Wrapping up our Christmas Vacation: The beard

Matt's not really a "facial hair" kind of guy, but he decided he needed to grow a beard at least once in his life. So he stopped shaving a couple days before we left for CA (mid December). It itched him and he wasn't a fan, but he persisted and lasted until Jan. 2nd. Then he shaved his beard and kept some fat chops for a week. Then he shaved those when he went back to work this Monday. I generally don't like facial hair much, but I didn't mind his beard as much as I thought I would.

Wrapping up our Christmas Vacation: Two dates in two nights!

Date #1: Dinner at Miramar Beach Restaurant
After we got home from the zoo we fed the boys dinner, got them settled, and we did something we haven't done in 6 months, we went on a childless date!!

My MIL had a birthday coupon at a great ocean side restaurant that they weren't going to use, so we went instead. Since it was a Tuesday night, it was not crowded at all.

Most of you know I was a vegetarian for, oh 10 years or so. Even though I've been eating meat for nearly 10 years now, I have not really eaten steak or much sea food (Matt generally doesn't like sea food either). Well, I was so proud of myself. We decided to branch out. I ordered the fillet mingnon (something Matt would eat, but I normally don't), and Matt ordered sea bass (something neither of us has ever had). We basically just split our dishes. I ate and liked both dishes. I really was proud of myself. My mom always told me you have to keep trying foods because you never know if your taste buds have changed! We also got a birthday dessert for free. It was mango, raspberry, and passion fruit sorbet packed into a ball and covered with white chocolate. It was so light and refreshing and delicious! The passion fruit was the best flavor. It was nice and relaxed.

After that we went back home to find that grandma had put Dean to bed since she could tell he was exhausted from our trip to the zoo. (Walt was in bed before we left).

Matt's sister and her fam were there that night so we played some catch phrase. It was fun.

Date #2: Sharks' Hockey Game San Jose vs. Washington Capitals
The night after our dinner date, Matt and I got to go to the hockey game together. Matt's fam. are huge Sharks fans. In fact, Matt's watching a game as I type this. Mark, my FIL, graciously let me take his ticket so I could go to one of the 6 games they had tickets for.

I was a little hesitant to go because it meant leaving Walt an hour before I'd put him down for bed, and he doesn't take a bottle or anything. I fed him right before we left, and figured he'd be just fine, even if he cried a little.

I was totally exhausted and slept most of the drive to the game, but the game itself was so much fun! The second period was packed with good plays that had us on edge (figuritively speaking since you have to sit back in your chairs so as not to block others' view of the ice). We actually witnessed two penalty shots made by the Sharks. The last time that happened in the NHL was 1982! Sharks won.

The boys did fine. Grandpa walked Walt and sang to him a little bit. He cried a bit and slept the majority of the time.

Man, it would be nice to live close to family so we could do things like that more often!!!!!

It really was nice to have a date (or two) with my husband. Thanks G'ma and G'pa Bras(s) for making it possible!

"He looks just like..."

The last two years I have heard "Dean looks JUST like his dad!" over and over and over again. I have to admit that it occasionally irritates me when people say this, mainly because I hear it all the time. Plus, didn't I contribute anything to the kid? Ok, ok. I'll admit that Dean does look more like Matt.

Well, when Walt came out he definitely looked more like my family's newborn babies than Dean did, and I thought for sure people would take note of that fact. But from the moment I took him in public, I started hearing it all over again. "He looks JUST like Dean." or "He looks JUST like his dad!" Even at my 6 week apt. with my OB-GYN, the nurse who had never met Matt said, "He must look JUST like his daddy." Wha???? I have only had 2 people tell me that Walt looks more like me than Matt or Dean. Matt said it's just because he's a boy and to wait for a girl.

At 2 weeks I don't think they look very similar.

Walt is acutally only about 6 weeks in this picture, but Dean is 3 mo. When I saw this look on Walt's face it immediately reminded me of this pic. of Dean. It was the first time I thought, "hu. I guess they look kinda similar."

The boys are both about 2 mo. here. The older/chubbier Walt gets, the more they look like brothers to me.

So, while I think they look like brothers, I definitely don't think they're carbon copies of each other (or of Matt).