CAN YOU HEAR THE BEAT?...
I've taken music classes at Gymboree since I was 6 months old. I got the beat! I recently moved up to the music 2 class and now I have even more freedom. Ms. Sera lets us choose our own instruments to play in the class "jazz band." I usually switch instruments a few times during the session, but I always beat on the drum.

Boom, boom, boom...

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE!...

18 months and I'm not complaining! Mom started my big day with a berry bowl, a giant whole wheat pancake and eggs. It was good to the last bite. Yum! We always try to do something extra special on my "birthday" and today was no exception. We were busy and having a blast the whole day through! Mom and I spent the day moving from activity to activity and finally ended up at the park. We played with some of the neighborhood kids and a boy from Russia too. I slid down the slide by myself for the first time and then tried my best to climb back up again. Mom was still at the top waiting her turn to come down. We were HOT and sweaty but we didn't mind at all. A day in the sun was a great celebration for me!

Here is what I am up to these days; this is where my mom gets to brag a bit...she is so proud!

Reagan has a definate opinion on things these days. I guess the apple did not fall too far from the tree. You can ask him what he wants for breakfast or what he wants to wear and he will attempt to show you. He will shake his head no in opposition and mumble the word "no" too or he will giggle if you have made the right selection. These days we hear no quite often when chicken is on the table. Reagan is enjoying meatloaf instead...who would have thought? He waves hello and tells you bye-bye and is now including strangers too. He blows sweet kisses, gives open mouth slobber kisses and now includes smooches (with smacks) too. Reagan will now show his love independent of being asked to do so. It is so sweet to have him walk up and plant one on your leg or hold on tight until you pick him up. And don't think you can hide either (not that you would want to.) Reagan can open doors and more. We had to get knob covers to keep him out of danger zones. He actually let himself into the garage one day. Luckily I was watching! He can run, turn in circles and climb onto the couch with ease. He can "Flinstone" his feet to push himself in his car or on his new trike too. His gross motor skills have really developed and his fine motor is soaring! RGT is still using both his left and right hand to complete tasks like feeding himself with his fork and coloring his pictures. Reagan can use his crayons to draw staight lines and some curves aswell. He loves markers and pens and colored pencils too. Some days it looks like the right hand is winning and then it is back to the left again. Side note-he uses his right hand to flush the toilets. :) He can blow his nose and signals to you when his diaper is wet. maybe potty training isn't as far off as I think. I Reagan still loves to read and has even started reading to me. It is amazing to me to hear the tones in his voice or hear the way he mimics my speech patterns and pauses. He knows to point out things in the pictures, where the front and back of the book are, how to turn the pages in order and what is up and down. We can literally sit for an hour just reading and singing songs. These are some of my most treasured moments. Reagan can act out the songs too. He sings along and uses his hands and feet to help me sing about the "Little Piggies," "Twinkle, twinkle," "5 Little Ducks," "5 Little Monkeys," "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and more. The piggies are his favorite right now, but twinkle, twinkle helps put him to sleep. Reagan can tell you what sound all the barnyard animals make. He will also include and owl, tiger, cat, dog, bear, lion, elephant and I'm sure a few more too. He can tell you where all of his body parts are (elbows, chin and cheeks included.) AND...HE KNOWS HIS COLORS TOO! He is working hard on his shapes now. Most of the time he can put the correct shape into his shape sorter. Reagan is also experimenting with numbers. You can say "show me one" and he will hold up one finger. He tries very hard to hold up 2,3,4,5, but we are still working on muscle control in his fingers for that. Listen closely though...you can hear him try to say the numbers. If you take Reagan outside bring your shades. The sun is "so bright" and he will cover his eyes and squint. You can even show him a picture or draw a picture of the s un and he will do the same thing. He is making associations between real life and pictures--he is my little genius! When the day is done this little man knows that it is time to clean up. He likes for everything to be in its place and will tell you when something is missing or just mixed up. Sometimes Reagan notices before me. It is so hard to believe that Reagan has developed so many skills and talents so fast. He is our miracle baby and we are amazed daily by his good nature and love! I think my next list should be all the positive things that Reagan has taught me about love and life, family and time spent on the important things.

BUTTERFLY vs. WASP...
YIKES! We have wasps. All these flowers attract more than just butterflies. Plus, mom thinks that the wasps are "getting" our caterpillars. We have gone from 15 to none. :( Butterflies still visit the garden each day so we should have more soon, but what do we do about the wasps?
















What a beautiful life cycle

OUR 2nd MOTHER'S DAY TOGETHER...
I have to admit that I did not realize the full impact, the importance, of mother's day until I became a mother. I know now all the blessings of the job. The worry, the stress, the smiles, the laughs, the sleepless nights and early mornings and a new day everyday. I only wish I could hold on to each moment, each memory before it passes. I wish I could record all our interactions; each time he acts out a song or story before bedtime or rolls over and smiles at me in the morning. The longer we are together the fuller my heart becomes. How did I ever live without this little man? What did I do with all my spare time?
Reagan has learned so many ways to make me laugh and smile. His "mum, mum, mum's" and "mum ma's" will do it everytime. He know when to lean in for a kiss and how to grab on tight to my leg for protection. What an amazing feeling! My son already knows that I am his protector, his safe place. I have learned so much and of course have a long way to go, but God gave me the greatest gift of love in Reagan. I could not ask for more. Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's! Celebrate your little one. They will always be little to you.

We had breakfast at the Omni and I ate more fruit than anyone else! YUMMY! I even had eggs. Then we visited with Grandma Hamm and my Great Grandma's too. We're planning a family brunch next year that will include both sides of the family.

MY FIRST ART CAR PARADE...

I know the sound a car makes..."VOOM!" I see cars all the time, but these cars were different. Some were big and some were tiny and others did not look like cars at all! Grandma and mom laughed at a few and I just stared in amazement. This was a test of my senses; loud sounds, smelly fumes and lots of people in costumes too. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed sweating outdoors. IT WAS HOT! I think summer is finally here. Maybe next year I can drive the lego car. Mom wants to drive the mirrored car or blow the bubbles in the bubble maker mobile. What car do you want to drive Grandma?

Butterflies fly not drive

GRANDPA'S BACK IN TOWN...
Grandpa was back in town last week. We met grandpa, Donna and the rest of the fam at Papadeaux for some good tastin' seafood. I loved every bite of mine and then I loved every bite of dad's too. I had fish for the first time and grandpa couldn't believe how much I could eat. Mom tried to tell him that I have hit a growth spurt...there is just no fillin' me up. It was a good thing I wore my surfing clothes too because we almost had to grab the life ring off the wall and swim out of the restaurant. We were flooded in and stuck in the parking lot for almost 2 hours. The rains came and the waters did rise. People were walking in the streets with water up to their knees. Mom and dad were so glad that I could sleep in my car seat; 10 pm is much too late for me to be wide eyed. I was a champ. Even after the firetrucks woke me up I just helped navagate us with my sweet little sounds and words. No cries. We were all exhausted and feeling quite dirty and ready for a bath.
















Never trust someone else to take the picture :)

MR. MUNCH!...
It worked! Our butterfly garden is a success. We check on it everyday and of course take pictures of our discoveries. Reagan is loving it and so are mom and dad. We romp though the mud to make sure they have what they need. Mr. Munch was our first caterpillar. Dad names him because he eats so much. He almost devoured an entire milkweed plant by himself. You can see his pictures below. We are mourning the loss of that guy. His crysalis did not hold to the branch. But, we have lots of juniors to follow now. At least 15 of them! We see Monarch's fly, drink nectar from the flowers and apparently lay eggs often and now it looks like we will see even more. We marked the garden with a new pinwheel that Grandma bought for us. Reagan tried it in several places in the yard. It's final resting spot is stuck in the mud of our new butterfly garden. FYI-a defined space and mulch are to follow. This is still a primative garden :)

Should I put it over here?

EATTIN' BREAD...
The neighborhood duck pond is one of our favorite places to go. Ms. Mary (RGT's sitter) takes him several times a week, but she buys the ducks real feed, cracked corn and such. We stick to bread. Trouble is Reagan loves bread too. He usually eats a piece or two in the process. As soon as Reagan's feet hit the grass he was off down the hill. He was so excited that he did a face plant into the mud. Poor baby, had grass, dirt and mud all over his face and hands. He just frownded and looked at me like "what do I do next?" I showed him how to dust himself off and wiped his face clean and he was good to go. This visit we found a turtle that wasn't shy at all. He actually came to the edge of the pond to eat. He even snapped at the duck who tried to eat his piece of bread. Reagan couldn't have that so he started throwing in whole pieces of bread for the turtle. Before too long we had all the ducks, the big turtle, a baby turtle and fish waiting to be fed. Reagan loved it! He wasn't too happy when the bread ran out...I don't think the animals were either. We had to quickly move on to something new. Reagan discovered the bridge. He ran across the bridge time and again laughing and peering over the edge at the lillypads below. They had large white and yellow flowers blooming and were absolutely beautiful. I wanted to stop and take tons of pictures of the little man; he just wanted to run. The next thing he saw was a ball behind a neighbors fence. You can tell by his face that he was very upset that he could not have it. I had to convince him that we had a blue ball just like it at home. It was time to head back. Reagan was asleep before we ever hit the door. A tummy full of bread on a warm spring day will do the trick everytime.

Give me that ball!

BUTTERFLY GARDEN IN THE WORKS...
Mom and I took a trip to the garden center. We picked out lots of host and nectar plants for our butterfly garden. They almost did not fit in the car on the way home. So, I volunteered to hold one. We should be attracting 3 different types of butterflies. We were hot after unloading those guys so we took a trip to the pool with my friend Austin and left the plants in the front yard. When we returned...we had a butterfly! Mom was so excited! She was clapping and telling me all about how it worked! I was just happy to see the Monarch fluttering around me from plant to plant. Mom can't wait to start digging holes and to collect the last few plants we need. We will have eggs, caterpillars and butterflies soon! Stop by for a science tour :)
















Can you spot my butterfly in this picture?

UPCLOSE ENCOUNTERS AT THE ZOO!...
This was one of our best trips yet. We saw all the animals in a new way. The monkeys, who are usually quiet, were grunting and marking their territory They are really loud. I copied their sounds. The giraffes were so tall and right at the fence just begging us to play. As we walked away I found another giraffe on a sign. I kept pointing it out to mom and talking about it. I knew exactly what it was. The fish were interesting as usual. Mom and I made it through the aquarium tunnel together the first time and then I went by myself 3 more times. I thought it was great! I would stop right in the middle to point out all of the fish swimming around and above me. See this big, black bird. It came right up to my stroller and peeked in. It actually checked me out. I was so impressed. I had to get out and follow behind it. At one point I could have touched it I was so close. Mom was glad I didn't. FYI-Mom has a favorite bird, the Blue Breasted Kingfisher. I like the teeny, tiny ones. They fly really fast. The more they move the more interesting they are. Except for the Toucans. They have such brilliant colors. I would love them no matter what. We had a picnic lunch by the longhorn cows from Africa; mom can't remember their names. It was great. A bluejay joined us and of course I threw it a berry. We are looking forward to summer and many more upclose encounters at the zoo.

Zoo days are better than school days!

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!