Mother's Day

I recieved this poem from a friend of mine a while back. It touched my heart as I read it again today, so I thought I'd post it here in honor of Mother's Day tomorrow. Of course, my boys hold equally huge chunks of my heart too! It's just that this little one has been consuming me lately! ;)

The Legacy of an Adopted Child

Once there were two women

Who never knew each other.

One you do not remember

The other you call mother.

Two different lives

Shaped to make yours one.

One became your guiding star

The other became your sun.

The first gave you life

The second taught you to live it.

The first gave you a need for love

And the second was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality

The other gave you a name.

One gave you a seed of talent

The other gave you an aim.

One gave you emotions

The other calmed your fears.

One saw your first sweet smiles

The other dried your tears.

One gave you up-

It was all that she could do.

The other prayed for a child

And God led her straight to you.

And now you ask me 

Through your tears,

The age old question 

Through the years: 

Heredity or environment

Which are you the product of?

Neither my darling-neither, 

Just two different kinds of love.

Nick and I leave on June 12th to meet our daughter. We are BEYOND excited! 

Please continue to pray for us.

Thank you!

Rummage Sale Fundraiser

I apologize for the lack of posts, we've been a little busy lately ( a good busy though )!

As most of you know, we had a Fundraiser Rummage Sale. We decided to make it a free-will donation, not really knowing what to expect?! As we have been throughout this entire process, WE WERE BLOWN AWAY with how successful it was! We made over $2,800!!!

Not only were the proceeds from the sale a success, the HUGE amounts of donations we collected, the help from friends and family for set-up/clean-up/helping out with our kiddos, the people we had a chance to meet during the sale, ALL added to the success of Operation: Rummage Sale. We THANK YOU for that-you know who you are!

We had  A TON of stuff!

A TON!!!

Our husbands were on a Men's Retreat (and had a BLAST!!!) during the weekend of the sale, so they missed out on all the fun. However, my very good friend, Lindsey, was right by my side from begining to end. Her adoption was fully funded weeks before the fundraiser, but she was still there. I am so thankful for her good heart! We made a great team and had a lot of fun!

Now for some exciting news we are thrilled to share....

 OUR ENTIRE ADOPTION IS FULLY FUNDED!

We are so thankful. The financial side to this adoption was what initially scared us. It felt like we were stepping out on a tiny little pebble of faith as we starred at the number $28,000. We trusted that if God brought us to this He would bring us through it, but still our faith was small. Everyday, after the day we said YES to His will to bring this little one into our lives, our God has shown up in BIG ways! He has not only brought us ALL the funds we need for this, but He has grown our faith from that tiny pebble to a foundation of rock our family now stands upon. He is our Rock! We have learned to turn to Him for everything, He is faithful and has never left us throughout.

We appreciate each and every one of you. You are all pieces to the puzzle in our daughter's life. We will forever be grateful to all of you for supporting us in this journey to bring our little girl home.

More exciting news to share...
On April 11th our case was submitted to court in Uganda!!!

So, as our case is sitting on a desk in Uganda, our prayer is that it falls in the hands of a judge who sees this little girl belongs with us. Also, that this moves quickly and we recieve our court date very soon!

We are more than ready to meet our little lady for the first time!

March 25, 2013 4:09 p.m.

Yesterday, March 25th at 4:09 p.m. will hold a special spot in our family's hearts forever.

We received a phone call from our coordinator that she had a little girl for us. She is 1 year and 8 months old. 31 inches tall and a (whopping) 21 pounds. She is gorgeous.

The very moment I looked into her big brown eyes I knew, she was mine. I am in love. We all are. Each of my boys took an envelope full of pictures of their little sister (THEIR LITTLE SISTER!) to school.

I feel like I've been dreaming ever since yesterday afternoon! To say the Lord has poured out His blessings on our family would be an understatement.

I prayed for a daughter throughout all my pregnancies.

Five years ago when I became pregnant for the 4th time, we decided to find out the sex. "This has got to be a girl...be a girl...". It's a boy!

He was healthy and perfect. I was in love and thrilled! I let go of all my prayers for a daughter. Immediately, I jumped into raising these beautiful boys completely content.

That's where I believe this verse in the bible came into play...

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalms 37:4

He knew the desires of my heart all along. He just wanted my daughter to be given to me differently and at a time in my life when I could devote myself to her (I may not have been able to really soak in all the nail- paintings, hair-braidings, song-singing and dress-buying with all those little boys around).

He placed my daughter in my heart not my tummy. And I love her just the same.

He created my daughter a half a world away. And brought me to her.

"For this child I prayed and the Lord answered my prayer." 1 Samuel 1:27

I serve an awesome God. He is constantly doing immeasurably more than I can ever ask or imagine.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen."  Ephesians 3:20-21 

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!!!

A writer for The Dallas County Recorder interviewed our families at our Pancake Breakfast. She thought our stories would be a great addition for her column, we couldn't have agreed more!

Check it out here!!!


Also, we have an inventory of t-shirts to sell!

8- 2XLarge
5- XLarge
7- Large
6-Medium

Any of the above sizes you can purchase for just $10! We are trying to move these shirts, so they will be available at a discounted rate! If you are wanting a size ( adult small or  youth/toddler ) we can certainly still order them for you! They will be $15.

Luke 1: 37

Luke 1: 37 says, " For nothing is impossible with God." This verse has been what I cling to throughout this process. It is what got me started on this journey and what has kept me going throughout.

When we decided to take this HUGE leap of faith this past September, knowing we needed to come up with $28,000 to bring our little one home, we wholeheartedly trusted in God's promises for us. Boy, has He ever showed up.

We've ran the numbers and done some math (triple checking ourselves due to a lack of math skills) and we are in need of

$4,000

Yes. Praise God. Only $4,000 to go!!!

You see? "For nothing is impossible with God." 

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
Matthew 7:7

He is good.

Small Stack for a TALL Cause

Our Pancake Fundraiser ended up being WAY more successful than any of us had dreamed of. Each of our families added a whopping  $2,333.00 towards our adoptions! Wow. This blew my mind.

It was so nice to talk with everyone who came out. Some of you came and went before we had a chance to make it over to you, I am bummed to think you came all the way out and we didn't get a chance to tell you thank you. So, to all of you we didn't get over to, THANK YOU...it meant the world to us to have you there. Really...THE WORLD.

 We had a news reporter from The Grimes Today and The Dallas County News stop in for a quick interview, look for that this Thursday or the next Thursday. As I sat on the stool as she asked us questions, I couldn't help but to notice a backed up line for food, volunteers scrambling to find more forks, my dad and mom rushing to make more pancakes, an empty table that plates of cookies once filled and a ton of people who love and care for our families. It brought tears of joy to my eyes! We are so blessed by amazing community, family and friends that came out for these 2 little girls that we've never even met.

This whole thing would not have been so successful without the many AWESOME people who helped make it possible. You know who you are. Thank you. We are forever changed by the unbelievably generous hearts that were led to give towards this cause.

Now it him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power  that is at work within us, to him be the glory.." Ephesians 3:20-21

Mail from Homeland Security

We got our I-171H today!!!!!!! This means the US Department of Homeland Security has determined us fit to give proper care to an orphan. Good thing too, since we are already caring for FOUR children and nobody needed to do such background checks on us for them! ;) I find this funny, but respect all procedures of this journey to bring her home.

Wow. This happened WAY faster than we (or our agency) thought it would! Another small victory and another step towards our sweet little girl.


YES!!!!!! Praise God.

How sweet it is...

...To have such amazing people in our lives to make our next fundraiser possible!!!

First, I would like to thank Stacy and Erin (Lindsey's sisters) for putting this whole thing together! They are the sweethearts behind the idea. I never had a sister, so to be a part of your sisterly love is a huge blessing!

Next, to all the great people who stepped up with their talents and resources! The hearts of these people are EXPLODING with love and generosity!! Such a cool thing to witness!
We've had everything from eggs and pancakes to coffee and orange juice donated. We have a "staff" of helpers ,with true servant's hearts, ready to scoop eggs onto plates or clean up at quitting time. We've been given the most adorable cookies to help bring in funds at our bake sale table from an extremely talented gal. Check out her blog-she is so good!

http://fromsweetcorntopeaches.blogspot.com/

Now, we are hoping to feel the same love and support Saturday morning by getting to put faces with all the ones who have been praying for and supporting us all along the way! Please stop by for a quick delicious breakfast before you start your busy Saturday. It would mean the world to us!

 Thank you!!!


Prayer requests:

*Protect our sweet little one a world away from her family

*Guide and protect the amazing Ugandan people who are loving on her until we can

*Bring us our referral

*Let the funds begin to flow

*Help us to remember this is all in His timing and we need to surrender it all to Him

T-shirts Anyone???

We have t-shirts for sale! Only $15 each!! All proceeds go to bring our little girls home!

There are currently over 2 MILLION (!!!!) orphans in Uganda alone! Our family is adopting one of them and the Veach Family is adopting one, hence the "minus 2".

We love seeing our shirts being proudly worn by all our friends and family all over town! Such a great reminder of our supporters!!

Thank you to those who have already bought shirts, and to those who would like shirts, email me and I will get one out to you!! Our email is Kileys5@yahoo.com or come to our Pancake Breakfast March 2nd (see previous post) and pick one up!!

Short stack for a TALL cause

Lindsey, our friend who is also adopting a little girl from Uganda, has some pretty amazing sisters that are hosting a Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser for our families. All proceeds from (FREE WILL DONATION) breakfast will go towards bringing both little sweeties home.

The event is Saturday, March 2nd from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Grimes United Methodist Church 801 W 1st Street Grimes Iowa. It's a free will donation. There will be plenty of pancakes, eggs, sausages, orange juice and coffee. So, come hungry!!!

We would appreciate it if you'd stop by for a quick breakfast before your busy Saturday begins! We are excited to share our stories with the amazing group of people who have supported our families along this exciting journey!

Can't make it...

We've set up an account at Wells Fargo Bank. Please make checks payable to Brianne Kiley or Lindsey Veach, include Pancake Breakfast in the memo line. Please send checks to: Wells Fargo Bank 1414 Walnut Street, Dallas Center, IA 50063

Thank you all for all your love and support!!! We hope to see you there!!!

It's (finally) DONE!!!

Yes, our Home Study is complete!! Did I mention we were approved?! The process was a bit longer than we thought it would be, but this is usually the theme in most adoption processes. It's also a great reminder that God's timing is perfect, we are just along for the ride.
So, with a completed Home Study what does that mean for our timeline, you may be wondering? Well.... it means

We are soooooo close to getting our referral!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very soon we will have a picture, a story, a miracle to show off proudly to all of you. There aren't words for how we feel right now as we wait for the call ,very different from an ultrasound to find out the gender/health of the little life safe and sound in your tummy. This moment will be the ULTIMATE ULTRASOUND! We will see her beautiful face, fall in love and pray and trust that the same great God who watches over my little guys here in Dallas Center, Iowa will watch over our little lady in Uganda, Africa. Although we will be a half a world away for a while longer, we pray for the people that have been placed in her life to kiss boo boo's, wipe tears, sing songs and love her until we come. They are truly doing God's work.

Jeremiah 1:5 says,"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb..."

Yes, my daughter was formed in another woman's womb, but God knew that exact baby girl was going to be my daughter. He knew the plans He had for her. He knew the plans He had for me. Only the creator of the heavens and the earth could orchestrate that.

When we gave birth to our 4th son ,Cooper, I gave up the fact (or what I thought was the fact) that I was not suppose to have a daughter. I was overjoyed with my 4 perfect handsome guys so it made my coming to terms with that pretty easy.

Then God filled up my heart for adoption and told me He had a daughter for me. I feel like the luckiest mama in the whole world! Lots of daughters have their mama's pretty eyes or straight blonde hair, not us. But you know what? God picked her special for me, little old me in Dallas Center, Iowa.

Please continue to pray for our beautiful brown eyed girl!!!

Silent Auction Total

We have our official total...

Total amount raised at our Silent Auction Fundraiser was $1439.00!!!

Wow.

So, needless to say it was a HUGE success! A BIG "Thank You" to all who donated, all who helped with the set-up, and all who participated! We couldn't have asked for a nicer day. It was a lot of fun! Enjoy your goodies winners!!

An overflowing heart

I've received a couple of emails today that filled my heart, and I felt the need to blog about it.

I find it CRAZY that throughout this journey the Lord has meticulously placed certain people in our lives. Absolutely crazy. They come to us at just the right time, the times we are desperately praying for peace in our hearts that the money WILL show up, that our paperwork WILL come to an end, that He DOES have our little girl already chosen for us.

When we first decided (after a whole lot of praying!!) this was what God wanted us to do, we made an appointment to talk with an agency here in Des Moines. After that appointment I couldn't help but be discouraged in our decision to adopt. It would have been easy to walk away and choose not to adopt after talking with this agency...however, we are adopting because it was what God called us to do. He wrote it in our family's story long ago and we were NOT willing to "choose" what we had planned for our lives. So, we continued to pray. Pray. Pray. And more praying!

Then one day God put one of those people in our lives...She told us not to be discouraged and not to give up. You just haven't found the right agency yet. So, we began interviewing agencies all around the United States. It took some time, but was worth it in the end as we found a great agency full of great people to guide us along our adoption! Thank you Lord for Susan.

Today he put another one of those people in our lives...He listened last night as my husband told him all about our adventure, it was just the thing his small group at church was looking for! He was up praying for us early this morning....praying for us. Wow. His heart and ears were open to God and this morning he sent out a touching email to a TON of people asking them to help us bring this little girl home! It just so happened one of the people he sent it to knows us very well and forwarded it on to us. I was brought to tears by the raw thoughtfulness of this man. His heart is on fire for Jesus! It is awesome! Thank you Lord for Shawn.

We have had so many people blessing us already! Everything from donating baskets for our silent auction to "awesome endeavor!" in the memo line on a check to the one's who may not be able to give finacially but are our pray warriors.

God is alive today. I am certain of it! I have seen Him in so many people along the way!

Silent Auction Fundraiser

We have our first official fundraiser this Sunday. We will have a silent auction set up at house #3 on Beta Sigma Phi's Holiday Home Tour in Dallas Center. We've collected a bunch of great items donated by some AMAZING people and businesses in the area! Perfect for this gift giving season!! Please come out and support us!

You can still get discount tickets for $10 each at the Dallas Center Library or pick them up Sunday for $12 each. The tour and auction are  from 11:30-4:00. My mom and I do this every year, and it's always a fun time!

Here are a few of my favorites...

These are yummy Oreos disguised as adorable snowmen!!

This is a "just add ice cream" kit! My little guys would LOVE this one!!

And this is an ADORABLE advent calendar. A fun surprise for every day in December!

Meals From the Heartland

This Thanksgiving was full of delicious food and family, as always. However, Lately I can't help but have an empty spot in my heart for our little girl a half a world away. I long for the day when our family will be whole.

We had an opportunity to package meals for Meals From the Heartland this Thanksgiving. We didn't think twice...we were there! We felt this was a great opportunity to honor our daughter and the country she was born in, as the need for these meals there is huge. We've done this before but this time it was different...much different. It's hard to think there are people and children in this world struggling to survive because they have no food. I feel extremely thankful. God has given me so much! A warm and cozy home, food to fill our tummies, supportive friends and family, a great community, an amazing church, a devoted and hard-working husband, 4 amazing and healthy boys, and one sweet little girl. He is so good!!

Here we are in our lovely hairnets. 

We had to watch this guy because he liked "tasting" the rice. At one point we noticed a grain coming out of his nose...

Tucker and Jace were hard workers the entire time! 

Check, Check, and Check!

This has been a very good couple weeks! We have been busy checking more "to do's" off our lists!

Last Wednesday we completed our adoption physicals/paperwork for our home study and our dossier with our doctor. We also began our long list of immunizations for travel to Africa. This was a daunting task for one of us as HE is not a fan of needles. I won't say which of us it was! ;) Needless to say, we made it out alive and even enjoyed a good laugh over it! Not sure when would be a good time to mention that that was only round one...

We also applied for our passports Wednesday. As the lady pulled up her camera to take the picture I realized how much I had to smile about and let out a big cheesey grin. Should take about 4 to 6 weeks to get them in the mail. Amazing...we're going to Africa...to get our daughter.

Then, last night, we had our final home study visit. I was most nervous for this step in the process. We had a great case worker that made us feel super comfortable and it went great! Now we just wait for her to type it all up! She says a couple weeks! That was a huge step checked off the list!

Meanwhile, we are gathering all the documents needed for our dossier, which is the enormous stack of papers that we will send to the Ugandain government. Also, filing our I600A forms. When both of these are complete we will wait...wait for the call that will forever change our lives. 

Our Girls

As many of you already know, our good friends Lindsey and Nathan are adopting a little girl from Uganda as well! It has been great going through this journey with them. They are such an amazing family. Lindsey had these dolls made from Etsy. She gave me the one on the left! Aren't they sweet?! I love them, mostly because when I look at them it's like I'm looking at our girls. Follow Lindsey and Nathan's blog at Myloveinuganda.blogspot.com.


Our families are working together to raise money to bring our girls home with many different types of fundraisers. The first being a silent auction on December 2nd during the annual Dallas Center Holiday Home Tour (11:30-4:00).This is always a lot of fun! We can get you tickets if you'd like to come. They are $10 each.

Orphan Sunday

Today is Orphan Sunday. Did you know...

*Every 15 SECONDS another child becomes an AIDS orphan in Africa
*Every DAY 5,760 children become orphans
*Every YEAR 2,102,400 more children become orphans (in Africa alone)

This breaks my heart. These are real children, just like yours and mine.. Real little boys and girls without a mommy and a daddy. Without a place to call home. Without someone to tuck them in at night. Without hugs and kisses. Without someone to pick them up when they fall. Without a lot of things that we take for granted.

 I feel very fortunate that Nick and I were called to adopt one of His orphans. God loves these children the same as He loves us. They are just as valuable to Him as we are.

We can't wait to give our little girl a mommy and daddy, a place to call home and 4 brothers that (already) love her to pieces! We can't wait to tuck her in at night, hug and kiss her, pick her up when she falls, show her everyday how much we love her and most of all to teach her about the one who created her perfect in His image.

Please pray for the children around the world who have no mommys or daddys.

Moving forward

We have our first of two home study visits scheduled for Monday, November 5th!! Very excited to get to know our case worker. She seems like a fun and pretty down to earth kind of lady, which is good for us -you never know what's going to come out of the Kiley boys' mouths!!

We also made our appointments for our FBI fingerprinting (and hopefully apply for our passports) next week. These things may not seem like a big deal, but being able to check these off our ever growing lists of things to do and paperwork to fill out feels great!

So we are well on our way! We cannot wait to wrap our arms around our precious little girl and kiss her sweet little face. Until then, we'll stay busy checking things off our lists and filling out paperwork. This will all be MORE than worth it in the end!!

Love and Support

Nick and I are overwhelmed (in an awesome way) with the recent outpouring of love and support from so many of you!! The texts, the phone calls, the blog comments, the gifts and of course, the donations...they all mean so much! We are extremely blessed to have such a great group of family, friends and community. All the encouragement is just what we need to get through this crazy process.

My best friend gave me this ADORABLE bunny the other day. So cute! She will travel with us to Uganda when we go pick up our sweet baby girl. She's sure to love it! Thank you, Emilie. I love you and your family so much!