we're not poor, we just stick to the budget

I have to tell you about Jerry's new shoes. I'd take a picture, but he's outside making sure they work.

We left his other shoes at my sister-in-law's house over Christmas and I was sick of putting on his non-sneakers, so I checked out the selection at Walmart today. Last time I perused the kids shoes at Walmart I was seriously dissappointed, but I decided to give it another go.

I have long had a theory about velcro closures on children's shoes. I didn't believe in it. I figured that if he is ever going to learn to tie his shoes then he might as well watch me do every time I put his shoes on. Gerald has long nudged me in the direction that velcro isn't evil. And someone recently commented: "They'll be able to tie them when they're ready, with a history of velcro or not." Given Jerry's knack for fine motor skills (and general mad skillz across the board) I came to realize that velcro isn't the end of the world.

At Walmart I found a really cute pair of sneaks, with velcro closures, for $9.96. We found the right size and made our purchase. Along the way we looked at some Spiderman themed shoes and also shoes that light up, but I do have limits.

When Gerald came home, Jerry showed dad his new shoes. "They have straps!" he explained with exuberance. And then he put the shoes on by himself. BY HIMSELF. I was so proud it almost brought me to tears. When Gerald asked if he had picked the shoes out himself, Jerry replied, "I liked the ones that lit up but mom said they were out of our budget."

So then came the testing. After he put them on he stood up and started walking around. He was so excited to learn that "they work for walking! They're good for running, too!" as he took off around the house at lightning speed. Then out the back door he went and we could hear him as we stood in the kitchen watching him tear through the yard, "They work! They work!"