There is just something so special about your baby reaching that 1st birthday milestone. After a year of incredible growth, your tiny infant has become a one year old...on the brink of becoming a toddler.
One of our favorite sessions to do in studio is a First Birthday/ Cake Smash.

This beautiful (and delicious) little cake was made by our favorite local baker, Stefanie of Sweet Luxe Cake Design.
You can find her gorgeous creations here: www.sweetluxecakedesign.com/

We started out this session with some pictures of the birthday girl. This is a good opportunity to not only get a few sweet photos before the mess, but it also gave her a bit of time to warm up to the camera.

Once we get our pre-cake photos, we set the cake down in front of the birthday girl and let her have fun!

Seriously...is there anything cuter than baby toes?

Ava had a fantastic time at her cake smash, and her pictures are so precious.

After all these pictures of delicious, adorable cake mess, I leave you with some words of wisdom from my kindergarten teacher.

"Kids are 100% washable, non shrinkable."
                                                     -Mrs. Fernandez

Click the contact tab at the top of the page to request more information about our cake smash sessions. We would love to hear from you!






Mrs. Fernandez was a woman full of wisdom. Any time we were gluing in class (with that super sticky minty smelling paste jug) she would tell us "a little dab will do ya" which of course my little kindergarten ears heard as "a little dabool dooulya" I'm embarrassed to admit just how old I was when the light bulb went off and I realized what she was actually saying.

For our Small Business Spotlight this month, I visited The Toy Chest in Hope.

 Hope is such an adorable town. The Toy Chest is located right on the corner by the blinking light.
If you are looking for a perfectly curated shopping experience, this is the place to go. Walking into The Toy Chest feels a little like stepping back in time. Around every turn, you are either rediscovering a part of your childhood or discovering an amazing new toy. The owner, Kirk, greets each of his customers as they come through the door (one of the reasons we love shopping small businesses). For my visit, I asked Kirk if he could give me some recommendations for stocking stuffers. His enthusiasm is contagious and I am excited to surprise my family members on Christmas morning with some of his suggestions.
Best of all, each of these products is under $15 at The Toy Chest (and most are under $10).

My kiddos would love the Star Wars and Roblox. I had to convince myself not to buy one of the Retro Toys for myself.

A few more retro toys. I remember playing Jacks with my mom when I was little...she was so good! It is so fun to share a part of my childhood with my kids on Christmas morning.

Who else remembers these toys? You gently squeeze the bottom pieces together and the little characters flip around on the string. They are so cute!!

These are one of my favorite stocking stuffers at The Toy Chest. They are Bluetooth enabled, so you can stream wirelessly from your favorite device, and the sound is great! I was shocked that these were within my stocking stuffer price.

I love the experience of shopping at The Toy Chest and finding toys that you just won't find in a big box store. This toy train is so sweet. I could imagine all age groups being excited to receive a toy like this.

I couldn't help myself...they are just too cute. There is a little wooden button on the bottom and when you press it in and out, they dance. My kids get a total kick out of these.

My girls love these little backpacks. They stash all kinds of tiny things in them and let their dolls "carry" them to doll school.

My girls can't get enough of these little guys either. Something about their small size and sparkly eyes that draws them in. They are the perfect size to tuck into a stocking for Christmas morning.

Pop toys!! I don't know about your kids, but my kids love these things. The candy canes are adorable for stocking stuffers. Kirk has a great selection of these in the store. I love the octopus ones.

The Toy Chest is the best place to find the perfect gift, small or large.
Shop small. Shop local.
Tell him Chris and Andrea will see him soon...probably today...we have shopping to do!




Oh and if you see my husband...let him know they have Dickens Village pieces there as well.

Merry Christmas!!

www.thetoychestllc.com/