A little over a month ago, Rosie Mae had her first birthday.  We celebrated with a garden theme (get it, ROSE...Rosie...right).  We had our fingers and toes crossed for an outdoor shindig, but it was still just too cold.  So, we held it inside.  Luckily, it ended up being awesome regardless of the garden-party-without-a-garden.

I couldn't be the photographer who didn't decorate with photos - so we had LOTS of them strewn all about the first floor.  Guests had fun (they say) looking at them and walking down memory lane.

Birthday banner by Rifle Paper Co.

Cakes by Cake Designs by Sam AlKadi

Rose Fine Paper by Paper Source

Paper plates, napkins, and 1st Birthday blowers from Itzaparty!

Sam made the most amazing cakes.  They were BEAUTIFUL and soooo delicious.  The main cake had two tiers - bottom was white velvet with chocolate butter cream frosting and the top tier was strawberry.  both layers were SO GOOD.For Rosie Mae's personal cake, it was chocolate with chocolate butter cream frosting.  Oh yes, we went all the way.  :)Seriously, her cakes are so stunning I couldn't stop photographing them!  Sam also made the cake for Rosie Mae's baptism.  She will be making the cakes for every single Railey shindig for the rest of time.  A guest at the party (now another customer of Sam's), said, "When most people say they make cakes, I want to say, 'no, you decorate cakes.  They look beautiful but they taste terrible.  This cake is gorgeous and DELICIOUS!"  It's true, folks.  I highly, HIGHLY recommend Sam and her cakes.  Go call her now.  Just don't make her busy enough that she can't make our future cakes.  Deal?  ;)When it was time to sing Happy Birthday, Rosie Mae was intrigued. Then she took her first bite of cake.  Ever.  And then she did this:No, I did not have two photographers there catching the action from different angles; she was so in love with her cake she did this multiple times.  Enough for me to get around the very crowded dining room and grab the same shot from a different angle.Loving it.She stopped midway to applaud.  Seriously.  This was one happy kid.We tried to get a family shot but she was not going to be deterred from her mission of eating all the cake.She had just rubbed cake on her Dada's face.  And then cracked up.  And cracked me up, too.Serves me right, for laughing. When she was able, she lifted the entire cake onto her chest and just went to town.  It was hilarious.  She loved every second of it.  And somehow, she was not a raving lunatic for the rest of the day... she napped and went to bed on time and everything!  I was awaiting a sugar meltdown but, she was fine.  Bonus! She DID get to ride around the house in her new favorite toy, as all the older kids took turns pushing her.  We adults would hear her squeals as they drove her past.  :)So there it is folks, on this week of celebrating Motherhood.  My baby's first birthday.  It was the perfect day with family and friends.  How did you celebrate your little one's first birthday?

-Kerry:)p.s. stay tuned tomorrow for a gorgeous maternity session!p.p.s. you might be wondering why, as a professional photographer, I didn't do Rosie Mae's smash-the-cake moment with her on the ground in an adorable outfit and a cute backdrop.  You know, the way other people pay photographers to style a smash-the-cake session?  Well, like I said, we had really wanted the party outdoors and DID have the cake eating moment planned on a blanket in the great outdoors with a picket fence and balloons behind her.  But it was freezing and I don't have a room in the house large enough to accommodate backdrops, my equipment, AND 40 people.  So, we went with the highchair.  Oh, and as for an outfit - she was always going to be in just a diaper.  I think that's cuter than something crazy with cake all over it.  So, that's why Rosie Mae didn't have a formal smash-the-cake session.  I quite like how it turned out.