S's new computer

S, our 12 year old, has been wanting a new computer for awhile now. The rest of us have individual laptops, but S has made do with a frankenputer made of cribbed components. It was fine when he was animating tiny movies but once he discovered gaming, the sludgy speed became a problem.

So for the last several months, he's been saving his money and asking for odd jobs. He sold his beloved Nintendo DS to raise funds quickly. And he researched every day, figuring out exactly what he needed and watching prices slowly move into his purchasing range.

Today DH took a couple hours out of work to drive with us to Fry's and pick up a dual core tower. S was ecstatic, and we were happy for him, too. But what I loved best was that when we got home, his brother C showed him how to add more memory—

—and surprised him with a game from his favorite store.

Then the two of them, rightly pleased with themselves, wore their plastic geek glasses all night long.