the matts:

My love,

I cannot believe it’s already been a month since I wrote you last… Time has flown by- it seems like you are growing faster and faster by the minute! At your check-up a couple weeks ago you were 32.5 inches tall and 24 pounds. I can’t believe how big you are getting- even your face looks like such a big girl, and your hair is so long!

Your little personality is getting even stronger, and right now your favorite word is “no.” You stick your lips out really far and say “no no no no” in that precious deep voice of yours. It makes us all melt You say lots of other stuff, too- you really love repeating everything we say, which is pretty hilarious most of the time. Talking is one of your favorite activities (you come by that naturally).

You are becoming a pickier eater, and don’t eat nearly as much as you used to, but there’s still not much you don’t like. However, if given the chance, I think you would eat bananas, strawberries and sweet potatoes for every meal. They are your favorites!

Your sleep schedule has been pretty crazy lately, but I blame it all those teeth of yours. It seems like overnight they are all pushing through. A month ago you only had two on bottom, and now they’re all coming in!! Plus, you’ve got a few coming in on top. My poor baby- that must hurt so bad! You still sleep a solid 12-13 hours a night, but your naps range from 1.5-3 hours.

You are still the smartest little thing I’ve ever seen. The other day you hid the remote for the living room TV inside one of your toys in the playroom. When I looked at you and asked you where it was, you marched in there, took me right to it and gave it to me. You still throw little mini-tantrums when you don’t get your way or we take things from you that you aren’t supposed to have, but overall you are SO well-behaved. Plus it’s hard not to laugh at you because you’re so darn cute!

Mommy started going to the gym four days a week and was nervous about leaving you in the nursery, but you LOVE it. The girls in there brag about how good you are every single day, and always tell me how you are the sweetest little thing they’ve ever seen. You love playing with your friends there, sliding down the slide like such a big girl, and you really love Ms. Sol (and she loves you, too).

I cannot believe how fast time is flying by… It feels like you just turned one, but that was over 3 months ago! I feel like I am going to blink and you will be in kindergarten. Thank you for the joy and the pride you bring to my heart. You are my best little buddy and the biggest blessing of my life. You are so loved by everyone you meet- that sweet spirit and sassy personality are so wonderful. I cannot express to you how much I love you, but I love you more than life.

Thank you, Jesus, for bringing me my angel, Presley.

Love you, baby.

Mommy

Some things have happened the last couple days that have left me feeling some unrest. My character has been attacked by people who need to examine their own hearts, but in the midst of the lies, I have found the pieces of truth and am working on becoming a better person through it all. And as usual, fear about raising money for the adoption, about being a good parent to three kids, about traveling overseas and leaving Presley here, about what people think about me for doing all of these things… In my moments of weakness, my fear rises and my faith decreases.

So today I have been trying to immerse myself in the Word- the only real TRUTH- and have been loving me some Romans. Check this out:

Romans 4:¹⁸ Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” ¹⁹ And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.²⁰ Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. ²¹ He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. ²² And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.

There was no reason for Abraham to keep hoping and believing- no logistical, reasonable, understandable, human-mind grasping reason. But he did, and that faith brought glory to God. And God counted him righteous.

Life application: No matter how crazy a promise from God might seem to others, keep on believing it for your life. Hold on tight to it, and never let you faith falter. In the end, God will keep His word, and you will be counted righteous (and you will have beautiful African babies to show for it)!

Romans 5: ³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Yes, we can be happy about unhappy circumstances. We can rejoice in hurt and pain and stumbling and trials. Why? Because it will prepare us for the future. That’s why you have to train for a marathon- you can’t wake up one day and run 26.2 miles. This is our life marathon training. It’s making me stronger in character, thereby strengthening my hope in the Lord- which will not disappoint.

Life application: Thank God for those people who have said mean and hurtful things about me. Pray that God would bless them abudantly. Thank Him for the trial & praise Him for everything He is. I welcome training of my muscles, so now I must welcome training of my heart and spirit. Strong woman of character, here I come.

There’s this amazing organization- Environmental Working Group- that seeks to make sure that our everyday products are safe to use… You might be shocked at some things they have found over the last several years. Since we are in the peak of summertime, I thought you might want some info on choosing the right sunscreen for your family. Here’s some info:

EWG’s investigation of 742 beach and sport sunscreens finds that 3 out of 5 contain chemicals that may pose health hazards or don’t adequately protect skin from the sun’s damaging rays. Some of the worst offenders are leading brands like Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena.

Most people trust that the claims on the bottle will ensure that the product truly protects their health and their families’. Nothing could be less certain. Until FDA strengthens and finalizes sunscreen safety standards first drafted 31 years ago, consumers can’t be confident that products on store shelves are safe and effective.

We found 58 sunscreens claiming SPFs from 55-100+ that might tempt you to stay out longer in the sun, but they block just 1 to 2% more sunburn rays than an SPF 30 sunscreen. These products violate FDA’s sunscreen safety standards.

Five percent of high SPF sunscreens (SPF of at least 30) protect only from sunburn (UVB radiation), and provide poor protection from UVA, the sun rays linked to skin damage and aging, immune system problems, and potentially skin cancer. FDA does not require that sunscreens guard against UVA radiation.

Click here to see how your family’s sunscreen is rated- and whether what you are slathering all over your body and your kids’ bodies is safe. Remember: our skin absorbs 80% of everything we put on it. Do you want toxins absorbed into your body? Just because the FDA allows something to stay on shelves does not make it safe. Hello… they allow cigarettes, alcohol, junk food to be sold in massive numbers daily. And since when do we trust the government with our bodies and our health?

Before you brush this off as hippie nonsense, remember last week when news broke nationwide about the danger of drinking bottled water? Guess who exposed that truth… EWA. Just inform yourself and make the decisions best for your family and your kiddos.

… Stepping down off the soap box…

Yes, Presley isn’t the super-chunk she once was. Those thunder thighs are thinning out and she’s actually very proportionate these days. We went for her 15 month well visit today, and she’s only gained about a pound and a half in three months- she’s 24 pounds even. That puts her in the 75th percentile, which is great! She’s also shot up an inch and a quarter, so now she’s 32.5 inches tall, putting her in the 95th percentile- almost off the charts! My little girl is so big…

Yesterday we went to the mall for Mommy & Me (it’s a 5 week little summer thing they put on), and Presley rode the carousel for the first time. I almost cried. To see her on the horse, going up and down, holding on to the rod in front of her, smiling and looking around with such excitement and anticipation about life- it was a very touching Mommy moment. I love that kid SO much.

She’s got somewhere in the range of 6 teeth pushing through right now, maybe more. It seems like they’re all coming in at once- which is nice to just get it over with, but it’s been majorly affecting her sleep, which isn’t fun for any of us. Keep the princess in your prayers- she’s obviously in a lot of pain and discomfort.

That’s your Presley update… Hope you enjoyed it

A few days ago I challenged you with a post about giving sacrificially out of your own pocket to give children around the world a chance at a real life. Now I have another perfect opportunity for you.

There’s a little boy named Matthew with terrible back problems and an umbilical hernia that has gotten out of control. Presley has one of these hernias, but it’s not even comparable in size.

Matthew has a wonderful host family in America that will care for him as he gets the life-saving medical treatment he needs. Of course, they can’t pay for his travel expenses and medical services alone. Will you help? If this was your little boy, wouldn’t you go to the ends of the earth to give him the life he deserves, the hope Jesus promises?

Click here for all the info!

What’s an apostille, you ask? I had no idea until about a week ago when I found out that every single document that we get notarized to send to Uganda has to be apostilled (authenticated) by the Secretary of State’s office. No biggie, right? WRONG. Our Ugandan attorney requires 6 copies of about 11-12 documents & the LA Sec. of State charges $10/document- so we are looking at between $700-800 just to authenticate that the notaries are legit! Seriously?! They think they’re being kind to us adoptive parents by not charging us the usual $20/document. Oh yeh, how giving.

Jay Dardenne’s office is getting a letter from the Matts really soon.

So our plan is to have a Texas notary do the paperwork… Texas has a $100 cap on apostilles- so even if we send them 80 documents, it will only cost $100 instead of $800. Pray that this plan works out so we can save $700 of unexpected expenses.

Also, our agency is changing attorneys, so the overall fees are going up about $2000-4000. We are still very well below what Ethiopia would have cost, but it’s always scary when that number rises. The attorney change is a very good thing- they are going to be using the most respected, admired adoption attorney in the country who serves on judicial panels and is a man of high esteem in the court system there. He is wonderful- and you get what you pay for- so we are totally ok with paying more, it just requires even more faith from us.

God can move a mountain, feed 5000 with a little bread and a couple fish, and raise people from the dead. I think He’s got this. Will you stand in faith with us that we will raise the rest of the necessary funds?

“It is poverty that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.” -Mother Theresa

How can you help? There are thousands of organizations around the world that help children live and flourish. Though America is undergoing somewhat of an economic crisis, kids in India, Africa, Cambodia, and all the impoverished nations of the world don’t know that. What they do know is that they may not live if no one helps.

Maybe you could sacrifice one night of eating out or fast food so that a hungry baby could eat? Maybe that new shirt or pair of jeans you’ve been wanting could help provide clean drinking water for a village of children today? Or perhaps you could donate to an adoption so that a child with no one to care for him could have a full, blessed life with a wonderful family?

Click here to read about an amazing Christian family who needs our help to finance their adoption. The Kovacs help thousands of American families every year bring their babies home, and now it’s our turn- as lovers of children worldwide- to return the favor.

What will you do to help a child live today?

Just thought I’d fill everyone in on some stats about Uganda- home of at least two of our kiddos…

What is the demographic profile of Uganda’s Population?

• 28.6 million people live in Uganda (2007 projection);
• 16 million children under 18years live in Uganda (2007 projection);
• 57% of Uganda’s population are children below the age of 18 years.
• More than 3 million children live below the poverty line;
• Approximately 105,000 children aged 0-14 years are HIV positive.

What is the current status on Orphans and other Vulnerable Children in Uganda?

• 2.3 million orphans in Uganda (2007);
• There are an estimated 890,000 orphans due to AIDS. This is equal to 45.6% of all orphans;
• One out of every 4 households in Uganda have at least one orphan;
• Orphans and other Vulnerable Children (OVC) are estimated to be 7.5 million, equivalent to 46% of all children (2007).