Matt's point of view

These are photos from Matt, so this is almost like his own blog post :)

This is our piano, given to us by Matt's Uncle George Higginson (Zina's older brother) that recently passed away.  It is a welcome addition to our home.  I get to fondly remember Uncle George every time I walk in the front door.  He was such a warm, welcoming person.  

This is from the block party when the local firetruck showed up, sirens and all. 

Gettysburg, our Mother's Day adventure.

More Gettysburg.  Matt's pictures do it more justice than mine did.  I love Instagram.

The kids working the maze at Land of Little Horses in Gettysburg.

Gettysburg Museum mandatory pose with Abe Lincoln.

Our family room.

This is a console we picked up from the Spring Market in Lucketts, about 30 minutes away.  It was almost Beck's dresser, but we decided to keep it out in the family room/kitchen area.  Beck and Ramsey were a little confused at first and filled the top drawers with Beck's favorite things.

The kids at bluedogart cafe.

Big Pencil in Wytheville, Virginia outside of Wytheville Office Supply.  I remember this moment as one of the last pleasant moments of this walk, pre-ice cream of course. 

Fort Chiswell Animal Park.

Perfect picture of Humphrey, the thief that stole Beck's cup.

Matt took the kids on their first campout on Friday after work--they went to the picturesque Sugarloaf Mountain.  I stayed home and enjoyed the quiet.

They went with the Erbs and Smoots--no moms were in sight--just dads and kids.

Here is Jack with Leah on the motorcycle--Matt did this same thing with Ramsey!  Beck was having none of it apparently.  Too scary according to him :)  Agreed, Beck.

This campout included a swingset and a barn with a potty, so it was not too extreme.

Matt set up the tent and caught this beautiful scene perfectly.  He slept about 2 hours, but Ramsey slept great and Beck only woke up a couple of times.  When he woke up, he was just wide awake and started having a normal conversation with Matt.  He slept in for sure though.

Ramsey was thrilled to ride the ATV too.  Both kids fell asleep in the car on the way home that afternoon, and they were so tired that they even transferred to their beds.  Ramsey hasn't napped in about a year, I think, so she must have been really, really tired.  

I enjoyed my night off by having dinner with friends, soaking in the tub, g-chatting with a friend while enjoying a Law & Order marathon.  Then I slept in and woke up to silence.  No alarm clock, no kids calling for mommy and daddy.  It was pretty nice!  When Ramsey woke up from her nap, she was so happy to see me and hugged me around the neck and cuddled more than she usually does.  She really enjoyed the daddy-daughter-son bonding, and said her favorite part was making s'mores.