Training the Brain

"There's an expression in neuroscience: Neurons that fire together wire together. This means that new patterns of thought can actually change the physiology of our brains. So while we can't ignore bad news, we can train our brains to become more alert to good information. When you notice a positive detail in yourself or someone else, or in your environment, try savoring it for at least ten seconds. Most of these observations will be as simple as 'the sun is shining' or 'this coffee tastes good,' but do this a handful of times each day and you'll feel an emotional shift."                                                                                -Rich Hanson, PhD

I love this! I read it in last month's O magazine and I am trying to implement it in my day to day life. The brain is an amazing thing!

New Lens

I got a new lens for my anniversary and so now I can actually fit Remy's long legs and giant feet into the picture!

My Sunshine!

A cold front moved in today and I am missing the nice weather but enjoying a lazy day with my own little Sunshine. Here are a couple of pics from the first really beautiful days of the season. (I edited them using the new Pure Photoshop actions. Google it, they are awesome!)

Remy at 22 Months

Remy is 22 months old! It's amazing but when I look at how big he has gotten I definitely see a nearly-two year old.  He is a pro at the ipad and going down slides, he loves playing in the sink and wearing his shoes around the house, and he insists on watching Wall-e at least once a day. He loves when Mommo and Poppo come to visit and going out on our weekly lunch dates with them. Sometimes he is quiet and thoughtful, but other times he is a bouncing, giggling force of nature.  He still loves binkies and snuggling, but he is definitely getting to be a big boy.

Weather

It's always exciting when we get some weather around here. Early this week we had a windstorm, which became a dust storm, followed by a cold snap. Could this be the last snow on the Sheep Range Mountains this season? We'll see!

Jasmine cont.

Thanks to a bad windstorm yesterday the jasmine got to spend the night in our room. Being a night blooming flower it bloomed and released a whole candle store's worth of fragrance. What a fun plant!

Don't Worry, Be Happy....Or Else!

I'm prone to worry. I used to think I wasn't that bad a worrier because I come from a family of worriers and it just seemed normal. Then I married a man who doesn't want to even think about what he is going to pack until 6 hours before a flight and hates nothing more than paying for insurance because, seriously, what could possibly go wrong? He smiles easily, falls asleep quickly, and plays with the abandon of an 7 year old. And most shocking of all, the world doesn't collapse around his ears! Here I have been all this time thinking the only way to get from point a to point b was to worry over every possible scenario and plan out every step.

Anyway, now here I am at 33 and the doctor is telling me I probably have ulcers. And they can hurt like a SOB! Tests ruled out bacteria as the cause and one of the other causes is stress. D'oh, I forgot to worry about ulcers! So I'm taking some pills, avoiding acidic food, have had a grand total of three cups of coffee in two weeks and I am starting to feel better. All my other annual tests came back normal so I am not going to worry too much about it being something else. I go in to see the Gastro doctor in a couple of weeks. So the moral of this story is be more like my husband and you will have a happier tummy!

Pink Jasmine

I picked up some Red Yucca and Pink Jasmine at Home Depot on Sunday night. So far the Red Yucca is not much to look at but the Jasmine is gorgeous and smells heavenly. I hope I can keep it alive through the blazing Las Vegas summer!

Remy's Room

Before (picture from last year):

And today...(sorry about the photo quality, had to use my point-n-shoot to get a wide angle.

My favorite part is my reading chair! I've got a spot for a cup of tea on one side and all of Remy's books in those blue baskets on the other side.  Oh, and a beautiful view of a flowering plum tree out the window!

As you can see it is not one of those matchy-matchy rooms. We still have the animal theme from his baby days and have added more construction themed stuff and brighter colors. I will have to keep my eyes out for new sheets.

Remy's desk. Even with the bad hardware it came with I consider it a great buy - Remy uses it a ton!

Butterflies

I took these at the Eldorado ghost town on February 22nd. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and 70s, and the little butterflies were happily flitting from flower to flower outside the old general store.

What's Up

• My sister Stephanie and our friend Crystal were here for a week and it was wonderful. Having two of my favorite girls to sit around drinking coffee with first thing every morning...I can't imagine a better way to start the day! I wish they could move in with me! 
• Alas, their last day here I was thoroughly womped by the flu and I am still feeling the effects a week later. The flu sucks and my ambivalence toward the flu vaccine is GONE. Next year I will be all over that sh*t.  
• Remy is doing amazingly well.  He hasn't added any new words (his word count remains at 1) but he is doing so much better at paying attention, making eye contact, and expressing his emotions. He is so sweet and happy, I don't know how I got so lucky!
• Remy was assigned a new DS/SC and we have been told that she is wonderful. She will be coming out to the house to meet us on Thursday and I am so excited to get things moving again after such a long lull.  We have also signed up to have an outside service provide the Instructional Aide who will be working with Remy four days a week. Otherwise we would have to continue to wait for that service due to a long waiting list.  Also this month Remy is supposed to start the process to diagnose what is going on with him.
• This week Tim Tebow will be speaking at church. Not being a fan of football or of massive crushes of human beings I will be skipping church once again. Ross is going though, so he can fill me in on the excitement. 
• My big project this weekend is to convert the nursery/guest room into a little boys room.  Just a little boys room. He is big enough now (and has acquired enough STUFF) that he deserves to have his own room.  I will try to post pictures.   
• Beautiful weather forecast has gardening on my mind. Mom and I are going to try to make it out to Star Nursery soon to get some plants for our balconies! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Catching Up

Steph and Crystal were here for a week and I followed that up with a doozy of a flu so I am in catch-up mode around here! Here are some pictures from last week: