Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Father's Day 2008 - We took a trip up to Jacksonville to see Rose's brother and his family for the weekend.  Since it was Rose's birthday on the 14th and our niece Lauren's birthday on the 15th, it only made sense to celebrate together.  The drive up to Jax was long (and made even longer by a diaper blowout along the way...bad memories...don't make me go into it) but once we were there it was pretty relaxing.  And isn't relaxing what Father's Day is all about?  I had a good time just hanging out all weekend with no real responsibility to think about. Of course, Colin is a permanent responsibility, but I just had so much fun with him this weekend.  I also had a very scary moment when he hit his head and bruised up.  As much as I hated to see him cry in pain, it felt good that he looked to me for comfort.  That's normally mommy's job, but she was out getting everyone's lunch, so I got to get the cuddles from the injured babe.  He turned out to be ok, and just 5 minutes later was laughing when I showed him the baby in the mirror (one of his favorite things).

If I realized one thing this Father's Day it's not that family is most important (I already knew that), it's not that my child is growing up so fast and I need to cherish every moment (I think about that everyday).  No, what I realized most of all this weekend is that I want, nay, NEED, a Wii.  I know what you're thinking.  I'm a grown man, a husband and father - and what I realized is that I want a Wii...how silly.  Let's look at this logically though for a moment.  We had some fun family time this weekend playing Wii Sports.  Yes, we played SPORTS indoors while it rained outside.  We got exercise (I'm still sore) and worked out our brains at the same time.  We even had conversation while playing the games. What's more, you can buy Wii Fit which allows you to do yoga and such to the instruction of a game.  Here comes the skepticism again..."why don't you just work out without a video game?"  Well, we have  an 8 month old child to start with.  Rose stays at home with C and he is a full time job for sure.  She can't just go out and spend time at a gym.  I work a lot lately and I don't want to spend any more time away from Rose and C than I already do.  Solution:  Wii.  Am I convincing you that we need one yet?

Wii is for the whole family.  It may not be suitable for Colin just yet, but this very weekend, the 5 year old Emma beat 3 adults at bowling, and we're all pretty good Wii bowlers.  Did I mention she beat us on more than one occasion?  So what did Emma learn?  She learned how to play by rules, how to approach, how to aim, and how to be a good winner.  Life lessons.  She even created her own character with very little help.  Did I mention she beat us at bowling by a lot?

Your Honor and people of the jury, the Wii is not just a video game console.  It is a family centerpiece.  It tells you the weather and encourages you to take a break and go outside in between games.  It gets on the internet and allows the whole family to interact with others online while playing together.  That makes for some family cohesion.  The Wii is taking video games, long a hindrance to exercise and good health, and turning them around so that they are themselves a source of exercise and fitness.  The Wii brings people together while other consoles encourage individualism.  The Wii is the game console of the future. I rest my case.