Sole Siblings...

Kevin was a very laid-back toddler. I could put him in a dress, and he wouldn't complain. Kev was our first cub so his shoe and clothing collection was quite expansive. It was excessive, but hey, John & I were 21/22 years old -- we didn't know any better! (Of note: Boo and Niki weren't as spoiled.) I'm pretty sure that KID had more clothing/shoes than I did at one point! He was the most adorable single-dimpled, social butterfly so Kev was spoiled rotten my everyone around him, too. Let me give you an example of how spoiled he was. One time I forgot to bring Kevie's shoes to daycare, and his Ninong D took him to the mall and bought him these...

 Nice Ninong, huh?

(Picture shown is not the actual shoe. Those are boxed safely away in storage.)

Perhaps it was my childhood Reebok refurbishing and poor upbringing, but shoes have never been in short supply for my cubs. It has gotten to the point where the boys don't even appreciate the beauty of a good shoe. They totally trash their shoes and then we simply bring out more shoes out to rotate. I buy them too much, and they get tons of shoes during their birthdays and Christmas. To be quite honest, the kids have even outgrown some of their kicks before they had the chance to really wear them out! It's sickening really. But then again...I didn't have very many shoes when I was kid so that should explain it all.

Interestingly enough, our high supply of footwear transformed two of my cubs into "shoe snobs."

It first started with Boo shortly after he turned 2 years old. Boo would absolutely refuse to wear certain shoes. Other times he wanted to wear one of each pair. I thought it was just his terrible twos, but by the time he was three-years-old (and fully capable of using his words to express himself), his contempt for certain pairs of shoes was still running rampant. Getting out of the house turned into an entire ordeal if Boo couldn't wear the shoe of his choice! His argument changed every time...

"These shoes are faster than those shoes."
"That doesn't match my shirt." (It did.)
"I don't wanna o wear those shoes!!" 
"I don't like that one."
"Those feel funny, Mama."
"My socks hurt in those shoes."
"Noooooooo.....WAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" (kicking and screaming on the floor)

"The Great Shoe Debates" (as I called them) turned into full on tantrums if it was a matter of needing to wear a certain type of shoe.  Sometimes, we didn't give Boo a choice over what covered his feet. He threw a shit-fit once when we forced him to wear dress shoes to a formal party. There really was no other choice because Boo wanted to wear these instead....

 I say the argument was necessary, don't you?

Some days we had to bring extra shoes for Boo to change into because he couldn't decide. Mr. Stubborn wanted to wear multiple pairs of shoes! I realize now that our "pushover tactic" was definitely a strong case of child-centered parenting, but sometimes it's easier to let the kids be the boss when you're tired or in a rush. (I'll be honest here....I'm not a perfect parent. Shhh, don't tell!) The good news is, Boo's shoe snobbiness has progressively improved as he got a little older. Boo went from having an absolute hatred for certain shoes depending on his mood, to being totally obsessed enamored with one shoe in particular. I call these the "Rainboots of Shame"....

I first mentioned "The Rainboots of Shame" in July 2009 when Boo got a metal ball stuck up his nose. It's hard to believe that I haven't written about them until now. In case you haven't seen them in real life,  "The Rainboots of Shame" are squeaky, clunky, and reminiscent of army boots. Actually, I bought them to go along with an old Halloween costume of Kevin's (the year he was a S.W.A.T. cop). One day Boo did some digging in the closet, found them, and loved the "Rainboots of Shame" from that point forward. Boo would wear these uuuuuggggly things EVERYWHERE. On the days we were able to coax him into wearing other shoes, we still had to bring these shoes as his crutch. (It was almost like his security blanket.) Boo LOVED those shoes. I thought it was hilarious, but John wasn't as thrilled. I'll even admit that I've let Boo wear them to a party or two...or three!

But it's okay, his handsome face made up for the ugliness of the shoes anyway. ;-)

 He tried them on for old times sake...

When Boo finally "outgrew" the Rainboots of Shame, John and I did a little happy dance. Boo still loves those shoes so I never put them in storage. Actually, he tried to wear them the other day (see picture) and that's what prompted me to write this post. He still fits them, but now says "They're not cool enough." He's a little older, a little more rational, and Kindergarten has given us the benefit of explaining "color coordination" to him. Boo can now aesthetically understand that bright orange & silver shoes don't look good with dress clothes.

Boo is finally over his shoe obsession, but now it's Niki's turn.

Niki never exhibited any particular shoe preference before, but she cries and screams whenever we put on shoes that she doesn't like. We first witnessed this behavior with some Uggs that her Daddy bought her for Christmas. Niki never disliked Uggs before (she wore her pink ones all the time when she was a baby), but for some reason Niki freaks out at the mere sight of these Uggs. I've tried everything and nothing helps so, I guess boots with fur aren't her style.

If my daughter could live in sandals and sneakers for the rest of her life, she would have it made. 

 The "Shoe Diva"

I recently brought out a bunch of shoes that Niki got as gifts (because she fits them now) and she throws them on the floor! She kicked and screamed when I tried to put them on her. I figured she simply didn't like how they felt on her feet. But...her Auntie B got Niki some very cute and comfy shoes from Old Navy (matches perfectly with the dress she gave her), but Niki refuses to wear those too.  Evidently, little miss diva isn't a fan of flats or Maryjanes.

From Auntie B...

 From Auntie D...

Yes, they have teeny-tiny heels on them. :)

Soooo....it looks like Boo and Niki are "SOLE SIBLINGS" folks!

I'm really hoping that Noie/Diamond Tiara won't follow Boo and Niki's footsteps. (No pun intended.) Otherwise, I'll be forced to donate all of there super cute shoes. And technically...giving these kicks to Noie doesn't count as a "hand me down" since they're brand new. Right? Right?! I'll feel bad if it counts as a "hand me down" since I was "hand me down child." LOL! Guess we'll have to wait and see what happens when Noie comes.