Don't miss the story about the Easter Bunny below! Richie is such a great writer!
Whitaker
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Forget Easter Egg Hunts, I Want The Bunny!
This year Angie and I decided that instead of doing an Easter Egg Hunt, we wanted something better. Why be satisfied with just a limited amount of candy filled eggs, when you could get unlimited candy filled eggs by catching the source itself? So that's what we decided to do, catch the ever elusive Easter Bunny. An Easter Bunny Hunt, if you will. During the early hours of Easter morning, we set up watch. Time passed, and we waited... and waited...and waited...until it seemed the Easter Bunny would not be paying us a visit this year. When all of a sudden, from around the corner, we heard what sounded like the noise of a small bunny delivering some candy filled eggs. We peered around the corner, and to our delight caught a glimpse of the Easter Bunny! It was inspecting each egg, ensuring that each was in perfect condition and ready to be left in our baskets. 
We silently crept around the corner, hoping to snatch up the Easter Bunny from behind. The Easter Bunny, however, is not so easily caught. It has been in similar situations before, as many a child has unsuccessfully attempted what we were attempting to do. As we quietly approached, the bunny's keen senses quickly alerted it to our presence. It turned and looked at us in surprise, it had found us!
The bunny quickly turned and took flight, leaving Easter eggs strewn behind it in it's path. It was off to the races!
We would not let it go without a chase, however. We hurried after it closely as it dashed away. Now, the Easter Bunny has never before been caught. It is not an easy thing to do. However, in this case, we were fortunate. The Easter Bunny made a never before, drastic, mistake. Rather than run for the outdoors, it ran straight into our bedroom. It was trapped, we had it cornered and there was no way out. As I leaned down to pick it up, it made one last valiant effort to escape by trying to scurry under our legs. There was no luck for the Easter Bunny this year, however. I snatched it up around the waist and held it triumphantly in the air as it tugged on it's ear in defeat.
We had done it, we had caught the Easter Bunny! Upon capturing the bunny, however, we realized that if we kept it for it's unlimited supply of candy filled eggs, we would be disappointing millions of other little children. We imagined the sad faces of all of the many children who would excitedly wake up in the morning, only to discover that their Easter basket had not been filled. So what did we do with our little capture, you might ask? We took pictures with our little friend, and then we happily let it go. Happy Easter!
We silently crept around the corner, hoping to snatch up the Easter Bunny from behind. The Easter Bunny, however, is not so easily caught. It has been in similar situations before, as many a child has unsuccessfully attempted what we were attempting to do. As we quietly approached, the bunny's keen senses quickly alerted it to our presence. It turned and looked at us in surprise, it had found us!
The bunny quickly turned and took flight, leaving Easter eggs strewn behind it in it's path. It was off to the races!
We would not let it go without a chase, however. We hurried after it closely as it dashed away. Now, the Easter Bunny has never before been caught. It is not an easy thing to do. However, in this case, we were fortunate. The Easter Bunny made a never before, drastic, mistake. Rather than run for the outdoors, it ran straight into our bedroom. It was trapped, we had it cornered and there was no way out. As I leaned down to pick it up, it made one last valiant effort to escape by trying to scurry under our legs. There was no luck for the Easter Bunny this year, however. I snatched it up around the waist and held it triumphantly in the air as it tugged on it's ear in defeat.
We had done it, we had caught the Easter Bunny! Upon capturing the bunny, however, we realized that if we kept it for it's unlimited supply of candy filled eggs, we would be disappointing millions of other little children. We imagined the sad faces of all of the many children who would excitedly wake up in the morning, only to discover that their Easter basket had not been filled. So what did we do with our little capture, you might ask? We took pictures with our little friend, and then we happily let it go. Happy Easter!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Update
I'm sure several of you have been wondering the same questions that I was wondering. WHO? WHY? And of course most importantly, how is Max doing?
I'll start with the story. Let's back up though to introduce you to the disgusting fella who hurt Max. I don't know his name so we'll just call him John.
Max and John used to be friends. Jeanne and Dave von Zastrow (my aunt and uncle, parents to Max) never did feel like John was a good kid to be friends with. While Dave, Jeanne and Max were on vacation, John decided to steal Dave's Jeep. He was driving it all around Moab and his plan was to drive it off a cliff and watch it explode. Luckily Moab is a small town where everyone knows everyone so he got caught before anything that horrible happened. When the von Zastrow's returned from their trip and learned of the incident, Jeanne talked to Max about not being friends with this kid anymore. Max agreed and just hanging out with him.
Jealousy got the best of John. Max was taller, cuter, had more friends, etc. A couple months ago he beat Max up at school. Killing Max became John's obsession it seems. He told kids at school that he had a gun with two bullets in it. One for him and one for Max. The day he hurt Max he was asking other kids, "If you were to kill somebody with a baseball bat, where would you hit them?"
Max and two friends always walk home from school together. That day Max had one of the boys come to his house. Jeanne was on a business trip and Dave was at work. Max was on the computer while his friend was watching TV on the couch. John and his friend made their way over to von Zastrow's house and quietly let themselves in. John stood being Max and swung the bat as hard as he could on the right side of Max's head. So hard in fact that it knocked the bat out of his hands and hit Max's friend on the shoulder. Then John and his friend took off. Max's friend saw him lying on the ground. He got Max, who was in and out of consciousness, to the car and rushed him to the hospital. They immediately life flighted him to a hospital in Grand Junction.
John has been arrested. Thank goodness!
Max is regaining consciousness and is starting to reason better. He is still in and out of sedation. He's in a lot of pain, obviously, and is especially annoyed with the catheter. According to Jeanne, Max is improving and getting his sense of humor back. For example, he was being asked about his body temperature. "Max, are you hot?" To which he replied, "Of course I am!" He has permanent hearing loss in his right ear, and the nerves in his face have been severely damaged. Doctors hope that with therapy his nerves can be improved or restored. I believe one of the main concerns right now is that he still has spinal fluid leaking out of his ear. I guess that's a bad thing.
Jeanne and Dave are overwhelmed with the outpour of love and support from family, friends, acquaintances, members of the church, and even people they don't know. I think they feel very grateful and humbled. In Jeanne's words, "To everything there is a purpose and a reason under heaven." What a great attitude to have amidst the horrific event.
We love you Max, Jeanne and Dave and continue to pray and think about you constantly. Despite the event, you will be blessed and this trial will make you even stronger.
I'll start with the story. Let's back up though to introduce you to the disgusting fella who hurt Max. I don't know his name so we'll just call him John.
Max and John used to be friends. Jeanne and Dave von Zastrow (my aunt and uncle, parents to Max) never did feel like John was a good kid to be friends with. While Dave, Jeanne and Max were on vacation, John decided to steal Dave's Jeep. He was driving it all around Moab and his plan was to drive it off a cliff and watch it explode. Luckily Moab is a small town where everyone knows everyone so he got caught before anything that horrible happened. When the von Zastrow's returned from their trip and learned of the incident, Jeanne talked to Max about not being friends with this kid anymore. Max agreed and just hanging out with him.
Jealousy got the best of John. Max was taller, cuter, had more friends, etc. A couple months ago he beat Max up at school. Killing Max became John's obsession it seems. He told kids at school that he had a gun with two bullets in it. One for him and one for Max. The day he hurt Max he was asking other kids, "If you were to kill somebody with a baseball bat, where would you hit them?"
Max and two friends always walk home from school together. That day Max had one of the boys come to his house. Jeanne was on a business trip and Dave was at work. Max was on the computer while his friend was watching TV on the couch. John and his friend made their way over to von Zastrow's house and quietly let themselves in. John stood being Max and swung the bat as hard as he could on the right side of Max's head. So hard in fact that it knocked the bat out of his hands and hit Max's friend on the shoulder. Then John and his friend took off. Max's friend saw him lying on the ground. He got Max, who was in and out of consciousness, to the car and rushed him to the hospital. They immediately life flighted him to a hospital in Grand Junction.
John has been arrested. Thank goodness!
Max is regaining consciousness and is starting to reason better. He is still in and out of sedation. He's in a lot of pain, obviously, and is especially annoyed with the catheter. According to Jeanne, Max is improving and getting his sense of humor back. For example, he was being asked about his body temperature. "Max, are you hot?" To which he replied, "Of course I am!" He has permanent hearing loss in his right ear, and the nerves in his face have been severely damaged. Doctors hope that with therapy his nerves can be improved or restored. I believe one of the main concerns right now is that he still has spinal fluid leaking out of his ear. I guess that's a bad thing.
Jeanne and Dave are overwhelmed with the outpour of love and support from family, friends, acquaintances, members of the church, and even people they don't know. I think they feel very grateful and humbled. In Jeanne's words, "To everything there is a purpose and a reason under heaven." What a great attitude to have amidst the horrific event.
We love you Max, Jeanne and Dave and continue to pray and think about you constantly. Despite the event, you will be blessed and this trial will make you even stronger.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Head Trauma
I get sucked into horrible stories I hear or see on TV. Not out of, "Wow this is so good!" More like, "Sheesh I can't believe somebody would do something like that!" Once I watched how some high school seniors "oriented" some juniors by pretty much beating the heck out of them, then laughing about it. I've watched how a couple kids meet up to have a fight while somebody else records it and puts it on You Tube. My sister's junior high friend was getting bullied and ended up shooting the bully with a bow and almost killing him. How in the world do things like this really happen? Do you ever think something like this would happen to you or someone in your family?
I just got a call from my dad. The words, "I called to tell you of another trauma that has happened in our family today." Those are ugly, heart-stopping words that I've heard far too many times. This time it's my sweet 15 year-old cousin Max.
He was beat in the head with a bat by a kid from school in Moab, Utah. Cracked his skull. He was life flighted to a hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. He is currently in surgery and they are trying to get the fluid off his brain. WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS? I'm still in shock. My heart aches for Max, for my Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Dave, for my Grandparents and everyone else who knows and loves Max. I feel completely helpless as I'm sure everyone else does as well. I'm so worried about his recovery and what lies in the future. Richie and I and other family members just started a fast for Max. We would greatly appreciate any prayers on Max's behalf as well as prayers on the behalf of all of us trying to deal with this horrible tragedy.
I just got a call from my dad. The words, "I called to tell you of another trauma that has happened in our family today." Those are ugly, heart-stopping words that I've heard far too many times. This time it's my sweet 15 year-old cousin Max.
He was beat in the head with a bat by a kid from school in Moab, Utah. Cracked his skull. He was life flighted to a hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. He is currently in surgery and they are trying to get the fluid off his brain. WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS? I'm still in shock. My heart aches for Max, for my Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Dave, for my Grandparents and everyone else who knows and loves Max. I feel completely helpless as I'm sure everyone else does as well. I'm so worried about his recovery and what lies in the future. Richie and I and other family members just started a fast for Max. We would greatly appreciate any prayers on Max's behalf as well as prayers on the behalf of all of us trying to deal with this horrible tragedy.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Sunny Cali-forn-i-a
We had a fabulous time visiting Richie's sister Patrice and her family in Aliso Viejo, California for spring break last week. They are so fun to be around! Some highlights were hearing middle school stories from 12-year old Joshua, cuddling with 9-year old Amanda while watching American Idol, witnessing 5-year old Aaron's amazing math skills, visiting our newest, beautiful, 4-month old niece Camille, listening to Matt, Joshua, and Aaron yell at the ref's through the tv during the UCLA-VCU basketball game, chatting with Patrice, going to the beach with Patrice, Aaron, and Camille, and visiting the San Diego Zoo.
Mylie did a couple interesting things at the Miller's that she's never done at home. She puked an enormous amount of, well, puke all over their bedroom carpet. Then she pooped and it leaked all over their sheets. Last she peed on their bedroom carpet. There's something kind of okay with doing all of that at your own home, but to be in somebody else's home and have that happen just stinks! Literally!
Mylie absolutely loved the sand at the beach. She kept picking it up and letting it trickle through her fingers--she couldn't get enough of it! She didn't care too much about the zoo, but Richie and I really enjoyed it. Not only are the animals cool, but the scenery is breathtaking!
While in Cali, Mylie's two bottom teeth finally broke through. Richie made the discovery. We had no clue she was teething because she wasn't fussy at all. Why is it so exciting to me that she is getting her first teeth? She's been crawling like crazy and pulling herself up along everything. She pulls everything off our shelves now. I don't even care though, I just think it's completely adorable. I say her name and she turns her head and looks at me with an enormous grin and squealing giggle. She understands a few words now. Dada, Mama, light, book, nose, come on or come here (meaning I'm going to pick her up). I can't get enough of my girl!
Mylie did a couple interesting things at the Miller's that she's never done at home. She puked an enormous amount of, well, puke all over their bedroom carpet. Then she pooped and it leaked all over their sheets. Last she peed on their bedroom carpet. There's something kind of okay with doing all of that at your own home, but to be in somebody else's home and have that happen just stinks! Literally!
Mylie absolutely loved the sand at the beach. She kept picking it up and letting it trickle through her fingers--she couldn't get enough of it! She didn't care too much about the zoo, but Richie and I really enjoyed it. Not only are the animals cool, but the scenery is breathtaking!
While in Cali, Mylie's two bottom teeth finally broke through. Richie made the discovery. We had no clue she was teething because she wasn't fussy at all. Why is it so exciting to me that she is getting her first teeth? She's been crawling like crazy and pulling herself up along everything. She pulls everything off our shelves now. I don't even care though, I just think it's completely adorable. I say her name and she turns her head and looks at me with an enormous grin and squealing giggle. She understands a few words now. Dada, Mama, light, book, nose, come on or come here (meaning I'm going to pick her up). I can't get enough of my girl!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Mylie's Many Marvelous Tricks
For the Familiy:
Mylie will be 7 months on the 15th of February! She weighs 17 lbs. 8 oz. and is 26 1/2 inches long. She's in the 75th percentile for both!
Here is a list and videos for proof of her many, marvelous tricks!
1. Mylie can breakdance (November)
2. Mylie can roll...and roll...and roll (October)
3. Mylie can sit up all by herself (January)
4. Mylie can scoot all over the place (November)
5. Mylie can play the piano (January)
6. Mylie can swing at the park (January)
7. Mylie can eat solids (January)
8. Mylie can pick up food with her thumb and index finger (February)
9. Mylie can talk...no video for this yet. Whenever we get out the video camera, she just completely stops talking. She's got down a, i, d, m, n, l, b, th, y and s.
10. Mylie can giggle
Mylie will be 7 months on the 15th of February! She weighs 17 lbs. 8 oz. and is 26 1/2 inches long. She's in the 75th percentile for both!
Here is a list and videos for proof of her many, marvelous tricks!
1. Mylie can breakdance (November)
2. Mylie can roll...and roll...and roll (October)
3. Mylie can sit up all by herself (January)
4. Mylie can scoot all over the place (November)
5. Mylie can play the piano (January)
6. Mylie can swing at the park (January)
7. Mylie can eat solids (January)
8. Mylie can pick up food with her thumb and index finger (February)
9. Mylie can talk...no video for this yet. Whenever we get out the video camera, she just completely stops talking. She's got down a, i, d, m, n, l, b, th, y and s.
10. Mylie can giggle
Monday, January 12, 2009
Smiley Mylie
My mom noticed that Mylie wasn't smiling in any of the pictures in my last post! She wondered if she was stingy with her smiles. The answer is no! She's got darling and goofy smiles. Whatever they look like, I LOVE them!
Mylie likes going to the park to swing and hang out with her buddy Garrett. Aren't they adorable!?
She likes it when Mommy and Daddy are there too.
Some days Mylie can be very lazy. She plays in her PJ's until noon, then FINALLY takes a bath!
She graduated from Baby Bath and is now officially bathing in the Big Tub! She could spend all day in the water, she loves it!
Mylie likes going to the park to swing and hang out with her buddy Garrett. Aren't they adorable!?
She likes it when Mommy and Daddy are there too.
Some days Mylie can be very lazy. She plays in her PJ's until noon, then FINALLY takes a bath!
She graduated from Baby Bath and is now officially bathing in the Big Tub! She could spend all day in the water, she loves it!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
'Twas the Week Before Christmas
'Twas the week before Christmas
And the car was so crowded
You couldn't even fit
A bowl of Christmas salad!
We took off to Utah
With the Mumfords by our side
And though Brooklyn threw up
It didn't hurt our pride!
When we got to the house
We'd be sleeping that night
We were all welcomed warmly
With hot cocoa delight.
There was Wannie, Pop, Max,
And Aunt Jeanne too
Who were waiting so patiently
To see little Mylie Loo Hoo.
After kisses and hugs
And food up to our necks
We huddled in the car
To see the Galbraith's next!
Cousin Kamryn adored her
And Addy did too
Acutally the whole Galbraith clan did!
Thank goodness and phew!
Christmas Eve finally arrived
We were all so excited
For we knew what was wrapped
In those gifts that were stripe-ed.
Pajamas I tell you!
Pajamas galore!
Striped ones, Spider Man ones
High School Musical ones and more!
And the Nativity Scene?!
Oh what a sight!
Wish you could have been there
That Christmas Eve night!
Richie and Troy
With hearts like little boys
Couldn't stop playing
With the kiddos Christmas toys!
And not to forget
She saw Grandma Eileen.
Mylie loves to be held
By this nice grandma queen.
All in all
Christmas was a blast
We'll always treasure this memory
From our recent past.
But hold on-wait up
That's not all that went down!
There were others visiting
In Utah town!
Aunt Cassie showed up
And others did too!
Wan and Pop Pop's house
Was like a crowded zoo!
We told stories, ate food
And chatted 'til dawn (okay not really)
And all our little kiddies
Really got along!
Great-grandparents are the best
And Mylie met them all.
The Graves, Blacks, and Newmans
She really had a ball!
We all loved vacation.
We miss everyone!
Hope to see you soon
And we'll have so much fun!
And the car was so crowded
You couldn't even fit
A bowl of Christmas salad!
We took off to Utah
With the Mumfords by our side
And though Brooklyn threw up
It didn't hurt our pride!
When we got to the house
We'd be sleeping that night
We were all welcomed warmly
With hot cocoa delight.
There was Wannie, Pop, Max,
And Aunt Jeanne too
Who were waiting so patiently
To see little Mylie Loo Hoo.
After kisses and hugs
And food up to our necks
We huddled in the car
To see the Galbraith's next!
Cousin Kamryn adored her
And Addy did too
Acutally the whole Galbraith clan did!
Thank goodness and phew!
Christmas Eve finally arrived
We were all so excited
For we knew what was wrapped
In those gifts that were stripe-ed.
Pajamas I tell you!
Pajamas galore!
Striped ones, Spider Man ones
High School Musical ones and more!
And the Nativity Scene?!
Oh what a sight!
Wish you could have been there
That Christmas Eve night!
Richie and Troy
With hearts like little boys
Couldn't stop playing
With the kiddos Christmas toys!
And not to forget
She saw Grandma Eileen.
Mylie loves to be held
By this nice grandma queen.
All in all
Christmas was a blast
We'll always treasure this memory
From our recent past.
But hold on-wait up
That's not all that went down!
There were others visiting
In Utah town!
Aunt Cassie showed up
And others did too!
Wan and Pop Pop's house
Was like a crowded zoo!
We told stories, ate food
And chatted 'til dawn (okay not really)
And all our little kiddies
Really got along!
Great-grandparents are the best
And Mylie met them all.
The Graves, Blacks, and Newmans
She really had a ball!
We all loved vacation.
We miss everyone!
Hope to see you soon
And we'll have so much fun!
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