This thread should probably be moved to the UK board!
I'm not sure what article you were reading, but the UK is making it increasingly difficult for all but the most skilled to move to this country. Basically, if you're not European or in a high-demand field...well, it's not the easiest process. Maybe the UK had a "soft touch" to immigration forty years ago, but that's definitely not the case now. It's as high-volume and as controversial a subject as it is in the US, if not more.
And you can't just "slowly move into the UK". If you come over for three months every year, you're more than welcome to do that. But you will coming as visitors. You won't be able to work. And your three month stints won't make any progress towards living here permanently.
If you want to see a summary of the routes that are available to you, I'd start with this primer first. Important note though, the US is NOT a Commonwealth nation. Canada, yes. USA, no.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A2202373
BTW, I would budget at least US$4,000 per person in your family for just the immigration fees to move to the UK, from the first visa to naturalisation. That's not including moving or setting-up-home costs. It's not quite that much now, but that may very well be the price or more within the next couple of years.
You might also want to read this topic here on this board as well:
http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewto ... highlight=