Little Man and the Birthday





We have a birthday tradition in our family of tying a big bunch of bright balloons on the birthday child's chair and leaving a special small gift at their breakfast plate.  When they wake up and come upstairs to the dining room, they get so excited to see the balloons and gift, and it just sets the tone for the whole fun day.

 The Spud's fourth birthday was a couple of weeks ago.  On the morning of his special day, I set about making pancakes for the crew.  The Drama Queen came into the kitchen and casually commented, "Hey, I guess it isn't his birthday today after all.  There aren't any balloons on his chair."  My heart dropped.  How had I completely forgotten our birthday tradition?  The Nerd hadn't yet left for work, and he overheard her comment.  He disappeared into the bedroom and came out a short while later with a wrapped gift.  "Hey, buddy, we forgot to put this by your plate this morning," he said as he handed it over to an excited Spud.  I mouthed a quick "thank-you" and quickly turned my attention back to the pancakes.  It really wasn't a big deal in itself.
It's just that - poor Spud always seems to get the short end of the stick, especially when it comes to birthdays.  One birthday we only got him one gift - a Cozy Coupe (used, no less).  Apparently we have a tendency to get back on the "get-out-of-debt" wagon during the summer, and it affects poor Spud's birthdays.  Of course, he is the kind of kid that gets a lot of joy (and a lot of mileage!) out of toys, and he never seemed bothered by it.

 This year, we were determined to make it better.  I failed on the balloons front, but we managed to have a fun dinner out that night and spoiled him with lots of gifts, mostly Thomas the Tank Engine in nature.  It wasn't his year for a birthday party, but we surprised him with a trip to Shady Dell Miniature Trains later that week. 

 It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, and all the kids were excited to ride the trains at Shady Dell.  Every time I looked at Spud that afternoon, he was grinning from ear to ear.  It was definitely the best way to celebrate his special day.

 I can't believe my little man is four years old.  He is the most stubborn and yet the sweetest little guy.  I count myself so privileged to spend time with him every day and to be his momma.  Often, he will surprise me with a fierce hug and kiss;  the next moment he is running away and shouting no. 
He is passionate about his cars and trains.  I will help him get his tracks all set up early in the morning, and he will drive his trains and cars around for hours on end.  He adores his big brother and sister and usually gives in to what they want. 

He fits perfectly into our family.  I  know that tomorrow morning, he will be the first to greet me with a sleepy hello and a request for cereal.  I absolutely adore him.  Happy birthday, sweet Spud!

Train Fever

What is it about little boys and trains? Honestly, the Beast never really seemed to care about trains, but our Spud seems to have been born with a toy train in his hand. He is THAT obsessed. He does love him some Thomas and Friends, but he is perfectly willing to play with generic trains too. Spud will take quite a bit of time to set up his tracks in the morning and then spend hours driving his trains endlessly around the track. Whatever pull those trains have on the little guy, I want in on their secret. If he paid half as much attention to me as he did those trains, I would be Mother of the Year!

Anyway, when we found out a train show would be in Portland a few weeks ago, we (the Nerd) thought it would be a fun event for the kids. (That's because he read the ticket information that said kids were FREE!) Adults were ten dollars each, and they lured you in with promises that all kids would get to ride Thomas the Tank Engine.

Most of the rest of the show was run by guys who are a little too into their trains, if you know what I mean. They are the kind that search and search for the perfect tree replica to put in a special spot in their train set-up in their house. Still, my little man was bursting at the seams with excitement at all the trains!

Not only did several very kind vendors let him "operate" their trains, but he also spent some time in a play area playing with Thomas trains and lots and lots of plastic tracks. Pretty much the same thing he could have done at home, except at home we don't have a hot dog vendor standing nearby tempting kids with his $4 hot dogs and sodas.

There was a giant Lego city set up in the middle of the show. The Beast was especially enamored with the pirate ship and kept sneaking under the rope to "get a better look." The guys who had spent over fourteen hours building the city were having mini panic attacks at this threat to their handiwork. I did my best to keep my extremely over-stimulated Beast from doing any damage.

We were able to get in the line early to ride Thomas the Tank Engine. Spud's eyes were wide at the fact that we were getting to see the "real Thomas." The Beast was in awe of the steam that came out of Thomas' smoke stack. All of us were a little underwhelmed at the very short and uneventful ride the kids got.

I still don't get why trains have such a magnetic appeal for my son. Seeing his face light up at the show, though, was worth stopping at every. single. booth. to look at the trains. And then, when the Nerd decided to take them on a ride on a "real train" (i.e. the Metro downtown), the kids' reactions were priceless. Totally worth the ticket money and outrageous downtown parking fees!

A View into the Gallery

It's been difficult to find time to blog lately. Sick kiddies certainly don't help in that arena. And custom orders for The Framed Frog have been taking up a huge chunk of my time. Not that I'm complaining! I started The Framed Frog with the premise that customers would be able to order exactly what they were envisioning in their minds. I wanted them to be able to find the items at The Framed Frog that they would not be able to get anywhere else. There is a certain joy and satisfaction in making something that completely matches the customer's wishes.

So, would you like a peek into my gallery of "What I've Been Up to Lately"?

This is Apple Blossom Cluster in Sepia, custom-made to match a customer's entryway. She actually got two of these paintings as a set. The Apple Blossom Cluster painting is now available in my shop - and can be custom painted in any color palette.

Another customer has this beautiful bench on her front porch decorated with sunflower pillows. She wanted a sign to match her decor that gently reminded guests to remove their shoes before entering the house. I am currently working on another version of this sign that reads "Welcome" for another customer.

This is my favorite fall project so far. Earlier in August, a customer requested their family initial done in an autumn theme to hang in their living room for the fall season. Since then, I've done two more of these letters for other customers and am planning on making one for our home as well. The brightly-colored pumpkins, gourds, and leaves are a lot of fun to paint!

And here is the 2009 Christmas ornament collection from The Framed Frog. These keepsakes are made of paper mache and hand-painted to exactly match your custom needs.

The I'm Dreaming of a Pink Christmas ornament features whimsical green and pink Christmas trees and the year. The flip side is decorated with retro stars and whatever personalization you want.

This is Baby's First Christmas ornament. Custom match the baby's skin color and hair color to your little one's, and personalize the flip side with the baby's name and sweet polka dots.

The Paisley Fields ornament comes in your color choices and personalization.

TJ and Robbie made their Framed Frog debut on this whimsical blue frame, perfect for a little boy's room.

And the orders for my custom keepsake name trains keep chugging in! The airplanes and stars theme seems to be a popular one. Currently I am working on a set of trains for two sisters in a pink ribbon and roses theme.

And here is my latest wall letter order. The yellow damask pattern was custom-painted on the letters to match the nursing chair in Marlowe's nursery. I absolutely love the aqua and yellow in this nursery - totally unexpected for a girl and totally beautiful.

So I'm just a little busy. Meanwhile, have you entered the Fantastic Froggy Fall Craft Contest over at The Scrappy Frog? You could win some of the things you just saw in that contest!

Or you could do a little Christmas shopping at The Framed Frog...