HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAYLOR

Happy Birthday Taylor.....You might be 17 years old today. You might be over 6 foot tall. You might be over 200 pounds. But you will always be my baby.
You were the cutest little guy.
Stacy and Mindy and Casey were happy to have a new baby brother.
When you were learning to talk your first word wasn't mom or dad, it was truck.
You would play trucks all....the ....time.
When you were four we were putting in our back yard.
We had ordered a load of top soil.
After the dump truck had dropped the load of dirt in the yard, you and me went out there in our bare feet and stepped in that nice cool dirt.
You thought that I had got that dirt just for you.
You threw your arms around my neck, looked me in the eye and said "you are a good woman!" That was so funny.
So Dad and I got you your own load of dirt for your birthday. It was the best birthday present ever.
You would spend hours and hours in that dirt pile.

We would go to Wilco Farm Store and get a tub of grass seed.

Then all summer you would plow your fields, plant your crop of grass and wait for it to grow.
After it came up you would work your dirt again with your equipment and till up the grass and start over.

You were the best customer at the John Deere store. Instead of Ninja Turtles like Casey had, you had farm equipment. I think you have at least one of everything they make.
We had lots of ballgames to go to for Stacy and Mindy and Casey. You didn't mind. You took your toolbox full of trucks and tractors with you. There was always dirt that needed played in.

Dad took you to an equipment auction when you were about 4 or 5. He said that you climbed on every backhoe, cat and excavator there.You begged him to buy one.
You just had a thing for equipment.
When you were 7 or 8 your favorite thing to do was to have Dad take you to Circle K on Thursday after 4pm. That is when the "truck trader" and the "equipment trader" magazine would come out.
Dad would buy two. One for him and one for you.
Both of you would sit and look at them for hours.
You would have a highlighter pen and you would mark the ones that you thought we needed.
I remember a few times that you would even call the phone number, get the guy on the phone and then hand it to Dad and say, "here Dad, this guy wants to talk to you."

You were good at convincing Dad that we NEEDED that.

You talked Dad into a backhoe when you were 7.

He brought it home and told you to get on it.
He told you to practice digging a hole and then fill it back in. So you did, over and over again.
It was funny to see this little kid running equipment, but you were good at it.
We should have named you "Shadow" because you were always right beside Dad.

What he did, you did.
What he ate, you ate. (except tomatoes and jalepenos)

He would be so proud of you Taylor.
You don't let anyone influence you into how to act or what to wear.
You are who you are.
You could be a model for Carhart clothes and Romoe shoes.

I had to tell you that you should really wear something nicer than a plaid flannel shirt and old romeo shoes to Homecoming Dance with Brandi.
So when we went shopping you got a new shirt, black wranglers and new romeo shoes. No tie for this kid. Like I said you are who you are.
I could tell Taylor stories all day long. But I really just wanted to say happy birthday.
Thanks for being a great kid.

Don't ever change. I love you just the way you are. Love Mom