Mount Rainier

The girls and I decided to go on a last-minute trip to Mt. Rainier! I was talking to my mom on Thursday and she told me my Aunt was going along with a few of my cousins and I told her, "I want to go!!" She wanted to go too so we decided to pack it up and make a quick trip. My dad couldn't go . . . Dell couldn't go . . . so it was my mom, Kylee, Me and the girls, and my cousin Jennifer & her daughter Bella. All 8 of us fit in my Dad's Expedition, along with all of our stuff. I am a professional packer, I tell you! You can't imagine what I can fit into a small space. Anyhoo we didn't get out of Othello until almost 7 p.m. so we unpacked and put our tent up in the pitch-black forest with our headlights lighting up our way! My cousins, the Taylor's, were there too so they greeted us and helped us out. We had everything done in no time at all.

Lindsy came and met us on Saturday morning and we went to a nearby town, Packwood, where they were having their annual flee market. That was interesting . . .like a huge yard sale. There were some vendors there with new stuff, some there with crazy stuff, a ton of food you'd see at the fair and DOGS EVERYWHERE! I've never seen so many dogs at one place. You don't generally see a lot of Great Danes - at least I don't - we saw 8 of them. They are the biggest dogs ever! They look like mini horses! Anyhoo it was just crazy how many dogs were there. My girls loved that . . .me . . . not so much! :)

We also hiked up a few different trails, saw some neat glaciers, went to one of the visitor's centers at Paradise Point - right in the park at Mt. Rainier, where we were snowed on as we were hurriedly running to the car. The nights were cold, but we had plenty of blankets to keep us warm. This was a totally different type of camping than we're used to. We usually go to a campground where there's a nice grassy area for our tents and it's right off the lake, where we spend most of our time. This camping was right in the dirt, surrounded by tons of beautiful trees, where you are cold even during the middle of the day because no sun gets through the blanket of trees- the type of camping where you need a fire the whole day and night to keep warm! We had so much fun though and are vowing to make time for more spontaneous trips like that. It was a great weekend.

Oh, I'm also to report that Ashlee lost her tooth before we left and that she has mastered the art of blowing bubbles. She had a ton of gum to practice with and is now a champ. Alexa proved to be nearing the "terrible two" stage this trip. She did not like being left out by her sister and cousin. They each had a little bike or scooter to ride and she'd run behind them crying. It wasn't until she got her hands on the baby's stroller and pushed it behind them that she was truly a happy camper!