put on a pedestal

we often say that anth is a bit more like daddy and benny a bit more like me.
this is, by and large, probably true.
but sometimes, we see little idiosyncrasies that truly belong to the other parent.
benny's recent shopping adventure has brought this to light.

our kids are growing like weeds.
this means it was time for new shoes.
last weekend, we wandered off to the mall to get the kids measured and see what was in stock.
benny. was. ecstatic.
when we got to the store, we realized that none of the shoes in his size had the extra rubber on the toe that keeps him from damaging them on day one.
so, we told him we would order his online.
he. was. crushed.
this meant no shoes today.
bernie, understanding this penchant for new shoes, sat benny on his lap in front of the computer immediately when we got home.
he let benny help him pick out a pair.

the last three-four days have been excruciating for ben.
each day we drive home, and he runs over to the porch to see if they are here.
though we explained several times that it might take a while, he still got his hopes up each day.
then. last night. it was delivery day.
the kid literally ran over to the porch, squeaked, and did something resembling a touch down dance as he entered the house.
hilarious.

the boys immediately worked with dad to try on their new shoes.
i had some work to do, so bern helped funnel the kids through bath and bedtime last night.
when i went in this morning to help him get the kids out the door, i saw this:

apparently, last night at bedtime, benny insisted that the shoes go back in the box.
and be put, almost literally, on a pedestal.
hahaha.

if you know Bernie you know that,
a) he takes really good care of his things,  and
b) he loves a good pair of tennies. (while i somehow manage to scuff up each pair of shoes i own within a week of purchase.)

bless our sweet benny.
i gave him feisty.
bern gave him fashion sense.