Our New Arrival

Sorry, not a baby yet (soon, right?). But Mike and Landon did feel pretty excited about the arrival of our very own LEGO® Store at the Somerset Collection in Troy. Actually, to see Hallie as cheerleader, it would seem that she was more excited than any of us to go out and stand in line at the grand opening Saturday morning. Hallie had gotten up early for a hair appointment while the boys rode bikes, and when she got home (looking quite cute in her new ‘do), we all trekked out to Troy. We got to the mall at around 9:30 and saw the set up for the Building Event on the first floor. After riding up the elevator, we saw an army of people waiting in line for the Lego Store to open. We had heard that the first 300 people to buy $35 worth of merchandise (which is not all that hard to do) would receive a Grand Opening Exclusive Commemorative Set. The idea of having an exclusive commemorative set sounded pretty cool, but that line did not leave Mike feeling very optimistic. We also had an errand to run for the missionaries, so Hallie waited patiently in line and made friends with the people ahead of us while Mike took Landon to Macy’s. Two hours of waiting later, we made it in the door. During our wait, Landon received a special Toy Story 3 themed brick from one of the employees, so we felt quite special. In the mean time, we also found out that the “exclusive” set was probably not quite so rare, but that it was pretty neat: a miniature Ford Model T. Sadly, our in-line friend had to leave us before he and his son got in the door, as he had to take his son to his son’s football game (good dad). We promised to get him plans for the Model T set. Finally, our wait was over! Once we got in the store, Landon bounced off the walls and came close to getting himself into trouble, but we enjoyed watching his antics as he looked at all the dioramas and special sets. Obviously, many Lego sets can be found at your local big box store, but what makes the Lego Store special are the exclusives, the hard-to-find sets, the bulk pieces, the accessories, and the make-your-own minifigs. We did get our own exclusive set, so that was fun. Hallie kept the faith the whole time, even when Mike didn’t want to deal with the crowds or the lines, so she’s our MVP.

Crowds at the building event on the main floor.

This is what we came for.

This is what we had to wait in to get there.

This is where we started. So . . . far . . . away.

More line.

Almost there!

Landon keeping up good spirits (a yummy treat helped).

At the door.

. . . and we're in!

Woody never looked so solid.

The boys with their loot.

Our "exclusives."

The finished product. Good times!