It’s probably no surprise that a house full of boys would also be a house full of Lego bricks. We are big fans. From Lightning McQueen to Mace Windu, we possess a vast assortment.

We’re also a little sick and tired of winter at this point, so I’m thankful we’ve had a couple of epic indoor events on our calendar. The first was the Lego movie, which our boys have eagerly awaited since they saw the trailer last year. I didn’t know what to expect, but we watched it a couple of weeks ago and thought it was great. Nothing too violent or appalling, one-liners that kept the grown-ups entertained and a positive take home message.

The second big event is the festival of all things Lego, which rolled into town this past weekend. Since the flyer arrived in our mailbox, we’ve been counting down to the big day. Now parking downtown, walking for hours through a convention center and dealing with crowds–particularly hoards of exuberant children–quite possibly not the best recipe for a rockin’ good time, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised.

You know why? Three words:

People watching extravaganza.

Since the Lego festival only shows up in select cities around the country, people are willing to drive a long way to partake in the fun that is the multi-colored plastic brick. All kinds of interesting humans and their even more interesting behavior were on display. While the kids pawed through piles and bins of Legos, admired creations built by others and participated in Lego challenges with master builders … a lot of the grown ups hung out and stared at their phones. Completely detached from their children’s excitement. Shouts of “Dad, look what I made!” and “Mom, check this out!” Were often met with “Uh huh” and “Just a minute.”

Now I’d love to say that I’m never guilty of this. But to be perfectly honest, I felt convicted. How many times do I blow my kids off with “just a minute” and a complete disinterest in what’s important to them? Far too often, I’m afraid. We didn’t have the luxury of sitting still, as we had three children with completely different interests and approaches to this big event. One was very focused and preferred to stay in one place for a long time, fully engaged in completing the objective. The next child wanted to go, go, go … so much to see and he wanted to experience all of it, all at once. The third child wanted to see what was “for him” and stay right there and play with mom’s undivided attention.

While I enjoyed the people-watching and the Legos, I also went home feeling both exhausted and more aware of the very unique, distinctive traits built into each one of our children. In the words of the great Ferris Bueller, “life moves pretty fast. If  you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”

And if I don’t step on a Lego for at least a week, I’ll be one happy girl.

I’m linking up with Crystal Stine and her first Tuesday Behind The Scenes post. We share the story behind the photo, the details and the experiences not evident from this side of the camera. It’s a delightful community of bloggers, so come join the conversation. Details here.