Special Guest Star

"Oh, man! This is the best day ever!!!"

"Why, Ella?" you might ask.  Well, it's because Nish is coming for dinner! A friend of ours from Kirkland, he's charmed our Ella because he's willing to play long, complicated board games with her.

"But Ella, does he speak English?" asked Alex.

Playing Small World with her new BFF

Yes?!

Alex joined Ella in her little dance of joy before the two of them ran to the game shelf, gazing at all the possibilities for the evening.

Nish works with Dennis at Google and is in town, visiting the Zürich office, ostensibly to bond with his team, but, truly, to deliver to us a yummy bottle of whiskey from Woodinville. Thanks!

The kids were in a frenzy of preparation before he arrived, getting their homework done, eating, bathing, not wanting to miss a minute of the fun.  As Alex climbed into the bath, he asked me, "Mom, could you please not wash my hair tonight? I want Nish to see how good my hair looks?"

And Nish, bless him, gamely allowed himself to be barraged by my eager kids. He applauded Ella's prowess at balancing a peacock feather on her finger and admiring all of Alex's treasures, which he brought in an endless parade of offerings: a music box, the telescope he made out of a paper towel tube, his little house made of paper. 

And he gently destroyed Ella and the rest of us at an hour-long game of Small World.

But, best of all, as Joey was quietly taking a pair of scissors to his hair, he calmly asked, "Um, is he supposed to be doing that?"

Nish, come back, any time.