Ready, Set, GO!!

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!!!!!

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?

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

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

Pictures of my first haircut.

Before

During...Notice Thumb!!

After

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!

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.