Bighorn Fire

That fire I mentioned...that was started by a lightning strike during an Arizona drought. Well it’s turning into a bit of a big deal. It’s crazy the amount of smoke we are seeing coming off of the Catalinas. At night you can see the fires glow. Praying they can get it contained.

Finger Rock Canyon

Today we decided to get outdoors! The temperature in Tucson is lower than normal for this time of year. It was in the low to mid 90’s so it was the perfect time for a Canyon hike. Back in May we did Pima Canyon for Leahs birthday so today we decided to check out Finger Rock. It did not disappoint. The night before, lightning in the Catalinas sparked a forest fire. Along our hike we would watch the forestry helicopters going back and forth doing water drops. That’s something you don’t see everyday.

It really was a great way to start the day! With 4 kids, 3+ miles and in 2+ hours we conquered the Finger Rock Canyon. The hike was steep in parts, there was a a little resistance from the kiddos. But in the end they’re feeling accomplished. Hattie slipped a few times and busted up her knee...but she persevered! It was awesome. Thankful for a beautiful Tucson morning!!!

Arizona Birthday!

Well, we did it again! On June 2nd we loaded up and drove BACK to Arizona! Illinois is still sheltered in place. With all the civil unrest taking place in Illinois with the death of George Floyd and the emergence of Black Lives Matter we decided to escape again. Gigi and Papa happened to be on their way home so we knew we would have their house all to ourselves. We just had to handle that 24 hour drive again. So that’s what we did!

We got to Tucson around 7:30 AM on June 3rd...my birthday! That evening Aunt Laura and Uncle Jeff ordered pizza for dinner. Joanna picked out an awesome Dairy Queen Ice Cream cake for the celebration and it ended up being a pretty great birthday with some of my favorite people!

Leah at Allerton

Leah is my introvert...she can be shy, a little reserved and she has no idea how beautiful she is. I love that we included her violin in these pictures.

Kiersten at Allerton

Kiersten loves to dance...and she loves to pose for Lisa in her costumes.

Hattie at Allerton

Hattie cakes in her dance costumes! Somehow Lisa captures her personality and smile perfectly.

Allerton Park

It’s kind of become our tradition to do Allerton Park for pictures every spring. Lisa Hastings has done such a wonderful job with the girls in their dance costumes. This year we had Leah join in the fun. She brought her violin and we got some great shots. As a sign of the times we even did one with our masks. We love Lisa and highly recommend her. Here are a few shots I snapped and a few of the girls together.