One more--for me

Ok, after the whine fest "Oh poor Jen, she didn't finish NaBloPoMoBloPop" post of two days ago, I thought I should just get over myself and post my 30th post. Sure, it isn't the "right" way to do it, which is to post once each day, but at least I'll go to bed tonight knowing that I kind of did it.
I also wanted to give a shout out to YOU, my readers. Your comments and emails make me so happy and I love reading your blogs. I"m thrilled to have made some new "blog friends" this month and to have discovered some great new reads.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to catch up on my DVR'd shows. :)

PS: If you have any topics you'd like me to write about, let me know!!

Home again, home again, but not for long

Holy clingy baby, Batman! Over the past 2 days, Dean has developed some serious separation anxiety issues. He wants all mommy all the time. Cute? Yes. Charming? Sure. Flattering, even? Absolutely. Also back-breaking, exhausting and sort of annoying when you would like to do something like go to the bathroom or eat. Poor guy.

This week the official holiday madness starts. We came home from my mom and dad's armed with Christmas decorations and serving platters. However, I think we forgot the big box of ornaments they gave us. (Poo! We somehow managed to accidentally steal 3 of my mom's outfits from the closet, though. Woops.) We did make off with the small Christmas tree that was in my room for years and years and years. It is now sitting happily in Dean's room. We decorated it as soon as we got home this afternoon. He likes to look at it while getting his diaper changed. This week, we'll go get our big tree for the family room. We're going with an artificial one this year. (Don't want to tempt bugs or vacuum needles...though a real tree would be nice...maybe in a few years when we host the holidays at our house.) We'll be spending the week before Christmas with Marcus's parents in VA, then flying back to spend Christmas with my family in MS. Then it'll be back home for a round of New Year's guests and Dean's first birthday party. And then I will need to go to the spa.

AND as if that all weren't enough, we're hosting a Christmas party for some of Marcus's students! This weekend! AAAAAAH! Who wants to babysit?

Na-Blo-Blew-It

I cannot believe this. At 11:48 last night, I woke up when Dean screamed for a bottle. I went to the kitchen, noticed the time and went "Oh, no." I didn't blog yesterday. It completely got by me. We got up and headed to the Grove at Ole Miss to tailgate at 8am, then Dean and I came home for him to nap. I checked my email quickly, but got caught up in that and didn't blog. Then my mom and I went to lunch and shopping, then we all went to some friends' house for dinner. By the time we got home and got Dean to bed, we were ready to fall asleep, too, and it just slipped my mind. I got back into bed to feed Dean and told Marcus I hadn't blogged. He said "Go write one really quickly!" But both my parents were asleep in the room with my mom's computer and I knew my dad's laptop was password protected (it's for work), so I was out of luck. I am so, SO disappointed. NaBloPoMo was something I was doing just for me and as silly as I know this sounds, it was important to me to be successful at it. It meant that I was taking at least a couple of minutes a day for myself. Don't get me wrong, I had a good day yesterday, I just wish I hadn't fallen off the wagon, so to speak. I"ll try again next year, I guess. On the bright side, I did discover a ton of fun new blogs to follow this month and made some new blog friends. I also increased my readership. I would have liked to have done 30 posts in 30 days, though. Oh, well. Alas and alack!

Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart

I have so much to give thanks for this year. The following list hits the highlights, which are pretty momentous. I hope wherever you are that you're having a wonderful, restful holiday. Leave a comment and tell me what you're thankful for this year.

*My mom's kidney transplant. If you haven't heard her story, you should. (Visit my December 2007 archives) The generosity of her donor, Bradley, the amazing success of her transplant, the wonderful care of her doctors...we couldn't have asked for a better Christmas gift last year. She truly has a new lease on life.

*Dean. Oh, Dean. In all the years I dreamed of having a baby, I never could have imagined one as perfect as the one we got. He is a perfect blend of Marcus and me and I adore him more each minute. Truly the biggest blessing of my life.

*Our new home. What a great thing to own the place you live, to make it yours and put down roots. The move to Montevallo was a good one.

*My husband's job. He's a wonderful teacher and he's finally in a place where he's not stretched in so many directions that he can't find his head with both hands. He has a great support system and is flourishing as a professor. His job provides us with enough to live the life we've wanted to live for a long time.

*This blog. Especially since our move, this blog has provided me with an outlet for my emotions, friendly feedback from all my readers and a place to call my own.

*Coffee. Because man, oh, man, was I missing it this time last year!

I hope your year has been as blessed as mine. Happy Thanksgiving.

Three Lanes safely delivered to Mississippi

I have been trying to figure out a topic to blog about for an hour now. Instead, I'm sitting here busting a gut laughing with my mom. I think you'll all forgive me if I don't write an eloquent post tonight. We really need to giggle at our husbands right now.

For your amusement, however, here's a sample conversation between my mom and me.

Mom: I got pie.
Me: I like pie.
Mom: You want pie?
Me: I like pie.
Mom: I got Redi-Whip, too. For the pie.
Me: I like pie.
Mom: You want some?
Me: Ok!

And that's how it is.

PS: Due to popular demand (and about 15 comments and emails!), I promise to make a video of the bathtime song this weekend and post it here. Prepare yourself.

A break from the norm

Tomorrow, Deano, Marcus and I will load up and travel to my parents' house in Oxford for the long Thanksgiving weekend. We are all looking forward to a break. Dean is ready for "unbridled fun" as my dad says, and Marcus and I are jazzed about a full night's sleep and some food we didn't buy or cook ourselves. We have decided to go easy this year--we're eating at Cracker Barrel! That means NO cooking, NO shopping and NOOOOO cleaning! Yay! It also means no leftovers, but that's ok because we're going to a family party Friday night that's going to involve chili and a football game and tailgate Friday afternoon, so we're sure to stuff ourselves sufficiently.

We went to the college to have lunch with Marcus today and all the students looked like walking zombies. Many of them are closing HAIR tonight, so they have been stretched thinner than thin these past couple of weeks because of the production. They all need a break from classes and college life, I think. We've fed 3 of them dinner on at least one occasion over the past couple of weeks. See? I'll make the transition back to academia just fine--they're not even my students yet and already I want to take care of them!

I think back to my college days and remember how completely and utterly DONE I was by the time Thanksgiving rolled around each year. We were on the quarter system, so our first quarter ended in November, just in time for a lovely 2 week Thanksgiving break! My first day home, I would present my mother with her special gift (my laundry), eat at Abner's (my favorite chicken place) and go straight to bed for hours and hours and hours. It was usually the first night I'd slept more than 6 straight hours since the school year started, and also the first night in a month or so that I wasn't in rehearsal until at least 11pm. My parents worked hard to make my trips home relaxing for me. Comfort food was served, favorite restaurants were visited, shopping trips were planned, nostalgic movies were watched. Nowadays, we do a lot of the same things. This weekend, we'll get to visit with some old buddies, meet a new baby friend, see an Ole Miss football game and go to church with my mom and dad. And I have a hunch it'll feel like one of those quarter breaks from college. (Don't worry, mom, I'm not bringing our laundry!)

Now if you'll pardon me, I have to go finish cooking my very healthy and well-balanced dinner which consists of Velveeta Shells and Cheese and Coke Zero. It's "Eat What You Can Find" day here in the Lane home. Guess how you play!? ;)

If you're traveling for Thanksgiving, please do so safely and have a great trip!

Today I was a good mom

I think I'm a pretty good mom most days, but today seemed like a REALLY good day. We got up this morning, had breakfast and got Dean settled into "baby jail" to do his morning routine, which involves talking to every stuffed monkey we own, making sure all his musical toys still work, then reading every book in the house. (I should mention that I am usually in baby jail WITH him while he's doing this. Got a mental picture now? Good.) Our friend Alli left after her weekend stay with us and I got to work. By 11:30am, Dean had taken his morning nap and I had done 3 loads of laundry, 2 loads of dishes (in my dishwasher, which miraculously started working again when the power flashed off this weekend! Hallelujah!), swept and mopped the kitchen, switched out the hand towels in the bathroom (I am a bit obsessive compulsive about hand towels in the bathrooms) eaten lunch and sent two work-related emails! I'm on fire, I tell you! After lunch, Dean and I played for a while, then he showed me how well he can climb the stairs. We stood at the front door and looked out at the rain, then he somehow got dirt on his hands. I took him up to the bathroom sink to wash his hands and you would have thought we went to Disney World. He BELLY LAUGHED at the water and started trying to splash. So I pulled the stopper and let some water puddle in the sink so he could splash. Soon we were both soaked. He grabbed a hair elastic and was trying to play with it, so I decided, what the heck? Let's go swimming. I stripped him down and tossed him into the tub with his toys. He had a BLAST. He splashed and crawled around and explored parts of the tub that were new to him. At night, our bathtime is fairly routine. Daddy runs the water and washes the hair. I wash the body, Daddy helps rinse and keep baby from drowning and gives comfort when Mommy splashes baby in the face. Then Daddy stands baby up so Mommy can wash his bottom parts (and there's a song we sing), then out we go into the hooded towel and off to bedtime. I think Dean enjoyed his little swim party. I was proud of myself for being impromptu and not getting frustrated when he got us both soaking wet. I want to be that mom on the commercial who sprays her kid with the kitchen sink sprayer. (By the way, if you ever want to mess with a member of your family or your roommate, put a rubber band around the "trigger" on the kitchen sink sprayer. They will get HOSED the next time they turn on the sink. HILARIOUS! Learned it from my mom!)
Deano's down for his second nap of the day and my kitchen has been scrubbed with Clorox. There is one glass in my sink and there are 2 garments in my laundry basket (they require gentle cycle with like colors, so they will likely be there a while) and there is not one board book on my floor. I'm going to stop writing now and breathe it all in while it lasts.

Aquariuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuus!

That song will be stuck in my head for the rest of my life. I'm sure of it. We saw HAIR last night and that song kind of sticks with you. It was a good production and Marcus and I were quite proud of the students. Alli, our friend who's in for the weekend, even did our hair for the occasion. Let her loose with a straightening iron and look what happens:














We look kind of emo.
(That's me wearing real clothes and makeup, by the way. Haven't seen that in a while, have we?)

Dean had a swell time with Brittney. HIS hair was out of control and could have used some time with the straightening iron:














I can't believe there are only 7 days of November left. Aren't you glad? Cause then NaBloPoMo will be over and you don't have to read about us straightening our hair every day? :) That also means CHRISTMAAAAAAAAS is almost here and I am SO excited. I'm also gearing up for Dean's first birthday party. If anyone has any genius ideas about what we should get our little guy, please let me know. We would like to get him something memorable, not just a toy. (Grandparents seem to have the toys covered, thank you very much.) Marcus keeps threatening to re-wrap all his Christmas gifts and give them to him for his birthday. Anyone have any good suggestions?


For those interested, the Publix penny item this week was bleach. You had your choice of regular or lemon flavored. I thought that was a weird choice, but I got some anyway! Cause it was a penny!

God Bless Brittney Hunt

Because she is keeping my child so I can GO OUT TONIGHT! WITH ADULTS! IN REAL CLOTHES AAAAANNNNNNNDDDDDDD MAKEUP! I may even wear jewelry. Wow. I have cabin fever, can you tell?
We'll be going to the college tonight to see their production of HAIR. Not my favorite, but WHO CARES? I WILL BE OUT! WITH ADULTS! :):):) Dean's girlfriend Kate is coming over to also be babysat (oh, God, did you see the bad grammar!?!?!?) by Brittney. Fun is sure to be had by all.
I'll let you know how it goes.

In other news, Alli is visiting this weekend to pick up her wedding dress (made by Brittney Hunt. She's so talented--sewing AND babysitting! Wow!). For lunch, I served brownies and cheeseball of happiness. Gourmet, that's me.

Freaky Friday!

What up, peeps!?!? Dean here. (That's how they talk in New York. I was born there, you know.) Today's been an exciting day, so mommy said I could hijack her blog. I was hoping she'd let me blog again during NaNaBloPop or whatever it is y'all are calling this month. I don't get it...all I know is she gets up every morning, feeds me, then puts me in baby jail so she can type while she guzzles many cups of coffee. Whatever floats your boat, mom.

Anyway, we registered our new car today! I liked the DMV. It has good echoes. I think the lady helping us was really impressed with my singing abilities, and especially liked it when I did my high-pitched scream. (All the ladies go for that one.)

I played in my saucer and had some toast while mom did some cleaning, THEN we picked up daddy and went to tour my new daycare! It was nap time when we got there, but a couple of the kids were up. I immediately spotted a big boy (I think he might be 1 already) wearing an I Love New York shirt. I was like, "Hey, Buddy! That's the land of my peeps!" I got down and crawled toward him and he ran away. I chased him, though, so we could be friends. All the teachers seemed really nice and the room was very clean. AND everyone gets their own bed to nap in! I might bring some pictures of monkeys to hang in my bed to give it a little touch of home. They even have this cool table that you can SIT IN (it has built in seats!) to eat lunch! Think of all the surface area I would have there to cover with food! I'll bet they'd be impressed by the way I rub turkey in my hair. I'll have to be sure to show them that trick the very first day! And they have snack time, which is my favorite time of day. I think it'll be a cool place to go while mommy and daddy are at work next semester. Mommy kept telling daddy "See, I didn't even cry!" I don't know why she would cry. That's just weird.

This week, I found a cool new book at our house! Here is a picture of me looking at it.














Mommy says it's from a store called Victoria's Secret and that it's not nice for me to keep looking at it and ESPECIALLY not nice for me to chew on it. She also said I should tell you that this is the picture of the week and you should go to town writing captions. (But don't be dirty because my GRAMMY and PAPA read this blog.)

Later, peeps! Gotta go get my beauty rest. (Because guess who DID NOT HAVE A NAP AT ALL today!?!?) :):):)

I got nothin.

I'm having a weird day. So, let's play a game, shall we?
Lay it on me: YOUR FAVORITE GUILTY PLEASURE.

Mine is Glamour magazine. I LOVE Glamour magazine! I started reading it in college. I will never, ever wear high-end designer clothes, but I like to look at them. Glamour has great hair and makeup tips and has recently added a financial advisor to do a column about how to get the most bang for your buck, savings, retirement, etc. They have fun lists like "Top Ten Things each woman should have in her bathroom" and a column written by a "real guy" so we can know how men think (haha) and sad stories about people with illness who triumph thanks to medical technology! They also do neat celebrity interviews and choose the Glamour women of the year and such.

One of my favorite things is "Where has YOUR Glamour been?" which features pictures of women standing on top of the Pyramids in Egypt with the magazine or reading it while scuba diving in the ocean. My friend Kitty and I were all geared up to send in a picture of me in labor reading my Glamour. It was even on the "what to pack" list for my hospital bag (a lot of good that did me...you'll see what I mean if I ever post Dean's birth story). I opened my new issue of the magazine 2 days before I had my baby and wouldn't you know it? Some woman is sitting there hooked up to a fetal monitor, Glamour magazine propped up on her baby belly. She totally stole my idea. And they went on about how cooooooool it was that she brought her Glamour to the delivery room and how they bet she'll be suuuuuuuuch a Glamorous mom. Yeah.

I also enjoy the Fashion Do's and Don'ts. While I was in New York, I was always terrified of ending up on the Don't page, so I paid a little extra attention to what I wore outside my apartment, lest a Glamour photographer be on a stake out for bad fashion at the bakery next door and snap a picture of me in mis-matched yoga pants and a holey sweatshirt. (I have obviously lost this fear since moving to Alabama. If they could see me now, they'd have an entire page of don'ts!)

Anyway, when I get my Glamour, I open it immediately and rip out anything that smells (perfume ads) or is made of cardstock and causes the pages to flip open. Once Dean's in bed, I read it from cover to cover in one sitting. Yay, Glamour.

What is your guilty pleasure?

What's in YOUR purse?

I admit that I totally stole this idea from Jennifer at Playgroups are no place for children, and she admits to having stolen it from Ali, so there ya go. But it was fun. Let's explore the weird contents of Jen's purse, shall we? (I probably should have taken a picture of my purse, too. It is, as you can see, rather large.)

I have a lot of "normal" purse stuff, like my wallet, my phone, keys, etc., but I was surprised at a few of the things I found. Such as:

*A $50 gift card to Baby Gap that I FORGOT I HAD! One of our NYC neighbors thought Dean was a girl when he was born (?) and bought him a precious little white dress and lacy sweater, which I returned. I got store credit on a gift card and still have not spent it. Looks like Mama's going shopping!

*A sock. My sock. Just one. (bottom right corner) I have no idea.

*3 packs of gum, not a single one in a flavor I enjoy.

*Approximately 398 feminine hygiene products. You know, cause you need that many.

There are also some other more normal (well, normal for me) things like Dean's pig on a ring (Great for entertaining children in the grocery store), my lactaid pills, the little tool and extra links for my Italian charm bracelet, several Dulcolax pills that spilled into the bottom of my purse (leftover from those pesky post-partum days), a makeup sponge, baby nail clippers, my mini-Leatherman multi-tool, one of Dean's books, 2 flavors of hand santizer, 2 kinds of lotion, my "sea bands" which are supposed to help nausea associated with morning sickness or sea-sickness (and which do not work for either---hence the Dramamine), my coupon holder, a keyring with no keys and my business card holder.

So what's in your purse (or wallet) that might be considered out of the ordinary?

(I tried to make the picture bigger so you could see it better, but it kinda turned into a fuzzy mess...woops.)

NOOOO! This is NOT happening now!

So, my wireless card is dead. At least I think (and hope)that is what's wrong. I cannot seem to connect to the internet on my computer. I tried for 3 hours last night and again this morning. I have finally given in and moved over to Marcus's computer, which is not making me happy. His computer is fine. I even kind of prefer typing on his keyboard. But I miss MY computer. It has my bookmarks and my pictures and a purple background and my shortcuts and it's MINE. Guess Deano and I will be going to Best Buy today to get some help from the Geek Squad. [Speaking of which, did you know that they really drive that silly little car when they come to your house? It's true.] I cannot believe this is happening, especially during NaBloPoMo (or as Marcus calls it, NaNaBloPop).

I had a fun post with a picture for today, but I need my computer to do it. Boo. SO, let's see. What can we do instead? I know, in honor of my mom's birthday (happy birthday, mom!!), let's have everyone tell me about a birthday memory. It could be a cool party you had, a nice gift you received, whatever you'd like to tell us.

One of my favorite birthday memories is from this past year. Dean was about 7 weeks old on my 31st birthday. We'd had a particularly rough night, preceded by an even rougher day. This was around the time we found out that he's a little lactose intolerant, so we were experimenting with different feeding techniques. The doctor had recommended that I only feed him "sensitive" formula (no lactose) for an entire 24 hours to see if that made a difference. I was still nursing at this point, so needless to say, we were both miserable with him on just bottles of new formula. He woke up at 5am, was not too happy when I popped a bottle in his mouth, and half-heartedly ate. After he was done, he burped, spit up, then nuzzled in for a cuddle. Then he looked up and smiled at me. His very first smile. Just for me. On my birthday. Kind of made the fact that I'd only slept 2 hours that week worth it.

You can't look away

You must visit this blog.

Cake wrecks

As a baker of cakes, I am always nervous about someone "judging" my cakes. After looking at this site for about 2 hours the other night, I have a new confidence in my cakes. My favorites are the ones where people have obviously put on the order form "I want sprinkles" and they write it ON THE CAKE! Check it out. It will make you giggle.

In other news, Dean has grown approximately 3 feet over the weekend and is currently sitting in baby jail with a Victoria's Secret bag on his head. Whatever floats your boat, man.

And the winner is...

AJU5's Mom!! Yay and congrats. A long time reader, AJU5's mom could probably use some pampering--they are in the middle of a huge home renovation. Email me your address and I'll get your prize in the mail. (Eva, I haven't forgotten about you! I've just been to lazy to go to the P.O.!)
I used random.org to pick the winner. You can roll a virtual die. It's totally fun.

Happy Sunday, everyone. Our weekend was good. My friend Meredith came to stay with Deano and me while Marcus was out of town picking up our car. (Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay, new car!) The insurance people, by the way, never showed on Friday to pick up the wrecked car. Color me surprised.

Here are some picture from our weekend.














This is our car, or what's left of it. (Look over to the left. That silver thing sticking into the picture is the bumper.) If they don't pick it up soon, I'm going to decorate it for Christmas.














Dean met Santa. Unfortunately, this picture is better than the ones I bought. We may have to try again. See his cute sweater, though!?!? When I noticed Santa was at the mall (with NO WAITING!), I called Marcus. He said to buy that kid a Christmas sweater and give him to Santa! Meredith and I always have a crazy time together, but add a baby to the mix and hilarity is sure to ensue. Picture, if you will, the two of us shoved into the bathroom at JC Penney changing a wriggling Dean out of his one-piece outfit and into jeans and a sweater. We had an audience by the time it was done. But it was worth it. ;)



















Dean also got his first pair of "big boy" shoes from Stride Rite. (We had a gift card from The View.) He went completely insane in the store, probably just happy to be freed from the stroller. He tried to crawl back to the store room. He tried to climb a display. He drooled on the saleslady. But we came out with a cute pair of "pre-walker" shoes that are supposed to help him learn to walk. I like that he doesn't seem to be able to pull them off easily.














Mostly, Dean enjoyed visiting with his Auntie Meredith. I think she likes him a little bit, too. :)

Everyone have a good week!

Five by Five by Five

There's still time to enter yesterday's caption contest! Just leave your caption in the comments section to be entered in the random drawing for the Beauti Control Herbal Serenity Instant Manicure and Handcream!! Drawing will take place on Sunday. Woo hoo!

Five Things, courtesy of Sheri at www.unexpectedbliss.com .

Five things I was doing 10 years ago (1998)

1. Completing my final year of college.

2. Flirting with my (then future) husband. :)

3. Driving my Dodge Shadow.

4. Wondering what was next

5. Living in a brothel. (5 or more unmarried, unrelated women living under one roof in Louisiana is considered a brothel. Yee Haw.)

Five things on my to do list

1. Make my blog better. Awesome even.

2. Finish my syllabus for next semester’s class.

3. Lose the &*%^$^ baby weight.

4. Get the dishwasher fixed. (*Top Priority)

5. Find a new cell phone service.

Five things I like to snack on

1. Kit Kats

2. Chips and salsa

3. Ruffles and onion dip

4. Twizzlers

5. Pears

Five things I would do if I were a millionaire

1. Pay off all bills

2. Buy a huge hunk of land and move our families there.

3. Buy a house in the Florida Keys

4. Travel all over the place

5. Give, give, give

Five jobs I have had

1. Sno-cone maker (best job EVER)

2. stage manager

3. teacher

4. personal assistant (worst job EVER)

5. Mom (ok, THAT'S the best job EVER)

Caption Contest Friday!

Here it is, Friday already! Dean and I just dropped Marcus off at the airport and are now chilling at home. He got me up at 4;55am. There will be many naps today.

Today's caption contest features a great prize! My friend Amy, who sells Beauti Control, has donated a great 2 piece set from their Herbal Serenity line. One lucky winner will receive the Show of Hands Instant Manicure and Moisturizer! This stuff is amazing...I own it myself. It makes your hands so smooth and shiny! All you have to do to be entered in the random drawing is leave a comment in the form of a caption for this lovely picture:



















That's my husband, Marcus. Yeah.

Have a great weekend!

My birthday's in 3 months, for those keeping count

I have apparently lost the ability to cook overnight. Last night, I made dinner. Sure it was a simple menu, but I worked in a new chicken batter (salt-free, no less!) and made sure we had a green vegetable and such. This morning, I got up with Dean at 5:47 (imagine that in all-caps, if that were possible with numbers) and made strong coffee and cereal. As I sat down to eat my Cheerios, Dean made me a little present in his diapee, so off we went to change. By the time I got back to my bowl, the cereal was icky and soggy, so I tossed it. And, of course, that was the last of the box. I wanted to make cookies, but just couldn't justify having those for breakfast. Dean fell asleep at 7:30 and I went and got back into bed. Marcus grunted at me. I told him I wanted cookies. He said he did, too, so I went and put some in the oven. (we got some of the break-apart ones that you just pop in and bake.) I burned the bottoms. Once Marcus went to work (early, by the way, probably so he could stop and get something edible on his way to class), I decided to make eggs. I don't know what I did, but they were a weird texture. I give up. I do, however, think this is a sign that I should go to Chik Fil A for lunch. ;D

Marcus leaves tomorrow morning to fly to DC to pick up our "New" car. His dad is letting us take his 2004 Honda Accord because he just got a snazzy 09 model. We are SO excited! He'll pick it up and start driving home Saturday, stopping to spend the night with his grandparents in Knoxville. I HATE it when Marcus is not with us, but I'm not as bummed this weekend because Meredith is coming! I haven't seen her since March when she and her husband came to NYC for a visit. Many of you will remember Meredith from previous blogs about how I almost ruined her wedding by becoming pregnant right before the big day and how I nearly put out people's eyes by shoving my already-swelling-newly-pregnant body into my bridesmaid's dress. Seriously, if I had been a minute more pregnant, we would have had to go to the mall to find me something else to wear. Anyway, good times are sure to ensue. I think we're going to the Galleria. Just for sport, I'm going to let her be in charge of dressing Dean all weekend. Maybe between the two of us, we can get his diaper on without breaking a sweat.

Be sure to check back tomorrow, when my blog will hopefully be more inspired and entertaining, and when there will be a new caption contest with a randomly awarded PRIZE!!!!!!!!!

Some fun things my little boy has done this week

Taken this picture of me, which, except for the fact that I have no mouth or chin, ain't too shabby.



















Ridden in a duffle bag. You know, because the 2 million and 20 toys scattered on our floor are just not enough to hold his attention sometimes.



















Ok, this picture does not do justice to what happened here. Somehow, Dean's right leg ended up in the left leg of his PJs and the right leg was just kind of hanging over to the side. I have no idea what's going on at the top, but it kinda looks like a toga.














Become obsessed with (and fearless about) the stairs. He crawls to them all the time and tries to climb. We finally had to build a barricade. And yes, we sang a song from Les Miz while we built it. Because we are JUST THAT GOOFY!














Done a little light reading. See the red thing? It's his new "book rack." (see the proper use of quotation marks there, by the way?) It's really a magazine rack, but I got it for 68 CENTS at the Target dollar spot to keep his books for him. And he dumps it out. And swims in the sea of books. And it is precious and makes me oh, so proud that he would rather look at books than do almost anything else these days.



















Fallen asleep on his daddy. In bizarre positions.















Cheered for the Crimson Tide against LSU. He said overtime makes him nervous.



















Played in the leaves. Which makes him super happy and giggly.















Worn cute old-man-style Spiderman flannel PJs. And apparently begun practicing yoga.

How's your week going?

Common annoyances and other unusual problems

Even though I'm in a good mood today, I think I'll do a list of pet-peeves. Heather recently did one on her blog, so I'll follow suit.

Dean is happily standing in his new and improved baby jail holding on with one hand , flinging toys with the other and sporting new, snazzy Spiderman flannel PJ pants, so I think I have time to post!

STUFF THAT AGGRAVATES ME:
1. The misuse of quotation marks. This must be a problem for others, too, because there is a whole blog devoted to it. I read this blog for hours on Sunday and it had me laughing so hard I cried.

2. The fact that the site of my epidural STILL HURTS from time to time, even ten months after it was administered. Other moms (or people who have had spinal anesthesia), do you have this problem? You know, though, even though this pain flares up from time to time, I am still SO glad I had that epidural!!!

3. Stepping in gum. Didn't your mom teach you to save the wrapper to spit it in!?!? I mean, really.

4. The fact that Dean WILL NOT keep socks on his feet for more than 10 minutes at a time. His little toes felt like ice when he got up from his (short) nap today.

5. The word "playdate."

6. The fact that my feet do not reach the ground on airplanes, at the movies, in restaurant booths or even now, on my own couch.

7. My dishwasher is broken. GRRRRRRRRRR. Mama no like dishpan hands...

8. College students who think they know more than me. This is particularly challenging when you, uh, teach college.

9. When my mother says "nourishing." This has always irked me. I think she does it on purpose sometimes. (She is now leaving a comment using that word. Look for it.)

10. People looking at and remarking about my food when I'm the only one in the room eating. This used to happen a lot with a woman I worked with. She was a total foodie but was on Weight Watchers, so she would hover just over my shoulder and sniff at my food. It totally grossed me out and I'm pretty sure I lost more weight than she did because of it.

11. Earwax. Bleh.

12. Unsweetened iced tea. I have tried, believe me I have. But the southerner in me will win every time. Put some sugar in that stuff!

13. One-sided friendships. I hate these. I have lost 3 good friends (or people I thought were good friends) as a result of one-sided friendships. Here's what I've learned: You can only give so much.

14. Yo Gabba Gabba.
Go ahead. Watch the video. Tell me you're not scared. DEAN LOVES THIS SHOW.

15. I covered this in my 100 things list, but I feel it merits mention in this one, too. I HATE when people spell things with a K that should be spelled with a C. (Krunchy Krispies, Kountry Kitchen, etc.) The only exception is Krispy Kremes, because they are JUST THAT GOOD!

Ok, enough of that. Lists are always fun. I think this one was really prompted by the epidural site hurting because MAN does it hurt today.

On a brighter note, Dean and I went to play with the play group for the first time today and had a swell time making new friends. It has thrown our nap and eating schedule off for the day, but who cares, right? (Ask me again at 8pm...)

One's trash is another's treasure

This is the most unbelievable thing to happen to me since I was on THE VIEW last year and got hooked up with a million awesome baby prizes.
Last night our friend Jason called. He was so excited that he was out of breath. The conversation went a little like this:
JJ (his initials): JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN! Our neighbors just threw away a bunch of baby stuff!
ME: Oh, cool!
JJ: No, you don't understand, it's a BUNCH of baby stuff!
ME: Oh?
JJ: We just brought up 6 bags for Kate (their daughter) and we aren't going to have to buy clothes for her for 2 years! We pulled out about 60 outfits for Dean. I'm bringing them over!
ME: Holy cow!
JJ: There are also 2 car seats, 2 swings, a diaper genie, a BRAND NEW Graco high chair and some toys!
ME: WHAT!!? They didn't want Salvation Army to come get them? They'll pick it up!
JJ: I KNOW! I asked and they were throwing it out with their trash! I'm coming over!
ME: Why aren't you here yet!??!

Well, it was better than he said. We have over 50 new outfits that Dean can either wear now or grow into. We have like-new stuff in newborn sizes that I can pass along to my friends TJ and Amy who are expecting a girl baby (eeeeek!) in May. We have a NEW GRACO HIGHCHAIR! I mean, look at this:



















My bed is covered with baby clothes! (Please do not judge ugly bedspread---we are waiting for the really cool comforter we like to go on sale...)
And some of these have designer labels on them! I didn't know people bought designer clothes for their children! There is a Polo shirt for a 12 month old! Look!



















It's the Polo horsey! (No idea why this picture will not be right-side up.)
There were also shoes:














Spit rags (and who couldn't use more of those, right?)














This cool swaddling blanket, which will go to TJ and Amy's baby (lotsa luck figuring out how to use this, y'all!)




















And even 3 Halloween costumes of the Elmo, Pumpkin and Tigger variety.
(No idea why Elmo insists on only posting upside down. My pictures have a mind of their own today...espcially the ones of red items...)





















But the best part? THE EXTENDER PACK FOR OUR PLAYARD! We had already planned on buying this next month when the money tree blooms again and were making-do with the playard as a hexagon. ("Playard" still looks misspelled, doesn't it?) We dreamed of a square playard and only needed the two-piece extender pack to make it happend. Jason walked in and said "Here's two weird looking baby gates." And I almost passed out. I screamed for Marcus, who was burning pancakes in the kitchen. He came down and went "Is that the extender pack?" Then we did a little happy dance and now Jason probably thinks we're nuts. (or did until we explained. Then he was totally excited, too. He didn't dance though.)
Behold square baby jail:














Dean is very excited about his new, expanded play space. Perhaps that is why he refused to go down for his nap until 11:19. ELEVEN NINETEEN, PEOPLE! He better sleep for 3 hours...

Anyway, yesterday was certainly an unexpected blessing. It was like Christmas around here. I spent the morning washing all the new baby duds, so the house smells like Dreft. (not a bad thing...better than burned pancakes.)
Hope everyone's having a good Monday!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!

The alternate title of this post should be "If you can follow this, you deserve a cookie." Because, my friends, I have had a cortisone shot. And I'm gooooooooffffffffyyyyyyyyyy! I have been battling my allergies since moving back to Alabama. (Amazing what 4 years in a city with very little grass will do to your sinuses!) Things are blooming and pollen is swarming and my poor throat has been scratchy for a week. Dean woke up hungry at 4am and I realized then that my throat and right ear HURT. Fearing tonsilitis or strep, I high-tailed it to the walk-in doctor's office this morning and was second in line when they opened. After blood work and a strep test, it was determined that I have a viral infection. The doctor asked if I'd like a cortisone shot to help me feel better and I immediately said "YES!" You see, the cortisone shot and I have a long, swell history. Growing up in Louisiana, my allergies were AWFUL. My ENT doctor once told me I had the worst sinus problems he'd ever seen. I took allergy shots for 12 years, 11 of those years giving them to myself. (That sounds grammatically wrong, but I don't care! I"m goooooooofffffffyyyyyy!) When I would go in with a really bad infection, he'd pop me with a cortisone shot and by the time I got home, I was already starting to feel better. I am happy to report that my throat is already feeling much better and I haven't coughed in 2 hours. My right buttock, however, is another story. ;0

While in the waiting room at the dr.'s office, I listened to an 8 year old explain to her mom why they should use the walk-in clinic as her primary doctor because the place was much cleaner and quieter than her pediatrician's office. I also heard her (on the other side of the "triage curtain") correct her mother when she told the nurse what dosage of Tylenol she'd been giving the little girl. She was also able to recite her own drug allergies and knew exactly when her last immunizations were. I wish I were that together at 7:45 on a Sunday morning. When they asked me if I'd had any surgeries, I answered "no" then remembered "Oh, yeah, I had a C-SECTION in January!" The nurse was like "Hm, that's a big one!" Yeah. Oops...

Does medicine make you loopy? I was so high when I got my wisdom teeth out that I begged them to give me my teeth (which they did in a little pill bottle...which may still be at my mom's house), then giggled all the way down the hall before passing out cold in my dad's car.

I'm gonna go play with Dean now. His toys seem extra cool to me right now.
Have a good week!

To upgrade or not to upgrade?

First of all, let me commend all of you on your FUNNY captions yesterday! I think I'll make this a weekly thing. I even got all creative yesterday and got some PRIZES donated! Look at me go. From now on, if you leave a caption, you'll be entered in a random drawing (translation: Marcus will draw a name out of a hat) to win the coveted prize.
This week, however, I have to declare a winner based on what I found to be the funniest comment. And the winner is.....Eva at Surprised Suburban Wife! Her comment really captured our family's sense of humor. I laughed out loud. Really hard. My husband, who claims he doesn't read my blog OR laugh out loud, was sitting at his computer and started to giggle. I looked at him, shocked, and he said "This is the comment that should win."
So congrats, Eva! Email me your address--I've got a little happy for you and Megan!


Ok, enough with the italics already. I really got into reading blogs while I was pregnant. A few of my friends kept them before that and I started mine a couple of years ago as a way for friends to keep up with Marcus and me while we were in WV for the summer, but I didn't become the blog freak that I am today until I discovered the wonderful ones on Parents.com while gestating. Those led me to a few of their bloggers' personal sites, which led me to others through the comments section, and so on. For a while now, I've been toying with the idea of upgrading to Typepad. I'd like to ask for that to be a Christmas gift from Marcus (it's a paid service). The features are attractive to me and I feel like it might help me generate more traffic and give my blog a little more personality. I also want to ditch the "marcusandjenlane" part of my blog address, since I've done an overhaul and made this blog my own, rather than just a family record. I'd love to have "heyyall.com" be my address. I have considered doing Typepad's free 14 day trial, but it seems like a real hassle to direct everyone over there, then possibly back over here if I end up not being happy with it. Plus, I'm no internet whiz (shocking, I know!), so 14 days is probably not long enough for me to get everything situated like I'd want to.

Anyone out there use Typepad? Do you love it? Give me some feedback. Others who are on Blogger, are there features I am not using to the best of my abilities? Should I stick around here?

Hope everyone has a peachy weekend! I will be leaving in a few hours with Heather and Auntie M for a GIRLS' DAY! Oh, Lord, how I need a girls' day...

Caption Contest!

I should have thought about this before now. How about once a week during NaBloPoMo we do a caption contest!?!? That'll be fun. I have lots of pictures we an use. I'll try to get more creative and organized for next week and give away an actual prize, but this week, your prize will be a big ol' cyber hug from yours truly. (And really, who doesn't want THAT!?!?)

Leave your caption in the comments section. Be sure to check back to read others' captions.
Happy Friday!














This is me last Christmas, approximately 6000 months pregnant. That's our nephew Adam. Have at it!

Is it really only day 6?

So, yeah. I have a list of things to post here during NaBloPoMo, and at the top of that list is Dean's birth story. You know, since he's ten months old and I still haven't written it? Yeah. I had planned to post it today, but my writing is taking longer than I'd expected. I'm only up to the epidural, and that's a really, really good part, so I don't want to rush. ;) It's coming, I promise.

Instead, how about a recipe!?!? OR 2 even! The holidays are coming up, so if you're anything like me you are looking for new, yummy things to put on your table. Here's one for corn casserole. My friend Daniel introduced me to this yumminess and my mom perfected the recipe by adding cheese. (Cause really, what's not better with CHEESE!?!?) Warning: This is not a low-fat recipe, but the holidays are not a low-fat time. Especially in the deep south.

CORN CASSEROLE:
2 cans white shoepeg corn (It does actually make a difference what kind you use!)
1 16-oz container sour cream (use low-fat or fat free if it helps you sleep at night)
3 strips bacon (here we go)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
black pepper
shredded cheese (It's especially good with cheddar or colby jack)

Fry bacon. Remove from pan. Add onions to bacon grease. Sautee until clear and tender. Place corn, sour cream, black pepper (to taste) and cooked onion into large bowl and mix together. Pour into casserole dish (my 9 X 9 brownie pan works quite well for this recipe, though you can also use a plastic Gladware container if you'd rather microwave it or if you plan to re-heat soon.) Top with bacon crumbles, then cheese. Bake at 350 until cheese is melted OR microwave approximately 3 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!

And now the recipe you've all been waiting for. Among my circle of friends, it's called "The Ball of Happiness." It's a home-made cheese ball that will knock your socks off. It's SO easy to make, but tastes AMAZING!

Cheese Ball of Happiness :)
2-8oz. blocks of cream cheese (set out to let it soften, but DO NOT microwave!)
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dip/dressing mix
Seasoned pepper (Can be found in your spice aisle--I prefer Lawry's)

Wash hands. Place softened cream cheese and Ranch mix into a bowl. Mix by hand until ranch is evenly distributed throughout the cheese, then roll into a ball. Pour seasoned pepper over ball to coat. Place on a plate and DIG IN!
This will change your life.

Hope you enjoy these! Feel free to share a recipe with me in your comments! I do love the food.

10 whole months

My baby boy is ten months old today. Let's reminisce, shall we?



















Waiting...

















Here he is!














Six days old














1 month old














2 months old



















3 months old



















4 months old













5 months old















6 months old














7 months old














8 months old














9 months old














10 months old! Daddy and Mommy love you, Dean!

Rock the vote OR Seasons change

Get out there and do it!


Betcha think today's post is going to be about voting and politics. WRONG! It's not that I don't care or have lots of thoughts on those subjects, I just don't intend to use my blog as a place to display those thoughts. I think it comes from living in NYC for so long (and during the last election) where people would come up to you on the street and scream at you about their political views. I happily filled out my absentee ballot last month in a room alone and am looking forward to avoiding the polls today!

I have seasonal nostalgia, y'all. Every time the seasons change, I get a little yearning feeling in my heart for places I've lived before. Fall is the worst. I miss Ithaca, NY, where I lived for three years. It was the first place I experienced what I would consider a "real" fall. Having only lived in the south until I moved there, I had never even owned a scarf. It was like a new world was opened up to me when I moved up there and experienced Apple Fest, colored leaves that seemed to explode on the trees overnight, crisp fall mornings and the like. I even had these feelings about Ithaca when I moved to NYC. On the other hand, when living in NYC, I would always get really excited when Christmastime rolled around. (More excited than usual, if you can imagine that!) I can't even describe how much fun it was to walk through the streets I'd always seen on TV and see them decked out for the holidays. The tree at Rockefeller Center, the Unicef Snowflake across 5th Avenue (which my friend Matthew called the "Unisex" snowflake), Macy's window displays, giant wreaths, musical light shows inside the Time Warner Center, the tree at Lincoln Center and the Christmas music pumping through speakers on Steinway Street in Queens are just a few of the things I'll miss seeing first-hand this year. When living up north, I always got really nostalgic for the south when the seasons changed to warmer weather. I love summertime in the south, even the blazing heat. There's nothing like a small-town 4th of July or a Southern Easter with a picnic. I hope I'm always able to embrace these feelings, as I think they keep me connected to where I have been and help remind me how I got to where I am today.














You are miiiiiiiiiiine! Myyyyyyyy mooooommmmyyyyyyyy! You will do what I say because I have cast a spell on you with my cuteness! Gimme Cheeeeeeeerrrriiiiiiiiooooooooooooooos!

It's a good place to be.

**Don't forget that Starbuck's will give you free coffee if you go in and tell them you voted! Certain Ben and Jerry's locations will also give you a free scoop! Yay, America!

100 things

I've been meaning to do one of these for a while, so here ya go!

1. I was born in Jackson, Mississippi.
2. My birthday is the day before Valentine’s Day.
3. I don’t like Valentine’s Day.
4. I especially don’t like it when people wrap my birthday gifts in Valentine’s paper.
5. I DO like Valentine’s candy.
6. But not as much as I like my friend Pam’s home-made Christmas candy.
7. My parents have been married for over 30 years.
8. They were young when they had me.
9. They have been the perfect example of love, support and marriage.
10. I met my husband in college.
11. I was engaged to someone else at the time.
12. The first thing I ever said to my husband was “Man I’m tired of hearing about you.” (One of our friends had been talking about his coooool new friend Marcus for MONTHS.)
13. My favorite color is purple.
14. Not lavender, purple.
15. In pre-school, I would get angry if we didn’t get to color something purple each day.
16. My favorite toys growing up were my Barbies and Strawberry Shortcake dolls.
17. I called them my “Little Dolls.” (Abbreviated LDs.)
18. The first thing I did was undress them and cut their hair into a Mohawk.
19. Each had an intricate backstory, all of which I remembered.
20. I don’t remember them now.
21. I should have written them down.
22. I had a Hello Kitty diary when I was little.
23. Its name was Roxy.
24. I named it so it would be like I was writing to a friend.
25. I no longer keep a diary.
26. I keep a blog instead.
27. I was on the dance team in high school, the Bronco Belles.
28. It was one of the happiest times of my life.
29. And the thinnest.
30. Gaaaaaah, my legs looked great back then.
31. Yours would too if you high-kicked four hours a day.
32. I grew up outside Baton Rouge in a town called Zachary.
33. We had 2 stoplights.
34. My husband calls me Monkey Butt.
35. I’ve always dreamed of being a mom.
36. My little boy is better than I could ever have imagined.
37. I didn’t like his name, Dean, when my husband first suggested it.
38. If he had been a girl, we would have named him Olivia Faith.
39. My great-grandpa’s name was Pervie Lester.
40. We will not be naming any offspring after him.
41. My strongest pregnancy craving was mandarin oranges.
42. I went to college to major in musical theatre.
43. I ended up a stage manager.
44. I made the right choice.
45. I have done 2 Broadway shows.
46. They were truly a dream come true.
47. I never dreamed I would live in NYC.
48. I LOVED living in NYC.
49. I did NOT love riding the subway at night or paying high rent.
50. I lived across from an Italian deli.
51. I would kill for some of their balsamic ravioli salad right now.
52. I am super-picky about grammar.
53. I proof-read all important things my husband writes.
54. He is not picky about grammar.
55. Bono is my fantasy boyfriend.
56. I totally have a crush on John Clayton, the dorky little man who does injury reports on ESPN. He is my sports boyfriend.
57. I REALLY love coffee.
58. Especially hazelnut coffee.
59. I do not like French Vanilla coffee.
60. I have polycystic kidney disease.
61. And high blood pressure.
62. My mom has it, too.
63. She had a transplant in December 2007.
64. Her donor, Bradley, is my hero.
65. He has red hair and doesn’t eat anything green.
66. I love vegetables, especially home-grown ones.
67. I like to buy produce on the side of the road.
68. I never had braces.
69. My eyes are two different colors.
70. The only foreign country I’ve ever been to is Poland.
71. I have no desire to go back to Poland.
72. I went there to produce a show at a theatre festival.
73. I ate at McDonald’s so I could order a Royale with cheese.
74. After getting my Master of Fine Arts degree, I moved from Montgomery, Alabama to Ithaca, New York.
75. I had never seen snow before.
76. I also did not own a “real” winter coat.
77. I bought a parka. It was a good move.
78. I love moo cows.
79. I have texture issues with raw tomatoes.
80. I hate olives. My husband, unfortunately, loves them.
81. I was 6 weeks pregnant when I served as Matron of Honor in my friend Meredith’s wedding.
82. If I had been a minute more pregnant, my dress would not have zipped.
83. I have switched to Coke Zero.
84. I could eat pizza or pasta every single day.
85. When I was in labor and on Demerol, I drunk-dialed my mom.
86. I hate mayonnaise.
87. I am a good baker.
88. My Texas Sheet Cake will make you slap your mama.
89. I enjoy “Your Mom” jokes. A lot. (Your Mom’s a lot!)
90. I find vacuuming to be the most satisfying chore.
91. I get along really well with my mother in law.
    
92. I love SEC football.
93. My all-time favorite TV show is Sports Night.
94. I pronounce my name “Gin” due to my southern accent. It has 2 syllables when I say it.
95. No one vomits alone in my presence.
96. I hate when people spell things with a K that should be spelled with a C. (Example: Kountry Kitchen or Kiddie Kandids.) The exception to this rule is Krispy Kreme donuts.
    
97. I don’t like peanut butter cookies.
98. I want a pug dog.
99. I can’t wait to start teaching again.
100. I actually had fun filling this out!

Musings of a first-time mom

Here are some things I've learned about parenthood this week:

*When you know the time change is coming, start training your kid to go to bed later BEFORE THE DAY BEFORE the change happens! You don't even want to know what it was like trying to get Dean to stay up til 9 last night. He finally just gave out at 8:35. We didn't even finish Goodnight Moon.

*I think he's allergic to Pampers. We bought a gigantic box of them at a too-good-to-pass-up sale at our grocery store (of course) and since we started using them exclusively, he has his first-ever diaper rash. EW. Anyone need some size 3 Pampers?

*While the baby may enjoy a couple of bites of peach cobbler, make sure you know the consequences of feeding said baby said cobbler. Can you say W-I-L-D sugar high?

*Getting up at 6 am means you are ready for lunch by 9. This is not good, especially if it's 2 days after Halloween and you have an entire bag of Reese's and Kit Kats and 5 popcorn balls in your kitchen.

*Right before Dean is going to pee on me when I'm changing his diaper, he makes this weird little grunt sound. This is information I wish I'd discovered before this week.

*Kids these days ARE lazier than we were at their age. What proof do I have? As Dean mentioned in yesterday's post, we got rolled Halloween night. And it's the WORST TP job I've ever seen! I guess they were nervous or something because it's just kind of tossed over a branch or two. Marcus just laughed and said "Man, when I was rolling houses, we made sure you couldn't see a leaf on the tree!" Come on, teens of 2008. If you're gonna do it, do it up right.

*The guilt you think you will feel accepting trick or treat candy for your 9 month old child quickly goes away when they break out the mini Oreos.

*We need to contain Dean. He is waaaaay too interested in the bricks on the fireplace and the buttons on the cable box, not to mention all wires, plugs, stairs and doorstops. He is crawling faster than ever, which prompted us to buy him a playard. I think it should be spelled "play yard," but what do I know? Anyway, the reviews were good and they showed pictures of 3 toddlers playing in one together, so it's much bigger than it looks in the picture. It will keep our cable box safe, hopefully keep our child from banging his head into bricks or eating wires, and give him a cool place to play. He will only stay in his exersaucer for a few minutes at a time these days and I think he's about a minute away from learning how to escape from the pack n play. I'll let you know how the playard works out.

*It is not easy to get sweet potatoes out of your channel-set diamond wedding band.

*I cannot depend on my husband to tell me if I have applesauce on my face or formula stains on my shirt before we go to Target.

*My almost-ten-month-old now officially looks like a little boy to me and not a baby, unless he's in the tub. Nakedness seems to make him appear smaller.

Let's give this a whirl!

Well, howdy, everyone! Deano the Bambino here. I discovered the other day that some of my mom's blog friends have babies my age (or younger! Gasp!) who have already done guest spots on their blogs, so I figure it's high time I write my first guest post!
Yesterday was a very peculiar day. When I woke up, Mommy and Daddy gave me this pumpkin (which I'd already found and played with last week, but they don't need to know that!)















They kept telling me to look inside, but I was a little leery...

Finally, I gave in.














And scored myself a brand new book! (I can turn pages, you know.)














After a nice day of napping, playing in the yard and visiting my cool Halloween decorations,














Mommy said it was time to pick up Daddy and go tricker treating. (am I spelling that right??????? I'm just a baby...)














My friend Kate brought her Mama and Papa and we hit downtown Montevallo, where all the businesses were passing out treats. Mommy and Daddy said it was a perfect reminder why we moved back to the south. (Where were we before? Did I miss something? I have a very short-term memory...)



















Isn't Kate soooooooooooo pretty in her Tinkerbell costume?



















I do love the older women...

We scored lots of neat treats, like cookies, candy and freezie pops. I don't really go for freezie pops, so Kate ate mine.



















She even color-coordinated them with her outfit!

After dinner, we headed to Auntie M's and saw Chase in his Viking costume.




















Back at home, some kids in costumes knocked on our door and Mommy gave them candy. It only took her three times to figure out that she needed to take me to the door with her so I wouldn't COMPLETELY FREAK OUT. You know, because if she leaves my sight for a second she might never come back oh my gooooooooooooooooooosh, where's my mommyyyyyyyyy?????????? :)
I proceeded to pass out around 7:30 from all the excitement.

But the excitement didn't end there! When we woke up this morning, Daddy went outside and discovered that someone had decorated our trees!














Wasn't that nice of them!?!? They must know we're new to the neighborhood...

All in all, I enjoyed my first Halloween, but I hope Mommy doesn't try to dress me up like a monkey again today. It's awful hot in that costume.
Later, peeps!

****************************************************************
PS from Jen L.:
Hey, y'all! Hope you enjoyed Dean's first guest post. I fear there will be more in our future.
I wanted to let everyone know that I'll be participating in National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo), which means I'll be posting a blog each day in November. Be sure to check back often!