Rocking Davis Ranch

This has been a weird summer in the Sacramento area! Usually we literally fry during the summer. This summer, however, has been very mild. While most of the nation is literally cooking chocolate chip cookies on their dashboards, we have been blessed with very warm (but not unbearable days) and perfect evenings where you can sit outside and enjoy your self. In fact, it has been so awesome, that we have even been able to bike ride without just falling short of IV re hydration!! I love California...right now!

Super blurry...my moms old school camera phone. Don't you love the girls helmets :)

Yesterday my mom, the girls and I ventured out to a little area known as Sloughhouse. With most people in our area, you say Sloughhouse, and they say...best.corn-on-the-cob.ever!! And yes, it is the best corn-on-the-cob ever!! Not only does it taste a little bit like Heaven, but you can get 27 ears for $7 bucks!!!

The barn where all the goodness is kept!

Strawberry picking area!

They bring the oodles of corn in on these tractors and bag them up for ya at the barn!

This awesomeness, along with all the best fruits and veggies is located at this ranch called Davis Ranch. I love to go there for their amazing fruits and veggies, but every September they have a fun event for kiddo's called the Gord Festival. And, if you are one that purchases real Christmas Trees, this is the place to go!!! And...you can pick your own Strawberry's!! Shockingly though yesterday, with no fun kids stuff, Elizabeth had a ball and Meghan was super quiet, along for the ride, in her stroller!!

Some of our goodies we brought back. Those there folks are green tomatoes...I'm gonna have me some fried green tomatoes!!

So...go to Davis Ranch!! Get yer veggies and fruits...and don't forget the corn!!

Getting My TOUGH On

Call me crazy...but I'm going to kick some muddy bootay (my own probably)!!!

If you look up the website and all the crazy obstacles, the one I am most nervous about are the 12ft walls. Why, you ask?? Because I am a whopping 5'2"!! I will be asking for a boost on this one!!

Has anybody else done this or something similar??

I Suck...

At blogging. I sit and read everyone else's blogs, venture off to new ones and fail at mine. Yes I'm busy, but so is everyone else!! Time for me to get back on track!!

Well, since summer is over, here is a rundown of what the happenings have been.

Elizabeth - finished 1st grade :) and will be going on to second grade starting next week. She is so not ready to go. But I sweetly tell her too bad, it's a part of life so she better start liking it or it is going to be a long 11 years. For the first time ever, she went to church camp. It was only two nights but she had a blast!! She has been swimming like a fish, ballet/jazz and gymnastics. There is no way she can ever say that she was bored this summer. And, amazingly, I followed through with taking her and her friend to the library every week so we can keep up on our reading! I'm a nerd, I know all the librarians by name now!!

Miss Knight! Amazing teacher. This was the card that we made to give her. She retired last year!

Meghan - is a little over half-way in her hyperbaric therapy. She is doing fantastic. She listens and follows directions better. She is associating objects with words more often and trying to say different things. Her attention span is so much better. But, that girl just won't sleep. She is up anywhere from 2 to 5 times a night. Potty training is also sucking bad. I just hope that someday these two issues will be a thing of the past and we can move forward more refreshed and without having to change diapers.

Meghan having a blast in the backyard pool!!

Matt and I - have been working like crazy. We all went down to Pismo in June for my nieces high school graduation. We took a week and just relaxed. Matt and I ran away for a couple of days to Santa Barbara and had some alone time. I was looking forward to undisturbed sleep, but, Matt got a cold and snored in my ear both nights. When we were in Pismo, I took Elizabeth to my elementary school, Shell Beach, and played with her on the play ground. Talk about sentimental. She swung on the same swings I played on when I was her age. I'm getting misty eyed even thinking about it again :) I was showing a friend of mine pictures of my elementary school and he said that he would have purposefully failed just to stay at that school. I guess us Bears were lucky!

 My niece...Anna (sorry, little blurry)

 I used to swing on that same bar.

 The view from my elementary school playground!

 Matt and I rented this little 3 wheel motorcycle/car/thingy. We totally got laughed at.

Santa Barbara State St. If you have never been...GO. Three words girls, Paseo Nuevo Mall!!

We got our back yard done this summer. It no longer looks like we are ready to go mud bogging! We actually have grass, a garden, and room for the kids to play.

See the grass!!!!!!!!

Good think that middle finger is pointed in!

We have taken the boat out a few times this summer. This is the first year that we really have gotten to take Meghan out without any issues. Last year when we took her out, she would have seizures, we would have to give her Diastat, then she would pass out for a few hours. Meghan loves the boat, but mostly she likes to drive it!! The last time we went out, Matt flipped Elizabeth out of the tube. I have never ever seen anyone cartwheel across water before. I was so afraid that she would be scared, but she popped up laughing!! Thank goodness. Next year, I want to get her up on a wakeboard or at least ski's!

That's our friend Jenny's back. Awesome little place to float, play and drink it up!

Don't worry Matt...she's not going to break it or like forget to put the plug in (ahem)

Elizabeth finally has a loose tooth! I mean for crying out loud she is going to be 7 in October. She was the only one in her 1st grade class that did not lose a tooth. However, the longer it takes for her permanent teeth to come in, the healthier they will be.

Alright, that is a snapshot of what has been going on. I can't wait to get these kids off to school! Meghan will be going to preschool again. She went a few weeks at the end of last year and loved it. AND, what is so cool is that she gets picked up and dropped off by bus. Yes, it is a little yellow bus, but she rock is!!

Much love to you all
Kerri <3

This Is Your Story Meghan...Happy Birthday Sweet Girl

Dear Meghan

You, my baby girl, are three years old. AMAZING! It is so funny to say, and I am sure for you to hear, or read about in the future, but it just seems like yesterday when you were a little baby. Oh Meghan, you were such a good little baby. Well maybe you were just a normal baby and since we had been through it before, it just seemed easier. I'm joking. From the minute you laid on my chest for the very first time I was so in love with you. I was so relaxed much more with you than I was with your sister. I knew what to do, I knew your different cries from the very beginning, I knew how to feed you, I knew how to parent a little bundle of joy so I thoroughly got to take all of you in without any worry.



When I found out you were going to be a part of our family, I cried. I doubted myself, I doubted the love that I had inside of me. I didn't think it could be possible to love your sister AND you so much. But love is amazing and when the realization that we were having you set in, there was no question at all that I could give you all the love you need.

I think your sister knew you were going to be a girl from the very instance we told her. When we told her that there was a baby in mommy's tummy she lit up, pointed to my tummy and said "my baby sister is in there!" She told everyone that she was going to have a baby sister. We tried to correct her so many times that we didn't know if you would be a sister or brother, but she was insistent. I begged daddy to let us find out if you were going to be a boy or a girl. But it didn't work. He wanted to wait for you to be born. Your doctor even said I could come back in, so they could look at you again "just to make sure you were measuring good". I almost did Meghan, but I waited. And I'm so glad I did. I can't explain the feelings, the emotions, and the excitement when a mommy has a baby, not knowing if she will have a boy or a girl. It is so magical!

Some of my favorite times Meghan was laying there, hands on belly, feeling you roll and roll. I would talk to you, sing to you and tell you stories of what you and Elizabeth would soon be doing. I would hold you in my tummy and tell you how much we loved you and what a wonderful life you are going to have. You completed our family sweet Meghan!

You, my dear, were very anxious to come into this world. Three weeks early, and a mere 56 minutes of labor, I saw your beautiful face for the first time. I prayed so hard that you would be a girl. I wanted so bad to have another girl, and when your amazing doctor put you on my chest and said you were in fact my little girl, I cried. I held you and cried such wonderful tears of happiness. Daddy cried too! Between you and me, I think he was scared to have a little boy. Because after all, he was surrounded by nothing but girls.



Minutes after you were born, a certain big sister of yours barreled into the room wanting to see "her baby sister". Meghan, as a mom, wonderful memories and moments will always be in our thoughts. But there are a few that, years and years later, can still bring up an emotion so raw it will immediately bring you to tears. That moment for me came when Elizabeth crawled up on the bed next to me and held you close. I looked at my girls, my family, we were all together, a complete family that I have never been so proud of. That memory of that very minute will forever be in my heart and I will always shed a tear of joy thinking of it.



Meghan, you were an amazing easy baby! Maybe it was because I HAD to share some of my motherly duties with Elizabeth. I had to remind her many times that I was the mom and there were certain things that only I, your mommy, could do. From the very beginning you were smothered in nothing but love from me, daddy, Elizabeth (of course), nanny, mum-mum, grandpa, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends... pretty much everyone who laid eyes on you! Everything was perfect Meghan. The perfect "perfect" I had always dreamed of.



Then, October 8, 2008 came, and our "perfect" changed. On this day, I felt immobilizing fear for the very first time. A fear, unfortunately has been repeated quite a few times, that dropped me to my knee's begging God to let me change places with you, begging, pleading with him to keep you safe and to bring any harm on to me. Your first seizure happened on this day Meghan. This day was the beginning of a whole new world for us sweet girl.



I didn't understand Meghan why this was happening to you. I was mad. My little girl was hurting and there was not one thing I could do take it away. You were a baby, you were so innocent yet you were suffering. I am your mom, and I am suppose to protect you and I couldn't this time. But I saw something in you sweetheart. After every time you were brought down by this monster, you fought back hard. In three short years, you have endured more EEG's, MRI's, blood tests, steroid injections than I can count. So many hospital stays, ambulance rides, intubation, and even a brain biopsy. Meghan, you have experienced more in your life thus far than some do in a complete 80 years.



I've watched you, held you, never left your bedside, prayed endless hours of prayer. I have experienced hundreds of scary hours with you. Yet, it falls so short of what YOU have gone through and continue to go through. But what amazes me Meghan, you LOVE life. You are so full of life.

From sun up to sun down, you are nothing but a ball of swirling energy going from one thing to another. Mostly it is things that you should not get into and know better! What you love most of all if for one of us to sit on the floor with you and play. You chase after Elizabeth with the hope and expectation that she will in turn play with you. And many times, when chooses not to be your playmate, you get even by pulling her hair.



You LOVE being chased! You come up to us, hit us on the leg, then once you get our attention you start walking backwards until you hear those magic words "I'm going to get you", then it is an all out sprint for you. We can run around the house for hours and you will just squeal in delight.



Meghan, you are relentless and determined. When you want something, you won't stop until you get it. As frustrated as it can be sometimes, I am so proud of that quality you carry in you. You HAVE to be determined, you HAVE to be stubborn, you HAVE to stand up and fight in so many aspects of your life Meghan, and laying down and letting life run you over is not an option sweet girl. You pick me up so many times with that determination and resistance to just sit back and let things happen. You are nothing but a pillar of strength and for that, I could not be more proud.

I'm your mom and I'm suppose to teach you about life Meghan. Don't get me wrong, I have taught you many things...but the most important of all lessons was taught by you to me.  You taught me what is truly important in life. What I used to hold close to me as being important falls so so short of what truly is important. You alone opened my eyes sweet girl, and I will never ever lose sight of this much more meaningful outlook.

You will never walk this journey alone. We will have our ups and we will have our downs, but we are in it together. When you hurt, I hurt. When you cry, I cry. When you laugh, I laugh. You and me dear Meghan, for always and forever. With your sense of determination and strive, there is absolutely nothing in this world that can hold you back. So, we will hold each others hands and face the fears together. And I couldn't ask for a more precious daughter to walk this journey with. You ARE my heart Meghan and will always be.



I love you more than you could ever know Meghan. You make me so proud. Thank you for your hugs and kisses and most importantly, your love and patience. So on this third birthday of yours Meghan, I wish you the happiest day ever!! We celebrate you!

I LOVE YOU Meghan!!!

Love always,
Mom

Wind, Rain, Hail, and Tornado's??

What is up with Mother Nature? Did she forget that this is California?? Is it not enough that we have earthquakes, but now Miss Momma Nature feels the need to throw in some tornado's on top of it all.

Ok, ok, hands down, I will take a Cali tornado any day over those ginormous ones that frequent the Midwest. Actually, I'm sure if anyone from the Midwest sees our little twister today, they will laugh their a$$ off because we are all making such a big deal out of it. AND...if our little twister even remotely resembled one of them Midwest ones, I sure would not be standing at the window taking pictures of it!

The wind was super crazy throughout the early morning (I just knew a tree was going to fall on my house...one didn't though), followed by some serious downpours, which was followed by some patches of blue sky and peeking sunshine, only to be darkened up by some serious quarter size hail (yes, this too is big for Cali), followed by our little twister, and finally, a clear starry night. So I just wanted to share our little mix bag of weather up here in NorCal. Why you ask, because I'm the biggest weather nerd EVER!!!

I was standing under a doorway so they look kinda little, but really they were quarter size.

Inside our office looking out. If it was bigger, I wouldn't have been there.

There goes the storm, moving right along.

Have a great weekend all. Stay warm, dry and safe :)