Just an update

Hello,

I never post here and decide to not post again for months to come. My intention is to always come back here and journal where we are in life. I enjoy blogging. I enjoy all that it involves. Nonetheless, it has been a while.

I will do my best to come back here soon and update at least with pics.

We have come such a long way since the last post.

God is still continuing to amaze us as Bo and I journey through this life on this ball spinning in space.

Our four children are absolutely amazing. What a joy and honor to parent them. What an opportunity we have been given to touch these little lives.

The healing that God has done in our family on many levels continues to keep Bo and I humbled. What a Great Great God that has set all things into motion. What a Great Lover God is!

Life is never what we planned. Life is never as easy as we wish, but oh how much fun when looked at and dealt with through the right perspective!


I have been working on my scripture memorization....I honestly stink at it...but I push forward because I know it is for my good.

One that I want to share is this - "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28 - this is one that I want to be really great about practicing in action - I am often laboring and I often get heavy with something - but I often try to deal with it like a piece of clay would - poorly - I have got to practice well letting the Potter do the molding and handling and work on being flexible and madly in love with Jesus.
I am thankful that he gave me Bo to practice this being in love thing. I personally stink at it too - letting someone take care of me or letting someone woo me or wow me with love - but thankfully my husband is persistent and hardheaded and doesn't give up easily with me....I enjoy being in love my Bo and I am practicing letting that be more habit forming for me, because I need it to be habit forming with my Holdy Daddy. After all I have four kids looking at me and looking at Bo learning how to relate to God and others....getting these concepts should be very important to me....in a blink those sweet but loud kids will be well on their way of learning how to relate to God and don't want to miss an opportunity now, because all eight of their eyes are on me.....

Believing,
Lindy for The Oswalt 6

Feeding

So with these being our last biological children I wanted to go out with a bang. The fact that they are twins is really enough of a bang, but you know me got to raise the bar!

They have breast fed all of this time. We have slowly started weaning. I also have fed them 90% homemade baby food.

This has been so much fun! With the help of the handy dandy vita mix device it has been easy. It is pretty funny because most of the time they get organic healthy baby food and then on mornings like this morning I give them powdered donuts! Go figure!!! They have really moved to self feeding the majority of the time these past two weeks. Which I have not decided if that is better or worse for me. Food prep is maybe better but clean up...yikes!!!

Here are the pics:

Da Twins

So, the babies: today they are eleven months old. Wow. It is hard to believe that they have been with us for just eleven months. For so long it was just the four of us. We lost Ethan and Andrew and all had about given up hope that we would ever be more than the four of us. Landon and Isabella complete us in so many ways. It is like they are what we have been missing all of this time!

Landon is the sweetest baby you could ever be around. He is huge and solid from his head to his big ole feet. He is mostly happy but screams when he feels he could use more food. He is the only one of the four to have my dimples. He can light up a room with those things! He is finally getting some hair. It is ever so blonde and so very straight. I keep hoping it stands straight up…that would be fun! He weighed in a few weeks ago at 23 pounds. He is a big boy! He is wearing some 24 month clothing. There have been a few things that I am certain Spencer wore walking that Landon is in now! He will be caught up with Carter in no time at all. He loves to eat and laugh. Keep him doing those two things and you are good to go!

Isabella is our littlegirl. That is a small sentence to capture what all that really means. She looks the most like me which doesn’t mean a lot with these clones of Bo Oswalt! She acts the most like me as well! She has this way of looking at her daddy that says she knows he will be the one to conquer in getting her way! The older boys call her princess and she lives up to this with her dancing and holding her hands up in a pageant wave! She is constantly on the go and has a mission ahead of her at all times! She is new for me. I have enjoyed being Mommy to these boys and the special bond we share, but I am so thankful that I have a little ball of estrogen to nurture and love and bond with! I am planning our first girls beach trip constantly in my head! She is only around 20 pounds. Her hair is brown like mine(well my natural color anyway!). She is short and stocky in her features like her mom. Her hair is long but she has a certain disdain for hair bows. She mostly takes them off and gives them to Landon to chew on!

I will work on getting some more about them soon!

Lindy

Long time since last post

Well, it has almost been a year since I updated this blog, and boy what a year it has been!!!!

I want to come here and talk about the babies. I feel Spencer gets some press time on Carter’s website but the babies seem to have grown to be 11 months old and milestones went unnoticed!

When I look back at the last post here….we had no clue what was ahead. November 19, 2009 – that day I had no idea that in two weeks our lives were going to change in so many major ways. What a long year. It is safe to say that I have experienced just about every feeling on that feeling wheel!

The journey of getting Carter a new heart and trying to end the death sentence of plastic bronchitis has been one that has left every single one of us changed. I pray for the better. I pray that God takes all of this and works it for the good of those who love Him.

This year when December 4^th, 2010 rolls around I will promise you that I will be taking note and evaluating our lives. December 4, 2009 was the day Carter checked in at LeBonheur and we didn’t go home as a family again until July 2010.

Signing off for now!

Lindy

This week

What a busy week! We started off Sunday at church. The twins and I made it to Sunday School. We nurses the majority of the time but we were there! We had our Harvest Lunch after morning worship. What a sweet time of fellowship!

Monday was spent in Grenada seeing clients. Bo and Carter headed to Memphis and receive the info in the last post. The rest of the week has been busy with house work, more church, homeschool and enjoying time as a family.

Today I came across a scripture that just seemed to speak to me. Luke 12:48b "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.". Wow. Just reaches in deep an grabs me. I am so very blessed. So much is required of me. God is so good. So amazing.

Bo and I are heading out tomorrow for my six week doctors appointment and then on to do some shopping for the kids Christmas. The boys will spend some time with Lyndee from church as Carter calls her and then some time with Kiki and Alli. Bo and I will take the twins with us...should be interesting!!!

Saturday we will take a moment as a family to discuss the importance of thanksgiving before we decorate for Christmas. We are looking forward to next week. Our Thanksgiving begins Sunday celebrating with the Rounsavilles and ends the following Sunday as we travel to spend some time with the shawa family.

I updating from my phone. I cannot post pics but will get some new ones up soon!!!

Believing
Lindy

New Carter Info

Hi friends,

Thanks to everyone who has offered their thoughts and prayers on behalf of Carter and our family over the past week. We do have a bit of new info to share with you all!

Carter and I (Bo) traveled to Memphis again this past Monday, Nov 16, to check in with our Cardiologist, Dr. Joel Lutterman. Our appointment was originally scheduled for December, but with the newest information that we received regarding the plastic bronchitis (see last week's journal), Dr Lutterman decided to go ahead and see Carter.

To make a long story short, Dr Lutterman is in agreement with Lindy and I that we should pursue a heart transplant. To our best knowledge, this is the last remaining option to strengthen Carter's heart. There seems to be a strong medical concensus that upon a successful heart transplant, the plastic bronchitis will no longer be an issue. Since the terminal prognosis was given last week, it seems our odds are better with the transplant despite all of the new "issues" that a transplant certainly will bring.So you may ask where are we in this process right now?

Well, Dr Lutterman is in contact with the transplant specialists in Nashville at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. You might remember that Vanderbilt is where Carter and our family spent a large portion of time in 2007 dealing with major lung issues. I think that it was about 15 weeks that he spent in the hospital there in 2007. So we are pretty well acquainted with the hospital and the Nashville area. We are thankful that even though this transplant will be a TOTALLY NEW BALLGAME for us, we do have a level of comfort already established there at Vanderbilt and Nashville.

Now that being said, we obviously have never done this with two babies in hand, so despite all of the obvious challanges, such as relocating our family to Nashville for a minimum of six weeks (at least on a part time weekly basis), there are lots of other things to think about as well.

Please pray for us as we undertake these challenges as things become more clearly defined in the coming weeks or months (we have no idea how soon this all will come about). We will let all of you know as we have specifics, but in general, Carter has to be officially placed on the transplant list then wait for some poor family to lose their child so that a new heart can be donated. (So overwhelming) I am very thankful to know that our Holy Daddy is in control of all of these things, down to the last detail. As soon as we hear from Dr. Lutterman as to some specifics in meeting with the doctors from Vanderbilt to get this ball rolling, we will let ya'll know.

Blessings,Bo

Catching Up

Hello,

Life here besides the Carter diagnosis....has been busy!!! The twins are such an incredible blessing!!! The older boys have adjusted very well to the transaction of babies. Carter has become a little more bossy and demanding and Spencer has developed the ability to bounce off of walls...but overall things have gone smoothly.

I have recovered well. I am blessed with good genes...so surgery doesn't phase me nor does it have me still for long. Bo is doing well. He is adjusting to less sleep then we are normally used to...so learning to take naps has come in handy.

Church life is going great. We are very thankful to be in our church and in this community. I am hoping to be able to do another ladies bible study in the Spring. Bo is knocking through the books of Hebrews and Ezra right now...good stuff...God is amazing.

Homeschool is slowly getting started back again. Carter is as always all go. Spencer is hesitant this time around....doesn't think it is necessary...we are working through it!!!

Bo and I are going to our first Ole Miss football game together since....I don't know before kids! I vaguely remember watching Eli trip over his feet when I was pregnant with Carter...not sure I have made a game since then! We have never been to a TN game so this will be fun for us both!

All four kiddos will be hanging with Nanna and Mommamack. The older boys can fend for themselves and there will be a baby for each adult!

I am not going to make any promises on how much I hope to come here more and update...all I can do is say stay tuned...there will be an update in the future!!!

Hope you all have a blessed rest of the week and weekend!!!

Blessings,
Lindy

Update on Carter

Dear Friends of Carter,
I am sitting here at my kitchen table and am listening to Bo and the older two boys rough house and play – their usual bedtime routine. I hear Carter’s breathing treatment going in the background. I look over and I see two amazing little bundles of joy snoozing here in the living room.
I wish I were coming here with some wonderful amazing news, however as is the case most often with Carter’s journey, we come with heavy hearts. I am laying out the outline of this update and Bo is going to intermingle his thoughts in with mine so it is a complete picture from us both.
I think back to April 12, 2004 when we thought our healthy second son was about to be born…what joy…what innocence we had…how innocent our families all were. Then I think about the NICU at LeBonheur. I think about that perfect second born of mine needing open heart surgery at eight days old. I think about the machines, and those precious nurses that had the privilege of dealing with hard headed me (Lindy). I think of the verse that just screamed to me – my Holy Daddy’s voice speaking, “I know the plans I have for you…not to harm you…to give you a hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11
I hear my Holy Daddy’s voice saying those same words tonight in my ear as I sit here exposing myself to the world. What have I learned in 5 ½ years? That His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts and we have learned to rejoice in that. I have learned that Job and I will have a great chat one day if we ever take a break from worshipping Jesus.
As many of you know, Carter had a heart cath in May 2009. This was the heart cath that was supposed to make his heart function better and set up a better life for Carter. Many of you also know that instead of receiving news of improved heart function, we received a different outlook for Carter’s future with a diagnosis of Plastic Bronchitis .
Over the past five to six months we have been to numerous appointments with pulmonology and immunology and have had an Upper GI and a Bronchial scope…all in search of a glimmer of hope that this diagnosis of plastic bronchitis was not true.
Dr. Schumacher, our pulmonologist at Le Bonheur, saw Bo and Carter this past Monday. Bo went with a list of questions to solidify what we already knew in our hearts from the research we have done. If our Cardiologists are not able to come up with a procedure to drastically improve Carter’s heart function, and we have tried everything possible at this point short of a heart transplant, then Dr. Schumacher said that the plastic bronchitis will be terminal (life ending) for Carter.
Now, here is where I want to clarify something. Bo and I firmly believe in a Sovereign God. We believe that He set this world in motion knowing long before earth was formed the number of days each of us have (Psalm 139). Meaning all of our days, as well as Carter’s, are numbered by a Sovereign God. My Holy Daddy knew long before I fell in love with Bo how long our Carter would live on this earth. So Bo and I are well aware that we do not have to worry about when Carter leaves this earth.
Now, I am human, so please do not think that I do not think about what this means. I worry often…to the point of extreme tears while fighting away panic attacks. But I also can cling to scripture in Philippians 4:4-9 when it says to be anxious for nothing and take this to my Holy Daddy.
We do not know how long Carter has; only our Father knows that. We do know from the research that most of these children live on average about five years after diagnosis. I started noticing Carter’s symptoms in August of 2008. The length of time that he has left will be determined by how aggressively the disease progresses in his little body. Dr Schumacher was disappointed at how much it had progressed since he last saw Carter. He said that there had been noticeable changes to his lungs already.
We will continue living life just as we have since April 2004 – one day at a time, often one moment at a time. We will celebrate life every day and live like tomorrow is our last. We will not go through this life in despair but remember that the joy of the Lord is our strength. He is our refuge and our fortress.
We do desperately need your prayers. We need God’s strength and wisdom as we trudge forward in what is ahead. We do not know if he even qualifies for a heart transplant, which is the only option at this point to try to rid his body of the plastic bronchitis. He has many secondary issues which may very well disqualify him from even being placed on the transplant list. We do not know what medically can be done for Carter’s comfort should a transplant be out of the question. There are many questions left unanswered for us, but two that we do know are 1) the plastic bronchitis is terminal and 2)plastic bronchitis or not, God is still in control.
We will see Dr. Lutterman, i.e. Dr. Joel, Carter’s main cardiologist, in December. Hopefully, we can begin to lay out how we will move forward at that point. Please put him on your prayer lists and/or chains once again. If he has remained on them, please update with this new information. Prayer works! You absolutely CANNOT look at Carter’s life and draw any other conclusion as far as we are concerned. Bless each of you for checking on us. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Bo and Lindy

April is Autism Awareness Month

How has autism impacted our lives? Well Spencer would tell you in the form of his best friend Benjamin. Benjamin first entered our lives via his family in the waiting room as we celebrated Carter's successful 2nd surgery. He then continued to enter our world as his mom needed another heart mom to talk with about raising heart babies. Benjamin has continued to enter our lives through vacations, birthday parties and most recently he has left a Benjamin size whole as his family has moved farther away and the distance doesn't allow for random playdates any longer.

Here are Spencer and Benjamin in an obvious sugar high eating GF/CF candy!!!

Here are Spencer and Benjamin enjoying vacation at the beach!

Spencer would tell you that autism has entered our world via a special diet that sometimes is fun and yummy to sample and other times not so fun and yummy to sample as Spencer reaches over to Benjamins plate to try it out!

Spencer would tell you that autism has entered our world via some very interesting arm flappings and some very interesting repetitive noises that are fun to imitate back to Benjamin during there play time.

Spencer would also say that sometimes autism has made him feel crazy! Whether or not that is the truth or just that 4 years olds can be annoying sometimes is still up for debate!

Spencer would tell you that autism has entered our world in the form of "theraty" which he so gladly played right along.

Spencer would tell you that having a best friend with autism means some really great hugs and some fun boy time when there are no limitations on how rough and tough they can be.

Spencer's mom would tell you that autism has a definition but our buddy Benjammin cannot be defined. His limits are yet to be known...his restrictions we are finding out are not so restrictive....and his love...his love....it will blow you away if you are blessed enough to catch it.

Benjamin this post is for you....know we celebrate you, not just this month but every month!

Below are some ways you can do something this month for the autism in your life....

Activities for April: Autism Awareness Month
Here are some tips on what you can do to spread the word during April - Autism Awareness month.
FIRST: HELP TACA HELP FAMILIES!
Participate in TACA’s Annual Family & Friends campaign. Contact Roxanne Hall for more information or start your own online fundraising and awareness page at www.firstgiving.com/tacanow.

IN THE COMMUNITY:
Contact your local library, church or community center to see if they will let you create an autism awareness display that can include information about autism, local support groups, books, etc. Reference autism facts.

Reach out to your local video store and see if they will create a movie display featuring movies like Rainman, Molly, etc. While Hollywood may not always get autism right, this is a great way to begin getting people more aware.

Set up meetings to talk with your Parent Teacher Association, police department and fire

department. TACA can provide you with and educational presentation and handouts. Please contact Roxanne Hall for more information.

Educate pediatricians in your community about the early signs of autism. Early intervention and diagnosis is key to a positive outcome. Some wonderful tools are available at:
TACA’s poster project – please contact Susan
AutismNDI’s poster project
CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early campaign
First Signs

Write to your local and state legislators. Tell your personal story and describe the need for government support of scientific research, medical treatments and educational resources for this growing population of children. Request proclamations that designate April as Autism Awareness month. To find your local and state representatives, go to http://www.congress.org/.

Contact your local media. Neighborhood newspapers often feature human interest stories, so tell your story and share the facts about why autism is important to all of us.
Help children learn more about autism

Create a buddy program in your school where typical students befriend a child with autism. These groups could be during lunch, recess or after school social clubs.

If your child has a neurotypical sibling, visit their school in April and read a children’s book on autism to the class. Some suggestions include:
Andy and his Yellow Frisbee – by Mary Thompson
I love my brother!! By Connor Sullivan (A preschooler's view on an older ASD brother)
Ian’s Walk – by Laurie Lears
A non-autism book but for all disabilities is What's Wrong with Timmy? by Maria Shriver

Make Autism Awareness Ribbons. These ribbons are very simple to make. You can buy the puzzle pieces ribbon from a local Michaels or Joann’s, glue the ribbons and the pin backing. These can be passed out to family and friends to wear in the month of April or all the time.
Wear autism awareness merchandise, from t-shirts to pins to bracelets and bands. Show your support with car bumper stickers or magnets. Merchandise can be purchased from:
Shop TACA
National Autism Association

Plan an event to raise both awareness and funds: an autism awareness night at a local restaurant, a lemonade stand or bake sale, dress-down days at work or schools… be creative! If you would like to raise funds for TACA – please contact Elizabeth Kilpatrick for suggestions, the ability to create a personalized web site and support.

Send TACA’s HOPE FAITH RECOVERY cards to family and friends about autism awareness month with the message that AUTISM IS TREATABLE!

Send an Autism Awareness Month e-cardfrom http://www.123greetings.com/ (free) or http://www.bluemountain.com/ (free trial membership available). Search “autism” at the prompt.

For additional information please contact us.

Updating

So the last almost 4 weeks have been interesting. I have had some pregnancy bleeding. Not abnormal for me at all. Have bled all 5 pregnancies now! After an ER visit, and two doctors office visits and lots of bed rest it seems that Baby A has a small tear in the placenta. Could be nothing, could be somethng. We see the specialist on Tuesday in Memphis.

Bo has been a Super Man! Not only a great preacher but a Mr. Mom as well and a great husband as I have rested. We are currently at Le Bonheur. We broke our 15 month hospital free stretch on Thursday. Carter caught some strange cold and needed some observation at the hospital. Spencer has been with Rita and Jim and he also got the cold and was really sick. It has been hard being here on the couch not being able to take care of either son! Bo is currently on the couch after some dayquil. I am praying it is exhaustion and he is not getting sick! Here he is in the hospital eating food Amanda Newman brought....cheese sticks and chick fil a!!!

An interesting 4 weeks to say the least!!!!

That is our medical update....I will post some different post updating the other areas of our lives!

Trusting,

Lindy

Friday

So we made it throught this week! The kids are not liking the cold front. It is seriously hindering their time outside. Spencer did enjoy some wading in our yard, it turns into a small pond everytime it rains. He said it was "so dude awesome!" He was so excited he had to change clothes from being soaked! I do not understand boys!!! Spencer, Carter and Bo all walk around hitting each other and making noises at each other....sometimes I just sit all confused wondering why they do the things they do!!!!

I am so very happy for my husband that he has his little men. I am excited to see what God has growing in my belly! I am not sure if we can handle two girls in our family but one of each sex would be nice....Bo and I actually are praying for 2 healthy healthy babies!

I am continuing to experience extreme exhaustion...I have rested more in this pregnancy over any of the other ones! Yikes! I am limited to smaller portions already due to double the fun in the utero!!! So I am eating more snacks. I also as always have a loss of IQ for the duration! It is one of the first ways I know I am pregant! I was in Georgia and looked at Charlene and said hand me the receipt....and she said, Lindy, it's a coupon....and we both knew I had better quickly go to Walmart for the test!!!!

Today has been slow. Carter and Alli went with me to Columbus to grab Carter's meds that have to be compounded. Spencer had art this morning. This afternoon Bo has been gracious and allowed me to rest...he rather made it rest! Bo is busy continuing to work on the parsonage. There is lots of trim work still to be done.....the next place we live Bo definately is praying we have to do zero work to live in the place! Even the house in Oxford we painted before moving in!!!

We will spend the rest of day hanging here and tomorrow do alot of the same...Sunday's are big days around here...

Praying you all have a great weekend!

Believing,

Lindy

The Picture is of the boys being silly and playing one night in the clothes basket!!!

We made it through Monday!!!

Today we are officially 8 weeks pregnant. This is the first pregnancy without 7 week bleeding....Bo and I are trying not to hold our breath the whole time. We are doing this way sooner than either one of us felt we were ready for....and then doing twins with double the risk....it is really a challenge and test of our faith to believe that God is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do and that We are who He says we are and that we can do all things through Christ and that His word is alive and active in us.....

Our friends and family are so very supportive right now on this venture....it is refreshing to have the support and love and excitement.

There is still some shock....we have had a lot of random things happen in mine and Bo's 9 years together...but no one was expecting twins!

Bo and I celebrated 9 years this Saturday...we both feel like it has been more like 30! I am proud of our marriage for standing after all we have been through. There is rarely a point in our last few years where we have not been stretched to the max. I am blessed to have a Godly husband in him. I am looking forward to the next 9 years being beautiful!

We spent the afternoon in Greanda yesterday with me seeing a few clients and the boys playing outside with Alli at Mommamacks. We visited with Josh and Laura and Steven and T and baby Rilee!

Today Bo is way under the weather and the kids and I are doing homeschool and cleaning this house!

Hopefully I am going to knock out some more sewing. I had to walk away from it because I was frustrated with the finished product....but after talking things through with Mommamack, I feel I can try again today!

Praying you all have a blessed day today!

Believing,

Lindy

The Picture above is of Carter putting limbs on the burn pile!

The one below is of all the kids playing....Wilson, Spencer, Carter, Annie and Alli...what a fun afternoon!

Sewing....

Hello,

So we are trucking along! This week has been good week so far! I am trying this sewing thing again...yikes! The boys have had a great week of Homeschool. Bo has had a good week as well. I am very tired. We are doing our best to seek God's face and point the boys to Him. Spencer asked if these babies would die too and we responded the best we know how and said that if one lives we praise God, if two live we praise God, if none live we praise God. Please pray for him as he figures out this thing called life.

We enjoyed a playdate with the Shaws. They have Wilson who is Spencers age and Annie and Zoe who are I believe 3 and almost 2. The girls are here now so Mimi could take the boys to music and hopefully enjoy a few quiet moments.

Bo and I are reprioritizing things now that we are expecting. We do not know what is ahead in the journey, but we do know that we want to bring glory to the One who is laying out the journey!

Believing,
Lindy for the Oswalts

Snow Day

Hello,

Today we had a snow day! It was great to wake up at 5:45ish to snow on the ground and then at 6ish to be in the bed with the boys watching the wild wind and the snow falling. A beautiful sight! Carter had just watched a Maisy video and had said I wish we had snow....Bo decided to hold off on church this morning due to some bridges being iced over. The weather channel didn't have the sun coming through until after lunch. So when Carter realized the snow was melting early he had a melt down!

Bo and I had flashbacks of Oxford snow and letting Carter outside to play in it and then him getting really sick and needing two lung procedures....so we opted to bring the snow in to play! Sounds weird I know, but when do we ever do things "normal", eh?

Bo and I are expecting again.....we were not trying to nor were we wanting to be pregnant right now, good thing God knows what is best for us and not us.

With my history and it being so close to loosing Andrew, I wanted to go back to Oxford and use Dr. Hunt and his staff. We saw them Friday and much to our surprise we are pregnant with twins. Bo is still in shock and has trouble finding words and is looking for a vascectomy doctor as soon as we have 2 full term healthy babies!

Please be praying for us....this is a whole new ballgame for us and requiring a new testing of our faith in a lot of area.

I will try to update more later this week! I do not see the doctor againg until the 26th.

Believing,
Lindy for The Oswalts

About Lindy

Okay,

So I have been trying to slowly get this thang a updated!!! LOL! I have failed to mention anything much about me.

I am currently seeing clients in Grenada one day a week. I am slowly starting to pick up clients here and there in Starkville.

I have recently learned to sew thanks to Maggie! One of the items that survived the fire was my grandmothers singer sewing machine and cabinet.

Charlene has taught me to knit(almost!) and I am blowing up the kitchen with cooking....woohoo!

I plunged the sink today unsuccessfully...so I cannot add avid plumber to my list of recent accomplishments!!!

I am still wading in the homeschool waters....still wearing my full water gear and life jacket....yikes!!!

And the pastors wife thing...wow...sometimes I feel like I am still on the shore looking into the water going..."You want me to get in that water?" LOL! God's mercy and grace are so new to me in so many areas of my life on a daily basis. It is like you get to one point with God and realize there is a whole world of things out there that you do not even know about God.....like stepping into the wardrobe and finding Narnia!

Okay....I am off to bed...if anyone out there has some good receipes....holla!

Believing,

Lindy

Matthew 11:28 and Psalm 55:22

Life on Self Creek

Hello! We are all doing well. Carter is so far so good tonight. He has been requiring oxygen at night....hard for Bo and I to understand his limitations. I am so glad that we have faith in God. Not sure how we would survive this ride without Him!

We had live in company for almost 4 months. The wonderful Shawa family! Four kids plus Alli during the week was quite interesting to say the least!

The Shawas have relocated to Georgia, please keep them in your prayers as they continue to heal and as God brings restoration.

Spencer will one day forgive me for the underwear in the picture!!!

Christmas was great for both families!

This pic is of the Womack Christmas. The kids provided the entertainment! The two girls are Emily Shawa and then our niece Alli Mann. Carter is in front of Spencer. Benjamin is in the old navy shirt and cousin Jordan is in the Gap shirt. Fun times!!!

Currently we are attempting to get our house in order and all of our fire boxes finally unpacked. You would think that a fire is a one time thing....but it is not....it is the gift that keeps on giving. Giving ruined material things and memories of your life covered in black soot!!!

I finally unpacked the last fire box. I still have some things airing out that we are trying to save. Bo and I both smell smoke less often now then right after the fire. It is amazing what your mind can do to your senses.

Bo and I are also both saddened by the loss of our bedroom furniture...yes we lost lots of things but that was our first big purchase together and we bought the furniture with the intent to have it forever...now it is in storage still stinking and still really melted in places! :(

Okay....I have taken up enought time...will post again later....

Believing,

Lindy

Oswalt Update

Hello,



The above picture was taken in August. I am so behind on updating here. The picture was taken by our favorite echo techs Kristin. We went to America's Incredible Pizza Company in Germantown. We got away for a day in August and took the boys and our niece Alli Mann to have fun. Despite Carter's face we did have a good time!!!



I am home today because Carter has a stomach bug. Bo and Benjamin had it Friday...Carter and Emily started with symptoms late last night and early this morning. Charlene, Spencer and myself so far are safe!!!



Wonderful Maggie is here visiting for a few days. We love her. She just finally after 7 months showed me how to sew!!! Yay!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Believing,
Lindy

Playing Catch up

Hello!

Below are some photos from one of the last Shawa/Oswalt gatherings in Oxford before the fire. I am going to try to update the blog with all that has been going on since right before the fire, the fire, and then afterwards.



This was a day filled with Charlene watching the kiddos while I worked and the men were away...maybe Jason at a conference and Bo working on the parsonage. We ended the evening with lots of playing outside and music time....

And yes....I am in major Oxford withdrawals...


Lindy

What do a gas station, jumper cables and 2 oxygen tanks have in common???

Hello Folks!

I know you are all thinking...."what is up with this post title?" Well....picture my best girl friend Charlene Shawa and I at a gas station....we pause for a moment to talk, I get out and pump gas....the vehicle then refuses to crank...we search numerous outlets for jumper cables...and get nothing. We finally find some darling girl from Colorado...she hooks us up and cranks her vehicle and I go to crank mine and nothing happens....except smoke starts bellowing out from the jumper cables....and then they begin to burst into flames....wow!!!!

I of course in fire mode remove the vera bags, cell phones and an ipod as well as 2 tanks of oxygen from the vehicle....how far from a gas station do you actually move 2 oxygen tanks so they will not blow??? Looking back...moving them now seems funny....at the time - not so much!!!!

Continue picturing with me a gas attendant tossing me a fire extinguisher and I put the fire out. Did I mention that we had both doors open and the sun roof open....yay for fire extinguisher dust!!!!!!

So, a serious detail job, a new battery and a $1700 estimate later here I am!!!!

At random points throughout the next day Charlene would look at me and say, "gas station, oxygen tanks, fire...how did we survive???" Precious!!!!

We are all finally back in Starkville. Bo and I spent the day organizing and cleaning....he did an excellent job and worked so hard! We had Rita and Jim and Nikki, Jeffrey, and Alli over tonight. Nikki and I cooked and we all had Wii therapy.

Spencer is actually quite the little Wii player. He actually beat me in boxing and Jeff in bowling....he is very competitive! Wonder where in the world he gets it!!!

Truman is having some issues...still working on the whole house training thing but got into the cat food 2 days ago and his belly is still not so right...if he is not better tomorrow will go vist Dr. Renee.

Ella is precious. She has discovered the outdoors...we were hoping to get her declawed but her newfound love for the outdoors has to go away first.

Carter is doing well. Still a nasty cough...but well none the less.

Am off to bed...

Lindy

Long Time NO Post!!!

Hello World,

We are back...I hope. I am going to try to get back to this blogging thing. I know I need the therapy. So life has continued to be a rollercoaster. Since the last post we had a house fire...if that is the correct grammer! We have moved. I am through working for other...on a full self employed journey right now. We have been on a vacation with our wonderful friends the Shawas. We are living finally in the Self Creek Baptist Church parsonage. We have gotten 2 pets....whew....life has been seriously busy.

So, we are good. God is great and we are so thankful that His mercies are new every morning!!!

Life is still very tough. Yesterday was Andrew's scheduled C-section...I cannot tell you how my heart breaks for that little one that I didn't fully get to know.

Things have been so constantly just trying and fully of immense suffering that Bo and I have had such a difficult time thinking and feeling things. Those that know me and my counseling will laugh! BUT it is so true. We are really excited about being on this journey that God has called us too at Self Creek. How exciting it is to see God at work.

I will post more later....I just wanted to add a pic and say hi!!!

Believing,

Lindy

Ramblings of Lindy

Below is the post from Carter's webstie. I promise soon the blog will get back to fun things we are doing as a family...but for now we take a moment to grieve...

Thursday, March 20, 2008 10:38 PM
Dear ones,I wanted to take a moment and let you know that Carter is maybe a little better. He has had longer stints off of the oxygen. Today was the longest...he is resting peacefully right now without it. He played very hard today with his buddy Benjamin...I think you can call it playing...they coexisted until the other one started bossing the other one around...I wanted to clear up some confusion. Anyone who wants to join us is welcome tomorrow as we lay precious Andrew's earthly body to rest. It is closed casket and all services will be at the graveside. Bo and I realize that this is all for the praise and glory of God and that Andrew is more than just ours. Never would we close ourselves off...we learned that life is larger than we realize almost 4 years ago when Carter Mac was born.If you wanted an update on us you just received it. From here on down are things that I feel pressed to share.I have been promising an update from me on things God is doing in my life for a few weeks now. Feb. 28th is the date to be exact since I promised. I read something in my quiet time with God that touched me deeply and so related to the things we go through with Carter. Little did I know how true those things would be even on a day like today or a day one week ago or better yet, a day like tomorrow. "Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God" Psalm 42:5"Then I will come to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy. I will praise You with the lyre, God, my God." Psalm 43:4I often pick up a book by David Nasser titled "Glory Revealed." I have picked this book up on and off since Fall of last year when we were in Nashville for the second time.The book is about different times/ways in our lives where God's Glory is revealed. There have been several that have touched me deeply...but the one from late Feb. is "Glory Revealed through Declaration."David says, "I often love to start a worship service by getting people on their feet and asking them to shout out specific attributes of God. I say, 'What has God been to you? Who has he revealed himself to be?' But most importantly, I ask them, 'Who do you need him to be?' I do this because there is much power in declaration. Power in rehearsing the things you may not feel at the moment but you know are true. It's because simply saying out loud the things you need to hear goes a long way in preparing the spirit for things to be that way. It's the power of the tongue. Psalm 42 is most famous for, 'As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God.' But it goes on to say, 'My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, "Where is your God?"' (v.3). Not the content of your average worship song.Most psalms are songs of lament and honesty, but we don't hear about those too often. The ones written from the mountaintops of life tend to win popularity contest. But some of the most useful truths are in the psalms written from the valleys. Lament is a powerful tool that God uses to draw us nearer to him. A while back Michael Card gave an interview in Christianity Today that really struck me. The whole interview was about sorrow, lament, and suffering - not something we read about a whole lot. A series of events led Michael to a season in his life pondering the mystery of suffering and what God's role was in it. He came to the conclusion that we can't understand God's worth without experiencing woundedness. God's worth is found in the desert, not in the picnic grounds.Michael tells a story of a pastor friend who was paralyzed in an auto accident while out on a pastoral call. There was no obvious rhyme or reason to the tragedy - it just happened. When his friend began to cry out to God and experience his prescience, his cries changed. 'You don't have to heal me. Just don't leave me!' His friend learned that the presence of God was much more vital than God's provision.What would happen if, in the middle of our lament, we grasped that God was really what we needed? What if our sorrow turned to declaration about his goodness? What if we ignored our feelings and, with our lips moved on to the part where we honor God for everything he is?Alone discouraged, finding himself clearly at the bottom, King David was dangerously close to giving up. He could have stuck his head in the sand and prayed for the buzzards to come and deliver him from his misery. But instead he gave himself a wake- up call. David picked himself up by the bootstraps and ordered himself to place his hope in God. 'Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:5Here was David in the middle of depression and despair, and the psalmist is actually preaching to himself. he more or less says, 'This is not how I feel right now, but this is how I am.' Our feelings are fickle, but our God is constant. Sometimes we just have to rehearse the truth out loud."There is so much truth in what you just read. I saw so much of our journey with Carter in this writing of David Nassar. So many times where after all of our calling out to God all we had the strength to do was rehearse out loud (whether in a parent room or our room at the Ronald McDonald house or on this website or to a dear one on the phone) the things we know to be true about God but we didn't feel at the time. So as I come to you tonight I look at this writing and still see so much of our journey with Carter. I must confess, I have walked this particular path in my imagination at least 10 times when Carter has been so close to death. I have his funeral planned, I have tried to imagine these feelings concerning him...if this was the day before I laid his body to rest...but never had I thought for a moment that I would be doing this with our dear little unknown Andrew. Not the one that showed much life on the monitors time and time again. Not the one whose little body checked out to be 100erfect. But here I sit. But here I type. This chapter God is writing in our lives right this moment is not one that people will recall over and over. Here in this fast paced society we take just the moments for the good stuff and we push the sadness to the side as quickly as possible. This is a chapter that we could not have predicted. This is a chapter we never would have chosen. We, like King David, could put our heads in the sands and give up.The counselor in me has to disagree a smidgen with David Nassar when he writes "our feelings are fickle, but our God is constant." I promise all who are taking time to read this that my feelings right now are far from fickle. Every emotion that I walk others through that I work with that are grieving, I promise I am experiencing and I promise fickle is not a word close to my vocabulary right now. But I wholeheartedly agree that our God is constant.I do not know how long my arms will ache for a child I held for just a moment in time in my arms. I do not know how long my womb will cease to bear a newborn life into our lives that will bring joy. I do know that my God is constant. I do know that in the middle of lament right now, in the middle of my heart being broken and my breathe being taken at times out of my body that God is really what I need. I know that He is good and I know that I want my lips to proclaim His goodness. I know that I desire to honor Him for everything He is. He is my Jehovah Rapha and He will guide me through the healing that I need. He will use my sadness to grow me and to change me and to make me less like me and more like Him. I know that he promises that I will forget my suffering, recalling it only as waters that have flowed by (Job 11:16).My prayer is that if your eyes have made it this far in the longest post in my history that you know Him for who He is. If you do not, please seek the answers today. My email address is here on this page...email and Bo and I will pray for you and lift you up as you seek answers for your life. A website with some more information is http://www.sbc.net/knowjesus/ . I cannot tell you how reassuring it is to look my beautiful (he would correct me and say he is handsome) Spencer into those crystal blue eyes and say with assurance that we have hope. To say that with confidence through the pain God has a plan and it is good, it is good, it is good. How I pray you can say the same.Broken but believing,Lindy for her man and her boys (Bo, Spencer,Carter, angel Ethan and angel Andrew)

Andrew's Service Time

Andrew Hayes Oswalt
March 14, 2008
1 lb 2 ounces
12 inches long

There will be a graveside service at 1pm on Friday, March 21, 2008 at 1pm at Self Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Maben, Mississippi.

There will be a small nursery provided for those unable to find childcare.

We will post directions to the church cemetery later. I know people were wanting to know when the service was going to be held.

Carter saw Dr. Molly today. His chest x-ray looks good. We are still waiting on the call for blood work. She agreed that he sounded junky. She said to keep doing what we are doing. We will possibly do an antibiotic if blood work calls for it.

We are attempting normalcy this afternoon by attending Spencer's first official soccer game.

I will try to post directions on here later.

I am doing as well as to be expected. Yesterday was tough physically and emotionally. Today physically is a little better in some ways and a little worse in others. Emotionally about the same.

Believing,
Lindy for The Oswalts

About Andrew

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

That is the scripture at the top of the Nason's blog. (link is on the right) I could not think of another verse that sums up what I am "striving" for today. I just can't rely on my own feelings and hurt right now. It makes so much more sense to just hand it all over to my Holy Daddy who loves me and hurts when I am hurting. My "understanding" of why this has all happened and how much more can we endure is woefully inadequate. I simply will trust in God and acknowledge that He knows far better than we. His hand is guiding our steps even now. We rest in the shadow of His healing wings.

Andrew was and is a beautiful little boy. He weighed only 1 lb and 2 oz and was 12 inches in length, but was formed perfectly in every way. He bears a striking resemblance to his older brothers, though they will sadly never run and play together. His mother's grief is intense; he will never know the warmth and safety of her embrace. Her arms are so empty. I will forever cherish the memory of the scent of his body after he had been cleaned. I pray that it will linger forever in my mind. I hope that I can remember the way his skin felt against my lips when I kissed him. He was so tiny, but mine nonetheless

A graveside service will be held on Friday afternoon (time yet to be determined) at the Self Creek Baptist Church cemetery. Please continue to pray for us as we rely on God's providence in our lives.

Always Andrew's dad,

Bo

An American Hero!

Okay,

I know that you all have been holding your breath for me to post today after Huckabee conceded and McCain has been crowned the GOP nominee. First of all, don't be sad for Gov Mike. He ran an excellent campaign and is a very talented individual. He has a bright future ahead of him (though I do not pretend to know what it is!) Secondly, I do have a sense of "I told you so..." in arguing with many seasoned political veterans (including a former Mississippi governor who shall go unnamed) and accomplished political science professors about McCain's chances at winning the Republican nomination despite some perceived unconservative stances and recent financial shortcomings. In short, I am justified in my political philosophy and opinion. :P

Also, I am proud to say that Sen McCain has strong Mississippi roots!!! His grandfather, Admiral John S McCain Sr, is from Carrollton, MS. He was the commander of the Pacific Fleet during World War II. Camp McCain, near Grenada, is named for him, as is McCain Field at the Naval Air Station in Meridian. McCain (the grandfather) also attended Ole Miss. Because of these strong ties to the state, Trent Lott referred to Sen. McCain as the "third Senator from Mississippi" at a lecture that I attended that they both gave here on campus at the Ford Center in 2005. (The Ford Center is also where he will first debate the Dem nominee in September!

Okay, digest this information. I will share more about him in the coming days, along with providing wonderful and pithy commentary to accompany the information. We are all well here in Oxford. Us boys got haircuts today. We needed them desperately! Harley even went to the doggy spa yesterday for a trim! New pictures to come soon.

Bo

Bo

The Oswalt Shawas

Hello!

Two recent pics of all 4 kiddos!!!

Jason and Bo were outside being manly and changing the belt on the car. Thank you Jason for your help!!!

Charlene and I were inside with the little ones...

None of them obviously posed...maybe Spencer...

Here I appreciate Emily's look...and Benjamin "pretending" to drink so I would not ask him to pose....ridiculous!

Yesterday was good. We had fun at LeBonheur with everyone. It is always wonderful to visit and not have to be inpatient!!! What a blast to be involved in a small part of Walmart/Sam's Club day. Bo did an excellent job speaking and letting them know how important their fundraising is to the Children's Miracle Network and especially Le Bonheur.

There was a small time frame where someone was running late...so somehow (Kavenaugh) both Oswalt children ended up on the stage in front of everyone...Carter didn't care...had his own agenda. Spencer however took the time to entertain. First there was some of his dry sarcasm...then his show ended with him doing his white boy dancing...bless him. The more the crowd laughed and clapped the more he did... It was funny to say the least!!! I am not sure what I am going to do with these 2 when they are teens!!!

I am home today. I feel as if my sinuses are going to explode in my face!!! I hate using all my days, even if I just have a few months left to work. I never know when I am really going to need them. Bo is doing well. He is almost 1 week down on the Southbeach diet. He is a trooper. It is REALLY helping is diabetes...this is something we are all thankful for. The last year of stress and hospital eating has not made it easy for him to control his diabetes. Maggie has been his dieting partner this week. I can safely join them in week 3.

We purchased a digital video camcorder yesterday. We have been wanting one since we started Carter's website 2 years ago, but just now have been able to afford it/work it into the budget. So soon there should be some cute videos of the boys on here.

We are about to go pick up the Lookout as Spencer calls it and return the rental car. We will spend some time with Maggie this afternoon and then Bo and I are having adult dinner with Jason and Charlene. I am secretly hoping they hang out a bit and let Maggie teach them to play Canasta...I love a good card game!

Okay...hope you all have a great weekend. We are heading to Grenada in the morning so we will be in town for Sally Saulters and Brian Ray's engagement party. We will get to worship at FBC Grenada on Sunday and just enjoy being with family for a bit. I am hoping we get to love on Baby Rilee some...

Weekend pics and videos to come...
Lindy

Chillin in G-town

Hey guys,

We boys have been hanging in Grenada for the past couple of days. It has been nice to visit with family here. The boys have ate it up, of course. I think that it has been about three weeks since we were here last. Carter has been showing off his new found energy to everyone. Spencer has regressed in age at least two years since he has been here. He and Momma Mack are NO GOOD for each other. (just kidding, but not really) Carter has eaten everything in site much to Nanna and Momma Mack's delight! We will leave in the morning headed back to Oxford to pick up Lindy Lou and then head to Memphis. We will spend the day with the LeBonheur Foundation at a thank you celebration for WalMart for their generous support of the hospital. I will speak to them tomorrow afternoon; it should be a lot of fun. We are back in Grenada this weekend for Sally and Brian's Engagement Party! We are really looking forward to that.

For those interested, I am starting to hear more and more chatter about Haley Barbour being on McCain's shortlist for VP. Should be interesting to see how things turn out! Regardless if Haley is the pick or not I think that McCain MUST look for three things in a potential running mate to address his main weaknesses. This is to help "balance" the ticket.

1. He needs solid executive experience (i.e. a successful governor or big time mayor) because McCain doesn't have any.
2. He ABSOLUTELY has got to be someone that conservatives can totally trust on social and economic issues. (because of distrust among conservatives about McCain)
3. He needs to be several years younger than the 71 year old McCain who will be the oldest first term President ever elected should he win in November.

Several up and coming Republicans fit these criteria, as does Gov Barbour. Whoever McCain picks will most likely fit into this mold. It also wouldn't hurt if the VP nominee was NOT a white man. Unfortunately, the party of Reagan is not overflowing with those types of candidates.

Bo

The Weekend

Hello,

It has been a good weekend here in the Oswalt home. We visited with the Shawas on Friday. The men went to catch a movie and have some guy time. Char and I managed the 4 little ones! Wow what a loud time was had!!! Poor little Emily has been covered in hives from a cold she has had...we checked with Dr. Molly before our play date...she gave us the all clear (that is for the grandmothers reading the blog!!!).

We slept in some on Saturday and then headed to the Beacon here in Oxford for a late breakfast...Carter is so impatient. Here at the house I sing whenever something is missing "Where oh where could ____be?" or I say "If I were _____, where would I be?" Well, Carter sang the where oh where song until his food arrived!!! What a riot! Spencer however is very much my child. He wanted the rest of us to just talk! So we took turns talking about different topics. Carter only wanted to talk about where his food was when it was his turn.

We then headed to a few stores looking for me some tennis shoes and we stopped into Treehouse toys on the square. We then very quickly took a cranky Carter and a somewhat cranky Spencer home to get a nap.

We visited with Maggie the rest of the afternoon. She washed clothes and taught me to play Canasta. She grew up playing it and kicked my butt. By the time I caught on the game was over...she won like 7400 something to 24oo something....next time I will get her!!!

We slept in this morning. We are going to the Orchard Church here in Oxford. They have duplicate services at 10:30 and 6pm so we have opted for the 6pm service. Maggie works with youth at this church.

Well...I got sidetracked and just now got back here to finish this post. We had a great time at church. It is always so good to be in God's house fellowshipping and opening God's word. We are spoiled forever since we have been under Kevin Jackson's preaching and are very picky...but tonight was not bad at all!

The boys are quietly sleeping. Earlier they were carrying their "babies" - Spencer a bear in pajamas and Carter his new Tigger. They were sitting in the floor side by side rocking them. Good play therapy as we all prepare for a new little one. Poor Andrew has no idea what he is being born into!!!

Bo is currently researching the South Beach Diet. He convinced Maggie to join him. I am going to do a modified South Beach so cooking will be easy. Phase 2 is safe for me but not the first Phase.


Here is a pic of the boys from this morning. They play really well together with a few fights here and there. The fights are usually Carter not getting his way. Spencer is an amazing big brother. Depraved still, but amazing. Carter bit him this morning. Shocking behavior for Carter, but it was handled with a time out and a pop of the diaper. Followed by some great snuggling and family time in the bed. We listened to Andrew's heart beat. They are both so excited!!!

Okay, I need to go rest so I can get up and tackle tomorrow.

Please go to Carter's medical website and then go to Benjamin Shawa's website...we will have Emily in the morning so they can go for Benjamin's 6 month heart echo. Pray all works well for them.

Signing off...

Lindy

McCain and the NYT

Okay, I can't say that I am surprised that the NY Times unloaded on McCain now that he is the presumptive Republican nominee. It was bound to happen eventually! I actually think that it will help him tremendously with the conservative base, which has been a problem thus far. McCain and the conservatives now have a common enemy (ie. the liberal media) and they finally can lock arms and march hand in hand. I believe that this is exactly what McCain needs to move forward. I mean Rush Limbaugh has been defending Mac for the past 24 hours. That in itself is no small matter. The article was very sloppy and thin on evidence anyway. The McCain campaign did an outstanding job of responding to the hit job. I think that really impressed a lot of people how quick and agile they were in taking out the trash. I even got a fundraising email late yesterday from the campaign using the NYT article as means raise money. On a side note, it was extremely interesting to watch Mike Huckabee responding to the claims against Mac. It was almost like he was begging McCain to "pick me, pick me". I mean he scheduled a press conference to say what an upstanding guy McCain was. Good grief!

We are doing well here in the Oswalt home. Jason (Shawa) and I went to see Vantage Point tonight; it is well worth watching. It was good to get out and relax for awhile also. If you are in the mood for some good food in Oxford, I had the shrimp and grits at Boure. I recommend it highly! The conversation on various theology related matters was good also. I have a lot to learn, I must admit! Okay, I am done rambling. This blogging thing is therapeutic, I think. Don't tell Lindy.

Bo

Andrew's Birthday!

Hey all,

Just a quick post to let you know that Lindy's OB appointment went well this morning. The big news is that we have an arrival date for baby Andrew. He will be born via C-section on Monday, July 7th, 2008. We are already more than half way there!

Bo

Random Thoughts

Hi, Bo here...

Thought that I would add my voice to this Blog. We have Emily Shawa with us today. She is staying here while Jason and Charlene take Benjamin to the doctor in Memphis. Surprisingly, she and Carter have gotten along really well so far. Spencer is at school. He had spring pictures today and class pictures also. He looked so handsome when he left this morning. They were also going to the Oxford Library today. I am sure that he will have plenty of interesting things to tell when he gets home around 1.

Okay, I can't decide whether Mike Huckabee is helping or hurting John McCain by staying in the race at this point. And for that matter, WHY is he staying in the race? I don't think that he is helping himself with the VP nod because it seems to be ticking ole Johnny Mac off a bit. I mean, there is absolutely NO chance for him to get enough delegates to secure the nomination. McCain has it pretty much in the bag at this point. On the other hand, it does help to keep McCain in the spotlight with the Democrat nomination still up in the air. But McCain could be focusing more on hitting the Democrats if he didn't have to play these silly games with Huckabee. Goodness knows, he has an uphill battle against whomever the Dem nominee is with the incredible turnout and fundraising that they have enjoyed this primary season. W really has damaged the Republican party in a pretty severe way. I can't see his legacy being too kind to him! Oh and by the way, I would like to remind everyone (as I will quite frequently) that I have consistantly been a McCain supporter since BEFORE Bush in 2000.

Thats all for now!

Bo

Two Days In a Row!

Hello,

Just about to start getting ready for work. Wanted to put some of my recent favorite pics on here! The one below is of Carter Mac sitting in one of the new chairs from Christmas. He and Spencer (mostly Spencer) were playing Vtech. Some of you know my dad's side of the fam. My grandfather was a tall skinny lanky man to say the least. During the war he was nicknamed Grasshopper. He was a welder by trade and when he squatted, his legs were so long they came up around his ears and he looked like a grasshopper. Grandpa was famous for always having his legs crossed...this picture here is a typical Grasshopper pic...I thought it was too cute. Carter is also famous for having his legs crossed...especially in a hospital bed. And of course there is the famous Harley D in the bottom of the pic! He is a funny strange little dog!



Here is precious Spencer with new cousin Rylee. He was too cute trying to piece together that she was no longer in T's belly and that a baby really came from there....When Andrew arrives it should be interesting!


Praying you all have a great day!

I need to show this to Bo today so he can come post a great political opinion! Maybe even a religious one too!


Tootles!

Lindy

Still trying to get the hang of this...

Hello,

I have not been successful in telling Bo about this or letting really anyone know about this blog. Still trying to get the hang of it for myself and see how it works. Nothing I dislike more than someone advertising and then not ever updating...we already have a rough time updating Carter's website.

We did find out this week that the next Oswalt baby is a boy. Andrew Hayes Oswalt. He will arrive sometime this summer. Haven't really talked that over with Dr. Hunt yet but he will arrive via c-section so we just need to set a date and roll with it.

Carter and I have spent a lovely weekend here at the house. Bo preached at Self Creek Baptist Church again this weekend. Spencer I am sure is getting very spoiled by the fam!

Until Later!

Lindy

Here we go

Okay,

I know we have Carter's website...but I thought this would be fun for Bo to post his political comments and to get some fun stuff that we are doing that has nothing to do with Carter being sick....so here we go...