Legos

For those of you who don’t have little boys, let me introduce you to the world of Legos. Now I know what you may be thinking, because I use to think it too, “I remember playing with Legos when I was a kid, what else is there to know about Legos?”

Let me bring you up to speed, and this is probably just the tip of the iceberg.

When I was a kid, Legos came in 6 colors (red, black, blue, yellow, green, white) and basic block shapes. There were a couple of doors and windows and some blocks had eyes or mouths on them that one could use.

Sometime between the time I was a kid and today, Legos used steroids. I don’t mean that they are bigger, although they do come in far more interesting shapes then just the standard blocks from days of old, but that the possibilities with Legos has gone crazy. Don’t get me wrong, there is still the standard building blocks, but that is just the beginning. There are little Lego people, and they can come with all different sets of clothing and accessories, not to mention inter-changeable hair. On top of that there is Lego people food, Lego people money, Lego people bikes, Lego people binoculars, Lego people microscopes, Lego people helmets and hats, Lego people cars, and it goes on and on and on.

There are also different “themes” of Legos. There are fireman Legos, police man Legos, Medival Legos, Indiana Jones Legos, Pilot Legos, SCUBA diving Legos, Star Wars Legos, Construction Legos, and even more that I’m not yet even aware of.

And just in case that is not enough, there are books featuring Legos and Lego people. There is a website dedicated to Legos. There are yearly conventions about Legos, and there are even theme parks for Legos (move over Mickey Mouse and Shamu).

However one thing remains the same with Legos, the desire to build and create. I often will sit down only intending to stay for a moment while Leighton is playing with them, and before long an hour has passed and I’ve built a two-story house with a covered patio. My husband never played with Legos as a kid (and he somehow survived into adulthood…I know shocking), and so Lego time in his mind is pretty close to heaven. Awhile back we inherited my parent’s neighbor’s collection of Legos that had been sitting in their basement for years. It was like Christmas all over again for Clint. He even told me as I walked through the play room where he and Leighton were busy creating, “did you know that they have all their plans for everything ever all on line with instructions”. I won’t be surprised to come home one day and find some crazy creation overtaking the upstairs. I have loved seeing Leighton’s creativity with it and what he chooses to build.

And one of these days, before the boys are too big to enjoy it and yet old enough to remember it, I am sure we will make the journey to Lego-Land and I plan on having my camera ready to capture the pure joy in their eyes.