Glacier National Park

Christopher got an externship with the County Prosecutor in Bellingham and we will be moving there at the end of December.  We decided that since we are 6 hours closer now than we will be in a long time we should do a trip out to Glacier. We invited one of Christopher's roommates (J) from college who lives up in Canada and he was able to come with us.

We got into Glacier a little after lunch time and spent some time unloading and setting up our campsite. It didn't take long and we were able to relax while Mason napped. After he woke up we went for a little drive to get some firewood and stopped at a couple pull offs to look at and play in the creek, which is more like a small river. We discovered later that we actually set up camp next to one of the families that just moved into our ward at church...small world.

Even though the water was cold Mason loved being in it and got really angry when we pulled him out because his legs were turning red from being cold.

We had some really good food while we were camping. We had steak and potatoes for dinner, then pancakes and bacon for breakfast. We made a few people jealous with the delicious smells that were coming from our campsite!

Christopher was a pro at making pancakes; I don't think I've ever had such golden brown pancakes while camping. He was pretty proud and excited about it as well.

Mason loved the camping stove and anytime he wasn't trying to get to it he was in the dirt playing with rocks and sticks. He loved being outside and walking around the campsite discovering new things.

We went on a couple different hikes the next day. In the morning we did a small loop that was just outside our campground.  It was a leisurely walk along a boardwalk path, it was one of the easiest hikes ever. It was even wheelchair accessible, I wonder if there are any other "hikes" that are wheel chair accessible out there?

 The trail took us to view a small water fall. The walls of the rock around and after the falls were really cool looking with sharp edges and colorful rocks. We hiked up above a little ways on a different trail to get a view of the falls from the top and get some pics.

Along the trail they had benches that were positioned to view something, we stopped at one that looked interesting. There was a tree that has fallen over and the root system created a great weaving tapestry that looked like art.

After lunch we took one of the shuttles the park offers up through Logan Pass.  It was crazy how thin the road was and how tight of a squeeze it was for just two cars to pass. J took the pass when he was a kid and was hoping he would be less terrified this time around, he wasn't.  He had to switch sides of the shuttle to what we called the "safe side", because it faces the mountain wall, not the mountain cliff.

The views didn't bother Mason, he was right up against the window smacking it with his hands and loving every minute of it.

I couldn't believe how crazy the road was and amazed at how they made it on the side of such a steep mountain, bridges and all.

We survived the ride up the mountain and started our climb on Hidden Lake trail.  It was a fairly easy hike, nothing compared to the wheel chair accessible one from the morning, but it had stairs in the steeper parts which made it easier.

We were told that this trail had mountain goats on it and sure enough we ran into a few. One was by itself eating some flowers, and further up was a mom and baby sitting in the shade.

The views were amazing, there were so many mountain peaks and I thought the slope of the valley was awesome.

At the lookout point over the lake we stopped and took some pictures of the amazing view. It was one of the most beautiful sights with the mountains and lake in the background.

My mom would have loved the wild flowers that were growing along the trail. They were such pretty colors and there were different streams that ran along the mountain side with the flowers all around.

After our hike we stopped by the continental divide and took a picture before having a snack and riding the shuttle back down.

This park was absolutely beautiful. We had a great time camping and were so glad that we got to spend time with J.  Even though Mason didn't sleep the best it was so worth the trip, we will definitely be going back someday!

11 Months Down

Mason is already 11 months old, I can't believe that he will be a year in only 1 month!

Mason has officially been walking for a little over a month now and is loving the new freedom.  He is constantly chasing us down anytime he hears a door open.  He especially loves when we go into the bathroom because it gives him access to the bath tub one of his favorite things!

Mason loves to blow raspberries anywhere on my skin he can find.  He discovered he can do it on the window and his own hand. Our window now has lots of little mouth marks from him blowing on it.

One of the ways Christopher loves to entertain Mason is by playing music and watching his sweet dancing which consists of him bouncing up and down.

Mason favorite toys right now are of course our phones, remotes, and the stick we use to lock our sliding back door.  He loves to get it and carry it around with him, Christopher thinks he looks like a ninja the way he swings it around.

Mason loves to clap. Anytime we say hurray, or when he sees people clapping on the television he claps too.
He loves the vacuum and gets exited whenever I pull it out.

Mason has a lion security blanket we wanted to try and get him attached to so he would sleep and go down for naps easier, but for a long time he never cared that it was in the crib.  After a little experimenting we discovered that he liked silky fabrics. So I found fabric and sewed it onto the bottom of the blanket and now he loves it. I will get him in the morning and find him eating it, talking to it, and throwing it around.

As always Mason loves looking out the window at any animals that might pass by. He loves to see birds, a black cat that wonders around and comes up to our window sometimes, and any dogs. He loves to read and tries to get my books whenever I pull them out to read.  I give him some of his and he goes crazy pulling them out of the box and turning the pages and making noises.

Mason has learned to head butt, he mainly does it Christopher but I'm fair game too. Usually Christopher will lean down and growl at Mason, and Mason will throw his head forward and head butt him.  He thinks it is one of the best things ever and laughs.

Mason loves to laugh, talk, and tackle you if you are on the ground. He loves to eat pancakes, graham crackers and any fruit.

I love my little shadow, he makes everyday exciting!

Pearrygin Perfection

We went over to Bellingham the week before Pearrygin to hang out with JB and Debz and help pack up the boat and get loaded.  On our drive over to Pearrygin we stopped in New Halem and had a little extra time before Christopher's parents and Grandma's arrived; so we went on a little walk to the bridge they have over the river. Mason was trying to dive off the edge to see the water. He loves water so much!

Pearrygin was so much fun relaxing and hanging out on the beach. We had an awesome site with lots of shade and a big, sandy beach.  There was a lot of playing in the water.

We had lots of time to read in the shade. Christopher even read a book for leisure, something he hasn't done in a long time. We planned ahead and brought a big play pen for the babies to be in, they loved it. Mason and Crew had a great time in there together playing with the toys, talking, chasing and hitting each other. Kels also brought a little pool for the babies to play in up on the grass and they had a blast.  

 We had two awesome lifeguards on our beach. They were always up for a game on the beach with anyone who wanted to play. Grandma B even rode in the boat and GiGi took a 4 Generations ride on the GTX with Debbie, Kelsey, and Macey. They were so much fun at Pearrygin even though their living quarters had a few problems they stuck with it and had a great time!

We had quite a few "firsts".  I got up on combos, Macey knee boarded by herself and the little kids rode on the back of the knee boards! I don't have the pics but Paul bought a GoPro for the trip and was totally worth it for the shots he got of the kids on the knee board.

Christopher was nice enough to get a pic as proof that I got up.

Mason's naps were pretty good, even though we had to push them back a little so it wasn't boiling in the tent when he slept.  He was a champ sleeping at night, even through a crazy thunder and lightning storm with tons of wind and rain.  He slept with a hat a gloves on because it can get cold at night and he has no hair for insulation.  In the morning when he woke up his hat would be down over his eyes and his little gloved hands would be trying to get the hat off his head. I wish I had gotten a picture it always made me wake up laughing. 

He had the best time playing in the water.  He would float around for a while and watch everyone play. Anytime we would hold him in the water he would flap his arms and kick his legs like crazy, no pauses or breaks he would go forever until we pulled him out of the water.

We of course spent a few nights at Sheri's eating ice cream and getting awesome chocolates and candies!

The GTX was a hit again this year mainly with the little kids, they had to be talked into giving other people a ride every now and then.  We even had a spur photo shoot on the GTX inspired by Kelsey's posing, I wonder where Macey gets it?

We took a family ride with Mason, he didn't seem to notice or care too much about the ride, he just looked around at the lake. He loved riding in the boat and watching the people ride behind and look for them when they  fell, especially Christopher. 

We loved going to Pearrygin and hanging out with everyone. We had a blast and can hardly wait a whole year to go again!