Her "suitcase"

Talullah had been asking me about the where abouts of her 'suitcase' for days. I was at a loss, knowing she does not own one. There are not many times she has even seen a suitcase of mine. One day, she comes running down the hall... "I found my suitcase, mom! I found it!" And she's holding her pink wig from her dress up collection. I tried my best to explain that it's called a wig, but she just wouldn't have it.

More pictures of camping...

Camping in Miranda

What with all these pregnancies and babies, we have not gone on a family camping trip in years. This year, we were determined to make it happen. We were bummed that my brother couldn't join us, but with Kathy, James, Genesis, Logan, Sarah, and Chandler, Nana, Papa, and my family of 3, we had a wonderful time enjoying the sun down in Miranda. We played some games, swam in the river, tried to master ping pong, and pigged out on s'mores. My favorite part was watching Talullah get a kick out of hanging out in the kayak while her daddy searched for perfect rocks for her. He'd pull them out of the water and she'd inspect them. Yes, throw them in the boat. No, she'd shake her head and toss it back in the water. Logan and Berlyn were content to sit on the shore and just wade in the little water hole Nick created for them. As long as they were getting dirty, all was well.

My baby's one!!!

So hard to believe twelve months have flown by since we brought home baby Berlyn. She was a a tiny, 5.13 lb bundle of cuteness. She's gained almost 12 lbs, and developed quite a spunky personality in the past year. It's hard to imagine there was ever life without 'little sister'. And... ready or not, she's not going to be the littlest Downey for much longer. We're expecting baby #3 in the beginning of March.