The Marshall-McFarland Family

Hello, my name is Brian Arthur Murray McFarland (May 17, 1967). I just got hired as a history teacher at the community college here in town. Don't be intimidated by the size of my family. I know we're a little on the large side, but these are some of the best kids I've ever known. And I've known a lot of kids.


This is my wife, Corinne Glenna [Marshall] McFarland (June 2, 1970). She and I bonded over our kids’ school activities and similarities. I helped her through her divorce and a lot of other personal family issues and I hope she knows she did the same for me. Corinne runs a nonprofit aiming to end human trafficking and help victims of such atrocity.


My oldest is Asher Arthur Eliot McFarland (January 22, 1994). I'm really proud of him. He's battled through a lot and come out the other side with a lot more strength and a bachelor's degree in the thing he loves most: music. He's working really hard to make sure he can do what he loves as a job while still being a responsible young adult.


This is Corinne's oldest, Marcus Samuel Marshall (November 19, 1995). He has a lot in common with Asher so it's no surprise that the two have become best friends and roommates in addition to being stepbrothers. Marcus, in his mother's words, has “a bit of pessimistic streak he can pass off as realism.” He gave up his dream in order to find a lifestyle he finds a little more sustainable.


My second oldest is my only daughter, Gabrielle Fiona Grace McFarland (December 21, 1997). She prefers to go by Gabby. Gabby has really come into her own over the last few years after enduring heartbreak and personal tragedy. She's become an incredibly strong young woman with a bit of a spitfire streak. She loves people, despite tending towards the same loner status as her older brother. She's working to become a nurse, an occupation I think she'll really succeed in.


Next in the family is Corinne's second, Elodie Ivonne Marshall (July 6, 1999). Ellie and Gabby get along like two peas in a pod. Because of Ellie, Gabby began to discover herself. In recent years, Ellie has dropped out of high school in order to chase something closer to her heart. She's just come home from a year long program that seems to have really helped her in her own process of self discovery.


After Ellie is my son Caleb Joseph Ian McFarland (January 2, 2000). Unlike most of his other siblings, Caleb is absolutely vocal about what he's been through. He uses his story to help other people realize that they're not alone. He runs an Instagram account (and I think he's started a twitter too) dedicated to tackling bullying of LGBTQ+ youth and eating disorders in guys. He has a lot of ambition and I know he has the follow through to make it happen.


Isla Doreen Marshall (May 28, 2002) comes next in our biological lineup. Corinne’s youngest, Isla looks up to her older stepbrother Asher because he's taught her a lot about how to deal with something they both struggle with. Isla is the one who kind of brought both families together. She's a sweetheart who's still trying to find her place in the world. Though her mother keeps reminding her that she's still so young.


The youngest in our biological crew is my son Noah Ethan William McFarland (March 23, 2003). Thank God this kid seems to have experienced less tragedy than his older siblings. He used to be super close to Caleb but things happened and they sort of drifted, a sight I kinda hate to see. Noah tries. Tries to be cheery and lovable and friendly and most of the time he succeeds at being all of that and more. I know Asher worries that he's gonna break one of these days. I just hope he isn't as fragile as everyone seems to fear.

Because seven kids wasn't enough for us (please note the sarcasm), Corinne and I decides to foster (and then ended up adopting). Over the last several years, we've had six kids join our family.


The oldest of these kids is Charlotte Mahalia McFarland (September 29, 2000). Charlotte came from your typical toxic family. An alcoholic father, a groveling mother, and no money whatsoever between the two. From the time she six years old, Charlotte bounced from foster to foster. But she clicked with us. Easy to please, most days she spends at home in her own little bubble. Corinne worries there might be something we're missing with her.


Next we fostered and adopted a brother-sister duo. Emerson Gael McFarland (February 1, 2003) was the ringleader. The one who sought out mischief, he wound up in a lot of trouble, though mostly he was just a rambunctious kid with a lot of energy to spare. He free attached when his sister decided she liked us.


Emerson's sister, Sawyer Delphine McFarland (June 13, 2004), was the brains to her brother's brawn. He charged in head first and she sat back on her heels and came up with the plan to get them both out of trouble. When she decided that she could work with having me and Corinne take care of her, she wormed her way into our hearts and just kinda set up shop. The kid's gonna go places with that brain of hers.


Our next challenge after Emerson and Sawyer came in the form of a young man with cerebral palsy, Ezra Gray McFarland (April 2, 2002). Ezra's family couldn't afford the care he needed and very few people were willing to foster the kid. He spent most of his life in group homes until he met us. His condition has been a challenge but the kid is a fighter. A spitfire in his own right, he refuses to lose.


After Ezra joined us, we found ourselves fostering a nonbiological brother-sister duo. Avis Louella McFarland (December 1, 2005) was born hard of hearing. When she was young, she met and bonded with a young, nonverbal autistic boy. The two bonded over their use of sign language and became inseparable. Avis has a lot of soul and sass and loves to go on adventures, dragging poor Perrin behind.


Perrin Anthony McFarland (March 24, 2010) is Avis's little buddy. He follows her everywhere, interpreting for her what everyone else around them is saying. Using sign language himself to communicate, he has a hard time making friends and often ends up the victim of bullying. He really is a sweet little boy though.

And that is our family, me, my wife, and all thirteen of our kids. We never get any peace in our house but I don't think either Corinne or I would trade it for the world.