INTRODUCING...

The Blake School's new Assistant Middle School Director: Mr. Jay Dean

After months of grooming himself for The Blake School, we are thrilled to announce that the Dean family will be moving home to Minnesota at the end of June, EMPLOYED! Jay couldn't have given anymore time and energy to the networking and interviewing process for this job. He seized every opportunity to talk with numbers of people associated with the Blake school and really made a name for himself. Of course I had no doubt they'd be impressed with him in person and I'm sure the suit didn't hurt! Thank you Nordstroms and thank you Toni Erlich for helping to outfit this fine educator!

All of this good news came on April 27, while Dara was also welcoming her daughter!

Remy Camille Marble...we love you!

Dara might kill me for this picture, but I thought it was better than facebook! She looks like a beautiful new mom! A natural!

The 5 Food Groups

It's rare that I take the time to feed myself well, now that I have Lucas. He consumes most of my time and energy. By the time I'm done focusing on his meals of the day, I often end up grabbing for Jo-Jo's or the bottle of wine on my counter...Not really meeting the FDA standards for daily nutrient intake. So, after a beautiful morning at the ocean on the swings and a leisurely stroll through the farmer's market in Santa Monica...I got ambitious and inspired. Here is my lunch today. Don't be too impressed, I'm sure it won't happen again anytime soon.

The ingredients:

local butter and romaine lettuce
local zucchini and asparagus (roasted)
quinoa
goat cheese
dried cranberries
candied almonds
avocado
roasted chicken
homemade balsamic dressing

A Few More Highlights...

Sadly, our 2 weeks of Spring Break are over and we are back in the grind! Here are a few more pictures from our vacation fun!

Just a cute picture!

Sam and Lucas had the best playdate at Douglas Park in Santa Monica. The sun was shining and the kids had a great time on the swings and lunching by the ducks. Lucas had a chance to play in the sand for the first time and what a success! He loved it so much. I guess it's times for a bucket and a shovel!

This past Sunday, we met up with Kevin, Stacey and Violet Lynn for breakfast and a stroll through their local farmer's market. Lucas was especially excited when his dad bought him a ticket to the petting zoo.

Grandpa Rolig...I think you should get Lucas a bunny and keep it at the cabin!

Fun in the Desert, Under the Sea, and in the Jungle

Karen and Dara hightailed it out of L.A. early this week for the wonders and spectacle of Palm Springs! The ladies did exactly what they set out to do: lounged by the pool with some trashy magazines, ate some delicious food, and talked...endlessly. When Karen returned home, Jay asked how the trip was and she replied, "At least one night too short." No doubt. Karen deserved this trip, especially since it was her first time away from Lucas overnight.


Meanwhile, Lucas and Jay spent some quality time alone in the bachelor pad on Kiowa Avenue, hanging with the ducks and swinging in Douglas Park, and enjoying story time at local libraries. Luckily for Jay, all he had to do while Karen was gone was follow the detailed list she left on the table.

On Thursday, Jay and Karen took Lucas down to the Long Beach Aquarium to take advantage of the final day of free admission for teachers. We took Lucas down here when he was 7 months old, but he certainly loved it even more this time around. He loved the sea lions, the sharks, and all the colorful fish. He was even allowed to "pet" some sea anenomes in a touch tank. Over by the sharks, we stumbled across a bird exhibit and experienced some of them landing on us.



As if the aquarium wasn't enough, we decided to venture to the L.A. Zoo on Saturday to see many of the animals Lucas has been reading about in books. He did a lot of arm flapping at the zoo, meaning he was having a very good time. He loved all of the animals, but highlights were: the giraffes (who have always had a special place in our hearts), elephants, and monkeys.



We also had the opportunity to visit with our good friends Sean and Giselle and the newest addition to their family, Emmett (12 days old!). He was so cute and so light. He felt like a feather compared to Lucas. It was fun to hang out with Sean and Giselle and Giselle's mom, Karen. It brought back a lot of memories from those early days.

Bonus Photo: Karen's birthday came early this year...An obviously excited Birthday Girl decided to pose on the couch in her brand new "staple items" - her teal Hunter boots and navy blue Marc Jacobs bag. You can take the girl out of L.A., but you can't take the L.A. out of the girl. watch out Minnesota, Karen's coming back!