It may be mid August but you wouldn't know it by the weather.  Yesterday's high was in the upper 50s and it looked just like a Michigan fall had arrived a couple of weeks early so we did what all responsible parents do at this time of year - we took our kid shopping.  He may not be ready for "back to school" shopping just yet, but he has obviously outgrown all of his cool weather clothing from last year.  In fact, comparing Calvin this fall with Calvin last fall is a bit like comparing a German Shepherd to a Chihuahua.  So we fished out the one warm outfit in his drawer (thanks to his Aunt Patty and her kind family who saw fit to prepare him for the hockey season ahead of time) and hauled ourselves to the mall with all the other families of young children who needed a place to go on this wet, cold, dreary day.  We fought tooth and nail to get in the doors at JC Penneys, then waded through the mobs of families in the mall corridors, and finally found a wide opening right down the center which allowed us to make the final dash into the little tiny Stride Rite store, which was itself jam packed with parents and children of all ages.  Calvin had a great time playing in their little toy corner while we waited for some professional help (of the salesperson kind, that is), and he enjoyed the attention that was lavished on him as said professional measured his foot and then tried a couple of shoes on it.  And then, after one good look at the price tag on said shoes, we did the other thing that all responsible parents do at this time of year - we went and bought the shoes for half the cost at Marshall's.