End of School 2016 Rundown

Woohoo!!!! We survived another school year!

Like every school year, this year was filled with all sorts of firsts and exciting things. There were also some challenges and obstacles to overcome of course, but my kids are fighters and they managed to pull through even when things got hard. 

Here's the rundown...

Jovan - Goodbye Sophomore year!

Jovan is still in love with his shop (Auto Tech). Many days he'd get home looking as if he had been rolling on a grease puddle and looking a shade darker. The funniest thing is that he would flaunt the marks of his labor with pride lol.

Jovan started the year strong, but somehow fell off the wagon at some point; his grades dropped a little on the second trimester, but on the third trimester they dropped so low that at some point I thought he would have to repeat 10th grade. I was so disappointed. I immediately took away many of his privileges, including his phone, contacted and met with his teachers and school counselor and we put together a plan for him to get back on track and stay on track. I would be lying if I didn't admit that I cried my eyes out as thoughts of my son being a "looser" raced through my mind. I also did a lot of yelling, threatening to take away all communication from the outside world and micromanaging his every move; I became a psycho Mom lol. 

He managed to get it together for the last quarter, but barely scraped through sophomore year and has to attend summer school to bring up his math grade. Although I'm still disappointed that he let himself get so distracted with other mundane things that he put off his main priorities (school), I have faith that he will do better Junior year. 

Dear Jovan: I only hope that this is a lesson learned. I hope that you have learned that only by putting in your best effort will you get good results. I believe in you and know that you will accomplish big things. God has a plan for you but you need to do your part to get there. Although you've struggled, I want you know how I am proud of everything you've accomplished this far <3. Now...go crush Junior year!! :)


Abdiel & Adrián - Goodbye 7th grade!

Although quiet, Abdiel and Adrián had a great year. 

Abdiel made it to the Honor Roll once again this year :D!! He got a little sad at the end of the school year because his good friend was expelled from school for bringing a pocket knife to school :(. Although he didn't talk much about about it, I know it was hard for him to loose that good friend that he shared a lot with, especially because it's so hard for him to make connections with others. 

Adrián had good grades, with mostly 3's (B's) and a few 2's (C's). He was also discharged from speech therapy, which is huge, given the fact that he's been taking speech since age 2. Way to go, Adrián!

If there's one thing that drove me crazy about these two is that they refused to go to every single junior academy dance there was throughout the year *grrr!*, which was very disappointing to me because I want them to enjoy everything that Junior High has to offer! The thing is that they are both homebodies and like to be at home. I still don't know if this is a good thing or not lol. I'm hoping they come out of their shells next year when they're eighth graders :).

I think the highlight of this year was their overnight trip to Provincetown, Maine. They went whale watching (their first time) and had a fun time sharing with schoolmates.

Dear Boys: I'm so so proud of you both! Keep up the good work.


Julissa - Goodbye 5th grade!

This child never seizes to amaze me! She just loves everything about the school...her teachers, her friends, projects, and she loves to read and write--which, ahem, she gets from her Momma! 

Julissa is also made the Honor Roll this year.

She will be moving on to Junior Academy next year *wahh*, and will be starting the year with a fun-filled trip to Sargent Center in New Hampshire, which she's really looking forward to!

Dear Julissa: I'm super proud of you. Keep on reading and writing - it will take you places! 

There will always be struggles in life but the most important thing is to never let those struggles define us or our future; never give up on your goals. In my book, if you're moving forward, even if it's slow, you're still moving.

Now to enjoy this well deserved SUMMER! :)

~* Yamilka*~ <3

Why Turning 16 is so Exciting!

Jovan has been looking forward to this summer; he will be turning 16 and we all know what happens when those double digit numbers come around! But in case you don't know, which is highly unlikely, here's the rundown....

His Birthday!

Because who doesn't get excited about their birthday?

Driver's Permit

Yup! Exactly a month from today we will be standing in line at the RMV waiting for Jovan to get his driver's permit! Can't wait!

Driver's Ed Courses

Well thah...obviously one of the perks of getting his license is that he gets to start taking Driver's Ed courses to learn how to be a responsible driver. Because obviously he will never drive my car without finishing this course lol. 

I'm actually excited about this too—it's payback! Now HE gets to drive ME places while I chillax in the passenger seat...aaah, bliss! Or not.  

First Job

Money moneyy moneyyy! He will finally be old enough to work and earn his own money ;).

As a matter of fact, he already did—and he didn't just get one job, he got TWO jobs! Yup, you read that right! And they're fun jobs too!!!! <— **I'm too excited to stop adding exclamation marks lol**

Job stories...

Caddy Job: A couple of months ago I came across a FB post about a city program that was opening up this summer at the city golf course for kids between the ages of 14 and 16 yrs old. They were offering Caddy jobs for twenty city kids. Their main goal is to encourage kids to learn about the sport while earning some money on the weekends, over the summer months. If they complete a two year program, then the teen will be eligible for a $1,500 college scholarship.

I took Jovan and his friend to the open house on a rainy, cold day. As I waited in the car, I could see busses full of kids arriving and I started to get a little nervous for them and losing hope that they had any chance of getting this job. Waiting there in my car, I said a prayer while about fifty kids sat through a video, discussion and on-the-spot interviews. 

A week later Jovan got an email—both him and his friend made the cut and got the job! 😍

Green and white looks good on him!

Me: Show me the hat.
Jovan: *strikes a pose*
Me *smiles*

Youth Camp Counselor job: I saw another posting, again on FB, about a job for our city youth, this one for Youth Camp Counselor. This job consisted in supervising kids in a city sponsored summer camp program under the director of the program.

The application stated that in order to apply for this position, you needed to be at least 16 years old. Because Jovan was just a few weeks shy of turning sixteen, I knew that it was a long shot, but it would be worth it. I helped Jovan put together his resume and fill out an application and to my astonishment, he was called for an interview! 

The day before the interview we went shopping for an outfit and I gave Jovan a few interview pointers..."make eye contact", "shake hands firmly", "smile", "sit straight"...to the point where he got super annoyed with me lol. During the interview, the director of the program said he was a perfect fit for the position, but his age was definitely a problem :(. And then a childhood friend of mine messaged me on FB to tell me she would speak on Jovan's behalf. Then, last Friday they called to inform him that he had been hired, not with full work full hours, because of his age, but they have agreed to give him a few hours a week!

Like really, how blessed is this young man?! 

Although I had prayed for God to bless Jovan with one of these jobs, I must admit that there was doubt in my heart. But God proved to me that I was wrong. He proved to me that He is always in control and that He had a plan in place. That He would come through in a way that only He knew He would. I will be eternally grateful for His blessings. 

My ultimate goal for Jovan this summer was for him to stay busy. What I didn't know was that it would also be such an exciting summer as well! 

I can see a future full of exciting, new adventures for him. I'm such a proud Momma! 💙

~* Yamilka *~

A Boatload of Tears

Today has been a busy and emotionally charged day; some moments were happy and exciting and some not so much. 

After spending the last three hours on the field, dividing myself in two between Adrián's baseball game and Julissa's softball game and watching their teams lose really bad, I got home feeling drained. I was getting ready to shower, when I got a text from Adrián's coach. It read —"Tough night to go out with a loss when we were making contact. But where we started the season and ended the season is definitely an improvement. Love those boys a bunch! ..."— and then it hit me like a boulder and I just started bawling! For. No. Apparent. Reason. And now I can't stop. 

Nope. 

I am crying because with that text I realized that the last of my boys has now outgrown little league. 

I'm crying because what seemed like seven long years back then, now seem like seven years that passed in the blink of an eye. 

I'm crying because I've been so crazy busy and emotionally drained today, that I didn't realize that today was the last time I'll be cheering one of my boys from the bleachers of Ty Cobb Little League and I forgot to take a picture of him with this amazing coach called Courtney, who has been the most amazing, uplifting and caring coach I and my boys have ever met! And now I don't have a picture of the moment of closure of one of the most important times in their lives. 

I am also crying because today is Abdiel's 14th birthday and I forgot to congratulate him first thing this morning. And becuase his voice is changing and he's growing up and he's becoming so independent. 

And of course I am crying because of this damn female hormones that say I just need to cry for no apparent reason! 

I know that my future with my boys are filled with many more years of happy moments. But right now I just feel like I can't take them turning into young men, because like Abdiel said today: "getting older just means more responsibilities...". 

And so now I'm thinking that yes, Abdiel is totally right, growing up does mean more responsibilities for you, but you know what else it also means for me?—missing these crazy little league days cheering you from those Ty Cobb bleachers. 

To my boys: I'm super proud for all you have accomplished this far. Keep reaching for the stars - even if it takes Mom shedding a boatload of tears because she's missing a younger you! 😉

Love, your baseball loving Mom! 💙💙💙