Skylander's Tournament

I am having such a time trying to move my pictures around tonight on my blog.  I might just have to leave them as is.  Anyway, today was a busy day!  First of all the effects from the medicine on the boys have lessened some today. It was still a bit of an emotional roller coaster but it was better.

Aussie went to Chinese today.  They were celebrating Chinese New Year.  Typically, all of us go on this day but we had too many other things going on.  Aussie came home early and we headed out to The Theater Bug's audition for Idol.  Each kid sang a song and was filmed.  I was so afraid Aussie was going to mess up and start crying.  I did warn Cori ahead of time that he started a new medicine and that it was causing him to be emotional. I would like to say they did a good job, but they all messed up.  It was OK though.  Everybody gets in, this is just to help Cori figure out what their singing range is and to help her figure out parts for them.

Then we headed out to the first Skylander tournament.  It was held at one of Greg's workmate's house.

  

This  is a video game that is SUPER popular right now that LOTS and LOTS of people got for Christmas including us.  The concept is really cool.  You buy these little statue figures (see above picture) and you train them.  Then you battle with each other.  The ones pictured above were prizes for the competition.

Ashley wasn't the only girl but she was the only girl playing. Here she is in battle mode.  I'll tell you what she held her own and came in 3rd place.

Two kids play at a time.  They each pick one of their characters to battle with someone else's character.

 

The kids really got into it.  There was some really fierce competition and some of the battles were so close we didn't know who won until it told us.

Here is Mason in battle mode.  He came to the tournament thinking he was going to be the winner.

                    And he was doing pretty doggone good because he came in 2nd place. 

As much as I really wanted my kids to win, I was embarrassed that they were in the lead.  ALL of them in the lead.  Then after we left it was brought to my attention that my kids were the oldest of the kids playing.  That made me feel even worse.  But something cool did happen.

The last game played was for the first and second prize winners. Which ta da da da....was Mason against Aussie.  Aussie didn't think he had a chance.  He was quite surprised when he won and even beat his brother.

Unfortunately his brother was a bit of a sore loser.  He is hamming it up more for the picture though.

That means my kids got 1st, 2nd and 3rd place!  Aussie got to choose his prize first, but here is where the cool thing happened.  He said he wanted to pick last.  So Mason picked the one he wanted.  Ashley picked the one she wanted.  And he let the 4th place winner pick what he wanted.  THEN...he picked the one left that he thought the host's kid would like and gave it to him.  It was really a sweet moment.

But the best part of the day for me was not that any of my kids won, but the hostess is a photographer.  I showed her a flash that I bought on Clearance that attaches to my camera and asked her how to use it.  I love it.  So the last few pictures were taken with that on and I think it made a big difference.  She also told me I can get a cord that can allow me to take it off and have a light source come from a different direction.  I don't know how much that costs.  I can't imagine it would be too much.  So that is the next thing I want to get.  The only thing I don't like about it when attached directly to the camera is that I need to make my pictures horizontal, when most of the time I make my pictures vertical.  That's where that cord will come in handy!

 Overall it was a pretty good day.