Brooke's first birthday

The cake for the adults above

The smash cake for Brooke below

My baby niece Brooke turned one several weeks ago!!  It was interesting for all of us to see a very practical demonstration of how different parenting is for a third child than for a first child.
When Jane Bradley turned 1, the whole world knew about it.  Lacey hand delivered invitations to her friends that were inside rubber duckies.  There were rubber duckies in the pool and hanging from the trees and just about anywhere else you could think of.  Lacey didn't miss a beat in making sure that it was the party of the century (aside from her wedding of course).

But about 6 years later Brooke came along as the third child.  This time the party was more intimate.  People didn't get rubber ducky invitations but the house was filled with laughter of kids from the neighborhood and family who gathered to celebrate Brooke.  It was a really sweet day-- even sweeter for Brooke when she discovered how much cake she could eat!

 

In true first-birthday fashion though I made Brooke her own rubber ducky cake.  I found a very sweet white birthday cake recipe from Irma in the Joy of Cooking so that the kids would be happy and on a sugar high (sorry parents!).  I made the ducks out of pound cake though so that they retained their structure. It felt great to have all of my tools out--I think I'm starting to pick up my cake baking fire again.  I guess after about a year of burn out it might be about time?