“There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.” ~ Deepak Chopra

I loved the saying above because I think it perfectly suits the adoption of our two new little "spices." There are millions of orphans around the world who literally wait years for families to choose them.  Just think of the futures they could create if given the chance to have a family and experience the hugs, kisses, bedtime stories, birthdays (there's something we don't think about- what would we do if no one celebrated our birth each year?), night time baths, family suppers, scootering in the driveway with their siblings, graduations, awards, soccer games....... just to name a few! Often times, the mere fact that they have disabilities is a challenging thought for most families.  I can remember many people saying (including ourselves) when we were "expecting"- creating wish lists of .....a happy "healthy" boy or girl.  Somewhere along the way Marcus and I discovered that the perfect child for us did not have to be a "perfect" child (who of us is perfect anyways?) but more the child who was "perfect" for our family.  We hold a special place in our hearts for the kiddos with neurosurgical issues to contend with.  You can't imagine the joy we have found in the little successes in life we have experienced with Tai.  And, believe me, Marcus and I have heard it all from Tai's doctors early on before they really "knew" him.  Everything from..... he is deaf, he will have significant cognitive issues, he'll never have the mobility of other children (he has high C-spine spina bifida at the level of Christopher Reeves- remember that means can't walk or move your arms).  We decided we would set our own bars for Tai and see what he could achieve instead of limiting his possibilities.  Guess what?  He is a normal 1st grader making good grades, he runs, he climbs, he feeds himself with chopsticks (what limited mobility were they talking about?), he can hear EVERY little thing you say even in a whisper.....Therefore, we know now that each child can determine their possibilities and their futures.  We will not limit them.  We can provide the love and support they need to attain their goals, whether big or small.


Sam and his trusty penguin- It looks like they are kissing each other.




Timothy flying a kite.




Tai dunking a basket at 8 AM in the morning!

 So, the sky's the limit Timothy and Samuel.  We can't wait to hold you and let you know the love of a family!  See you in a week and a half!

The dates are set!

Woo-hoo! We finally have dates for travel set to pick up our new little boys in China.  Finally, after mounds of paperwork and immigration stuff, the day has been chosen.  We will fly to China on February 1st arriving there the evening of the 2nd in China (which is the morning of the 2nd here in the U.S.).  Long flight with likely lots of jet lag! We spend 2 days in Beijing touring the sites- Great Wall, Forbidden City (sounds tantalizing!), Tiannamen Square, and the Hutong tour.  We were not able to do this with Tai so this shall be a big treat for all of us.Then, Grace and I fly to Hohhot to hug and squeeze on Samuel. Marcus takes a train to Taiyuan, Shanxi province to pick up Timothy.  So, Gotcha Day is officially February 6th. We spend 5 1/2 days in the respective provinces with our new little guys then will fly to Guangzhou where we can rejoin with one another for the next week.  This is where we have our U.S. Consulate appt on the 15th of February to make it OFFICIAL!  Samuel and Timothy will become spices like the rest of us. Samuel's full name will be Samuel Longdui Parsley and Timothy's full name is Timothy Huanglu Parsley. We kept both of their Chinese first and middle names (but combined) and made them their middle names. Samuel's name means "right dragon".  Given this is the Year of the Dragon for Chinese New Year,  it does seem quite appropriate for him.  The post on New Day's facebook wall today showed an adorable face picture of Samuel.  Someone posted a comment saying, "all he needs is family to hold him.....".  We are on our way!
Timothy's name means "yellow jade" which means he will be a jewel to us I'm sure! Timothy adores Thomas the Tank and Samuel loves Cars (any kind of car).  Therefore, we have ordered them mini backpacks of Thomas and Lightning McQueen to give them when we get to China filled with little toys and coloring books. Can't wait!
The other kids are all excited about the upcoming arrival. Eli and Tai will have 2 new roommates so their room will be like a college dorm with 4 boys.  They will never fall asleep at night with the constant chatter!
I am attaching a few new pictures of all of our kids for you guys to see!  Feel free to follow our journey.
On another note, Eli and Grace have started piano lessons and are really enjoying it.  They have long piano fingers so they should be great!  Grace made the varsity middle school soccer team as a "starter" in her first year at the middle school.  She is having a wonderful time getting to know her teammates.  They won their first game.  Haley has narrowed her college choices down to her top 3 and will decide likely in April where she is going.  Luke and Tai are keeping busy as well. 
Love,
Kristin and Marcus


The Parsley girls!




Eli thinking of what he can do next!




Luke dreaming of fishing and girls!




Tai dreaming of fudge and cookies.




Grace dreaming of soccer and swimming!



Haley dreaming of college next year!

The Parsley Boys!

Samuel and his cute self!



Timothy dreaming of a warmer Florida!



J. C. is in the house!!! And Travel Approval!!

All in a matter of the last 18 hours- 2 major events have happened.  First,  I was finally able to achieve an item on my bucket list.  No, I am not about to kick the bucket.  At least, I hope not! I have wanted to meet Jimmy Carter ever since I was about 6 years old.  I thought he was the best thing since "peanut" butter.  Pun intended- he is from South Georgia where they grow peanuts. Anyways, for our 19th anniversary this year, Marcus scheduled a weekend in Plains and Americus, Georgia at a the Americus Garden Bed and Breakfast followed the next morning by a trip to Maranatha Baptist Church to see Jimmy Carter teach Sunday School class.  He (I mean Jimmy Carter, but Marcus is pretty cool, too! Ha) was so amazing and down to earth.  He is humble and gracious.  Oh my goodness, I've always respected his humanitarian rights activist work, but to meet him in person and see how genuine he is was quite incredible! He is has such strong moral convictions.  No wonder he couldn't survive 2 terms in the White House.  He was too moral for our political system. You can see the pictures below.  I also will have enlargements made for my house, my 2 offices, parents, and any friends and family that would like to see! Ha! 
Jimmy Carter is 87 years old so those of you who would like to add this item to your bucket list should go soon.  Though, he is in great shape.  After teaching Sunday School yesterday, he was flying to Egypt to help moderate their democratic elections for the week through his democracy work at the Carter Center.   I don't know too many people approaching 90 years old could keep up with him.  Must be the peanuts and the good Southern cookin'!

The next big , huge, magnanimous item that occured was that Marcus and I received TA- Travel Approval from China at 5: 15 PM today.  That means in about 3 weeks (right after Chinese New Year) we will be going to China to adopt Timothy and Samuel officially!  Now, we have to get packing!  Hope we can bring it all together in time! The last picture above is when the kids decorated our annual gingerbread house this holiday season!