Ode to the Teacher

Yesterday morning, the principal at Tom's high school asked Tom if he was going to the school awards assembly that night. Tom wasn't planning on it, but the principal asked him to come, dressed up, and to bring me. I was very excited and very proud when Tom was called up on stage and awarded the Larry Findley Leadership Award! It is a brand new award that the school awards to an all-around, outstanding teacher who displays excellence in all areas: leadership, going the extra mile, being innovative, caring about student learning, being involved in extra-curricular activities, and all around being an outstanding teacher. (I wish I could remember all of the areas that the principal listed) There was even a nice cash prize from an anonymous donor. Way to go Tom!!!!!

I get several compliments a week from students who have been in Tom's classes, and from their parents. When I think of Lincoln's quote "whatever you are, be a good one" I think of Tom. We love you!

Free Color by Numbers, Anyone?

Derek LOVES to do color by number pictures! It has been a lifesaver at church and during long car rides. Anyway, I couldn't find very many quality color by number pictures online or in books, so I decided to start drawing my own. Then I got this idea that I could scan them and make them into a pdf booklet and sell the "email-able" documents on Ebay for like $1.50 for 10 pages, and I sold a few in the first couple days.....that is until Ebay sent me a not-so-nice email about how I was violating their policies. Apparently you can't sell things that can be delivered online or through email. Ooops! So if anyone thinks their kids would like these, you can download them and print them off here (they are mostly boy subjects, but could work for girls too):

www.portraitsbymel.net/colorbynumberA.pdf

I'm sure this is not the end of my color by numbers, so I'll post future ones as well if anyone wants them.

Drawing!

So I spent all winter trying to coerce my kids into coloring or drawing or doing anything that didn't include TV or computer (or being out in the freezing cold). And just this last month they decided that they now love to draw. Well, Dallan loves to draw, and Derek loves to do color-by-number pictures and sometimes he draws stories kind of comic-book style. Very cute! Anyway, I must say, they are pretty good! Dallan has used a couple reams of paper drawing our family members over and over, and although I hope my likeness is not quite that accurate, I think that he is amazing for a two year old! :o)

Dad

Mom, (apparently I have horns!! he, he)