Kelly and Carren N.

We have been matched!

June 1, 2026 We are overjoyed to share a very special update in our adoption journey: we have been officially matched with a sibling group of three children in Brazil. The Brazilian government has identified and approved our match.

After months of paperwork, approvals, waiting, and praying, we have reached a major milestone. These three children have already been through so much, and our hearts are full knowing we are one step closer to becoming their forever family and keeping them together as siblings.

There are still important steps ahead before we can bring them home, including additional legal processing, travel arrangements, and an extended stay in Brazil. We will be required to remain in Brazil for at least 50 days as we bond with the children, attend court hearings, appointments, complete adoption-related steps, and prepare to return home together as a family of five.

Because of this, our remaining expenses are becoming very real and very immediate. Donations will help with airfare, lodging in Brazil, in-country transportation, meals, translation needs, legal and adoption-related costs, and the many preparations needed to welcome three children home.

We are so grateful for every person who has encouraged us, prayed for us, shared our story, or donated. Every gift, no matter the size, helps bring us closer to the day we can finally bring our children home.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. We cannot wait for the day we can share that we are all home together.

Adoption Process Update – Brazil Side

January 8, 2026

Our dossier has now been fully translated, apostilled, and sent to our Brazilian representative, who is submitting it to CEJA/MG, the state adoption authority in Minas Gerais. CEJA/MG will review our file, confirm that we meet all legal and procedural requirements, and, once approved, officially recognize us as eligible adoptive parents in Brazil. Once our dossier is submitted, this review and approval step typically takes a couple of months, depending on the court’s workload and whether any additional information is requested. Once we receive this Brazilian approval, we will finally move into the “eligible and waiting” stage to be matched with a sibling group of three.

UPDATE!!: 12/16/2025

Our dossier was fully apostilled yesterday, and all of our documents have now been sent to our Brazilian representative, who is submitting them to the proper authorities in Brazil. Once our dossier is received and registered in Brazil, it typically takes a few months for it to be reviewed and approved. After that, we’ll officially be in the pool of eligible families waiting to be matched with a sibling group of three. While exact timelines can vary by region and court workload, we are hopeful that in the coming months we’ll reach the stage where Brazil has approved us and we’re simply waiting for the right match for our future children.

Our adoption just reached a huge milestone! 12-04-2025

Our I-800A has been approved by the U.S. government, confirming we’re eligible to adopt from Brazil. We are now officially approved to adopt children ages 0–11 and are one step closer to bringing our kids home.

We are deeply grateful to be in the final steps of preparing our home and hearts to welcome three beautiful new lives into our family. As part of this journey, we have launched a crowdfunding campaign to help us cross the finish line. It may surprise you to know that international adoption costs can easily reach $50,000 or more. For our family, this includes agency fees, legal expenses, translation and dossier work, and the required travel and extended stay in Brazil.

To help ease the financial burden that can be overwhelming for adoptive parents, we have set a fundraising goal of $25,000. As of 12/05/2025, we have already paid $19,090 in adoption fees out of pocket, and we still have $25,345 remaining in adoption fees alone. This amount does not include airfare, in-country transportation, or the cost of a required 45-day stay in Brazil, where we will live in an Airbnb and focus solely on bonding with our children before bringing them home.

Your support—whether through giving, sharing, or simply keeping our family in your thoughts—helps bridge the gap between where we are today and the moment we are finally united with our children in a safe, loving, and permanent home.

We have BIG news!

We are beyond excited and are doing everything we can to prepare to welcome beautiful new lives into our home.

For the past seven years, our home has been filled with laughter, love, and lessons from hosting exchange students from around the world. While we’ve cherished every moment of this journey, it has also deepened our desire for a permanent family—one that extends beyond temporary stays and embraces lifelong bonds. After years of contemplation, fertility treatments, and heartfelt discussions, we decided to grow our family through adoption.

Adoption has always been close to our hearts, but our journey took a definitive turn when we learned about three incredible siblings in Brazil who need a forever home. These children—who have already faced more hardship in their young lives than anyone should—deserve to stay together in a loving, stable home. When we saw their profiles, we knew deep in our hearts that we were meant to be their parents.

Our goal is to adopt and provide them with the best possible foundation for a bright future. We want to offer them security, unconditional love, a strong education, and opportunities to thrive. We want to teach them the joys of childhood—bike rides, bedtime stories, family movie nights, and the unwavering support of two parents who will always stand by them.

Adopting internationally is an incredibly complex and expensive process. We are looking at a significant financial commitment between agency fees, legal costs, travel expenses, home studies, and post-adoption requirements. We have been saving and working tirelessly to make this dream a reality, but we need help to cross the finish line.

This is where our community—our friends, family, and kind-hearted supporters—comes in. No matter the size, every donation brings us one step closer to bringing these children home. Your support will help us cover the necessary expenses to make this adoption possible and ensure these three siblings get the home and love they deserve.

We hope that by inviting you into this process, you will see yourself as part of the community we hope to build around our children as they grow up. We are beyond grateful if you feel moved to support our journey, whether through donations, sharing our story, or simply keeping us in your thoughts. We can’t wait for the day when we can introduce our children to the world and show them just how many people are rooting for their happiness.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of our story. Together, we can turn this dream into a reality and give three exceptional children the home they’ve been waiting for.