flattop

erica wasn't in town for 30 minutes before we were driving up the hillside, glen alps trailhead as our destination.  i figured:  she'd been on an airplane for 5.5 hours, why not stretch her legs and hike up a mountain?!

and, it was THE perfect day for it.  even a slight breeze to keep the mosquitos away.  kinda.  erica was shocked to discover they're out all day.  not just at dusk or when you're in the shade, but all the time.  just another reason to keep moving and get to the peak where the breeze is constant.

   downtown anchorage in the distance

 snow's melting

see why it's called flattop?

almost there!

cook inlet

made it!

it didn't take long for the big kids to warm up or for erica to find her place at our home.  my favorite of our routines has been hit and miss these days:  bed time stories.  where every night, we used to read a stack of books, 3-inches high, since baby tess' arrival, it hasn't been near as constant as any of us would like.  erica did a great job, jumping right in.  i think she was missing her little somebodies, too.