Who is following who

Tonight at dinner, Courtney picked up the salt shaker for her food... something Pa and Grandma do... Not something that Courtney has done before. Dad is not happy.

If that wasn't bad enough, Courtney almost (without even trying) managed to convert Pa into a Dockers supporter. It appears that Pa felt sorry for her, thinking she was the only one that supports the Dockers... Pa is now back with the righteous, Eagles.

Courtney's last day of the school term today, she had an "F" day at school and Mum made her a flower costume. After school there was Gymnastics training and then this weekend the girls are having two sleep overs at Grandma and Pa's house.

The good book

Courtney has of late, taken more and more interest in religion. At the moment she is preferring her childrens bible over Winnie the Pooh books. Tonight, after dinner, she told us all about Genesis and Adam and Eve. Amazing.

Courtney is also starting to enjoy singing for a group of people, turning into a little performer.

Brooke's big attempt to be brave took a little stumble last night, she spent a little time in Dad's bed but then after forcing out a few tears, she ended up having her grandparents read a story book to her at 3:00am. At 7:00am when Dad went to work, she was sound asleep - right in the middle of Nana and Grandad's bed.

School holidays start at the end of school tomorrow.

Who needs a big sister?

Tonight Marcus, James, Aunty Tarita and Uncle Gavin came over to Dad's house. Mum, the girls, Grandma and Pa were there also. The girls had a great time playing with their cousins and then after dinner they all put on a music show. Courtney sang, James played the guitar and Brooke played the harmonic... Marcus danced.

When it was getting close to home time, Brooke decided that she wanted to stay at Dad's house. She was given lots of chances to back out, even after she had worked out that Courtney was not going to stay.

Dad was expecting tears after Mum and Courtney left but Brooke asked for a book in her bed and then rolled over and went to sleep.

All up a really good evening although, Dad and Uncle Gavin are betting that Pa can't bend over in the morning after spending all night picking up grand kids that are getting too big.

Grandma and Pa arrive

The girls are very happy. Grandma and Pa arrived this afternoon for a month long visit. Pa is already worn out, getting dragged around the house by two excited girls.

Nana and Grandad's

Today and tonight, Mum and Dad were at a music festival, the girls got to spend the whole day, and then the whole night at Nana and Grandad's house.

Historical Event

Pope John Paul II dies

Party dresses

Easter 2005

The girls woke up at about 7:30am on Easter Sunday. That seemed like a fairly decent hour. After a hot cross bun breakfast we went on a egg hunt at Mum's house and the girls got to eat their fair share of chocolate for one day.

After lunch the girls went to another indoor playground. More soon

After they both had a big sleep, the girls got dressed into their pretty clothes and heading out to dinner for Uncle Brad's birthday.

Restless

The girls have only been asleep for a couple of hours. They are very excited about the Easter Bunny coming... We have left out a carrot and a glass of water for him/her. Courtney tells me, whilst holding her forehead, that "the Easter bunny is in the front of my head"... perhaps this is where she 'feels' excitement, or maybe she has just muddled up a saying...

Still, now they are sound asleep. Time for parents to eat half a carrot and head to bed as well.

Six Months On

thecranegirls is now over six months old... amazing.

Over the weekend, the girls were ask what their oldest memories were. It'll be interesting to see how they change over time.

Courtney; "When Brooke was born, she was very little, Mummy was in hospital and she had a thing on her arm"

Brooke "Leighton's birthday cake"

Brooke turns Three

Today was Brooke's third birthday and she was over the moon that she was bigger today than she was yesterday. In the morning the girls went and had a portrait photograph taken, as always they acted like professionals in front of the camera.

Brooke got her first bicycle (although it has training wheels), she'll still getting used to the bigger bike.

This afternoon was a small birthday party at Mum's house. Take a look at some of the photos on the other page

Blowing out candles

Caitlin's Birthday

This afternoon, the girls went to Caitlin's First Birthday Party. A good time was had by everyone, especially Caitlin. Even though she couldn't keep up with the rest of the kids, she had a great time watching them zipping around.

The Birthday Girl

CJ with the produce from the vegi patch

The fairy is coming

Courtney has her first loose tooth, courtesy of a chuppa chup lollipop. Today Courtney bit into a chup chup and then started crying, complaining that she had a sore tooth. Later in the afternoon she told Mum that her tooth was still sore and when Mum had a look (and feel) it wobbled. Courtney is very excited. However she'll be disappointed... someone told her that the tooth fairy leaves $100.00 for each tooth. We've told her that it's a strictly coin only thing... notes don't go well in water.

In other news, the first (of the two remaining) carrots were picked this weekend and we're all getting ready for Brooke's birthday this week.

James shares the bath

Playing with blue water

Training Wheels

Courtney thinks she is ready. Today one of the training wheel on her bike got raised so now she has to think about balance when riding. Balance it seems take a lot of concentration because now she has forgotten that her bike has brakes. She looks like she is riding a rodeo bull instead of a bike, leaning sideways and backwards to avoid to oncoming obstacles.

In their own words.

Dad asked the girls today if they had anything that they wanted typed out on their site.

Courntey dictated;

"In two weeks Pa and Grandma will becoming down. We have been cleaning up the garden for Pa. We have been doing very good work. Pa and Grandma will be coming down soon to see the garden.2005. X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0.

Before you go Pa and Grandma, could you say goodbye to Uncle Scott, Aunty Tarita, Uncle Gava, Aunty Jodie, Cameron and James and Marcus. And don't forget Pa to water your plants before you go. I remember when Grandma and Pa told me, when I was a little kid, I used to say Hamma, where's the Pa? That was funny. When I was born, and Pa and Grandma took me to their house for the first time, I went waaaa and Pa said Hello little miss perfect"

Brooke said "I want my pony. Grandma and Pa like me"

Cool headed liar

Over the weekend, Dad went to Karratha for Uncle Scott's birthday party. Neither Scott nor Pa knew he was coming up... it was to be a surprise. Courtney and Brooke were both told to keep it a secret.

On Friday evening, Courtney was talking to Pa on the phone and she slipped, saying something like "Have you seen my Dad?" Seconds later she recovered with "Oh no, that's right he went to Albany for the weekend."

She obviously did a good job at controlling her tone as well because Pa bought it hook, line and sinker.

Having a 5 year old that can make up such convincing lies might become a double edged sword.

Today is...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PA !

Merit Award Day

Today Mum, Dad, Brooke, Nana and Grandad all went to Courtney's school to watch her get her Merit Award. Once again she was very proud of herself. "Mum, you can take this certificate and put it will all my other ones"

Merit Certificate

Leighton's BIrthday Party

Today after school the girls went to Leighton's birthday party at the Wacky Warehouse. Everyone had a great time, no doubt we'll be going there again soon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEIGHTON (for last Tuesday)

The big news of the day is that Courtney got sent to the principles office. On Monday she was given three more 'golden certificates' for good behaviour so today she went and saw the principle and collected her certificate and a pencil. She's wrapped in herself and loves telling everyone about it.

On Thursday morning she will get a Merit Certificate in front of the whole school. You're all welcome to come and watch if you want. Being that it is her second certificate - that puts her about par with Dad - 11 and 3/4 years to go...

The Simpsons

Dad is stumped.

Tonight, just before bed, Courtney was sitting back watching the Simpsons, no great big deal except right at the end of the episode, Homer told Bart that he would love him, "even if you are gay"

Anyone know how you explain "gay" to a five year old?

Football, Swags and Makeup

On Friday night, the girls went to watch Mum play netball and her team won. Not unlike the West Coast Eagles who Dad watched beat Fremantle

After lunch on Saturday the girls went to Dad's house, the idea was that they would have a quiet afternoon in the airconditioner because they were to go out that night... They both got about 90 minutes rest whilst watching a movie but that was it, bouncing off the walls as always.

On Saturday afternoon it was Chloe and Hayley's birthday party and then they all went to Mum's friends house for dinner.

On Sunday the girls went back to Dad's and helped him clean the inside of his car. While he was vacuuming under the seats the girls both started rubbing armor oil onto any surface, regardless of what it was made off - not too much of a mess.

Then we went inside and Brooke put layers and layers of makeup on everyone. She is really into lipstick and blush at the moment although she is yet to learn that you can use too much at one time.

Courtney has worked out that the vegi patch is not doing so well, and she now understands that there needs to be nutrients in the soil for healthy plants. She also thinks that flooding plants can only be good for them.

In the afternoon, the girls found Dad's swag on the front lawn - Instant cubby house and picnic place - hours of fun.

Another from DRB Photographics

Although I am sure he would like you to know that he didn't take the photograph, a contribution from DRB

Giant Vegi

The "big" result

Forgot to mention yesterday that Dad picked the first of the vegetables. The packet said "eight weeks" before the capsicum would be ready... it's been months since they were planted. Apparently vegetables don't like growing in coastal beach sand. We might have to try again in the future, this time maybe we'll prepare the soil a little better.

The lettuce isn't doing much better. After Dad went away for a few days, the leaves near the core died off. After they were pulled out the lettuce started growing upwards... One is now about two foot tall... and flowering like a broccoli.

This afternoon, after Courtney got home from school, the girls played with face paint... blue face paint. Even after two baths this evening, Brooke's hair is still greenish in colour and her face looks like she has been punched by Mike Tyson.

Sneaky girls

The weekend didn't start very well for Brooke. She finally found out one of the reasons why she is told not to run on the road (or any other surface like that). Brooke stubbed her toe, making a big sore. Nana and Mum had the answer and Brooke now thinks she is fairly special, getting to sit on the edge of the sink, bathing her foot in Dettol.

However a sore toe didn't stop her from having a great weekend. On Saturday morning Dad took the girls down to Bunnings and Courtney picked out a new pot for Mum's ponytail palm. Whilst there the girls went to the playground and then we went to McDonalds and played on that playground as well.

Dad had bought a new door handle for the front door, when Brooke saw the hole in the door where the old one had been she said to Dad (in her stern voice), "You broke it Daddy, you silly boy"

In the afternoon, we sneaked over the fence and "kidnapped" Mum's palm and took it back to Dad's house so the girls could put it in the new pot. They did a great job, especially the bit where they got to water the palm into its new pot. We never thought Mum would notice so quickly that her palm had gone and she was relieved to find out who the "villains" were.

CJ, at first was right in on the act and she thought that it was "cool" to be sneaking around behind Mum's back and "stealing" her palm... When it came time to confess, she obviously put a bit of thought into the consequences, should the whole thing go wrong. Just before we took the palm to Mum, CJ started telling Dad that it was wrong to be sneaky and play tricks on people. Sounded like she was having a bet each way.

Today, we all went back to Dino Gym again. It's been noted that Brooke is getting older in that she is starting to gather some common sense/fear. There was no way that she was going to climb as high or as fast this time, it was only a couple of months ago that she was there and she was fearless with most things then. No she is stopping and thinking about what is going on.

Tonight we went to Dinner with all the family in Perth for Nana's birthday. CJ thinks that she likes Sweet and Sour Pork now... we'll see...

Courtney is going well at school and she is proudly telling everyone about how she has received three golden certificates for doing good things. Two more and she will get sent to the principles office for a surprise...

Brooke's toe

Don't tell anyone!

Shhhhhh. It's Nana's Birthday

She has manners

This afternoon, the moment Dad walked in the front door, Brooke fell over on the pavers out the back. She grazed her knee, causing tears and crying. Swerving Dad and heading inside to see Mum, screaming all the way, Brooke was delayed by Courtney who (don't ask why - we don't know) is trying to give Brooke a purple texta.

In mid scream, Brooke takes the texta and then clearly says "Thankyou Courtney"

She then continues to cry until Mum fixes the sore knee.

Gymnastics

On Friday afternoon Courtney went to her first session of gymnastics, seems like she had a good time. Then the girls went to watch Mum play netball.

Saturday was a slow day. The girls played outside for a while and then took turns in playing their computer games, learning how to read and colour in the pony...

On Saturday night, Dad had to work. Mum and the girls went to Leighton's house for a sleep over. Today they have been in the pool and then the plan was to have a rest this afternoon...

First day at school

Today was Courtney’s first day of Primary School, Grade One. She was a little concerned over the weekend, she was told by one of the grade one kids last year that it was very hard. CJ was a little worried that she wouldn’t be able to do all the “hard work”

Seems like she had a pretty good day, although she came home with homework. She has a little book to read each night with sentences like “There’s an areoplane”. What ever happened to Dick and Dora?

Brooke has her nose out of joint again. Mum has made a new rule (for obvious reasons), Brooke is not allowed on Courtney’s bunk bed. She is very upset and we’re sure she’ll be breaking that rule (hopefully that is all) very soon.

CJ's new bed

On Saturday, Courtney got her new bed. As you can see from the picture, it is a bunk bed with a chest of draws and a school desk underneath. CJ is still getting used to climbing a ladder to get up to the top but she is pretty excited and looking forward to her first nights sleep in it. No more jumping on the bed for the girls.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAISY

Adventure World

Today the girls, Mum and Dad went with Dad's work to Adventure World. It was a good day, nice and warm. Firstly the girls played on the little water slides although Brooke wasn't very keen on them, Courtney was having a great time even though she kept complaining that she was hurting herself each time she landed in the pools below. We all went on the skyrail and on the paddle boats and later the girls went on a few other rides and checked out the Koalas. There were also a few trees for Courtney to climb.

One of the highlights was the girls first roller coaster ride. Dad was quiet surprised that the girls demanded to go on that ride... the girls were surprised (scared) at how fast the ride was... they don't seem very keen on going on another roller coaster again.

Most of the day we spent waiting in a cue. Each and every attraction had at least a twenty minute wait, including the toilets. Dad was not very impressed with the place at all and his advice would be to give it a big miss.

Courtney Returns

We've not long been back from the airport. Brooke was over the moon to see Courtney, covering her with lots of hugs. Brooke got really upset when Grandma said goodbye because she thought that Courtney was going with her again - all is well now.

CJ has lots and lots of stories to tell about her time up north. Sounds like she saw all of the exciting sights like the pile of salt and the water tower... she was impressed. Courtney thought that it was pretty special to fly in a plane about the clouds and her pilots name was captain Booboo, which she thought was a funny name.

We just wonder who is going to keep Mr. Bossyboots, the greedy goldfish, under control now that Courtney isn't there at feeding time.

News from the North

The week we've been getting daily reports from Courtney about how her trip is going. In short, she is having a ball. She has so many stories to tell each night about swimming, visiting her cousins and all the other things that she manages to fit into a day.

Grandma and Pa sound like they are having a great time as well although we bet they are looking forward to a quiet cup of tea with their feet up at the end of the week. CJ is home on Sunday afternoon.

Brooke is still pretty upset about CJ being away. She talks to Courtney on the phone and there is normally a huge protest to get to hang the phone up. This afternoon, Brooke climbed up three stairs and then announced that she was bigger (taller/higher) and that she could go on the plane.

It'll be interesting to see how they greet each other on Sunday and how Brooke goes when Courtney tells her all about her week in the Pilbara.

Brooke learns to punt

Tonight Brooke and Dad went to the Greyhounds with some friends. It was family night so Brooke got to have her face painted and she 'talked' a lady into giving her a few balloons that were part of her table decorations.

She was also quite interested in the dog but it seems that she still thinks Chloe could run faster than any of them.

So far Brooke has a 100% strike rate with betting. Two bets, Two losers.

The Hedland Trip

Today was the start of Courtney's big trip to Grandma and Pa's house. Any fear that we had that she might have pulled out at the last minute were put to rest as soon as we go to the airport. CJ was getting around like a seasoned traveller. She thought watching the planes take off and land from the Frequent Flyers lounge was quite good fun. So anyway, she travelled the two hour flight without a problem and is now up in Hedland, swimming in the pool, playing the piano and generally running her grandparents into the ground.

Brooke has her nose right out of joint. She thinks she is big enough to go on the plane as well and she has been giving Mum and Dad a little bit of grief, just letting them know that she has missed out on something.

She will be up north until the end of the week and Grandma and Pa are thinking about taking a trip to Karratha during the week so she can go and see Marcus, James and Cameron.

Returning Home

Today the girls and Dad went to a café for breakfast, They must have enjoyed it because Courtney even ate all of her bread crust.

Odd as it may seem, after breakfast the girls went a cemetery in Albany because Courtney wanted to know about tomb stones and what they did etc. Of late she seems to have grasped the concept of her heritage and such things. The visit wasn’t as morbid as it probably sounds – just Courtney wanting to learn about new things.

Then we went to the oceanarium in Albany and saw a lot of different fish. Courtney was a bit scared of the cuttlefish and thought that it looked a bit evil but both the girls thought the Port Jackson shark and its egg were interesting. They also took a fair bit of interest in the fish that looked like the characters out of Nemo namely, Bloat and Dory.

Then the inevitable long car trip home came up and we all got home just before dusk. The girls were really well behaved all weekend and Dad was especially pleased with how well they travelled in the car, both down and back.

Mum was also grateful for the little bit of peace and quite she got over the weekend because she has been suffering from tonsillitis, leaving her stuck in bed all weekend. Thankfully Mum appears to be over the worse of it (touch wood) and has started to feel a bit better.

One point to remember, Courtney has taken to having Brooke say sorry for everything, and we mean everything. If they bump hands when walking side by side;

Courtney: “Say sorry Brooke”
Brooke: “Sorry”
Courtney: “No, say sorry Courtney”
Brooke: “Sorry Corky”
Courtney: “That’s better”

Cute maybe – but every ten minutes? – and it will be that exact passage, without fail.

All up, it was a really big weekend for the girls with lots of new experiences. No doubt they’ll want to do it all again very soon. Courtney will get her chance with a trip to Hedland coming up in the very near future.

Chicken Eggs & Emu Point

After a big night out, the girls (and Dad) had a little sleep in and then went to McDonalds for pancakes. There can’t really be too many more McDonalds in the southern hemisphere that the girls haven’t been to (stay tuned)

After Breakfast, we caught up with Lilly and Fin again and went to their Aunties house. She had sheep, ducks and chickens. Courtney got to collect a chicken egg right out of the nest and she thought that was pretty special.


Patting the sheep at Lilly and Fin's aunties

Then we went to the beach at Emu Point for swimming, collecting shells and making sand castles. Even Dad was surprised when the girls followed Fin and Lilly’s lead and jumped of the jetty to the water a meter of so below… a big difference from leaping from the side of the pool. It was a beautiful beach with crystal clear shallow water, and clean white sand. Hopefully it’ll still be like that next time the girls visit.

After a well earned afternoon sleep the girls had fish-n-chips for dinner and played in park until well after the sun went down.

The Albany trip

Today, the girls and Dad went to Albany. Before we all left, we jumped in the car to go and do some shopping and the girls were talking about the Playstation and Courtney’s Gameboy. As we walked into the shop, Brooke started getting upset, saying “I want the Playboy…. I want the Playboy” until she was quickly silenced by Dad.

After a long car drive we arrived in Albany and then went to see Lilly and Fin who were also on holidays. Then we went to the Vintage Blues Festival at Wignalls Winery, a cunning plan on Dad's behalf so the girls could see The WAiFs


The girls getting ready for the Festival to start.

Brooke wanted to go up to the front of the stage to go dancing and watch the bands whereas Courtney (most of the time) thought that the bands were too loud and was happy sitting back in the crowd. Brooke was fascinated by the live bands and when she wasn’t trying to dance she was more than happy sitting on Dad’s shoulders, staring at the musicians. Courtney did come up near the front once for a couple of songs and I looks like she has defeated her fear of loud music however, it’ll be more likely that she’ll be sitting back and watching her sister from afar in years to come.



Thanks to Lilly and Fin’s family for helping Dad out. He was getting stretched out between the conflicting interests of the two girls. We should mention when Courtney (who knows why) thought that she had left her chips in the toilet and put on the tears until Lilly and Fin’s grandma took her to check out each and every cubical.

Happy New Years

Dad has been away working for most of the week. He got back on Friday afternoon, New years Eve. Courtney decided that it she would like to go with Dad and visit Leighton for New Years Eve and Brooke wanted to go with Mum to Aunty Kirstie's party.

Both the girls had a very big night and they both managed to see in the new year. Courtney liked popping the party poppers but got a little worried about what happened when the sparklers burnt down.

On Saturday, Courtney played, and had a really long swim. She is getting really confident in the water now, knowing the she can get herself in and out of trouble.

On Saturday evening, Dad and Courtney went to Mum's house and picked up Brooke for sleep over. Needless to say, Courtney was fairly worn out and didn't put up too much resistance to going to bed.

Today we played mainly inside and tried to keep quiet as Courtney has been complaining about a sore back lately, so we played some play station and kept busy with mainly quiet games.

Christmas 2004

Two very spoilt little girls woke up about 6:00am on Chirstmas morning, ignored breakfast and moved onto opening presents as soon as they were allowed. The Thomas the Tank railway and the Brat doll that Courtney had asked Santa for were there and also a heap of other things.

After a quick play with everything, it was off to Grandad and Nana's house for more presents and a lovely christmas lunch and a swim in the pool.

It was really hot early in the day but all of a sudden it started raining and the wind came up so it cooled down very quickly.

The girls received all sorts of loot. A trampoline, a table and chair set, videos, books, toys, pool noodles.... you name it, they got it. So far, their favourite presents seem to be Courtney's Nintendo Gameboy and Brooke's My Little Pony.

Last night we went up to Rob and Sue's house and we all stayed over after a few too many drinks...

Historical Event

A tsumami kills over 150,000 people in the Asia region.

Happy Birthday Ben

Today, little (all 6 foot plus of him) Ben turned 16 years old today. Unbelievable. Sounds like you had a great day.

We all have one more year of peace on the roads - Lookout everyone !

Getting close now

Less than a week to go until Christmas. Courtney is getting into it, she has worked out how many sleeps are left although she is not yet fully wound up with excitement - it's coming. Brooke on the other hand remains happy to go along with what ever Courtney thinks is a good idea. Having said that, she understands that presents are for unwrapping and she has been eyeing off the ones already under the tree.

CJ has written out her Christmas wish list and a letter to Santa - Top of the list is "A Thomas the Tank set with a tunnel and a bridge" and "Brats" (whatever they are) Time will see if Santa produces the goods.

This weekend has been big for birthdays. On Friday Dad turned 29 again (for the second year running) and then on Saturday the girls went to Rockingham to celebrate Little Pop's 80th.

Last night the girls tried to watch Carols by Candlelight on the television however, after the Wiggles, there were too many songs that they didn't know so their attention span didn't last very long however, Courtney wouldn't go to bed until Guy Sebastian sung his song.

Tonight was BBQ night at Nana and Grandad's again - Courtney ate EVERYTHING - We hope she doesn't have too much of a belly ache.

40 degrees in the shade

Very hot in town today. The girls went to Nana and Grandad's this afternoon for a swim in the pool to escape the heat and then they had fish-n-chips for dinner.

Tonight Dad took the girls for a drive to find the best of the Christmas lights. We found one house that had it all... heaps of lights, dancing santa puppets, trains...everything. The people that owned the house were really nice and showed us around their front yard.

If you're out this way, check out Constellation Drive, Ocean Reef. Tell them that the Crane girls said Merry Christmas.

It ended up being a very late night.

The Christmas lights at Dads house. There will be a better picture soon. We hope

Dino Jim's

The girls' weekend did not get off to a very good start. Mum had made numerous (read hundreds) requests of late for the girls to clean up their play area. On Saturday morning, they decided to trash the area and drag every thing out on the floor and then started dragging their feet when it came pack up time. New rule in the house is that toys left out get put in the boot of Dad's car... we'll see how that goes.

Brooke is really trying hard with her toilet training, she has no interest in wearing nappies at the moment and protests everytime they are offered. She is so proud of her knickers. She's still having accidents but the penny is starting to fall that she can sort it out for herself.

The girls have discovered an important thing about Christmas = They can shake presents under the tree and try to work out what is inside. Their list of Christmas wants are growing however there are a few constants that we hope Santa will bring. We're pretty sure he won't disappoint.

After weeks of asking, Dad took the girls to Dino Jim's today. The whole place is basically a two storey padded obstacles course, ball pits, trampolines and mini putt golf course. Needless to say, they both had a ball. Courtney joined into a game of "brandy" in the ball pit during which she made herself a human shield, protecting Brooke from three of four assailants.

Brooke overcame her fears with a little help from Courtney and together they crossed the bridge (which is only about a foot wide) from one landing to another.


The girls high up (more photos on the other page)

Unexpected discovery : Kids amusement centres are nearly empty on Sundays?

Tonight everyone went to Nana and Grandad's house for BBQ. Grandad is selling his MG and Courtney thinks she's like a ride in a little sports car before it leaves - expensive tastes in the making?

Did you know? : Brooke is afraid of Snails. She'll swat a bee with her bare hand but will stop dead in her tacks and shout "Nail Nail" should she see one in/near her path. Courtney on the other hand, likes to step on snails... she thinks it makes Pa happy....

Game Day

Today was the last session of Courtney's soccer. Mum painted both the girls faces and teased up Courtney's hair so she looked like a lion. Nana and Grandad came and watched along with Mum, Dad and Brooke. Courtney scored about 7 goals and she had a good time except for when she got hit in the face with a soccer ball - standing behind the goals.

Courtney got a medal and a certificate and the coaches made a special mention of how good the face painting was.

Grandma visits

Yesterday Grandma came to visit for a couple of nights.

This morning the girls went shopping with Grandma and Dad because Dad needed to buy some new shoes. Grandma couldn't help herself and the girls ended up with new shoes as well.... and a matchning pink dress each.

The Christmas Tree

Nana picked the girls up from school today and took them to Courtney's swimming and then they went back to Nana and Grandad's house for dinner, a bath and some play.

Dad picked them up and when they got home, Mum had the Christmas tree ready to be decorated. The tree looks fantastic... it looks like a Prohart masterpiece. The girls concentrated on putting all the tinsel and balls on one side of the tree. Let's just say it is almost completely covered over, not much green left to see.

Brooke has kidnapped a Santa stocking and stuffed reindeer, they are currently on her pillow, helping her count down the sleep until Christmas.

Everyone Loves a Wedding

Yesterday Courtney went to run away from home. She was headed to Isaac's house (about 20 metres up the road). Apparently one of her friends at school suggested that she leave home as a self imposed punishment for not sharing the swing.

No matter what the reason, Courtney's plan was foiled when she gave her Mum a note that said "Love Mum Love Brooke Love Dad" and she told Mum where she was going and why...

Speaking of notes written by Courtney,



This note has been stuck to Courtney's bedroom door for the last few days. She was told that she was to write nice notes (as opposed to "Isaac stay out"), it appears that she took things a bit to far...

Swimming Pool and Blood Lips

The girls had a really busy weekend. On Saturday morning, Courtney's constant "asking" paid off. Mum called Aunty Ned and the girls got to go the Leighton's house for a play. Courtney is a little smitten on Leighton at the moment. Dad took them up to Leighton's and Mum came up later. The girls spent the whole day in and out of the swimming pool and playing with all the toys. Brooke got so warn out that she was yawning in the pool.

Courtney had a very big moment when she got knocked of a floating toy in the deep end of the pool. Even though she was panicing, she kicked her legs and thrashed her arms over to the side of the pool. A bit scary for her but she was back swimming around five minutes later.

We all had a BBQ dinner and needless to say, there were some very tired children at the end of the day. A great day had by all.

Today was busy as well. The girls went to soccer in the morning. Courtney wore her Kappa outfit and no one noticed. Then the girls went and played with Dad and Chloe. The girls made a cubby house in Dad's car while he did some gardening. Unfortunately in their haste, climbing in and out of the boot, Brooke kicked Courtney in the face and she ended up with a blood lip.

Chloe (proper introduction soon) is staying at Dad's at the moment because there is a couple of baby doves in a nest in the girls backyard, the birds are learning how to just learning how to fly and Chloe (and he belly) is taking great interest in them.



Tonight the girls went for diner at Nana and Grandad's while Dad put up his Christmas lights.

Story of the week goes to Cousin James who bumped into Grandma, pushing a shopping trolley through the toy section at the shop. Grandma had a whole lot of things in her trolley that James would like to see - Guess he'll have to wait for Christmas. 27 Sleeps

School Assembly

Courtney's class at school where in charge of the assembly today. CJ had to say "Pirates wear patches on over their eyes because their eyes get hurt when they battle other pirates" and "We hope you enjoyed it"
They also got to sing a modern version of Singing in the Rain.

A simple one liner

Tonight it was very hot at the Crane Girls house so they jumped at the chance when Dad ran a nice cool bath after dinner. While splashing around, Chloe (their dog) helped herself to what was remaining on their dinner plates.

After Mum had finished dealing with the hound, she came and stood next to Dad in the bathroom doorway and gave both the girls a stern talking to (again) about leaving their plates and how many times she had already reminded them to take them to the kitchen sink after the girls had finished eating....

Seconds after Mum has left the room to go and clean up the mess, Courtney looked very sympathetically at Dad and in a similar tone said... "I think you better write that down Dad"

Somehow Courtney, we don't think it is Dad that has to remember the instructions as they were given.

Christmas and Cricket

It's official. Christmas is coming. Courtney is starting to talk more and more about it and more importantly what she wants Santa to bring. Brooke hasn't caught on yet but she seems to be sharing in her sisters excitement.
This weekend the girls got the paints out and made some decorations for the Christmas tree. Brooke insisted that the angel be painted black (because she hadn't used that colour yet) but all up there were some very pretty patterns.
Sunday also marked the first time that the girls played cricket. They seemed to enjoy themselves - it might be a long summer if it becomes the game of choice.
The girls' great Nana, "little Nan" is not very well at the moment, she is in hospital having some tests so we are all thinking of her, let's hope she is home soon.
Mum took both the girls for a haircut on Saturday. All of Brooke's curls are gone and only time will tell if they will grow back or if they were just baby hair.
Courtney is getting frustrated that her teeth won't fall out. It seems that someone she knows has had dealings with the tooth fairy - she appears keen to see what will happen when hers fall out. She is under the impression that brushing her teeth is a good thing and will make them fall out faster...

Memories - Jolly Bear

In the theme of recording important parts of the girls life, we should introduce Jolly Bear.


Jolly Bear

Jolly Bear was a gift from Aunty Tarita and Uncle Gavin when Courtney was born, he was her first ever toy and was there from day one. He was allocated his name by his manufactures. Jolly Bear's role is just like Woof Woof's (below) he is a security and sleeping companion however of late, Courtney has relied less and less upon him. Last weekend she left him behind after her sleep over and simply accepted that he wasn't available the following night.
Having said that, Jolly Bear has been (and will continue to be) by Courtney's side during most of her travels.
Being a newborns toy, he has a rattle inside him. He remains in fairly good condition all these years later however his eyes are starting to get a bit ratty of late.

All Together

It has been a really big weekend. On Firday night, Mum and the girls had a sleep over at Uncle Rob and Aunty Sue's house but that was just the begining.
All of the Crane Girls' cousins are in town at the moment and for the first time in ages all the kids got together in the one place at the same time. Now, a bunch of hopeful parents thought that they could get five kids to quietly sit for a family photo.... this is the best one Dad has seen so far. Note how James is stopping Marcus from running away.


All the kids - See photo page for larger image

Memories - Woof Woof

Dad thought it would be a good idea to start recording all those little things that the girls might want to look back on some day. Everyone, meet Woof Woof.


Woof Woof

Woof Woof belongs to Brooke, he is her bed time buddy but also gets involved in a lot of the things she does during the day. Officially, Woof Woof is a 22cm long "Beagle Silky Pup" made by Korimco but to Brooke he is just a friend. He was a gift from Grandma and Pa for Christmas 2003 and she took to him straight away. Initially he was very very soft to touch however time (and a little abuse) has caused him to become a little crusty these days, even after a wash. You can see in the photo the pink patch on his front leg, this is where Brooke "accidentally" coloured him with a texta not so long ago. Woof Woof spends most nights with Brooke as he is a part of her sleep ritual now, in addition he is also sought out when Brooke is upset or just in need of a little security. Woof Woof goes most places with Brooke, rarely left behind on any outing.

Caitlin's Christening

The girls had a really big weekend which included going to Caitlin's christening on Sunday.

Caitlin Christine

Dad was honored to be there as her god father. It was also really good to catch up with her family. We had lunch at a restaurant and then went back to Caitlin's house and both the girls had a swim in the pool. Brooke love jumping into the water, even though she knows that she can't float - Brooke is the reason why pool fences are mandatory. All up a great day.

As a side issue, attending the christening was most likely the most exposure to religion that the girls had experienced. There were lots and lots of questions which Dad did his best to field. Brooke, obviously, didn't take any of it in but she enjoyed all the singing. Courtney on the other hand tried to interpret what was going on. I think she might have been a little confused by it all - Every answer raised new questions. Still, an event worth mentioning.

Working backwards, On Saturday the girls went to yet another "new park". That must mean that they have now been to every park within 15kms of home. This one was up with the best of them - it was like the duck park (because it has duck) but it had 5 slides, two side by side so the girls could race each other - we'll be going back there soon.

SIzzler

Tonight the girls went to Sizzler with Dad. Courtney insisted that she be allowed to try "the other lettuce" - Courtney now knows that she doesn't like spinach. Brooke on the other hand snubbed her nose at all the food on offer and ate her body weight in french toast.

Hubba Bubba and Fashion

Almost forgot - In the lollie bag Courtney received at the end of her friends birthday party was a single piece of Hubba Bubba chewing gum. Dad knew it was risky should have known better, but... It was stressed to her at least ten times however, Courtney swallowed the gum within the first minute of putting it in her mouth. The worried look on her face when she said "Ummmm Dad...." was priceless.
In other news, Dad tried to buy Courtney a soccer outfit today. The only Perth Glory colours he could find were made by a company called Kappa. They have a very unique logo...
Both Mum and Dad are still deciding if she'll be wearing the shirt (and matching shorts) to soccer this weekend.

The Kappa Logo

Gate Crashing at 2

On Friday afternoon Courtney went to her a birthday party for a friend of hers from school, Chloe. The party was at Jungle Gym and both the girls had a great time, swinging from the Tarzan rope, jumping on the trampoline and generally falling on their heads. Brooke wasn't actually invited however once she saw all the fun being had, she crashed it anyway.
On Saturday we played outside for a majority of the day, the girls helped out in the garden making mud pies and mixing dead leaves in a bucket of water.
Today Courtney went to soccer and again, Brooke crashed that as well. We guess there is only so many times that you can sit on the sidelines watching.
This afternoon we went to a new park (Dad's running out of new parks). We went to one that had a lake as well as a play ground and there was also a long path that we walked down. The girls saw and heard a kookaburra, they think it was laughing at Brooke but neither of them could say why.
Tomorrow CJ has school swimming and Brooke has her normal swimming lessons to go to. Let's hope that their ears don't play up or there will be some sleepless nights coming up for Mum.

Looks like hard work

Swimming Lesson

Today Dad got away from work a little earlier and took Courtney to her swimming lessons. Courtney floated on her back all by herself and had a really great time. Dad was very surprised as to how much she had improved lately.

Then we picked up Brooke and went to the park for a play. Brooke is fearless on the swings and does not understand that there is a limit to how high she can go, she thinks the chain going slack when you get high enough is funny.

Another great weekend

Last Saturday the girls had a big win. Seconds after talking Dad into going to Mcdonalds for lunch, Mr Whippy pulled into the street and started playing his music. Icecream for all ! That night, we all went to Nana and Grandad's for dinner before they headed off on their holiday - we hope they have a great time and the girls can't wait for their post card.

Brooke has taken to making mischief with textas. Twice on the weekend, she stopped using the paper and started coulouring in her hands and arms instead. Very pretty but also very messy

Sunday was spent in the garden, spreading some mulch around and taking care of the vegetable garden. The carrot seeds have sprouted so there should be fresh vegi's available soon.

Planting the Vegi Garden

The Vegi Garden

Courtney wanted to make a surprise for Mum today so Dad took the girls down to Bunnings to get some supplies. While we were there, we found that there was a workshop being held for kids craft so the girls each painted a flower pot for their Mum.

Then while we were picking out flower seedlings to put in the pots, the girls thought it would be a good idea if we grew a vegetable patch. So, we now have a little vegi garden in the back yard at Dad's house. Hopefully Dad will remember to water the seedlings...

This afternoon the girls went to Daisy and Matilda's house for a BBQ and a big play. A great afternoon and the girls now have two new friends and they have already arranged to play again some day soon.

Then it was off to Nana and Grandad's for dinner. Dad forgot to bring everyone's shoes and drink bottles and also Brooke's nigh nigh - silly Dad.

Unfortunately, Mum's flower pots fell over and most of the potting mix is now on the floor of Dad's car. We hope that the flowers survive.

Back to school for Courtney tomorrow.

A new park

Today Mum and Dad took the girls on an outing to a big park where there were lots of play grounds, a train, a bouncing castle and other rides. One of the things to do was drive some electric cars. Courtney drove whilst Brooke sat in the passengers seat. Unfortunately CJ's legs were not quite long enough to push the accelerator pedal all the way down so they couldn't go much faster than a snail. The lady that was in control of the ride told Dad to get on the back and push the pedals.

In one of the playgrounds was a dome shaped ride that the girls sat in whilst some boys spun it around and around really fast - kind of like a childrens 'Gravitron' ride. The girls loved it.

Tonight, whilst Mum was playing netball, the girls took to washing each others hair in the bath. It would seem that you can get your hair really clean when you use half a bottle of shampoo.

"Courtney. I think your lost"

Today didn't start of the best. Dad had told Courtney that we could ALL go out somewhere when Brooke wasn't at school. At breakfast Dad overheard Courtney telling Brooke that we would do something fun if she didn't go to school.... Not surprisingly, Brooke wanted to take the day off from daycare. She went anyway.
Dad and Courtney spent the morning doing science experiments together. We measured our shadows at different times of the day, we made Outrageous-Ooze and also made fizzy mixes with bi-carb soda, detergent and vinegar. We are still waiting for the sun the get warm enough to evaporate the salt water.
Then we went into the garden and started working when Courtney came up with a plan. We could walk to the park that she went to with Pa, the duck park (two suburbs away) apparently. Wanting to see the result, Dad agreed and we spent the next twenty minutes or so, walking the streets, looking for the park before... We came out of an alley way and found ourselves standing right where we had started - Courtney had navigated us in a big loop. We ended up going to the park after Brooke finished school.
We're told that Brooke had a great day at school. Apparently she has a little friend called Emily and they go everywhere together. We're told that they are toilet training each other - every twenty minutes or so. Sounds like the daycare staff are getting it easy with those two.

School Holidays

Unfortunately, Brooke still goes to school (day care) even though it is school holidays. A pitty because she missed out on all the fun that Courtney and Dad had today. First we went to Bunnings and went shopping and then we went to the Jungle Gym and played putt-putt golf before Courtney went and played on the climbing gear and in the ball pit.

Then we went shopping and bought Courtney a new pair of shoes. Courtney chose the ones with pick star on the side (Converse)

After lunch we went home and repotted a plant, put fertilizer on Pa's roses and fixed a gate, and then it was time to pick Brooke up. She was in a really good mood - most likely because she slept for an hour and a half in the afternoon.

Then we went to the park for a little while before we went to Mum's house.

Tonight the girls are having a sleep over. Courtney and Dad are going to have a quiet day tomorrow because Brooke is at school tomorrow again and we don't want her to miss out on too much.

Courtney's quote for the day "The big hand is on the twelve, the little hand is on the seven, so its eleven thirty!"

Dad's Red.

Dad has returned from a great weekend fishing and catching up with friends. He couldn't resist posting the above photo. He also stayed with Cameron and got to catch up with James and Marcus as well. The boys all loved their show bags.

Election Result

John Howard is returned as the Prime Minister of Australia, defeating the Mark Latham from the Australian Labour Party.

The Royal Show

The girls went to the Royal Show with Mum and Dad - we've only just made it home.

We all caught the trains to the show and then the girls went for a ride on real horses. We had all sorts of food, fairy floss etc and a lot of rides. We saw the Dorothy the Dinosour show with Waggs, Henry and Captin Feathersword. Courtney even went on the bumper cars. Both the girls had some face painting, more rides, lots of show bags, glow sticks and to finish the day off - fireworks! It offical, Courtney is over her fear of fireworks - We think she quite liked them at the end of the night.

All up a HUGE day. The girls were very well behaved and had a fantastic time.

No doubt they will sleep well tonight.

The Sty Eye

Courtney has a sty. Not that you would know it - she seems happy enough until she is reminded about it being there. See the sad little blue eye on the photo page.

Two more sleeps until the Royal Show - Mum has written up a list of all the things we are going to see and do (and show bags to buy).

School Holidays begin

On Friday night, the girls went to a Isaacs house to play, while Mum played netball.

Saturday morning Dad took the girls to Duck Park again and we all played soccer (there is no practice during school holidays) and mucked around on the swings. Brooke was fascinated by the duck and her duckling, she wanted to play with them but Dad said she couldn't touch.

Dad went to work on Saturday night so he missed out on going to the cinemas with the girls, Mum, Isaac and his little brother Jasper. They all went to watch A Sharks Tale, no doubt we'll all see it again soon.

Mum, Dad and the girls are going to the Royal Show on Wednesday - Maybe we'll see you there.

Dad is going on a trip next weekend to see James, Cameron and Marcus. He promises to get some updated photos.

Mummy's little girl

Brooke is going through a phase of not wanting to leave her Mum's side. See balked going to daycare today, choosing to spend the day with Mum. Dad is getting a little bit of the cold shoulder at the moment as well.
Both Mum and Courtney's eyes are a lot better and to date it doesn't look like Brooke it has spread to Brooke or Dad.
Courtney went swimming today, she had fun going down the slippery slide that runs into the pool. She was most impressed with herself for sneaking onto the slide whilst there was a birthday party using it.
In other news, apparently something called "The Show" is going to happen soon. Sounds like one of the parents at Courtney's school has broken the vow or silence.

We're back.

This is starting to sound like a medical diary.

Monday comes again and Mum and girls are off to the Doctor (read back through the last few weeks and you’ll see what I mean) Both Courtney and Mum have conjunctivitis. Not really bad, but enough to make them uncomfortable. No doubt Brooke will come down with it soon.

Caught up with the travellers from up North last night. Hopefully there won't be too much yelling at each other across the nullabor. Travellers tip #472 - always tie down the things on the roof rack. Seems obvious but some people will forget. Have a great tip y'all. No doubt the girls will get to see you on the way back.

Dad has finally fixed the bar at the top of the page, he’s added a photo page and also a fancy effect on this page. Roll your mouse over the photo in the top right corner – it should change from one of the girls to the other – He intends to change the photo weekly.

5 Year old logic

" Daddy, I water my climbing tree everyday so I can climb higher "

Accident and Emergency

The "Snow Balls" didn't last long. Courtney was holding both hers and Brooke's when she decided to clap them together, smashing Brooke's. And Brooke's woes didn't end there. Dad and Brooke made a trip to A and E last night with an ear infection. She went back to the Doctor this afternoon and is getting closer to being her happy self again.

Happy Birthday Cassie

Hope you had a great day - Make the most of the years to come.

Train ride to the city

The Crane girls are sound asleep at the moment. They desperately needed a rest after going to bed late and waking up early. (Brooke at 2:00am - the first time)
Today the girls went to Courtney’s soccer and then Dad took them for a train ride into the city for lunch. They went shopping and each bought a stamp and a “snow ball” (glass dome filled with liquid and glitter), just like the one on Mary Poppins – except they have Kangaroos and Koalas inside.

On the way into town Brooke wasn’t very keen on the train. On the way home, she wanted to stand on the chairs and sing songs to herself (and everyone else in the carriage).

Timeless

Tonight the girls watched The Wizard of Oz for the very first time. Funny, they didn’t even notice the television had turned black and white at the beginning, it was just accepted.
Courtney was glued to it the whole time but Brooke didn’t like the Wicked Witch from the West or her hired goons, the flying monkeys. Sometimes it’s easier to bury your face into the couch and wait for the next happy song to start.

In short, an old classic has two new fans.

The Duck Park

Another big weekend. The girls went to Mcdonalds on Saturday morning and played on the slides and then we pulled weeds and picked lots of flowers in Pa's garden. We also went to "the duck park" twice and played on the swings there. Brooke, being her normal fearless self, wanted to do everything that Courtney could - and then some.
CJ climbed to the highest branch in the tree in Mum's backyard - "the one that Isaac climbs to"
Anyway, it was such a big weekend (and a late Saturday night) that the girls had an afternoon sleep before heading to Nana and Grandad's for BBQ.
We hear that Cameron is getting into playing guitar and that the renovation is finished at James and Marcus' house. Hopefully their garden can be bought back to life now that they're home again.
Two of Dad's friends changed jobs this week (Dad got promoted twice without doing a thing). We hope that their new jobs are great and all that they wished for.

Another First

Courtney took another big "step" yesterday. During her swimming lesson she took off from Mum and swam a little way all by herself for the first time. We're guessing that Brooke is wondering what all the fuss is about, if she was allowed she'd swim all the way to the bottom of the pool every chance she got. Brooke will have to wait for her ear infection to fully go away before she'll get her chance to catch up.

Courtney's Merit Certificate

Merit Certificate

Today was Courtney’s big day. Mum, Dad, Brooke, Nana and Grandad all went to school this morning to watch Courtney get her Merit Certificate for “Her wonderful contributions during group discussions”. No matter how hard we tried the family couldn’t have been as proud of Courtney as she was of herself. Well done Courtney, we are all very proud of you.

Dad's cards and bonsai tree
Posted by Dad

Happy Birthday Marcus

A big day for everyone.
Firstly, it was Cousin Marcus’ first birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. We hope he had a great day! Sorry we couldn’t have all been there as well.
Secondly, it was Fathers Day. Along with some beautiful cards, the girls got Dad a bonsai tree. Hopefully he will remember to water it and keep trimming the leaves or otherwise it won’t be little for very long.
Courtney scored lots of goals at soccer in the morning and then the girls played all day before we all went to Nana and Grandad’s house for dinner.
Pa must have had a very busy day as well with Marcus, James and Cameron because he was out when we tried to call… we’ll speak to you tomorrow Pa.Big news – tomorrow Courtney is going to get a Merit Certificate at the school assembly, she can’t wait and we’re all very proud.

Cousin Cameron
Posted by Dad

Cousin Marcus
Posted by Dad

Cousin James
Posted by Dad

Sports Day

Today was Courtney's sports day at school. Courtney's team won and she got "a ticket for doing well"