encyclopedia brown and the case of the missing orange ball

This post goes out to my friend Amy who gave my little man one of his favorite toys: The Ball Pounder.

I think she gave him this gift when he was around two year's old, but he's consistently played with it (along with another ball pounder given to him by my brother and his family) up to this day. Sadly, (and I never told Amy this) we lost one of the balls to the ball pounder probably just a few months after getting it.

That didn't stop the little man from playing with it. He would add things like marbles and various other items to try to get everything stuck and then marvel as they got loose and came down the path. But we always wondered where that orange ball went. I knew it had to be in the house. But I checked all of the possible places I thought it could be and could never find it. I checked EVERYWHERE. And then checked again.

Then a few days ago, the little dude was playing with a quarter when it rolled under the couch. We both looked under the couch with a flashlight and way back in the corner under the heat register, there it was. The orange ball. I can't tell you how many times I looked in the exact spot and never found it. I grabbed the flashlight, pointing it directly at the ball and said, "Look buddy!" and we just looked at each other and laughed and laughed.

Needless to say there was much play with the ball pounder after that. Marbles and all.