My brother is the hardest person to buy a gift for. Every birthday and holiday, I struggle to find something different that he hasn't already bought for himself. When I came across this Laser Baseball (PS115) online, I was so excited! My brother is a fanatic about baseball and has been playing ever since he learned to walk.

I knew that this baseball was unique enough that he wouldn't have found one on his own too. When I gave it to him for his birthday, I found out I was right. He had never seen a ball like this before. He loves it and uses it all the time to practice for games or just for fun. His baseball coach even asked him to bring the ball to practice.

My brother, his teammates, and all his friends are always competing to see who can throw it the fastest or outdo the speed of their last throw. I could not have found a more perfect gift for my brother.

Seeing one of those skywriter planes brings a smile to my face even as an adult. Your son or daughter will love being a junior Blue Angel flyer in this Kids F/A-22 Raptor Jet. Let them dream of taking to the skies with this mini jet that has realistic take off sounds. The jet engine thrust, missiles, cannon and control tower communication are akin to the action of Top Gun, and the toy even features a working missile launcher and cannon firing lights.

The plane operates on a 12-volt battery and speeds range from 2.5 to 5 miles per hour. If mom and dad aren't so into “realistic jet engine noise,” the plane features a handy dandy mute function, as well as an automatic shut-off feature to save on battery power.

For more information, visit ridingtoys.com.

When we're little, we're blessed with the ability to be anyone in our own backyards: superheroes, spies, master gardeners. My little brother, though, loved to don a red baseball cap and turn the hose on me in the yard in his attempts to fight a raging fire that never, sadly, seemed to leave me alone.

If we'd had Playhouses.com's Olde Firehouse Playhouse, though, my brother and I would have found a perfect solution for our outdoor adventures. I could have merrily kept house indoors, and he could have turned the hose on every bug in our yard.

The two-story Olde Firehouse Playhouse, $6,749.99 at www.playhouses.com, features its own fire hose, clapboard wood construction, a skylight, barn-style front doors, a side door, a brass fire bell, bright colors and (perhaps best of all) an interior fire pole from the upper level loft to the main floor.

Olde Firehouse Playhouse