With a name like Deerdorf, how could this mountain not be special to us?

I'm usually the worst at keeping surprises. THE WORST. Especially with Ryan. And ESPECIALLY when it comes to telling him.... oh ya know... we're pregnant again. Yeah, it's a little hard. (That's what she said). But somehow, I managed to go a full week until we made our trip out to his family's ranch in Colorado. It was actually quite funny because the whole time we were there I was extremely tired, taking one to two naps every day. Surprisingly, Ryan just thought I was taking advantage of the vacation and available family to babysit.

I decided to tell him a few days into our trip. Lincoln was down for the night and the sun was just beginning to set. We decided to go for a hike and watch the sun go down. It was a good idea.... but a bad idea at the same time. I had no energy whatsoever and Ryan, who was unaware I was pregnant, was showing no mercy and we had few breaks as we practically ran to the top to catch the sunset.

We made it, barely. And the view was perfect. This is my most absolute favoritest time of the year there. Everything is green green green. Right before haying season so I had zero allergies while I was there. Could you imagine me telling Ryan this glorious news with blood shot eyes, a runny/stuffed nose, and a scratchy throat? Not a pretty sight.

We took in the beautiful view and then I asked him, "What would make this night better?" And his first response was.... "snacks?" Yes Ryan, snacks would have been nice. His second choice, "Having Lincoln up here with us." I finally told him, "What about having Lincoln and his sibling up here with us because 9 months from now we can!" One of the best parts of telling your husband you're pregnant is their reaction immediately after telling them. Completely priceless, which is why, like I did with Lincoln, filmed the whole thing and plan on showing our next child the moment daddy found out the happy news. We are ecstatic for baby boy 2 to join our family and eventually all 4 of us hiking this mountain together. :) And when he gets older, I can say, "Here are pictures the night your daddy found out you were coming. Look how cool your parents were and still are!"

february date hike(s)

^I was setting the camera up to take our picture and as I was running back to Ryan, I almost fell off the ledge. I looked worried and Ryan's just laughing. Typical. 

Leave it to us to go out on our date night the very last day of the month. Leave it to us to also go on our date night hike on the only weekend there's a rainstorm. And leave it to us to hike the mountain as the rain clouds come rolling in. It's actually great motivation to pick up the pace and finish the hike as quickly as possible. 

We had enough time to have a rock throwing competition and sing some Mest and Radiohead and a little bit of Sound of Music.... okay, just me on the last one. 

We hiked the Kiwani trail on South Mountain right by our place. It was an improvise to our original February date plans. We wanted to hike Camelback Mountain, which is like the Mount Everest of the valley, but with limited time to sunset, and a storm coming in, we chose a shorter, easier, and closer hike. 

Take II of our February date (which we were able to finish up last weekend) was hiking Camelback Mountain. Ryan got off work early and although 3pm on a warm AZ day isn't the prime time to hike, we dropped Lincoln off at my neighbors and went on our "February date" for real this time. 

The up-side to hiking the Camelback at 3pm? It's less busy and you can actually find a parking spot. The only people who are hiking at the hottest point of the day are people who are incredibly slow and need plenty of time to finish before dusk....or people on vacation who just don't know better.... OR people like us who go on dates and like to be home before 7pm sharp. 

I've got the itch to go again; this time to watch the sunset. The view was amazing, obviously, but at least during sunset you can get some beautiful colors to disguise the city haze. :)

bell rock hike

Ideally, after running a half marathon, I'd like to eat a feast, soak in a hot tub, and then convince Ryan to give me a massage.. maybe all three at the same time. :) BUT, when my parents took Lincoln back to Phoenix with them to babysit for a few hours, Ryan and I took advantage of our time in Sedona and went straight on a post-run hike. 

We'll definitely be back for more hikes here. 

superstitions

On our last day with the Cannon family, we made a trip out to the Superstition Mountains to do a little hike. 

Technically, I don't think the mountain we hiked was part of the Superstition Mountains...more or less a smaller mountain next to the Superstitions for those who want to enjoy the Superstitions without putting in too much labor. 

But it was the perfect hike

and perfect weather

and perfect company 

and perfect view of the Superstitions. 

I don't know why I love this picture of Lincoln and Ryan so much. 

First thought is "who dresses this boy?"

Second though, "why does he only have one button fastened?"

Doesn't matter. 

Those are just trivial when what really matters is this boy scoring the best view while perched up on daddy's shoulders. 

family hike

I'm singing to myself, "It's the most wonderful time of the yearrrrr.........to be in Arizona!"
It's mother nature saying thank-you for putting up with the excessive heat this summer. And the mountains right along our house have been glaring down on us to come hike them. And we did! And we will again! Lincoln fell asleep in his carrier and was out for half of the hike. Must be nice while someone carries you to the top for you to enjoy the view, and then fall asleep on our way down. We're happy to do so, Lincoln. :)