Project 16 to 16: Day 11

In years past, I've talked about the Boy's "uniform." On any given day, you'll find him wearing just about the same thing: khaki cargo shorts, t-shirt (blue, red, grey, or black with very little decoration), black crew socks, and athletic shoes.

I've got no problem with this "uniform." He's comfortable. He makes sure his things are clean and well cared for. And it makes getting dressed a quick affair since there are not a lot of decisions involved.

But I *DO* have a problem with one article of this uniform ... his shoes.

Since he was very young, the Boy has always hated getting new shoes. Like his uniform, once he finds something that works for him, he doesn't want to put in the effort to find anything else. So he will wear his shoes out until they could get up and walk to school on their own.

Now, let it be known, he HAS many pairs of shoes from which to choose. We like to have at least a couple of pairs to cycle through to keep the shoes fresh and make them last longer. But even with a closet full of shoes, these are the only ones the Boy wants to wear.

His orchestra is doing a shoe drive as a fund raiser for their trips and this particular pair will most certainly be in the donation pile before all is said and done!


In our look back today, I couldn't resist sharing this little snap! That is my sweet little Wonder Boy snuggled up on the couch one frosty morning with his Sack Boy. For those that are not aware, Sack Boy is the hero of the Sony Playstation game "Little Big Planet." LBP was *B*I*G* for Wonder Boy when it came out. He fell in love with the game and with this adorable character, Sack Boy.

This photo was taken right as the game makers released the sequel, Little Big Planet 2. Wonder Boy was *so* excited that he saved his money and paid for his own "special edition" copy of the game that came with this prize, a stuffed plush version of Sack Boy.

Wonder Boy took Sack Boy everywhere with him (that we would allow - sadly, Sack Boy was not allowed at school). But in the mornings before school, he would crawl out of bed and snooze on the couch before breakfast and I routinely found him cuddled up with Sack Boy just like this.

This little Sack Boy came into our lives as Wonder Boy was moving away from being drawn to fictional characters like this. He was pretty much done with his super hero phase. And he didn't want us to pick out backpacks, lunch boxes, school supplies, or even t-sirts with any characters on them. But Sack Boy was an exception to this new rule. And as such, it served as a reminder to us that, despite the fact that he was trying so hard to grow up, Wonder Boy was still a young man. It was a chance to hold on to that part of him and I, for one, held on to it for as long as I could.

And in some way, I'm not alone in that... even today, Sack Boy is one of the few plush toys from this era of his life that STILL has a place of honor in the Boy's room!