9-5-12 a short history of Sammi-cakes

Samantha, 9/5/95, full term, 4.5 pounds (no cake)

After an emergency c-section to keep her breathing, we were thankful to have our miracle baby with us.

In 1996 we had a year old who weighed 12 pounds, still wore newborn clothes, and got her first pair of shoes with hard soles for her birthday, even though she had been walking for 5 months. (They didn't make shoes with soles small enough.) I started making the birthday cakes and topping them with toys, a tradition that stuck around until the cookie cake won the popularity contest. Since this was the first year, and one cake didn't look nearly big enough, I doubled the recipe and we had cake leftover for weeks.

1997, #2, Molly and the Big Comfy Couch. 

Sammi was running a fever and we had a pretty low key affair.

1998, #3 Blues Clues (before there was any Blues Clues party merchandise produced. We're trend setters.)

1999, #4 Disney Princesses

2000 #5 Power Puff Girls

2001 #6 Snow White. 

The Princess Castle cake was my most extravagant and Sammi had to stand up to get the candles blown out.

2002 #7 At the gym, with a horse cake

2003, #8, at the gym, with an entire gymnastics floor, including bendy straws for the uneven bars and a pringle for the vault. (The blue section is the floor.)

2004, #9, at the gym, and a Beam Queen Cake 

(Sam's tiny feet made walking on the beam more like a narrow sidewalk)

2005

I can't find the 10th birthday party pictures. It's making me crazy now. 

I vividly remember the party -- it was her last slumber party with 20 girls. 

I think the cake was a soccer theme. 

So instead, here's Sammi blowing out the candles on her birthday muffins.

2006, 11th, ice skating and the new fave, a cookie cake

2007, 12th (we'd just moved to Colorado) I have no idea what the theme was here. 

But it's the last homemade cake.

2008, 13th, just balloons on the cookie cake

2009, 14th, (and I didn't make that one) at Mom and Dad's house

2010, #15

2011, #16

And this year, Sam didn't think she was getting a cake. So we got the surprise element when out came the Dr. Who Cookie Cake with 17+1 to grow on candles. 

and many more.