Tag Archives: fun aunt and uncle

Oct19

Holiday Shopping For The Kiddos

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Holiday Shopping For The Kiddos

Hello! Johnny and I are the fun aunt and uncle to five amazing kiddos and it’s always so exciting to celebrate the holiday season together. I am pleased to report that I have put a decent dent in my Christmas shopping and like to think of myself as an excellent gift giver. However, with several holidays as an aunt under my belt, even I admit that I need some inspiration now and then for children’s gifts. There are seemingly endless options of adorable things and it can be hard to narrow it down! Let’s explore a few ideas to get that gift inspo flowing for the littles in your life:

First and Foremost:

Honestly, one of the best things you can do is simply ask the parents lol. This might sound lazy but it’s so true and you can be sure that you are getting exactly what is needed and wanted. It could be clothing in a certain size, a particular toy they have their eye on, or a couple packs of supplies like diapers and wipes. The last thing parents need is more clutter like yet another package of play food or making trips to return or exchange presents. If you are unsure – just ask!

Gifts of Experience:

Speaking of clutter, the resounding theme I have heard this year from my parent friends is wanting gifts of experience for their children. This is a fabulous way to make memories and have cherished quality time. It could be a trip to the zoo or aquarium, purchasing lessons for swimming or theater, or tickets to a movie or live show. Several beloved children’s programs like Paw Patrol, The Wiggles, and Gabby’s Dollhouse have theater performances that super fan kiddos will love. Lots of local theaters also have performances of The Grinch, Elf, and Rudolph which could be tons of fun too to get into the holiday spirit.

Craft Supplies:

If your littles are anything like mine, they love to get artsy! Arts and crafts gifts are great and can give parents a welcome reprieve while their kids work on their own projects. It could be big coloring or sticker books, figurines to paint, packs of model clay or kinetic sand, jewelry making kits, or retro fuzzy posters to spend an afternoon coloring. If you want to combine art with a gift of experience, how about a trip to a pottery studio like Color Me Mine or All Fired Up? Then you can enjoy creating together and eagerly await to pick up your masterpieces after they have been glazed.

Building Kits:

Of course, Lego is an incredibly popular toy but it is also incredibly expensive! There are some loopholes though. 😀 If you have a 5 Below near you, check it out. The one that I shop at has several Lego Creator and even Technic sets on the cheap. I was really surprised to find them and got a handful of kits for a song as one of my gifts for my nephew. 5 Below also has pseudo Lego kits for Strawberry Shortcake, Hello Kitty, and candy like Hershey’s and Reese’s. This can give a taste for building without breaking the bank.

And, finally, there is a store in my neck of the woods called The Exchange. It is a buy/sell/trade shop for video games, movies, records, and memorabilia and oftentimes they have used Lego sets there. If you have a similar store in your vicinity, it doesn’t hurt to stop by. Mine currently has a lot of the Wicked sets there for close to half off. Why pay more when you can pay less?!

“Pet” Gifts:

If your little has been longing for a pet of their own and it isn’t possible, there are SO many cute animal care toys on the market. My eldest niece, for example, would love pet bunnies because of my Melvin and Penelope. Who can blame her? They’re the cutest! Last year for Christmas, I got her a Little Live Pets set for bunnies and she absolutely loved it. These toys come with a mama animal and babies to birth. It also includes clothes to dress them up in, play food to feed them, and bedding to make their hutch cozy. These toys make noises and are super interactive. It could be the perfect introduction to caring for a pet of their own some day! *Note: PLEASE don’t gift real animals for the holidays. They are family, not a present to be returned.*

It feels like October is flying by and the holidays are just around the corner. Stay tuned for more inspo guides from your girl all holiday season long!

Are you an early or last minute holiday shopper? Who is the most difficult person to shop for on your list? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar20

Treat Day Birthdays

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Treat Day Birthdays

Howdy! Johnny and I are the proud Fun Aunt and Uncle to five amazing kiddos – four girls and one boy. We value our time with each of them so much and they bring us such an immeasurable amount of joy! Johnny and I coined the phrase Treat Day for our outings with the kids because that is exactly what it is: A day where we get to spoil them rotten. Our typical Treat Day MO is a lunch at whatever restaurant they would like and an outing somewhere fun like the zoo, an indoor amusement center, or trampoline park. We will give options or will go with whatever our little has in mind. This past weekend, we celebrated our niece’s sixth birthday with a Treat Day bonanza and she knew exactly what she wanted to do: Dinner at Chipotle, a Target shopping spree, and a slumber party. It was a blast!!

Treat Days are amazing, but Treat Day Birthdays just hit different. It creates not only a celebratory atmosphere but a day where it is literally all about your little and anything goes. This could be a great option if you have a kiddo, niece, or nephew with a birthday on the horizon so let’s discuss a few key components to make it the best day ever:

Gifts:

For our niece’s Treat Day, shopping was the move so we were able to gift her with whatever her little heart desired. I did, however, make a sentimental gift for her to be able to physically open up: A photo album filled with pictures of me and her, her and Johnny, and all of us together. It was a huge hit! Chances are high that the Treat Day location you end up at will have plenty of opportunity to make purchases there as extra presents on top of the gift of experience. This formula served us well this time around because our niece was able to make her own choices and select toys and crafts that she knew she would play with. It also eliminated the possibility of her parents taking on the task should anything we picked out need returned.

Follow The Leader:

Our eldest niece is such a little planner and she simply comes alive during Treat Days because of that. Johnny and I are literally making her plans happen and use the Follow The Leader approach to solidify that it is “her” day. Whether it is the order in which she wants to do things or changing plans on a dime like an impromptu craft break during a viewing of Moana 2, it’s all good! During the birthday extravaganza, I couldn’t help but utilize the “Yes, and?” model of improv back in my theater days. Kids change their minds, you might end up doing something completely different than what you had in mind, and? You just go with the flow!

Prepare Accordingly:

For our niece’s outing, weather wasn’t a concern because we were simply going in and out of different places. If you are having an outdoor based Treat Day, then I cannot emphasize this enough: Plan it well! This seems like a no brainer, but there really is nothing more disappointing than a plan falling through that you were looking forward to – especially for a kiddo. Schedule your outing on a day with no weather surprises and should the unexpected happen, explain an equally fun Plan B a few days before and the promise of Plan A happening when weather permits. Springing a Plan B after disappointment might make matters worse and we can’t have that.

And, of course, if you are having an outdoor adventure – pack accordingly too! Prep a bag with sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, snacks, drinks, and items of comfort if needed. Don’t forget to bring some cash too as you might need it to do a wagon rental, photo booth, or activities at the location itself like feeding animals at the zoo!

Johnny and I truly have Treat Days down to the T and we cannot wait for our next adventure with our favorite littles!

What is your ideal Treat Day? How are you celebrating your little’s birthday? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar19

Airbrush Plush Review

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Airbrush Plush Review

Hello! This past Friday, Johnny and I had the most amazing time celebrating our eldest niece for her sixth birthday. We wanted it to be the ultimate Treat Day for her and she gave us a grand plan of what she would like to do: Dinner at Chipotle, a shopping spree at Target, and a slumber party at our apartment. So that is exactly what we did!! After noshing at Chipotle, we shopped till we dropped at Target. Our niece picked out plenty of toys and a couple of crafts and it was so sweet that she wanted to play with everything and complete the crafts with us. On Saturday morning, we broke out the Airbrush Plush craft kit and it was seriously the cutest little project and the kiddo loved it. Check it out:

As soon as our niece locked eyes on the Airbrush Plush kit, she was all about it lol. Anything that comes with a unicorn plushie is an instant yes so into the cart it went! I was really excited to help her with this craft because it was so delightfully reminiscent of the DoodleBear. The DoodleBear was a toy that I had as a child and it was basically the OG version of the Airbrush Plush. It was a teddy bear that came with markers, you could color all over it, and then wash it and do it again. The Airbrush Plush had all the same sentiments and my niece couldn’t believe I played with something so similar when I was little too.

This kit cost twenty bucks and I consider it to be money well spent based on the fun factor alone. The ease of use and the fact that you can rinse and repeat the process only solidified that and it would be such a great gift or a craft to pick up for a rainy day. The Airbrush Plush kit came with an airbrush, four markers, and plenty of stencils in a wide variety of patterns. All Johnny and I had to do was put two AA batteries in the airbrush and our niece was able to handle the rest completely on her own. She had a solid idea of how she wanted her plushie to look and airbrushed away until she was satisfied, then added stencils to give the unicorn magic powers lol. Our hearts exploded when she said she was giving the plushie “rock n roll” hair!! We have taught her well. ❤

The Airbrush Plush fully dried in under twenty minutes, the cleanup was nonexistent, and I think we were all very happy with this purchase. If you were a 90s kid and unlocked a core memory with the DoodleBear mention, you will enjoy it just as much too. Highly recommend!

What was your favorite toy as a child? What is a really cool toy that your kiddo has? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb6

Craft Night!

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Craft Night!

Hello!! One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to make more time for fun over the weekend. I am pleased to report that I have been doing great on this goal and the best thing of all has been having lots of hang outs with my three niece girl squad. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to get some craft supplies to make Valentines together. I went to Michael’s for the craft fest and was pleasantly surprised! All of their Valentine’s Day items were already marked down to forty percent off and the whole store was almost entirely Easter. It was a total score and I ended up with plenty of projects to keep my big girls occupied. I even got the fixings for the littlest baby to make a Valentine too with help from her big sisters!

This past Friday, my sister and girl squad joined me at Chez Mom and Dad for our crafting extravaganza. My big girls love to paint so I got them a pottery cake and cupcake to decorate, foam hearts to make cards with, and children’s paint and construction paper so baby sis could make a footprint heart. It was such a blast to get situated at the kitchen table and see what the girls dreamed up! After their pottery was to their liking, the girl squad began making Valentine’s Day cards for everyone and anything lol. Of course, they made Valentines for their parents and grandparents but they also made cards for their pets and our family dog! They also each made one for TT too:

My heart absolutely burst when the girls presented me with their creations and I have them proudly displayed in my apartment. We wrapped up our crafting jamboree with another fantastic surprise. My oldest niece decided she FINALLY wants me to teach her how to figure skate!! It was a joy to teach my big girls some jumps and spins off ice and they kind of got the hang of it lol. I can’t wait to hit the rink together!

Have you made any Valentine’s Day crafts? Do you decorate for V-Day? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan27

Fun Valentine’s Day Crafts For The Kiddos

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Fun Valentine’s Day Crafts For The Kiddos

Hello!! Is it just me or has January felt like an entire year? Lol, every time I look at the date, I assume it’s the fifteenth or something yet here we are nearing the end of the month! And, of course, this means that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. I am so excited to celebrate with Johnny by seeing our all time favorite musical, Hadestown, in Akron. I also plan on having a Valentine’s Day craft party with my three niece girl squad, which is going to be a total blast! I’m arranging to do a few of the following with them and thought I would send some inspiration your way too:

Hand & Feet Hearts:

First and foremost, I am sure that my girls would love to make a special Valentine’s Day card for their parents. I am going to get some construction paper as well as pink, red, and white paint. They can make their cards however they would like, but I thought it would be really cute to make some hand and foot print hearts. If your kiddo isn’t opposed to messy hands or the sensation of cold paint on their feet, this is such a sweet and simple way to make a memorable keepsake. My big girls will probably want to do their own thing, but I just know they would be happy to help their new baby sister make some hand prints for her first craft!

Pipe Cleaner Bouquets:

When it comes to crafting with the girl squad, it is all about easy projects that are relatively quick to complete. Pipe cleaners are always a good option because even if they don’t make anything at all, they are still fun to play with! Whether you are making hearts, flowers, or even animals with the pipe cleaners, it is an opportunity to let creativity shine. If you are going the bouquet route, you might even want to pick up a a vase to paint or decorate with tissue paper and make your pipe cleaner flowers look like the real deal.

Picture Frames:

My best girls really enjoy looking through photo albums and seeing pictures displayed throughout the home. One of their options is going to be picking out their favorite picture of themselves and painting a wooden picture frame to house it in. This is a perfect gift for parents to display on their desk or on the mantle and gives the kiddos the chance to see their handiwork front and center.

Sweets & Treats:

It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without a sugar rush! My big girls are the best helpers for cookie and cupcake decorating and are always so proud of what they baked with their mom. If they would prefer to bake on our craft day, we will make a trip to the grocery store so they can pick out whatever sprinkles, frosting, and cut outs that they like. Then, they can have homemade Valentine’s Day treats that they designed for their parents and grandparents. Chocolate making is also a fabulous activity for littles and something different from the norm. Should they want to go this route, we will be making a trip to my in laws house instead of the grocery store! My mother-in-law is an amazing chocolateer and has molds and chocolate wafers for days to come in with the assist. ❤

Every holiday is infinitely more fun when I have three little minis to celebrate with. I can’t wait for our crafting jubilee!

What are your Valentine’s Day plans? What are some other ideas for V-Day crafts? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan4

Super Cute Craft

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Super Cute Craft

Hello!! Whenever Johnny and I watch our nieces, we always like to do some type of craft together. The girls are especially partial to painting. Whether it be on mugs, paper, or wooden or clay figurines – they are all about it and we have many of their masterpieces displayed throughout the apartment. This past weekend, we enjoyed using one of the painting gifts that I got for my eldest niece and it was a huge hit. If you have a little who loves art and unicorns, I cannot recommend this kit by SpringFlower enough. Check it out:

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^^^ Photo by SpringFlower

I purchased the unicorn painting kit by SpringFlower off of Amazon for twenty dollars and was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was. It came with eight felt figurines that were all different from each other (Awesome!), tubes of glitter, paint, and paint brushes. The figurines were sturdy, easy to paint on, and just so darn cute. They were serving MAJOR My Little Pony vibes and, as a total nineties kid, I was living for it! Even my niece appreciated this nod because My Little Pony was her mom’s (my sister’s) all time favorite and they have several of them throughout their house. ❤

As I prepared dinner over the weekend, Johnny and my niece broke out the unicorn figurines to paint together. Before I even had my back turned, they were already laughing and scheming on what colors to use. My heart was bursting, but it simply exploded when I checked back in on them ten or so minutes later. Our niece proudly told me “TT – Uncle Johnny and I are both making rock and roll unicorns!” They created a color palette to use and made matching, concert ready unicorns. Once they were dry, our niece decided Johnny’s unicorn needed to be put by his record player and I couldn’t think of a more perfect spot!

12/10 Highly recommend this painting kit. It is an ideal activity for a day in or even setting it up as a painting station at a birthday party for an adorable keepsake!

What was your favorite childhood toy? Where are all my other nineties kids at? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan2

Best Gift Ever

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Best Gift Ever

Hello!! Johnny and I are the proud “fun aunt and uncle” to five little darlings. There are four girls and one boy and celebrating the holidays all together was the most wonderful gift. It was so sweet to watch them rip open their presents and play the day away and it also gave me an even deeper respect for all the parents out there. We were exhausted by the time we got home! The kiddos weren’t far from our minds, though, because we spent the rest of the evening talking about how cute they were and laughing about all of the funny things they said and did. And, of course, treasuring the Best Gift Ever that my eldest niece presented me with. Check it out:

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Back in my day, my grade school would have a “Santa Shop” during the holiday season to purchase small gifts for loved ones. At our Val Gal’s school, they apparently did the same. On Christmas, she was so proud to hand out gifts that she got all by herself. This included a pretty “Grandma” heart shaped necklace for my mom, a wrench keychain for my dad, and the stuffed mushroom for me lol. I’m honestly not sure why this was my gift – part of me thinks it’s because we watched the Mario Movie together or maybe the colors reminded her of my hair. Whatever the reason is doesn’t matter because the fact remains that she saw it and thought that I would love to have it for Christmas. And she was so right!!

As an extended Christmas gift from Johnny and I, we hosted Val for a slumber party. As soon as she came barrelling through the door, she immediately saw my new stuffie displayed front and center on one of our knick knack shelves. I told her that I put it there as soon as we got home from our holiday dinner and that delighted her because it was further confirmation that TT loved her gift. Although we each got spoiled rotten this Christmas, our catchphrase during the slumber party was saying “you’re my gift” to each other. There is truly no better gift than that… Except for my mushroom. ❤

Our nieces and nephew are literal sunshine and I am so thankful that we were all home for the holidays. It really was one of the best Christmases ever!

Who was your favorite aunt or uncle growing up? What was the best gift you received this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug27

Bestie Bracelets

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Bestie Bracelets

Hello!!! My two nieces are my A1 besties and Johnny and I adore being their aunt and uncle. One recently celebrated her second birthday and the other is off to kindergarten and I’m ready for them to stop growing any time now! During my last trip to TJMaxx, I wanted to pick up a few “starting school” treats so little lady could have gifts to open while her sister celebrated her birthday. I got her some fun hair accessories, a nail polish kit, and best friends bracelets. I was hoping she would give me one of them because it was inspired by something my mom did for me when I started school. She did and I proudly wear my half of the Bestie Bracelets every day:

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As a new kindergartner, I missed my mom terribly. To help ease that transition, my mom gave me a locket with a picture of us in it. She told me that I should open the locket every time I missed her and I made great use of it and still have it to this day. Johnny’s mom did something similar. She gave him a drawing of a clock with the time that she would pick him up and he was better able to measure the time when he would see her again. This is exactly why I gave my niece our BFF bracelets – so if she ever needed a hug from her TT at school, all she would have to do is look at her bracelet and know how much I love her. Honestly, my bracelet is going to help me too because I am going to miss her SO much while she is at school!

If you have kiddos or lil besties that are about to start their school year, I cannot recommend doing something like this enough. It’s such a simple but effective gesture in combating that back to school angst. It is also something that will be forever remembered. Johnny and I are in our thirties and still think about how our moms gave us something tangible to hold onto when we began kindergarten! Whatever you choose for your little will be cherished and it is definitely worth giving it a try as they start their big adventure. ❤

I am so excited to see how much my niece learns and grows this year and I am so happy that we have Bestie Bracelets together. This proud TT is going to need it, without a doubt!

Did you like going to school? (I sure didn’t lol) What was your favorite subject? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul17

Treat Day Ideas

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Treat Day Ideas

Hello!!! Johnny and I take our roles as the “fun aunt and uncle” extremely seriously. We simply adore our nieces and nephew and consider it our job to spoil them as we don’t want children of our own. Being an aunt and uncle is awesome because we get to unleash our inner child for a few hours and then give the kiddos back to their parents! A shining example of this is “Treat Day”, which is when we pick up our oldest niece, grab some lunch, and go on a fun adventure. In fact, we just had one this past weekend at Urban Air (An indoor trampoline park). Treat Days are a fantastic way to get quality time with our littles and here are some ideas for places to go that your kiddos or nieces and nephews will love:

Trampoline Parks:

Our niece wanted to go to Urban Air for her outing with us this weekend and as it was Treat Day, we happily obliged. I haven’t been to a trampoline park since I was a teenager and it was just as much fun for Johnny and I as it was to our niece. We had an absolute blast exploring all of the different attractions that Urban Air had to offer. There was a gigantic ball pit, trampolines to bounce on, games, playgrounds and so much more. It was honestly exhausting lol but one thousand percent worth it. And, as a bonus, there is a one thousand percent chance your little will be ready for a nap afterwards – we sure were!

Museums:

There are several really cool museums in my neck of the woods as I’m sure is pretty similar for my dear readers. One of the best for kiddos in the 330 is the Akron Children’s Museum. It is an educational setting, but all of the exhibits are so entertaining and hands on that it feels more like play time than learning. This museum features stations for dress up, music, architecture, water, archaeology, engineering, and that’s just naming a few. I have easily spent an entire afternoon there with my nieces before! Museums or libraries are the tops if you still want to have an exciting day out and the weather isn’t cooperating. Your local libraries will also more than likely have free classes, programs, and events for kids too.

Zoo:

Who doesn’t love a trip to the zoo? I am actually eagerly awaiting this coming weekend for an evening at the Cleveland Zoo with my whole family for an Asian Lantern Festival! The zoo (Or aquarium on a rainy day!) is such an interactive location and has something for everyone. Every exhibit is an opportunity for your littles to learn and appreciate something new, but it will feel like an adventure. Be sure to check the events guide for your zoo visit as many of them offer times to feed the animals, attend talks given by zookeepers, and see shows. It also goes without saying that Dippin’ Dots are a complete must! 😀

Out & About:

The very first Treat Day we had with our niece was going to get Mexican food for lunch, shopping at Target so she could pick out a new toy, and going to the park. It is one of my favorite memories and just goes to show that Treat Days can be as big or as low key as you want to make it. Regardless of what you do, your little will feel special from that bonding time. Johnny and I still talk about the OG Treat Day often because our niece said SO many funny things that we like to quote. The day also ended on the most adorable note because the last thing little lady wanted to do was have her uncle set up her new Blue’s Clues playhouse for her. ❤

Back to school will be here before we know it. Make the most of sweet summertime with your kiddos by penciling in a Treat Day or two!

Did you have a favorite aunt or uncle growing up? What is your favorite museum in your neck of the woods? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun21

Slumber Partay

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Slumber Partay

Hi!! My two little nieces are my best girls in the whole wide world. Johnny and I just love being the fun TT and uncle and try our best to see them whenever we can, including this past Monday. My niece, Val Gal, decided her birthday gift to me was going to be a slumber party and it was so sweet lol. She knows that it is both of our favorites so it was a great gift! We were going to hit the pool up, but it was storming off and on all day. That was no matter, because we still had a fabulous time just staying in. 🙂

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Even though our swimming plans fell through, this was quite possibly the best time ever and it was right off the jump. As soon as my sister, Val, and little Raya walked through the door I was given fantastic news. Raya was saying “TT” the entire car ride over. She also gave me the biggest smile and said “Hi, TT” and my heart completely melted. It brought me back to when Val said that for the first time and put me in ALL of the feels. Apparently, it did with Val too. We spent a good part of the evening looking at baby pictures of her and little sis and Val wanted to hear the story behind each picture. I was more than happy to talk about all of those happy memories and it was so joyous to reminisce on that together.

Of course, our slumber party wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t stick to tradition. After going through literally ninety percent of the pictures on my phone, it was time for a Disney movie and ice cream sundaes – a sleepover standard. Val wanted to watch Wish, which I had never seen and it was absolutely phenomenal. The visuals and music were amazing and I plan on watching it again so I can pay closer attention to it. Once the movie screening was over, we read lots of books including one that Val picked out for me at the library earlier that day: Barbie’s Book Of Bunnies. It was SO thoughtful and I think Melvin and Penelope liked the story too! By this time, it was time to wrap the festivities up with a little bit of the movie Bolt and bedtime. I think we both fell asleep in under five minutes flat!

My birthday celebrations are officially over, and this was the perfect way to bring it to a close. I can’t wait for more summertime fun with my best girls!! ❤

Do you have any nieces and nephews? What is the best part about being an aunt or uncle? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah