The Claw!

For our last night before Manny gets home, the boys and I went out to dinner. We tried a new place called The Sandtrap near our house. It's a family friendly establishment with a row of arcade games to keep the kids occupied playing or begging for more quarters to play. Jonathan had his eyes fixed on the Buck Hunting Game (yes, we're definitely in the south) so I gave him a couple "bucks". Little Manny and I watched him make a beeline for the game until he spotted....

The CLAW MACHINE! Jonathan has inherited his father's predisposition towards blowing insane amounts of time & money on the Claw Machine. Somehow the possibility of winning the prize overrides the fact that there's nothing in the glass box that anyone would actually want or buy in any other circumstance. But today, that neon red dog/bear/rabbit (we really can't distinguish) is the ultimate symbol of accomplishment.

Insert quarter. We watched as Jonathan maneuvered the claw directly above the prey and pressed the drop button. Nothing. Insert quarter. This time the claw caught something! But, alas the momentum of the sway overpowered the weak grip of the claw and the object is again out of reach. Insert quarter. Refining his joystick skills, Jonathan tries again. Victory!

We came home with the red mystery animal and a ball thanks to the generous Claw but my favorite prize was the look on Jonathan's face when he pulled the treasure out of the mouth of the machine and ran over to our table to show us. Eyes wide with excitement. Chest thrust forward in pride. "Look what I got!" Priceless.