Aidan is 11 months old

Man...a year can really go by so fast. Aidan is now 11 months old and sleeping through the night like a champ. He really wants to walk, but still trying to master the "cruise." He pulls up on everything, but still gets around most efficiently as a scooter. This weekend we kept things very low key. All of us have a cold - or sinus infection as the case may be. Who gets a summer cold anymore these days? Oh...that's right...the Kemmerlin family does! HA! Odds! Well, Hatcher, Aidan and Derek are all on the tail end of the cold and I am just working through the worst of mine now. I stayed in bed until almost 1 pm yesterday (thanks Derek!) to try and get some much-needed sleep. Even though Aidan is in his bed all night long, Hatcher is still not so good at it! We are trying some new techniques to get Hatcher to fall asleep on his own. He always starts in his room, but ends up in our bed between midnight and 3 am every single night! It would be great to have them both sleeping through the night in their own rooms! The last picture is of Hatcher in the boys' playroom. I have been posting all of Hatcher's artwork on the walls. He loves it!

Maddox's 1st Birthday

Derek B and Cynthia hosted a party for Maddox to celebrate his first birthday. It is hard to believe...even harder that Aidan is only 5 short weeks behind Maddox! Man, I say it all the time, but they sure do grow fast. I added a picture below showing what all the guys were doing while Derek B was grilling the food. HA - Boys will be boys...look away Aidan and Hatcher...look away!
Happy Birthday Maddox!

Off to Grandma's Pool

This past Friday, I drove the boys up to Grandma's house for an early evening swim in the pool. Daddy had a happy hour to go to and it was hot outside. So, this was a great distraction for everyone! Hatcher loved the little kid's pool and Aidan was able to waddle around, feet touching the ground, in his new shaded pool float!

Happy Father's Day

It was a nice relaxing weekend for the boys including Daddy who had a great time playing with them. Hatcher and Aidan made these cute little gifts for Derek at school and we brought them home Friday and I told Hatcher pick a place to "hide" them until Sunday. He was so excited to hide "daddy's birthday father's day presents." So excited in fact that on Saturday when I was taking a snooze, Hatcher asked Derek to come into his room so he could show him something. Up the stairs Hatcher went as Derek followed with Aidan in hand and Hatcher pronounced, "Look at your birthday presents I made for you Daddy!" Derek laughed and said, "no Hatcher let's save those for tomorrow." But, it was too late. Hatcher couldn't stand it one more minute, so we went ahead and had our little celebration on Saturday afternoon. It was cute. On Sunday, we had an impromptu cookout and invited P'Bo, Uncle Jared and Aunt Christina. (Marma couldn't make it since she was on the road to help a friend recover through a cancer treatment. We all wished she could have joined us...most especially Hatcher!)
Happy Fathers Day Daddy!

Nik Freitas LIVE in Atlanta...finally!

My cousin Nik has been writing and playing music for 10 +/- years now and after years of touring, finally made his way to the southeast...Atlanta, GA. This past Friday night he performed at Smith's Olde Bar and then played along with the headlining groups as well. He is super talented and just an all around great person. We all went down to see him perform and wish we could have had more time to hang out. He will be on the road for the next couple of months in the US and then on a global tour in the late summer and fall.

We really enjoyed the music Nik...and wish we could have hung out more. Maybe next time...or even see you in CA on our next family visit west! Check out the pictures below and then check out his website, www.nikfreitas.com

Off to Cedar Springs Lake to see the Arlen Family Getway Lakehouse

On Friday after the ceremony, we spent the weekend at Uncle Dave and Aunt Lisa’s fabulously relaxing lake house. We wished we could have stayed longer. It ended too quickly. We went boating, fishing (well – the kids made good attempts at it) tubing, played games and just hung out. Just as we got our vacation groove on, it was time to leave and head back to the airport. Aunt Lainee, Uncle Mike, Aris and Andersen came and hung out with us on Saturday all day and brought their newest addition, a female corgi puppy named Lily. Hatcher wanted to love on her all day! As you can tell by the pictures - we all had a great time. There were too many good ones to share, so I created a montage. Enjoy!
Thanks again Arlen Family for hosting! We had a blast!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Aris Graduates from High School

Our nephew Aris graduated from High School on Friday, June 6 and we absolutely had to be there. It is hard for me to believe he is 18 years old now! See the pictures below of the 2008 Centennial High School Graduate, Aris Mitchell Hubbard. Congratulations Aris!

Aris getting his diploma

Proud Mom and graduate

Derek and the kids

The Hubbard family

Aris and the Kemmerlins

Aris, the Arlens and ZuZu

Mom, Dad and 2008 Graduate (Mike, Aris and Lainee)

Aris and Andersen

Visit with Missy and Julia

While in Dallas, I made a stop at Missy's house to catch up with her and her daughter Julia, now 10 years old - I can't believe it. We have been good friends since high school, and she is the only friend I see and speak to regularly from those days. It was so much fun to hang out. It was the first time she was able to meet the boys. They gave the boys gifts, which they played with the remainder of our trip. Thanks Julia and Missy...you were wonderful hostesses and you have a lovely home. Can't wait to see you next time and maybe visit when Ken is in town too. Thanks again for a fun afternoon. Next time we will have to spend the whole day together doing fun stuff! Until next time...

Trip to big D

As our second attempt at a family vacation, or mini getaway – as is more appropriately called, we packed up and headed to the airport for a brief trip to Dallas, Texas. Derek flew with me and boys to Dallas and left from the airport to Denver for work. He managed to squeeze in an REM concert at Red Rock Amphitheater before meeting up with us in Dallas after midnight Thursday night. Hatcher had so much fun with his cousin Ashton who is now 6 years old. They were like siblings all weekend. Hatcher was always saying, “Ashton, where are you?...or…”Ashton, come here!” Aidan was just along for the ride but enjoyed the attention that a “big sister” provides!