Dad's A-Z: L is for LEGO, Of Course

What we really did in Maui

Our neighborhood had a  'Garage Sale Day' a couple of weeks back.  You could pretty much throw a stick in any direction from our house and hit a pile of old plastic cups, ratty t-shirts, and half used perfume bottles going at ridiculous prices.  Ridiculously high prices.

But thankfully there were also some bargains to be found. Case in point at a sale a couple of blocks away, we found a couple of brand new LEGO board games for one Washington each.  This was exactly the type of bargain we were looking for.  That's because Lukas likes Legos. 

Ha ha ha, I can't even type that with a straight face.

Lukas is actually OBSESSED with his Legos.  They are not only his favorite toy, but pretty much the only toys he plays with these days.  He has even stopped asking to watch videos in lieu of more Lego building time.  Of course we are happy to oblige.  In fact, our recent flight to Maui was made so much easier because we bought him a new set to build for each leg of the trip.  He easily sat for 3 hours straight and just built Legos..

We even have a chore chart set up where he can earn a nickle for helping out with various chores around the house.  He has now saved up for 3 separate $20+ sets in the past couple of months, including the Lego Space Shuttle, and most recently the Alien Conquest Tripod Invader.  Almost as coveted as the bricks are the instruction manuals which include pictures of other sets that can also be collected.  Mrs. LIAYF and I already have a couple of sets ready to give to Lukas for his upcoming 5th birthday.

But do you want to know the most amazing thing about Lukas and his Legos?  It's the hybrid creations he makes out of all the pieces.  Most sets barely get put together before they are torn about for their pieces.  Seriously, it's like he is running a little Lego chop shop, breaking down sets for the parts.  Thankfully though, so far he is only 'procuring' the parts from his own sets to use in his very own creations.

But he has really surprised me with the sophistication of some of his vehicles.  He actually made us agree to take a picture of his creations before he breaks them down to build something else.

That is Luke Skywalker flying an Alien Ship

Recently he has even had the nerve to challenge me to a ship building contest, with Mrs. LIAYF being the judge of who creates the "Coolest" ship.

How could I say no to that.   Here is what Lukas came up with:

Game On!

And, here is mine:

That is some serious firepower!

Of course, Mrs. LIAYF deemed Lukas the winner. 

With his highly functioning imagination, and boost in brain development from playing with these amazing toys, I have to agree.

Viva la LEGO!