Behind the incredible photos of @thatdadblog is an incredible story. Alan Lawrence, a Utah-based designer and photographer, is the father of six kids – including, Wil, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome shortly after birth. About one in every 691 babies are born with Down syndrome, and approximately 400,000 people in America live with it today. Despite the specific challenges that come with this genetic condition, Alan describes his experience as a blessing on his Facebook: “”” Wil has changed our lives for the better. He is not a burden to our family, he is not a trial for our family he is just amazing. It’s hard to describe the joy he brings to each one of us. Even though he has Down Syndrome we know that Wil is going to do anything he puts his mind to – Wil Can Fly. “”” **The photos below capture creativity and joy at its brightest. Wil will move you.**
Wil’s new favorite toy is his brothers Hulk mask. He wears it at random times and scares me to death went he comes flying around a corner with it on. Today he discovered that it scares our dog so of course he had to chase her around the yard until the sun went down. #wilcanfly #flyinghulk #bringinglight A photo posted by Alan Lawrence (@thatdadblog) on Oct 25, 2015 at 9:43pm PDT
One rule we have when picking pumpkins is that if you can’t carry it you can’t claim it. We had some good picks tonight but I think Nikolas might pop a gizzard before he gets this one to the house. #wilcanfly #bringinglight A photo posted by Alan Lawrence (@thatdadblog) on Oct 21, 2015 at 8:52pm PDT
Happy Birthday to our sweet little William. I am so grateful that God let us be your parents. You have already helped us grow in ways we didn’t know we needed. #wilcanfly #bringinglight #theluckyfew #downsyndromeawareness A photo posted by Alan Lawrence (@thatdadblog) on Oct 14, 2015 at 9:20pm PDT
We managed to get all of our apples picked last night. As usual I had to stop at least one apple throwing war and convince Ali that she did not need to taste test every apple before putting it in her basket. Looking forward to @nikkizl famous apple pie and coming home to the smell of canning apples. #wilcanfly #bringinglight #fall #downsyndrome #downsyndromelove A photo posted by Alan Lawrence (@thatdadblog) on Sep 23, 2015 at 6:35am PDT
Our dog Annie managed to keep Wil entertained this morning while the other goonies moaned about it being too early. #wilcanfly #bringinglight A photo posted by Alan Lawrence (@thatdadblog) on Aug 22, 2015 at 1:01pm PDT
Squeezing every last ounce of summer before school starts tomorrow. #wilcanfly #bringinglight #downsyndrome #theluckyfew #sharegoodness A photo posted by Alan Lawrence (@thatdadblog) on Aug 18, 2015 at 7:13am PDT
I have to admit that I am a little bit of a Star Wars nerd. There are so many Star Wars references I could have used on this post but I will refrain and your welcome. I do want to give a big thanks to the people at Lucas Films for taking us on a private tour of Industry Light and Magic when we were in San Francisco. I have dreamed about working for ILM ever since I saw Empire Strikes Back in the theater as a kid. It was awesome to see where the magic happens. Apparently I told Nikki “I can’t believe I am standing here” a bajillion times while we where on the tour. Unfortunately they made me sign a document stating that I would not post any pictures from the tour or I would be killing your feed right now. Checkout the blog for the rest of the pictures and video from our trip to San Francisco. #wilcanfly #bringinglight #downsyndrome #downsyndromeawareness #ilm #lucasfilms #starwars A photo posted by Alan Lawrence (@thatdadblog) on Aug 6, 2015 at 9:53am PDT
Not quite done with the blog post from our visit to SF but I had to share this photo of Wil. This was his reaction to seeing the ocean again after a few hours of driving. #wilcanfly #bringinglight #downsyndrome #downsyndromeawareness A photo posted by Alan Lawrence (@thatdadblog) on Jul 28, 2015 at 9:14am PDT
I love watching these two play together, usually it’s Barbies or dress ups but today it’s Lego skyscrapers. Im helping Wil put these last bricks on and it’s turned into an intense game of Jenga. i’m pretty confident that Wil’s going to win. @halfpinthipsters #wilcanfly #bringinglight #downsyndrome #downsyndromeawareness A photo posted by Alan Lawrence (@thatdadblog) on Jul 20, 2015 at 7:31am PDT
There are some major advantages to having a child that can fly. We didn’t have cell service on our hike in Henry’s Cowell State Park and we managed to get lost on our way back. I didn’t feel comfortable having Wil fly ahead to find the right trail but he did manage to fly above the Redwoods and point us in the right direction. Be sure to check out the blog today, I just posted the video from our adventure in Henry Cowell State Park and at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. #wilcanfly #bringinglight #downsyndrome #downsyndromeawareness A photo posted by Alan Lawrence (@thatdadblog) on Jul 13, 2015 at 1:35pm PDT
Wil right before his barrel role dash down to the falls. We were all a tad bit jealous since there was no other way of reaching the falls on foot. Checkout the blog to see our day at Big Sur and to watch our latest vlog post. #wilcanfly #bringinglight #downsyndrome #downsyndromeawareness #bigsur #mcwayfalls #highway1 #pch A photo posted by Alan Lawrence (@thatdadblog) on Jun 30, 2015 at 11:22pm PDT
Wil gave us a scare at Disneyland after we noticed he was no longer in his stroller. Found him around the corner showing off for this guy. Read the whole story on the blog along with the photo of him flying next to the roller coaster and the video from our surprise stop at #disneyland Link in my bio or on the Facebook page. #wilcanfly #bringinglight #downsyndrome #downsyndromeawareness A photo posted by Alan Lawrence (@thatdadblog) on Jun 16, 2015 at 7:10pm PDT
I noticed Wil was not in his bed sleeping so I went down to the beach and found him racing waves. He’s going to have a hard time leaving the ocean. #wilcanfly #bringinglight #downsyndrome #downsyndromeawareness #socal #pch #sanclemente A photo posted by Alan Lawrence (@thatdadblog) on May 20, 2015 at 9:20am PDT
Stopping to stretch our legs and get some altitude during the long drive. #wilcanfly #bringinglight #monumentvalley #utah A photo posted by Alan Lawrence (@thatdadblog) on May 11, 2015 at 8:39pm PDT
Weaving in the trees. #wilcanfly #superwil #WHPoutofplace A photo posted by Alan Lawrence (@thatdadblog) on Jan 10, 2015 at 3:19pm PST