Save the Drama for Your... Oh.

I'll give you five bucks if you can tell me what this is :
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(disclaimer: Even if you answer correctly, you will receive no compensation beyond the feeling of smug satisfaction that accompanies being right.)

Give up? Well, the above image is what you get when this...

.... meets this...
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No, I didn't grab Benjamin and smash his face into the couch in a fit of terrible two's-induced exasperation. Benjamin did that himself. When he realized that I wasn't responding to his whining, he threw himself upon the couch like a turn-of-the-century debutante fainting from a too-tight corset. SO dramatic.

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I wonder where he gets that from?

Meet Kieran

On July 22, Julie, Shawn, and Nolan welcomed the newest Bowen into their family: Kieran Reed Bowen!

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All pregnancies get uncomfortable towards the end, but this one seemed particularly uncomfortable because Julie is tiny. Ti. Ny. She's one of the most petite women I know, and her hubby Shawn is six feet tall, which meant that her teensy frame had to support an awfully big belly those last few months.
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Julie happens to be one of those fortunate women whose pregnancies only show up only in their belly, so unless you were looking at her in profile, you couldn't even really tell how pregnant she was. When seated, she didn't even look pregnant. Lucky!

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Several weeks before Kieran was due, Julie began having contractions severe enough to land her in the hospital. Her hospital stay coincided with our monthly moms-only dinner, so Brooke, Sheila, and I paid her a visit. Luckily, Julie's contractions abated, and Kieran stayed put. Even more luckily, our hospital visit wrapped up in time for us to make it to dinner. I know what you're thinking: I can't believe you b*tches still went to dinner without her!
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You may be amused to know that after dinner, we left the restaurant only to find Brooke's car battery dead. Like us, karma's a bitch. But I digress... Back to Kieran!
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The day after he was born, Sheila and I drove to St. John's to meet him for the first time. At over 8 lbs, he was a big baby, and it was no wonder that Julie had been so uncomfortable. But just one day postpartum, she looked happy and on her way to recovery.
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We were all struck by how much Kieran looked like Nolan. He had Nolan's eyes, nose, and lips. In this picture, he even shares Nolan's trademark furrowed brow. But according to Shawn and Julie, the resemblance ends there, because Kieran is a calm and mellow baby. No offense, Nolan.
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Julie's own birthday happened to be the following week, and we didn't want that to be forgotten. So the day after she was discharged, we surprised her with a surprise birthday party. We festooned her home with streamers and balloons, hired a caterer and a 12-piece band, and invited Julie's 50 closest family and friends.

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Just kidding! The surprise party just a casual gathering of a few friends. There was a little cake with candles, and Shawn threw burgers on the grill. The whole time, Kieran slept peacefully in his bouncer or in Julie's arms. It was really cool to see the Bowens as a family of four for the first time.
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Congratulations, guys!

Red, White, and Boo

This past July 4th fell on a Sunday, and in many ways, it was like any other Sunday. First thing in the morning, we drove down to Gardena to meet our dear friends Julie, Shawn, and Nolan for dim sum. It was, as always, very nice to see them, but later in the day I had someone even more exciting to hang out with...
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The Boo!

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For two whole years, it was just the two of us. Since his sister's arrival, though, he's no longer been able to have my undivided attention, and I could feel that this was causing him considerable stress. Even worse than that, however, is the fact that I haven't been able to spend any quality time with him. I really missed my Boo.
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So on the afternoon of this past Independence Day, Vince watched the baby so that I could spend some one-on-one time with my firstborn. Since it was such a beautiful day, we decided to take Benjamin's balance bike out for a spin. I loved watching him "pedal" away, his little fists gripping the handlebars tightly and a determined look on his face.
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We stopped to catch our breath in one of the neighborhood parks. The sun had warmed the ground, and Benjamin couldn't resist taking his shoes off to dig his toes into the dirt.

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Before heading home, we finished our date with dessert at Pinkberry. It was a treat to watch him demolish his frozen treat.

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Later in the evening after the kids had gone to bed, we attended a Fourth of July party at our neighbors' home. These people were young professionals with no kids, as were the majority of their guests. Vince and I stood on their balcony in our sleek outfits and watched fireworks go off in the distance while we sipped cocktails, ate sushi, and engaged in adult conversation uninterrupted by the needs of small children. How refreshing! You'd think that it would have been the highlight of my day, but it wasn't. My mind kept flitting back to the afternoon I'd spent with my wonderfully grubby, stinky little boy with whom conversation consisted of being interrupted by monosyllables and incomplete sentences.

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I'll take him over cocktails and sushi any day!

Meeting of the Minds

Look at these two munchkins... Doesn't it seem like they're having a heated conversation? I wonder what they were talking about. I went over to find out, but as soon as they spotted me, the conversation abruptly ended. I guess I'll never know!

Weekend of Wonders Day 3: Concert in the Park

On the final day of our Weekend of Wonders, we met with friends for a summer concert in the park.
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Since we never pass up an opportunity to dine together, the hubbies went to nearby Piknic Restaurant to order take-out. I try my darndest to keep this blog happy and positive, so I won't discuss how we now feel about this establishment. Let's just say that they're lucky that they're the only restaurant in the neighborhood. Very lucky.
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It was a perfect Sunday afternoon, and the park was packed with neighborhood families. As the band launched into their set, I noticed a very serious, very official-looking security guard down in front. He was standing there with his chest puffed out, his arms crossed, and his face in a stern expression that dared crazed fans to just try and rush the stage.
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I'm not sure if he noticed that the fans were all under four feet tall.
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The Boo didn't let the presence of a domineering bouncer to cramp his style. Instead, he boogied, danced, and vogued his little ass off.
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His fancy footwork caught the attention of a few little ladies. I swear they're tossing coy looks his way. And look - one of them is even clapping!
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His sister, on the other hand, found his moves to be laughable.
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Still, the Boo danced on, grabbing his best gal pal Kayla for a spin on the dance floor. Nolan tried to cut in and steal her away, but it didn't happen. Benjamin 'hawk blocked him.

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:)

Weekend of Wonders Day 2: Bureau of Sanitation Open House

Every year, the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation hosts open houses at various distruct refuse yards. If you're thinking that the last place you'd like to go to an open house is at a trash collection site, then think again! It's actually really interesting - and not at all smelly!
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Julie and Shawn took Nolan last year, and he had so much fun that the families Chan and Ilardi joined in this time around.
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As soon as we entered the facility, each child was given a bright yellow construction hat. Unfortunately, only Nolan kept his hat on. Calliope's head was too small, and neither Benjamin nor Kayla wanted to disturb their perfect coifs.

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Our first stop on the tour was at a large trash truck which was remarkably neat and clean. The truck was so clean that my own car seemed disgusting in comparison, which is pretty pathetic considering that the dirtiest thing in my car is my mouth.
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Clean or not, Benjamin didn't really enjoy his tour of the truck's cab, and he had to be rescued by his father. I guess Benjamin prefers the comparatively filthy interior of his mama's ride.
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The next stop on the tour, however, got rave reviews. The kids took turns pulling a lever in the back of the truck and watching this big metal scoopy thing raise up into the air. These are very technical terms I'm using here, folks.
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After the Big Metal Scoopy Thing stop on the tour, the ladies (including the littlest lady Calliope) decided to grab some food and a table while the boys continued on the rest of the tour. The lines must have been pretty long, because it was nearly an hour before they joined us. By then, we had already finished eating most of the food we had gotten. Needless to say, they weren't too pleased with us. Ooops!
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Luckily, it only took another hour of waiting in line for the boys to score some grub.

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Many thanks to the Bowens for clueing us in to just how interesting waste management can be. And no, I am NOT being facetious. If you don't believe me, check it out yourself ! You won't be disappointed!

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Next up: the final installment of the Weekend of Wonders series!

Weekend of Wonders Day 1: Pretend City

One of the great things about being a parent is getting the chance to revisit all the fun stuff you loved as a child, such as blowing bubbles, visiting Disneyland, and sitting on Santa's lap (for most kids, anyway - not so much for Benjamin). In addition to the cool things we had when we were little, there's a slew of new activities for today's lucky youngsters. We managed to cram several of these into one very busy weekend, which will henceforth be referred to as the "Weekend of Wonders." On Day 1 of W.O.W., we headed down to Irvine with Kayla and Sheila to check out Pretend City.

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Pretend City is exactly what it sounds like it would be - a miniature version of a real city scaled down to toddler size. Pretend City includes many of the things you might find in an actual city - a fire station, a grocery store, a farm, a beach, a marina, an art studio, a theater, and a Persian restaurant. No, I'm not joking. Pretend City has an actual pretend Persian restaurant. Wait, is that a contradiction in terms?

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I was wondering if there would be Pretend City Cabbage Patch which I could use explain the facts of life to an increasingly inquisitive Benjamin ("Mama no have pee pee?"), but alas, there was none. Instead, there was something that looked like a padded garden with padded walls, floors, and flower petals. It was meant for babies, but it got me thinking that perhaps I should pad one of the rooms in my house to use when I'm feeling a little crazy.

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Just off of the town square was an ampitheater complete with lights, soundbooth, and costumes. Kayla and Benjamin had fun dressing up as a gypsy princess and tambourine-wielding pimp.
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But out of all of Pretend City's attractions, the kids enjoyed the art studio the most.
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In addition to the de rigeur paper and play-doh present in any kiddie art studio, this one also had two wall-sized plexiglass windows which begged to be splashed, sprayed, and swathed in paint.

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Lots of paint!
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All that playing and dancing and painting really worked up our appetites, so we headed to the Spectrum for a healthy lunch. We followed that up with not-so-healthy funnel cakes slathered with strawberries and whipped cream.
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As Sheila and I caught up on girl talk over our sinfully delicious desserts, Vince took the kids for a ride on the choo choo train. They were lucky enough to get seats in the caboose where they waved enthusiastically to everyone they saw. After the train ride concluded, we piled into our cars where both kids, happy and exhausted, fell asleep on the ride home.

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Stay tuned for Weekend of Wonders Day 2!

Father's Day 2010

A few weeks ago, we celebrated Vince's first Father's Day as a dad of two. We started the day off by presenting him with a gift - a silver keychain hand-stamped with a sweet message from the kids. Vince was probably hoping that the message would read, "Free pass from having to pick up your dirty socks for a year, Daddy" or "Have fun playing Gears of War for the rest of the weekend, Daddy," but instead the message was a short, simple, "We love you, Daddy." I don't think he minded. Too much.
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For breakfast, we went to Dinah's Kitchen where Vince ordered their famous German apple turnover. As you can see from the pictures, the turnover is pretty big - bigger than Benjamin's head. Come to think of it, I think it may even be bigger than Vince's head! While I watched with fear in my heart for the health of their arteries, they began eating it with gusto.

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Luckily, they didn't even come close to finishing it. High cholesterol averted!

. Later in the day, we went to the park where we had a picnic with Vince's family.
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Everyone brought goodies to share for a delicious potluck dinner. We watched the kids run around the lawn and marveled at how quickly they were growing. As the dusk approached, we opened Father's Day gifts and gorged ourselves on watermelon. It was a lovely afternoon, and a wonderful way to close the day.
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Happy Father's Day!