we're still here

So, uh, hi. A life well-lived since November, no doubt.

Logan is shining in preschool, especially now that he's one of the Copper Room's older boys. He's made pals with several of the younger boys who have introduced him to Spiderman (that was a big hit over Christmas as Santa delivered on several promised Spiderman gifts, including a ball and loves). Logan is also good friends with Alec, another 5-year old who teaches him things like "chest bumping" thanks to his 11-year old brother.

The Copper Room is a bright place with great teachers, Paula and Joyce, who let the kids lead the way in many cases as to what the room's "theme" will be. Last year, horses were the theme, as the kids did a lot of horse drawings and sculptures, and even visited a horse farm. This year, wood sculptures have been all the rage, as parents brought in different sized wood scraps which the kids then used to create sculptures (Logan made a microscope). The art teacher is having them draw the sculptures and create smaller cardboard sculptures, helping them learn about concepts like positive and negative space.

In the past few months, Logan has expressed more self-confidence and self-awareness than he ever has before. His teachers notice it in the classroom, and we notice it at home. One of his teachers commented that his writing skills have improved dramatically in the past couple of months, and today the art teacher Amy told me that she's never before seen Logan so verbal -- he talks endlessly about the sculptures and the things he's making (and she's been his art teacher for three years).

Logan also started karate last December, which coincides with his increased confidence. He raises his hand ALL THE TIME in karate when the instructor asks questions, and he does the same in preschool (even if he doesn't know the answer!). He's earned his orange belt in karate and will compete in his first tournament next weekend.

His latest joy is making things out of paper--cutting up pieces of paper, making holes in the paper, attaching strings, coloring on them. He's made police uniforms, kites, fishing rods, fish, millions of little notes, maps (road, treasure and planetary), spiderwebs, Spiderman costumes, and badges. He fills his school mailbox with all his work and brings them home in big bags. The space beside his chair at the dinner table is covered with his paper creations.

He's a big kid. 43 inches, 50 pounds. He continues to be both a good eater and a good athlete - getting outside to play is one of his favorite things to do. He still loves the monkey bars, which he worked so hard to master last summer, climbing the jungle gym, and anything that allows him to run, run and run some more. He wants to join a baseball league with Alec this summer.

He's learning to read, sounding out words and figuring out how to spell them. Books remain a big part of his life, as they have always been -- a particular new favorite is The Adventures of Riley series about a 9-year old boy who goes traveling around the world with his scientist-uncle and learns about tigers, penguins, dolphins and polar bears. He also continues to be intrigued by numbers, especially distances and time ("How many miles have we gone?" is a constant refrain in the car these days, and whenever he gets ahold of a tape measure, you can be sure everything within range will be subject to measurement scrutiny).

He starts kindergarten in September. Wow.