up down, up down

liam has recently mastered the art of writing his name. and if you go by the artwork that comes home from preschool, that's evidently all he ever wants to do. whereas most of his classmates enjoy doodling/scribbling/ drawing when given a piece of paper and a marker, liam prefers to practice his penmanship. there's usually not much coloring to be seen -- but his name adorns almost every square inch. his skill has really gotten so much better over the past few months. the first few times i witnessed it, he'd be frowning in concentration, chewing his bottom lip and holding the marker with a death grip. thankfully, it now comes much more naturally. but he still has room for improvement -- he hasn't yet progressed to the lowercase alphabet, favoring the straight lines that comprise all four capital letters of his first name; and he still often coaches himself aloud in the process. (i always know he's near completion when i hear him murmur, "up down, up down" as he forms the M.) the above picture is of a project from sunday school this morning. apparently, Jesus doesn't just love liam. Jesus loves "LIAM LIAM LIAM LIAM LIAM". oh -- and LIAM.