We are the Ostrom family. We were married in 2006 and have a blended family with Lon having twp boys and I, Kathy, having three boys.
I was adopted as an infant and always knew I was adopted. My mother was adopted as well. In 2001, I lost my youngest son to an accident at the age of 3. I was unable to have more children. A year after marrying Lon, who had taught elementary children PE for 35 years, we decided we wanted to be foster parents.
Since 2007 we have fostered more than 50 children and have adopted six. In June 2007 we became foster parents to Elijah, then 3 years old, and Anna, then 20 months old. The adoption was finalized in February of 2010. Skylar joined our family as a foster child in October 2007 at the age of 3 months. Skylar’s adoption was final in May 2009. Next came Jay’La, 12, in 2010. Jay’La’s adoption was final in August 2011. Then, Rilee, age 5 and Ayden, age 3, completed our family in 2010, with their adoption final in 2012.
Each one of the children came with a “history” and a special need. However, that just makes them who they are. We teach them to love one another and be proud of who they are. Fostering and adoption have kept our family busy and we have had challenges. However, we would not change a thing. Just knowing we saved and changed their lives has been so worth it.