Kiddo Lifestyle | Audrey Turns 2

This poor kid. So far, every birthday has brought forth a stomach bug or cold and/or ear infection. Those darn winter birthdays just don’t stand much of a chance.

We got the antibiotics started just 2 days prior to the party on Saturday and she started feeling a little better. She still isn’t feeling the best yet, but at least her right ear should be feeling better by now.

Family came from near and far to help us celebrate. We ran with a Valentine’s theme this year since her party is so close to Valentine’s Day and naturally, I’d already have the Valentine’s themed decor out on display.

I chose to forgo the ordering of a cake from my favorite local baker this year (The Flour Child in Columbia, PA – seriously, go check them out should you need any baking needs fulfilled. Such amazing artists.) I’ve always said how much I disliked baking since it involves so much accuracy with measurements and all. I was never one that really liked math, let’s face it. Cooking is my jam for sure and something that relaxes me unlike baking which I find stressful.

So for Audrey’s 2nd birthday, I pulled my placeholder from the bakery shop, and chose to try my own layered cake for once. I figured if it ends up being a total flop, I’ll just go back to the bakery next party. No biggie. I dug on Pinterest for a yummy-looking cake recipe along with a filling and a buttercream recipe. I spent days researching how to prep my pans and learning icing techniques and felt as prepared as I could be to get brave and just dive on in. So there I had it, 3 different recipes for creating my very own layered cake. I spent an entire day on this thing other than the normal school drop-off, school pick-up, lunch, nap time and dinner interruptions. I baked the cake in the morning and after letting it cool, sealed it up with saran wrap and allowed it to chill in the fridge until the afternoon. Then came the creating of the cookie dough filling and the buttercream icing. I ended up going with a two-tone pink icing color which originally was intended to be ombre, but let’s face it… I have a lot to learn there as well. And then I threw some fun valentine’s sprinkles on top to finish.

I definitely learned a lot about baking temps/times and how it affects the doming effect on the top, to remember to save more filling for after it’s all stacked together to help fill in the sides of the cake to create a more straight and level edge… and how I need to watch some videos to learn more about icing techniques for sure. I’m sure its my art background coming out in me… but I surprisingly enjoyed myself during this process and can’t wait to bake my next cake. Who knew… that I might actually start to enjoy baking more after all. I just had to get brave and go big or go home. And sooo much to learn!

And now…. photos from the party, along with her 2nd birthday photoshoot and her annual fact board. 🙂 A big thank you to family for celebrating with us and loving on our little Audrey even when she’s sick. <3 (Also, thank you to my sister-in-law, Laurie, for helping me document it all with the photos.💕)