A look back in time

As I was cleaning out my files, I came across a four-paged paper I wrote when I was about Natalie's age, probably more like 8 years old. I'm pretty sure it was not from a school assignment because I remember writing a lot of stories at home. I even included three pages of floor plans for my "mansion!" It's called What I want to do when I grow up. It was pretty funny to read so I thought I would post it for your enjoyment too...all typos are intentional to show how I spelled the words when I wrote this as a kid.

What I want to do when I grow Up

When I grow-up I want to own a mansion with a white girl horse. It will have a big deck half 8 foot swimming pool other half picnick table with a big umbrella. I want it to be a three story house. The bottom floor will be the t.v. and gest rooms, the middle floor will be a kitchen and liveing room, the very top will be my bed room. There will be bathrooms with shouers on the top and bottom floors, the middle will be a bathtub.

There will be a elevator. I will have a big red barn for my hourse. It will have three windows with screens. I will also have a fifteen acer back yard and my front yard will be one acer. In the back yard there will be a swing set. I will have a garage with a big camping trailer. There will be enogh room for keeping things in. I want to have a big front pourch, I also want to live in the country. There will be big windows in the kitchen.

The room next to my bedroom will be my childs room. There will be a big and pretty garden on the two sides of the pourch. I want a lasy (Lassie) dog and a calico cat. I might have a fish pond with a neting around it so the cat can't get the fish. I want to have a baby girl, she will be in the room next to me. I will give her a cradle until she is old enough for a canopy bed.

In the kitchen I will have a dishwasher and a micerwave oven and a sink, some bilt in benches, coffee maker and a table, and of course some cobords.

Everyday I will feed the hourse hay and water. I might rase bunny rabbits too. I will plant a garden. It will have fruit bushes (exsept blackberrys) and I will have vegetablels (exspt spinch). I will have a sunflower plant too. When my little girl (if I have one) gets five, after school is out, I will take her to disneyland (if it is still there).

In the haul way between te gest room and the tv room will be a bar. I also want to be a teacher, I will teach first grade. I will do lots of pies and cakes and cookies. I hope I will have a lot of money left over. I want to have lots of juels. I am going to have six gards, one on corner of the house one by the front door, one by the back door. In the bar will be shampane and straws and cups and beer. In the gest room there will be three beds a sink, a closet and a wooly rug.

On the lawn there will be no weeds, just nice green grass. In the living room there will be a fire place, there will also be a couch , three chairs and a coffie table. Maybe I might have pitchers up. Also at the bar will be dr. Pepper

The kichen windows will have big curtains, the kitchen will also be colored light blue. The bar will be brown, the living room is green, my bedroom red, the gest room white, the tv room yellow, the childs room orange. In the tv room there will be a book shelf and a big color tv and on top of the book shelf will be a plant. The bathrooms will be purple. Also in the living room will be a three foot statue. In my bed room will be a canipy bed a clock and a closet and some dresser drorrs and a book shelf and a night stand. In the closet on the pole will be my fancy dresses on the bottom will be my shoes, sandles and roller scates. In the kitchen cobberds will be a baby dish, silverware, cups and glasses and boles and plates. The kidchen floor will be lanoleum. Heaters also and three telephones.

Check it out

Zander wanted to make his own blog...So here it is:



You can find it at zanderernst.blogspot.com. Right now only a few family members have access (I think), but if you would like to be added to the list, write me a note in the comments section (include your email address) and I will add you too!

Going up to Seattle

We spent the whole next day in the water park. We were even allowed to use the park after we checked out of our room...so we did!

Hayden had a ball splashing everywhere. He couldn't get enough.

We went down all the slides and floated in the wave pool until we were water logged and ready for our next adventure.

Before leaving we checked out "Scoops" a spa just for kids under 12. It was darling! Here is Natalie sitting on the pedicure (ice cream sundae shaped) bench. The boys spent some time in the arcade while Natalie and I picked out our souvenirs. Next stop Seattle...

Dan was able to get a room on trade that was just 2 blocks from the Space Needle...so we walked around a lot.

Not sure what these cool structures are called but they are part of the science exhibit there. We took the Monorail to downtown Seattle and did some shopping.

Here are the kids and I posing on some of the sculptures near the Space Needle.

We spent an afternoon hanging out at Pike's Place Market. Got some fresh berries to enjoy as well as a nice fish and chips meal. Dan also found some cool Scrooge McDuck comic books to add to his collection. The kids love it when he reads them his old comics.

Andy and Taly drove down to spend the afternoon with us. We went up to the top of the Space Needle. That was fun...I haven't done that in years.

I think we had the most fun trying on all the sunglasses in the gift shop!

One night I stepped out and got some great night pictures of the Space Needle.

More Fun at Great Wolf Lodge

Let's Get Wet...

Here's the wave pool

This section is a series of things to climb up on and basically get really wet on your way to the water slides.

Here is the big bucket that fills up and dumps water over the whole area.

Here is comes...

No one is safe once the bucket tips!!!

Father's Day Dinner

We ate at the on-site restaurant and got to eat under the tents!


All you can eat crab legs for Dan!


Yum, yum...good food!

Bed time

At 8:00 pm all the kids get to wear their pajamas in the lobby for a special show at the clock tower.




Then there is a story read afterwards with Wylie the Wolf.


All the kids had a great time.

Here they are all ready for bed after story time.

Meanwhile, Dan was upstairs watching the NBA finals in the teen room. Father's got in free on Father's day!

Natalie summons me in...

to tuck her in to bed way up on the top bunk!

Zander was excited to sleep in the cabin...


Good night, sleep tight.

Father's Day Fun

Last Sunday on our way to the Great Wolf Lodge in Washington, we stopped off at a rest area for a picnic lunch.

The entrance to the lodge is really fun with huge wolf carvings and lots of rustic touches everywhere.

The lobby has huge vaulted ceilings with a clock tower that expands three stories tall.


Here is the check in counter...it was just like Disneyland...waiting 30 minutes in line. Fortunately, although check in wasn't until 4 pm, we got to play in the water park while we waited for our room.


Here is the other side of the lobby. Through the windows you can watch all the action in the water park.

For the price of a regular room (4 person occupancy) plus the extra person charge ($30) , I was able to reserve the kid cabin room with beds for all three kids in a cute cabin.

The kids were so excited to see that inside our room was a little cabin just for them with bunk beds and their very own tv. Natalie was sure to call dibs on the top bunk!

Our room also included a log cabin bed for us and a fireplace in the corner.



So that concludes the first part of the tour...I'll be back to post some fun water park photos later.