The LaRavia Family

Fun in FL

2010-08-10T12:47:00.004-04:00

Lee and I just celebrated our 12 year anniversary!

Happy Birthday surprise for Amy by the flamingos! Ben checking it out in his own birthday suite!

Diva Sarah!!

Not another pic MOM!!

On The Road AGAIN....

2010-06-11T21:28:00.004-04:00

Playing with cousin Ethan and cousin Brent in the slip and slide at Grandmas! The kids had a blast...especially the ice cream at the end!!!
Got to visit with my grandmother, who just turned 96!! So sad to know that she doesn't remember me.
Just got back from TN mountains and visiting with the LaRavia family. Great to see all the kids. What a special family!!!
Now it is off to packing...we move on June 15. Off to Largo, FL!

COUNTRY MUSIC MARATHON 2010

2010-05-01T20:39:00.007-04:00

I am still excited about completing my first half marathon. I had so much fun!! Dedie and I left Thursday night and stopped about half way there. After sleeping late due to no kids and eating lots of carbs at Waffle House, we ventured on our way. Lee and Greg picked the kids up from school at lunch and drove to meet us...imagine two guys and five kids in one car!!! After picking up our packets at the Expo Center, we all met for the Inspiration Dinner sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The weather was gloomy...severe thunderstorms forecasted.

Then the real FUN began---Yes, Dedie, my alarm is set for 4 a.m. I promise to wake you!!

This is the gang I trained with on our long runs every Saturday!! GO TEAM!!

Awaiting our bus to take us to the starting area. We had two trash bags each...one to sit on and the other to wear to keep us warm!!

Awaiting the port-a-potties...no line...wow!

Prior to the start...no rain!!! Over 30, 000 people are awaiting the start!! Music was everywhere...a live band played at every mile!

Probably around mile 9 or so...the clouds are very dark!!! Little did we know that tornadoes were all around!! Ok...we made it to mile 10!!! Anything after this is new territory. Did not train past 10!!

Approaching 11 mile marker...Yeah! Just a little bit more. By this point, we can't feel our legs!!

And...the 12 mile marker---we know, we could have shaved off some time by not posing for pictures, but we needed proof of completion!! :o) Who cares about the time...we FINISHED ALIVE AND WELL!!

We made it...I am just a bit emotional at this point!!! I couldn't help but cry! Thinking about how hard we trained and being a part of such wonderful team for a GREAT cause...WOW!!

The real reason...thank you, Laura! It has been a pleasure raising money and running in your honor!!! May God continue to bless you!!!

I even got a medal!!!

On the way back to the hotel...about to STORM!! We later find out that the marathoners were diverted at mile 20 and did not get to complete the full 26 miles due to the weather. :o( How upsetting to train for this and not get to complete it!!!

What a life changing experience!!!

Ready, Set, GO!!

2010-04-21T15:44:00.003-04:00

Just finished 'decorating' my jersey that I will wear Saturday when I run my half marathon in Nashville. Thought I would share...I am so excited. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers!!!

Catching Up!!!!!

2010-04-18T16:03:00.005-04:00

Wow, lots have happened since the last post in October!!! We have been BUSY!!! Christmas brought a new addition to our family...a cocker spaniel named Chloe. We had crazy winter weather that brought snow several times. Both kids are now a year older...Sarah turned 7 on February 10 and Ben turned 2 on March 17. I signed up with Team in Training (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) to run a half marathon in April at the Country Music Marathon...crazy, right!!! And, I guess the most life changing is the residency match for Lee. We are going to be moving to Florida this summer to be with Dad. Lee will do one year of internship at Largo Medical Center and hopefully be accepted to their orthopedic program the following year. So...vacations for everyone at the LaRavias---we will only be a 10 minute drive from the beach!! It has been amazing to see how God has worked (and is continuing to work) in our lives!!!
Our New Addition Chloe

Snowy Weather

Bathtime for Ben--with his clothes on!

Visiting the Cabbage Patch Hospital with Meme

Cousin Ethan came to help celebrate birthdays at the Golden
BEACH BOUND!!!

A Career in Interior Design?

2009-10-21T19:26:00.002-04:00

This is what happens when I am stuck at home weekend after weekend....I clean and rearrange the furniture. Whoa...watch out HGTV!

Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-21T19:01:00.005-04:00

Usually this is Lee's job....but since he is not home much, I had to do the duty this year. We have stopped by Aldi twice awaiting the new shipment of pumpkins and just found out that they are not getting any more this season. What a bummer! So instead of the $2.49 price at Aldi, I was forced to stop at Publix and pay over $5 for our chosen pumpkin. It pays to shop early, right! Sarah picked out our template online and the garage became the place of our masterpiece. Ok...Sarah was more interested in playing with the 'guts' and Ben could have cared less---he was playing like the janitor and sweeping with the broom. We all were quiet impressed with the results of our jack-o-lantern. Hope dad agrees!

Had to post this pic of Ben grabbing the cat's tail....notice how fast Shadow is moving!!! HaHa!! Poor kitty!

My First Haircut

2009-09-14T09:56:00.008-04:00

Pictures of my first haircut.

Before

During...Notice Thumb!!

After

2009-07-27T20:04:00.002-04:00

Since Sarah is in LA with grandparents, I took Ben to have his picture made. Being the second child, I know firsthand how my parents have all these pics of my sister...THE FIRSTBORN... and then all the pics--which aren't many--of me have my sister in the SAME picture....I never understood that!!! Until now, of course!!! Wow, with life so crazy, it is good just to take a picture every now and then---who cares who is in the picture!!! :o) And to make the day even sweeter, I had a coupon for a free package, so I PAID NOTHING for these pictures!!! Gotta love The Picture People, right!!
If you look closely at Ben's left shoulder, you will notice that the fabric is pulling and the button is about to pop off. Well, I will just say to my defense that this outfit fit just fine two Sundays ago when he wore it to church!! Note to self....this is the last time he will get to wear this outfit!!! I about freaked out when I went to put this outfit on him and it did not fit!!! You can only imagine what was going through my mind at that time. True to the nickname that Lee calls him...BOB...Big Ole Boy!!

Happy Birthday to...ME!

2009-07-23T19:16:00.002-04:00

Let's be honest. There is a time in life when you reach a certain age that birthdays just become another day, right? Well, that is what I thought. Until...my new friend Lenee, who has been watching my kids on Tuesday nights so I can go to a Bible Study, chatted it up with her friend (and mine too) April that it was my birthday. That was all it took...My quiet evening at home was transformed in to a small party of three!!! My dear friends April and Leigh showed up at my house after I put Ben down (Sarah is at MeMe's in LA) with Five Guys burgers and Brusters ice cream. We had the best time just sitting around the table, enjoying one another's company. With Lee in St. Louis and Sarah in LA, I found myself surrounded by friends who cared about my not spending the evening alone. Later that evening I found myself reflecting on the One who made my birthday even possible. It was not a mistake that 34 years ago I was born in to a loving family. He has a special plan for me, and it is my prayer that I may strive to be more and more like Him as each day passes.

Water Logged

2009-06-14T22:22:00.003-04:00

This weekend we went swimming at my cousin's house in Alpharetta and had a blast. They have such a beautiful pool. Sarah practiced and practiced her swimming skills. Even Ben loved it!! He liked for Lee to throw him up in the air and then he would go under. He would pop his head back up just grinning and laughing! They swam so hard that I thought that I would never get them full afterwards!! Both just kept eating and eating!

Finally Updating!!

2009-06-08T21:26:00.007-04:00

Ok....so it has been awhile since the last post...sorry! Just having fun with the fam. We have been very busy. On Easter break, the kids and I went to LA. Dad did not get off so we went without him. Our friends Antonio and Juliana with their kids Violet and Gabi made the trip with us. All seven of us crammed in a mini van for 10 hours....wow!!! But we all had fun!! The kids had a great time visiting Grandma and Grandpa.
Then it was the end of school---Sarah's first year flew by. It was amazing to see her advancements in reading and math!! She enjoyed kindergarten but is glad to be out for the summer. She is going to the Methodist Church's Summer Camp again this year and is so excited! Juliana will keep Ben.

We just got back from Myrtle Beach! We--my mom, dad, sister and her two boys, me and my two kids....no husbands, except for my dad!!! Lee was cramming for Step 2 Boards and Brian had to work. We still had fun in the sun without them! Hopefully we have started a family tradition of taking a vacation together. The kids loved it!!! And the adults survived, too!!!

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers....Lee starts 'The Tour de Lee' in July with 4 wk rotations starting in St. Louis, MO then hopefully Augusta at the Medical College of GA in August (home on weekends!!!!), then to Michigan and possibly Ohio. He is still uncertain where he goes October through December, but most likely the rotations will be out of town. I am just really nervous about Daddy's Little Girl, Sarah. She did not handle it very well when Lee had to do some rotations out of town but came home on the weekend. These rotations will be a little tougher on the fam!!

Until next time...I will try to do better with the posting!!!

Happy Birthday Ben

2009-03-15T20:52:00.003-04:00

On Tuesday, March 17, our precious Ben will turn ONE! Wow, how time flies. It seems just like yesterday that we were preparing for his entrance. He has truly blessed our family. It is so rewarding to see the way Sarah looks into his eyes with such love and adoration. And the way Ben looks back at her with a wide grin on his face, as if to say, "I love you, too!"

My parents came in on Friday night from LA to celebrate his birthday. We went to O'Charley's to celebrate...of course an Irish restaurant to celebrate our St. Patty's Day baby!! I'm not sure that my parents understood the significance...my dad only knew that it was NOT the Golden Corral!!! :o) On Saturday, we had a small birthday party for Ben. He loved the cake....I am still getting icing out of his nose!! Happy Birthday Ben!

Oh, how I love thee...let me count the ways!

2009-03-15T20:39:00.003-04:00

So I really know that Lee loves me! Ok, I have two beautiful children to remind me, but I just have to share this. I bought a used treadmill from my friend, Ms. Leigh. I say "used" very loosely....it still had the price tag attached to it!!!! This fancy treadmill was put together by professionals in her bedroom as part of her purchase price. Of course, when I agreed to buy it, I just knew that my sweet, handy husband would not have a problem at all getting it out of her bedroom and placed right where I wanted it at my home. WELL....let's just say that it was a little more difficult than I expected. It would not fit through the door frame and only weighed a TON....he ended up spending 4 hours taking this thing apart! I won't mention that we were doing this on Super Bowl Sunday afternoon since we didn't have church that night. But we now have it up and running. Thanks Lee! I love it!!!! :o)

Where's Ben?

2009-02-21T13:31:00.002-05:00

This is where I found Ben last night....in the shower!! I was in the bedroom doing laundry, Sarah and Ben were on the floor playing right next to me, and Lee was in the dining room on the computer. Next thing I knew, Ben had crawled into the bathroom---which is not unusual. He has a box of toys that he plays with in the mornings as we all are getting dressed. I heard him playing with those toys and jabbering away. All of a sudden, things got really quiet. I peeked my head around the corner into the bathroom...NO BEN. I looked in our closet...NO BEN. I walked over to the bathtub, thinking "Oh, no...he's crawled over in the tub." Then I heard a whimper, but NO BEN!!! I moved the curtain back on the shower...THERE'S BEN...looking up just grinning from ear to ear.

Weekend of Excitement

2009-02-21T13:11:00.006-05:00

Last weekend, my parents visited from LA and brought my 5 yr old nephew Ethan with them. What FUN! Sarah had a blast. We celebrated Sarah's birthday AGAIN :) The kids helped me make ANOTHER cookie cake.

Since my dad's favorite place to eat when he comes to visit is the Golden Corral, they took Sarah there for her birthday dinner....and the waiters even sang to her. She said, "How did they know my name?"
The kids had a great time playing outside (after the rain) on the swing set and riding bikes.

Saturday night, Lee and I thought that since we would enjoy seeing the Bodies exhibit, so would everyone else....right?

WRONG! Note to self, do NOT bring children to this again. We had purchased our tickets ahead of time online and still had to stand in line over an hour and a half. And everyone thought it was boring, except Lee and myself!! Well, I take that back...Sarah showed some interest...maybe there's hope for another science lover in our family!!! Ethan kept saying, "I am ready to go!" Over and over, I might add. My parents had the same look on their faces but polite enough not to say it!!! :) And Ben was cheerful as ever, just laughing and talking to everyone in line. NIGHTMARE

Happy Birthday

2009-02-11T14:01:00.005-05:00

On February 10, Sarah turned 6! She invited her special friend, Violet, and her family over for dinner. The menu consisted of roast beef, potatoes and carrots (in the crock pot, of course!!) and salad. For dessert, we had a cookie cake, which Sarah helpled me make the night before, and ice cream. We had a great evening!

This is at Sarah's 3rd birthday. Wow how time flies!!!

Couldn't leave out Baby Ben....always so happy! (Thankfully)

Father Daughter Dance

2009-02-08T22:21:00.005-05:00

Saturday night, Sarah had her first dance. Yes, I know she is just in kindergarten but she took her dad as her date!! Lee and Sarah had a great time together at her school.

Ben kept me company at home, all smiles as you can see (along with all the mess on his shirt....and yes, we do have bibs but just did not use one this time!!!).

Sleep Over

2009-02-02T21:08:00.002-05:00

Sarah and Violet have become great friends. They were in the same Pre-K class at Legacy and now go to the same elementary school. Violet has a sister named Gabi that is one month older than Ben. Our families get together all the time and share dinner and play games. Violet's mom, Juliana, stays at home during the day to keep Gabi. Starting in March, Ben will start going to their home for childcare and Sarah will ride the bus to and from their house. We feel very blessed to have them in our lives.

This past weekend Violet had a sleep over at our house. The girls wanted to stay up past midnight....then Sarah asked, "When is midnight?" They both were asking to go to bed around 9:30 at the end of their movie!! On Saturday, they painted our driveway.....thankfully with washable paint, because not only did the driveway get painted, but also part of our gutter on the house, the trunk of one of our trees, the garbage can, and one of my flowerpots!!!! I was very excited to see it rain today!

Science Fair

2009-02-02T20:59:00.002-05:00

Sarah won first place at her school's science fair in the biochemistry category! She did an experiment on osmosis by putting raisins in water. She did a great job, but just a word of advice...the school gives you three months for a reason to get this project done! Do NOT wait to the last minute and have a kindergarten try to write the results of her project in one night. WOW....it took only an HOUR to write two sentences!!! I thought I was going to pull my hair out!!! Of course, Dad stepped in and calmly took over. Thanks, Dad!! :)

Happy Holidays

2009-01-06T20:26:00.009-05:00

We had a great holiday! It was especially fun watching Sarah and Ben open their presents at Christmas. Even though things were busy, we did not forget the real meaning of Christmas and reflected on the most precious gift of Jesus. As we welcome another year, we pause to think about the many things we are blessed with in life. Our families, our children, my job, Lee in medical school, our health...just to name a few!! So often we take the little things in life for granted. May 2009 bring more opportunities to be more thankful for these blessings in our life.

Pictures

2008-12-13T22:06:00.003-05:00

Today we had Christmas pictures made of the kids. Too cute!

Christmas Program

2008-12-07T21:45:00.002-05:00

Tonight was the children's Christmas program at church. As you can tell, Sarah was an angel. We sat in the back just in case Ben started talking too much! No problems there...the thumb stayed in the mouth the whole time!!!

Catching Up

2008-12-02T20:41:00.010-05:00

Haven't written in a long time! Things get in such a routine around here. Well, maybe I should say that I get in to such a routine around here and have not stopped to take the time to post any news. I will try to keep it short. And not wait so long to post again!!

At school, Sarah was chosen to take Bobby Bear home with her for the weekend. Bobby Bear is the class mascot and based on behavior, each child is chosen to care for Bobby Bear for a weekend. He must go everywhere with you and do everything with you. Sarah was sooo excited when Ms. Hunter called out her name. Each week when she would come home without Bobby Bear, she would tell me, "Mom, I could see Bobby Bear looking at me and he wanted to choose me. Maybe next week he will want to go home with me." !!! How cute. I was relieved to see Bobby Bear in Sarah's arms when I picked her up at daycare...She has about 15 students in her class and it was only week 12 of the school year. Remember that it is based on conduct!! Whew, at least it was not week 15!!! :)

Halloween passed quickly for us this year. Sarah was once again an LSU cheerleader. She will probably be this again next year because the outfit is still a little too big for her!! She said, "Not again, Mom. I was this last year." If she only knew about next year, right!! We are hoping for a better season for the tigers next year, too. Ben stayed in this year since he was not feeling well.

4 weeks passed quickly and the cast is now off. No problems! Sarah was so brave when they started sawing it off. I was the one cringing when I saw the blade! The xrays showed that she actually broke the other bone in her wrist, as well. We have to go back for xrays in May since the breaks were close to the growth plate.

My parents came for the Thanksgiving holiday. They were such a huge help to me with the kids and the house! I miss them so much! We actually went out to eat for Thanksgiving at the Golden Corral...my dad's favorite place to eat when he comes out here!! The night before, Mom and I were discussing the menu and our plans for cooking when Dad suggested that we let somebody else cook and clean!!! At first we felt guilty but that passed quickly!! For the first time in a long time, we were able to enjoy our family without all of the hustle and bustle. The following day, Mom and I braved Black Friday and had a great time together hunting for the bargains just the two of us.

We put up our Christmas tree during the Thanksgiving weekend. Sarah and I had a lot of fun talking about each ornament as we hung it on the tree. (Dad was glued to the football games! We were lucky to get the Christmas decorations out of the attic!) We even attempted decorating a gingerbread house. Ok...never again in the LaRavia household. It might work at your home, but it almost caused a divorce here!! :) With two type A personalities and icing that is not thick enough, our house had runny windows and doors! Dad had to get up from the table because it was upsetting him so much!! Sarah was not concerned at all, she just continued to eat all the candy that came packaged with the house!!

And not to leave Ben out.....Each day daycare sends a note home informing us of the whens/whats/etc of Ben's day. Yesterday, our note stated, "Please bring more food." I felt like Mother of the Year! He is 8 months old and weighing in at 23 or so pounds, in 18 mth pajamas!! Since I am making his food, it is a little more difficult to judge the amount that he 'should' be eating. So today I packed a mid morning snack, a hefty lunch, an afternoon snack, and his regular 3 bottles. He ate all of it, only having 3 oz left in one bottle! WOW :) Can you tell he likes to eat!

My First Broken Bone...

2008-10-25T11:20:00.003-04:00

Wow...this week has been very eventful in the LaRavia home! On Monday, I received a call from the school nurse telling me that Sarah had fallen off the monkey bars and hurt her arm. As you can tell by her bright pink cast, she broke her left distal radius. She will have to wear the cast for four weeks. At first she was very excited to have the cast and have everyone sign it, but now the reality of it has set in and it is now uncomfortable and itches all the time! At least it was her left arm and not her dominate right arm!!
Early Wednesday morning, I came down with a stomach virus and threw up all hours of the morning! I spiked a 103 fever and laid in bed for two days. Thankfully, Lee was able to take care of the kids. I was able to go back to work on Friday but still very weak. Still recovering!!
On Sunday evening, Lee leaves again for more rotations out of town. He will be in Columbus, Ga for four weeks doing general surgery, then goes to Rome, Ga for peds, and then does his psych rotation--not yet sure of the location yet, but out of town. Not really looking forward to 12 weeks of being a single mom again. Keep us in your prayers.

Snaggle Tooth

2008-09-16T20:17:00.013-04:00

Sarah lost her first tooth! Last Thursday, she had convinced Dad to pull it with a string. No luck...the dental floss just kept slipping off. The very next day she pulled it at daycare after school!! All this time, my mom had been sewing her a tooth pillow--like the ones she had made my sister and me as a kid. She even had an "S" monogramed on the pocket just like our initials were on the pocket of ours. On Thursday night, I told Grandma to put a rush on it!! She stayed up late finishing it to put it in the mail on Friday. But it didn't get to Sarah until Monday! Sarah was sure that the tooth fairy needed her pillow, so she decided to wait on the tooth pillow to put her tooth in. Last night she was so excited to put her tooth in the pocket of her pillow. She made sure that we all saw it...even Ben!! At 5:30 this m orning, I heard running upstairs! I knew she was bringing me her tooth fairy money!!! She said, "Mom, she brought me four monies." Even though it was dark in the room, I could just see her smiling. She even wanted to bring her money to school today to show her friends at school. No such luck!

Ben's Nursery....Finally!

2008-09-10T21:14:00.005-04:00

Since Dad was using the other bedroom as his study and he was taking his boards in June, we had decided not to set up the nursery until after boards...Ben would have been 3 months old. Well, Lee did well on both sets of boards in JUNE and it is now SEPTEMBER!! So we finally moved Dad out of his office and in to the loft. We have been working on Ben's room a little at a time. And you can see that we are still working on it!! The walls were already a maroon color and I did not want to paint!!! So we chose bedding that matched the walls....a nautical theme. The other night I was working on Ben's letters that are hung above his crib. I had already painted them...just waiting for them to dry. Sarah came out in the garage very disappointed. She said, "Mom, I wish Ben's name was longer so I could have painted some of his name." I couldn't help but laugh. So her job was to glue the wooden pieces on each letter--a lighthouse, an anchor, and the wheel (not too sure what it is really called in boating language!!). She was so excited to help me! Dad is still working on refinishing the dresser which he had as a kid. I think it is all sanded and waiting on the varnish. Who knows when he will have time to finish it. Ben turns 6 months on the 17th so we are in no rush, right? :)

All Smiles At Bathtime

2008-09-10T20:53:00.002-04:00

Thought I would share this picture with you!! Ben enjoys his bath so much. He knows when the water turns off and as I am reaching for the towel, he starts grinning so big and just laughs. Tonight his gums are really bothering him, so he is trying to put both hands in his mouth at the same time. I am not sure if you can see his two bottom teeth in the smile!!

A New Addition

2008-09-06T20:29:00.000-04:00

Lee's sister, Lauren, welcomed their first baby on Friday, September 5. Caleb Benjamin weighed 7 lbs and 1 oz and measured 19.75 inches. If they only knew about the many upcoming sleepless nights!!! :)

Back to School

2008-09-01T22:18:00.002-04:00

Sarah started kindergarten this fall. She is very excited to be going to 'big' school. Each week she has five new sight words to learn and spell. At the moment, she is very excited about learning to read. Hopefully, this will last!!

At this time of the year when schools are starting back, I am reminded of the time I started college. I met Lee the day before classes started at a BSU freshman survivor bash. That was 15 years ago this August!! Wow how time flies! Who would have thought that after 10 years of marriage and two kids later, we would be in medical school!! God is good.

Dad's home!!!

2008-09-01T22:10:00.001-04:00

I am not sure who is more excited to have Lee home with us....the kids or me (or Lee!). Sarah is on cloud nine! She is definitely a daddy's girl. Maybe Ben will be a momma's boy. :)

Lee has been gone for eight weeks doing his clinical rotations in Columbus, GA and Rome, GA. He will be here for four weeks doing his internal medicine rotation and hopefully here another four weeks doing his OB rotation. Then he is off again to Columbus and Rome for the following eight weeks.

Ben's Dedication

2008-08-27T21:46:00.000-04:00

Here are some pics of Ben's dedication. We are so happy to have such a wonderful church family to share this with. Ms. Susie, a very dear friend of ours, happily stood in as a grandmother--even though she has made it clear to us that she will not be called any form of the word...she wants to be called Blondie when she has her own grandchildren one day!! She took us to eat lunch after church, and we enjoyed it so much!

Well, here goes!!

2008-08-27T21:22:00.000-04:00

I have finally given in to this blogging thing! I have enjoyed keeping up with everyone else's lives and watching the kids grow. Since we are so far away from family and friends, it is nice to keep up with everyone. My biggest fear is that I will not have the time to devote to keeping this current. So we will see.... :)