Our Fifteen Year Lucky Streak

I can’t remember life before him, and I can’t imagine life without him.  Feeling thankful for feeling loved by my wonderful husband of 15 years.

And the Journey Continues...

It was fifteen years, four months and seven days earlier that this same scenario played out.  And I fell for it twice. 

It was a beautiful San Diego evening and Brian and I were on a wild goose chase to run a random errand all the way across town.  The first time, I was a little surprised, but this time I was shocked!  As we made our way around the back side of the Hotel Del Coronado in search of what I thought was the gift shop, I was slightly thrown off guard when Brian nudged me onto the sand.  And then really thrown off guard when he confessed there was no pendant that were supposedly in search of. 

But...why go through all the trouble of getting me here?  He could have just said "let's have a date" and I would have happily obliged. 

Because it wasn't just any date.  In fact, we found the exact spot where he proposed fifteen years earlier and made ourselves comfortable on the rocks to watch the sunset.  And still, I thought it was just special being together in this place, and that it was an intentional moment created to reflect on life and prepare ourselves for what's to come.  I was right, but I didn't expect him to take it one step further.

As we sat on the rocks marveling at the picturesque sunset, Brian summarized his first proposal about setting out on life's journey together.  He talked about the journey so far- the adventures of unexpected storms, the beautiful places and the four passengers we've added along the way.  And the journey that's yet to come.

He presented me with my original wedding ring (which I had not been wearing it since it was in need of repair), which he not only had fixed, but embellished with four additional diamonds- one for each of our passengers (children).  And as we watched the sun set together 15 years later, we agreed to continue our journey together and as a family, whatever adventures life brings.

Feeling content with life is a beautiful thing.  Thanks to my amazing and incredibly thoughtful husband for making me the world's luckiest wife. 

Bon Voyage!

Capturing the Moment

Family pictures are kind of a big deal around here. Mainly because we had never attempted to do them before...with ALL six of us. Until now. And while I had my fingers crossed for good weather, restful naps, and stain free clothes, I knew that most of it was out of my hands. At best, we were hoping for one or two good family shots with the majority of us looking at the camera and a few more of the kids to capture their personalities. Anything more than that was icing on the cake...

Good thing our photographer was flexible and pretty quick. And had the foresight to do family pictures at the (dry) park first and foremost. Although I knew sand would be involved with a beach shoot, I was really hoping water would just be the background. Wishful thinking. So...I could have either chased my kids around, yelling at them and demanding they smile...or we could truly capture their personalities and let them be themselves. In the end, water and wet sand was a small price to pay for some fun, great pictures. EVEN IF the kids weren't striking their best Gap Kids pose and smiling at the camera... 'cuz, let's face it, that's just not REAL life.

A special thanks to our photographer, Shawn Kennedy:

Top 5 Reasons Brian is the Best Dad EVER!

1. He lets the kids run through the sprinklers...with their clothes on! (shoes and everything)

2. He hits the jackpot at their favorite arcade game EVERY SINGLE TIME (yielding hundreds of tickets and an abundance of pointless toys).
3. To the over-tired child he says, "Do you want to just skip dinner and have dessert?". Meltdown averted (and bedtime just got pushed up).
4. French toast on Saturday, pancakes on Sunday. The more syrup the better. And if you ask nicely, he'll even let you do the flipping.
5. When Brian is home, the babies are FFFRRREEEEE. Inside and out, when Dad's in charge that means hours of running around and exploring. Usually followed by a bath (or, in this case, another run through the sprinklers with the added fun of the Slip N Slide).

And not just because it was Father's Day weekend. Brian is the dad who would rather play catch with his kids than spend an afternoon trying to catch a game on tv or spend hours playing golf when he could be playing for hours with his kids. But what makes him the BEST DAD EVER is that at the end of the day, he is still looking for ways to be an even better dad and husband. How did we get so lucky?

The Merry Month of May

One of the drawbacks of being really busy and not using that as an excuse not to exercise is that I fall behind on other things. Like updating our blog. Rest assured that there has been plenty going on with the Wilcox household, and while another drawback of being constantly on the move is that there is less picture taking, there are still plenty of memorable highlights from the last month or so.

Mother's Day: It wouldn't be Mother's Day without the token school-made trinkets, cards and hand-made terrarium. But it was the very original tomato snowman that Blake insisted upon giving me that made it memorable. That, and the feeling of being very loved. (Okay, so it's a little odd, but it's SO Blake. And kudos to Brian for believing in Blake's vision and helping him execute it).

Garrett's First School Performance: Every year at Open House at school they have the kindergartners sing a few songs on stage for the parents. Well, at least all the other parents got to watch...Brian and I were too busy chasing the unrestrained twins around the auditorium. This is also the same reason I didn't get any good pictures of Garrett on stage...but it's just as well. Despite his enormous personality and lack of volume control at home, Garrett gets very shy on stage and spent most of the time chewing on his shirt collar. You would have thought all those hours practicing in the shower would have boosted his confidence...

Blake's Class Field Trip: Another day at the zoo, but this time it wasn't my house or the classroom- it was the real zoo! It was a fun day spent looking at all the exotic creatures and learning something new. For instance, did you know that a polar bear's favorite food is a carrot? And, yes, we got to see polar bears "plunge" and elephants spew water. In fact, most of the animals were especially active as our bus wound around the park. But as a chaperon of three boys, the real highlight (for them) was seeing the Reptile House (with every creepy kind of snake and reptile you never hope to meet) and the Insect Exhibit with the much-more-tolerable ant farms and bee hives. But best of all, it was a quality day spent with one of my favorite students (far right).

Cubs, Tigers and Wolves: After his first year as a Tiger Cub, Blake was officially promoted to a Wolf Cub. Blake is a great match for Boy Scouts (except for the whole painting-on-the-face-thing) and has been earning patches faster than Grandma can sew them on (which, come to find out, is somewhat of a science). As Blake finishes out his first year, Garrett gears up to join as a Tiger Cub this summer, and then officially this fall, with Brian as his den leader. I couldn't be more proud of my boys! (second from the left)

School Carnival: I don't mind volunteering for field trips and helping teachers in the classroom- in fact, I enjoy it! I feel it's a privilege and my responsibility to be involved in the institution where my kids spend most of their time. But anyone who's ventured down the path of school volunteering can tell you that before you know it you will be chairing, running or organizing something significant. And while I've managed to resist that to some degree, I'm always amazed at how many parents don't really care. As for my family...the boys care, maybe too much. They expect that whatever I do for one class, I will do for the other. So while I didn't have to organize the school carnival (other than filling shifts), I did have to work the class booth. For BOTH classes. Still, I enjoyed seeing the proud look on the boys' faces when they saw me working. What I will remember most, however, was watching Garrett anxiously count and save his carnival tickets...and wait in long lines...to buy junk food. He played a few games, but to him the real prizes were the cookies and soda. I guess we know where that apple fell from...

Cans for Critters: As part of the reward for collecting and recycling cans through Cub Scouts, the boys (and Brian) were treated to a day at the Wild Animal Park. (I know, it's only May and we've already done all the "summer stuff"...) They got to go to an exclusive bird show, tour the park and be with friends and fellow Tiger Cubs.

But the best part, if you ask Garrett, was the five or so Lorikeets that sat on his arm and drank sugar water from the cup he was holding. For the kid who loves birds, it is something he will never forget.

50th Anniversary Party: Like I said, May was a busy month. Another first for the boys...going to a "grown up" party to celebrate their Great Aunt Joyce & Uncle Gene's 50th Wedding Anniversary. And while the boys couldn't help but whine and complain about the car ride (5 hours to Palm Springs? Who can blame them?), getting dressed up and just about everything else, what they didn't expect was...to have fun. Garrett channeled his inner party animal and danced the night away....literally. Hard to believe we're talking about the same boy who stood on stage just weeks earlier, nervously chewing on this shirt. Blake had fun too. Turns out, they have decided that "grown up" parties aren't so bad.

I don't know who was more entertained...Garrett, his cousin Emmie, or the party guests.

Swimming like fish: Since Brian wanted to actually have complete conversations and catch up with family members, I opted to stay home with the babies and bring them up on Sunday for some visiting and time in the pool. This was their first experience in the swimming pool, as it's quite a production. At first they hesitated, but after half an hour or so (and once the boys stopped "showing off" and splashing the babies with their cannon balls) they decided they liked it! And we were reminded that two year olds lack impulse control and telling them to WALK around the pool makes them want to RUN! Definitely a two-person (or more) job. Now if I could just convince Ella to take off the goggles...

Memorial Day: The month ended on a high note with Memorial Day. We carried on our annual tradition of planting flowers in the front yard, hanging the flag and talking to the boys about the holiday. This is the unofficial beginning of summer at our house. Which of course included hot dogs and burgers and some fun time spent outside. But the best part was...just being a family.

Of course, for the boys, there's no way of knowing for sure what they will really remember. For Blake, it might be his hikes with Dad.

For Garrett it might be building 500+ piece Lego sets designed for 8+ year olds...all by himself!

Sometimes it's the contrived moments for which we carefully plan...and sometimes it's the simple, unexpected moments of pure joy that remind us that what's truly important.

The Journey: Twelve Years

"It was a perfect summer evening, just before sunset. They sat on the rocks which were nested in the sand. He began by confessing that the evening's plans weren't what he originally told her, and that, in fact, the dozen long stem roses weren't for just any occasion, and that the new clothes he had on weren't just because he needed them. This night was special and it was going to change their lives forever.

He wrote her a story about the journey of life; its peaks, its valley, its rivers and streams, and now...its ocean. With tears in his eyes and a ring in his hand he knelt, proclaimed his everlasting love, and asked her to journey the rest of the way with him- she accepted, of course. So there they sat in front of the beautiful blue ocean, the great unknown. Although what lies beyond that horizon is a mystery, they look forward to discovering it...together."

This was from our engagement announcement (August, 1996). We were married a year later, twelve years ago today. The journey (so far) has been incredible. We've climbed mountains, sailed smooth seas, been tossed about by wild rivers and been gently carried down stream. No matter what unpredictable path life has us navigating, we are fortunate to make the journey together. Not just as husband and wife and mother and father, but also as best friends. Here's to another twelve amazing years and beyond...here's to love, life, family, happiness, faith and hope, and the little things in our lifelong journey together.

I love you, Brian. Happy Anniversary.