New Shoes

Jack picked these shoes (and a host of other things) out of a catalog that he sealed in an envelope and asked me to mail it to Nana. I figured, there's not much an 8 year-old could put in there that was too harmful, so what the heck. I didn't know it was his Christmas wish list from an expensive children's clothing/toy magazine. So Nana orders the shoes for him for Christmas - which, just so you know, were NOT expensive thankfully - they're just the old-fashioned converse sneakers! I think they were $30. But she ordered the wrong size, and it took me FOR-EV-ER to send them back. We got them back this week, and before cutting the tag off I made him try them on. They are size 1s, which he's wearing in his other tennis shoes/sneakers, but these seemed big. He refused to take them off! He loved them so much - I never would have guessed! He wore them to school yesterday and of course today...and I'm sure these will be his "it" shoes now. He called Nana to tell her how much he loved them, and when I told him I wanted to take his picture in them, he said he would not smile unless I let him do this (notice his hand, please):







Ok, whatever. I can pick my battles.



This boy is so particular about his clothes, and his shoes. Finding pants he'll wear is near nightmare-status, and shoe-shopping approaches an experience that is usually reserved for mother-teenage daughter shopping. The fact that he picked out these ordinary been-around-for-forever converse sneakers blew me away! (I know, it doesn't take much to get me excited). He was truly happy to get them, and it changed his whole demeanor regarding getting ready for and going to school. At least, for the two days he's worn them, that is. I haven't had to explain to him why he had to get dressed, that he would be going to school for many moons so he might as well get over it and halfway like it, that he really needs to get dressed please, that he had to brush his teeth lest he poison all of the second grade, to please pay attention and zip his pants, that he had to get dressed NOW, pick up your backpack 'cause I'm not your maid, and PLEASE-JUST-GET-IN-THE-CAR-AND-TIE-YOUR-SHOES-THERE-I'M-NOT-WAITING-ANYMORE-BECAUSE-YOU-WILL-NOT-BE-TARDY!!!!!!!!

See? Aren't you exhausted? I'm sure you would agree that eliminating that - IF ONLY for these two days - is worth waaayyyy more than $30! Many many thanks to Nana, the catalog who carries them (Chasing Fireflies...check it out...http://www.chasing-fireflies.com/), the Converse sneaker company, the shipping company, the underling who pulled them off the shelf and put them in the box... You'll never know how valuable these sneakers are in my house!