the case of the missing train

Things keep turning up missing around here. There are several likely suspects--Zach, Sarah, or David. I can usually tell based on what is missing who has hidden/lost/misplaced it. I could spend all day looking for these items and becoming frustrated and going crazy, or I could just go about my business and hope they turn up. I usually just go about my business. Sometimes I put Sherlock Sarah on the case. That entertains her for about five minutes. They usually turn up in the most unexpected places--or in the usual places, like the recycling bin or low-lying drawers. Sometimes I don't even realize things are missing until they turn up in the most unlikelyl places. The A train turned up missing a while back. It was later located in the fridge near the juice boxes. The likely culprit? Zach. Perhaps you've heard about him and his juice boxes. Sarah is always losing stuffed animals. You'd think that one missing stuffed giraffe could easily be replaced by say, a stuffed bear. Not so. Giraffe is very special. And Penny, the stuffed cat. If she is missing, everything must halt until she is found. Especially if it is bedtime. These treasures have usually been stuffed in a bag or box by Sarah herself and subsequently forgotten about. Until she needs them. Even David misplaces things occasionally. Usually sunglasses. Thank heavens for winter when sunglasses are needed much less frequently. My phone is lost more often than it is found--in the toy kitchen, in a drawer here or there, under the bed, in the closet, etc. Of course, these are rarely instances of me misplacing it. Fortunately, it never rings, so it's not usually much of a problem. If, however, the battery dies while it is missing, we could be in for trouble. The current unsolved missing mysteries include: the A train (again), my soup ladle, David's shoe horn, and a hot pad. I've been looking for some for days and some for weeks. I've checked all the usual places with no luck. If you happen upon them, let me know...