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.

The State Fair

Sacramento Zoo

On our way home from Carlsbad, we stopped in Sacramento for a couple of nights to have some fun time as just a family of 4. It was hot, hot, hot! We took the girls to the Sacramento zoo, and the giraffe's and monkey's were a big hit. I personally liked the anteaters quite a bit. The next day we ended up buying a mini van. My pride was forever damaged as I realized that I'm officially uncool, but my spirits lifted when we went to the State Fair later that evening. The place was so massive, I doubt we covered a third of the grounds. Talullah and Berlyn got to go on a ride or two, and we all enjoyed strolling around seeing the bright lights and crowds of people. I couldn't believe Nick tried one of the deep fried twinkies, but my mind was completely blown when I saw a stand selling deep friend butter chocolate covered bacon. You also had the option of dining on a "Maggot Melt" or "Raccoon on a Stick". I'll pass, thank you very much. We stayed at the fair well passed the girls bed time. It was nearly 11 by the time we made the long trek to our car... ahem, I mean, van and the babies were SLEEPY to say the least. So glad we had a nice weekend together as a family!

Baby whisperer

This is cousin Grace. We love her. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. She is one of the sweetest girls I've ever met, and she is absolutely amazing with little babies! She plays so well with the younger ones, teaching them games and pushing them in strollers. She even came over while I was getting the girls ready for bed and she whisked Talullah away, dried her off after the bath, had her hair brushed and handed her the binkie to finish it off. We will welcome Grace to come visit us in Norther CA anytime, ever. We miss you, Grace!