What Brother's Are For

By the way, I have no idea why they are wearing helmets...but watching them throw, maybe it is a good idea.

All It Took Was Four Days

Four days for Matthew's new lift to go from this

to this

We are noticing that the material that was used to make the lift discolors more then the actual shoe.

Luckily, only a little elbow grease restores it to this.

Not sure if it is the material, or the fact that this material has never met Matthew before.

Success!

This morning Matthew put on his shoes to go to school.

"Mommy, these shoes are way better then the other ones."

"So you like what he did to them?"

"...yeah...but how did he make it so light?"

Success.

New Shoes

I took Matthew's new running shoes into our new shoe guy. I think he did a great job. Not only is it light weight (I can barely tell a weight difference) but it is harder to see AND it doesn't mark the gym floor because the original bottom is still there.

I was thrilled when I picked it up yesterday...Matthew hated it.

Just a reminder of what the old heavy lift glued onto the bottom looked like

And the new shoe with the sole split, lift inserted and original sole put back on.

Yes, you can tell there is a difference.

But then how could you not. I mean, there is a half inch difference. But from a distance, with a quick glance, I think it is hard to see. And, I'll get better at picking out shoes that will work. You see, I didn't notice the other side had an orange part that ended up being split.


But I am learning. Next pair will be even better.

And, this morning, Matthew didn't even say one word about them as he put them on to go to school.

I know A Guy

You ever hear this before? Usually happens when you are telling someone about how your car needs repairs but the three repair guys you took it to are going to charge an astronomical amount of money. Or you want concrete poured, but you can't get anyone over to your house to give you a quote. The person you are talking to will respond "Hey, I know a guy..." Not sure about everyone else, but for us, it rarely pans out. Often, their 'guy' has either moved, or raised the prices recently. Often, but not always.

The boys needed new shoes. For those of you with little boys, you will understand this mathematical equation

boys+bikes=missing toes from shoes

Or maybe it is just my boys who drag their feet to turn, slow down, do tricks, stop, etc.

Regardless, they needed new shoes. And, I dread shopping for shoes for Matthew. Not only do I need to find a pair that he likes, I have to find a pair that he likes AND that his AFO fits into. AND now we have the added bonus of finding a shoe that has minimal tread so a lift can be attached.

I know. I had posted about the shoes at Keeping Pace but after finding out I would need to buy them without getting a chance to try them on, I was leery. They may not work for his unbraced foot.

So, off we went to the stores. I lucked out. After 45 min and two stores, I found a pair that fit, had little tread, and, after some fast talking, he tried them on and liked them. Yay! Matthew only had one request...ok...demand. He refuses to have a lift put on the new shoe because it makes the shoe heavy.

The next day, Matthew saw Steve (his p/t) and was showing off his new shoes. I asked Steve what our options are for lifts. Told him why Matthew didn't want to have a lift put on. Steve said "I know a guy..."

I decided to check him out. I stopped in and talked to Tony. Told him what we needed. He looked at Matthew's shoe. Then, he showed me a man's running shoe he had just finished. He said, "I split the sole, added a light weight material, then reattach the sole. I can do this shoe for $50" I looked at the man's shoe. Held it. It felt lighter then Matthew's old shoe with the lift.

I looked at Tony and smiled. I said we'd be back.

I will share photos when I get a chance to get his shoe done. I have a feeling Tony and I will become good friends.

So for any of you who need lifts in Calgary, I know a guy...

If You Don't Like The Weather

They say here in Calgary, if you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes. Today was like that.

This morning at the zoo.

Then, at dinner time.
(I tried to post this earlier, but we lost power...due to the snowstorm)

I know, we need to moisture, but I am patiently waiting for what the next five minutes will bring.