Soft Star Shoes

Okay, so what prompted me to blog tonight was the FABULOUS service we have experienced with Soft Star Shoes. We've been a fan of them for probably three years, since my friend Cassie introduced us, but here's what happened last week:

Caleb and I designed a pair of custom Playtime shoes and submitted our order on Tuesday, June 17. Custom shoes take longer to receive because they have to be constructed to order, and I realized on Wednesday that they probably wouldn't be here before our move. So, I emailed them back (I didn't even have to look up customer service - I just replied to the order confirmation!), explained my predicament, and asked if the order could be expedited or if I could change the address to a grandparent's house. They responded and said that by their estimation the shoes would be sent out June 24, so there would be time for them to arrive before our move. The next day (Thursday, June 19) I received a shipping notification, saying they were scheduled to arrive on Monday, June 23. They arrived today. So, obviously, the Elves over at Soft Star Shoes bumped our order up to the top of their list and sent them out, pronto! I couldn't be happier with their service! Nothing beats working with small US companies!

Now, are you curious to see these shoes that Caleb designed?

Here they are, in all their glory!

Yes, that is CAMO leather on the front. Black leather for the back, blue elastic, blue moons, and silver stars (small and hard to see).

And here are his older pairs. I designed the blue ones, had some input from Caleb on the yellow ones, and he did the new ones all on his own. We might revert to my designs in the future. :)

And, just because I adore them, here are Elinor's much-loved Merry Janes. She's outgrown the pink ones, but she wears the black ones everywhere. They are her go-to play shoe and currently her only church shoe.

Anyhoo, onto other things...

We've been keeping busy lately, trying to squeeze in as much outdoor time as possible. Yesterday the kids and I went hiking and I got some pictures too awesome to not share:

I came up the trail with Jacob to find Caleb and Elinor sitting like this. Just taking turns sipping from the CamelBak, getting some rest in the shade. It looks posed, right? This picture just melts my heart!

I thought this part of the trail was so pretty, with the trees arching overhead. I also love this picture because as they were lining up, Emily fell over, causing the rest of them to topple as well. As they were standing up and brushing themselves off, Caleb said, "We fell like dominoes!" and cracked all of us up. They really and truly looked just like a line of dominoes falling. I have never seen anything (unstaged) quite like it! It was pretty hilarious.

And this picture... well, it was for the poppies, but now it's my new cellphone background. What are we going to do with that Elinor?!