Wheeeee!

Or more accurately, Wii. Last night, thanks in large part to the generosity of grandparents, one came to live in our house, a shared gift to our three children, all of whom celebrate birthdays in October. Video games are probably the one way that our kids--who rarely watch television, go to movies, or listen to popular music--are in sync with their peers. I suppose they get it from their father, who has been known to press a button or two in his day (I am the non-gamer of the family).

Our first game console was the original Nintendo; that was followed by Playstation I, GameCube, Playstation II, and finally, Nintendo DS. When the Wii was introduced, our children knew better than to even ask for one, understanding that it was simply beyond our means. Since then, though, the price has come down somewhat, and so this year, with a significant contribution from my husband's parents, we decided to surprise them. (After all, these poor children just suffered through an interminable 2-week vacation to Grenada--we had to make it up to them somehow!)

Our youngest (almost 5) is following in his older siblings' footsteps and also enjoys playing or watching others play. When he went with his sister to her friend's house, he was thrilled to discover that she not only had a Wii but that she also owned the latest version of Super Smash Brothers, designed for that system. When he asked if he could have the game for himself we replied that it was only for Wii, which we couldn't get because it was too expensive. From that time on the game in question became known as "Expensive Smash."

Last night Evan did not immediately realize that the boxes he and his sister and brother had just opened contained a Wii system. When it was pointed out to him, he looked up and smiled broadly, announcing, "I have a Wii, and it's EXPENSIVE!"

I don't even think he knows what expensive is, but whatever it is, he likes it!