One More Letterbox Find!

This was our third find in one week. We went with some of our friends we met through our homeschooling program and this was just as much fun as our first and second finds. In fact, this time we got a special bonus- a park ranger saw us rummaging around for the box in a group of trees near his vehicle (the box was hidden right where he was parked). He approached us and offered to show us a dead gopher snake. All the boys yelled, "Yeah!!" So, Ranger Bob gave us an educational display and lesson on snakes around Lafayette Reservoir.


Kate was facinated by the snake. When we walked away from the snake she kept saying, "Thee. Thee." That's her way of saying "See" or "I want to see it some more."


We ended up hiking over a mile just to get to this box. All the kids were hot, sweaty, thirsty and tired but the hike was well worth it because the kids were so exicited to find the hidden box. It was as if we had found a real treasure box!! They were running around and jumping all over the place. It was hard to get them to pick a spot to sit down so they could open the box and log the books.


Our friends from the left: Cameron, Matthew, Dominic, Kristen, Zion, Kate, & Jared. Cameron's sister Mackenzie got tired after hiking for over one mile so she turned back with her mom. Suzanne (Dominic & Zion's mom) took the picture.


We're looking forward to our next hike!! We're hoping to get out at least once or twice this week! Anyone want to join in? I'd love to know if any of you out there end up looking into this exciting and fun adventure!!

Baseball Opening Ceremony 2007

Oh my!! I had no idea what an event this was going to be when I signed Matthew up for baseball this year!! This is the Opening Ceremony for the 2007 season (Matthew's first year playing ball). All teams met at a church about a 1/2 mile from Pleasant Hill Park.



Matthew is a member of the San Francisco Giants team with a bunch of friends from preschool and kindergarten! Friends we love!


All teams walked in a parade down a main street, Gregory Lane, which was shut down for the morning. If I had a better zoom on my camera you could really see how many hundreds of people participated in the parade. Look as far as you can- the street is full of ball teams and parents. It was insanely crowded!! I was afraid of losing one of my kids!


The parade ended at the park where there was a small program from the baseball directors and the mayor of the city. After the program they had activities and food for everyone, however, the lines were LONG and everything was crowed. Look at all the people!!! I ended up taking my kids to Jamba Juice for breakfast (something special) and leaving the festivities right away. In all honesty, it would have been fun to stay and play in the bouncy houses and at the park but had I lost site of one of my kids, it would have been nearly impossible to find them again. I wasn't willing to take that chance!!


Matthew is very excited about playing baseball this year! Let's cheer for a winning season for the SF Giants!! Go Giants!!

Letterboxing the Wilcox Way!

We've discovered a new sport that we are quickly becoming addicted to. It's called letterboxing. These pictures are from our second letterbox find and we had a blast! The idea is this: People (lots of them all over the world) have hidden boxes in their favorite hiking places, in their communities, or places they travel and other people (like my family) try and find the boxes. Inside the hidden box the owner has a log book and an ink stamp. We also carry with us a log book and stamp. We stamp each others' books and leave a message for the owner in his/her book and then note in our book whatever we want about our hike/walk/adventure. It's a great way to get outdoors, explore places we haven't been and to get some exercise.



This letterbox was hidden about 3 miles from our house. It was hidden in a park that I never knew existed. The boys rode their bikes nearly two miles while I jogged with Kate our running stoller.



If you're intrigued and want to learn about letterbox hunting where you live, go to the official website at letterboxing.org and there you will get all the info you'll need. Most importantly you can search for boxes in your area from that site because after people hide their box, they register it on the website.

What We Can Learn From Our Children!

This morning I had a humbling and special experience with Matthew that I wanted to share mostly because this is one of those gems that will be etched in my memory hopefully for the rest of my life! Here's what happened. I was trying to get myself and all three kids ready for the day and I was in a hurry (hurry- the story of my life!). Matthew and Jared ended up outside in my backyard in their pj's and no shoes enjoying the warm weather and sunshine. I assumed they were getting ready to make mud with the hose. I quickly opened the bedroom window to tell them both to come in and I saw Matthew standing there listening to something. I interrupted his listeneing and said, "Matthew, you and Jared need to come in now and get dressed and ready to go! (we were going hiking) Matthew held his hand up toward me and said, "Shhhh! I'm listening." The birds were chirping all sorts of beautiful songs so I said, "Are you listening to the beautiful birds?" He paused and said very seriously, "No. I'm listening to Heavenly Father." Needless to say, I wasn't expecting that answer so I took a breath and quietly said, "Ok, come in when you're done." Then I shut the window to reflect on his comment. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of love and humility toward him as a child of God (not just my child) and I felt more strongly than ever the magnitude of my calling as his mother to teach and nurture his faithful spirit. Matthew came in about five minutes later and got dressed. Then he came to me and said in a cheery voice, "Mom, Heavenly Father told me that I would grow up and bless people who are sick and be a prophet and be a missionary." He then paused and corrected himself, "No, I'm not going to be a prophet, but I am going to bless people who are really sick and I am going to be a missionary." I gave him a big hug and reassured him that I would help to teach him the things Heavenly Father would want him to do so he can grow up to do those things. Needless to say, I feel humble to have a son who teaches me through his actions the things I need to be doing in my life. Life lesson for today: Don't forget to take time to listen to those who matter most!!

Our Entertaining Daughter

Kate is turning into a very entertaining girl. She has learned how to make funny faces and does so during dinner, in the car and anytime she's wanting more attention. We love her and enjoy her sweet and funny personality! She even likes to dress herself and choose her own clothes (hence the Spiderman costume!

Time Flies When You're a Mom!

Since I haven't written in a while I thought I'd just post a few updated pics. Matthew and Jared are enjoying building with K'nex and have created a variety of things, such as a solar powered race car, jets, pencil holders, and other stuff.




I am approaching Jared's 5th birthday in a few weeks and feel I can't waste any more time trying to figure out how this blogging works. It was nearly a year ago when I posted last and feel that my memories and experiences are going to be forgotton if I don't dedicate myself to preserving what I hold so dear. My wonderful family and friends. So, I'm motivated to post regularly, with pictures and words, mostly so I can sleep more peacefully at night knowing that I am finally making my memories more concrete.

Now, with alll that mushy stuff said, I still have to figure out how to get the word and the pics formated correctly. So far, this blog is not how I pictured it. So, if things look messy, it's just me trying to figure out how all this formatting and editing works. I'm happy to be taught by any of you experts out there!!