When I need a little smile...

...I just peek at this picture.

Light Saver

John Michael loves the lightsaber he got for his birthday from TuTu & Grandfather! But I can't quite convince him its a lightsaber. He insists on calling it his light "saver." Well, I guess he's gone green. :)

Boo!

Don't be afraid of the teeth... he doesn't bite. But if I were you I'd be afraid of the drool!

Nicholas "Doonka" - our little monkey!

For those of you who don't already know, Nicholas' was affectionately nicknamed "Doonka" by Adeline when he was just weeks old. The nickname, unfortunately for him, has not only stuck but in true Hamstra-Kotynski clan form has morphed into a variety of names: Doonks, Doonkster bottoms, Doonky boy, etc.

Nicholas is the baby everyone says looks like me. He's got the dark hair and his eyes aren't as crystal blue as Adeline's or John Michael's. In fact sometimes I think they look green!

He's a ghetto crawler. He usually crawls with one knee and one set of toes. If he's not using that method he'll resort to hands and toes and on a rare occasion (though more often these days) he'll actually crawl properly. I'm sad to admit that the hands and toes thing might have originated from his unwillingness to touch my dirty floors. :)

Getting pictures of him is tricky. He doesn't really like to look at the camera and he's constantly moving - though I guess most moms of 1 year old boys don't expect much more. :) Here he is trying to catch the little dusties you can see in the window light. It made me laugh.

And my very favorite physical attribute about Nicholas right now is his hair. :) I've never been able to grow John Michael's hair out - its too course or frizzy or something... but Nicholas' just looks so cute I can't bring myself to cut it!

With the exception of a short time in John Michael's life, none of our kids have shown a strong preference for Mommy or Daddy. They seem to love us equally and prefer us equally. Some nights its all Mommy and others its all Daddy... but Doonka ADORES his Daddy. He looks for him outside (until he gets distracted by the barking dogs and starts barking back) and gets SO excited when he gets home.

He's going through a rough stage right now... not sure what things are upsetting him but he's definitely crabbier than normal. I keep thinking teeth are the culprit but he's 1 year old and still only has the two teeth on the bottom! He also has some food "issues" that I can't quite figure out - some slight excema and some bad diapers but nothing seems to be the reason for it. Part of me is pretending that if I ignore it he'll outgrow it... is that silly?

Anyway, we love the little guy. I can't believe he's going to be a big brother in a few months! He's still such a baby. But, I'm sure he'll love it and adapt to it the way he adapts to most everything else, with a smile. :)

Adeline, our 4 year old Princess.

She may look like a Hamstra but Adeline is all me when it comes to personality. I have to admit, its both cute and sanctifying to see your own personality displayed in its raw, uninhibited form day in and day out!

For whatever reason getting Adeline to actually look at the camera is always challenging!

Her favorite things to do right now are to read books, play in the basement with Mom Mom, play babies with her many Lucy's (but never baby dolls), and go to Steak & Shake!

She also loves to dress up as princesses. John Michael can often be found donning his pirate outfit while Adeline, the princess, is bossing him around. John Michael will usually go along with what she says but he's getting a bit of a backbone himself.


She's the queen of arguing, and effectively too! She often has a good point, its too bad that being "right" isn't worth much in the economy of God. So, we're doing what we can to teach her to be kind and respectful... and we're doing what we can to teach me the same. :)

Everyone has a nickname for Adeline... and she could tell you all of them. But don't you dare call her by a nickname she hasn't accepted or she'll be quick to correct you. She's my porcupine, her daddy's dear, Mom Mom & Bampa's "punkin", GG's goofball, Bampba Doodle's princess apple and everyone's joy.

My 3 year old little man.

Its hard to believe John Michael is 3 years old. Sometimes I still think of him as 2 and other times I think he's been 3 for forever! He kind of gets lumped into the same age as Addy since they're basically connected at the hip. :)

John Michael is the sweetest and most tender hearted little guy. Don't get me wrong, he has his moments ;) but overall he's our snuggler, our kisser, our concerned one, and our sensitive one. He's easily overjoyed... and easily devastated. One of these days I'm going to have to post a picture of him pouting. Its seriously like a cartoon!

He loves pirates. He regularly dresses up in the pirate gear Tara & Adam got him for Christmas. Here he is making his "Argh matey face" halfway.

Nobody's sillier than him in this house, even Johnny! He is one endless jokester and does. not. stay. still. He's loved learning to wrestle with Johnny this year and his newest version of snuggling with his Daddy is knee diving into his stomach. :)

He warms our hearts. Johnny & I often lay in bed these days and talk about how much we're enjoying his 3rd year. He's really turning into a little man with a LOT of personality. Now... if he'd just finish up potty training. :)

You gotta do what you gotta do

Well, its official. I'm a bad mom. I have very few pictures of Nicholas' first year of life. Its really quite depressing. And now, with #4 on the way (yes, I'm pregnant) I'm a little worried I might end up with NO pictures of the next little one! :o

So, feeling guilty, I pulled out my camera today and took a few snapshots. I thought I'd throw 'em up here even if they aren't quality work. After all, its a family blog, not a professional one, right? :)

The kids jump on the couches. This makes things interesting when we go to other people's houses and they jump on their couches. Usually people like to say things like, "Your mommy doesn't let you jump on your couches, does she?" To which they get a confused look from my children and a "Yes, she does." response. Classic.

Here's Addy jumping in her favorite outfit.

John Michael sets up the table in between the couches and plays Buzz Lightyear yelling, "To Infinity and Beyond!" over and over. :) He has so much energy its almost comical. Too bad it isn't contagious.

There's nobody like him. He's goofy and crazy and wild and endearing in every way imagineable. Even his pouting makes me chuckle... at least temporarily. He's a middle child to the T and I love it. :)

And he still adores his "B."

And my baby. My sweet little peanut. He's still quite tiny (I'm not publicly announcing that he's in the 10th percentile for weight). He's beginning to stand on his own, though he's not walking at all unless he's "cruising".

He recently developed a love for the piano.....

as well as pulling his sister's hair.

We can't quite figure out how he is so skinny... he LOVES to eat - for breakfast he can easily down a container of yogurt, 3 waffles, applesauce, grapes and Cheerios. He's got the metabolism I would die for. :)

I won't say more soon... how cliche of me... and you wouldn't believe me anyway. But if guilt has its way it won't be too long before I post again. :)