Ugh. I had planned to be so much better about this blog. Oh well. I'll keep trying.
Things have settled down here a bit over the past couple weeks. Between last May and this November I was swamped at work with two big (for us) exhibitions. Scott and I had to keep spotting each other time at work--he'd take Liam to school one morning so I could go in to work early, then I'd have to watch Liam on the weekend so he could make up the time. Yuck. That's precisely the lifestyle we've consciously tried to avoid. We're in a bit of a lull now, but after the holidays we'll have to go into high gear one more time until March, when my next big show opens. After that our schedule slows down quite a bit, thanks to Mr. Economy. I must confess--I'm quite relieved in a secret, selfish corner of my mind.
Rather than try to catch up on the past several months, I'll just make a few notes about recent events. Halloween was absolutely fantastic from Liam's perspective. He dressed up as Diego the Animal Rescuer, from the Go! Diego, Go! tv show. Of course I was secretly hoping he'd choose something non-licensed, but he was glowing with joy as Diego, so I was too. After looking online for ready-made costumes, I decided they were all lousy and over-priced, so we got a vest like Diego's on sale from Woolrich, and a Diego "rescue pack" from some internet store, and then used Liam's regular clothes and Dad's watch for the rest of the costume. I also made Diego's official "animal rescuer" patch for the vest, which seemed to clarify things a bit. I bought a dark wig for him from K-mart too, since Liam doesn't exactly look like a native Spanish-speaking boy, but my ever-practical boy (clearly his father's genetic contribution--certainly not mine) declined the plastic hair and went au natural. Perhaps Liam could be Diego's melanin-challenged distant cousin... It was a thrill for all of us 
that so many people recognized the costume right away--whew. I was a little worried since so much of it was normal clothing. Trick-or-treating was such a success that Liam opted to "take a little break" on a neighbor's lawn, as the candy was quite a load to carry.We also did the annual pumpkin-picking trip the weekend before Halloween. Liam, of course, felt best dressed in cammo and bearing
two light sabers. For a fairly non-violent kid, he 
sure has an appreciation for the style of combat. He also took a photo of Scott and me brandishing the light sabers in the pumpkin patch, which turned out quite well. I absolutely love this age and all its magic and fantasy. Lately, Scott's old motorcycle helmet has been doubling as a clone trooper (Star Wars) helmet, which is fantastic. It's so big and heavy that Liam can hardly hold his head straight when he's wearing it. Small price to 
pay for glory.Liam and I also drove to Ohio in October to attend my cousin
Sara's wedding. We shared a hotel room with Grandma Maggie and Grandpa Ed, and we even ordered room service for breakfast. Liam got pancakes, of course. It was great to see family members who I haven't seen in a long time, including my Grandma Singleton (right, age 90) and her sister Helene (left, age 93). I hope their longevity genes have made it down to me somehow. Liam looked just
dandy in red suspenders and a Spiderman ring, and he danced the 
night away with various family members (and others ?), including Grandma Maggie, my cousin Mo, Grandma Singleton, and my uncle Jim.It was a lot of driving in three days, but definitely worth the trip. Family members live so far apart that it was a rare opportunity to see so many in the same room.
Other big news is that Liam has started to show an interest in coloring and/or drawing--mostly
if it has a practical end, such as completing a maze or a puzzle, but STILL--it's exciting to see him with a crayon in hand. I got him several activity books--he couldn't care less about coloring in the pictures, but he zooms through the puzzles. Again, not my genes. He also surprised us by suddenly reading all the books in the little beginning-reader set we've had for months. I was prepared to wait patiently and indefinitely until he showed some interest in reading, when all of a sudden he blew through all of them before bed one night last week. Turns out his pre-school has the same books and he's been working on them since September. What a nice surprise! He's so proud of himself too, which is the best part.Time for bed. I hope this makes up for the long hiatus. I'll keep trying...
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