Well - what a year 2004 has been. It has passed by in a blur.

We welcomed in the New Year with friends and relatives and the star of the show - Morgan's new brother Ruaridh - only 10 days old.

The Spring was a tough time for us all. I stupidly fell down stairs while carrying Ruaridh and did myself a whole heap of damage which I am still having problems with. Ruaridh seemed okay at the time but in the next few weeks we realised it may have caused a bit of damage as he was having problems feeding on one side. After a few visits to the chiropracter we sorted it all out and we could all get back to normal.

We decided to take a break and headed off for a week staying in a villa overlooking Lake Como in Italy. We all had a fantastic time - enjoying the red wine and ice cream. Morgan came a cropper in Menaggio - a pretty town down the lake from us - and he still has the scar to prove it. We did a day trip over the mountains to Switzerland which was great. Morgan had the best time - planes, trains and boats - what more could a 2 1/2 year old want?

In May I finally decided to not return to my old job and set up my own business. I now run PurPur (it's the Gaelic for purple) a company specialising in cloth nappies but also selling clothes, slings, toys and other things I find that I want to sell. I sell locally to parents wanting advice on nappies. I also have a website where everything can be seen and bought . It is going well but does mean life has become very very busy.

Morgan is now going to ante-pre-school nursery (what a name) five days a week for a couple of hours and loves it. He seems to really get a lot out of nursery so despite me being at home we have decided not to stop him going. He is starting to read and write and loves to learn. He can now write most of his name unprompted - sometimes needing a bit of help on the 'g' and the 'a'. He is growing so tall and good looking. He has the cheekiest grin and the brightest blue eyes and is as fair as fair can be. He has a great sense of humour and loves getting up to mischief. His favourite colour is yellow - which is very important to know. He is also very proud of being three and knows he is the big boy in the house and loves helping to cook and clean in the house.

Ruaridh has grown so much in the last year - I can hardly believe he will soon be one. He seems to storm after Morgan and is desperate to do everything Morgan does. He grew 8 teeth within a few months which was amazing - three in one weekend (and didn't we know it!). He looks like he is going to be bigger than Morgan. He is stunning too - but in a different way - he has this really dark complexion which reminds of Guy (my brother for those of you who don't know) and the brightest eyes. you can tell he is Morgan's brother by his eyes and his smile but side by side they have such different complexions it is strange. He is not quite walking - he looked like he would walk early but then got stuck in the cruising stage. He doesn't see this as a problem at all as he can still get around very quickly and his favourite trick is to disappear upstairs when Mummy has her back turned for a moment. He is a big eater and likes nothing better than a whole apple or plum to munch on. Although he has just discovered satsumas and bounces when he sees them eager for me to get the peel off and they disappear in moments. He no longer likes being spoon fed and insists on doing it himself which is messy - but hey that's babies.

Martin is good. He works away a lot at the moment which has been hard for us all. He comes home to a tired family in need of a break having travelled for many hours himself. Hopefully this will all change soon - but we will have to wait and see.

Dunbar is great and we have no doubts about living here. It is easy to get into Edinburgh if we need the city - but more and more we find we don't need to go in. We all love living by the sea and there are beautiful walks very close to us. The shops in Dunbar are great - with local fresh food available on our doorstep.

So as Christmas approaches I remember I have to think about Ruaridh's 1st birthday and can't help thinking about having another baby...

Anyway - before my mind wanders some more I will sign off.

Love to everyone at this wonderful time of year.

Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year to you all.

Lucy, Martin, Morgan and Ruaridh
xxxx