Duplos are different from those annoying tiny Legos that jam the vacuum and are ignored once the Millennium Falcon is complete. Duplos are the much-improved bigger ones. Bolder. Brighter. And they have a very sacred purpose over here at Casa de la Boys.
Every 3-4 months, I pop open our economy sized vat of Duplos (purchased at local second-hand stores throughout the year and run through the dishwasher). The boys will gather expectantly at my side and patiently await their mission. It is always the same:
This time, boys. This time we will finally build a tower to touch the ceiling. I feel it. Do you feel it? Now let's make it happen! Go go go!
And with that, Dan, Jack and Joey frantically start tearing into the well of Duplos in hopes that our glorious day of triumph has finally arrived.
Unfortunately, we always come up just a little bit short. Just the other day, our tower was looking great when it unexpectedly bumped into the ceiling fan. Operations were ceased immediately.
Sure, I could have spun the fan a little bit so it was out of the way. Heck, I could have wasted fewer Duplos on the "base layer" so as to achieve our desired height. Yet the magic would have been gone.
The hours I spend with my boys as we guess, measure, and estimate our way through the great Duplo Tower Project are priceless. I am way too chicken to run the risk of victory too early and watch my sons shrug their shoulders and comment, "glad we don't have to do that anymore."
Maybe one day our mission will be complete. Until then, I will continue wasting way too many Duplos on the foundation and always run just a few blocks short of perfection. "Pefection" at least as far as they're concerned.
I see things somewhat differently.
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| Joey kind of looks like King Kong peaking into the Empire State Building, right? |
Joey told me that you guys built a tower that touched the ceiling. I responded oh nice and carried on with what I was doing. I didn't think for one second that it was true.
ReplyDeleteAnother fun thing to do is have competitions trying to build the highest structure with a given number of plain sheets of copier paper. The paper can be folded and stacked to how ever the imagination drives. Just paper.
ReplyDeleteAwesome-I do this too, from time to time. I love how excited the boys get the closer it gets to the ceiling. Its just one of those things, when they are actually working together instead of fighting, and your are actually happy to be around them for once. Ah lego, bringing us all together.
ReplyDeleteMary - my kids never lie. Unless chocolate is involved. Thank you again so much for babysitting!!!! I owe you BIG!
ReplyDeleteesbboston - I like it - will give it a whirl.
Gweenbrick - So the million dollar question...do you let it ever reach the ceiling???