Happy Camper Cake Smash | Indianapolis newborn photographer

Say hello to Mr. Theo.

He is the sixth child in his family and has quite the story of survival. You can read about his journey here!

In the meantime, let’s talk about the epic cake smash we had to celebrate his first birthday.

Theo’s family acquired an RV in recent years. With six kiddos, they decided it would be fun to plan vacations they can take in the RV and take their home on the road as they travel. It allows them to cut lodging and food expenses. As you can imagine, eating out on vacation with six kids can add up really fast!

Sometimes, they go to campsites around Indiana or nearby states and just enjoy a beautiful outdoor location to get away from home together. Other times they have paired up with friends and added to the fun of the adventure making memories with others.

They have also traveled to vacation sites across America and have found nearby places to park their RV and enjoy seeing different sites in the USA.

When Theo was in the NICU, his mommy and daddy and five older siblings took a special trip away for a short time to catch a breath and get a break from the trauma of everything that was going on in the NICU.

You can read more about that story on the next blog post!

When Theo’s momma and I started to discuss a theme for celebrating his first birthday, we landed on a happy camper theme. It was just so perfectly fitting for the experiences they are having together as a family as they take their vacations!

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As always, every cake smash session begins with one or two set ups that are separate from the cake smash. While doing the cake smash is fun and definitely the highlight of the session, you don’t want your baby smashing cake in all of the photos celebrating his first birthday!

Theo’s momma opted for just one outfit - a cute little burgundy and white striped shirt with some sweet little jeans. We left him barefoot for these photos because who doesn’t love seeing some sweet little baby piggies!

We grabbed a few shots of him in his little striped shirt with the backdrop for the cake smash to add variety to his photos.

He was all about the pinecones, and we laughed as he kept trying to eat them.

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We chose to have a cake that looked like a big stack of pancakes with a party flair, and this cake did not disappoint! It truly looked like an actual stack of pancakes with butter slathered between the pancakes and thick, sweet maple syrup on the top dripping over the side. The sprinkles on top added that party flair and the sprinkle colors of oranges, reds and greens coordinated with the happy camper theme.

What makes this cake even more amazing is that it was made by his very own grandmother, Paula!

When we first sat Theo in front of his cake, he wasn’t quite sure what to think

He kept looking at his momma wondering what to do

It didn’t take him long to recognize that there was some fun sitting right in front of him! Theo started playing with his cake and had fun smashing it and tasting it!

By the time we were done with the session, Theo had thoroughly enjoyed himself and some very special memories were made!

Click here to see the childrens packages available and contact me to discuss the theme for your little one’s first birthday! I am always excited to provide a theme that fits your baby and your family’s personality!

Incorporating themes into your newborn and first birthday/ cake smash session | Indianapolis newborn and milestones photographer

One of the most enjoyable things to plan when you are anticipating the arrival of your baby is planning your nursery theme!

Every set of parents has a unique perspective on what that will look like.

Storybook themes

When booking your newborn session at my Indianapolis studio, you have the option to plan for one of your set ups to match your nursery theme!

Here’s the fun part! You don’t have to stop at your baby’s newborn session! Her first birthday session is a really fun way to incorporate your nursery theme as well!

This Charlie Brown / Snoopy set up was a request from this little guy’s daddy. We had fun creating this special photo and then when his first birthday arrived, we planned his cake smash session to match. It was such a fun way to see the growth from the newborn stage to his first birthday and have the consistency of the theme to tie it all together. Notice the same dog house and plush Snoopy in the cake smash photo! Look at how much growth happened in just one year!

Color schemes

Sometimes parents prefer to keep things more simple. Rather than a storybook theme, a color scheme is chosen. In this session with little Miss Violet, her momma chose more neutral, soft pink colors for her newborn session.

Her cake smash session was an adorable hot air balloon theme including those same soft pink tones.

Violet’s momma made the hot air balloons for her first birthday party, and it was fun to incorporate them into her cake smash session!

Sports themes

Decorating your nursery with a favorite sports theme is a special way to highlight the unique interests within your family.

Quite often when parents have a love for a sport, whether that is golf, baseball, football, basketball, etc., that love is passed on to the children and becomes a common interest that bonds families closer together as children grow and make memories throughout their childhood. Sports themes are a fun way to plan for your nursery, your newborn session, and your cake smash one year later!

Whatever your preferences are, we will work together to coordinate your nursery theme to fit your unique interests and preferences and you will have the sweetest heirloom photos of the theme of your choice to treasure for always!