meek maow

Meek Maow translates to Mickey Mouse in Ruby language.

Update on the lady: She had an MRI last Monday of her c spine and brain. We went to the Riverton location and my eyes were opened. If I ever have a chance to have an appointment or procedure there, I'll do it. It was so quiet and calm. All the rooms are bigger and the cafeteria food is better :)  Minus the part where Ruby woke up after they gave her contrast and she had to have a few more doses of sedation, it went really well.  They also drew blood so that if/when insurance approves genetic testing, we'll be able to see if she's missing the P16 gene or not. Otherwise, everything looks good! So thankful to have her, and to have her be healthy. Ohhh she melts my heart.
That afternoon we went to see dermatologist Dr. Vanderhooft. She had seen Ruby once as a baby, but not since. She said we could come back another time for a biopsy, or do it right then. After being up early for the MRI that morning and spending so much time driving,  I did not want to make yet another appt. Little did I know how ugly it would be for Ruby. Although better to just get it over with. They used a needle to numb 2 spots on her neck and then punched out 2 holes and did a couple stitches. Ruby was very very scared and sad. On the bright side, she is the most amazing patient. I'm so glad I get to take care of her during this time as a toddler. An adult certainly wouldn't be so easily appeased by a dum dum sucker.

Today she got the stitches out and Wednesday is an appointment with a Dr.Grossman up at Huntsman. He specializes in melanoma and I think our meeting is more for information and interest sake at this point.

Instead of getting a loan for a second car, we decided a water heater was a more vital investment. Our water heater was 21 years old and I had grown to cross my fingers every day that it wouldn't explode! We got a softener and a tankless water heater. I'm surprised I didn't take a picture of it to post on here to show off where our funds are going! It took them 10 hours to get all the work done, and they have to come back to repair all the drywall holes that were made to connect everything.

In more exciting news, Jenn and her family were finally able to buy a house! They've only been renting since the beginning of January, but the market is insane in Palo Alto. Your chances of being outbid are very high, so I'm thankful they were able to snatch a house and will start settling more when they move next month.



I took Siri and Jane skiing last Friday with Grandma Carol, Aunt Sheri, Aunt Liz, and lots o cousins. Jane hasn't been all season, and it takes a lot of patience to teach your own kids. I was thankful Siri could hold her own and didn't need me. It was fun to be up there with so many of us! It is scary bare up there, pray for rain or snow or any kind of wetness.

 For Pi day we got to go to an awesome Pie Party at some friends we got to know when we lived in Draper. I loved living there and am so thankful for those friendships. Oh, and the pie was awesome.

Never did I realize you could make an egg salad with tons of vegetables in it. d.lish.

hey cool girl

birthday fun!

My sweet mama took me to dinner on my birthday

about me

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Today I get to celebrate my life and I'm counting an overflow of blessings. I LOVE the phase of life my family is at. The girls, oh, the girls. So stinkin cute!  I love it!

Because this is the one day a year to be more centered on myself, here is more about me :)


I have no idea who most actor/actresses are, I rarely go see movies.

I can't stand booger goobers. My kids have to have clean nostrils.

I am afraid of the dentist.

It bugs me to feel crumbs under my feet. I wear socks a lot at our house :)
I love texture in my food. The more variety in a dish, the better. Salad bar? My fav. Chocolate chip cookies? I could pass up, but choc chip cookies with nuts and oats? yes.
Bed time and nap time are not to be toyed with. I mean business. It's best for everyone to try to go to nap/bed at the same time each day.
I feel like I need to wear sunglasses whenever I'm outside, even if its cloudy.
I'm often productive late and night, but prefer it when I can get myself out of bed for an early morning run or bike.
When I get back from the grocery store, a day at the pool, or a vacation, I like to unpack and get everything put away as soon as I get home.
I like vinegary things. Think mustard, saurkraut, pepperoncinis, balsamic. I love all kinds of popcorn and granola. I love fresh fruit and vegetables.
I love to read.
I love to watch documentaries.
I am self conscious of my smile. I think I killed the nerve to my front tooth when I fell skiing in college. It has progressively yellow since the nerve is dead. It will be thousands to fix someday, but until then I'm trying to be thankful that its still healthy.
I am constantly trying to be more patient with my kids. I love them dearly and I don't always act like it.
I love maps.
I sleep with a fan on.
I have kept a journal since I was 12.
I got glasses in kindergarten, contacts in 7th grade, and lasik eye surgery after I had Siri
The only time I've ever had to go to the hospital for myself is for birthing children.
I blush really, really, really easily.
I love being outside-going on walks, running, skiing, whatever. It makes me happy.

teeooo seeks

note: I have put in links to some of the names of things to help you, me, us, understand what is going on. Feel free to click on them.

UPDATE: Her pet scan came back clear, wahooooo!

Ask Ruby how old she is. She may say "teeoo" or she might say "seeks". And that's about all the numbers she knows, 2 and 6. She did turn 2 on March 1st though and we love birthdays around here. We did a few birthday things earlier in the week including dinner with friends and going to the dollar movie to see Big Hero 6. I was feeling less than awesome on her birthday so I was very grateful for Grandma Sandy. We went to their house for dinner and she had decorated with balloons, gifts, and cake. 

thanks Aunt Liz for getting her to pose!

I love vegetables. Kale chips and buffalo roasted cauliflower

And for my early birthday present...a trip to see Jenn! I was slightly nervous to travel alone, but turns out that it can be totally awesome. Lots of reading and just time to be by myself.

Ferry Building

view from Lands End

The clubhouse by the pool at Jenn's apt complex. Those flowers!

Sunny but chilly at the beach

This is happy

While I was with Jenn in California, Mark took Ruby to a dr appt.

I love Kate! She's so cool.

We watched a movie, played games, went to tide pools, swam, 

painted nails, and ate amazing cookies Jenn made

Jenn's stake women's conference. A.MAZING. I felt refreshed and inspired after going. It was motivating to be in a room with so many accomplished women. 

tiny pot of clam chowder. 

followed by THE BEST shrimp tacos I have EVER had at Calafia

As soon as I got home, Jane wanted to start a 'visit Kate and Max' fund

Sandy was washing her windows, Ruby wanted window kisses

And now back to Ruby. She seems to be the highlight of every post, although deservedly so since we spent lots of time on doctor visits, insurance, etc.  While I was in California I got a call from Dr.Holly Perlman (Oncology). She said they're still not sure what the diagnosis of the mass is: Atypical Melanocytic Proliferation vs Melanoma. They have gotten some feedback from other hospitals across the country but are waiting on a couple more. And we do not know of any cases in a patient as young as Ruby, so there is nothing to compare it to.

The big red flag so far is obviously how fast the mass grew, and that the genetic testing on the mass shows that it is missing both copies of CDKN2A, a tumor suppressing protein. We are not sure yet if that is just in the mass, or if every cell in her body is missing that link (sorry family, if it is germline then we all may be doing some genetic testing in the future).

Since Holly is the Oncologist, she doesn't read slides or have expertise in genetics, so it takes a lot communication, translation, and asking questions to put all the information together. On the phone she said they want to do a PET scan, an MRI (just in case this is leaning toward melanoma) and meet with us on Tuesday March 10th to explain everything.  I was comforted and grateful to be at Jenn's when I was. I needed a shoulder to cry on real quick and she was there. I looked up from wiping my eyes to see her next to me, Kate and Max playing in the ocean, and water shining on the waves. "Life is good" I thought to myself. Life IS good!  After the phone call with Holly I was able to talk with Jenn's husband, Dave, who works as a geneticist and pediatrician at Stanford. He knows many of the doctors we're working with and was able to help me understand what's going on. Thank you Dave!

As I talked through things with Holly and her fellow yesterday, it helped to write it as we went. 

It looks clear as mud, but I promise it all makes sense to me! She did email me later with all this in a nice and neat outline. The surprise was that the scan was already schedule for today, which we found out yesterday. At least that meant less waiting right?

So today Ruby and I spent the morning at Primary's. Thank you Mark and neighbors for helping with Siri and Jane!

Sadly the first IV didn't work so they had to prick her other foot. A PET Scan is longer than a CT, which I wasn't expecting, but it all went well. We hope to get results back tomorrow. I suppose when you have a child with medical needs, it is a rite of passage when you lose track of how many procedures/scans/surgeries your child has had. I felt like today is the day I lost track or quit counting.

healing well. In addition to the MRI scheduled for Monday morning, we have an appt with a dermatologist in the afternoon who is considering biopsying some of the melanin spots on her neck

looking for the kittens at the neighbors.

I love these three musketeers.

I want to make the kale potato salad. 

I got a few vegetable recipes from Jenn's stake womens conference I want to try. 

Sorry, not sorry, that I talk about food a lot. You're crafty with crafts, I like to be crafty with foods.