Sammy is fully talking in complete sentences and she has started to go on the potty-both pee and poop. Max is doing amazing in school and looks like such a big boy.

Florida is treating us well. It has taken me a while to just get adjusted to life down here and plus my business is really taken a lot of my other free time. I love what I am doing with my clients and I love my business as well.
Check it out-Rachel’s Wellness.

I promise to post more and I owe my kiddos a few months of letters plus my host site was down for two months but I think we are back.

Wow it has been so long since I have sat down to write your birthday letters and even blogged about how much you have changed and grown. You are doing an outstanding job at your new school. You are making friends with so many kids and you are really are making this school a home for yourself. December was a special month at school because your teachers and classmates did the Birthday Celebration for you where I made a poster of all the years you have been alive and told a little about each year you have been around in this world and they read it to your class. You lit candles, sang songs and walked 4 times around the “world” candle in the middle of your classroom. It was a beautiful and amazing celebration. You answered questions about the sun, the moon and all the planets. You did a great job. You were so proud and I was honored to be there with you. I think your favorite part of the celebration was handing out my special gluten free, egg free, dairy free cupcakes with dairy free and egg free icing at the end plus dairy free chocolate chips..the kids and the teachers were so excited. You were helping the teachers put them on the kids plates and all of the kids with allergies could eat them, which made you so happy too.

This is a picture of you next to your proud cupcakes that your Mom makes!

You have been doing a great job with practicing writing letters and Daddy bought you a book that you practice tracing your letters and then writing them on your own. We also started to work on reading at night. We are looking at the letters and then sounding them out and reading the word. You really enjoy this even though it is tough work. You LOVE all the Richard Scary Books right now and Daddy just bought your 3 more because we had read the 2 we own about 150 times already. You were so excited when they came in the mail. You are just growing up. You can put yourself to sleep now all by yourself at night and your hold onto Running Bear, Eagles Bear and Singing Blue Bear. They keep you company.

You are very proud of your room and your books. You are very proud of being an Eagles fan and often ask why everyone is not an Eagles fan. You room has a bunch of Eagles Jerseys hanging up and pictures of the Phillies and the Flyers. You, just like your Dad, are die hard Philly Fans. You an your sister both have your Eagles gear that you wear for game day but the season if over so we will wait for next year!

There is a great playground near us that has these water machines that you can aim at each other and shoot water. We went there with friends from out of town and you had a blast. You were soaked from head to toe but you enjoyed yourself so much. You love to play. You are also really into your imagination Playmobile castle and school. We sit for hours and play. You and your Daddy sit for hours and play with all the figures and just play pretend imagination. You have always been great at playing and you love to just have time to enjoy your toys and cars.

a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxsmom/5377217649/” title=”IMG_8153 by Maxsmom, on Flickr”>

You are definitely going through the 4 year old..”I want it my way stage” but seriously you are the sweetest boy with the most open and gentle heart. You may hit here and there when your sister annoys you or takes your car or destroys your castle or messes up your game..but I don’t blames you even though I need to discipline you and your sister for messing things up. You have a HUGE heart and you just want to love. You enjoy playing, baking, cooking, painting, drawing, snuggling and watching Dino Dan. You love to play with other kids and you have really stepped out of your shy shell and taken on your power and your voice.

This year you and your sister painted the most amazing picture in December that is hanging in our living room. You guys worked on it for 2 days. The canvas was 4 by 6 and it was bigger than the both of you but you worked and worked and it is so beautiful. We will have it forever. It reminds me how colorful you are and how much brightness you bring to the world. Don’t ever stop asking questions. Don’t ever stop playing even though I tell you everything is not a game. You teach me so much. Thank you my dear boy.

Love you always,

Mom

I have to say it is quite funny to have Thanksgiving in the warm weather and be wearing short sleeves and not be cold while up north it was snowing. Max managed to have a gluten free meal even though we ate out because I called ahead and got him a baked potato and veggies steamed. I then found the desserts that had no gluten and he was in heaven. Sammy ate a yogurt I brought and the icing off some cupcake and she was in heaven as well.

The kids played and enjoyed dinner-well they actually did a lot of running around but it was still nice and we had a great time being with family..not my own family but it was still family. At one point Max was break dancing and this guy actually got up from his table and started to break dance with him as well-it was the funniest thing I have ever seen. The kids are growing up so fast. I cannot believe it.

I am very fortunate for all that has been given to me. I always have talked about our food allergies-gluten and wheat intolerance, egg allergies, digestion issues but at the end of the day, I have the happiest and most special kids I have ever met. Max is the sweetest and toughest little kid I know. He has a huge heart. Sammy is on fire. She is talking up a storm and has an agenda all the time and a plan. She is so strong in her desire to enjoy life and live it to the fullest. I am blessed with love from a great husband and two amazing and truly gifted children. It is all grace. I am one lucky girl!

Thank you for all you have given me, whoever you may be up there looking over me! Thank you!

People always ask me what we eat but we eat tons. I have learned how to make so many meals/desserts using brown and white rice flours. We try and eat a lot of fresh foods and whole foods because my kids and of course myself do not digest the packaged foods that well. My son is able to eat the Glutino apple bars and he LOVES them and they are a life savior for snack when he goes to school. I also don’t live in a bubble and I give my kids Yummy Earth Lollipops and bake daily so they have lots of yummy treats to eat. Max also adores gluten free plantain chips. YUM! Samantha adores banana chips. I swear kids have an intuitive nature about them to know what causes their bellies to hurt and so they reach for what makes them feel good and when they don’t-they don’t feel well. Luckily, they are still little and so it is still pretty easy for me.

I have learned that are food allergies are really bad when out gut is a mess. So I use a ton of probiotics and I rotate them. I also incorporate cultured foods and mix it in with his burger a few times a week. The probiotics are key and finding out what foods are creating the “leaky gut”.

Dr Weil describes Leaky Gut as, “Leaky gut syndrome is not generally recognized by conventional physicians, but evidence is accumulating that it is a real condition that affects the lining of the intestines. The theory is that leaky gut syndrome (also called increased intestinal permeability), is the result of damage to the intestinal lining, making it less able to protect the internal environment as well as to filter needed nutrients and other biological substances. As a consequence, some bacteria and their toxins, incompletely digested proteins and fats, and waste not normally absorbed may “leak” out of the intestines into the blood stream. This triggers an autoimmune reaction, which can lead to gastrointestinal problems such as abdominal bloating, excessive gas and cramps, fatigue, food sensitivities, joint pain, skin rashes, and autoimmunity. The cause of this syndrome may be chronic inflammation, food sensitivity, damage from taking large amounts of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), cytotoxic drugs and radiation or certain antibiotics, excessive alcohol consumption, or compromised immunity.”

If you are having trouble with your digestion and you need my help, feel free to check out my website
Rachels Wellness.

So it was a tough month for you. We had some interesting food allergies come up..actually hives that were covering your body from head to toe. We tried everything homeopathy, Sulphur 200c and sulphur 30c, Chamomilla 30c, Belladonna 30, and then Benadryl and and the creams but nothing was working and you were getting worse by the day. We took away your lactose free milk and started a elimination diet and try rice milk and that made it worse. I have a feeling the safflower oil was aggravating the situation. You also were dealing with candida and bacteria, which in not uncommon when your stomach is really messed up but the questions still remained-what was causing the problem? You were so unhappy and finally when you eyes blew up and your lips swelled, I scooped you up and took you to the ER and they gave your IV prednisone. For me to have you on that type of medicine, it was really bad. So I have since tried everything and the hives started to come back until one day I saw you play with play doh and BAM-hives-ah-WHEAT!!! So play doh went in the trash and so have the hives. It will take some time for you body to recover because you were in really bad shape so I am giving you yeast medicine and an all natural bacteria medicine because you had a bacteria rash on your skin from itching the hives raw. Finally I am giving you chinese medicine to help with the rashes and that seems to be working. Thank goodness. Poor baby. But I hink it is safe to say No wheat and No gluten. I am going to get you tested next week via a blood test. Just like your mom and your brother.

Halloween was not that much of a day for you because we were in the ER that day but you and I did have fun answering the door and handing out candy. In our new neighborhood it seems that halloween is like a national holiday. So we put on your Tinker Bell/Angel costume and took a few pictures. This was a great picture of us that night and even Esther seemed to make her way into the picture.

As for the potty and your diaper. Basically you like to be nude. I have found you in the morning with your diaper off and saying wet. Yes, you heard me right, you take your diaper off..not all of the time but sometimes. You have started to go on the potty and you are very excited about this. You began this about 3 weeks ago and your favorite part of the toilet paper-although you don’t wipe-you just take little pieces and then throw them in the toilet and then clap. You have gone pee and poop on the toilet and I am very proud of you. You also love to get out of the pool and actually poop on the grass like a dog-we are working on this one. I think both you and your brother watch Esther, your dog, a little too much and think this is an acceptable way to go to the bathroom. Oh Boy!

You are talking up a storm. You refer to yourself as ME or Sam! You say, “I throw or I go”. You can repeat almost any word and your brother enjoys teaching you words and making your learn new words daily. You are a great communicator and you are very social.

You are in LOVE with Kung Fu Panda and you think you are a kung fu master so you walk around the house doing kung fu non-stop and hitting doors and people. We are working on not hitting people. You still love Wow Wow Wubzy and you are really enjoying books finally..although sometimes you are the one who has to read the book to me, which is adorable as well.

You are on feisty little girl. You have to have it your way and so I am doing my best to teach you that life does not always give you what you want when you want. We just started a mommy and me called Sprout and hopefully this will help you since there are 12 other little kids in the class because sometimes you get frustrated when other kids are at the playground or on the slide and you say, MY SLIDE or MY PLAYGROUND and then I say share slide…share playground..I love your strong willed personality. You have a voice. You are not scared to show it. Never stop speaking up. You have taught me so much already and I am blessed to have you as my daughter.

I love you angel!

Love,

Mommy

I promise things are settling down but the last few months have been full of change with our move and I have had to pack two months of your birthday letters into one..this has never happened but I think that is part of being a mom..just accepting that I can’t do it all. So enough about me and let’s talk about you.

First off-you still love life as you always have and for some reason you dig wearing your socks like this! Maybe you thought we moved closer to Miami!

So much has happened. You love your new school. You had a tough time at first and I don’t blame you. You were so comfortable at your old school but you have really grown to like this school. You are in a class where there are 3 to 5 year olds. It is a very traditional Montessori school where older kids help the younger kids. You go to school at 8:30 in the morning and I pick you up at 11:30. Sometimes you stay for lunch and then I pick you up at 12:30 pm but with your food allergies it is much easier to come home and eat your meal here as your school uses a microwave and I have never used a microwave for you in your life. Why start now?

The head of the school came up to me and told me how special you are because you were 5 of 16 kids that offered to do an exercise where you would help a younger child do their work. You thrive when you can show your independence and leadership skills. I was very proud of you as usual.

The biggest thing that has happened is you wear big boy underwear! Yep you heard me. Three weeks ago the school emailed me and said it was time. You had a few pee accidents but that was it and now you wear underwear-I cannot believe it. I am so proud of you!!

You love the pool. We swim everyday and sometimes a twice a day. We converted the pool to a salt water pool and it is so nice. You have been taking swim lessons and you can swim about 6 feet wall by yourself and lift your head and kick. You can also jump in on your own and dive down for rings. It is amazing to watch you each week get better and better. We have a lot of thank you’s to Miss Tracy for teaching you how to swim because in the beginning you cried everyday and then one day you said you were going to swim and you did. It was such a classic Max MOVE!

You are just loving our neighborhood. You often ask if we are moving back to our old house but we explain that we have moved and that we have sold that house. I think you kind of get it. You love being outside and we have huge doors that open up to our pool and backyard and so the whole house, since it is also one floor, seems to be one large play room.

You are a great big brother. Sometimes your little sister upsets you but most of the time you are great at helping her and helping me. You are still so stubborn and I am not sure if that will ever change but it is just who you are. You are cracking me up with some of he things you say like, “baby, stop you are giving me a headache or baby, stop you are making me tired.” Oh boy-I hope Ii don’t say those things. You think you are the police man in this house!

Anything Dinosaurs is the new theme in the house. You love watching a new show called Dino Dan and any documentary with Dinosaurs. It is very cute. You still love Kung Fu Panda but you have moved onto the next level of really wanting to watch show that stimulate your brain. You still are awesome with your imagination and playing. It always amazes me when I see you playing and  what you say we should do with all the toys or little characters in your story that we are playing out.

So basically my big boy-have fun-keep dreaming-keep asking WHY-keep exploring and I love you very much.

Love,
Mommy

I felt overwhelmed and just needed to take a break. I knew moving would be a lot but I did not know I would feel so tired and confused about all of it. I am happy we made the switch to Boca. We are all feeling great. Mu husband is doing much better..the kids are happy and healthy and I am doing good myself. It took a few weeks of feeling insane but as things started to get settled and we found a routine..well I began to feel normal again..whatever that means..

I do feel like the North was just go..go..go and down here is much more laid back. We live in a great community with really nice neighbors and finally the construction of the kitchen, bathroom and all that minor panting and stuff is over-although my husband told me last night we are doing crown molding on Tuesday. LOL. I swear it never ends. So I hope I will get back in the habit of posting again because I miss it and I miss having a place that I can write about the kids and out life.

So good bye for now and hopefully hello again as things have settled down and I only see a few boxes.

So this is the new and relaxed me..I guess Florida is good for me!

So much has happened and I have found this past month to be a whirlwind and I feel awful because you have changed so much but please forgive me as I am putting 2 months of birthday letters into one post. We did just move from Philadelphia to Florida and getting everyone settled has been a bigger job that I thought it would be. So much has changed for you-well not your saucy personality but your life here in Boca is full of all good stuff.

You started swim lessons with Sunshine Swimming and Miss Tracey is your teacher. We go to her house 2 or 3 times a week for lessons. You have learned to swim about 3 feet on your own. It has been amazing to watch. You started by first learning to put your head under and grab for the wall with two hands, then swim and now you are un-stoppable. Miss Tracey has you wear little flippers-which let me also say that you REFUSE to take these off and many days you were them around the house the whole day.

You also have started to talk it up. You can say three word sentences and you repeat everything. You love to call yourself Pretty and we this it is adorable. You still have an obsession with shoes and you can even walk in heels-of course your pretend little pink ones and my heels. You love to change your shoes at least 4 times a days and you get very upset if you do not decide which pair to wear for the day…very upset!!

You have created a game called SIT. This game consists of when we stop the car you want to go to your car seat and Max’s car seat and do the buckles and then play around in the car. Now if we do not have time to play SIT-well let the terrible TWO’s show their ugly side because it is bad. You go into a full screaming tantrum and then the minute you can play sit..well it all goes away. You are so strong willed. You actually clench your fists when you get angry and scream, NO!!!! SIT!!! I try and reason but it clearly does not work-but then sometimes I say..look at the bird and all of the sudden SIT is not so important..but this rarely works.

You do love life and I call you my little SPIT FIRE. You are full of spunk. You have so much spirit and so much will inside of that little body. You still love to eat pizza but now I make it at home called cheesy bread with sauce. And yes sauce or Ketchup on everything. I have a found a great gluten free one with agave nectar at whole foods and you love it. So you are eating apples, bananas and basically anything that anyone else is eating..we call you the food swiper!

All of the sudden you LOVE purses and dolls. We can play dress up with your dolls for hours and play with the doll house. Now of of course this does not mean that you have let go with your obsession with your brothers cars but you have expanded your love to dolls and purses now. You still love music and when ANY type of music comes on you break out in dance. You swing your hips back and forth and raise your hands up high. Adorable and yes, you have good moves!

My sweetest-you are sweet and spicy and even though, at times, it is hard to deal with the tantrums..i know deep down in my heart it is because you are so strong willed and I love it. I love that you have such a determined mind already and that you are fearless, which of course can a cause a problem when you are trying to jump off the couch, or jump into the pool by yourself or walk out of the house into the street, or go down the slide head first…these are just a few of the MANY that I could name that happen on a daily basis. I will leave you with this last picture of the two us because YES-your mom is fearless too! Don’t ever stop reaching for the STARS! I love you!

Love,

Mommy

Wow..I am I late this month but so much has happened. We are in the process of moving and not only has it been crazy insane but I also was just trying to finish nutrition school, get us finalized in Philly, pack us up, and shed so many tears..so I am late..very late and I write this post actually from our hotel room in Boca Raton, Florida (your new home town) because I want to write tell you all about how much you have changed and grown this month.

Transition has never been easy for you..I swear you and I have that in common but you have been so amazing. The other day I was crying, as I was working out on my elliptical and you said…
“Mommy, can I talk to you about why you are sad?” I said..yes and you asked me why I was sad and I explained that I was sad because we were moving and I would leave my friends and my family. You asked me the name of my best friend and I told you. You then told me I should write down all the names and give them to Daddy so he can call them and then I won’t be so sad. You also told me they could visit and text me. I started to laugh. Then at the end you said..” Mommy, don’t be sad because we have a pool.” And I said yes sweetie, We have a pool. I should not be sad at all. And you reminded me again that Daddy would call my best friends and have them text me. Where do you get this stuff?

You also told me the other day that you “could not do something because your brain fell out into your tummy”…you also told me the other day that “this guy was giving you a heart attack”. Where do you get this stuff? Cracks me up. Your are too smart for your own good and you always have a story for why you cannot do something when you don’t feel like it-especially saying sorry. But you are a very loving guy I just think you are going through your ALMOST 4 year old stage and this is part of you testing the boundaries.

So yes we moved officially on the 28th of August and it has been tough. You were very excited but I think the change has been a lot for you and mostly because your Dad has been out at the house daily doing stuff and we are living at a hotel and I know there is a lack of stimulation which you thrive on. But you had a great time at camp this summer for the month of August. At camp they had some chicken eggs hatch in your classroom and it was very exciting. There were over 10 chickens and they were so cute. You also went in the sprinklers every day and played with some of your best buddies. It was a great summer. You had a great time with Teacher Brenda and her son Mr Matt. I was so happy that she was there for you in the summer and we were sad to say good bye as she has loved you so much this year.

I am not sure when you started to look so grown up but all of the sudden you do. You are such a great boy and I am so lucky to have you as a son. You make me so proud in so many ways. You have endless love that you show in hugs and kisses constantly. You may be shy at first but without a doubt you will be showing your break dancing moves to that person when you feel like it. I have always needed to let you pave the way for yourself and give a shove when needed..in a gentle way but I have needed to just tell you that it is cool and you can do it and it will be fine and just to step up and well you do it..of course when you are ready..it is just your personality and stubborn as a bull-just like your mommy.

So I love you and always be who you are and I hope you love your new life as a Boca Boy and I hope you love your new Montessori school..and I hope you always reach for the stars and never stop laughing..as you think everything is funny..I love you.

Boxes are packed and the packers come on the 24th and then pack the kitchen, art work, the TV’s and then they load the 25th and then we are out of here the 26th and close the 27th. We leave Philly the 28th for Florida and I am excited and sad. I am looking forward to a new life for my family but will miss what I know. I like knowing things and having the comfort of my surroundings but this experience is teaching me a whole lot about just trusting and I feel so close to my husband despite the many annoyances we have daily with moving questions but I think that is standard.

I do feel a little nutty and I am not sleeping much..i feel like I wake up with a slight heart attack and then I re-group and tell myself it will all be ok. I have picked out carpet, wall colors and we are re-doing the kitchen and different color and new appliances. I am getting a baby gate for the pool and well there are just lots of little things that need to be done.

I also am behind in school and have a test soon, which I am sure I will do fine but I am still feeling pulled in every different direction.

I am happy that we are finding a place that we can all be together and all be well…and I am hoping we have found the place and if not..well nothing is forever and this move has helped me to understand that..