Shoes and Thankfulness

It was (mostly) a nice day with my boys! The cooler weather is really helping me feel better about my days since I have more energy to go out with them! We did a little shoe shopping for daddy today since he often gets the shaft in the shoe dept. Not until he comes to me showing me that this tennis shoes are ripped, torn and practically falling off his feet do I realize that he needs a new pair!

So then, of course, Samuel chimed in saying he needed a new pair, too. I was quick to assure him that he did indeed NOT need a new pair. To which he argued. To which I looked at his shoes and realized that he wasn't being dramatic, his shoes really are ripping and coming apart. And I just bought them in the spring! He must be hard on shoes.

Thankfully, Z doesn't need any. And didn't really care anyways:)

So, after we found shoes, we got stuck in the baby department just browsing:) Samuel was so cute, pulling out outfit after outfit begging to buy it for little sis. And then resorted to tears when I wouldn't buy him a new stuffed animal, even though he has 4,398 at home. Actually, make that 3,537 because I did secretly get rid of many of them before moving. At least that was one less thing we moved!

And then I treated the boys to a special and very rare lunch out at Wendy's. It was the worst Wendy's experience I have ever had! They seriously got almost every single thing wrong with our order! But we finally got most of it settled and then Samuel got to whining about not getting new things at the store. So we had a talk. (I like to have talks with them.) And I talked on and on about being thankful for all of the things that he has (and beyond material to good health, loving family, etc!). And most of it went over his head.

And then I said, "Tell me something you're thankful for. We're not leaving until you do."

And that got his attention. And he hemmed and hawed and finally told me he was thankful for his lunch. And then whined and complained about something else (sensing a theme for him today?) when we got in the car and had to tell me another thing he was thankful for.

And then we went home. And I told daddy what had happened. And...you guessed it! Ben made Samuel tell him something else he was thankful for. And we told him that everytime he whines and complains, especially over not getting something, he will have to tell us what he is thankful for in his life.

He didn't complain the rest of the day.