three month update

ahhh, 3 months.  everyone said this would be a great month for a turnaround.  and, they were right.  baby tess is coming out of her shell - hatching, rather, as i recently read an article on this very topic.  something about the 3-4 month mark brings your baby out of her(him)self and into our wonderful world.  like, for instance, this happened last week:

 
she hasn't allowed ben to hold her up until this point.  well, she's allowed but not without screaming and turning purple.  she's had her nightly holding with dada and while it doesn't last as long as dada & dylan time (that's stronger than ever) everything with tess has been baby steps.  funny one, she is...

but oh!  look how big!

at her 3 month check up, she weighed in at a whopping 16.4 pounds, which did not register on the graph - yep, she's off the chart for weight.  huh.  she measured 25 inches for length which puts her in the 95% for height.  and lastly, her cute noggin measured 16 and a quarter around.  bing!
 

hatcher pass, independence mine

on erica's last full day, we really had to pack it in.  you know how the last day of vacation goes:  everything gets crammed in!  so, we took off early that morning and hiked the butte.  i'm happy to say that was my first time ever hiking it without children.  zow!  and i learned something: those little heathens are built-in pacers.  i was huffing and puffing before we were even out of the brush.  as always, we were rewarded at the top with gorgeous 360 degree views.  once again, in my excited effort to get out of the house without children, i forgot my camera at home.  what?!  so, i'm nabbing this from erica's photos...

we no sooner returned home when we were off and running again.  hatcher pass.  independence mine.  great for a drive, photo opportunities and of course, the scenery.

future mt. marathon-er, i'm sure.

erica, i miss you already!  i really can't express how happy you made me by visiting my family!  thank you for loving on my children, reading them stories, listening to their stories, cleaning my kitchen and for however many coffees.  come back soon, and next time, bring those cute girls and husband!  xx

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.

father's day hike

the butte.  one of our favorite hikes.  it's relatively close, it doesn't take us that long, and it's exciting to see the kiddos climb faster and more swiftly with each visit.  dylan was the shining star of this trip.  she needed zero help and complained zero minutes!  we actually had to yell to her to slow down and wait for us.  that girl is going to be climbing the wrangells with benji, scoping out sheep on the mountain tops.  

ugh.  are you sick of the blue skies yet?  i know, me neither.

and, they're off!

 she's always been dada's girl

 no help needed!

 what the kiddos navigated themselves

benji's pointing to them, waaay ahead of us

 made it, dada - high five!

 opening cards & gifts

 one of the best fathers i know

the kids have discovered the best part of hiking: running down the mountain!

colony days

another amazingly gorgeous day.  a tad too hot for baby tess, but luckily, when you're an infant, clothes can be optional!  she lasted long enough for the kiddos to run through the bounce house obstacle, sail through the air attached to bungee cords and ride the ponies, twice.  thank you, baby sweat ball!  we love your squishy, steamy bod!  

"no, you're playing outside today!"

that was said by yours truly after jackie came to me one morning.  eyes filled with tears.  wanting to pop in a movie and stay in his jammies.  BUT.  the sun was shining.  the sky was the brightest of blues with not a cloud in sight.  we may have been on day 15 or so of this sort of odd alaskan summer weather.  

AND I WASN'T GOING TO WASTE ANY OF IT!

we had played in the sprinkler and wore swimsuits more than t-shirts and undies.  our faces were sun-kissed, and we were talking 2 a-day baths because of our large usage of sunscreen and bug dope.  our diets were consisting of watermelon, otter pops, corn on the cob and lemonade.  summertime in the a-k has been serious this year - hence my lack of blog posts and messy home!  but, i will take dust build up and overflowing laundry to play outside in the midnight sun!  we are truly being spoiled this year, and i'm not at all feeling bad about enjoying every last second!

the girl loves picking flowers for gramma and me.  there isn't a time i've returned home from errands that she hasn't greeted me with a sweaty fistful of dandelions.  i know they're just a weed, but she could bring me fistfuls of trash, and i'd still think she was sweet as sugar.  and, she always insists i tuck them behind my ear.  

our island of trees is the perfect grounds for finding treasures.  new flower buds bursting with color, an array of poky and slimy insects, heaping piles of moose poo.  every little human's delight.  while our sidewalk isn't ideal for chalk, our deck is.  (much to dada's dismay.)

the kids have gone through (are going through) times where they don't want their picture taken.  lately, jack has wanted to be the one behind the camera - fun!  you'll notice my budding photog's skills below...

 my girls.

 three year old + crooked helmet + bag-o-cotton candy + scooter = the perfect storm

gosh, i adore her.

 we'll be hearing about this in a few years... 

how come there's only 4 handprints?

 oh, yes.  it's happening.  

as if jb on two legs wasn't crazy enough.

 who needs a swimsuit?

i hope we have many, many more weeks of sunshine to come!