JV PARK DAYS AND NOW NIGHTS...
We're hooked! We love the park. I get so excited when we drive past that I literally cackle in my car seat, bounce up and down the best that I can strapped in, kick my legs and point. How could they not stop? Day or night we take a break and play at the park. I call the swing a "wing" and I still try to climb up the slide to go back down. But I am a big boy now and I can slide all by myself. Mom says, "1, 2, 3 go..." (just like at swimming) and down I slide. I even stop to pose so she can take my picture now and then. Dad has joined us for the evening play times. He doesn't like getting sand in his sandles...I told him to tough it out. We are there to play on the equiptment not with our shoes. There is lots of sand and sticks too. I thought I had found a giant stick and I was so excited...then mom informed me that it was a root. I pulled on that thing until my hands hurt. I just knew I could get it, but when it was all said and done the tree won. Mom showed me all the other roots and then she helped me find a smalled stick. Boys! We can make anything a toy.

Wanna play?

INTO EVERYTHING!...
We spend lots of time outdoors. I am into everything inside and out. I love to pick the new petals off of mom's flowers and then try to reattach them or plant them in the mulch. Needless to say there are just a few flowers left in the flowerbed and my nails are dirty these days too. Mom knew the day of stinky little boy would come...it's here and she is loving every minute. Mom tells people that she was girly and did not like to play in dirt and such when she was little. She like to be inside and cool. I am showing her all the things that she missed out on. It's time to play catch up mom...that's why I have to move so fast. I don't want either one of us to miss out again.

Mom said to smile so I gave her a CHEESE!

7:30 AM on a SAT. MORNING...
Is this what you were doing? I think the chores are getting a bit out of control! This is one of RGT's favorite new toys. He loves to mow the lawn and the carpet too. No time for shoes or pants...he wanted out. Chores to do!
















Next up, power washing!

CHORES...
Reagan is a helper. He loves doing chores...even when he is asked not to. Feeding Sassy, Buster and the birds, sweeping the back porch, picking the flowers, brushing the dog, rearranging the cabinets, dragging clean laundry down the hallway or laying it in the dog bed, pulling pans out of the cabinet, picking up shoes, moving items to a new location--esp. those found in dad's messy office, taking dirty dishes out of the dish washer, putting clean dishes on the kitchen floor, and so forth. How could we ask for more?
Reagan is the only person Buster does not bark at while he is feeding. In fact, Reagan feeds Buster about 5 kibbles at a time. He runs back and forth from the tub of food to Buster's bowl and drops new pieces in. Sometimes he uses his hands...other times the measuring cup, but Buster does not mind. RGT is so proud of himself for helping. I'm just glad he has not tried to eat the animal food.















Did you eat those yet?

NO NET...
We took a trip to the Children's Museum with my neighbor Will and his mom, but this time I had to get creative. The big kids had all the nets so I patiently waited my turn. I even tried drinking the water--YUCK! Mom was worried I would develop a strange stomach issue from bacteria filled waters, but I didn't. I had lots of fun until the rains came. Playing in water is lots of fun as long as you are in control...when it falls from the sky it is a totally different story. I did not like getting wet.
















I wonder if this water is filtered?

HIP, HIP HOP...
Happy Easter! This is my 2nd. Too bad it was raining. We made the most of it though. We had breakfast at Grandma Malone's house. It was a feast! I ate waffles, cantelope, blueberries, strawberries and more and I loved every bite. Then, we were off to church. I enjoyed the music and swayed back and forth with mom. I think she had a master plan though. I was sleeping on her shoulder by the time the pastor started his sermon. I woke up just in time to add a few words to the prayer and sing another song. I was perfect! When we got back to Grandma's house I had a basket of goodies to enjoy. Grandma had stuffed giant eggs with cranberries, cherries, goldfish and animal crackers and mom hid the eggs around the living room. I found eggs in the plants, the couch and more. What little boy wouldn't try to find these eggs? Mom kept trying to take my picture, but all I wanted to do was open the eggs and see what was inside. Well, eat what was inside is a more honest answer. I did not have time to sit or smile. I was a busy boy!
Later that day, mom told me all about the real celebration of Easter. We read the book that Grandpa Malone gave me about the Easter story and I listened to every word intently. Mom is anxious to see the Godly man that I will become.

Hoppy Easter!

GALVESTON GET AWAY...
There were lots of fish, sand, smiles and sea, but NO SUN! We took a road trip...finally! Mom has been promising me that we would make it to the beach and we finally did. I don't think I liked it though. It was FREEZING and mom wanted to walk me all the way out on the pier! It was all of 40 degrees and the wind was blowing so hard against mom's teeth as she smiled that they hurt. She wanted me to have the full experience; feel the wind, see the waves, smell the stink and hear the ocean waves crash against the rocks. It worked. I had plenty. None of this could keep mom and dad from stopping for ice cream on the seawall though. Like I said, they believe in having the full experience! I'll give the beach another try this summer. Warm weather and water seem to be a better match. Next time I'll be surfin' the waves, building sand castles and more.
I loved Moody Gardens and the Rain Forest Cafe too. Fish have always been my favorite. I saw all kinds of fish and sea life, penguins and sea lions too. A funny thing happened with the last of those guys. Mom and I were standing looking at the sea lion tank under ground when the largest of the bunch swam so close to the window that mom got startled. She jumped back and said whoa. Well, that scared the bajebbies out of me. I started crying and wanted nothing to do with the big swimming beasts and the scary tank. Mom had to prove to me that she was fine and that the sea lions really are beautiful creatures. We had plenty of time to point and laugh afterward. I went from exibit to exibit loving every minute of my adventure. There were so many things to see and I just pointed at them all. I ooohed and ahhhhed and laughed and giggled and pointed some more. Mom and dad were thrilled that I was having such a good time. Then we were off to lunch in the rain forest. I ate my lunch surrounded by elephants and gorillas and a fluttering butterfly too. Talk about entertainment. I wasn't even scared! After lunch mom and dad took me on my first river ride. Mom held on tight. There was lots to see and hear we had the whole tube to ourselves.
The ride home was relaxing. I was worn out. Mom and I snoozed while dad obeyed the traffic signs. We got a speeding ticket on the way there so at least he learned from his mistake :). Until next time Galveston! See you this summer.

BRRRRRRR...My nose is red, but it is not from the sun

NEW WHEELS...
I guess you can tell by my face that I was pretty excited to get my own set of wheels! FREEDOM! Those little cars just don't have the leg room that this one offers. Ms. Mary, my babysitter, decided it was time I got a car. She bought this one for me for Easter. You don't find me inside too often...I have too much to do outside. If you ever need a ride just give me a call. I can make all the car sounds and I can show you how to prop your feet up so we can really go fast. See you soon!
















VROOM!

PEEK A BOO...I SEE YOU!...
Summer time is just around the corner and mom is on a mission to stock our yard with fun outside toys. This week dad had to go out of town so me and mom took at trip to the store. Hee, hee...dad is in for a surprise, but he won't mind. I got a new crawl thru tunnel, a lawn mower, a climber from a neighbor, an automatic bubble blowing wand, a plush chair for my reading nook and 2 new books. Whew! We had fun shopping and now we are having even more fun playing. There are so many exciting things to try out! Even Buster wants in on the fun. He plays peek-a-boo too.

Wanna try?

GRAMPS IS ANOTHER YEAR OLDER...
Gramps, Pappy, Pops...Grandpa does not like any of these names, but mom thinks an ol man needs an ol name. What do you think we should call him? HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA!
We celebrated Grandpa's birthday with Mexican food and dad made him a carrot cake from scratch. I love a celebration. I usually get to try out something new. This time I had a chicken fajita complete with rice, beans, cheese, sour cream and guac. That is why I made my cheeseball face. I was so happy! Mom said, "say cheese" and so I did. I liked the carrot cake too. Grandpa was pretty silly too. He played games at the table with me. I laughed and then I cried...It was getting late and I was getting tired. Everyone laughed because I made the cutest sad face frown they had ever seen. Mom wishes she had a picture of that to share. See you soon Grandpa!

HAPPY 56 Gramps!

LOOKING for the PERFECT PATCH!...
2nd annual bluebonnet pictures sure did come up quick. This year I was able to sit in the flowers instead of lay in the sea of blue. And, I would like to note that I did not get any ant bites this year--yea! Grandma Malone, mom and dad were ready. They came prepared with the camera and video cameras, blankets and mom even hunted down a chair. She asked a lady on the side of the road if we could borrow it for awhile. It was perfect. It was a good thing they had a tank full of gas...we drove a long way! I took a nap. Mom was looking for the perfect patch. As it turns out, even a small patch takes great pictures. We had a blast! Or, at least the grown ups had fun. I wanted out of those flowers! Mom helped me smell them, tickled my toes with them and I even squished a few, but enough is enough. I was ready to roam! I have to admit though. I loved rocking in the chair. So BIG!

Enough of the flowers...get me out of here!

RODEO DAYS, HOUSTON...
YEE-HAW! Ridin' the range with my folks was great fun! Aunt Melissa, Uncle Gene, Aunt Carley, Uncle JJ and my lil cous Wes had lots to of fun too. This was the day of lots of firsts for me. I rode a pony and cried when I had to get off. I took my picture sitting on a longhorn. This time I cried when I had to get on. I pet three rabbits. They were so soft I giggled. In the petting zoo, I had my shirt eaten by a deer. I had a look of shock and then disgust when my shirt was all wet. I decided the goats were more fun. One tried to climb in my lap when mom was taking my picture! That's when the giggles and then the look of surprise returned. I wore a cowboy hat a few times during the day. I was a real deal lil cowboy. I went to a fair there was so much to see and hear. Mom was surprised I could sleep through some of it. Too bad for me though, I was just a smidge to short to ride any of the rides. Mom and dad tried to sneak me onthe giant slide, but the workers were doing their jobs and measured me. 2.5 inches to small. So, I drank part of mom's icee, I was hot and it tasted great, and ate a few dippin' dots instead. YUMMY! It was a great day with the fam. Now part of tradition. See you all next year for part 2.

Cowboy Reagan Taylor at 16 months!

LITTLE PIECES...BIG JOY!
Reagan and I often take walks in the wagon to our neighborhood duck pond. I have to say though that spring is not the best time of year to visit. It is beautiful, the weather is wonderful, but the ducks are all a bit crazy! Reagan loves to feed the ducks. He holds the bread bag the whole way there. He had been practicing breaking off little pieces of bread to throw to them too. He has it down...to crumbs. I just laugh. It makes him so happy. He actually squeals as he chases the ducks around. He looks for ones that missed out on the bread, points to them and is off again. My main job at the pond is to prevent Mr. RGT from swimming with the turtles. I think he would try. He loves to walk right up to the water and look at the ducks that are bobbing or feeding off the side of the pond walls. This kid is an amimal lover!

He even brings joy to the ducks!

THE CHILDREN'S ZOO...
Mom and I took a day to ourselves. We went to the zoo. It was such a beautiful day, we just had to get outdoors. We saw lots of animals, some new and some I had seen before. My favorite this time was the bird house. We stood very quietly on a bridge and birds flew all around us. This was really exciting for me; really scary for mom. She is not a huge fan of birds. What a testiment of love. Mom watched for birds all day just for me. She even wants to put a bird house and bird bath in the backyard so that more birds will stop by to visit. More on that later. We had lunch infront of the Meerkat exibit. Needless to say, I did not eat much. I was too busy watching those little guys run and dig. Their funny!
Then we made it to the Children's Zoo exibits. WOW! I had a blast with all the things here. It was chilly out, but the sun felt great so I decided I needed to try out the water park. I didn't mind getting wet. It was fun! Mom had to take my shoes off so I could walk around with dry feet later. I can't wait to get back there. Then we headed to the petting zoo. Mom decided...GOATS ARE JUST NOT NICE! I was so sweet. I pet them gently. I pointed at them, laughed at them and brushed them too. Mom just kept taking pictures. And then...I got a head butt. That goat knocked me over. You should have seen my face. I had the biggest frown, tiny tears and look of shock ever. Mom didn't know what to do. She told on the goat and he had to go to "time out" for awhile. Don't worry about me though. I got right back up and found a new goat (after some mama lovin' first.) Bad thing is, it happened again. Mom is starting to worry if I will develop a fear of goats. 2 head butts, 2 knock downs and I was so sweet! We found a new place to play.

Mean 'Ol Goats!

TRAINING PASTE...
You can't fool me! I know there should be something on my toothbrush besides water. That is where the training paste comes in. I love the taste (Fruit Splash) and I love to brush my teeth. I CAN DO IT MYSELF...Mr. Independent! I have molars now. The 2 on the top are half way in and the 1 on the bottom right is poking through. I've been working on the top ones since December! Mom can't tell if it is another ear infection or the teeth hurting me. I just keep pulling my ears and banging on my head too. It is hard being a little man. I'm up to 11 teeth and 1 more on the way.

You Brush Your Teeth!

MY LITTLE CHEESE BALL!...
Reagan is a healthy happy 15 month old. He just had his check up with Dr. Nguyen and after 3 shots and lots of tears he is doing GREAT! He weighs 29.4 pounds and is 33 inches tall. His head is 50.4 cm. All those brains take up lots of space. He ranks between 95-97% for all of the above. And, we have good news! After a month of antibiotics and Zyrtec his ears are finally infection free. A 2nd test (I won't try to spell it) revealed that there is still some fluid behind his ears so we have an appointment to see an ENT next week. This has been going on for quite awhile and RGT has been off balance. If you notice in the picture with Dam-Ma his mouth is cut. We were scared it would be the 2nd round of stitches. Reagan was walking behind Preston and fell at an angle into the railing of our bed. RGT is an active little boy and I don't want fluid in his ears slowing him down. I would rather be proactive then just wait and see. Please keep him in your prayers.
So, as for the silly grin. RGT is showing you his band-aid. He took it off his leg. Like I have said before, it is impossible to get the picture shot you want. He moves too fast. That is why lots of the pictures are blurred. We need the sports mode on the camera. The plan was to take his picture, as I always have, on his comforter with his shot bandaids on. Not this time! This time, he rips them off and brings them to me. Then he walks us both to the bathroom to throw them in the garbage. Oh, my little MR. CLEAN baby.
So, here are the things that he is up to now. So much has been mastered in the last 2 months. I am amazed each day as we add another to the list. Monkey see, monkey do. Reagan loves to copy you. He can blow his nose, clean up a mess, wipe himself with toilet paper--watch out, he will try to wipe you too :) brush his hair and his teeth, climb anything infront of him and point to his eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, hair, head, ears, and more. He actually requests a bath. He gets so excited he runs to the tub. He blows on kisses and gives open mouth kisses and hugs. He is still in swim lessons and has mastered the wait and go commands. He is trying to put his face in the water, but mostly drinks it. YUCK! We are working on closing his lips together and blowing bubbles in the water too. Reagan can blow on hot things though. He blows on his food, the night light, the candle, and anything else that he knows is "HOT." Funny how children lump it all together. His innocence makes me smile each day. And then...He will throw a temper tantrum just to get your attention and make his point known (This happens mostly with me,) stand on his head in a tripod position and just about flip over...this makes us VERY NERVOUS! He has a small chip in his front tooth now. We don't even know how it got there. Reagan loves to chase Sassy and Buster. This child has no fear of animals. Not even of goats! He can take you to what he wants, point at it or shake his head no if he decides it is not what he wants. We get lots of answers to our questions with the head shake. He likes to help clean up and has started putting things away on the shelf or cabinet when asked to help. He puts his instruments and balls away at music too. He loves to turn lights on or off and to ring the door bell too. He is trying very hard to open doors and as soon as he can get the knob turned and push at the same time he will have added another feat to the list.
Here is the big boy stuff. RGT has always liked sleeping in a bed better than his crib so we got rails for the bed in his room. He takes his naps with out a problem in the big bed. He still snuggles with us at night. We are trying whole milk for the 2nd time. Too bad, he still does not like it. I don't think it likes him either. He has a bit of a rash on his face and elsewhere that came just after the milk did. This is pretty funny though. When I give him his milk, he takes a sip, makes a face, says "ughh" and then chunks it on the ground. It happens everytime. I bought some soy milk at the store this weekend so we may be trying that soon. I will call the doc to check in on that one.
All in all, I have to say again how blessed we are to have Reagan in our lives. The joy he brings with his smiles and laughs can turn any day around. I have heard so many people say how "brave" I am to make it through the chemo and keep doing all I am doing. Reagan is the reason. He made me get up and go. He went to each appointment with me, sat with me, played with me and made me remember that I have the #1 reason for fighting, for pushing though, for being the best I can be. God has a plan for all of us. He knew what he was doing when he gave me Reagan. He is my encourager! Reagan sees all the little things with amazement. An ant, a leaf, a pinecone, dirt. Everything is new to him and his since of wonder makes you stop and think about all the things you just walk by each day. Take it from RGT the birds are worth listening too, everything you touch has a new and exciting texture and fresh air will fill your lungs as the wind takes your breath away. Appreciate the things you have, the people who are in your life and the gifts and talents you bring to those around you. You may be someone's reason for making it. So, be a CHEESE BALL!

















Mommy's EVERYTHING!

CHARGE!...
This is my motto. Go, go, go!
















Mom is in the background saying, "slow down!"

WATCH ME...I CAN COPY YOU!...
Monkey see, monkey do. I can copy what you do too! I think I am big stuff and I am willing to give anything a try. Except turkey hot dogs. Those get fed to Buster. YUCK!
We spend a lot of time at the park these days. I need a place to run and climb and play. Mom takes me to the park where she used to play in JV and now to the school playground too. Mom keeps telling me that eventually we will have our own fort in the backyard...come on dad...give in! I have a ball everytime play. Mom has to run to keep up with me at times. Sometimes I think I can do the slide all by myself (mom is too scared.) Other times, I want to hold mom's hands. I see lots of new friends at play too. I greet most of them. Mom has to remind me that I don't know them yet. We even share some of the sandtoys. Mom can tell that I am growing up. I love my interactions with other little guys and gals like me. I think I am going to be ready for school next year. Mom thinks I will like it too.

Best behavior please...I am going to copy you.

OH-WEE!...
That's what my family says when I am so sweet. And these days, I love giving hugs and kisses. I make all the sounds that go with them too; Mmm-Ahhh. I can squeeze your neck tight or plant a big open mouth kiss right on your mouth. Sometimes I just lean my head into yours so you can give me a kiss too. I love being loved on.
















Sweet Baby Reagan!