Tag Archives: nieces

Oct13

Disney Princess Party

Posted on October 13, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Hello! This past Saturday, I spent an adorable time with my sister and sweet nieces attending a Disney Princess Party. The event was held at an arcade bar called The Workz in downtown Cuyahoga Falls and it was a hoot. Kristen and I enjoyed good food and drinks while Val and Raya were awestruck by seeing Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff from Frozen IRL. It was so cute seeing all of the little princesses in their costumes and, yes, I am that extra auntie that dressed up too lol. I ended up wearing my wedding dress because I felt like a princess on my wedding day and I wanted to feel like that again. I’m pleased to report that it was a hit!

You can peep two new OOTDs coming soon, including me wearing my wedding attire one more time for the one time. But, now, let’s peep the festivities from girls afternoon out:

The princess party began with a riveting song by Anna, followed by an introduction from Elsa and Kristoff. Once the whole Frozen crew was on stage, they began to teach all of the kiddos games like the Freeze Dance. But, you had to “freeze” in a Frozen character pose. Sadly, Val was in a bit of a mood so she wasn’t really feeling the activities, but rallied hard when Kristen and I began participating too. I think she was just nervous to be in the presence of royalty!

After doing the Freeze Dance, Elsa performed “Let It Go” and she was SO good. Although let’s all agree that her wig is hit lol. Funnily enough, the actress who plays her actually works with my sister in the summertime. Go figure! When her big performance was over, the next game was dancing like your favorite Disney princess – IE, cleaning as Cinderella, swimming as Ariel… You get the point. The cast then wrapped things up and began walking the space to meet the kiddos, take pictures, and sign autographs.

When it was time for our turn with the character actors, Val did not want to speak to them or take pictures. However, she did have questions for them which Kristen and I asked for her and they all had great replies and encouraged Val to take a pic later if she wanted to. After our visit, I was SO proud of Val because after a few minutes she decided she would like a picture and she WERKED it! It took her a minute to get warmed up and that’s okay! I think I would be freaking out if I were her age and meeting my favorite Disney princesses too. ❤

Once the event was done, the kids all received a free half hour card to play the different arcade games. Val and I simply crushed in Mario Kart, Kristen dominated at Ring Toss, I was a beast at Ski Ball, and Raya was excellent support. The Frozen crew also came around to play games with the kids and Val loved watching Kristoff play the Test Your Strength game. She also learned that Elsa and Belle have a book club together when she wanted to know which other princesses she was friends with. So cute!

Everyone who attended the Princess Party was given the royal treatment and it was a delightful time. I love being able to do treat days with my best girls and I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for similar events in our neck of the woods!

Who is your favorite Disney character? What is your favorite Disney movie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May30

Fun Aunt & Uncle

Posted on May 30, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Johnny and I pride ourselves on being the Fun Aunt & Uncle to our two sweet nieces, Valerie and Raya. They are the absolute best and we cherish every minute with them! With all of the craziness going on in my life, it had been hard to see our nieces as often as we would like and that was my first order of business to change once things (Thankfully!) slowed down. This past Wednesday, we hosted our darling Val for a slumber party and it was a blast. Val claimed that Wednesday would be “the best day ever” and she was so right, as always!

Val arrived fairly late into the evening on Wednesday and came prepared with all of her slumber party supplies; A sleeping bag, stuffed animals, jammies and slippers, and books to read before bed. It was like she consulted the “what to bring to a sleepover” manual and it was adorable. To kick start the party, we had her favorite meal of spaghetti and Parmesan cheese and both of our favorite dessert – ice cream sundaes! Extra sprinkles for Val, of course! While we ate, we had a viewing of Ugly Dolls, which I had never seen before and I LOVED it. It was such a fun, sweet movie with an awesome message and an all star cast. Huge shout out to Val for her selection!

Once dinner and a show was complete, it was time to play, play, play. We hung out with Melvin and Penelope, and I didn’t think anyone could be as obsessed with them as I am, but I met my match with Val! She enjoyed petting and brushing both Mel and Pen and our shy Penelope graced us by letting me pick her up so Val could hold her. They both did great! After bunny time was done, we kept the theme going by playing a rabbit themed board game: Uncle Wiggly. This was Johnny’s favorite game in his youth so it was really special to play it all together and introduce a new generation to it.

Since Val arrived late, it was time to wrap up the evening and start heading to bed after our bunny jamboree. Val and I snuggled up and watched Home while surrounded by all of our plushies. We were both fast asleep as soon as it was over! Before Val was picked up in the morning, she assisted me in caring for the bunnies and making chocolate chip pancakes. Unfortunately, she decided after one bite that she didn’t like them lol so we just had spaghetti for breakfast! She is so much like me because that is honestly my favorite thing to have in the morning too. 😀

After Val left from our slumber party, I was missing her like crazy! She is mine and Johnny’s number one best girl and we are all looking forward to many more “best days ever” with her! ❤

Did you have a favorite aunt and uncle when you were little? Do you prefer regular food or actual breakfast food in the morning? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr30

Best Girls Girl Time

Posted on April 30, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! My nieces, Valerie and Raya, are two of the best things that have ever happened to me. They have been my little besties since day one and I love watching them grow, even though I’d prefer for them to stay little forever! Last Tuesday, I finally got to spend some quality time at my sister’s house for the ultimate girl’s night in. We play, play, played, danced, and ran around the house like crazy people! The best part, though, was playing dress up with my Val Gal:

Valerie is so much like me and it never fails to warm my cold, bitter heart. She is so funny, sassy, and kind and I love her creativity. Val has taken to her dance classes like a fish to water and is eager for her TT to teach her how to ice skate. Like her ol’ T, she also has a passion for fashion. Val selects her own outfits every day and I am always excited to see what she comes up with. Future OOTD blogger in the making? I think YES!

On Tuesday, Val wanted to get fancy and I was so there for it. She proudly showed me her jewelry box filled with her Disney Princess nail polish, necklaces, bracelets, hair accessories, and random artifacts and TT got to work. First, we played nail salon and Val selected her favorite colors of polish and the pattern she wanted for her nails and toes. Like me, she insisted on nail touch ups if they smudged while drying. I was so proud. ❤

Once her nails were to her liking, she let me do her hair and I was thrilled about that because she never lets me put her hair up. I have wanted to do space buns for her for forever and they turned out as adorable as I pictured them! After her nails and hair were on fleek, it was time to accessorize and, in this case, more was more. Val put on every single bracelet she owns and I helped her clasp all of her necklaces. The look was completed with a butterfly clip and a bow in her hair and my girl was ready to work it!

I like to think of this day as when Val learned the power of the confidence boost you can get when you are wearing something that makes you happy. By the time her OOTD was done, she was not merely walking but strutting! We worked on our runway walks and poses and my heart melted when she summoned her parents to check out our handiwork by saying “Mommy, daddy! Look at me! I’m so fancy!” Haha, that’s my girl. 😀

While Val and I played dress up, my mind went into a montage of us shopping, getting our nails done, and having girl time. It made me so happy and proud and these are seriously the moments that I live for. Val is most excited for our next slumber party because we plan on playing dress up again in TT and Uncle Johnny’s closet. I think she is going to lose her mind seeing all of our scarves, hats, and jewelry at her disposal! I can’t wait. ❤

What was your favorite thing to play when you were little? What makes you feel “so fancy”? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr19

Belated Easter Egg Hunt

Posted on April 19, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! With the craziness going on in Lil Red’s world, my family didn’t do anything for Easter and Johnny and I enjoyed a much needed day of rest. I still had grand plans for an Easter egg hunt for my sweet niece, Val Gal, and this past Thursday we spent the afternoon outside together in the summertime temps. Prior to the arrival of my sister, Raya, and Val, I filled up the eggs with prizes and placed them throughout the backyard to be found. I would say that it was a raging success; Val loved it!

This was Val’s very first Easter egg hunt and my girl came to WIN! She was finding eggs left and right and it was so fun to watch her scurrying around the yard and filling up her bag. Almost every single egg was found without a hitch and the only one she needed help finding was one directly in front of her lol. Once the hunt was over, we went back inside to evaluate the spoils which included money, chocolate, and Sweet Tarts. Some of the chocolate did melt so it was lucky we had backup supplies and Val was so sweet to offer the first Hershey Kiss in one of her eggs to me. Angel! ❤

After the eggs were all opened, we just had to go back outside and soak up the sunshine. My dad, Kristen, Val, Raya in the stroller, and Archie the dog went for a nice, long walk around the neighborhood. We taught Val about the different flowers that were blooming and, although every yellow flower was a sunflower, I think she learned a thing or two haha. To end our day, Val and I stayed outside and played with our favorites; Chalk and bubbles! We colored rainbows and the flowers we saw on our walk and, I hate to brag, but we popped a very impressive amount of bubbles. 😀

When my sister arrived back home with the kiddos, she sent me a picture of Val fast asleep in the car after our activity filled afternoon. The sure sign of the best Easter egg hunt ever and Val is already eager to do another one again soon!

What was your favorite thing to play outside with when you were little? Did you or your kids attend an Easter egg hunt this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec26

Holiday Fun At Lock 3

Posted on December 26, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone!!! This past Wednesday, I bundled up against the cold with my sister, Kristen, and sweet nieces, Val and Raya, for some pre-Christmas fun. Originally, we were going to go to a somewhat far away holiday lights display but got turned off by the driving. So, we headed to downtown Akron’s Lock 3 instead that hosts light displays and ice skating in the winter. The rink was crazy crowded and to both mine and Val’s disappointment, we had to pass on her first skating lesson with TT. We still had a blast visiting Archie The Talking Snowman and playing mini golf, though! Check it out:

Literally everyone in northeast Ohio knows Archie The Talking Snowman. He had a long tenure at Chapel Hill Mall until it closed down a few years ago and since got moved to Lock 3. Every holiday season when we were little, we would visit Archie at the mall and tell him what we wanted for Christmas and, of course, that we had been good all year. He would then promise to put in a good word with the Big Man just for us. Yes, it was just some guy in the gigantic snowman talking to us but it was freaking magical as a kid!

Kristen and I thought Val would be stoked to meet Archie and tell him what’s on her wish list but that was far from the case. Lol, little lady was freaking terrified and, honestly, so was I! The booming voice of Archie reverberated throughout the entire area and even into the parking garage. I don’t remember him being so loud! Val agreed to let Kristen talk to Archie on her behalf and it was a fine compromise. 🙂

After visiting with Archie, we went to check out the adorable displays set up in cabins that used to house vendors for a Christkindl Market. These displays actually used to be set up in windows all throughout the buildings of downtown Akron and it was cool to see them all in one place without walking around the city in the cold. I definitely remember the little snowpeople window from way back when! This was my favorite one and Val’s too. She is such a TT’s girl! ❤

When we were done scouring the displays, we realized ice skating was a bust. To warm up and make the most of the evening, we played mini golf at the small indoor course set up by the Akron Children’s Museum. This was the first time Val played putt putt and it went better than we expected – no meltdowns were had unlike her TT when she was little! About halfway through mini golfing, Val realized it was the funnest thing ever and took mine and Kristen’s turns for us. She rolled with the punches of not being able to skate beautifully and our evening ended on such a high note.

I have always loved the holiday season and it is infinitely better now that Johnny and I have sweet nieces and nephews to share it with. I cannot wait to take Val skating and it looks like we’re going to have to go mini golfing this summer!

Are there any holiday traditions like Archie in your neck of the woods? What is your favorite holiday activity? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug4

Fourth Watercolor Project

Posted on August 4, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! I have a vast repertoire of hobbies and enjoy reading, ice skating, writing, swimming, and, of course, shopping in my free time. Watercolor painting is a recent hobby that I’ve added to this list and I have been loving it and trying my hand at different projects as often as I can. This past weekend, I made this little painting for my nieces while Johnny took a nap lol check it out:

My sister and brother-in-law have their daughter, Valerie, and will have another little girl very soon. We are SO excited and I wanted to make something adorable for their bed or playroom. They most certainly are cute as a button so inspiration for my most recent project was really easy to come by!

Val’s favorite colors are purple and pink so I obviously had to incorporate that and I think she will be super happy about the palette I chose. She’s also not old enough to know good art, either, so that’s another win lol. Good art or not, it was fun to make and I like how it turned out so that’s all that matters. 😀

Every time I paint something, I come up with ideas for another project that I would like to do. Without the watercolor class that I took, I would have never thought that it would be an activity that I would enjoy. However, here we are now on my fourth project and I am eager to continue creating more and more. I have some sketches ready to paint when I can and I also plan on making a rainbow painting for my nieces. I can’t wait to show all of you!

Have you started a new hobby recently? What do you like to do in your free time? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Tune in tomorrow for bloopers from my Country Concert OOTD!

	lifewithlilred on Spirit Christmas Haul
	oliveunicorn on Spirit Christmas Haul
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	lifewithlilred on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers