This week...

Last weekend Courtney went to Nana and Grandad’s house and helped Grandad lay some new pavers. She was a big help carrying them over and playing in the trailer load of sand.

Yesterday, Brooke played quietly in the kitchen while Mum was busy. She went to the pantry and pulled out all the flour, chocolate sauce, sugar etc and had a wonderful time “cooking”

Brooke continues not to eat anything. Has anyone else heard of a three year old that does not like watermelon, rockmelon or any other type of fruit – except banana?

Bugs, snails etc

On Saturday, Dad and the girls went up to see the Mundy family who are busy getting ready to move house. Due to an earlier than expected settlement date, they are going to stay with Dad for a week or so at the end of the month. Both the girls are really looking forward to the visit.

Today was a bit slower. The girls have for some time, taken a great interest in the "Rolly Bugs" that live in the garden. Dad has always known them to be called Slater Bugs but a search of the internet has him no closer to working out their proper name. They are the little black critters in the leaf litter that roll up in a ball as soon as you touch them. They look something like this...

Porcellio Scaber is the closest I can get. For now, Rolly Bug will do just fine. Anyway, the girls have discovered that Rolly Bugs love playing in the dolls house, cubby houses and just about anywhere they can. Today the girls had a great time sending them down a little slide that they made up for them. Needless to say, Dad vacuums up a number of bugs each Sunday night.

Speaking of such things, Brooke is well and truly over her fear of snails, in fact earlier in the week she was somewhat upset to discover that her "pet" snail have escaped from the container in the back yard.

A new game

Brooke found out this morning that if your (at least hers) fist will slide into a toilet roll tube quite easy... it just won't come out again without a great deal of effort. Still she has not learnt and did the same trick again this afternoon.

Today Mum and Dad took the girls to the duck park so they could ride their bike. Courtney gave them both a heart attack by riding so fast she got speed wobbles and Brooke pushed herself really hard to make it all the way up the hill.

CJ

A really full day

Last night, the girls made a list of five things that they wanted to do over the weekend. It came as no surprise that going to Wildkiz was on top of the list. So this morning we went there. One of the first things that the girls wanted to do was get their faces painted. Brooke went for her standard butterfly however Courtney asked to be an alien... Looks like the face painting lady thinks that Shek is an alien. Still, Courtney loved it.

Brooke was really brave. She went all the way to the top and down the big, turning slide...

She even went down the long, dark slide, which is almost pitch black inside... She looks relaxed enough.

Having said that, Brooke again found her nose out of joint. She was not able to go on the bumper cars because she is not 4 years old, nor is she 95cm tall. Dad tried to explain but it was hard not to laugh when she said "I am big, and I know what is best for people."

Poor Brooke she wasn't even allowed to go on the big blow up, bouncing toys.

When we got home, the girls opened the cafe' and Brooke served afternoon tea.

Afterwards, we all headed out the front for a new game that Dad thought off. Boule. Courtney loves it (always has) but Brooke thinks that it is better to be charge and she messures the distance between the balls.

All up, it's been a really big day with some great moments, like Brooke running past Dad, whilst trying to hide the two packets of tic tac that she had just stolen from the kitchen. Cheeky girl.

Ever since the girls went to Mr Burke's farm, they have been playing cafe'. Courtney's new sign announces that we are open. "Cafe. Food and drink"

"Choc or Treat"

This afternoon the Aunty Kirstie took the girls for their first Halloween experience. Mum and Dad have never really been a fan of Halloween, so the girls (although they don't know it) were lucky that Kirstie was so keen. They dressed up in their fairy (real scary) outfits and went up and down the street. They came back with chocolates, lollies and CASH! The girls think that you say "choc or treat" when you get to the front door. I guess they can't lose that way.

Unfortunately, Dad does not have the photos, just yet. Stay tuned.

Also, Chloe (the dog) has taken up lying on the trampoline whilst the girls bounce. She even appears to enjoy it. Isaac was around to play this afternoon as well. The girls are not girls when the he is around, although they do team up to be a quite decent rock-n-roll wrestling partnership.

Another Boring Weekend

Yesterday afternoon, Courtney complained that she had not done anything all day. Of course she forgot to mention making puppets, making cubby houses, picking roses, playing hide-n-seek, making music, painting, playing Playstation etc etc. The day was full of action however because all she wanted to do was ride her bike with Leighton, the day seemed very boring.


Courtney's puppet


Brooke's new smile


Painting

Brooke seemed to have a good time. At one stage she was pretending to be the King "..and you have to do what the King says, and the King says shutup" - Apparently Dad thinks he out ranks the King.

In other news, recently Brooke decided that it was time she finished off her toilet training. Fear not Aunty Jodie and Uncle Scott, it will happen one day - and it's great.

Dad returns

There has been very little (nothing) posted lately because Dad has been up North, visiting James, Cameron and Marcus. He'll put up some photos soon when the work computer starts playing the game.

In news of thecranegirls, Brooke has a new haircut which she is very happy with, although you wouldn't know it from the photograph.

A while ago now, the girls made (painted) Mum some flower pots and on Sunday they planted seeds together, watered them in and then put them out into the sunlight. Let's hope they are more successful than their effort with the vegi garden last year.

Chess

Tonight Courtney beat Dad in chess. Amazing watching her brain ticking over, developing strategies. She knows what each of the different pieces can do (most of the time), and she has invented a couple of new rules but the basics are there.

Courtney's message

Courtney wanted to send a message to her school and everyone

halo courtney heae i have chicken pox today is sunday it is 6 more day's until my chicken pox og away good bi to aii my friend's and teaeher's.

Seeing Spots again.

On Friday, CJ broke out in the first of her chicken pox. Hers are much worse than the mild dose that Brooke had, today we counted 101 (would you believe it) spots on her. She has a few really good/big ones as well, one of which is on her face. So far she has not been too itchy but that might be beacuse of all the creme and lotion that Mum bought.

Courtney's greatest concern is that she will not be going back to school this week. She is very upset, to the point of tears. Dad told her that she would have to miss the first week, he hopes that is the truth otherwise he'll be in trouble. We've had a very quiet weekend, staying indoors and away from other kids.

Leighton's comes to play

Today Leighton came over and played all day. Everyone was worn out, including Mum. He's a great little guy but Dad is worried by the amount of attention the girls pay to him.

Not the Royal Show

Today the girls went to a family picnic day put on by Dad's social club. It was fantastic and the girls had a ball. They had every ride that the girls would have gone on at the Royal Show without the cues (and cost)



They drove go-carts, went on dodge'em cars, bouncey castles, ferris wheels, pony rides etc as well as having face painting, ice creams and fairy floss. A huge day for them (and Mum and Dad) and they are still tucking into the lollies from the show bags.

As always Brooke wanted to do everything that Courtney was... including climbing to the top of a huge blow up slide. As the pictures show, Brookes reaction at the top was a bit different to CJ's and she had to be 'helped' down by one of the older kids.

There are a lot more photos on the other page

Aqua

Tonight Mum and Dad took the girls to AQUA. They both loved it. The girls went into the face painting room, Brooke wanted a horse or a pony but settled for a fish once she was told (several times) that the animal had to live underwater - a sea horse doesn't count, apparently.



The touch pool was a hit, as was the underwater tunnel but, as expected, Nemo (or any fish that looked like him) was the most favioute thing of the visit.

The Crane Shins

It appears that both of the Crane girls have inherited what it commonly known as "the Crane shins". Walk near a tow ball, lean against anything and they bruise. Hopefully for them, this will not continue later in life

BMX girl

This morning, the girls went back to the park to ride their bikes and fly the kite. As there had been a little rain over night, Courtney got to learn to coolest thing about riding a BMX, the rooster tail. She was very upset when Dad pointed out that she had mud flicked up her back from her rear wheel.



CJ did not want to get out of the car at the shops on the way home, she was so embarrassed that people would see the mud on her clothes and she was very relieved after Mum had been told and that, just like Dad said she would, Mum thought it was great.