A Tale of Three Tennies, Narrated by Kaki-Pants

It's been too, too long hasn't it? Since, I, Kaki-Pants, have graced you with my writing prowess. If y'all can keep a secret, just between you, me and the world wide web, I think mom might be a teensy-bit worried that people will request me... you know, instead of her! So y'all play nice and make sure she still feels some love. She's napping, so now is the perfect chance for me to steal away for just a precious few minutes. My creative genius is ready for some tapping... 

Tap, tap, tap...

Ahem.

Well, it all started Saturday. Last Saturday. Daddy took Caden and I on a special morning run since we were up well before the rooster even thought about crowing. Things were normal, cheerios, milk... Caden had already scarfed his breakfast down (ANIMAL) and he had his drink. I was still in my PJs and Caden was dressed... if you could even call it that. He even went so far as to have his shoes on... his new, fancy, big boy running shoes just like Daddy's that EVERYONE keeps talking ON and ON and ON about. 

"Oh and they're ORANGE, Caden! So bright!" "You'll run EXTRA fast in those, Caden!" "Caden! I LOVE your new shoes!" "Caden, I want a pair just like those!"

After a while all I was hearing was noise... just a bunch of noise. 

Until I heard my Daddy say, "Cade-man! Those will be perfect for our dude runs!"

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!

What did he just say?

DUDE Runs? DUDE runs? Well, never in all of my 13 months have I heard such a thing. Or I take that back... I've been hearing but it's only now that I get it. And I'm miffed about it! In case y'all are confused too, I am not a dude and I DO participate in the family "DUDE" run and without a perfectly nice pair of NEW shoes I might add. 

The horror! The injustice! The shame! 

And more than anything, the nerve! That Daddy's got another thing comin' if he thinks this DUDE Run travesty is gonna last any longer... especially if he keeps me sans shoes! 

But like any smart woman does... I wait... no need to spoil his run. This certainly isn't over... I know that, and he'll know it soon enough!

After our run we decided to get out of the Melo (cue the singing ANGELS!) and do some shopping around town. So naturally, I picked out one of my summer's finest and got dressed. When it came time for the fashionably fresh and fabulous finishing touches, I was terrified to learn that my feet had grown what seemed to be two sizes over night. GASP! My white sandals... I needed to wear those, today! With this outfit! I only have two pairs of shoes that fit right now and now I'm down to one! A girl with only one pair of shoes... well, I never! 

As you can see it was a very traumatic experience. I tried to tell them... those parents of mine... that they didn't fit, but they insisted I try to walk in them. But I couldn't. I just couldn't take the pain...the digging... the squishing... but more than anything I couldn't bare to say goodbye to yesterday and my perfectly petite feet that fit just as perfectly in my pearly white shoes. Oh the roads those shoes and I had walked together... the carpets! The dirty sidewalks... The grass... that beautiful green grass!

Obviously, my dramatics made my point a little clearer and helped Captain Obvious, ahem, my sweet, sweet Daddy tell my Mommy, "We cannot go another day. Kaki needs new shoes!" 

My mommy is ever the girl and couldn't find a reason to disagree... so out we went. And then the bomb shell...

"Alright, let's head to Academy!" 

Says Daddy...

YES... you read that right...Academy!

Mommy says, "What do we need at Academy, again?"

"Shoes! For Kaki," Daddy exlaims!

Right! Like we were the crazy ones... Academy for shoes? For me? Bless his heart!

"We'll go get her some Nikes!"

Because that would look GREAT with all of my dresses! And cute pant outfits! Oh my heavens! I was praying for Mommy to intervene... and quick!

But she didn't... she just said, "Well, we can go and see what they've got! But you know I've never had much luck for her there in the past."

Ah-ha! I see where she's going with this one... the ol' "Plant the seed and then let him think it was his GRAND idea when he decides to take us to the mall!"

That Mommy! She's a smart one! And she knows my Daddy better than anyone... :)

So I bet I don't need to tell y'all that we didn't stay more than 5 minutes at Academy when my Daddy said, "I'm not very pleased with the selection here. Let's head down to the mall and see what they've got!"

GREAT IDEA, Daddy! GREAT idea!!

But first we had to calm my shoe-saddened heart  and squished feet with a milkshake and fries at Mighty Fine!

And then the thunder rolled and the lightening cracked as we walked into the mall! No really, it was raining outside... storming even. We made it in just the knick of time! Phew! 

So we made our way to the shoe department and began our search! Thankfully, we were greeted by a wonderfully helpful sales associate who showed us the WALL... the glorious WALL of shoes ALL MY SIZE!! (cue the singing angels)

There were so many options to choose from it was almost too much to take in, but I am nothing if I'm not a fighter and I managed to make a few selections. And since we made SO many selections the nice sales associate decided she'd just bring a variety of shoes in my size out for us to look at. We'd have plenty of options to choose from.

My Daddy must have had his sucker face on because she came back with about 10 boxes! Bless her! And bless my Daddy... he works so hard and it pleases me so that I could oblige him in letting him buy me some new shoes... I'd hate for him to feel as though I do not appreciate him for what he does for our family. 

Meanwhile...Mommy quietly went through the boxes and put aside the ones she thought it best for me to try on. She knows what I like... or at least she tells me she does and I have to believe her because after all I'm only 13 months old. She says we'll have plenty of time to fight over shoes! Oh, the anticipation of that fine day!

After Mommy sifted the pile the sales associate insisted that she take a look at a few of the shoes in the discard pile saying, "You must have missed these! Don't you just love these Hello Kitty sparkly ones? Could you just die over those bows?"

Mommy said, "Oh those ARE cute!"

And she politely went back to her original stack helping Daddy get each new pair on my feet.

"Are you sure you don't want to try on these? They also come in black and purple. Sequins are a big hit for all of the little girls these days!"

Mommy said, "Oh those ARE cute too!"

And she politely went back to original stack helping Daddy get each new pair on my feet.

After a few pairs were ruled out and we had made a stack of favorites, as well, the sales associate came back around.

"So I guess you're not really looking for anything with sparkles on them, huh?"

Mommy said, "Oh, no. I don't think so, today!"

And I wanted to say, "Listen lady, that's code for NO, NEVER... not just today... We (or she) don't do sparkles! Or felines! Or anything with a royal prefix on it for that matter. It's not personal... it's just the way we do fashion, whether that makes us IN or OUT! Capeesh?"

Bless her heart... she wanted to sell the DONKEY off some sparkles that day! 

But we settled with three... yes that right THREE different pairs. It was just going to be two, but Daddy insisted on a special pair... but more on that later.

First, check out the ones I chose to wear out of the store! I love that idea... the buy and wear! The shopping mantra of girls everywhere...

Perfectly pink and canvas... my casual tennies... 

Ooooo... Ahhhh... it's okay... I know y'all want to. Indulge... 

They ARE pretty in pink, aren't they?!

So after we did the shoe thing we did the sock thing... ruffles, ruffles... and then to the Merry-Go-Round we went... My first... 

We also got a celebratory cookie... not sure what we were celebrating exactly, but Mommy and Daddy promise that there is just "something about a mall cookie!" Apparently, it is an experience we can't pass up!

After our ride... and our cookie... it was time to head home... 

With my THREE pair of tennies...

Appropriately named Pink, Perky and Polished

When we got home I put on a little fashion show for the fam... 

First up... Polished...

And then Perky...

And then Polished with the ruffle socks...

And then Perky in context of my "workout" gear! My jogging skirt and t-shirt... ready for a run!

Mommy was a tad bit skeptical on the Nikes. She personally, did not see a need nor a purpose for the running shoes. She told Daddy that I don't have many clothes that she'd choose to pair with those Nikes and that both Polished and Pink would be perfect for the park or any other casual outing, including a DUDE run with Daddy. But Daddy insisted!

Demanded! Instructed! Put his foot DOWN! And said, "Every girl needs a pair of good running shoes!"

And that was that. Mommy thinks I look like one of those ladies who walks in the mall before it opens! 

Daddy was a bit offended that Mommy was making such fun of his Nikes and was quick to remind Mommy  that perhaps the apple didn't fall too far from the tree...Seeing as Mommy's "uniform," as Daddy calls it, does look strikingly similar to my own jogging skirt, t-shirt, running shoe combo! So if she is going to "Bless My Heart" then, I guess we'll just have to "bless her heart" right back!

Y'all ready?

One, two, three...

"Bless Mommy's Heart!"

Mommy agreed and said, "Point taken!" And then she and Daddy laughed and laughed about it all!

Sunday morning I got to take Polished for a spin to church. I moved up to the big girl walker class so it was only appropriate I had new shoes for my first day!

And then on Monday I got to wear Pink on our errand running...

I know... I look sassy... and the truth is, I am! I am chock-full of sass! And the bow... yah... it was short-lived! Mommy tried... I'll give her that, but I just wouldn't have it. Maybe we're not going to fight about shoes just yet, but the hair battle has long since begun! On guard!!

Then Tuesday... I got to show Mommy what my new Perky shoes are really made of on my first "I can walk" trip to the park. Mommy did an excellent job of finding an outfit that was suitable to wear Perky with. And as y'all might imagine, Daddy was THRILLED to pieces that Mommy had found another outfit that called for such shoes!

Am I the picture of athleticism or what?!

Lean and mean... a pure muscle machine...

And a poet... :)

And they are mighty fine driving shoes too... 

Step on it brother... let's GOOOOO!!

And they worked well on the slide...

Now I wasn't quite up to the acrobatics that Caden was up to... 

I guess it's the orange...

Oh that orange... if I could only live up to the orange!

And maybe I can... if I channel my friend Elle, Elle Woods that is. After all she is the one who said that whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed. Which in my book makes pink supreme! 

But color battles aside... these shoes are mine! All of three of them... Pink, Perky and Polished! What a lucky girl, am I! And thankful, at that!

But the real gem of this story comes next...

Just last night... when Mommy got me all ready for my DUDE run with Daddy and Caden and I came out in my Perky running shoes Daddy said, "Well, look at that... Kaki-Pants is ALL ready for her KID RUN!"

Could there be a BETTER ending to a Tale of Three Tennies than that?

I think not.

Kaki-pants... Vindicated. Justified. Tennie-fied.