March Madness

For a hoops junkie like me, the next three weeks are the best in sports (NCAA Tournament). For the first time ever, I will be able to see all of the first round games live. As a person who bleeds Duke blue but living in Oregon, I'll have two teams to root for. So what are my picks for these two teams?


Win vs Belmont (1st round)
Win vs West Virginia (2nd round)
Lose vs Xavier (3rd round)


Lose vs Mississippi State (1st round)

I'd love to see Maarty Leunen (senior F/C from Redmond High School, my alma mater) advance farther into the tourney, but I just don't see it happening. They have just been wildly inconsistent and one dimensional this year. You beat Kansas State but lose to Oakland, Nebraska, and Saint Mary's?

Speaking of Kansas State, I have to apologize to my brother Josh (USC grad school). I'm predicting them to upset USC! So sorry bro! =)

Waterboy

Rochelle took Xander swimming today at a local pool. While his breast-stroke still needs some work, he seemed to be a natural in the water. Here are a couple pics from the trip:





I've also uploaded some new photos to the image gallery.

Dedicated

Yesterday we dedicated Xander at our church Antioch. My parents also got to attend, so that was neat. Here's the prayer we read to him:

Xander, this is our prayer for you…

1 John, Chapter 5: 1-4

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.

As your parents we pray that we will reflect Christ’s love. Even before you were born we have been praying for you. Our hope is for you to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Through God’s grace we aspire to teach you about the Lord we love and serve.

Surviving

Well I'm finally over a nasty bout of flu/cold and on the last day (of 3) of sole parental responsibilities. Things have gone better than imagined! Yesterday I took Xander to the local annual Sportman's Show to check out all the latest n' greatest in hunting / fishing products. You have never seen so many people rocking Realtree™ camo in one place that are not actually hunting. I should have dressed up Xander for the occasion with this outfit:



Unfortunately, it was in the laundry so I settled with the smurf blue-camo fleece (which of course was a hit with all the ladies ). My parents and family friend Matt joined also joined us for a stroll through the show.

This morning we went to church and he slept through the entire morning service in nursery. For some reason I kept thinking the pager was going to go off but it didn't. Speaking of church, next weekend we will be dedicating him during a special children's dedication service. So if you're around and can make it, that'd be greeaaaaat. =)

Updates

With less than a week until "Operation Lone Wolf" (re: wifey going back to work), I thought it'd be wise to do some updates while I still had the chance. =)

New additions to the extended family:

Ingrid Rose Van Bruggen
(Rochelle's brother and sister-in-law)
8.13 lbs, 21 inches
Born on 03.13.08

Jacoby Chavez
(Rochelle's cousin)
7.14 lbs, 20 3/4 inches
Born on 03.13.08

Also, with it being so warm (mid to upper 40s) and sunny this week, we decided to take advantage of the weather and do some classic skiing with Xander. This time we skied at one of our favorite local places called Virginia Meissner. Here's a few pictures of that adventure:





I've also uploaded some new pics of Xander (thank you for your many reminders). You can click here or use the link to the right to check them out.

Snow day II

A nasty winter storm continues to hit our area. Unfortunately, the plethora of snow is also being accompanied by strong winds. Anyone that knows Bachelor, knows that formula makes for a complete white-out. Long story short, I didn't make it up to the mountain today. Instead, I kept myself busy shoveling large quantities of snow (of which I'm getting quite adept at).

I also spent some quality time at Wal-Mart getting the oil changed on the family truckster (read: Nissan Pathfinder). Every visit to that store only increases my disdain for the franchise. Not only do I have to go there, I must also find something to occupy 40 minutes of time while the Pathfinder is being serviced. *sigh* Why can't REI or Best Buy add this basic auto service? Imagine the sales!

So anyways, after spending entirely to much time rummaging futilely through the 3 dollar DVD bargain bin , I head to the service area. Mistake number one happens here. After a quick peek through the service bay window, I inquire if the car is ready. The guy behind the counter asks for my name and searches through service log. "Hmm... nothing by that name in the system" he says. I'm quite exasperated and amazed by his short-term memory loss.

I point to the deserted service bays (from which the car was neatly drove into) and ruefully exhale. Right about the time I begin to ask him to check again, it dawns on me. The car is registered in their system under Rochelle's maiden name (another *sigh*, longer). After getting into the car and driving towards home, mistake number two happens. I hadn't bothered to check if the windshield wiper fluids had been filled. Have you ever heard of not getting your wiper fluids refilled after the 41 point inspection/check/service routine? Curse you Wal-Mart!

Here are some images (cell phone camera quality) from snow day part deux:

Home alone

Rochelle and Xander left yesterday to visit the grandparents in Tucson, AZ. I must say, I'm not used to how quiet it is in the house. Meanwhile, it continues to snow outside and a huge dump (15 inches) is predicted for tomorrow. Hopefully the wind will stay down so I can get some pow. =)