More Christmas pictures

Huh, we must have forgotten to comb Luke's hair.

He loves Ben 10 aliens.

If you really want to make Sarah happy, give her a whole pack of gum and just let her pass it out and eat piece after piece.

Santa got Luke a bike. He still hasn't ridden it. It is too big for him. After Christmas Santa was too busy to exchange it for a smaller one a. Here's to hoping he has a growth spurt.

AnnaKate is 8, for the last 4 years she has only asked for baby dolls and baby doll stuff. I wonder if she'll want that again this coming Christmas?

We went to my parents house and had the best breakfast ever known to mankind.

What cute girls I have.

Christmas Eve and Christmas morning

Nate volunteered to make Christmas eve dinner for my parents and brother David. David flew in from New York. Even though his life is so cool in New York, he thinks his family is cooler.

Nate made the whole dinner. I made the gravy. Nate even had to work that morning. He didn't start cooking till 2 or 3 in the afternoon. He pulled off a great meal.

Here we are waiting to run down the stairs to see what Santa brought us.

look at that Christmas morning face!

Some how we all just barely made the nice list. It was a good Christmas.

3 years old, but not quite "big girls"

As you can see, I'm the kind of mom that goes all out on my kids birthday cakes. I let them stick all the candles in that I had in the cupboard.

I made them their favorite dinner. We ate Ramen by candle light.

Earlier that day we did their favorite thing. Skate. We were even lucky enough that 2 of our favorite cousins, Afton and Henry came with us.

They looked so cute in the new outfits my mom gave them. I wish I would have taken a group shot but I was too sweaty and tired from rollerskating and must have forgotten. Nate even took some time off work to come with us. Happy day. As of today, Jan 31, 2010, they still sleep in cribs, go to bed with a bottle and Sarah is in panties half the time, diapers the other half. She still doesn't quite get it. Gwen is completely potty trained! This week we are going to post all the nursery furniture on ksl. com. Then we will buy them big girl beds and throw away the bottles. Hmmmm, wonder how that's going to go? Wow, life just marches on. I don't have babies anymore.

roller skating gives me a better buzz than percocet, and without the constipation

I even look a little high in this picture.
From age 3 to 9 I had a best friend named Adrienne. She got roller skates for her birthday one year. I didn't have any. Because she was and still is one of the sweetest friends I've ever had, she would let me wear the left one and she would wear the right one. We would skate all over our neighborhood. Grownups would always ask us where our other skate was. Stupid question. I finally got my own skates and we spent almost every summer day skating. Ahhhhh those were some of the happiest days of my childhood.

No it is not girly to roller skate! No child should miss the chance to learn to skate.

Gwenyth was a complete natural. She refused to hold my hand and she got right up after she fell.

How do you like that action shot?! Sarah was like Bambi on ice the first time we went skating but the second time she was just as good as her twin sis.

Jax, AnnaKate and Emmaline getting more confident and feeling pretty cool.

Did I ever mention.....

Did I ever mention that my life is a beautiful happy place to be because of my decision to marry Nathan Morris? I am really quite certain that I'm not near the person Nathan is. I'm lazy and selfish and overly emotional for starters. I try to keep up on all my apologies and promises to be better. He forgives me and reassures me that I not THAT bad. See those 5 kids? Those are 5 of the luckiest kids in the world. And one damn lucky woman. (did I mention he never cusses?)

Did I ever mention that Nate comes home from a long days work and will make me dinner without complaining?

Or that he makes the best apple pies I've ever eaten?

Or that he is still so young and athletic even though we are 36?!

Or that he is such a great brother to his 3 younger brothers and sister? Well, if I haven't mentioned it then I should have a long time ago.

I have some serious catching up to do!

So Halloween 2009 was one of those days I really loved being a mom of 5. Excuse me but Gwenyth, Sarah and Suzie make the cutest puppy dogs ever!!! It was also not even cold outside for trick or treating. Awesome.

So How do you like Emmaline's little get up? A month before Halloween she told me she wanted to be a French play director. What?! My shriveled little brain had not the creative capacity to picture what she was talking about. She told me all the different things she needed for her costume. We gathered them from neighbors and relatives and walla! I think she looks pretty cute. Wish her coat wasn't on in this picture.

AnnaKate drew the cutest witches. This was my favorite. I kinda don't know what the witch is saying though.

My hunky Nate totally taking over the pumpkin carving. Good thing, I have no patience for this activity.

Some people don't like dogs. I even have some family members who don't like dogs. (I won't name any names) Just look at my Tabitha...... That is pure love in her eyes. She still loves me even though I put her in a witch costume that she hated and tried to bite off. She was just so happy I put her leash on so she could come trick or treating too. She was of course completely darling and loved trick or treating as much as the kids.

Welcome to Emmaline's Haunted House

Some real live ghosts walking through her haunted house. No, not really, just me and my great camera skills. These are our horrified neighbors who are walking through the wood shop that Em has converted into a very scary haunted house.

This dead bat was donated by Grammy. She found it in her house and now it is Sarah's best friend. I have since hidden the bat from Sarah so Em can use it next year. I just couldn't handle Sarah taking this thing everywhere she went. For one, its in a glass jar that she could drop and break. For two, its a dead bat.

The sign says "try if you dare" Emma told the customers that they were werewolf toe nails. They were candies almonds.

Emmaline and Lily making some disgusting witches brew.

the finished product.