
We’ve been making birthday cards for our children all their lives. The second kiddo is now hitting 30 and the two of them always look forward to the newest creation by their dad and me. There’s nothing quite like a personal piece of art to celebrate your most recent trip around the sun.
The page with the “toys and games” makes me smile because it recalls a little boy who was always into something. When he wanted you to leave so he could commit some mischief, he would push at adult legs and say, “Bye, see ya!”
I remember opening a jar of pickles and finding each one had been half eaten. I showed them to my toddler and asked, “What happened?” His honest reply was, “I bite them.”
Somehow he had gotten in the fridge, opened the jar, bitten several AND closed the jar back up. I couldn’t help but be impressed.
The photos with the animals were from a day at the petting zoo. Maybe because he was the smallest child, the pig and goat would not let him alone!
This card seems unbelievably basic with 29 years’ hindsight but, noting the little finger smudges, I’m reminded it was well-loved.
Our son turned 30 this year and we’ve upped the ante on these creations over time (even though we say every year we’ll scale them back).
Like many millennials, Henry takes his hobbies seriously and spends many hours perfecting skills. The pandemic left him time for some new amusements, which you’ll see in the following pages.
Meeting at the park to visit while social distancing has been a favorite pastime for our kids. The inspiration for this card is the wagon Henry bought to carry all his fun gear. The greeting has flaps to lift and folds out into a long wagon.

Our son calls all these activities his “random hipster nonsense” and we’ve been promised a trial of each when we visit. Therefore, we’re calling this year’s Seattle trip Random Hipster Nonsense Camp and I can’t wait!
For more Boomer Writing Nonsense, please visit me on Medium, where I just published my 100th piece! Click on the link to read my latest: Still Turning Heads and thanks for reading!
Those are so cool ty for letting me see them !!!!
AMAZING creativity for all those years! You have seriously taken the handmade card to a new incredible level. Wow, Henry is a lucky guy with some cool parents!
p.s. I LOVE PICKLES! 🙂