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Couple adds six to family in just one year

By Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Jan 4, 2016

A new year brings new possibilities, new goals and for some, new family members.

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But not many can say that their 2016 will be as dramatically different as Kenley and Calyn Stringer.

In one year's time, the married couple added six children to their family.

The two began the adoption search in 2014. From the beginning, it was a frustrating process.

"We found we had to be very proactive, and even when we were, we found that either the information was outdated or people just weren't responsive," Kenley Stringer told the Tallahassee Democrat.

After months of getting nowhere, Kenley Stringer, a real estate agent, and Calyn Stringer, a professor at Florida State University, felt discouraged and disheartened.
Then, in November 2014, the couple found out that Calyn Stringer was pregnant. 
Shortly thereafter, they learned about four siblings seeking adoption.
Eric, Dale, Brittan and Maya ranged from ages 2 to 7. They were four of five children with the same mother but different fathers. The fifth and youngest sibling was still in the process of becoming adoptable.
“We were granted custody of them before we’d even met them,” Kenley Stringer said.
The couple met the children for the first time at a Chick-Fil-A before the kids went to their home in Tallahassee, Florida. Kenley said he felt like he'd known Eric, 7, for years.
“I said, ‘Our names are Kenley and Calyn, but do you know why we’re here?’ He said no and we said, ‘We’re going to invite you to come live with us. How do you feel about that?’ and he said, ‘Good.’”

The Stringers only had nine days to prepare their home for their new additions.

“Our house was already pretty kid-friendly because we’d had a foster son who was 3,” Calyn Ssaid.

The Stringers bought a minivan, bunk beds and many other items for their new children.

Months later, the family moved into a bigger house. The new space has a pool and a trampoline.
“We went from a quiet house with just the two of us to all this crazy,” Kenley Stringer said.
Then, when Benjamin was 1 month old, the couple was granted custody of the youngest of the siblings, Kiki. Kiki became the sixth addition to the Stringer family in one year and “the last piece of the puzzle.”
“We joke that it’s a lot easier having six than it was this time last year having four,” Calyn Stringer said. “Things are a lot more stable now.”

Now, the kids are enrolled in schools, attending the family's church and have met most of their new extended family members.

“We try to tell people, 'Yeah it can be difficult, but it’s worth it,'” Calyn Stringer said. “It’s so needed, and when we think about our kids and where they could’ve ended up, it can be scary.”

A heartwarming story to start the new year: Adopting five children and having a child of their own, the Stringer family added 6 children to their family in a year’s time.

Posted by Tallahassee Democrat on Friday, January 1, 2016

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Cox Media Group National Content Desk

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