Captain Dove Bar and Commander Bottle Bag Head

Title of this post courtesy of my dad. The whole family is a laugh riot....

Signs of Spring

Paul made gazpacho and whole wheat biscuits (from scratch) for lunch after church on Sunday















and we started leaving our back door open so all of Abby's neighbors can visit.














Harper with all of Abby's toys
































Sherlock checking out our lunch














Abby being Abby

Two Momentous Occasions

My new niece, Kylie Maria, born to my sister in law Regina (20 days early!) today and Jessica's new bangs. Today was a big deal in the Kean family.

Things I Hope We Teach You

To love animals. Mommy wants bunnies, a few more dogs and a donkey, but Daddy always says no to her. If we play our cards right maybe he won't say no to you.
To be kind, fair and compassionate.
To appreciate diversity. I can't promise someday we won't sell out and move to a place where everyone looks exactly like you, but I can promise we'll try not to.
To be adventurous and willing to try new things. Daddy already has your first day of ski school planned and has assured me it's impossible you might not enjoy it. But if you don't that's ok too. You can snowboard with Mommy.
To be honest.
To ask thoughtful questions. Mommy got kicked out of her first religion class in high school and had to talk to the school chaplain after writing a paper in favor of gays adopting children in the 11th grade.
To love books.
To have a sense of humor. This will be hard to avoid if you have even one ounce of the Kean blood in your veins.
To value family.
To be polite. Please, please let us teach you to be polite.
To know that we are all - man/woman/gay/straight/black/white and everything in between - created equal.
To open the card before the gift, to always write thank you note, to be appreciative.
To be charitable. Learn to give even when you don't have much yourself. It's true you make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.
To always know that you are loved.

Not Really Nesting

I wouldn't say I'm experiencing a "nesting instinct". In fact, I've been surprisingly relaxed about the fact I have no furniture in the nursery and boxes of stuff all over the floor. I did decide last week that the entire refrigerator needed to be scrubbed out before I could go food shopping, but ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you that's perfectly normal and has nothing to do with being pregnant. What I have seemed to develop instead is an "online shopping instinct".

My friends like to send me links with subject lines like "you need this" (Sonya) or "perfect for the baby's room" (Alex). Shoal of Fish mobile from Design Public for $60? Sure! It IS perfect for the baby's room Alex and a deal since the last email Sonya sent with a link to a mobile that said "you need this" cost almost twice that much. Madras plaid patchwork pants with tiny whales embroidered on them from Janie and Jack? Why not? At $17.99 on sale they are practically giving them away (and what 3 month old doesn't look adorable in madras?) How about a pair of oxford cloth critter pants from Talbot's? A no brainer at $12.00 on clearance. You get the idea. I'm assuming this is just a phase, and I'll stop ordering every cute thing I see online before my husband takes my credit cards away, but in the meantime don't send me any links.

Unless it's really, really cute ....

The Almost Nursery

When I came home from my Boston shower I was surprised with a freshly painted nursery and beautifuly installed chair rail, compliments of my very talented husband who spent the entire weekend working on the room. We don't have any furniture yet (yes, the baby comes in 7 weeks or less - a shorter timeframe than baby furniture delivery) and probably won't until after the baby is born, but the room looks lovely and my husband now knows how to install chair rail.































Where will the baby sleep you ask? In the stroller's basinett of course. Right now it's set up where the crib will be so I can visualize, but I'll be wheeling that thing right into our bedroom and locking it up on my side of the bed until the crib arrives.














We did order a light fixture, curtain, bedding, and a wall monogram, all of which should be here before the baby, so maybe I'll have something more than a stroller in an empty room within the next few weeks.

or maybe not.

Regina's Sprinkle

My sister in law Regina is pregnant with her second child, a girl, due at the beginning of May. So Jessica hosted a surprise "sprinkle" (as opposed to a "shower") on Sunday so Regina could get some of the fun girlie things we've all been dying to buy. I'm past my flying date so I couldn't attend, but the pictures are priceless because Reg is so photogenic and makes some of the best expressions on the planet.

Dumpster Diving

As Paul and I returned to Chicago on Sunday after a weekend in Lake Geneva, I spotted this couch out in our alley near one of our neighbors trash cans. I immediately went over for a closer look since I had just dog-eared a couch with similar lines in the Williams Sonoma Home catalog that was $1700 (note to husband: I was not planning on purchasing a $1700 rattan couch for our porch. It was an "inspiration" dog-ear). As luck would have it, the frame was in perfect condition and it's the kind of piece that's built to last a lifetime. So Paul grabbed the other end and I literally started running down the alley with my end before anyone could see me. It's now safely on our porch, awaiting cushions and some pillows, for which I already ordered the fabric.

Just in time for Spring!

First Grill Of The Season

Last week, before the temprature dropped back down into the 30's and I had to take my winter coats back out, we cooked our first meal of the season on the grill. I almost forgot how amazing even the simplest of foods taste - case in point our grilled chicken, grilled asparagus, grilled bread - when prepared over a fire. There is literaly no better way to eat asparagus and it's simple to do. Just trim stalks (Paul and I both prefer the thin asparagus variety), drizzle with olive oil, add a little sea salt, black pepper and throw directly on the grill, turning each stalk 1/4 of a turn every minute or so until it's evenly browned (not charred). You can toss with a little minced garlic or lemon juice or parmesan cheese or sesame seeds, but I think it tastes best just as is.

It Wouldn't be Spring In Chicago...

Unless I was bitching about the weather ....

Saturday, April 12
Snow/Rain Showers
High of 38




Sunday, April 13
Snow Showers
High of 41