LEGO MANIA

Today's post has nothing to do with books... or writing... and movies only indirectly. Today you get a glimpse into the erm... mania... that has taken over my house.My brothers and I were really into legos when we were kids. My youngest brother was the most into them, and my parents would get us all sets for Christmas and birthday gifts, though as Grant and I grew into other interests, Evan's lego-sets got larger and more complex. Long story short, due to space constraints that come inherent with high-rise apartment living, Derek and I now have about two-thirds of the legos that my family accumulated over the course of about 15 years.Most of the legos were not sorted much at all... and we're having a blast sorting out which sets are complete and build-able. However, there were a few that were mostly complete... and those are the ones we've been focusing on. The unsorted legos. Our extremely happy 5-year old :)  Working with Daddy (I apologize for the blurry pictures... I am apparently absolute rubbish when it comes to taking pictures with an iPod touch... give me my actual camera ANY DAY OF THE WEEK!)        Finishing touches...     Did I mention that the BIG sets are all from the Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series? Yeah, the X-wing is the smallest of the sets, weighing in at about 1300-ish pieces (I'm rounding down because I don't feel like going and looking these all up).         Then there's the blockade runner... at about 1700 pieces, and yes, yes, it is nearly as tall as our 2-year old. Last, but not least... the Star Destroyer. This awesomeness weighs in around 3,100 pieces, and is an absolute monster. It's over 3 feet long (which means if you put it on end it would be TALLER than our 2-year old), weighs about 20 pounds (which means it weighs almost as much as our 2-year old), and retails brand-new in the box for almost two grand! It took a week of evenings to complete, and we have no place in the house that is big enough to handle storing it...Here it is with just the frame... and my handsome husband who did most of the putting-together of these. I mostly helped sort pieces... whenever I needed a break from editing...  And, finally, the completed project... And we're only missing 3 pieces after nearly 12 years.Yes, we are nerds.You needed more proof?Okay now, don't leave me hanging! Who else loved legos as a kid (and... if you're honest with yourself... would still go a little nuts - in a good way - if someone handed you a set like this and told you to put it together)? What was your favorite set? (or perhaps you didn't like the sets and built your own creations... what was your favorite thing you ever built with legos?)