Doppelgangers

For many people there is someone out there that looks a lot like them. In today's society, this has become known as a doppelganger. Usually the doppelganger is some celebrity, but Maddie has some ideas of her own on doppelgangers. 

 

Look-a-like 1:

My mom and I both love the brand Life is good. The store Kitty Hawk Kites in the Outer Banks usually has a section in each of their stores that sells Life is good things. Inevitably, we will go to the store and buy t-shirts, hats, or other items. The tag on each of these items has a picture of the Life is good mascot, Jake. A tag from a shirt my mom had purchased was sitting in her room at our beach house. Maddie picked up the tag, looked at it and said..."It's Daddy." What do you think?

Look-a-like 2:

Today I was finishing up the dinner for father's day (we had Beer Butt Chicken, broccoli, and potatoes if you cared). As I was working, Maddie was playing in the living room with some of her toys. After a while, she came running into the kitchen saying something I couldn't quite make out. I turned around, looked at the toy she was holding and realized she was saying, "It's Grandad." I think she was a little closer with this one. 

30 days until I'm 30

I realized yesterday that it was only 30 days until my 30th birthday. I have no fears and am not dreading turning 30. Maybe I'll reflect on that later. So what to do to celebrate my 30th? A trip to Vegas? Maybe a night out on the town? What about a big rockin' party in Crestwood? While all of those sound fun, what I really want to do is spend the day with my family (Kevin and the kids, my parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews, etc). What could we do that would be fun for the whole crowd? 

Go to the Pittsburgh Zoo of course! It's been quite a while since we have been there and Maddie has never been to the Zoo. She loves animals so it should be a very fun day. Then we plan to top it off with dinner at a place that is great for a big family...Buca di Beppo! We are also going to celebrate Kevin's 30th too since we didn't really celebrate it because we were  waiting (impatiently) for Miles to arrive. It should be a very fun day to celebrate this milestone in our life!

One chapter ends and another begins

This past Wednesday was my first day back to work after Maternity leave. One of the best pieces of advice I got before Maddie was born was to start back to work in the middle of the week. My new advice for anyone about to go on maternity leave is to spend 2 weeks at the beach just before going back to work. Being a parent, especially when you have more than 1 kid, can be stressful so there is nothing like a nice relaxing vacation to help get you ready for the grind again.

I really enjoyed my leave. It was amazing to see Miles transform from a lump (as Kevin calls him) into a little boy who smiles, coos, and laughs. Maddie was home 3 days a week. It was wonderful to spend so much time with her. We got to do all sorts of crafts, read books, color, and blow bubbles.

When I first opened up Outlook on my first day, I had 1137 unread emails in my inbox, which is a bit ridiculous, but I only checked email once when off so that was to be expected. I have been able to whittle that number to under 50. Other than checking emails, I spent most of my time catching up with people and showing off pictures of the kids. The real fun starts next week when I learn what projects I will be working on and setting my objectives for the year.

Now that I am back to work, I suspect that I will have fewer posts. Hopefully I'll update soon on how my running/getting back into shape is going. I also have a few ideas to share related to our trip to the beach.

Have a wonderful weekend!