There are lots of things I want, most of which I won’t be getting anytime soon because they’re just not in our budget. A Nintendo Wii system was one of them. I was first introduced to the Wii a year ago and thought it was so much fun. I had told J that if we were in the market for a video game system, that is one I could see myself actually getting a lot of use out of. Most recently, friends of ours, Jen and Jeff have one, so we’ve been able to play it with them. But still, it was not something we were looking to buy, so it was on that list of items I’d love to have but would not be getting.

Until…Jen and Jeff were given a Wii by Jeff’s parents for Christmas. So now they had two and it was past the time of returning it to the store. Jen has been wanting to buy a large Longaberger basket for Emma’s toys. She’s admired some of my large ones for a while now. I have two in particular that I purchased (when I was still purchasing basket frequently) when I was pregnant with Kayla for her toys. As much as I love my baskets, I didn’t really have use for 2 such large baskets. With larger toys and toys with small pieces, toy baskets are just not as useful for us.

When Jen first mentioned a trade – the basket for the Wii, I kind of cringed internally. How can I part with my basket? But the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I became. In the end, we made the deal. Today is J’s birthday, so I knew the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I had been struggling with what to get him. He’s very easy to shop for, but the things popping into my head were over our budget – especially with our Disney trip so close.

So Friday, I went shopping for a couple of games and an extra controller. I was able to give him an awesome gift and remain within my budget. He was totally surprised and the girls – well, Kayla has already mastered bowling.

What I like best about the Wii is that there are completely kid-friendly games that will also keep them active. I got J some racing games – because, well, he loves cars. But the bowling and tennis and other sports games are where I’ll be spending my Wii time (since I’m not your typical video game-type person). Of course, we’ll limit the girls’ time with the Wii, but on really cold days over the winter, it will be nice to have a tool to get them up and moving around.

I’m very excited about our new toy and getting to give J an awesome gift. Happy Birthday hon!