The Cupcake Classic 3K

All photos in the gallery are free to download, share and enjoy!

You'll love our super soft poly/cotton race shirts.  Wash it once and it will become one of your favorites!  

BabyCakes Cupcakes is Lexington’s 1st locally owned, independent cupcake bakery. We opened our doors in April of 2009 with the desire to offer a made from scratch cupcake, using only real fruit and organic ingredients, with a wide array of flavors to challenge and delight the taste buds.

We love what we do and feel that is reflected in each and every cupcake that walks out our doors. BabyCakes Cupcakes bakes fresh daily, never freezing, and we never use pre-made mixes. Walk-in and grab a few sweets or pre-order with a couple days’ notice for cupcakes via e-mail, our website contact form, or phone, 859.317.9619.

BabyCakes was recently voted Kentucky's #1 Cupcake Shoppe by MSN.com!

Visually Impaired Preschool Services (VIPS) is the only nonprofit agency in Kentucky or Indiana that provides early intervention and educational services to children who are blind and visually impaired from birth to age 5. VIPS provides comprehensive support for parents, siblings, grandparents, and the whole family.  VIPS believes that children with visual impairments are children first and need the same types of experiences as other children. They need to play with friends, swing on swings, and go to new places. However, these children have to gather information about the world in different ways. Certified teachers from VIPS who specialize in early childhood education can show these children how to use their remaining vision and other senses to learn about their world. Parents and caregivers also learn about their child’s diagnosis, receive tools for teaching at home, and gain a better understanding on how to advocate for their child.

Meet our friend William!  This is William, and we are a VIPS family. The story I am telling is his, but the journey is ours.
The day William was born was a delight for me, my husband Harry, and our two older boys, Jackson and Patrick. We loved our 10 pound and 6-ounce large bundle of joy more than words could ever express.  As William’s life progressed, we began noticing things about him were not the way they should be. Compared to typical babies, he was quite delayed in his milestones. We found ourselves asking questions, such as: Why didn’t he respond to people when they spoke to him? Why wasn’t he making eye contact with anyone or anything? Why wouldn’t he interact with the world around him? Why did his eyes dart around with seemingly no purpose? That is when the feelings of uncertainty, fear, denial, anger, sadness, and helplessness overwhelmed all of us. We knew something was very wrong. 

Through William’s pediatrician, we were sent to Cincinnati Children’s Ophthalmology department. I remember thinking, “William will look so cute in glasses, this won’t be so bad.” Him needing glasses didn’t come as a surprise to us because all the members of our family wear them. We thought we would just get a glasses prescription and be done. Easy peasy? Not so much. You see, William was diagnosed with legal blindness due to a very rare genetic disorder known as Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis. This is a condition that is known to gradually kill his eyesight over time, beginning with his central vision. This diagnosis changed our lives forever because it was only the beginning. Very quickly, it seemed as if our lives revolved around trips all over Cincinnati to see doctors of various specialties, who would help diagnose our little puzzle. You see, none of his symptoms across the board fit in any mold. During this time, we felt a lot of confusion and at times, despair. Were we ever going to find a cure or treatment for our sweet boy? With living in a rural community, what would school look like for him?

VIPS came to our aid. William’s support and care team was growing faster and bigger than I could have ever imagined. We no longer felt alone in this journey. When we joined VIPS, William was given a teacher of his very own who came to our home to work with him. She taught him new ways of handling basic skills that most people take for granted. She gave William braille books that really helped jumpstart a big love of reading in him. She taught me how to show him ways to overcome his fears of toys and environmental situations around him such as walking through grass. Not only was she a teacher, she became a friend. She was there to listen to our concerns and frustrations and celebrate our joys and successes.
Fast-forward to William turning two years old, we enrolled him in VIPS Little Learners program. When he began the program, one of his obstacles was being around other children. They always scared William because they were too rowdy and too loud for him. The program introduced him to children who played at his speed, and he quickly became comfortable with them. He has even taken some of the children under his wing and taught them how to interact and play with others. Seeing him be a positive leader among his friends has made this Momma’s heart smile.  During our time at VIPS, William has grown a lot and gained many things. He has gained friendships that he cherishes, as well as invaluable knowledge and courage that he has carried on to preschool. He has also gained another family who loves him.

I never thought I would say this, but William is ready for the next chapter in his life. He is doing so well in public preschool now. His teachers tell me daily how amazed they are at how well he gets around and his classmates all want to be his helper. I must thank VIPS for their help getting to this point. VIPS has been and will continue to be an invaluable asset to William and other children like him who have visual impairments. One thing I have learned from being William’s mother is that “disability” is such a harsh and inappropriate words for children who aren’t typical. A more appropriate term I think is “differently-abled.” These kids may never do things the typical way, but they do things in a way that works for them, and I find myself amazed every day at all the new ways William thinks to make life work for him.
(Rebecca, William’s mother)