Separated at Birth

Hey, has anyone else noticed how much McCain's running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Tina Fey (from 30 Rock and SNL) look alike? They could be sisters from another mister.

Gotta keep things fair to my friends on the left... Check this out...

Obama's running mate Senator Joe Biden

and...

Price is Right icon Bob Barker

I'm just sayin'!

Last Chance to Enter my Blog-licious Blog Giveaway!

Hi, Friends-

Don't miss your chance to enter my first Blog Giveaway. If you haven't entered already, click on the Blog Giveaway icon on the sidebar to the right. It will lead you to the magic post!

It has been so much fun to read the awesome comments. You guys rock! I want to pick each one of you; but alas, I only have one CUTE Guatemalan dolly dress to give away. A winner will be chosen at random by the lovely and talented Miss Isabella Grace. My plan is to take each person's name and put it on a separate strip of paper (one entry per person). I'll put all the names in a bowl, and hand it to Isabella. We'll see what name she pulls out. I'm gonna have Kirk video tape it, and I'll announce the winner. Look for the upcoming "winner's post" at the beginning of September! Now get clickin'!!!

Thankful Thursday- Picture Edition

Here's what I'm thankful for this week (in pictures):

Sweet Siblings

Precious Cousins (Sara and Isabella)

Cousin Hunter with Josh

What are YOU thankful for this week?

Voted Most Likely to Waste Time

Ok, it's Monday night and I'm voting myself "Most Likely to Waste Time". I'm passing you a note in homeroom to make sure you'll check out this website after school. Yearbook Yourself will give you a glimpse of what you may have looked like in high school from 1950 to 2000. I'll let you see my pictures if you promise to sign my yearbook...

Stacy, 1952

Aww! I look so fresh in my poodle skirt and pearls.

Stacy, 1960

I swear I look like my mother here!

Stacy, 1966

This is my NASA doo. I actually formed my hair OVER my helmet- much sexier!

Stacy, 1978

Welcome to my hizzle! Fo shizzle!

Stacy, 1984

I heart Bon Jovi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stacy, 1994

Workin' the dry-as-hay spiral perm. I walk around in a hazy fog of Aqua Net hairspray. My friends affectionately call me Big Hair.

Well, the bell is about to ring. Class over! Now go and get those glamour shots you always wanted! Be sure to post your photos so we can all enjoy your total babeness!

Going for Gold!

Edited to add: My boys made me proud by earning the silver medal yesterday. Well done!
Overall... nice job, China. Now get cracking on that smog!
YAHOO! The US Men's water polo team has made it all the way to the finals! Our country hasn't won the gold medal for men's water polo since 1904. Our team will be playing for GOLD this Sunday. If you haven't already, check out (Head Coach) Terry's blog for the play by play. Clickety HERE.

GO USA!!!

Woah! That's Weird!

A blogging friend told me that a link to my blog was featured in an online article HERE.

Thankful Thursday

Things I'm thankful for this week:

1. Diet Coke + chocolate chip cookies = breakfast of champions

2. Old and new blogging friends

3. Today Luke starts 6th grade at a new school with all new friends- and he's totally OK with it.

4. Good friends who make me laugh hard

5. God totally provides for all our needs, and more.

What are YOU thankful for? Come on, snag the flower graphic above if you want and post a couple of things that you're thankul about this week. Play along, add your name to "Mr. Linky" and paste your blog post URL.

Now... for the MR. LINKY Thankful Thursday LINKING DIRECTIONS!! Go to your blog and click on the title of your Thankful Thursday post - your post URL will appear in the address bar in your browser and it will contain the exact link to your post! Simply highlight the address, right click, choose copy and then paste it in the "URL" spot in the Mister Linky - just under where you put your name (you can put your name and the name of your child/ren in the picture). Don't forget to click the "Enter" button and voila... you are linked (Thanks, Sarah, for the directions)!

Stacy's Blog-licious Blog Giveaway

I think it's time for a Blog-licious Blog Giveaway!!!

Do you likey free stuff?? I likey free stuff! Here's your chance to win the cutest little authentic Guatemalan doll outfit. It fits the American Girl, Josefina, doll perfectly, or any 16 to 18 inch dolly. I have one of these doll outfits tucked away for Isabella some day, so I thought maybe you'd like one for your little girlie, too!

Here's a short description of the doll outfit you could win (and see 2 pictures below):

18" Doll Outfit --- The "Huipil" or blouse was made for a small Mayan baby in Guatemala. The neck opening and armholes are hand-embroidered with rows of small design geometric and floral elements in a variety of colors. The Huipil is worn with a colorful skirt made of treadle-loomed cloth. These are handmade, so actual doll outfit may vary slightly.

Okeedokie, here's how to enter...

Leave a comment at the end of this post. If you don't have a blogger account, don't worry! You can leave a comment as "anonymous", but make sure to leave your name and email address. If you give this blog giveaway a shout out on your own blog, that will count as two entries (not required for my love, though!). This Blog-licious Blog Giveaway will end at midnight (PST) on August 31, 2008. If you're just a lurker, come on out- leave a comment- and join the fun! I'll post the winner at the beginning of September... Can't wait to see who it will be!!!!!

(Wanna see more cute, traditional Guatemalan fun stuff? Clickety HERE. They strive to support sustainable development, fair trade, local artisans, and their communities. I LOVE THAT!!!)

New TV Game Show on NBC

Edited to add: We had an awesome time at the taping. Bella was GOLD for three hours in the backpack on Kirk's back! No photography was allowed- bummer, but it was so cool to experience. I won't give anything away, but the Dunleas won a LOT of moolah! What lucky-ducks!! I think they owe the neighborhood a big par-TAY!

While we were celebrating Josh's birthday (see post below), a TV crew from ABC was setting up for filming (You can see Josh's water slide in the background) in our neighborhood. Our neighbors, the Dunlea family, are going to be participants in a brand new game show called Opportunity Knocks... Clickety HERE. Kirk took a few pictures to show you a "behind the scenes" look. Tonight is the filming, so we are going to be audience members. We hear that they are going to bus in 150 additional people to be in the audience. It's going to be CRAZAZY out in the neighborhood tonight. Can't wait! I'll post more pictures tomorrow from the filming.

Our neighborhood looks like this right now!

Try haulin' your groceries through THAT!

behind the set

The Dunlea's house

Joshua's 8th Birthday

If you know me, you know I love to plan parties! Josh's birthday dream this year was to have a giant water slide to share with his friends, and voilà... Jolly Bouncers to the rescue! The kids slipped and slid for three hours! We also had a marshmallow fight set to Star Wars music blaring in the background. I think it was boy heaven!

Josh, as I tell you every night... You are my angel from heaven. I love you soooo much!!! Happy 8th birthday!!!

Instead of a cake this year, he wanted a giant Mrs. Field's chocolate chip cookie. Yum!

Luke trying out the water slide

The brothers race up the ladder before the guests arrive!

Luke, Josh, Isabella and Kirk helped decorate the clubhouse for the party.

Group picture...

Luke, Ryder, Woody, Grant, Ryan, Josh, Preston and Sebastian

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today, Kirk and I took a red eye flight to Guatemala, brushed our teeth at the airport (Yuck!) and went straight to Isabella's orphanage, Hogar Nuevo Amanecer. We got to meet our daughter for the first time. She was a whopping 5 lbs. 1 oz. and was 6 weeks old. What a tiny peanut she was! She looks much bigger in the videos because she was dressed in not one, not two, not three, but FOUR thick layers- plus a blanket!

When I think back to how I was feeling at the moment we met Isabella, I was SOOO happy, but SOOO scared! We knew nothing about her beforehand~ other than seeing two blurry photographs and hearing that she had been recently dropped off at the orphanage by her birth mom because she couldn't care for her anymore. Bella had been at the orphanage two weeks at that point and weighed one ounce more than her birth weight, yet she was 6 weeks old. See why I was scared? My poor baby had a rough start, but she's a fighter! God told Kirk and me that she needed us, and we went on pure FAITH that she was our daughter. Once again, I'm so glad we listened.

I wasn't going to post these videos because they are so personal to me... but then I thought, "What the heck. Why not? Maybe it will encourage someone else to take their own step of faith and trust God in uncertain times." Just go ahead... trust Him.

It's Gettin' Hot in Here!

Posting pictures of super hot guys in Speedos isn't a regular feature on my blog (Crime, I know!), but I'll make an exception today! This is the U.S. Water Polo team yesterday at the Beijing competition pool. Their head coach is Dr. Terry Schroeder, and is a great friend of ours. I've been having fun reading his blog and checking out his daily updates from Beijing. It was interesting to read what it was like at the opening ceremonies from the "ground floor". To check Terry's blog clicky HERE.

GO USA!!!

Favorite Foto Friday

Sarah, at Kiss the Frog For Me, chose the theme "Having a Ball" as the Favorite Foto Friday (FFF) this week. I didn't have the right picture to share until I found this little beauty...





O.K., we'd be HAVING A BALL if I could find out where this playground is, and how do I get my kids IN?!!

To see more FFF's clickety HERE.

For ME?

For me? Really!? I won an award? My luck certainly seems to be a changin. The lovely and talented Kim over at The Tremendous Adventures of Xochitl Clara gave me this suuweet award. It is my first blog award. I knew this whole blogging thing would pay off.

I am pretty sure that ET, E!, People and OK! will be standing outside my front door clamouring for some photos and an interview. (Which is pretty much why I have been holed up in my house - I need to wait for a good hair day.) I wish I had known that I was nominated so that I could have prepared a speech. This award did come with some rules attached:

1. Put the logo on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3. You must nominate 7 fellow bloggers for this award.

4. Add links to the recipients.

5. Leave a comment so the recipients know they have received an award.

There was also a questionnaire to fill out, but I'm being naughty and not doing it. Oooh, what a rebel! (I'm too lazy to read them anyways). I just thought I'd choose 7 "Brillante" bloggers and spread the love!

Seven bloggers? Really? I want to give it to everyone - narrowing it down is so hard! But there are fo sho some blogs that tickle my fancy and haven't been nominated yet. They make me smile. They fit the bill of BRILLANTE! (In alphabetical order...)

1. Bella
2. Faith
3. Gabi
4. Jayden
5. Lucia
6. Malaena-Sloan
7. Stella

Things I'm thankful for this week...

1. Payed the bills on time... OK, 2 days late.

2. One kid at church camp, one at grandma's- only one to take to a pool party... heaven.

3. The friend Luke took to camp prayed with him and accepted Jesus into his heart.

4. Before Kirk went out of town he went to the grocery store for me, and I didn't even ask.

5. When I'm holding Bella and someone wants to hold her, she shakes her head "no, no" to everyone except me. That's my girl!

6. The Olympics

**Feel free to snag this graphic if you've got something you're thankful for this week!

Isabella got this outfit for her birthday, and we finally got around to trying it on today. It's the cutest thing with those ruffly pants. I'm so happy to see her standing in this picture. Orphanage life really took it's toll on her, and she's still recovering. She basically sat in a bouncy seat for nine months. As a result, her core strength isn't 100% yet. I had her evaluated, and the therapist said she has a 23% deficit in her strength. Bummer that she did not qualify for services. A baby must be 33% or more behind in strength to receive physical therapy through our state program. The therapist who evaluated her was so helpful and told me another route to go to see if Bella will qualify. Everyone involved says she'll catch up, and I fully believe that. However, if there is anything I can do to help her catch up more quickly, I'll do it in a heartbeat. Her speech tested out in the 18 month range, so I breathed a sigh of relief on that one! I've been reading and reading and reading to her every day in hopes that she would acquire English quickly, and I see that it is paying off. Kirk tells me I can now recite Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle in my sleep! UGH!!!

Here's a cute little picture from last night...
(Bella was lying on our bed and cracking up at her daddy.)

I found a cute site today, for those of us who love baby girl clothes: http://ellamarieboutique.blogspot.com/. The blog owner gave me the OK to post this. 20% of every purchase goes to help others. Just click on the size you want to get started. Check them out and show some of your blogger love!

*This Christian family is adopting beautiful Ella from Guatemala. Ella is modeling some of the cute clothes today: http://encounteringella.blogspot.com/