Horse Back Riding and City Kids

Friday we had the opportunity to visit Kensington Stables in Brooklyn. We went with a few other homeschool families that are a part of Sophia's book club. 

The kids were so excited the entire hour it took us to drive out there. And I was excited for them. And, for the $5 that it cost us to do it, it was totally worth it! 

However, what none of us expected was a stable right smack dab in the middle of the city! 

There were commercial and residential buildings all around the stable (on all sides) and a major highway just a block away. It was quite humorous to all of us! 

In fact, my favorite picture of the day is this one! 

It's not every day that you get to go horse back riding and get followed by a UPS truck.

The highlight of our trip was definitely the actual horse and pony rides.

Waiting patiently for their turn was by far the hardest part!

But once they were riding, they were happy.

Lucas got to pet the pony but I thought he was a bit little to actually ride! 

While I thought it a fantastic opportunity for them to experience stable life, after seeing the inside of the stable and seeing how the horses were fed and groomed, Nicholas informed me that the field trip was horrible! And that was basically all he could talk about the rest of the day.

When asked why he thought it was so horrible, he would state, "the horses smelled, there was poop everywhere and everything was dirty."

So much for farm life!

And...proof positive all of my babes were born in NYC! 

This post sponsored by:

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Its my 2 year Blogoversary!

Next month, I will celebrate 2 years in the blogging world! I've certainly come a long way and learned a ton since that first post! :)

I would love to have a celebration and a thank you to all you wonderful readers!  If you'd like to join me in celebrating, I would love that! You could contribute to a giveaway, write a guest post, or really anything you'd like to celebrate...
If you are interested in joining me, shoot me an email and let me know and we'll get it set up!  And...thanks for stopping by and reading my blog!  I so appreciate all of you!! xoxo
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My Sweet Girl

We've entered a stage with Sophia where she's struggling between desperately wanting to be grown up and yet still very much also wanting to be a little girl. It's a hard place to be and I foresee many years of this as we enter pre-puberty and puberty. Thankfully for now, she seems to still mostly enjoy being a carefree girl. But she's also starting to show such responsibilities and growth that it just squeezes my heart as I see her grow and change before my eyes. 

I've been that mama that still makes her hold my hand when we cross the street, but recently, as long as we're not crossing a busy street, she's allowed to just walk right next to me. She's also allowed to walk ahead of us instead of holding on to the stroller like her brother. As soon as we get out of the apartment, she  asks for "freedom" and when I say yes, she beams. They are little changes, but they have made her feel like such a big girl. We've had a challenging time parenting her recently so when she makes those big girl choices and behaves like a young lady, my heart sings.

She has also been such a great helper with Mateo as I've mentioned several times. I'm so thankful for the times when she steps up and takes on a little mama role for me and watches over him. She soars knowing she has my blessing and trust.

And yesterday, when I wasn't feeling well, having woken up with a borderline migraine, she was so sweet, desperately wanting to help cheer me up.

She brought me a delicious treat of granola, yogurt and her special addition, strawberries on top! She was tickled pink and I was so blessed that she'd thought of me and wanted so greatly to please me and bless with me that snack.

This girl...my firstborn...she challenges me daily. I see so much of me in her that it scares me sometimes...but how she blesses and loves! 

And, when she was walking confidently next to me on Saturday night as we walked home from church and then tripped on an uneven part of the sidewalk and didn't cry, but quietly slipped her hand in mine for that gentle reassurance that I was still there, to hold her hand when she needs me to, I was reminded of how fleeting these precious moments are and how much I desperately want to teach her and how much I want to love on her and show her how amazing she is...

She blesses my heart, this Sophia Girl. I love her so....

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Allergy Testing, One Year Later...

Almost exactly one year ago, we took Lucas, who had severe eczema, to the allergist, to see if his eczema was food related.  Looking back, it's hard to believe his face, arms and legs ever looked like this, but this was his reality for a year!

As you can see from this post what we found out was quite shocking!  While the peanuts was the most severe, he had other allergies too, so we eliminated everything from my diet as I was still breastfeeding him and made sure he never had them either. About 1 month later, his skin cleared up completely! It was amazing and beautiful and so exciting to finally have answers!  He's done well this past year. We've found favorite foods that are go-tos for us and then discovered new ones when those got old. Unfortunately, around the time he turned 2, he started noticing the difference between the food he was eating and the food his brother and sister were eating and quickly decided that their food looked much better.  Because the doctor had said that the smaller offenders he would probably outgrow and we could try again in a year, I decided to test the waters. We started with eggs. It's so much easier to make a birthday cake with eggs, so I decided to try for his birthday. He seemed fine. I wasn't going to give him straight up eggs for breakfast, but cooked in things seems to not bother him at all. From there we moved on to wheat. He tried bread (the good stuff, not the gluten free stuff) and immediately fell in love. I've never seen someone enjoy bread so much! He seemed to do ok with that as well. We don't eat soy but some things we eat do have soy in the ingredients...another post on the dangers of processed soy seems in order...and he also seemed fine with that introduction. He was loving all the new foods he could eat and I'll admit it was much easier. I didn't have to work so hard and he could just eat what everyone else was eating...so nice!  The last thing I introduced were dairy products. I started off with cheese and yogurt and at first things seemed fine. Occasionally he would break out in hives still but there was nothing I could pinpoint as the culprit. So, when his eczema started to flair up a bit again around his ears, crease of his arm and behind his legs, I knew it was probably time to have him retested again (as the doc had suggested anyway). So yesterday we headed out to get checked.

He was so excited to go on an "adventure" with just Mami and Mateo. And, I'll confess, it was fun for me too! 

The doctor decided to not test him (skin test) again for peanuts as that would just increase his exposure. He tested mostly for eggs and dairy as those were the two highest on his list (after peanuts) last year.

He pricked him with 3 types of milk: diluted milk, milk powder and casein (the milk protein). Then right next to that, he pricked him with fresh milk.

I had a sneaky suspicion that dairy was the reason that his eczema was back, but never expected the welt from the fresh milk prick to be just as big as the welt he got last year with the peanuts! I was shocked! 

And while he had been somewhat tolerating yogurt and cheese because they are more processed, the doctor was surprised he'd done so well with him considering how badly he reacted to the milk.

They went ahead and drew his blood for an allergy blood test and my little guy was so brave and so strong. He never even flinched with all the pricks and needles! I was so proud. 

He actually was actually super excited...to have a new friend on his arm...Elmo

We should know results of the blood work in a week or so, but clearly we need to stay very far away from milk...

Really didn't expect that....but thankful we found out and can be careful.

Does anyone in your life struggle with food allergies?

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Lucas Antonio's Rite of Passage

A few weeks ago I posted a picture on instagram (you should follow me!)of an overturned pack n play 

When I opened the door (heard the door knob and someone trying to get out) Lucas walked out, not at all phased by what he'd just done and just proceeded to go about his business as if nothing unusual had happened.

I wondered if we were nearing the end of our "containment" period.

It didn't happen again, so I thought maybe we could postpone freedom a bit longer, but when he appeared in the living room Saturday morning without anyone helping him out and then again after his nap and on Sunday morning, we gave in and agreed it was time to give him a big boy bed.

It's always with mixed feelings that I give in to this rite of passage. The new freedom, the explaining the boundaries and keeping them in their bed has always been a challenge. I so prefer just popping them in their crib, singing them some songs and then closing the door, knowing I will be the one to get them out when they wake up...

...But it's also exciting to see them growing up and getting excited about new life experiences, even if I do tear up thinking of another baby growing up...

So yesterday, we headed to IKEA to get the bunk bed we'd had our eye on for the boys for quite some time. So glad we decided to go because they are discontinuing it. It's such a great bed, so I'm glad we took the plunge! :) (we turned it upside down so we can put a mattress on the floor)

He was so cute helping papi! I've never seen him get so excited about anything! 

While we waited for our hard working Papi to finish putting the bed together, Lucas decided it would be a great idea to take some candids...

Once the room was ready, he was so excited that he had his own big-boy bed! 

 And after I sang some songs, prayed with him and encouraged him to stay in his bed, he fell sound asleep. And stayed asleep all night! :) 

.

And...because we got them a bunk bed, there was another very happy camper last night with his top bunk!

He felt like such a big kid (as Sophia and he had bunk beds and he was on the bottom bunk)

soooo happy! 

Congratulations Lucas! Welcome to being a big kid! 

have you entered the giveaway for Sprout Organic Food Toddler Pouches?

This post sponsored by:

Sprout Organic Baby & Toddler Food Review & Giveaway!

When I learned that Sprout was offering Fruit & Veggie Crispy Chews and Fruity Yogurt Bites, I couldn't wait to have Lucas (our 2 year old) try them out!  All of Sprout's products are made with organic fruits, veggies, whole grains and proteins to meet our little ones' growing needs! 

As you all know, healthy living and living holistically are a very important part of our lives and while I do like to do as much as I can to provide homemade snacks for my kids, having things I can provide while on-the-go is so helpful too!

I'm pleased to report that Lucas is gobbling these snacks up very happily! Like most 2 year olds, he's become somewhat of a picky eater, but these he has no problem chowing down on! :) 

And while this picture isn't the greatest, as he's being photo bombed by his big brother's hands and arms, this is my happy guy enjoying his snacks! 

These days he makes it so hard to take a picture when I actually need a good one! :) 

I love that the snacks have both veggies and fruits combined. I tasted them too and I think Lucas and I both like that they taste so yummy! They are chewy and crispy and the texture is pretty great for picky eaters! 

And the BPA-free packaging is a huge relief as well! 

And the best party? I get to share this product with one lucky reader!! 

One reader will receive A Sprout Organic Foods Sampler Pack all FOUR flavors of their new Toddler snacks (Fruit & Veggie Crispy Chews & Fruity Yogurt Bites)...that's actually 8 samples total! Yay! 

Just enter the rafflecopter below for your chance to win! And please make sure you're a follower of my blog so this is fair to all my readers! 

Happy Entering!! 

#spon: I'm required to disclose a relationship between our site and Sprout Foods. This could include the Sprout Foods providing us w/ content, product, access or other forms of payment. Check out the new Sprout Foods website at www.sproutorganicfoods.com.

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