How to Make a Bed with a Baby in it

Who loves the movie/play "Annie?"

*Raises Hand*

I always wanted my mom to make the bed with me in it, like the maid in Daddy Warbucks' House. Elijah apparently had that dream too because he woke up early from his nap a couple days ago and refused to play nicely on the floor while I made the bed. It was "hold me or make the bed around me," so I made the bed.

Here is how we do it in the Heemstra Household:

Step One: Gather clean sheets and smiling baby.

Step Two: Give baby TV remote control to keep him occupied and from crawling off the bed while you're putting the cases on the pillows.

Step Three: Fitted Sheet. Put two corners of the sheet around the mattress and shift baby onto completed section. Retain remote control for safety purposes.

Step Three is complete.

Step Four: (This is the "Annie" part) Throw flat sheet into the air so it creates a lovely "billow" that then falls on happy baby who is now quite confused and is only visible as a baby-shaped lump.

Take a quick break to check on baby lump. He's smiling, move on.







Step Five: Remove baby lump and replace with actual baby on top of flat sheet. Reposition remote and smooth down edges.

Step Six: Stack pillows and tuck in edges of flat sheet. Say "Hi Baby! Having fun yet??"

Step Seven: Duvet. Similar to the flat sheet only you can't leave baby lump in place as long due to dangers of smothering.

This baby is starting to get concerned. "Mom, what are you trying to do to me here?"

"Whew! That's better." Step Eight involved buttoning up the duvet over the comforter.

Step Nine: Pause to take a picture of now angry baby who cannot move due to the heavy comforter pinning down his legs.

Miserable. "Bed-making is hard work and I'm starting to wish I'd stayed asleep like my sister!"

"Woe is me."

Garage Sale- A Verb

I just love going garage-sale shopping. Especially now that I have kids who are constantly growing and needing new and different types of toys, there is just nothing like getting something you know is worth $20+ for a buck.

I also particularly love the Alger Heights Sales. They are annually a great time to pick up kids stuff because there are so many young families in the area.
Friday a bunch of the neighbors went first thing in the morning to get the best deals. After several hours of shopping and a second run out while the kids napped, here is my haul. I spent a grand total of $25.75:

That's five toys, 2 dresses (for me), 1 dress for Evie, a pair of shoes for Evie, a lion Halloween costume (not pictured because it's in the wash:) for Eli, hair pretties (not pictured because they are in the nursery with the sleeping babies), a pyrex bowl w/ lid (brand new and not pictured because it's in the dishwasher), and a small cooler that holds baby food.
This is a close-up of the detail on one of the dresses. I scored this one from a girl who said it's from her friend's boutique and that it never fit her. $3 and perfect for one of the weddings we are attending this year.
Evie's new PediPed pink penny-loafers. How cute are these?! (retails around $32, spent $2)
The new obnoxious toy that makes car noises. Normally I make it a point to not buy noisy toys, but I had a feeling Andy would really like this (which he does) and the kids love it too. It sounds like an earthquake is going on when the little guy in the car rumbles but both kids laugh and smile, what's a mom to do??
Hello adorable dress! $1.00?? Yes please. Size 18 months- perfect.
These two were actually from another sale I went to last week. I spent $4 on them...They have been a smashing hit!! I did not get a close up of the little red doll thingy posted in the first picture but have you seen these yet?? They sing when you squeeze them, but only one word each time you squeeze and they will hold the note as long as you push on their bellies. Their mouths also move quite convincingly. Lots of fun for another dollar.

And can't forget this guy!! He is a Lamaze toy, normally quite expensive, and cost $3. Add a few AAA batteries and you get: "My nose is ROUND like a CIRCLE!" He's a whole lot of fun too.

I really make an effort not to buy "junk." Obviously this is all relative but if they clothes aren't absolutely adorable, and the toys aren't in good working order without a whole bunch of dings and dents, I'll pass. There is enough stuff out there to be picky. A couple weeks ago I did the couponing thing, trying to stack coupons and stock up. While this makes sense for some products (like home and beauty stuff) I usually find there just aren't coupons for the things I want and I don't need to go to extremes to have plenty of what I need in the house. While I'd love to save hundreds like some people do on their weekly groceries I prefer a little garage-sale action to feel like I've really saved some money!! Thank you Dave Ramsey, I never pay retail ;)

Setting Them Up for a Life (Not) of Crime

Spread Em! Eli likes to stand now, and Andy thinks its hilarious to make him "spread em!" He has decided to turn it into a lesson in why you don't want to lead a life of crime. Here Andy is showing Elijah how humiliating it is to receive a strip search with pat-down.

"Oh my goodness, how embarrassing."
"I'm so sorry Officer, but it was my sister, I swear."

"There, did I look repentant enough??"

"What's next? Mugshots??"

There is a new post...

it's just a few posts down for some reason. I think because I started it awhile ago??

I tried... I really did...

I tried to update the blog today. With some really cute pictures of the kids scooting all over the place and Evelyn trying to pull herself up on everything. But there is something wrong with the computer, and after several minutes of "uploading" the pictures I suddenly get an error message saying there was a connection problem. Twice.
But I can type.
So I'm not sure what kind of connection problem we're having.

I decided I'll just describe them and you can make your own mental image.

Evelyn is pulling herself up on everything. It's distracting her sleep which is a bit annoying. She wakes up and immediately tries to stand in her crib (and succeeds) which means there is no hope she'll settle back down and go to sleep again. Especially since sometimes I think she gets scared to sit down again...evidenced by the bloody-murder screaming she lets out while standing stock-still holding on the to the rail.

Speaking of bloody murder. Two days ago Andy brought Evie into our room for a bottle at 7am and she had blood all over her mouth. Further investigation found it all over the rail of her crib as well. She must have chewed on them so much she made her gums bleed.
Mental note: get crib rail guards so we can actually use or sell her crib...thankfully there are no chompers in there yet.
Besides the bleeding gums her head is also covered with bruises because while she has figured out how to climb to a standing position she has not exactly figured out how to climb down from one. The clunk reverberates through our entire house, followed by silence (the longer the silence the worse the result) and then the scream. Fun Fun!

Elijah is army crawling around like no one's business. He has discovered the joys of climbing into the bowl of the exersaucer and then through it to reach the curtains (also there is an electrical socket there I need to cover, so far he's not tried to touch it- I watch).

Things are getting interesting over here....