ICHTHUS 2007

According to the kids, ICHTHUS was awesome. The pictures speak for themselves.

Ichthus..... One of the many bandsDancing at the concertsThe Whole GangAir Guitars Caleb and JoshLindsey, Justin Lookadoo & JordanThat concert was awesome!!!Jordan and Lindsey
Honk if you love Jesus
Jordan Lindsey and Brooke

Caleb and Allen
Pastor Ron

Hanging at the campsite

Caleb

All about me......

This has been a rejuvenating weekend. I"m calling it the "ME" weekend. Caleb and Jordan have been in Kentucky at Ichthus since Wednesday and I decided to take advantage of no kids for 5 days and take a few days off work just for ME. Does this make me a bad mother? I don't think so. In fact, I think it makes me a better mother. Craig says that I try to do too much for too many and I get myself into trouble sometimes. Trouble meaning stressed from always running and always doing. It's only because I love those darn kids so much!!!

Anyway, I've just been hanging out at home. Mostly gardening which it seems I can never find enough time for. I got the last of my annuals planted, weeded some beds, trimmed some bushes, did a LOT of watering, spent time with Seadra and Zoe (they are great stress relievers), and Craig and I have sat around a fire every night for the last 3 evenings with another one planned for tonight.

The kids will be home tomorrow night and I will be rested and happy to have them home. As much as I am enjoying my "ME" weekend I am still missing them.........

It's 90 degrees!!

Seadra and Zoe aren't going far away from the water dish today.

Henry's Graduation

Yesterday the oldest grandchild graduated from high school. Congratulations Henry!!!! We hope your life is filled with many blessings.

Strawberry Festival Parade/Drum Major

Yesterday Jordan marched in the Strawberry Festival Parade. I am also proud to announce that Jordan is going to be the Drum Major for next year's marching season. We are very excited for her. We love the band!!!!!

Dance Recital

Last weekend finished another year of dance lessons with 3 dance recitals. Here's a few pictures.....

Big Brother Caleb

Jordan's #1 fan

Best Friends

Jordan and Lindsey

Pure Joy

I just watched Caleb get in his car and drive away down the road. He's on his way to work. Does he even have a clue the joy he has brought into our lives the last 17 years? I doubt that he can comprehend. Hopefully someday when he has his own family he will be able to experience what Craig and I have experienced since God blessed us with him.

So often I hear people complain and talk terrible about their kids. I listen to people at work, people in my own family, and many others talk like they do not even like their children let alone love them. And I always think the same thing. How sad it is that they do not have that joy in their lives. I cannot imagine having missed that.

I have heard people counting down the years until the kids are out of the house, anticipating when life can be all about them again. Caleb will be a senior next year and I am the opposite. It's hard for me to think about what it will be like when Caleb is no longer living with us but I also know that he knows this will always be his home no matter where he is.

I am relishing every minute of these high school years with Caleb and Jordan. They will be gone too soon but then we will be on to another part of their lives and I am anticipating that there will be just as much joy down the road, wherever that road may lead.

Tell your children that you love them....today.

Bloggin and Braggin

Time for "Bloggin and Braggin" (I just made that up in case you were wondering). Tonight was Jordan's end of the year track awards banquet. Another proud evening in the Mullauer household tonight. First off Jordan ended up lettering....time to buy that varsity jacket now. Coach had many great things to say about Jordan. He's looking forward to all the things that Jordan is capable of in the years to come. At the end two awards are always given out..."Most Improved" and "Most Valuable". These are voted on by all the teammates. Jordan received "Most Improved"!!!! Here's to a great season....... Good Job Jordan, you made us proud. We are already looking forward to next season.

Memorial Day Parade

Jordan is marching in two parades today. I ran up to main street and caught the Hartford parade. Of course, the band is my favorite entry. Much to my disappointment I couldn't pick Jordan out. I hate when that happens. The band was really large today because they combined the junior and senior band together for the event. They sounded great.
And the veterans always make me emotional. How proud I am!!!!
Happy Memorial Day........

Rain

Well, my gardening plans have been put on hold, at least for a few hours. It's been pouring rain for the last 3 hours. I've been up since 6:00 just laying in bed listening to the rain for an hour before getting out of bed. As much as I love the rain I feel terrible for Craig, Caleb and the rest of the car show crew at Lanes today. This is the highlight of their year. Caleb has been anticipating this for months and months. I keep thinking about them. It's only 8:30 and it does seem to be easing up a bit so maybe the car show will still go on.

I grabbed an umbrella and took the dogs out. Being the wimp that Seadra is she stood on the back porch deciding if it was worth running out into the rain to pee. Finally she darted out and took a 2 second pee and was right back on the porch. My poor neurotic Seadra. Zoe, on the other hand, was happy to run all over as long as I was outside with her.

Now I'm sitting outside on the front porch swing wrapped in a blanket with Seadra and Zoe. Jordan is still in bed. It's so peaceful out here.

I'm letting Jordan sleep in today. At least until 10:00. She puts so much pressure on herself to do well in all that she does that she needs a day like today. It isn't pretty when Jordan gets overwhelmed. School is almost over and so are a lot of her activities. Track and oboe lessons finished last week, and this is the last week of dance......then starts the summer activities. As usual, Jordan has big plans for the summer. The day after school gets out she and Caleb are leaving for Kentucky for Ichthus, a Christan music festival. They will be gone for 5 days. Then Jordan is home for a week and leaves for Disney World for a week with her friend Lindsey and Lindsey's grandparents. Then it's "Drum Major"camp (if Jordan gets the position, we will know next week).....not sure on the details for that yet. Then regular band camp after that. I told Jordan that I hope to get to see her sometime this summer. Oh, the life of a teenager.

Jordan's oboe recital

Caleb has plans of a different sort. He's already been working quite a bit. He loves his job at the golf course and once school is out will start to pick up even more hours. And then there is the Dune Buggy. The Dune Buggy made it's debut yesterday at the car show cruise-in. Josh and Caleb were just beaming driving it in the parade. Caleb has his sights set on Silver Lake Sand Dunes this summer....so do all the rest of us.

Dad and Jordan testing the Dune Buggy

Blessings to all..........

I haven't been lost.......

You might think that I've been lost....no new posts in over a week. I've been missing my blogging. Jordan tells me today that there is no such word as blogging. I say there is. In fact, my spell check just told me I had no misspellings, so there.

We've been so busy that I haven't had time to be on the computer. But much to my relief tonight I am starting a three day weekend. I'm looking forward to relaxing with no commitments. Other than a family cookout in kalamazoo Sunday I am free the whole weekend. Tomorrow I'm going to be gardening....Yahoooo, one of my favorite things.

Here I am starting my weekend....What a great feeling.

AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!

Gas is $3.49 today for low grade.........Need I say more? AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!

The Best Mother's Day Ever!!

Today was one of those days. It just doesn't get any better. Seventeen years ago I became a Mother. And For Mother's Day today I got to stand up in church and participate in my children's baptism and confirmation. I couldn't have asked for a better gift.

"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another" John 1:16

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" John 3:1

Thanks Caleb and Jordan for being the greatest blessing in my life. I love you more than you will ever know. Just being able to say I am your Mother will be the only Mother's Day gift I will ever need.

Glorious Green

I was driving home from work today and for the first time this spring the color green hit me. Finally, the leaves have come out enough that I can no longer see through the trees. It was a wonderful sight. I couldn't get enough of it. It isn't just green trees that I love....... What else do I love that is green?

The green hostas in my garden (because Craig loves hostas)

Asparagus....Yumm-O

I will never see a turtle and not think of Caleb; if you know Caleb you know why.

Nothing like a fresh green salad.

Who doesn't love Kermit!!??

Happy Anniversary!!!

Whose anniversary, do you ask? Why it is the 1 year anniversary of my blog. One year ago today was my first posting. "Happy Anniversary" to my blog and today is also my 99th post. I love my blog.........

What a weekend!

As I wrote in my last posting we were anticipating a very busy weekend. It's Sunday evening and I am struggling to stay awake for a few more hours. I'm afraid that if I go to sleep now (7:00PM) then I will be wide awake at 2:00AM.

Jordan's track meet at Bangor was an Invitational Friday night. Jordan struggled with the hurdles this week. As is consistent with her personality she is a perfectionist and was really beating herself up in what she considered her faults were in running the hurdles. I continue to be impressed with her desire to improve her form and her best times each week.

Saturday was the Blossom Parade. This is the first year of the next 4 years that we will be at the parade because Jordan is marching in it now that she is in the high school band. The Hartford band was #23 in the line up so we stayed for 23 entries. Not because the parade was bad, in fact I was enjoying it but we just had too much on our plates to stay for the whole thing.

Then Saturday evening was the prom for Caleb. Despite the fact that Caleb didn't have a date this year he went to the prom and had a great time. Caleb is everyone's friend and I think the fact that he didn't have a date to worry about allowed him to just hang out without everyone and have a blast.

Then was the "After Prom Party". Craig and I chaperoned the party and didn't know what to expect. Boy were we impressed. I wish we would have had an "After Prom party" when I was in high school. It was quite the occasion. We were locked in the school from 11:30 to 5:00AM. The kids had food, games, sports, music & karaoke, and an auction with tickets they earned from the games. It was so fun and it keeps the kids safe. We got home at 5:30 and slept for a few hours this morning.

So today has been a lazy day. I haven't left the house. Craig did take Jordan and Shane to see the new "Spiderman" movie. They said it was a good movie. I think I'll pass on that one. Spiderman is not my thing.

Happy Days....

I just came inside from walking around in the yard with my camera. My dogwood tree is in full bloom. Some years it is very sparse but this year it's awesome. This picture only shows one branch. It's one of my favorite trees in the yard.
Seadra and Zoe are happy to have me home today. Here's Seadra after she found something that smelled good enough to roll in. See how happy she looks?

This is the start of a very busy weekend for us. It starts about 4:00 today and won't end until Sunday so right now I am relishing in the quiet and calm. Jordan has a track meet tonight, Jordan marches in the Blossom Parade tomorrow, Caleb's prom is tomorrow, Craig and I are chaperoning the after prom party at the school all night Saturday and Sunday we will most likely try to sleep for a few hours in the morning and then try to make the best of what's left of our weekend on Sunday afternoon. I'm not complaining.....it's an absolute joy being involved with these kids. In fact, it's a privilege. I'll be posting some pictures of all our weekend events soon.