Throwback Thursday (Wiggly Willie and the Halligator)

Because my family never owned a video camera, very few videos exist of me as a child. The videos that do exist are long - think 20+ minutes of 12-year-old Erin playing Ring Around the Rosey with her preschool-aged cousins - and relatively uninteresting, even to me. 

But because video cameras now come standard in point-and-shoot cameras and smart phones, Will and Hallie will someday have the opportunity to watch themselves grow up. And not just through grainy, faded photos. They'll hear their cries, their laughter, and their first words. They'll see their first taste of birthday cake, their first steps, and the first time they rode their bikes without training wheels. They'll hear and see and, through the magic of video, feel the hugs and kisses and love in our family.

They'll hear and see their tantrums too...I expect this footage will better prepare them for parenthood. 

Will and Hallie were the topic of one of my Flashback Friday posts about a year ago, so today, instead of sharing old-school photos of the kids, I'm going to share my favorite videos of them. I went through more than 360 videos to narrow down our stash to these, my 10 favorites. Well, my two absolute favorites, preceded by 11 runner-ups.

Will was such a sweet, smiley boy back then, and 
on this day he was so clearly proud of his new skill.

Will's first real steps.

Will and Duke were best friends, just like you'd imagine 

a boy and his dog should be. Except that Duke was a cat.

I can't get enough of listening to Will "read" The Foot Book.

You really only need to watch the first 10 seconds of 

this video to understand why it's one of my favorites.

Hallie's very first crawl. 

Will loved helping Hallie learn to walk. 

Make sure to watch this one to the end...

This seven-second clip perfectly sums up Hallie.

Hallie's first real steps.

The first time Will rode his bike without training wheels. 

I was so proud - you can hear me crying in the video.

And finally, my all-time favorite video of Will (and 
Tom - the completely rotten influence - in the background)...

...and my all-time favorite video of Hallie.

I wish there were a way to rewind life - the way I can rewind those six-hour-long VHS tapes of me doing cartwheels across the front lawn - so that I could spend one more hour with my babies when they were just that...babies.