Because it is a FRAMER that actually ended up in a frame. That is a really big deal. Just ask Hilary.

James French, who photographed my sister's wedding, takes pictures every Halloween, Christmas and Easter in a park over near my father's house.  It is first come, first serve and costs $15.  You pay upfront, and just cross your fingers and hope the kiddo is feeling cooperative and smily.  Because, really: you never know with these pint-sized humans.  The portrait is later mailed to your home address.

I've been waiting patiently for a month for mine to arrive.

I had an idea it was going to awesome because Mr. French was armed with a stuffed Grover doll.  Banner thinks Grover is a blue Elmo, and we all know that Elmo is essentially the toddler version of a happy pill.  The Ban-Man was instantly all smiles:

Taken with my iPhone back on that day in mid October.

And here is the photo that arrived earlier this week:



Love, love, love!

The thing is, I am TERRIBLE at changing out the frames in our house.  I have many of the same pictures on display that I originally put together some 10-15 years ago to decorate various college and graduate school dorm rooms and apartments.  The most current image of my sister - until she got married last year and GAVE US a framed picture of her and Adam for Christmas - was taken when she was 13 on a horse that passed away in 2009.  My mother-in-law got so tired of giving us framers that never ended up in frames that she brought over several randomly while we were out of town, and strategically placed them around the living room.  They are still there, which probably means that she has cracked the code of how to get current pictures on display in our house.

(I just hope she'll come back and swap the images out with new ones as the years go by.  Makes my self induced photo time capsule much more interesting with a  pop of "current" every now and again.)

I read blogs of people who put together photo collages on accent walls, hallways and nurseries, and I ALWAYS think to myself, "What a wonderful idea".  But then I remember that I never got around to framing ANY pictures of our wedding day or newborn pictures of Banner.  So maybe more realistic goal for me is to simply commit to swapping out a photo now and again with a new favorite?

You know, like baby steps?

So, I committed to framing the pumpkin picture above, and found a 5x5 that needed an updated image.  Except the picture already in there had been there for so long that it was GLUED TO THE GLASS.  It took six hours of soaking the glass in warm, soapy water to get all the old photograph residue off.  But I persevered and 24 hours later FINALLY had the pumpkin picture framed and on display in a place of honor.  It looks awesome, if I don't say so myself.  Trevor even noticed it, which is really saying something.

(And, don't worry, I scanned the old image in before ripping it out of the frame for good.)

Unfortunately, the mere fact that "swapping out a photo" took an entire day probably means that the next time I do that again will be around the time Banner graduates from high school.