The Grahams

We seem to be blessed with summer like weather in the winter and have taken full advantage of it. Just last weekend we headed to the cabin and had one of those weekends that seemed to last forever....in the best possible sense. We enjoyed each other, relaxed, and played all weekend. We started the weekend at a foggy beach and ended the weekend at a sunny beach. Liam was not the biggest fan of the beach....the texture of the sand was not his favorite. Saturday morning was extremely foggy at the dock We found some crab.....and a ton of oysters! Again, Liam was not the biggest fan...ha.  We also went on a very long hike....that, of course, ended with a very large ice cream cone. No pain, no gain, right?! We were joined with Adam and Rachel. Callie loved having another strong boy to help her 'jump' Teaching Liam how to build a sand castle It was a beautiful day! Excuse the crazy hair.....only way we could stop the wind from driving her ...

Liam had his one year cake smash pictures....let's just say, he loved it! Cake for breakfast, sign me up! Here's some of my favorites:

This last weekend we were able to celebrate Liam's and Bennett's birthday surrounded by family and friends. Knowing that we were not able to fit everyone in our house (and with the weather so unpredictable), we had the celebration and my parents house. It ended up being a beautiful day and the kids spent most of the afternoon outside. It was amazing being surrounded by so many people who love and support my kids. Rey and Sarah were kind enough to bring their bouncy house which was the highlight of the party. The kids had so much fun and I'm pretty sure they all slept good when they got home! Liam wasn't so sure about it.. The two birthday kids! Hmm, cake anyone?! Again, Liam wasn't so sure about the whole present thing but Maya and Callie were more than happy to help... Liam was more excited about playing with Uncle Rey behind the chair than the presents. Ha!

During the kids mid winter break, we headed out to Mt. Bachelor to enjoy a week of skiing, family, and swimming. Although none of the husbands were able to come, it was very nice being able to spend some Knowles time together, especially after a long and stressful year. It was the perfect week to enjoy each other and thank God for everything that he has blessed us with this year. The drive was long but I was thankful to have my mom travel with me! Mom was kind enough to take all 6 kids for the day so we could enjoy a dad/daughter ski day. We lucked out with a beautiful, warm sunny day. The next day we took all the kids (except Liam) to the mountain. Not really knowing what to expect, we were truly surprised by the kids! They lasted almost all day, there were no tears, everyone was smiling and having fun! It was so fun, a glimpse into, hopefully, future ski vacations. My little ski buddy! She was a rock star. I couldn't believe how well she did - after only 2 other ...

We had a small celebration on Liam's actual birthday with just Preston, Callie, Liam and I. It was right before we headed off to Sun River but we enjoyed some of his favorite foods and of course, a delicious cupcake that Callie made for him. He didn't quite get the present thing, but Callie was more that happy to help him understand what was going on. Callie's finished product! Singing happy birthday - was pretty excited Callie picked out a lawn mower for him at the store - I'm not sure who was more excited...Callie or Liam.....ha.  Enjoying the delicious cupcake Callie made for him