A year after their father's untimely death, Michael Jackson's children – Prince, 13, Paris, 12, and Blanket, 8 – are living a relatively normal life and seem to be thriving, according to Michael's brother Jermaine.

"My mother [Katherine] raised nine kids, so she definitely knows how to raise them," Jermaine told our friends over at PEOPLE on Tuesday night at a dinner celebrating the fifth annual Children Uniting Nations conference in Washington, D.C.

The kids are getting to do things children should enjoy, says Jermaine, 55 – hanging out with their cousins, playing video games and going to see animated movies. "We have dinners at different homes," Jermaine says, and the families organize getaways together – including a trip to Hawaii around the first anniversary of Michael death last month.

As they grow older, it seems the love of entertainment is in their blood. "They love the film business, and they love being behind the scenes," Jermaine says. "Blanket loves to dance and sing. Prince and Paris love movies. They can tell you about directors and producers and all that stuff."

Jermaine, joined at the dinner by brother Randy, said family matriarch Katherine, who has full custody of her grandchildren, has been doing "a great job in keeping everybody together."

We are still in mourning, he says, but I sense Michael's presence in their lives. "I feel him everywhere," Jermaine says. "I know Michael's spirit is so much alive. He's guiding me ... us to just keep things going and keep things the way they're supposed to be."