Happy Birthday Number Two!

12801402_10201526796889983_7165334671491759278_nMy second child had his second birthday today. Little Alex is the bravest two year old I have ever met. His courage spills out into everything he does and it’s awesome and nerve wrecking at the same time.

I am happy as any parent would be that their child is growing up but it does make me sad a little as well. I know this little dare devil that gives kisses and hugs will one day become a little man and kisses and hugs will be gross and only given to mom and grandma.

His two year milestone is my wife and I’s time to move Alex from his crib to a toddler bed. For his birthday we got him a Disney Cars toddler bed. His crib mattress fits in it perfectly and he was very excited to go to bed in it. We will see how time progresses and if he stays in bed.

Mommy and Daddy wish you a Happy Birthday little Alex. Enjoy your day and I hope you had a lot of fun at your party. Me and your mom thought it turned out well and are so thankful for everyone who came to the party and those who wished they could be there but couldn’t make it.

We wish you many more years of happiness as you grow into the great person we know you will become.

Tiny Feet Filled With Courage

TINY FEETMy son Alex will be two in March. I have been through the “terrible two’s” with my daughter Abby. At least I thought I did for a first time parent. She got into stuff, threw temper tantrums. The usual two year old stuff you would probably expect. However with Alex… He has been a dare devil since his tiny feet hit the ground. Remember my post from June? Well, he is still going at it. He has learned how to climb the stairs using no hand rails, which is not very safe and just drives me crazy. Climbs into his bed and almost out of it. In and out of the bath tub. Over the couch and under the chairs and through the doors, the boy is just a courageous adventurer. So, with his two year just around the corner, I can only imagine what’s next for this miniature Spider-Man.

His communication skills are improving each day as well. It makes me happy to hear him say new words. Even if he doesn’t have them perfect he is at least giving it his best shot. The other night Alex had said “sorry” to mommy for not being nice with a toy. It was good to see that he understood what he was saying and even gave mom a big hug to seal the deal.

Hello World!Alex is basically just  an energetic stuntman. Stuntman Alex does best when we fill him up with some high energy activities. My daughter has always been fine with doing crafts, painting, etc. Alex requires a little more movement. Which is why we have a trampoline for him to bounce on and lots of dance parties in our house. His favorite jams include anything 80’s hair metal with loud thrashing guitars and hard hitting drums. Paradise City by Guns and Roses gets played a lot in our house. I get into it as well, which my wife usually enjoys… Except when I am in her face singing and dancing to Ratt or Poison. More than likely she has had enough by that point. I think she just doesn’t appreciate Bret Michaels as much as I do.

In the future I can see some type of physical activity for him. A lot of kids play soccer around here, but I’m thinking baseball. We will have to see what’s out there for our area. For now, we will continue to bounce off the walls, jumping around having dance parties.

My Kids are My Superheros

1400_Comic Book Kids SepiaEach and everyday I wake up thinking that today is going to be a good day. It doesn’t matter what kind of night or day I had before, I try and stay positive. My reason for being this way, my kids. Without even knowing it they help me every single day. They help me feel like today is going to be one for the books. They are the ones who help raise a smile on my face before I leave for work. Even though they are most likely still sleeping, it is these two little wonders of imagination that are my superheros.

I find it incredible how a child can change your mood in a matter of seconds. You can easily go from happy to mad when they are getting into something. But more often than not, I would like to think these little replicas of ourselves bring in an abundant amount of joy into our lives.

In the scene below from the movie Jaws, Chief Brody appears to be in deep thought about this killer shark, he’s vulnerable and has his back against the wall. He doesn’t even notice that his son is mimicking his every move. Then once he does, he plays into it. Escaping if even for just a few seconds from the terror that lurks in the water.

In this instance it isn’t the parent comforting the child. It is the child that is comforting the parent, just by doing what they do best, having fun. This is how I see my kids. I might be in an off mood or had a long day at work and the silliness of these kids is all that it takes to bring me out of my slump. Brody tells his son to give him a kiss and his son asks “why”. Brody responds with “because I need it.” He did need that kiss, just like any dad or mom having a tough day, no matter the circumstances, “because I need it” is the perfect reason.

1379 SepiaThere are other ways my kids can be included in the Williams Family Justice League of St. Louis. Many days before I head out to work, I will (if she is awake) ask Abby to be a super big helper for mommy while dad is at work. And when I get home and get the daily rundown from mom, there are always positive remarks about how helpful Abby was all day.

Alex on the otherhand cannot do much in regards to being a big helper or really even following directions. He is still learning those concepts, but he shows his true super hero colors when giving dad and mom kisses becomes a game to him. First mom, then dad, then mom, then dad again and so on and so forth. His little personality shines through when he wants, and it just melts my heart.

Even if they look to me as their Super Dad, they (and my wife of course!) are the reason I get up out of bed every morning. They are the reason I smile. They are my little superheros.

Do you have your own little superhero? What kind of things do they do to help save the day? Comment below!

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It’s not always easy being super…

Bull Shoals Family Vacation (day 4 & 5)

Destiny and Abby Bull Shoals 2015Day four of our family vacation was one for the books. Earlier in the week a few of the guys went out and put together this amazing water slide. It was suppose to be over 50 feet but ended up being 30 feet because of how high the water level was. Using a water pump we got the water flowing down the slide and that is when the fun began. Using the GoPro I was able to capture some pretty cool footage going down the slide. My niece took it with her as well as my wife. Alex is still too little to go down the slide and Abby was just a little too scared to try it out. My niece however was a trooper and was having a blast sliding into the lake.

It will be interesting to find out next year if the slide is still there or if the core of engineers will tear it down. Several years ago we hung a zip line between two cliffs and would zip line between them and drop off into the water. They shut down our fun pretty quickly that year. That’s okay though, we still had a lot of fun.

Day five of our vacation was a slow one. We woke up later in the day because of a very active night. Pretty much a lot of the same. Swimming, riding the wet bike, and having fun. Check out the video below to see our fun from day four & five and click here to see day 1 & 2, and here for day 3!

Day Four

Day Five