Dyleva

24 June 2021

12 Years!

Before Covid happened last year, I felt like I still had little kids. Now, I don't even know what happened but it feels like they are all grown up.

In just the span of 15 months, Dyleva has both grown and changed. I am thankful for the quality time that the pandemic has given me with my children, while they were still children.

On that note, my baby has turned 12 years old! We celebrated a couple different ways. Eva really wanted to show Tia Jill and her cousins the Fuji Grill. They loved it!

Of course, here is Eva actually turning 12.

The night of her birthday, we had gourmet cupcakes. Tia Linda, Tio Pete and her grandparents came over to sing to Eva.

However, the best was Eva's actual party. This year we booked it at the Botanical Gardens. Eva invited her friends, cousins, and neighbors. We spent weeks preparing; getting the menu ready, the prize bags, and organizing the games.

The guests were able to tour the gardens, and participate in a scavenger hunt. The kids LOVED being able to go around the gardens on their own.

We had a very nice brunch spread, and played several new games, like Eva trivia and headbanz.

The day was a success!

23 May 2021

In Grandma's Footsteps

"Eva, are you sure that is what you really want?" I asked awaiting her response.

Dyleva is old enough now, if they want something, they put in a request.

Eva was asking for a sewing machine. Cringe!

Not because I am against sewing; I'm all for it. It is because I do not have the patience to help her.

Many moons ago, Jeff bought me a sewing machine. I sewed everything by hand; he thought obviously, let's see what she can do with a machine!

Well, I have your answer. Jump up and down and scream like a raving lunatic because you can't thread a bobbin. That's what I ended up doing with a sewing machine.

https://youtu.be/N9wsjroVlu8

Anyway, after much thought, I donated that beautiful machine to my buddy at 33 that is a HomeEc teacher. He was very grateful.

***

I digress.

Eva does not get this from me. When I was little, my mom made all my clothes. (Unfortunately, to match my sisters....) Candy always had a knack; a special talent for sewing. It apparently has skipped a gereration.

Fast forward 10 years. Here I am, buying a sewing machine.

This one, I purchased the idiot-proof threader. (It was $40 additional but well worth it.)

We will see how this works out....

13 May 2021

For the Love of Musicals

I don't know if it has been since the arrival of Hamilton, or Eva's increased exposure to musicals through ATA, but she has been super into musicals lately!

Awhile back, I eventually, grudgingly, let her watch Grease. We had a girl's day and veged out and watched Mamma Mia! and Evita- back to back.

And of course, we need to watch the musicals that she is featuring in her productions now at ATA. Sometimes this is a blessing, other times it is torture!

Most recently, Eva performed Shrek! and excerpts from Godspell, and upcoming Bye, Bye, Birdie and Oklahoma.

Eva has recently made the decision to audition for a more challenging company next year as well, APG Intensive.

Any complaints, she will have to present them in musical form.

02 May 2021

Greek Godesses

As we navigated through hybrid learning, Eva has discovered an interest in Greek mythology. She started memorizing the stories of the Greek gods and goddesses. Eva drew them. She read graphic novels about them. And we started to listen to audio stories and reading short stories before bed.

Eva is always continuously amazing me with her ambition and interests!

A Close Call

I don't know why, but I just feel like it has been non-stop drama the past 2 months. And not good drama, like "Hey! You won the lottery!"

It started with Eva's hand, skiing. We thought we dodged a bullet, then got a phone call that the bone professional just isn't quite sure if it is broken or not. Talk about a false positive!

Then the day after hiking with our friends, Dylan complained his head hurt. He said he went to the nurse. She said he must have bruised it, and gave him an ice pack.

Dylan was telling me this, and it just didn't add up. "When did you hit your head?" I asked. Knowing Dylan, it is entirely possible just walking through a doorway. "I didn't!" he assured me. I came home, looked at his head, and found a tick lodged in the side of his temple.

I waved to my friends at the desk in the emergency room as I entered. This time I decided, well, I might as well download the app. We are here enough.

Little did I know we would be back in a week.

Well, I mean, why wouldn't we?

In the meantime however, Gizzy took a turn and had his cojones removed.

Anyway, he sported a very fashionable plastic cone for 10 days. It did not seem to bother him in the least. In fact, he was rockin' it because it gave him extra protection against the cat.

Which, the whole procedure was a joke anyway, and I want my money back because I came home to him humping the cat today.

There IS a point to this rant. I was just building background.

Around Wednesday, Eva started saying her throat hurt. I made her some tea. Thursday, she kept talking about how much she needed to blow her nose.

Always the simpathetic heart, I told her to suck it up. You have a cold. You'll be fine.

Well don't I feel like an ass on Saturday night when she spikes a fever.

I do not jump the gun; neither of my kids have been tested yet for COVID. Just because her throat hurt I wasn't about to start screaming "CORONA!!"

But then I started second guessing myself. The fever broke through the night. I slept on the floor next to her bed, paranoid now that she would stop breathing. It weirdly brought me back to every terrible memory of when Dyleva was sick.

Jeff took her to be tested the next morning. I was nervous, because the result would affect our entire family the next 10 days.

It was NEGATIVE!

Thank you, Thank you.

Stupid Lancaster Central Schools, forcing all kids to come back full-time.

What did we think would happen? It's been one week!

18 April 2021

Hiking Challenge #3: Spring 2021

Our third hiking challenge! We should be experts by now! This one is the same length-20 hikes, but now its not Covid season, so it may be a little more difficult to finish!