Preschool

Emily took Grayson on a tour of the preschool she attended "when she was a kid".
Grayson will start school there in September. They are both very excited.

Studio Time

Dad gave the members of Bellymeat a chance to see a real rehearsal studio.

Emily, who likes things loud and dramatic, immediately gravitated to the drums.

Grayson stayed close to the microphone, eager to prove his role as lead singer.

Cole planted himself in front of the fan
and practiced his best pouty poses for the band's music video.

Just Add Water

Want to know how to make this baby happy? Just add water.
Whether it be the pool, bath or shower, Cole is always up for some splashy fun.

Bellymeat Rocks!

A talented young artist named Grayson announced to his family that he was starting a band.
He grabbed his guitar and microphone and called his first rehearsal.

He assigned Dad to drums and Emily to guitar. I had the honor of becoming the publicist.
After some discussion the band came up with the name Bellymeat.

Sadly, after only one rehearsal Emily and Grayson are arguing over who has the right to their first song "A Long Time". I guess all of the great bands have their share of conflict.
Rock on Bellymeat!

WWF

World Wrestling Federation presents:
COLENATOR VS. G-MAN

It seems that the Colenator has Gman firmly pinned. G-man tries to fight him off with his Transformer toy, but it is no match for the Colenator's drool attack.

Cowboy Grayson

Grayson took a ride on the ponies at Irvine Park.
At first, he wasn't quite sure about horseback riding.

After a few times around the track, he was telling me that he and his new friend Echo were just fine and I didn't need to hold on to the reins anymore.
Easy there, Partner!

Guitar Lessons

One afternoon, Cole decided to find out what this guitar thing was all about.
He really enjoyed his first lesson.

He may decide to follow in Daddy's musical footsteps,
especially when he figures out girls dig boys with guitars.

High Entertainment

Cole has a playroom full of toys, but his favorite plaything is our robotic vacuum cleaner.
He will chase it everywhere, squealing gleefully.

He has even gotten Grayson to join in his game.

On the Move

Trying to keep up with his brother and sister,

Cole keeps finding new ways to move around.

Kiddie Pool

It may be small, but this inflatable kiddie pool is sure getting some good use.
This sunny afternoon, Emily is trying to give Cole a swimming lesson.
He seems more interested in eating her squirt gun.

Grayson's Swim Lessons

After many afternoons of being a spectator at Emily's swim lessons,
Grayson decided to try lessons himself.

After only two lessons, he seemed quite at home in the pool.
By the end of the third lesson, he was looking downright chill.

Cole was not content to play in the poolside puddles.
He let us know loudly that he wanted to jump in with his big brother.

Portraits of Cole

Emily decided she would also try her hand at photography.
Cole was more than happy to act as model again.
First she got in for that extreme close up.
Then she captured his wild side. Watch out for the drooly monster!

Camp Hemme

This last Saturday, we participated in the Great American Backyard Campout.

I know you're thinking there's no such thing, but I read about it on the internet, so it has to be real. Right?

Here is our campsite. Grayson was excited to help Dad set up the tents.











We started the day of outdoor fun with a hike in Irvine Park.

It wasn't exactly the untamed wilderness, but we all had a good time and collected some souvenir feathers.









Jeff, always the prepared outdoorsman, brought along his Palm Pre so that we could track our location on GPS.










Becky and Liam met us back at the campsite for some hamburger and s'mores.












In the morning, Cole joined us in the tent for some cuddles.

I want to be a fireman.

At a recent police and fire department open house, Grayson got this fire helmet.

He soon announced that he wanted to be a fireman.















What boy wouldn't want to be, with the prospect of working with all this cool equipement.

Thumbs Up

Grayson is sometimes a bit timid in front of others.

So, when it comes time for show week at gymnastics, I always wonder how he will respond.

He quickly let me know that he had it all under control.












We were all there to cheer him on.

















With the look on his face, you would think he was winning a gold at the Olympics. I couldn't be more proud of him if he had.

Standing Tall

It seems like just a few weeks ago I was writing about Cole learning to crawl. Not one to rest on his laurels, Cole decided to show off his next trick.

I walked back in to the living room where I has sat Cole down in his playpen, and what greeted me was this elated, standing baby. He looks quite pleased with himself, doesn't he?

Grandpa's Retirement Celebration

Nothing says retirement quite like a cruise. So we took Dad on a 3 day cruise to thank him for all the hard work he has done on behalf of our family.


Our cruise stopped in Catalina. On the island, we took a submarine ride.

The submarine captain told us to be on the lookout for sharks. It looks like Grayson may be a bit worried.








After lunch Grandpa, Nana and Emily rented a golf cart.

Grandpa treated the girls to his version of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Emily was so nervous she had to sit in the back and hold onto Nana.

Afterwards, they calmed their nerves with an ice cream.











Back on the ship, I found these two cool dudes hanging poolside.












Cole enjoyed people watching and people enjoyed watching him.













Of course, this high seas adventure would not be complete without a picture of our happy travelers sailing off into the sunset.

The next day, Grayson woke up and asked if he could go on another cruise tomorrow.

That's the spirit!

Budding Photographer

Recently, Grayson tried his hand at photography. I think he really has potential. His first subject was Cole.

He really captured Cole's glee while he tried to shove as many Cheerios as possible in his mouth.








Then he turned the camera on himself.

He looks like he is about to pop. Perhaps it was that second helping of Mac-N-Cheese he ate.

Student of the Month

Emily ended a wonderful 4th grade year by winning the Panther of the Month award.

Look out 5th grade, here comes Dobbles!

Drama Queen

Anyone that knows Emily, knows that she needs no training to be dramatic. Still, when this after school acting class opened, we thought she would have a great time.

On the last class, parents were invited to watch some of the improvisation games they played during the session. This one involved Emily sitting on a park bench and freaking out the unsuspecting person sitting next to her.

Cole At 7 Months

Cole is hanging out in the backyard, watching his brother play baseball.

I will remember this afternoon fondly, because it is the last time I was able to put Cole down on a blanket and have him stay there.

A Bug's Life

When Grayson is with his Daddy, anywhere can be the happiest place on Earth.












It just happens that on this day, they were at Disney's California Adventure checking out some rides based on the movie A Bug's Life.

If that car ran on smiles, they would be cruising all day.

Love Yourself

Cole is finding out what the rest of the family has already learned...you can't resist kissing that cute baby.

Style

Our little man is starting to express his own sense of style.

I am sure it will be a hit with the ladies.