the elusive light up shoes

it's that time of year when we reflect on our lives and things that we're blessed with and thankful for. on thanksgiving day allen told colby that this year he should be thankful that he was born first, because had molly been born first, he probably wouldn't be here. and so he was thankful.
this was instigated by the previous night's incident that ended with her toys in the top of her closet (see previous post).
this has most recently been even more supported in my search for light up tennis shoes. i will get to that in a moment, but let me first say, i am thankful that i'm a stay at home mom and therefore not required to do my Christmas shopping, or any other kind of shopping for that matter, on the weekends. why on earth is that such a big deal, you ask?
i was at kohls today to exchange the shoes (that you don't know about yet, becuause i'm first explaining my thankfulness) and i was floored by the amount of people in line to checkout!
even more surprising were the things these people felt they needed to stand in line for. the line was, i kid you not, about 30 people deep. granted they were being filtered into many registers which is a good system in theory, but doesnt always work out so well, because we all know theres always that one person that pretends they don't see the line of 30 people waiting somewhat patiently, who walks right up to a register feigning shock at "what good luck to not have to wait in line on a satuday in december!" as they then pay and walk out seemingly oblivious to the mob they just cut in front of. i digress. so there's this one guy standing in line with, ready? a plush penguin. really, sir? a penguin? what on earth kind of patience do you have to stand in line for an hour to buy a penguin? 20 points for him. no, make it 100. i hope whoever he's giving it to carries it around till it's fur is rubbed of and it's missing an arm. he worked hard enough for it.
and so i'm thankful.

the shoes...
i was at kohls a few days ago and walked through the shoe department to see if anything caught my eye for molly- she's needing a pair of athletic-ish tennis shoes. i saw a cute pair for $20 with light up hearts on the side so i grabbed her size and paid for my treasures (pumpkin placemats for 69 cents!). when i got home i put the shoes on her and then noticed one of them wasn't lighting up. not a big deal, right? i can just go exchange them. well, first i had to get them off of her. she loved the lights. colby's tennis shoes have lights, and she wants to be just like colby (when she's not hitting him or sitting on his head). she cried. she wanted to wear her new tennis shoes. i wanted to get what i paid for, which is two shoes that light up, not one. i explained that one of the shoes didn't work and i had to go fix it, so she reluctantly complied and i knew i had 4 days to remedy the problem (4 days because allens mom came to take the kids for the weekend so i figured i'd run to kohls while they're gone and get another pair). i've been to 2 different kohls and there is not another pair of this shoe in her size. i've been to 4 other stores that sell shoes and there are either no light up shoes, or they have some but they're overpriced, ugly, or not available in her size. i'm not shopping anymore today. saturday in december? no thank you. some people are willing to wait an hour for a penguin. not me.
she comes home tomorrow. she will expect light up shoes. i should not be afraid of a 2 year old.
but i am....