The best cakes in town, Cherry on Top Bakery Inc. {Thornton Cake Smash Photographer}

These cakes are fantastic! Seriously, I don’t work with or highlight other businesses very often because I feel like anyone I recommend to you needs to be someone I have worked with at least a few different times and that I know offers an exceptional product or service. The last time I recommended a business to you all was over a year ago when I wrote a blog post about Music With Mar but, I have been working with an amazing local baker to offer cakes for my cake smash sessions and she is so great I have to tell you all about her in case you need goodies for other special occasions!

Cherry on Top Bakery

Tarra, the owner of Cherry on Top Bakery off of Hwy 7 and I-25 in Thornton has been so amazing to work with! I first met her around 2 years ago when I had the pleasure of photographing her son at my baby flower field sessions. Last year I reached out to her to see if she would be interested in providing some treats and coupons for goodie bags for an event I was doing and when she dropped them off at my home she was sweet enough to include a box of cookies for my family!

This spring I needed something special for my husband’s birthday during the lockdown and noticed some Groot (From Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy) cookies that she had made for one of her customers. My husband LOVES Groot and I know I had to order him some. They were so perfect and delicious I was hooked!

When Tarra announced that she was opening a bakery location in Thornton and had some room to hang images for local artists on her walls I knew I wanted to partner with her and luckily she was excited about the idea too!

I was so excited to hang one of my cake smash images, featuring one of the beautiful cakes she made me, in her bakery last month! Make sure to drop by and check it out and pick up a ready-made treat (or breakfast on the weekends) while you are there!

Cherry on Top bakery

16607 Washington Street
Thornton, 80023, US

She also has a Halloween event coming up as well as Halloween cookie kits that you can pick up and make at home! Find out more on her website! https://www.cherryontopbakeryco.com/

Check out these images from my son’s cake smash session! she made that duck from fondant for his ducky themed cake!

I am now offering a free 6-inch smash cake for your cake smash session custom designed for you by Tarra to match your theme!

Get notifications about the latest blog posts, exclusive discounts, tips for live and more in my weekly emails. Subscribe below so you don’t miss a thing!

My name is Jennifer Tavera, I am one of North Denver's premier high end photographers. In 2020 I celebrated 13 years as a professional portrait photographer. I got my start back in 2007 working at a children's portrait studio, that, combine with 10 years experience raising my own 5 children means I am ready for just about anything when photographing your kids and I know how to make even the most stubborn kids laugh. I am often told by my clients that I am the only one who has ever taken a photo of them that they love. I attribute this to my superpower of knowing how to get you to relax in front of the camera.

I am passionate about capturing motherhood in all of it's stages and helping you celebrate your life through ready to hang heirloom portraits wall art. I want to take your favorite family photo. Contact me to book a free no-obligation consultation to plan your perfect portrait session.

North Denver activities, Music with Mar {Denver Brand Photographer}

Last month I had the pleasure of attending a Music with Mar class with Ms. Annmarie with my two and six-year-olds. The class is geared for give years old and under so my six year old was mostly along for the ride however she seemed to enjoy herself anyway.

My two year old definitely loved everything about the class!

Music with Mar is not quite what you would expect from the typical music class. First its a drop in class which means you don't have to sign up to be there at the same time every week for 6 or 8 weeks, you can drop in on any class Annmarie offers and either pay $12 for the whole family for the single class, or $50 for any 5 classes you want to attend.

The second way it is different is it's not about teaching an instrument or just about the songs, the class involved bubbles, scarves, reading books, puppets and more! The kids were allowed to play with each item as she brought it out, and return it when it was time for the next, or if they chose continue playing with it until the end of the class. We watched the kids play and learn with her through songs and fun and all the kids were having a great time. After all the fun the class ended with cuddle time with the parent or caregiver who brought them to the class!

I loved how unique and laid back the class was, perfect for this easily distracted age group but fun and interactive enough to hold their attention. If you visit the Music with Mar website it talks a lot about how the program is brain research based music and learning designed to help kids brains develop at this early age. This makes it a great fit for parents looking for something both fun and educational for this age group.

Music with Mar with Ms. Annmarie currently meets twice a week

Tuesday: 10:30 am

Friday: 10:30 am

Both classes are at the Switchboard Networking Boutique, 1975 W. 120th Ave. Westminster

Annmarie also let me know that she has more classes opening at a brand new location in the fall in addition to the two days a week at Switchboard so make sure to watch her Facebook page for more details on those classes!

Don’t miss a thing: Receive twice a month emails from me with exclusive monthly product specials available only to my insiders, previews of upcoming session deals, fun local events or ideas for kids activities and more as part of my insider’s club. Sign up below.

My name is Jennifer Tavera, the photographer behind Truth Photography. I am a Northglenn Colorado family photographer and gallery designer seeking adventurous, free spirited families. I believe that your life is epic and deserves to be captured with photography!

I specializes in creating unique photo sessions that will be an adventure for your child or family and turning the finished portraits into beautiful wall art for your home. I can’t wait to photograph your next adventure!!

~Jennifer Tavera Photographer and Gallery designer

Things to do in Denver with your kids | Museums {Denver Family Photographer}

Going to museums and other educational locations has always been one of my favorite things to do. My mother, who is a teacher, would bring us to places like this all the time as a child and now I still love going with my children. There are many more museums in the Denver metro area than even I realized, however, a few years ago put together this list of every one that I could find and now I would like to share it with all of you. I hope it helps you and your family find some fun educational opportunities this summer!

Disclaimer: I have not personally visited every museum on the list so I included information on the ones we visit regularly or that I remember well enough to give feedback on. Not all of them are small child-friendly and many of the ones I have not visited are because I suspect they may not be kids friendly. I wanted to make this as complete of a list as possible however since there are so many hidden gems even I did not know about. On that note, if you find one I missed make sure to let me know so can add it.

Local Museums

Denver Museum of Nature and Science -Denver

For those of you who have lived in the area your whole life, you are probably familiar with this museum. More and more those I see new moms moving here asking if this is a great place for their kids ages xx old to go play. So for those of you who have never been there let me say yes it’s a great place for all ages. My babies always loved looking at the dinosaurs and animals, and there is a children’s room with activities for all ages including a little area for kids under 1 year. Older kids might enjoy the science lab in expedition health for a more hands-on experience as well as some of the more interactive exhibits in the outer space area, and I love to go check out the visiting exhibits that are changed out a few times a year.

Denver Children’s Museum -Denver

The children’s museum in Denver has grown and expanded so much in the past few years if it has been a while it's worth going back for another look. My favorite part is the teaching kitchen, but if you want to experience it arrive early and head upstairs right away to sign up, spaces fill up really fast and normally several hours in advance. My kids' favorites are the art studio, the ball room and the water area outside in Joy park.

Wow Children’s Museum -Lafayette

My kids love this museum, they call it the “pirate ship museum”. It doesn’t look like much from outside but there are a ton of activities packed in, as well as some rotating exhibits so there is always something new when we go. I personally do love the Denver children’s museum however WOW has a much more relaxed environment and usually entertains my kids for just as long as the larger Denver children’s museum.

Firefighters Museum -Denver

Colorado History Museum -Denver

My kids love the first floor exhibits here where you can collect eggs and sell them at the grocery store, “ride” in an old car, slide down the barn slide and more. The last few times we were here we didn’t make it to the upper floors besides a temporary exhibit on the second floor so I honestly couldn’t tell you what it up there (it is on my list to go check out this summer) but I can tell you that there is plenty here to entertain kids for a few hours.

Denver Art Museum  _Denver

While an art museum may not sound very kids friendly we always find plenty for the kids here. From crafts and activities scattered throughout the museum to scavenger hunt sheets in most of the exhibits, my kids love to explore this museum.

Museum of Contemporary Art Denver -Denver

American Museum of Western Art -Denver

Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys -Denver

Molly Brown House -Denver

I put this and some of the other on the list because I wanted to try to make this a complete list of museums, however, I don’t recommend this one for young children. It is basically a house full of things they cannot touch. I enjoyed the tour myself, however, and the history of this Colorado legend.

Byer’s Evans House -Denver

Fort Vasquez -Platville

We went to check this out last year and I would call it a great place to stop if you are in the area. There really isn’t a ton to see besides what is left of the fort and a small one-room exhibit inside. My kids did enjoy it as a pit stop in our day of activities. We spend about 30 minutes there including browsing the gift shop.

Fortney Museum of Transportation -Denver

The Forney Museum is a great place for anyone who loves cars, trains and unique one of a kind vehicles. I personally love wandering around this museum and checking out the cars, plane, trains, and bikes I will say the excitement for my kids is typically short-lived. I do still recommend checking out this museum if you have never been but most kids will probably not be entertained there for more than about an hour unless of course cars are their thing and then they will love to check out the endless rows of them!

Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum -Aurora

Colorado Railroad Museum -Golden

This is a great place for the train lover with tons of trains outside, many of the cars you can climb on and go check out. For an additional cost, you can ride the working train around the property which is always a hit with the kids. There is also a room of activities and a model train in the basement of the building that my kids loved.

Tiny Town -Morrison

Aurora History Museum -Aurora

Adams County Historical Society and Museum -Brighton

Lakewood Heritage Center-Lakewood

Another favorite spot of mine for sessions especially themed sessions, this little museum connects with Belmar park. Like clear creek history park, this is mostly a collection of old buildings, my favorite of which in the old Cafe This one also has an indoor section which I have to admit I have never into.

Black American West Museum and Heritage Center -Denver

We checked this out as a school assignment when my husband was in college. It’s inside a small old house downtown and I was skeptical based on the location but I loved this little museum. It is a great place to bring older kids if you want them to learn our states history and an appreciation for diversity. There is not much here for little ones..

Clyfford Still Museum -Denver

Morrison Natural History Museum -Morrison

We had the opportunity to visit this museum for the first time last summer and loved it! It is a very small museum but it has a lot packed in there. To really get your money’s worth, make sure you take a tour, this is included in the price of admission and I learned a ton from our very young but very knowledgeable tour guide. I do recommend this for older children, not little ones with a short attention span. While my 3-year-old LOVES dinosaurs it was a little hard to keep her entertained during the tour. I just found out that they have also teamed up with dinosaur ridge to offer a one time pass that gives your tours at both locations!!

Museo de las Americas -Denver

CU South Denver Museum (Wildlife Experience) -Parker

Dinosaur ridge -Morrison

I was surprised to find last time we visited dinosaur ridge that you can no longer just drive along the mountain to see the tracks. Your choices are now walking up the mountain or taking the tour bus. We took the bus. My kids loved the museum exhibit and enjoyed the bus tour although it was a little hard to keep the little ones attention during it. Overall though it was fun and the whole family enjoyed it.

Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum -Golden

Golden History Center -Golden

Clear Creek History Park -Golden

A great little all outdoor park, mostly old buildings you can check out but they also have a chick coup on site that kids love. Walk around the grounds and then wander down to the creek. This is also one of my favorite spots for photo sessions!

Foothills Art Museum -Golden

Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum -Golden

The Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave– Golden

NCAR Visitor Center – Boulder

Littleton history museum -Littleton

This is one of my favorite little museums/farms! If you have never been it is definitely worth checking out. The first perk is it is free. While this museum does have a few indoor galleries the real attraction is the farm animals and old buildings outdoors. We love to wander around, enjoy the outdoors, and check out the animals. The last time we were there however it started to rain and we headed back inside and found the indoor kids play area (its kind of hidden at the back of one of the museum galleries) It has books, a play kitchen and wagon they can climb on and it kept my kids entertained for close to an hour.

Four Mile Historic Park -Denver

Four Mile historic park is very similar to the Littleton history museum in a ton of ways, but there is an admission charge here. A few things that might make it worth the money, my kids' favorite activity here is panning for gold, be prepared with extra clothes, they will get wet and messy! They also offer carriage rides for an extra charge. In addition, the park boasts Denver’s oldest house and offers tours of the house. I did not find the tour to be kids friendly however and only made it through a small portion of it before I had to leave due to my 3 year old trying to touch EVERYTHING (they did not like that!) So if you have little’s who like to touch and climb, save yourself the stress and skip the tour.

I hope this helps you find some fun and adventure this summer with your family. I am working on several more lists of kids locations like this one that I will share throughout the year so keep watching my blog or better yet join my insider's club to be sent information about fun activities in your email!

While you are waiting for more fun in your email from me make sure to check out this previous post with local splash pads you can check out this summer!

Interested in a photo sessions for your family? Learn about my session experience here:

My name is Jennifer Tavera, the photographer behind Truth Photography. I am a Northglenn Colorado family photographer and gallery designer seeking adventurous, free spirited families. I believe that your life is epic and deserves to be captured with photography!

I specializes in creating unique photo sessions that will be an adventure for your child or family and turning the finished portraits into beautiful wall art for your home. I can’t wait to photograph your next adventure!!

~Jennifer Tavera Photographer and Gallery designer

Denver Area Parks with Splash Pads {Denver Family Photographer}

It’s Summer! Well…sort of anyway. My kids are officially on Summer break and even though the weather hasn’t quite caught up to this fact yet soon our lives will be warm sunny days, and bored kids.

This is an updated list of all of the splash pads I could find in the area. We personally check out about half of these last year and so I have added some notes on a few of them and will continue to update this post as we check out new ones I would love to hear in the comments which ones you have visited and which are your favorites!  Also did I miss any? Add them to the list by putting them in the comments! Enjoy!

Splash pads

Ralston Central park and Splash Pad -Arvada

My kids love this one because it is large, has lots of fun features and is near a great playground for when they are tired of getting wet. The downside is there are never enough seats of shade at this park and it is always crowded so come early or bring your own seats and shade!

Carpenter Park – Thornton *scroll down for photos taken at this location!

The splash pad here is a more basic one with the exception of the lights which make it a cool spot on a very warm day at Sunset. f you are just looking for fountains that go up this is a great spot, onus however is that there is a great playground, carousel an other fun activities at this park.

E.B. Rains Jr. Memorial Park (Webster Lake) – Northglenn

This one is not very big and just simple fountains and you need to keep pushing the button to keep it on but my kids love this park anyway. There is nice shade, plenty of seating a a nice playground.

Westminster Center Park (Peter Pan Park) – Westminster

I would call this more of a Splash River than a Splash pad but if your kids would rather dip their feet in and splash in puddles than run through fountains this is a great option for them.

Irving Street Park – Westminster

This is really just a simple fountain in front of the library but the kids still love to run through it!

Orchard Mall -Westminster

Discovery Park -Wheat Ridge

Ray Ross Park -Lakewood

Surfside Spray Park (Admission fee $1 per person) -Lakewood

Wynkoop Plaza (Union Station) -Denver

This one is also just simple fountains but it is bigger than most. It is also fun that its downtown, the only downside is parking.

H2Odessy Fountain City Park -Denver

The fountain here seems to be very hit and miss if it is even on and is just a simple one but my kids love to go after a day at the museum.

Aurora Central Park -Aurora

Great Plains Park -Aurora

Southlands Mall -Aurora

Centennial Center Park -Centennial

Clement Park – Centennial

Civic Green Park – Highlands Ranch

Westlands Park – Greenwood Village

Benedict Park -Brighton

Clem Dufour Park – Dacono

This is a great one if you like lots of different features like a giant bucket that dumps water surrounded by lots of other smaller arch fountains and other fun features. This was a favorite for my kids last year.

Lehigh Park– Erie

Festival Plaza -Lafayette

Louisville Community Park – Louisville

We loved Louisville park but were not impressed with the splash pad. You have to turn it on manually which is a great water saver but it was really hard to turn on. There is a button on the ground that you hop on and even I had trouble getting it to start. My small kids where not heavy enough to start it.

Pearl Street Fountains -Boulder

This one is again just a simple flat pad fountain but its a great place to stop when enjoying a day on the mall.

My name is Jennifer Tavera, the photographer behind Truth Photography. I am a Northglenn Colorado family photographer and gallery designer seeking adventurous, free spirited families. I believe that your life is epic and deserves to be captured with photography!

I specializes in creating unique photo sessions that will be an adventure for your child or family and turning the finished portraits into beautiful wall art for your home. I can’t wait to photograph your next adventure!!

~Jennifer Tavera Photographer and Gallery designer

Want to stay up to date on the latest news, events and session openings AND receive tips on fun activities in the area in your inbox? Join my insider's club to make sure you don’t miss a thing!