Spring Break 2009!

For many college students spring break means travel to warm destinations. Well things aren't necessarily that different for the Bowes family. We packed our bags, got up far too early, and caught a plane to Los Angeles. Spring break - woohoo!!

It didn't take us long to head back to our old stomping grounds on the Hermosa Beach Pier. It was fun to walk down the strand, eat breakfast, and watch Callie chase the dogs and the pigeons. The picture below captures Callie at a rare moment of repose on that sunny day.




It was warm and in the 60s, so we also made sure that Callie spent some time in the sand. She had a lot of fun with the sand in between her toes, working on her farmer's tan.



During our time in LA we stayed with Gretchen, Scott, and little Josh. Josh is now five years old and Callie was smitten. She would walk into their house and say, "Osh?" Here the two of them spend some time building sand castles on the beach in Hermosa.




Josh also showed Callie and Sarah how to look for the good shells along the seashore. We had a great time just hanging out, playing in the sand, and enjoying the company. We also tried not to get wet and failed. And, as you can tell from this photo, we also sought to capture these fun moments artistically. There is something about the ocean in southern California that brings out the Ansel Adams in any person with a digital camera in their hand.


There were many important reasons for our spring break trip, and one of them involved Claire and Nora Leshney, two five month old bundles of joy who live in Pasadena. Callie was just as excited as we were to finally meet the Leshney twins.





Tyler, the twins' father, grew up with John back in Madison. They were also roommates for three years in Manhattan Beach. Boy have things changed since 2004. Tyler married Stephanie, they moved inland and have doubled the size of their family. Pretty impressive.


Here is proud papa with Nora. It is amazing to see Tyler and Steph as parents. They obviously have mastered their roles in a short time and Nora and Claire don't know how lucky they are to be their kids. It should also be noted how quickly these two little girls have their 6'5" father wrapped around their respective fingers.




Now, how can you resist this face? Seriously. And the hat? Priceless. It is so much fun to see how early the personalities of the two girls are coming out. It may not look it here, but Claire is the energetic feisty one of the crew. And Nora is the serious, no frills kind of girl.



Now what can be said about this next picture? How about this - six years ago the two men pictured below lived in a rented house in Manhattan Beach with a cat and a ping-pong table in the garage. It was common for them to stay up late playing video games. Now they still stay up late, but video games are seldom if ever part of the picture.





One thing we can tell you is that this group is going to have a lot of fun in the years to come. And as much as Tyler and John complain about being the only boys in the group, they are loving every minute of it. Stay tuned.





But our trip to Pasadena, while fun, was only for an afternoon and evening. There was still some partying to do. More specifically we had a birthday party to attend. You may remember that back in October Callie had a group of California visitors for her 1st birthday. One of those visitors was Kate Perrone. Well now it was time for Callie to hop on a plane to celebrate Kate's big day.



Our first picture finds the birthday girl posing with some of her guests. These beautiful women were only a few of the many who spent the afternoon in Manhattan Beach admiring how much Kate has grown in her first year.



Callie wanted to make sure she had some one-on-one time with Kate during the party. Kate showed off her four new teeth as well as her standing and almost walking skills. It's cool to see how much they enjoy each other's company. Each time time they have hung out they seem to enjoy each other more and more.


Of course a birthday party requires the star of the show to wear a special hat. Although Kate was not tremendously pleased with the feel of the elastic on her face, she wore the hat to keep her guests happy. And it is safe to say that she made the hat look good...she is just so darn cute!





Outside of the hat, the other mandatory activity of the 1st birthday party involves the consumption of a cake or other sugary substance.


Kate did not hesitate when confronted with a tasty cupcake. She used both of her hands to dig right in and within moments her face was covered with chocolate, frosting, and sprinkles. This is something that made her mother very nervous and a bit uncomfortable. For those of you who don't know Lauren very well, she is very neat, organized, and healthy. The toddler years could be a bit painful.



The party didn't end there. We then went outside to soak in some sun and play with some bubbles. It was so fun to watch Callie actually blow bubbles and say the word bubble. She had a great time showing Auntie Pi her new skills. Truth be told, she may have also sipped a bit of the "bubbly", so to speak. Although we waited for it, she didn't burp any bubbles the rest of the day.


To wrap up Kate's birthday and our trip the adults went out for dinner and drinks. These trips are never long enough and we always hate to see them end. However, as usual it was wonderful to catch up with everyone and watch their families grow. Hopefully we will see all of them sooner rather than later.

And remember, for anyone interested in visiting us, April in Lexington means the spring meet at Keeneland. All the Kentucky sunshine and horse racing you could ask for. The guest room still has some open nights for April and the following months. Take care.