The unthinkable has happened.

Anna has discovered tennis shoes. Yuck. I hate tennis shoes.

They are ugly.
They make my feet feel all closed in.
They are ugly.
They are not fashionable.
They are ugly.
They are not girly.
They get stinky.
Did I mention they are ugly?

I signed the kids up for running club, which I think is really just some after school exercise 1 day a week for 1 month. The enrollment form stated the kids must have "proper running shoes". I took that to mean Anna's High School Musical shoes with the rubber bottoms weren't going to cut it. That, along with the facts that her feet have grown like crazy recently and they had "field day" on Monday prompted a trip to the store last weekend for "proper running shoes". Then I thought "If I have to get her ugly proper tennis shoes I may as well get good ones and see if we can correct her turned in foot. (Anna is beyond pigeon toed. She has one foot that turns in severely. I asked the doctor about it more than once when she was a baby and toddler, but was told they don't correct things like that anymore unless it impedes their ability to run, jump, etc. I think I should have pushed it and gone to an orthopedist because her case is SEVERE. It has never impeded anything, but it sure does look funny.) So we bought her some New Balance shoes - size 3-1/2!!!! (The shoes she wore to the store that day were size 1. See what I mean when I say her feet have grown like crazy?!)

Well, she wore the ugly darn things to school on Monday, for field day, and she fell in love. She says she is going to wear her tennis shoes every day because they are so comfortable. WHAT???! What about all of your pretty shoes? The ones that match outfits and look girly? I may have to send her to live with her cousin for awhile; the cousin who sells shoes and owns about 300 pair of pretty, girl shoes. The cousin that Anna idolizes. No wait, the cousin lives in a dorm now so that probably won't work. What am I going to do? WHY did I ever sign her up for running club?

All I can say is these shoes better correct her turned in foot or I will forever rue the day I introduced her to tennis shoes.

(By the way, if you are the above-referenced cousin's mother, I made up the part about 300 pair of shoes. I have no idea how many pair she owns but I'm pretty sure it's not 300. 250 maybe, but not 300.)