Day 528 - Dad's a Blockhead

Yesterday, Crazy Grandma and Lazy Grandpa Ichikawa returned because I start work again tomorrow. As usual, they came bearing gifts for the kids. They brought each of them a set of colorful stacking blocks. Of course they did not bring me a gift which seems unfair because I give my parents a gift everyday: my effervescent personality and frequent attention on this blog.

Each set of stacking blocks contained ten blocks. If you stack them up it ends up around three feet tall. The kids love it when you stack it really high. They gawk and giggle at it until one of them has the nerve to push it over.

So I had the genius idea of using BOTH sets to create the Mount Everest of stacking blocks. As I began to stack the blocks, the kids crowded around me wondering what I was going to do. As the height of the blocks surpassed the usual three feet, the kids were shocked. They craned their little necks back farther and farther until they could no longer believe that the blocks were even taller than their average-in-America yet quite-tall-in-Japan dad.

Emma and Andrew were intimidated enough by the height of their toy that I had a moment to grab my camera. I told the kids to go ahead and touch the blocks. Andrew stayed back just screaming in either delight or terror. But Emma took a few steps forward and tentatively began to touch the blocks.

Do you know those cartoons where an animal will cut down a gigantic tree, but instead of following the laws of physics, the tree topples over the opposite way pounding the poor animal into the ground? Well, substitute the animal for Emma and the tree for the stacking blocks and that's what happened.

Emma pushed the blocks over, but unfortunately the top part of the stack fell on Emma. I think one of the smaller blocks hit Emma's arm because she started to cry. Lisa was in the kitchen this whole time, and popped into the living area to see what happened. After explaining how Emma got hurt to Lisa, I can honestly tell you that I think as much as it might hurt to have blocks fall on top of you, it probably hurts more to have blocks thrown at you. Repeatedly. Over and over again.

Here are a few pictures to show you what happened to Emma:

Andrew stands back and lets Emma take the fall. Literally.

Emma's face shows a bit of excitement as the blocks tumble over, but look at Andrew's knowing look. He knows Dad's about to be thrown into the doghouse.

Emma screams, "Social services!"