The Sweater Dilemma

Okay so perhaps I should retract my previous statement. I absolutely agree, that for many people, sweaters are successful at creating the appearance of shaving off a few lbs.
However, at the same time, I must say, all sweaters are not created equal.
Personally, I absolutely hate the itchy kind & the ones that choke you around the neck. Perhaps even more annoying are the ones that are so bulky & thick. They say,
"hi I am your hips, butt and tummy...I bet you never thought I could look so large!"
There are however those perfect sweaters, they must feel like a great big hug wrapped all the way around you, like a warm embrace. Perhaps they even whisper in your ears," Your day isn't quite as bad as you think... hang in there."
To be honest, I've never actually owned one of those types of sweaters. I have seen many people wearing them. And whenever I see one of "those people" I am in a state of ah. I think, wow, that person actually looks both attractive & comfortable (in a sweater).
Inside, I have been totally jealous thinking... I hope someday I will own a sweater like that.
And yet, every time I try one on, I am reminded why I hate sweaters.
For those of you who love sweaters, and wear them well...please share your secrets because some day I want to be one of "those people."

"Falling" in love again

Every year, I forget how much I love Autumn in the Zone. So, we don't have the vibrate colored leaves everywhere & we lack the crisp cool temperatures. However, aren't sweaters really over rated anyway? We don't need them... not here anyway.
There is nothing like an October Day at the park!
Today I took Ty & a couple of his cousins to the park! They had a ball! The funny thing was, when we 1st arrived, one of the kids yelled across the playground, "Sister Smith, can He, (reffering to my nephew Westin ), play with your toys too?"
I could noticed another couple that did not look like your typical Mormons.
Instantly, we all chuckled at the loosely used LDS jargon.
It seemed the perfect ice breaker, so I approached them & humorously introduced myself as "Sister Foote". Luckily, they were used to the "sister & bother" lingo & we could moved on to other great, conversation.
Ironically, while we where just three random groups of people, and yet, in the short visit, we discover that we all had 4 things in common.
1 We were all just soaking up the beautiful day.
2 We all blogged
3. The Kiddos' names:
Their grandson's name was Sage Christian. I had brought my niece Sage with me &
Sister Smith's son's name was Christian.
4-We were all closely related to a child affected by Autism.
Another thing that amazed me about the park experience was, how seamlessly all of the children played. No adult intervention was even needed. They all just played with the other kids without even exchanging names.
Wes played in the sand with the other boys while & Ty chased Sage each other all over the playground. Even Ty's speach delays & sensory issues were absolutely irrelevant at the park.
What a blessing! A Cool Fall Day & a Trip to the Park.

Is anyone suprised ?

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!
Thanks Taryn for finding this fun & quick quiz

My Medical Mysery

On Sunday night, after spending most of the day at the hospital w/ Dave & Jake, my throat felt a little scratchy.
Overnight, it escalated to a really bad sore throat/fever. I was so wiped out that my sweetheart Matty let me sleep all day and all night.
You'd think after practically 24 hour of rest I'd be all better... but no...I was feeling even worse. When I woke on Tuesday morning, the throat was still tormenting me & now the glans in my neck were ridiculously swollen. I looked like I'd gained at least pound in my neck overnight. It was time for the Dr. The diagnosis: Step Throat.
Okay, so I know this isn't really a medical mystery.
However, I thought the was some kind of age limit for this. The last time I was affected by strep was in my teens. Not even my OCD hand washing skills protected me this time.

Here's a info from Mayo Clinic Online regarding strep. If you can, AVOID getting strep!!! It is NO FUN!!!

Definition

Strep throat is a bacterial throat infection that can make your throat feel sore and scratchy. Most sore throats are caused by viruses and usually go away on their own. Only a small portion of sore throats are the result of strep throat.

It's important to identify strep throat for a number of reasons. If untreated, strep throat can sometimes cause complications such as kidney inflammation and rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever can lead to painful and inflamed joints, a rash and even damage to heart valves.

Strep throat is most common between the ages of 5 and 15, but it affects people of all ages. If you or your child has signs or symptoms of strep throat, see your doctor for prompt treatment.

Causes

The cause of strep throat is bacteria known as Streptococcus pyogenes, or group A streptococcus.

Streptococcal bacteria are highly contagious. They can spread through airborne droplets when someone with the infection coughs or sneezes. You can also pick up the bacteria from a doorknob or other surface and transfer them to your nose or mouth. Kitchen utensils and bathroom objects are other common modes of infection transmission.

Alex's Resturant

As you may know, Alex prefers taking care of his own needs when at all possible. Part of this is due to his difficulty communicating however, I'd also like to believe that some of this comes from his deep seeded desire to be self reliant.
Alex is 4 years old, and in many ways, he is absolutely brilliant. When we went camping last month, we saw a deer. After we got home, he was suddenly was requesting to watch the movie "Bambi" all of the time. We were quite surprised by this, because in the past, he hated that movie.
One of Alex's Hab providers, figured he just wanted to learn more about what deers are all about.
Last Sunday, Alex saw that we were busy & decided to prepare his own waffles. I was SO PROUD! He didn't spill much syrup and he even created a reasonable sized puddle on the center of each waffle. They were still semi-frozen however, he didn't seem to be bothered by that such a small detail. I was so impressed by his skills that I didn't even think to check the freezer...OOPS!

Nikki & Seth

We are are all so excited to meet Seth! These photos were taken last month at Ty's B-day party. Doesn't she look beautiful? I am so jealous because when I'm that prego, all I'm doing is looking for the nearest toilet!
Seth's due date is quickly approaching,(October 31st Halloween). For those of you who may not have heard (or need a reminder), Nikki's shower is:
This Saturday, October 18th from 2:00pm-4pm. If you would like more details, feel free to contact me, or Stephanie(Nikki's sister).

Sexy Smart/True Loves

Here is a tribute to Matty... He really is the best. Why? Because he puts up with me and is usually very patient & long suffering. He is also very organized. He actually has a place for EVERYTHING!!! He is also superior at creating an effective plan of action. Gotta love that green personality with a pinch engineering!
Another of his great qualities is, he is so not vein. And finally...with Matthew, there is, "No charge for awesomeness or attractiveness" (Kung Fu Panda)
I recently took this photo to display my 2 True Loves. In case you couldn't guess, My second love is Dt. Coke.

How original is your name?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 47 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

I thought this was kind of fun. I found this on a few of my favorite people's blogs!

"Depression Hurts"

For those of you who know me well, this will come as no surprise. For others, it may be surprising. To both sets of people, if this is more reality then you want to read, stop reading.

I guess I'm finally talking about this because it is a HUGE struggle in my life. And frankly, I'm tired of pretending that everything is great & wonderful ALL OF THE TIME.

In the past I have pretended because it was the only thing that made me feel better. Making people smile and doing service helped me make it through the day.

A perfect example of this is, last week. My son Alex accidentally defrosted my freezer. So what did I do? I made a bunch of food & shared it with anyone willing to take the food off my hands. Why did I do this? To cope with the fact that I had no choice but to use or throw away most of the food that I had stored for my 3 month supply. I didn't even allow myself to feel sad because I have so much practice at "making lemonade" out of life's challenges.

For me, in the long run, being fake and pretending everything is great and wonderful all of the time only makes me feel worse not better. All people feel sad sometimes and pretending that we don't, is a waste of energy. We can't go around whining all of the time but we do need to vent every now and then.

Unfortunately, as a result of me tendency, to pretend, I often overstep my role. I often hurt peoples feelings in the process of just trying to be nice.
Some of you may think we all do that. Of course we do, it's only natural. However, some of you know that I do this more then most people. And, if I have done this to you, I am so sorry!

With my depression, sometimes I appear to be on top of the world. I behave like everyone is wonderful and nothing is ever bad or wrong. This tendency makes me look fake, and honestly until recently I didn't even realized that I was pretending.

It's still hard for me to admit that everything isn't perfect. I know that by learning this new the skill I will be more honest with myself and be an overall healthier person.

I wrote this post mostly for me. It feels good to accept the reality and put it in writing.

Happy Birthday Ty

Saturday, September 27th, we celebrated Tyson's second birthday. Our theme was, "The Bee Movie". Chosen because, for the previous 2 weeks, Tyson carried around "Barry Bee" (a toy from a McDonald's Happy Meal) & his face lit up every time that movie was selected.

Honestly, as Momma Foote said, I'm not sure Ty actually knew it was his birthday. However, we sure did, and we celebrated it in the best way we knew how... you guesses it... PETER PIPER!
The original plan was to do the party at our house and cover the walls of our family room with butcher paper and let the kiddos color on the walls (since that's Ty's favorite activity). Unfortunately, after 3 weeks of sick boys (including Matty) I decided that I didn't have the energy to antibacterial my house or risk sharing our sicky bugs.
When it was time to blow out the candle, Ty was fascinated by the flame and practically burned his own fingers as he attempted to extinguish the fire in the only way he knew how. Fortunately, Alex was more then willing to assist in blowing out the candle. Matty was kind enough to take these pictures. The guests that attended included, Momma & Papa Shumway, Mark & Tara, Uncle Jake, Momma & Papa Foote, Wendy & Brian, lil Brian, Griffin, & Lincoln. Uncle Ben, Westin & Sage, Adam & Nikki w/ Seth & Karsyn, Aunt Molly, Scarlett, our adopted Aunt Kathy and her daughters, Jessica & Allison ( Who are Ty & Alex's Favorite sitters and close friends) Thank you all for coming and helping make this day a special memory for our family!