January 11, 2005
Today was the big launch– Everett’s extra-special birthday present proved its worth in the pond at Woodlake.
I didn’t even know what a Shadow Shifter was. Everett saw it at Target and ran to it (it was on a bottom shelf, an end-cap– a term I know from my days “in the industry”– and drastically reduced in price). He pressed both hands on the corners of the box and said, “Shadow Shifter! Mom, Shadow Shifter. Can I have it?”
My answer to that question is virtually always no. It comes out more like this, though: “No, we’re not buying toys today. But I’m always glad to know what you like.”
The thing is, with Everett’s birthday so close to Christmas, I am always eager to know what he’d like. It’s difficult for me to think of things for two such large events so close together. His tastes change so little in those two days, you know. How to find things of real value (ie., no junk) and be able to afford them?
I did do some shopping for him this summer. I got him some Batman gloves with motion detectors that make Batman-fighting sounds with every swing. They were (also) drastically reduced in price at Target. But when the birthday came around, I tried the little tester button through the hole in the plastic packaging, and the batteries (not your standard batteries– those little round thingamajiggers that go in watches, etc.) had died. Sigh.
I also bought him a G.I. Joe. That was in September, and I was really pleased about this, because it too was on sale and I knew he’d love it. Then, about five days before Christmas, I learned that his Nana had had the same idea and had two of them already wrapped. Needless to say, I returned mine.
So, when Everett spied the Shadow Shifter, on sale, in Target, only days before his birthday, I knew this was the item for me. And I bought it.
To my pleasure, he was absolutely delighted when he opened it. He said, “Shadow Shifter! It’s the Shadow Shifter!” And for days after that, he was asking when we could open it, when we could launch it, when he could use it.
For one reason or other, we had to put it off until today. Today we went to Radio Shack and bought the special charger and battery pack. We plugged these in to charge as soon as we got home, and exactly four hours later (that’s how long the charging takes) we were ready to go.
The launch was very successful, and made more festive by the company of the Maxson children and Rachel and Caleb Stine. Everett let everyone who wanted to have a turn with the remote. I think his grin speaks for itself.
