Baby Hospital Bag .. What do you need?

What do you REALLY need for your hospital bag?

Truthfully…not much. Okay, here we go….

So, you all know I’ve had 4 babies and truthfully I didn’t bring much at all when I went to the hospital to have all 4. With Kamryn we were sent in from an ultrasound so my bag wasn’t even completely packed and I ended up having to send my mom to grab the few extra things I thought I needed. Keep in mind you are only going to be there for a few days. You are more than likely going to be sore and just laying in bed all day. There’s no need to over pack. Here is what I brought…

1. Stuff for you!

Sweats! Sweats! Sweats! If you’d rather pajamas bring pajamas.

You’ll be sitting/laying in a bed majority of the time you are there. You’ll want to look somewhat presentable for visitors, but really you won’t care. Trust me, that’ll go right out the window after you give birth. So just bring something comfy to hang out in.

I brought 2 pairs of sweatpants, 3 shirts and a sweatshirt. (You will still look pregnant so make sure you keep that in mind when packing clothes) I always bought new stuff for my hospital stay. I’d hit up target and grab some new sweatpants and a few shirts a size bigger than I usually wear. A lot of people still wear maternity shirts and pants, I just didn’t want to.

A going home outfit for you. Again, I wore sweats all 4 times. All my girls were born when it was cold out. So I wore sweat pants, a t-shirt, a jacket and a scarf. Logan was born in the heat of the summer so I wore cropped yoga pants and a t-shirt.

Bring underwear (the ones they supply for you might be your better option though, I just used those), socks (although they’ll supply some for you, I just hated how giant they were on my little feet), a tight supportive bra,think sports bra, slippers.

I kind of treated what I wore in the hospital like I was home from work on a sick day.

Toiletries. Toothbrush, hairbrush, hair elastics, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, make up…etc.

Some people bring their hairdryer and hair straightener, curling iron….I did with Kamryn and realized it wasn’t needed. So I’d do without that. I just threw my hair up.

2. Stuff for your partner!

Again, sweats!

Mike was all over the hospital all 4 times. Sometimes out of the hospital too! Getting food. Meeting friends and family. Just going for a walk to get air. But, he wanted to be comfy because there was a lot of sitting around doing nothing.

For Mike we brought 1 pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt for everyday we were there, a pair of gym shorts, some jeans and a sweatshirt.

Socks, underwear, undershirts, slippers, etc.

Whatever your guy (or girl) wears to lounge around the house, have them bring that.

Toiletries.

Hat…Mike just threw a hat on his head whenever he needed to leave the room. Much easier than messing with his hair.

3. Stuff for baby!

This is where I think people go overboard. Keep it simple!

The hospital is going to supply your baby with a hat, a bunch of t-shirts and swaddle blankets. They will give you diapers, wipes, etc. They will supply you with EVERYTHING you need for your baby. At least that was my experience. The nurses and doctors are going to be checking out your baby again and again and again. They need to check their little identification ankle bracelet over and over again too. I just found instead of dressing the baby in the clothes I brought for them it was easier for me, and the hospital staff, if we kept the baby in their t-shirt and swaddle blanket. For Kensington and Tenley I brought pretty hats to dress them up. The baby is always ALWAYS swaddled in the hospital so you won’t see what they are wearing anyways and the hat was one way for me to dress them up in there. It also makes it a lot easier to see if they need to be changed in just that little t-shirt.

So, if you wish, I would say bring a cute hat! For me, a Sass girl needs a bow! We got ours from Boco Baby.

Bring mittens for their hands. They will have pretty long fingernails when they are born and they’ll scratch up their face. Mittens are key!

A coming home outfit. Keep it comfy and warm! Remember socks for coming home too!

A comfy blanket. You know me and comfy blankets…you’ll want to use that to cover them up in their car seat on the way home as well.

3. Extras!

Camera

Phone chargers

Lap top (we did without this and just used our phones)

Some cash — just in case somewhere in the hospital doesn’t take credit, they should though, its 2016.

Any paperwork you might need – again, its 2016 that stuff should already be taken care of in the hospitals computer system.

You might want your own pillow, I didn’t mind using the hospitals.

If you’re breastfeeding you might want to bring your boppy pillow.

A few things to note:

At my hospital they made me remove all my jewelry besides my wedding ring so I left that stuff at home.

I know a lot of people like to have a lot of people in the delivery room with them. I’m a little more old fashioned (well I guess not old fashioned because the dads used to not even be present). I had just Mike and I. But my hospital only allowed 2 extra people (your spouse and one more). So check with your hospital on their policy if you plan to have extra people with you.

I know a lot of people go into this process with a birth plan. I’ve done this 4 times and all 4 times were different. I understand the idea of a birth plan but please, trust that your doctors and nurses know what they are doing and whats best. For me, my birth plan was to have a baby and bring him or her home in a few days. Don’t set your expectations to high. You’re going to do great!

Don’t bring too much stuff! The rooms are usually relatively small. I must’ve lucked out because when I went to visit my best friend after she had her son I was shocked at how small her room was. Just bring the essentials. I kept my stuff down to one medium to small sized suitcase and my purse.

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If you have anything to add please leave comments. I’m sure left some stuff out. I have to add, I did not breastfeed and did not have any c-sections. So, if you did and there are some essentials for either of those that I don’t know about…comment that too!!

I hope that helps, even just a little bit. Good luck!!

Have the best day! — xo, Kristen

Christmas Parade

The Santa video should be at the end of this post but for some reason its not letting me put it anywhere except the beginning. But I have to share because the thumbs up from Santa right to the camera is priceless!

We made our annual visit to the Christmas parade in Quincy. It was a bit chilly but nothing we couldn’t handle, actually quite comfortable and definitely felt like Christmas!

This year more than just Pappi, GranDee and Uncle Zacky came with us. We had GranDee’s niece Caitlin and her husband Aidan and there 3 girls… along with Annie, Marcus and Baby JJ! I hope our group just gets bigger and bigger every year! I love traditions like this.

I’m so bummed we didn’t take more pictures. Annie and I talked about how in reality the less pictures you have, the more you enjoyed the moment. So, here’s to being in the moment!!

Here’s Tara, Kamryn, Maggie and Logan staying warm waiting for the parade to start.

Miss Tenley is already understanding Christmastime is the best time!

Tenley, Auntie, Kensington and Mike (what a stud!)

The Clydesdale are always my favorite. Just gorgeous!

There he is!!!

And there’s Logan waving to him….I hope you’ve been a good boy Logi-Bear!

There’s no better way to kick off the Christmas season than the Christmas parade. This is our 7th one as a family and we haven’t missed a year yet. My kids really do look forward to it all year long. (and so do we)

Merry Christmas!!!!

What do you need for baby?

   

Today I’m going to talk to you about some baby must haves…and some baby don’t bothers.

This is just my personal experience and what worked for us. This isn’t to say you won’t like something I say you shouldn’t bother with. Just my personal opinion here…

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Okay, lets get started…

This first one is a two-fer. I have one thing you need along with a do without.

My number one thing I think all moms need is a pack n play. Seriously, do without the cradle, the bassinet, get a pack n play. We used the one with the bassinet built in and its perfect. You get more bang for your buck this way.

I use a pack n play from the moment they are born until they are 2 years old. Yes. 2. Since Logan was born I’ve always had 2 pack n plays in my house. One in our room and one downstairs. Right now Tenley sleeps in hers in our room and the one downstairs is used for both her and even Kensington at times. If I need Kensington corralled/she’s being a two year old and acting up, I plop her in the pack n play with some toys and/or a snack. She doesn’t love it, but it does the trick. Tenley plays in the pack n play as well and its a safer place for her than the floor where she can get into so many little toys that she’ll choke on and keeps the dogs away from her, who love to give kisses.

One thing I did buy when we were pregnant with Tenley was a rock n play. It was awesome! I could move it from room to room while she was small and needed me close. Much more convenient than the pack n play but…you still need that pack n play.

My number two thing I think all moms need is a mamaroo or a swing. This is a tough one because all babies don’t love them. For me it was different for each baby. Kamryn loved the swing, Logan hated it. While, Kensington and Tenley both loved the mamaroo. Again, this was a place I could place the baby and get things done. They napped in those things more times than I can count. Even now, at 8 months old, every once in awhile I plop Tenley in that mamaroo. The mamroo is expensive but if you plan on having more babies…totally worth it!

My number three must have is an excersaucer. We have had ours for 7 years! YES! SEVEN YEARS! End of story. Get one. You’ll thank me later. That excersaucer has kept my babies entertained for hours!! They’ve all loved it and love to be upright and be able to see everything going on around them.

Number four — comfy blankets and receiving blankets. The more the better!! You’ll use those again and again and again. Between swaddling, keeping the baby warm in the carseat and just holding your baby in a comfy blanket…you’ll love it! I got a personalized receiving blanket for Kensington and I used it when she was a baby up until she was a year old for monthly pictures. Now we have it for a keepsake. They personalized ones can be expensive though. We got ours from Boco Baby.

Number five — hats! First of all, they are adorable and second of all they keep your baby nice and warm. We got the girls hospital hats at “infanteenie beenie” on etsy and they wore those again and again and again. I got Logan some really cute ones from carters but infanteenie beenie has boy ones as well.

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Now I might get some heat for this next one but…do without the cute outfits in newborn size. Hear me out….get a couple. I know, its adorable on the hanger in the store. They are so tiny and cute. But you are wasting your money. The baby will more than likely be uncomfortable and will spit up on them anyways. For girls, stick to leggings and tunics or onesies. For boys sweatpants and onesies. They will grow out of those newborn sizes so incredibly fast. Sleepers are key! The more the better, but keep in mind how quickly they will outgrow them so get multiple sizes. Mike and I are HUGE fans of zip up pjs! The buttons will drive you insane!!! So, look for zippers. Just be careful when zipping them, obviously. 4 kids in, we cringe when someone gives us button up pjs for our kids!

Don’t waste your money on shoes. Yes, again, they are tiny and cute but they are such a waste of money. Your baby is going to kick them right off. Their ankles and feet are much too tiny to stay on. Get socks. LOTS OF SOCKS. My first purchase every time I’ve been pregnant was tons of socks and pjs. Every time, I hop on Carters and get as many as I can. Socks are key!! They even have ones that look like shoes so its a win win. And again, lots of sizes. If they are a little too big, you can pull them up or fold them over.

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Some things I never had but wish I did…

A rocker. Oh, how I wish I had memories of rocking my babies to sleep.

Maternity pictures. I have pictures but no professional ones. I wish I made that purchase…a long with professional newborn photos.

The perfect nursery. Yep, 4 kids and not one of them came home to a complete nursery. That goes along with the rocker. I wish I had a memory of a giant belly, in a perfect room, folding little clothes just anticipating my babies arrival.

I guess the fact that I never had these things and I’ve had 4 babies and we’ve all survived goes to prove that they are not necessities. But definitely special…

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I’m telling you…if you have a pack n play, a swing or mamaroo, a hat, blankets, pjs and socks. Your baby is set!! Okay, yes you’ll need more things, like to feed your baby with, wash your baby, diapers, car seat, etc etc. We have these HUGE baby showers. There are stores with floor to ceiling things that we think we need. Majority of them, are a waste of money in my opinion. I totally get the appeal. But you really don’t need it all. Like I said, you’ll want more, need more…this is just a simple list. As always, mama knows best! You do you!

What about you? Do you have any baby must haves I might have missed? Please share in the comments.

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In a few days I’m going to do a post on what to put in your hospital bag. I did not overpack. I brought EXACTLY what we needed. I’ve seen checklists on pinterest and I don’t know what these people are thinking. I swear the hospital staff would’ve thought I was insane if I brought all the things they tell you that you need. So, look for a simple small list of what to pack when its go time!

Christmas at the Sass house

Okay, nobody panic. I know its before Thanksgiving but this is how the Sasses do Christmas! Yes, I’m one of those odd people who gets giddy when they move the Halloween decor and the Christmas stuff pops up before its even Halloween. Don’t get me wrong, I love Halloween. You all know about my obsession with Fall. But Christmas?!? Oh boy! It’s the best!

So I thought I’d share a little bit of our Christmas decor with you. I tend to go all out. Lexi’s boyfriend came over Saturday and even commented on it. I’m only showing you a few things today because I don’t want to bore you. I’m still in the process of bringing things out but the big stuff is done. Well, not totally. Mike will put up the outside lights this weekend. That, is not allowed before Thanksgiving. See? I respect the turkey!

So I decided Friday I would tackle the tree on my own. Our tree is huge. Like 8 or 9 feet tall. But it comes apart in sections so its really easy to put up and take down. Its also pre-lit so I don’t have to struggle with the lights. I’m so a no fuss kind of girl. Even with Christmas decor.

Speaking of no fuss, I got about a quarter of the way done with the tree and I decided to change up the colors this year. For 7 Christmases its been all red and white bulbs. I was getting quite bored with it and decided this year to go for a more rustic/glam kind of look. I hopped on the computer and ordered lots of gold and had Mike pick them up at Lowes on his way home from work.

But I couldn’t put the red away until I took a picture of my two cute Rudolphs!

Our mantle. Again, no fuss.

I love nutcrackers. My mom used to have so many when we were kids and I can’t wait to slowly add to my collection. I’m 99.5% sure my moms mantle looked EXACTLY like this (minus the ugly pellet stove). Some garland and nutcrackers. I’m getting new stockings this year so those aren’t up yet. It’s a work in progress.

Our tree is in the living room and in the family room, where the kids spend majority of their time, we usually don’t have much decorations. Year after year I have a toddler in my house. (Kristen STOP having babies!!!) I try to keep them out of the room the tree is in just so it doesn’t get messed up. Again, I’m like my mom. We weren’t even allowed to help decorate our tree as kids. To be fair the kids have a few decorations out in the family room. A pre-lit wreath so at night they get some twinkly lights, a dancing moose, some red bows on the sconces and a Mickey and Minnie stuffed decoration that says Merry Christmas. I kept up the red theme in that room. 9 times out of 10 Kensington is carrying those stuffed decorations around the room. Hence why there’s barely anything out there.But its enough and they love it! The way our house is set up they can still see the tree from the family room too. It’s a win win!

When Mike saw the tree he said “less is more?” I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult. LOL! But I do think he meant it as a compliment. I love how rustic it looks! It makes me so happy to have Christmas lights twinkling inside the house. Doesn’t it make it so cozy? The tree is still not 100% done. My plan is that I’m going to make a big gold bow for the top. Since we did without red this year on the tree I can’t use my usual red star and I want to add more snowflakes but I love it! Logan told me it was “so gorgeous!”

I have decor in my kitchen too, but I didn’t snap any pics. I’m sure you’re bored to tears right now anyways. But, as always, this blog is something for me to look back on when my kids are grown. I know Mike, the kids and I will appreciate this.

And here’s me! Doesn’t my outfit just scream Christmas? I didn’t even realize it until I got in the car and then had to snap a picture because I felt like an elf.

This really is the most wonderful time of the year! And the past couple of days have been COLD. It needs to be said this is the only time of the year I like the cold. Last year it was well over 60 degrees on Christmas and we were sweating in our Christmas outfits. I hated it! Christmas = SNOW and COLD.

And not to forget the turkey. I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving surrounded by friends and family. Filled with so much love. Most importantly, I really hope you do take the time to reflect on all you have to be thankful for. I love you all and thanks for reading along!!

 

five on friday

one.

This week was a one for the books. On tuesday I came home from an appointment to Kamryn laying on the couch crying because her belly hurt so bad. She refused to eat dinner and wouldn’t even have a small snack. Then, about an hour after putting Kensington down I heard her screaming…went upstairs and she had thrown up all over her bed. Bath, new pjs, threw the dirty sheets in the washer and back to bed. An hour later…it happened again. Wednesday morning Kamryn woke up white as a ghost still complaining she didn’t feel well and then had a slight fever. So it was a day of sickness! UGH!! She stayed home thursday as well, just to be safe, but about halfway through the day it was obvious she was feeling much better. Oh well, better safe than sorry right? She’s back to school today! 

two.

I had quite a few of you reach out to me about my post on wednesday. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I wrote that a few days prior and had it scheduled to post on wednesday. Just so happened it fell on a day where I had two sick kids and really could’ve used that “village”. We miss our grandmothers and hope they can come visit us sooner rather than later.

three.

I usually stress about holidays. Late nights, running the kids here there and everywhere, sugar highs and not enough REAL food. It’s a lot. I think, Mike and I have decided this year to keep it simple. No stress. With 4 kids, 2 of which are a toddler and a baby it’s a lot. Plus, we’ll have Lexi tagging along this year because mom is in Florida. I think this year we may cut Christmas Eve short so the kids can be in bed at an almost normal hour. (Don’t worry Pappi and GranDee, we’re still coming!) Tenley is in total stranger danger mode and pretty much if anyone that doesn’t live in our house talks to her, she screams her head off. Tenley also does not do well when she’s off her schedule and neither does Kensington. I fear if we stay out until almost midnight, like we usually do, that will create a bad situation for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I’d rather avoid some major meltdowns this year if I could…but we’ll see.

Also, who can help me make these for my stairs? Year after year I drool over them and never make them.

four.

Did you see the new trailer for Beauty and the Beast?!?! Oh. Em. Gee. It’s always been my favorite Disney movie and it looks like they’ve kept it pretty close to the original from the previews. Kamryn is already petrified of the beast and Logan keeps saying he’s only going to be scared of the wolves. HA! So, we might wait and have the kids watch this one at home. I have to be honest, when I heard Emma Watson was playing Belle I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Harry Potter immediately popped into my head. I mean, can you blame me?! But, now that I’ve seen the trailer, I’ve totally changed my mind. She seems to make the perfect Belle. I cannot wait to see it!!! I see a date night in mine and Mike’s future…

five.

Next week is Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving always makes me sit back and reflect on what I’m thankful for. Cheesy, I know. I should be thankful every day…and I am. But, there’s something about Thanksgiving that makes you stop and REALLY think about it. The list goes on and on and on but mostly, I’m thankful that I have so many things to be thankful for. Life is full of ups and downs and for the Sasses lately, there has been a lot of ups and downs. It seems we take one step forward and ten steps back. But you know what, we’re together. We have each other. We have a beautiful family. I am blessed beyond words. God always makes sure at the end of the day we have exactly what we need. I am thankful for being thankful! I hope you too feel the same!

What happens when your village moves....?

I’ve been spoiled. Since the day Kamryn was born I had my mom, my step mom and my mother in law just dying to babysit her any time I needed. And then still with each baby we’ve had since. Mike and I have rarely missed a special occasion because we didn’t have a babysitter because I could always call my mom or mother in law and they were eager to help out. My mother in law has spent many long weekends with us, giving us a night out, money to spend on that night out and then letting us sleep in the next day. Keeping the baby with her so I could get a full night sleep. The next day? She’d tell us to go run errands alone and would always clean my house spotless! My mom would come down for a week or two and cook dinner, babysit while I ran errands and watch the kids and give Mike and I a date night or two. She’d always be one to help out with things I needed to do around the house too. My mom has watched the kids while Mike and I went on vacation TWICE. My step mom is a huge help as well. If I have a doctors appointment or the kids need to go to the pedi she’s eager to come help out! She comes early, usually with coffee in hand for me and/or breakfast or lunch for the kiddos and she always helps out by doing some dishes, vacuuming, organizing some toys, you name it, etc etc… Dee is my go to daytime babysitter because she unfortunately can’t see as well driving at night and we live 45 minutes away…so I just won’t do that to her and make her drive home in the middle of the night.

Recently both my mother in law and my mom moved to Florida. I went from excited for them one minute, sad because I’d miss them the next, to absolutely panicked! You’ve all heard the saying “it takes a village”. Well a big part of my village has moved away and recently I’m feeling the affects of that. My husband works anywhere from 6-7 days a week which means I am home alone with the kids basically all. the. time. I love my kiddos and wouldn’t trade them for the world but going at this basically solo lately I can attest is does take a village and with a gigantic part of my village in Florida I’m drowning in motherhood. I need to give credit to Lexi just like I did to the grandmothers. I literally broke down in tears to Mike the other night telling him I don’t know what I would do without her. She’s (reluctantly) taken over babysitting if we have something to do but…she’s a teenager and I won’t ever make her babysit for me if she already has plans with friends. I think it’s important as a teenager to have a social life. Anywho….

I’m exhausted, I’m lonely, I’m irritable, I’m impatient, I’m exhausted, I’m tired, I’m exhausted….really, I am. But no,the truth is I need a break. And I know as a mom you aren’t supposed to say that. I know it’s taboo and as a stay at home mom this is my job. These are my kids and my responsibility not their grandparents. I understand all that. But I’m here being honest and vulnerable and saying it ain’t all sunshine and rainbows these days. I wish I didn’t take for granted how good I had it a few months back. I was spoiled and I didn’t think twice about it. I appreciated it of course, but I never really knew what life would be like without it. Well life without that help is tough. I have 4 kids who all require my attention…A LOT. They are all little and need me to help them with a lot of things still. I’m up anywhere from 2 to 3 times a night with Tenley who I think it’s teething. Kensington is in the midst of the terrible twos throwing a major tantrum every time you tell her no. Logan is still struggling with potty training and I feel like I’m failing as a mother in that department. Kamryn has school and projects and homework every night and we need to take time to read 2-3 books and most nights I just want to pass the baton to the next person to finish  the race that is my everyday life.

I don’t want to sound ungrateful. I love my life. I love my children and I love my husband. I am blessed. But as blessed as I am, I’m just tired. {Confession…some days I wish I worked outside the home. Just to get some adult conversations in my everyday would be incredible.} But, just like everything else I know this is only a season of life. This will pass and I’ll look back fondly at these days. Wishing they were all little again and all needed me as much.

But today? If I’m being totally honest, I need a break. A break I probably will not get. So it’s  onward and upward from here….but I miss my village. I really do….

Kensington's Pumpkin Party

Welcome to Kensington’s Pumpkin Patch…

Come on in!

This table filled up quickly with food and drinks! But here is a picture of just a little bit of the decor. I honestly cannot begin to explain to you how excited Kensington was when she saw it. Girlfriend LOVES pumpkins and fall just as much as her mama!

Kensington Bree was ready to party!!

Her shirt says “Most precious in the patch” As her mama, I’d have to agree.

Of course, we needed a shot with the birthday girl!! I can’t believe she’s already TWO!

Some of the kids…

These crazy kids, they ran up and down and slid down these stairs over and over and over again. Everyone was exhausted by the time they went home!

Funny story about the cake.

I sent Mike to order it for me at BJs on his way home from work. I was like just make sure it has pumpkins and looks fallish. Oh! And make sure it says “Happy Birthday Kensington”. I got a “oooookaaayyy Kris….” He thinks I’m crazy…but he loves me. Mike always always calls her Kensie and I always always call her Kensington. So, naturally I knew he’d write “Happy Birthday Kensie” on her cake. Well, I’m a tad bit of a control freak and wasn’t allowing that. So, moral of the story…I think I’ll keep Mike around. He did a great job!

“Happy Birthday to you!!”

She loved the cake….and yes, I don’t do messes so I stripped her down for cake time!

Then it was time to open presents….with a lot of helpers!!

Miss Kensington had the best time! Thank you Auntie for taking all the pictures. You did a great job! (She got so many more than I posted)

Our house was full, our hearts were full and so were our bellies.It was a great time! Thank you to everyone who came! We love you all!!!

Now on to Christmas…oops, I mean Thanksgiving.

Happy 2nd Birthday Kensington!

Today our sweet girl turns 2! Where has the time gone? Seriously, I say it all the time but really…these 2 years went by in a flash! I am head over heels madly in love with my Kensington Bree. She’s funny, she’s sweet, a tad ornery, she loves Gretzky and really I’m convinced she thinks he’s a live stuffed animal. She love, love, LOVES music and girlfriend has some serious moves. She’s talking more and more everyday and she has the SWEETEST little voice I’ve ever heard. It took her until she was almost 18 months to walk but now this girl is running! For the most part she’s a really good listener and she just loves to love. Seriously, we leave the check out line at the grocery store and shes blowing kisses and saying “bye!!” to whoever is working. Kensington loves all things girly. From tutu skirts to hair bows shes all for it and gets excited about it. She reminds me so much of Kamryn in this way because she also loves to get dirty. But really, being a princess on Halloween made her year. I’m sure of it!

Our entire family is just smitten with Kensington. Mike and I are just a big puddle of mush when it comes to this girl. She looks up to Kamryn and copies every little thing she does. She LOVES Logan but also likes to tease Logan. LOL! Hey, he could use some teasing. And she is so incredibly gentle with her “bay-bee” Tenley. She’s got her siblings figured out!

Out of all of my kids she gets the most attention from the neighborhood kids. If we are outside they all come running and ask for Kensington. Actually, all kids are really interested in her now that I think about it. There’s just something about Kensington that they all love her. I don’t blame them, but I am rather bias.

God blessed me above and beyond what I deserve the day he gave me this baby girl.

Happy 2nd Birthday Kensington Bree! We love you!!

Five On Friday

I want to start a new tradition here on The Sass Sircus and every Friday write down 5 random things. Anything I feel like just always FIVE!

1.  This one.

Being my fourth baby I haven’t really been in a rush to do much with her. I’m enjoying these moments and letting her be a baby for as long as possible. So real food, kept being pushed off. It was formula and baby food up until yesterday when I let her chomp on a waffle and have some cheerios and, she LOVED them! Look at that face!!

2. Mom-i-form.

I totally have a uniform I wear every single day. I call it my mom-i-form.

Striped shirt or Plaid button down – check!

Jeans- check!

Some kind of boots or booties – check!

Cute jacket – check!

Scarf – check check!!

I realized not too long ago that it was just as easy to get dressed everyday as it was to throw on sweats. It also makes me feel a lot better about myself. Sometimes I do my hair but most days I throw it up in a really messy bun. My hair is no easy task so throwing it up is easier and no matter what, even when its done, my hair is messy. No, really, its a hot wild curly mess! I throw on some mascara and powder (some sunglasses over my eyes to hide the bags) and call it a day! I look cute and feel good, and if you’re a stay at home mom (even a mom in general. scratch that if you’re a woman!) you know how important it is to take care of YOU! It’s just good for the soul.

3. Lets Read.

About a month and a half ago I was getting Kamryn ready for school. We stood in the bathroom as she was about to brush her teeth, her eyes filled up with tears and she told me she didn’t want to go to school. I asked her why and she said it was because she was the only kid in first grade who couldn’t read and had to be read to. Of course, I knew she wasn’t the only kid that couldn’t read and all kids learn at their own pace but my heart just broke for her. I assured her she would be able to read soon and to just keep trying. I emailed her teacher and reached out to my cousin who is a reading specialist and they both gave me some good tips and also backed me up in saying Kamryn will learn to read soon. That morning when Kamryn got to school her amazing teacher gave her a pep-talk and I never heard another thing about it from Kam. Today? Kamryn reads books to me and Logan every single night! Just a month and a half later! I am SO incredibly proud of my girl!!!

4. I’m ready.

5. Halloween

Okay, lets jump back real quick because I can’t get into the Christmas spirit without taking about Halloween!! We had the BEST Halloween yet!

Kamryn was a witch, Logan was Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Kensington was Snow White and Tenley was TinkerBelle.

As usual, Kamryn and Logan were so excited all day long and couldn’t wait to put on their costumes and trick or treat. Kensington, well she totally gets it and she LOVED it! Tenley was cranky, it was past her bedtime and she wasn’t having it but…give her a year or two. She’ll be just like her big brother and siters!!

Well, there’s my 5 on Friday… I hope you all have a great weekend!!