last Thursday and they were "Love Ya" in a soft whisper. Kim, I just want my last words back to you to be this "Love Ya".

Two Peas in a pod, Dad excited to not be the only boy in the house

We welcome our gift from God. It feels like iceing on the cake of life. God decided to suprise us with this little blessing. Each new addition to our family is exciting and amazing. I am so grateful to my heavenly father for giving me the opportunity to raise these precious souls. I pray that this newest one will be outspoken for Christ and a friend of Jesus like his name sake. May he be humble and full of God's love and may the Lord give both his parents the wisdom and understanding in raising him.