Its been a while...but we've been so busy

It has been a while since my last post - over a month now. But man have we been busy. Mostly - I think that since my evenings have been filled with work - yes, work - I fell way behind in keeping up this blog. The nights I haven't worked - I was preparing for the holidays or just taking a much needed break. Outside of the holidays, we kept busy up until the week before Christmas - with gymnastics, choir and tennis. All of which happen after school and close to dinner or just after a quick dinner - leaving very little time for unwinding. We have been super lucky this last few weeks of the year, Derek really didn't have to travel all that much and was home for dinner most nights. I love when he is home - he takes bath duty - and he helps put the laundry away. So although it was almost 7 weeks ago it seems like we just got back from Disney. Thanksgiving seems a blur and Christmas flew by. So, before I have a massive blog download to catch up - let me just give you some highlights on the boys.

First off - can i just say how much I love being the mother to these special boys. They light UP our lives and make each day so special and unique. They are growing like weeds - both physically and mentally. Half way through pre-K, Hatcher is getting really getting so good at writing. He wrote several of his own thank you notes this holiday and is really excited about learning to read more. Aidan is talking up a storm and finding his own personality. He likes things his way...and doesn't mind getting into trouble if it means he can hold his ground. Aidan is still trying to write his whole name - but really has only perfected A, i and D. He is counting really well and loves to stop me in the middle of a book to count out the items on a page. Both boys LOVE music; however, Aidan is more the dancer and Hatcher more the singer. Derek plays rockband with them all the time and is really good about just turning the radio/ipod on. They are both getting better about sleeping in their beds all night long. Derek and I are getting at least one night a week without kids coming in our bed - so we are making progress. Although, most nights, we do have at least one of them come in between 2-4 am. They are so much fun...and such good boys...we are so lucky.

Our family trip to DisneyWorld!

It was kind of a last minute decision. We had been talking about taking the boys to Disney World...but we weren't sure when. But, the more we thought about it with Hatcher starting Kindergarten next fall, it seemed this year was as good a time as any. We consulted with several families who had been along with one who went the week before we were planning to go. I kept trying to get good reservations for Breakfast and dinners...and find the best way to map out our days...so we could make the most of our trip for less. We left Atlanta last Thursday morning - after a quick visit to the doctors office. The boys both had running noses for the previous 2 days and coughs had kicked in...so I wanted to be sure we weren't headed for a weekend of hell. After the all clear - we're on the road and drove south to Florida.


The weather was perfect...highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s. Really - it was the best time of year. We mapped out our days the night before and first thing Friday morning we were off to have breakfast in the Magic Kingdom with Pooh and friends. That was an awesome start to the day. We were in the park before it opened and enjoyed the awe of it all without the crowds. After breakfast it was time to meet some more characters and ride the rides. Hatcher's favorite ride was Goofy's Barnstormer roller coaster. Aidan's favorite part of the day was the Mickey's Philharmonic 3D show. He talked about it all day. I loved the whole experience...watching the kids excitement on the rides and meeting the characters. So many smiles and laughs - you just couldn't have a bad day. We went to dinner that night with characters from the Lion King. Dinner sucked - but the kids had fun.


Day 2 - off early again. We enjoyed the early park access at Magic Kingdom so much that I kept calling all day for an open reservation for breakfast at Animal Kingdom - at the Tusker House with Donald, Mickey, Daisy and Goofy. Boy did we luck out. Not only was it great to arrive first at the park before it opened - but the food was fabulous!!! Then it was off to the safari ride. We all LOVED that! Highly recommend it to everyone - every age. Then off to the petting zoo via a cool train ride. Then a tour through an "Asian zoo" and finally to DinoLand! The kids loved the giant playground with slides and fossil bones all around from a variety of dinosaurs. We decided to head back to the hotel after lunch, nap and then head to Hollywood Studios to see a few more characters - mainly Woody and Buzz and most of all Mater! We really lucked out again. Hollywood Studios was holding a magic lights show - over 500,000 LED lights hung for Christmas - set to music. They even had snow falling. And for our final night at Disney - we headed back to Magic Kingdom around 8 pm to see the parade and fireworks. That was probably where we could have used another day. It was too much - but we enjoyed it - all four of us really enjoyed it.


We will most definitely go again - hopefully next year. The kids are already asking about what all we can do next time. Some of my favorite photos are here - but with nearly 800 photos - of course, I had to create a montage video. Be prepared, it is about 7 minutes long. Enjoy.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Trick or Treat...and lots of them!

After a great party we were more than happy to take it easy on Halloween day - a Sunday. It was another beautiful day here in GA. The air was crisp and dry and although it warmed up nicely, the temps dropped with the sun. A perfect night for dressing up and going trick or treating..but first...we still had to carve our pumpkins. Hatcher is really getting good at it. He drew the face and really was gung-ho about trying to carve it all by himself.









Well I guess it has become a new tradition - going trick or treating with the Smiths! They just have the best neighborhood for kids. The folks meet out on the corners and wait for the kids to come around. Some had coolers with drinks and fire pits to warm up near. Others had elaborate haunted houses - donate a canned good for charity and you could go through for free. The haunted house is a staple in the neighborhood - been doing it for 14 years now! Everyone says hello and there are just TONS of kids out. I had to do a few small repairs to the boys costumes - and we depleted our hairspray dye reserves - but we were ready to go! Off to get a little candy. Did I mention the candy...good lord. The boys brought home almost just as much candy as we bought to share at the party.


All the kids ready to go: Tomy, Owen, Aidan, Hatcher and Haley










Until next year...so much fun. Now I am looking forward to Thanksgiving. But even better...we leave for Disneyworld on Thursday. Derek is on the verge of being super duper sick with another cold...so I am hoping all is well. I am so excited for our trip. I hope the boys have so much fun!

Kemmerlin Spookalicious Kid-Friendly Halloween Party

Well - it was so much fun - if I do say so myself - and we had a great turnout. Derek and I have always loved hosting parties...heck, we even made sure our house was well suited for parties when we built it! So, now that the kids are older and a bit more self-sufficient, we are looking forward to doing even more with friends. And with Halloween one of my favorite holidays - if it is really classified as that - we decided to host a party for the kids and parents alike again this year. It was fun pulling all the details together, stressful implementing - as always in the 11th hour - but so much fun and so worth it to spend time with friends and let my boys do the same. We cooked turkey chili and had all the fixings...along with tons of snacks - veggie and fruit trays, dips and chips and of course candy and desserts. I was sure to keep the kids occupied - although many of them had the most fun just running around in the backyard or playing on the swingset. The kids went on a scavenger hunt - a very chaotic but fun one that ended up in our basement. The kids also got to make - although most just ate - the brownie spiders. Everyone went home with candy and treats...and belly's full of food. Derek and I were in bed by 11:30 and the house was nearly back in order. So much fun that we are thinking about a Christmas party!

Hatcher and Aidan
(Ferb and Phineas - Disney characters)

The Kemmerlins
(Dr. Doofenschmirtz, Candace, Phineas and Ferb - with Perry the Platypus)

The Schorr Family
(Phil, Dreu and baby Stella)

The Bayer Family
(Derek, Cynthia and Maddox)

The Coleman Family
(Todd - the out of work UGA coach, Amy - the recent grad, and Madeline - the UGA cheerleader)

The Albert Family
(Heather and Owen as Peter Pan)

The Layman Family
(Kristen with Brooke, Landon, and Kip with baby Harper)

The Smith Family
(Greg, Amy, Haley - the princess and Tomy - Captain Hook without his costume)

The Lane Family
(Toby - the Situation, Christy - Minnie Mouse, and Hadley - the princess)

The Franke Family
(Ryan, Michelle, baby Sam - pumpkin and Jack as Buzz Lightyear)

The Riley Family
(Cowgirl Mandy, Cowboy Brian and Carter - Woody and Madison as Jesse)

1/6th of the MacMahon Family
(Mei Mei - a Perdue cheerleader)

Most of the 18 kids
(minus Landon, Brooke and Harper - who had left; Stella - who had left; Sam - who was getting into the car; and the 3-month old twins Bob and Henry who were eating)

the week of halloween parties...before the party

So this was one week that will be hard to top. The kids had a Halloween-related party nearly every night last week. It started on Wednesday with the Trunk-or-treat at church. That is right, the kids go to church - for choir. They have their fall recital in two weeks. The boys have loved it. Hatcher sings songs all the time and that is so sweet. So on Wednesday, it was raining and they moved the party into the church. So the kids went room to room instead of "trunk" to "trunk" for candy. They had a great time. We did two costumes this year. One for the school and other functions and one for the party we were hosting and Halloween night. So for the school and church, the boys were firemen. I had two costumes so it was perfect - and they loved playing dress up.

But back to the week of parties. So Thursday was bring a friend and trick or treat at gymnastics. Hatcher wanted to bring Owen...so, I picked up all three boys and off we went to meet Haley and Tomy at gymnastics. For each exercise they completed they got a treat. Then at the end of each circut, they got time in the jumpy. Oh my heavens they were loving every minute of it. Hatcher is doing cartwheels, somersaults, balance beam (forward and backwards), the uneven bars and the rings. Aidan tries them all but has mastered the somersault and balance beam. They really enjoy that class - so I am glad we can do that for them.

Then Friday was the Halloween parade and party at school. I took the afternoon off so I could go and enjoy the function. Hatcher's class had been practicing Halloween-themed songs so that as they paraded around the school in each of the other rooms, they could sing up to three songs. So freaking cute. I will load video up at the end. Meanwhile - in Aidan's class everyone was just having fun with all the costumes. They too paraded around the school - but without any singing - that is left to the big kids. Crazy - Hatcher is considered a big kid now. Man - where does the time go. Here are some pictures from the week. I didn't get any at gymnastics - which is just as well - I haven't mastered using my camera there!

Wednesday's Church Trunk or Treat





Friday's Halloween party at school





Hatcher singing the Halloween songs in the parade...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Our own local fall fesitval

Have I said it enough - I love this time of year. There are more reasons to get outside and play. There are more festivals than ever it seems with everyone coming out to enjoy the fall weather. And I consider Halloween and month of October in general to be the kickoff to a series of my favorite holidays.




So to round out the month of festivals - it was our own city's turn. Berkeley Lake hosted its annual festival this past weekend. And they put on a great event again. Same "attractions" as last year - the jumpies, face painting, pumpkin decorating, games for prizes, scavenger hunts and finally the candy in the hay search. We usually hang out for the full two hours - and this year we followed suit. Hatcher was too excited to nap so he powered through until 2 pm - which was the start of the festival, but Aidan couldn't hold out. He crashed around 12:50p - but when I woke him to tell him about the jumpies - he was up and alert and ready to go. Derek was out sick - his sinus infection took a turn for the worse and went to his ears. He had enough and spent a few hours in the am at a minute clinic for some antibiotics. So, while he was resting in bed, the kids and I spent the afternoon at the party. It was a great afternoon. The boys had a good time. It is great to watch them play together. They really get along so well. They are always looking out to make sure the other is in tow...and wanting to share each new adventure with the other. We really lucked up in that department. Don't get me wrong - they bicker...but they are really good friends first. Derek and I are really loving these ages. Now - if they would only sleep all night long - without getting up to go potty in our bathroom and then sneaking into our bed. One day...one day!