....thanks Mum!

This one goes out to Mum........

As you can see I have been busy creating Mums chocolate torte and Banofee pie and having a slice of each pose in front of a camera. These tasty treats will feature on my menu . They both did really well and gave me what I needed....and then I ate them!......sorry!

Yes the catering website is a work in progress but I'm almost done! Janeen has taken great shots of my food, quite professional looking actually and my good friend Lea is building me a pretty slick looking website which should be done in a matter of weeks. Can't wait to get out there and put a face behind 9 years of trial and error and learning the trade. I have some exciting jobs coming up this year and look forward to more exposure!

.....In other news....Lucy's been very under the weather lately. A nasty cough and a fever has left her feeling quite miserable for a few days and not her usual self. The house hasn't been the same without her running laps and climbing the furniture. We have missed her dance moves and listening to her expand her little lungs! But she'll bounce back!

Shes having lots of fun at music class, where she gets to sing, dance around waving ad handkercheif and plays a little drum. She absolutely loves music and dancing and gets lots of practice at home!

enjoy the pics and hopefully we'll have a trip to Ebgland soon!.......if not , well then some of you better come visit!

oh the joys....

Hello All,

Just an update on us. Arthur and I are having to appeal his VISA and reapply so there still is no date for our wedding! We decided that if this one gets declined the only choice we will have it go get married in the states (they make it a lot easier). So We will keep you posted on that and hope that the £1000 we about to shell out pays off! He will again have to go back to Ireland and this time without me. We are still so very happy and are just so desperate to get going! We pick up our (Arthurs - he's paying for it) campervan at the end of the month and cannot wait to give it a test for a few days. Poor little Monty will be up for sale soon (tears will be shed).

Arthur has been redecorating and 'tenant proofing' our flat for when we move out and we finally get some tenants into my room. He's working really hard and has been a huge help and support to me. I am very spoilt!

We love and miss everyone and hope that at some point we can all meet up (hopefully at the wedding, if we dont end up in Vegas!)

It's been a while.

Hi everyone, we've been a little lazy lately...sorry.
Well we've been up to all kinds of things. January hasn't been very cold so we've been able to get out in the yard and get some work done. I've been pretty busy at work and catering parties and weddings. Vick is enjoying playing soccer especially in her new position as a striker and although she's still having trouble with running she's able to get exercise and everyone knows that that is her drug of choice......Its not fun in our house when Vick doesn't get her fix!

since we got rid of cable t.v. we are getting so much more done not just around the house but in life as well. We seem to have so much more time for everything and I actully like reading now..I know..its a miracle!

Lucy continues to grow and change everyday. She's always doing something new and saying new words..well.. we think they're words!

In a couple of months she's going to start swimming lessons and music lessons. She seems to really enjoy music and dancing..and like any true Skinner, has fantastic rythem and coordination on the dancefloor!
She keeps us busy though. She's finally learning to sit still in church, use a quiet voice (sometimes) and has discovered the true entertainment value of a cardboard box.

Boys New Suits + Family Pictures

The boys have been asking for suits for ages so when I got a discount code through for M&S we decided to get the a suit each for Church. They look so smart and grown up! We also managed to get a couple of family pictures today too.

Evie's 3rd Birthday

Evie has been so excited for her birthday and finally the day arrived. Evie was up at 5.30am (helped by the clocks changing) telling everyone "its my birthday"

She patiently waited for everyone to arise before ripping off the wrapping paper of her presents. I'm not sure how much of a wise decision the peppa pig jigsaw book was as I can see myself having to put the book back together many times a day.

Evie had her own personal birthday cake, a muffin decorated by Richard as we ran out of time to bake a cake. She loved it !

The beloved pink helmet!

I'd like to introduce to everyone the beloved pink helmet....Lucys latest obsession!
She seems to be in love with it and wears it around the house and in the yard.She also likes to drag Vicks helmet around at the same time. I wish I could get inside her little head and figure out what she's thinking!

Barely keeping up!

Crazy things are happening in this house these days. Yesterday I found my i-pod in the dishwasher and Vick lost her shoes and then found them in the cutlery drawer. Clothes are being pulled out of drawers and spewn over the bedroom floor and toys are in the toilet! Stuff we never dreamed was possible are happening all the time.WE are amazed that a little beast could cause such destruction and mayhem.
Yes our little Luciana is destroying the place but she is so cute that its hard to get too irritated with the little lady.
We are getting ready for the winter months and are in the process of installing a new wood stove. Building a new fireplace has been a long process, mainly because I am ridiculousley bad at this kind of stuff......but thanks to Bob and Charlie I didn't have to do that much.
Our Dog Toula has moved in with another family. She now enjoys running around on an acre of land with 3 other dogs. She's currently in Canada on vacation with her new owners....thats how much she's loved.
We are getting used to one income now. Food shouldn't be a problem since a large deer and its friend are residing in our back yard. They've been there a week now. I may be tempted to borrow a gun and freeze her, but not quite yet. We'll see how bad things get!
We are getting geared up for our trip to England in November. Lucy has her passport. She is officially an American citizen...hhmmmmmmmmm!.......maybe we'll file for that dual citizenship..that way at least she'll have the chance to go over and learn how to drive properly!..Enjoy the pics!

Lucy turns 1!

Our little Luciana made it to 1. Unfortunately she was very under the weather on the day and ended up going to bed early..and very upset! Hopefully she won't remember too much about it and hold it against us.She is now full on walking. We can't believe that she is so mobile and able to wander the house at will and find all kinds of exciting new things play with like tools and hand cream and the toilet brush.She makes us laugh and gives us plenty of joy.
Summer doesn't seem to want to end and we like it. We can still spend a little more time outdoors...unfortunately that also means continued work in the garden..which I hate but it has to be done or we'll be buried in weeds and foliage.

We are very excited to see Nanny and Grandad,aunts,uncles,cousins and friends in November.We are wondering how the flight is going to be with the halfling but we'll do our best to keep her occupied and keep our fingers crossed that she'll sleep.

Vick loves being at home with Lucy and is still making money buying and selling high end yoga clothes and shoes on e-bay. Quite surprising what people will pay for handbags too!

Enjoy the pictures!

Just randomness!

Just a few pics from the summer. Lucy doing ssilly stuff, Vick and I finally made it to a Seattle Sounders game, Uncle Lewis bonding with the smiley one and a plate of spaghetti and meatballs!

Rocking out at the Gorge!

Lewis and I had a blast this week!... The evergreen state fair,watched alot of movies, ate alot of very tasty food and finished off the week with a concert at the Gorge to see Nickelback....it was loud but absolutely brilliant!!...well worth the 5 hours we spent in the car getting there and back. We were able to get right to the front almost and got to "feel the base" a little more! A very good show with great pyrotechnics and lights Lewis probably has a sore neck with all the headbanging that was going on!..wish we could do it all again! Thanks for coming over to see us Lewis and Clare, we had a great time!

Lucianna's latest adventures

I know its been a while everyone. It has been a hot summer and we're glad that its finally cooled down. Vick and Lucy have been enjoying their time together at home and have been enjoying not doing much. Lucy has found her way around the house and has figured out her favorite new toys......The Dishwasher, the remote control, the utensil drawer and the dog.

She is very close to walking now..in fact she took her first steps last week. Its funny watching her grow so fast and listen to her trying to form words. She has no interest in baby food any more....just grown up food!!..pizza, bacon and eggs to name just a couple.

Can't wait to see everyone soon!

I love the water!

Hi Everyone, Its summer and its very hot. I love to jump around in my new pool. I love water so much, i think I'm going to be a good swimmer someday. I'm so excited that my Mum will soon be able to hang out with me all day and all the time although I will miss spending Thursdays and Fridays with Grandpa and Grandma. I'm looking foreward to going to England sometime soon to see my other cousins and spend time with Nanny and Grandad. Till then I'll keep working on my tan and learn to walk.

Little fish!