Jennifer Garner stroked a puppy, a kitten and her husband at the pet store this weekend, while introducing daughter Violet to the animal kingdom.

If Ben were my husband, I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off him, either!

While we typically tend to focus on the preciousness that is Jennifer Garner and daughter Violet, we can't ignore how well Ben Affleck has been looking recently - a far cry from his days at Promises! A little too thin? Maybe. But the guy has really cleaned himself up and that shouldn't go unnoticed!

Jen and Violet are lucky ladies!

What we know:

1. Ben and Jen are still house hunting in Beverly Hills.

2. Ben's looking thin. Scratch that - skinny. (Check out his legs!)

3. Jen is prepared for L.A. to freeze over.

Hmm, looks like Ben and Jen's home in Brentwood isn't good enough - 'cause they're checkin' out new digs! Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner were spotted house hunting in Beverly Hills this afternoon. Relocating or just browsing for a second place? Who knows with these celebs!

The real question is, where does daughter Violet want to live? She's totally the decision-maker in the fam.

Is George Clooney's life so boring that reporters only want to ask him about the state of his good friend Brad Pitt's family life?

At the National Board of Review Awards in NYC, Us asked George if Brad was about to become a fifth-time papa, and George's response was: "I have no idea. I don’t think so."

Also in attendance were a gorgeous Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones, Tim Burton, Kate Winslet, Lauren Bacall, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Alessandro Nivola, Emily Mortimer, Julian Schnabel, the two-time Academy Award-winning American actor Denzel Washington and Emile Hirsch.

Since Hollywood's writers aren't coming up with anything new while the strike's still on, some celebrities are taking a stab at the classics - like Jennifer Garner!

We caught up with the Alias star as she left the Richard Rodgers Theater after another performance in the Cyrano De Bergerac revival.

Jen emerged from the theater to a rapturous reception from fans. She made sure to give plenty of love right back to 'em, too!

Jen's husband Ben Affleck was in attendance too, slipping in before the show. We'd have loved to have seen more of Ben - but, then again, we certainly can't object to putting Jen in the spotlight!

Can you think of anything better than getting off for a good cause?

Baring Witness, "a worldwide collective of peace activists who are alarmed enough to spell peace publicly with their naked bodies" has decided to hold their 2nd annual "Global O" Saturday, December 22nd at 06:08 (GMT), or the, uh, "climax" of the Winter Solstice, as it were.

Their intention is to "effect positive change in the energy field of the Earth through input of the largest possible instantaneous surge of human biological, mental and spiritual energy," wanting to focus on war torn countries and nations with big, hard weapons, trying to relieve the tension between warring nations.

Just in case you find yourself without the proper, uh, inspiration, we've posted this video (NSFW) below to do our part for peace.

Well, not quite - we caught Ben Affleck attempting to shield his adorable daughter Violet from the cameras with a copy of the New York Daily News yesterday.

Sorry, Ben - it's still a cute photo op!

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have been indelibly linked in peoples' minds since their shared Oscar for Good Will Hunting's script - and it looks like the same goes for their kids!

We caught both Ben and Matt out with their respective kids over the weekend, and couldn't resist the temptation of asking who's cuter. (Seriously, we wanna hear your answers - as far as we're concerned, it's a push!)

The Garner/Affleck family is currently in New York (where actress Jen is on Broadway starring in Cyrano) and they brought their little girl Violet with them! Violet has always been one of the cutest celebrity kids in my opinion - and definitely one of the best names! - and these pics just continue to prove how cute. Hope they have a merry Christmas!

Ben Affleck took a break from the Parisian leg of his new movie Gone Baby Gone's promotional tour to stop by the famous Notre Dame cathedral yesterday evening. Of course, he certainly had his reasons for doing so - while we're certain Ben's new flick came up during his conversation with God, we're guessing Ben had a few special requests to make on behalf of his beloved Boston Red Sox! (And judging by the outcome of last night's game, his prayers must have been answered!)

Now that Jen's cleaned up Ben and Casey's finally coming into his own as a leading man, the Afflecks are definitely poised to take over the hot spot previously abandoned by the now-bloated Baldwins!

...can't keep X17 away! We spotted Ben grazing on an apple in the He's Just Not That Into You craft services tent yesterday. Don't forget to try the chips too, Ben - we hear they're great!!

Sadly, Jennifer Aniston gave us the cold shoulder when we spotted her hard at work on the set of He's Just Not That Into You yesterday. (She sure looked hot, though!) Her co-star Ben Affleck, on the other hand, was more than willing to jaw with the paps - heck, he even offered our hard-working photogs a bag of potato chips!

Ben Affleck celebrated his 35 anniversary in style - a subdued style, perhaps, but style nonetheless! We caught the movie star spending a quiet afternoon out with wife Jennifer Garner and their daughter Violet. We didn't see any presents in anyone's arms - but with a family like Ben's, every day is a gift!

Sorry Naomi Watts, but it just wouldn't be a Sunday at the Brentwood Farmer's Market without catching a glimpse of Bennifer with baby Violet!

Poor Ben Affleck - the star returned to his car yesterday to find a parking ticket waiting on his windshield. Wait a minute - did I really just say "poor Ben Affleck"?