It was a surprise–our family day trip. Stephen told us on Saturday that he had taken off work on Monday so we could travel north to escape the heat for the day. I love surprises! Exploring is one of our favorites, so we packed for swimming, for playing at the park, for picnicking, and for hiking. We were ready for whatever whimsical adventure the day held.

The Beeline Highway took us up to Payson, AZ at the foot of the Mogollon Rim. The town was small, but we loved being outside. The boys rode their bikes at Green Valley Park and ran down the big grassy hill. After our picnic at the park, we drove through town and decided to find Christopher Creek.

As Silas hopped out of the car at the Christopher Creek campground, he said, “Where’s Coop? I’m already in the forest!” He was so excited and became quite the explorer as we hiked in the creek.

Cooper was timid at first and walked on the creek bank with Brynn and me. But after a while, he took to the creek with Daddy and Silas and didn’t want to leave. It began to thunder and sprinkle a little, so we headed back to town for supper at the Pizza Factory.

Making memories with my man and our babies.