Ames Day?

When I walked in Evan's room this morning, the first thing out of his mouth was "ames day", which he repeated continuously with a big smile on his face. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what he was saying until we walked into the living room and he pointed at the TV saying "ames day". Then it hit me! He was talking about James Taylor, whom he and Ryan had watched on DVD last night playing guitar at an Eric Clapton guitar festival. Later we turned it back on and below you can see him studying James Taylor's skills (note the folded arms!). Maybe we have a future guitar player on our hands?

And It Was All "Lellow"

Thought you might want to see the newest addition to the Dean family. No, not Baby Levi (he's not made his appearance yet, although I am 37 weeks, technically full term now!). I'm talking about our "new to us" car that replaced the Honda I wrecked (& totalled) over the holidays. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt--just the cars didn't fair too well.

Well, since then, Ryan and I had been on the search to replace our trustworthy Honda Accord. We were getting discouraged by too many encounters with sketchy used car dealers and misleading Craigslist ads. We're cash-only car folk (thanks to Dave Ramsey!) so we had limited options. Thankfully, Ryan posted on Facebook that he was looking to buy a car if anyone had one to sell, to which our good friend Jason Harwell responded.

Turns out his car was just what Ryan was looking for (he's a sucker for a sporty hatch-back). It's a 2002 Mazda Protege5. The only catch (at first) was that it is yellow, and I do mean very yellow as you can tell. I must admit, it grows on you, and really, it is a perfect youth pastor car! Ryan had to make the treck to his old stomping ground (Athens, GA) to purchase it, but we think it was worth the drive.

Perhaps the best thing about purchasing this car is that Evan learned to recognize his first color-"lellow" as he calls it. He begs to ride in it each time we leave the house, and he calls out every yellow vehicle he sees when we're out and about. Who knew our new car would be a teaching tool!

Can you say Type A?

It's fun watching your child blossom into a little person. Although Evan looks just like his daddy, lately he's been showing signs that he's got his mommy's genes too. If you know me at all, you're probably aware that I like things to be organized and as orderly as possible. I'm a planner and derive a lot of satisfaction from checking off my to-do lists. Whenever I pretend to be spontaneous, it hardly every goes well!

Lately, we've found Evan arranging things in his room and in the house in an orderly fashion. Whenever he gets things lined up just so, he yells, "yay!" excitedly at his accomplishment. I think now my husband Ryan better understands that I was born this way and can't help it (just as he was born a free spirit). Hopefully Evan will be able to manage his Type A tendencies to where they are a gift not a burden (a lifelong process for me as a recovering perfectionist!).

See below for some evidence of Evan's orderliness:

Exhibit A: Arranging similar sized books

Exhibit B: Fridge Magnets

Exhibit C: Zoo animals all facing the same direction-He got mad at Daddy for placing them backwards!

Moving on Up

It's hard to believe, but Levi's E.T.A. is just four weeks away, so we've been busy preparing for him. Part of that process has been getting Evan's new room ready. Today was a big day because he took his first nap in his big boy bed! It truly is a big boy bed, as you can tell from the pics. It's the same antique bed that my dad refinished when I was young. Don't worry, he has a guard rail to keep him safely on the bed!

At first he wasn't sure about me leaving him in the bed alone at naptime today, but once we got a few more of his stuffed furry friends to accompany him (besides just his loveys) he felt much better. My little boy is growing up-it's bittersweet!

Check out his new room below. We got most of the decor from Target and Ikea. All that's left to do is for mommy to paint some pictures of a car & a truck to hang on the wall (I think that might be a post-baby project at this point!).

1-11-11 Brings a New Decade

I confess, I am not a consistent blogger these days! Be it the holidays, traveling, pregnancy, mommy duties, preschool, church happenings, it seems that something is always taking my time and energy- but alas! It would be a shame to let today, 1-11-11, my 30th birthday, pass by without a thought.

First of all, how cool is the date? I won't live to see it again, that's for sure. Second of all, I hear how great the 30s are (at least that's what everyone older than me has said), so I feel I must give my 20s a proper adieu.

Honestly, as I reflect, my 20s were pretty amazing! If the 30s truly are better, then woo-hoo, bring 'em on!

Below are 11 reasons why I loved my 20s (in order of occurrence):

1. I attended and graduated from Reinhardt College, where I made some amazing friends while I majored in Elementary Education.

2. I went to China twice to teach English and share my faith. This totally changed my view of the world by opening my eyes to a foreign culture and making me aware of how God is working internationally.

3. I met, fell in love with, and married my best friend--the handsome Ryan Dean :).

4. I began a fulfilling teaching career in Gwinnett County, with 5 years at the best school ever, Winn Holt ES in Lawrenceville, where I taught the best students and made many lifelong friends.

5. Ryan and I bought our first home, which we painstakingly and rather enthusiastically painted every square inch of the inside! What a fun time that was! Plus we made some great friends in our neighborhood.

6. Realizing that teaching older children how to read was incredibly challenging, I pursued and received my Master of Ed in Literacy, which transformed my teaching and became my passion.

7. I got to travel to some pretty cool places (besides China): New York City (multiple times), Colorado for some skiing, Peru for 2 mission trips, and of course, the Dunn family annual trips to Cocoa Beach, FL!

8. I became a mother to sweet little Evan!! How do you top that?

9. I began to learn how to serve alongside and support Ryan in ministry with 6 1/2 years at Christ Church in Stone Mountain,GA, and now at Redeemer Church in Jackson, MS.

10. I am about to have our second son, Levi, in less than 8 weeks!

11. Okay...one more...well, I guess I can be thankful for something vain. The 20s means no wrinkles or gray hair (I'm still good on the wrinkles, but those gray hairs...).

So today, I thank God for the past and trust Him with my future. Thirties, here I come!

Merry Christmas from the Deans!

We want to wish all of you a very blessed Christmas and a happy New Year!

We are busy packing and wrapping to get ready to head to Atlanta for Christmas & New Years. We will be spending time with my side and Ryan's side of the family and hopefully with some of our friends who are still in town. We can't wait to see our loved ones and maybe even some snow in Atlanta!

Here are some great shots of our family that my sister captured with her brand new camera over the Thanksgiving holidays (thanks, Erica, I think they turned out great!):

Learning to Stop & Give Thanks

Far too often, I'm guilty of becoming a slave to my to-do list rather than enjoying the simple, everyday moments in life. When I feel myself getting frustrated with my two year old son for acting like, well, a two year old, it's usually because his behavior is keeping me from getting stuff done. If you are familiar with the story of Mary & Martha in the Bible, I hands-down identify with Martha, the one busy in the kitchen who gets stressed out, then snaps at her sister and Jesus for not seeing that she obviously needs help (I'm sure there have been times when Ryan can relate to the two of them in that situation!). I was born a "doer", and I have to force myself to stop, reflect and thank the Lord for the blessings in my life.

Yesterday at Redeemer, our pastor preached on Galatians 5, living in the battle between the flesh (sin nature) & the spirit (our new lives as Christians), and how we can have victory over the sin in our lives by believing in the Holy Spirit's power and asking him to change us. Then later that evening, we had a special Thanksgiving service in which people gave testimonies as to what they were thankful to God for. It was so refreshing and encouraging to me. I felt that God had convicted me earlier that day of my sin of trying to do too much on my own and not depending on him enough, and then that evening he reminded me of his goodness to me and the rest of his people, and how I truly need him. I left feeling inspired to better foster a spirit of thankfulness in my heart.

This Thanksgiving we'll be traveling to Atlanta to spend time with both sides of our family (yay!). Although I'm sure there will be times of being busy in the kitchen (I mean, we all want to eat, right?), I want to be purposeful to stop and thank the Lord for the blessings I have received: my loving husband, adorable son, a healthy pregnancy, baby #2 on the way, wonderful families that Ryan & I grew up in, supportive friends, and our new church home in Jackson...to name just a few.

I hope that you will take the time to thank God for how He has blessed you as well. In fact, I'd love to hear what you are thankful for if you want to post it as a comment! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Oh, and here are some overdue pics from the fall festival at our church: