thack smack: real

Hi. Mark's at a meeting, Siri's at school, Jane is at a dear sweet neighbor's, and Ruby is snoozing...that means I got to eat lunch by myself and am going to try to get in a blog post!

Ruby and I just got back from the U where, after many phone calls and clearing up lack of communication, they did an ultrasound of the lymph nodes in her neck. We see so many different doctors at Primarys, the U, and starting next week, Huntsman, that I forgive them for not being clear on why we were there. Thankfully the girls were in good hands while we were gone.

Let's back up.

After the last few dr visits we were told that yes, her wound is healing great! She got her brace off. Boy was she mad at first, she wanted it back on silly girl. Her movement and function has been totally fine though and everyone in our family has felt more relaxed. With Dr.Perlman in oncology at Primary's we just talked about Ruby and also enrolled in a pediatric genetic cancer study. No, we have no proof she has cancer, but could she in the future? Yes.
Dr Grimmer's nurse called me on Monday of this week wanting to see us Tuesday. Uh, that never happens. What would be so urgent? Mark and I were worried. We talked with Dr.Grimmer and Dr.Perlman... genetic testing was done on DNA from the mass that was removed and the structure of the genes did look similar to melanoma. Thus, the order for the ultrasound we did today. The radiologist didn't say anything at the appointment so I'm assuming she's ok and that they'll call me with a summary of what they saw. All of these things are precautions. They are also sending Ruby's case to UCSF, St. Judes, and perhaps a few other places. The more eyes on her rare tumor the better! ...and Dr.Grimmer's office just called, her lymph nodes look normal, nothing to be concerned about. yay!

I'm not sick of the hospital or doctor visits yet, I'm grateful they are keep a close eye on her. All the waiting in the waiting rooms? We're starting to get better at what to expect. I would normally not let Ruby play with things in the ultrasound room, but you bet she stayed entertained pushing all the buttons that control the position of the bed that was in there. I brought lots of snacks and a new app on my phone. She only shed a few tears which were bribed away with an offer of gum. Also, grateful for free valet parking.

Next on the list, Jane got her new glasses! Its hard to tell if she just likes the new accessory or if she's really excited to see that well. Some of both. Her prescription isn't that bad, but I can tell she's needed them. She also started swim lessons and rocked her first one. They are survival type lessons, but she was a little fish...well, a fish that can't swim, but a happy fish.

Siri's imagination just keeps on blooming. I thought it may fade as she got older, but she could spend hours in her room playing make believe. Yesterday she had 5 toy high heels that were different people with names doing I can't remember what, but I love hearing the things she makes up. We've signed her, and Jane up for soccer this spring. Siri is also going to give baseball (coach pitch) a try. Mark is proud!

We are still managing a one car household. Its sometimes a bummer to not be able to do everything we could if we had 2 cars. But generally it's good to not do all those things. More time at home to play with the girls, and for them to go play with the kids in the neighborhood. Mark and I are improving at communicating what we're doing during the day and when we need the car. Things have been slow with his photography, as they always are this time of year, but will start picking up soon. His passion for all things marketing is growing and I love that he can pursue that as he wants. His boss won't fire him ;)

I've been doing small group training sessions with Liz and some other women at the gym. Intense! I love it. I just watched "The World According to Monsanto" last night. Its an older documentary, but very eye opening to what Monsanto and the United States government has done (or not done) to stealthily, and dishonestly, approve genetically modified foods and their past use of terrible chemicals. It scared me. I got it from the library, you could too. I'm sure there is a flip side to show the good things they've done, which I'll try to find out as well.
I went to an amazing conference last Saturday just for women at our Stake center. It was about our 'lists' of things to do, emphasizing the essentials like personal prayer and going to the temple. I'm grateful for the Gospel, the teachings of Jesus Christ and the direction it gives me to follow in my life. It provides amazing balance. I love our neighbors and the people in our ward, so going to church is even more uplifting when you're around people who are trying to live life as you are. I was telling my sis in law that sometimes its just hard with littles, but you have to keep trying. We were in St.George and I was having a hard time keeping patience with the girls. We ended up leaving sacrament meeting and going to walk around the temple. The Gospel is thankfully about more than church meetings, Relief Society activities, and primary lessons. There are so many avenues to learn, most importantly our own lives. I value having the Gospel (scriptures, the temple, words of Prophets, personal revelation) as my handbook for life!