Mt Rainier 2011! (Post #1)

We took our annual family trip up to Mt. Rainier this week, and luckily this time we had the company of James's grandma, great aunt, aunt, uncle, and two cousins! It was very cold up there, as we figured it might be from past experience, so we decided to stay at Paradise Inn again like last year rather than camp. James had a great time practicing his walking in all sort so of terrain, and the Lord blessed our time with my family in all kinds of ways... even some unexpected ones. All in all, it was a memorable trip! I had to split this post in to two since I had so many pics I want to share and they only let me post 20 at a time. And, if you just haven't had enough by then, feel free to browse the "James's 15th Month album to the right.

To start off the trip, James refuuuuuuuused to sleep at ALL in his carseat all 4 hours of the travel time up there (this is par for the course for James, who will rarely sleep anywhere but his crib). BUT, the last five minutes on the drive up the mountain, James conked out in his carseat! So I stayed with him in the car while Eliot unpacked everything. And here it is, one of the few sleeping pics I have of James... with Paradise in the background.


Here we are setting out on a short family hike!

Somewhere in the fog, there is a giant mountain. I promise.

Pasque flower, or Anemone (I think).

You can kind of see the base of the mountain in this pic...

Lupines

James's command central... we decided that chasing after him in the hotel room wasn't our idea of vacation.

Me and my Aunt Diane, ready to walk!

Black tailed deer in the mist and fog.

Eliot and James with the deer in the background.

Grouse!

Aunt Diane and Eliot figuring out that it is a grouse thanks to an iPhone app. Ah, technology...

Partridge Foot

All of us at the rock I've taken my picture by since I was little.

James hanging out!