Let it snow

Loads of the light, fluffy (well, heavy concrete-mixer like) stuff has been coming down for the past few days with no let-up in sight. I've been getting in some good sessions in at the mountain without the weekend crowds.

This year I've gone pure wireless, and I can't tell you how nice it is to be rocking a unified system. My setup: Giro G10 Helmet w/Wireless Bluetooth TuneUps. I link my Blackberry Pearl 8100 (phone) and Samsung P2 (MP3 player) to the helmet and hit the slopes. The helmet as your typical music controls (fw, rev, play, stop, etc). The icing on the cake is when a call comes in, the music mutes and a hands-free call commences. Now only if there was a switch to make my FS board-slides better.

We have a bunch of relatives coming up for the holidays, so I'm praying that everyone has safe travels. Below are a couple of shots of Xander, taken by our brother-in-law Ben at a recent Christmas get together. Ben is on extremely gifted and talented dude, be sure to check out his other stuff.

El nino blanco

We are stoked to report that Xander's bilirubin count is back to normal. No more hours in the tanning-suitcase-light-bed thing anymore, as well as the daily trips to the hospital for blood testing.

On a side note, my appreciation for the simple act of sleeping has been deepened. *yawn*

Winter tanning session

Yesterday the pediatrician informed us that Xander has a mild case of jaundice. It turns out this is rather common in newborns. The solution to "yellow baby" is what appears to be a miniature tanning bed (phototherapy). We've had him in it for a good part of the last 24hrs and it seems to have worked with his levels dropping back down towards normal (sans bronzing). A few more hours in the oven and he should be good to go.

Xander arrives!

Apologies to the folks waiting on the pictures, it's been a couple of busy days! ;)

Xander Jaxon Simonds
Born: 12.07.07 , 0552 AM
Weight: 6.15 lbs.
Length: 19 3/4 in.







Mom, Dad, and baby are doing great. More pictures online here.

Thankful

It was an eventful week around the Simonds' household. First, Rochelle's parents Bill and Deb stayed with us for a few days. We really enjoyed their visit (though I'm sure the ladies got a bit tired of watching football). Also, my parents hosted a wonderful baby shower for us on Saturday. Lil' Xander is on his way...

Fire Starter

Yesterday I went out to my friend Gabe's ranch in Twickenham to help his family do some prescribed burning. They have some 1000+ acres of land filled with sage, juniper, bunch grass, and other high-desert fauna. Their ranch runs from the scenic John Day River up to the rim rock of Table Mountain. Needless to say, the weather conditions conspired against us. The temperature hovered in the mid 40s and the lack of wind prevented me from getting any sustained fire going. I'm sure Rochelle and Bill are disappointed by my lack of fire abilities!

Tailgating

On Saturday, Rochelle and I attended an UO Ducks game at Autzen Stadium. We had a lot of fun, and I'm sure that it helped that Oregon completely trounced Washington State. Sitting beside us was a really interesting older lady. Ducks fans are renowned for being fanatics, and she definitely fit the bill. During the game we were treated with many of her colorful expressions, most unfortunately are unfit to post here. ;)

Praying for snow

A few days ago our local hill Mt. Bachelor got a good dusting. I think it was around 10 inches of snow, but the fanatics were out anyways hiking the cone and what-not. As for me, I'm waiting for a bit more. =)

Depoe Bay, OR

Chelle and I spent a few days at the Oregon coast last week.

Here's a few pictures from our trip.

Heceta Head Lighthouse


The Beacon (our condo)

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