Alien Dude

We didn't discover him in a secret area in Roswell. We didn't see him streaming away from the Mars' satellite. We didn't even have an out of body experience with him on a UFO. Brendan simply bought him at a garage sale for 25 cents.

We call him "Alien Dude." Alien Dude was originally played with for about one day before he was lost in the abyss I call my minivan. About a week ago, I unearthed this little green man much to the delight of Brendan. From then on, Alien Dude played a major role in our lives.

Whenever we drive anywhere at all, Alien Dude gets prime realty: the dashboard. The boys take turn perching him precariously at the front of the van to see how long he will stay upright. Sometimes Alien Dude lasts only seconds when he falls off the dash; other times they get minutes of enjoyment watching him wobble around.

What they are truly watching for is how Alien Dude will fall. One time he just tipped backwards and floundered around on the dash. Another time he just flopped to the side and continued to vacillate back and forth like a weeble wobble. Most times he flies dangerously close to the passenger side window and tumbles to the floor. One time, however, he did an amazing feat: Alien Dude managed a double front flip with a twist and landed in my cupholder.

That stunt landing elicited much awe from the young viewers in my car. It is exactly this that I love about Alien Dude. I love listening to the boys laugh. As they watch him, they use that belly laugh that comes from being purely happy. The giggle I hear is so priceless that I continue to resurrect Alien Dude from harm's way to continue hearing this noise. Even the mere mention of Alien Dude arouses impish grins that I adore.

So for now, Alien Dude is my constant shot gun rider, and I am lovin' it!