10 years ago today!!!!

Ten years ago Stuart and I went on a holiday to the Lake District, our first holiday together as a couple, just the two of us. On the 28th Feb 2000 he proposed to me whilst standing at a vantage point in the Lake District overlooking Basenthwaite Lake. We then went into Keswick where we bought the ring. It was too big and so had to send it away to be re-sized. So for the first month I had a wee cheapy ring from a tacky gift shop. When we got home I was showing my housemate the ring and for a split moment she believed the ring with the red heart in the middle was the real thing!!! Her face was a picture, she was trying so hard to look pleased for us, but was actually disgusted with the tackiness of the ring. The relief on her face was also a picture when I admitted the real one had to be sent away. Also I think Stuart chose that date to propose because it was a leap year and he was worried I was going to propose the next day. He didn't know that I would never have proposed to him in a million years (the bloke's job). Ha ha my plan worked!!! The photograph was taken straight afterwards by a kind lady passing by.

At the end of January we woke up to about 6-7 inches of snow. Stuart tried to buy a sledge from the shop round the corner which a week earlier I knew had loads of them. They were sold out by lunch time!!! We now have one and it probably won't snow for about another 6 years!!!

Alice recently got her blocks back out again and now makes some very impressive towers. Of course, as you all know, the best bit about building a tower is knocking it back down again.

This a picture of Joshua T. I asked Alice to draw a picture for his new born baby brother. Alice calls him curlybap (a real Northern Irishism) and so after I drew the head, she drew the curly hair. I think the eyes are amazing, with pupils!!!

Alice also loves bovril!!! Yukkkkkk, I hate it.

Stuart, Alice and I had a very fun music afternoon a couple of weeks ago. She really enjoyed "playing" the recorder and singing along to Stuart's guitar playing. However, I was quite impressed by the fact she was using her tongue to play and make the notes rather than just her breath. We didn't tell her to do that.
Alice trying on Stuart's walking boots to go out into the snow!!!

Some video too. Stuart found an old piece of corrugated plastic and used that to go down the hill at the back of our house. Alice didn't want to try it, although did stand on it a few times and as it slipped away under her, fell back into the snow. She didn't like it too much, but we found it very funny. Then Alice and Stuart singing If you're happy and you know it. Alice thought it was time Jenny the Giraffe learned to play the recorder too.