Yesterday at the store, Matt and I saw one of those wooden puzzles for kids, you know, the kind that's more a "match the shape to the hole" than "make a pretty picture," with the little red knob-handles on the pieces. The theme was vehicles....and it MADE NOISE. I looked at it for a long time, wishing the store'd had one on display, so I could hear how loud it was. I mean, it had police cars and fire trucks!

Not knowing the volume level, I didn't get the puzzle. I mean, I can only buy noisy toys for my nephew on the other side of the country if they're sufficiently loud enough to annoy his daddy (my younger brother).

Then again, knowing my brother, the "loud, noisy toy from Aunt Jen" would get left at Grandma's house, to annoy my mother to no end.