Lauren's Quilt

Lauren loves to take sewing classes in the summer with Ms. Karen. She has made some beautiful things, and she always makes new friends!

After completing the classes in June, Ms. Karen invited her to another class in July, and she suggested Lauren make a quilt. She was so excited! So, we purchased a book with beginning quilt patterns, Lauren picked out a design, and then we spent well over an hour choosing coordinating fabrics! It was so much fun!

She had to cut and iron all of her pieces and then pin them together in groups before the first day of class. She was so excited about it ~ she had it all ready within a couple of days of choosing her fabric!

I went to pick her up after the first day of class, and she had almost all of the pieces sewn together (in groups of six). She had also grouped the pieces into rows, planning out exactly how she wanted the quilt to look. I was amazed ~ she had only been there for three hours!

That evening she finished sewing a couple more groups and ironed all of the seams flat.

 The next day she sewed all of the groups into rows, cut her polka dots, and pinned them to her solid piece of fabric. It was really starting to look like a quilt!

She had everything ready to sew together on her last day of class.

The next day, she sewed everything together, and it turned out to be one of the most beautiful quilt toppers I have ever seen! I was so proud of her!

The following week, we met Mrs. Shirley, the sweet lady who was going to actually quilt it all together. Lauren picked out a quilting design and the fabric for the back of her quilt. We could hardly wait to see it all quilted together!

One week later, Mrs. Shirley delivered the quilt, and it was absolutely gorgeous!

Lauren had to hand sew all of the edges, and Mrs. Shirley showed her how to perfect the corners. She sewed a little at a time until it was all done!

We were leaving town on the day we picked it up, so she started sewing the edges in the car. 

 She has worked on it a little, here and there, but yesterday she spent quite a bit of time working on it.

 Today, she worked on it some more, and she finished it!!

It looks gorgeous on her bed! We are going to paint her room and do a little redecorating!

Lauren ~ I think you are absolutely amazing!

Olivia's 13th Birthday

Happy 13th Birthday, Olivia!

 We love it when our friends can join us for some fun on the lake, and celebrating a special birthday makes it even more fun!

 Jonathan, Lauren, Olivia, and Sophie

 I think this is the first birthday cake we've enjoyed on the boat. It was a beautiful day, and we didn't want to miss one second of the sunshine!

 Best buddies

Andrew loves to be in the middle of all the fun!

A Rainy Fourth

" Rain, rain, go away, 

Come again another day!"

This is how we felt for most of the Fourth of July weekend, but we made the most of the breaks in the rain and even saw a few rays of sunshine!

 We were so happy Anthony, Jenny, and Dixie could spend the weekend with us!

 Our very handsome boat driver...

 Lauren and her Grandpa are always smiling... and mischievous!

 Swimming in the rain ~ I just love the goggles!

Getting to spend so much time at the lake with their grandparents makes summer so much fun!

 Enjoying some snacks ~ in the SUNSHINE!! I think we caught about a one hour window of no rain that afternoon.

 Jonathan managed to have quite a bit of fun, despite the rain!

The fireworks were rescheduled because of rain, then they were "cut short" due to the threat of a major thunderstorm. The few we got to see were beautiful, and we were able to make it back home just before the storm rolled in! I loved being able to see the fireworks on the water ~ it's such a special treat ~ even if there were just a few!

Family Fun in Ohio

 The last weekend of June was sooo much fun! Joe took some much needed time off from work, and we traveled to Ohio to spend some time with family. Joe's sister, Carol, and her husband, Paul, made sure we had a relaxing and very enjoyable weekend! It was a treat to also see Joe's dad and sister, Jackie, as they were visiting, too. We spent the majority of the weekend enjoying their pool ~ of which I am quite envious!

Andrew was quite the swimmer ~ he was putting his face in the water, even swimming on his back! I love that Lauren was able to convince him to swim to her. It was so exciting!

Lauren and Jonathan practically live in the water all summer long ~ they love it!

My favorite part of the weekend was meeting sweet Olivia Ann ~ Carol and Paul's first granddaughter. She is such a sweet baby ~ Jimmy and Katie are so blessed!

She is just sooo beautiful! I love, love, love the bow!

We all took turns holding her, and she never woke up ~ she just snuggled right up next to us, with her tiny arm close to her face. My heart just melted watching Joe love on her.

Lauren enjoyed the sweet baby cuddles.

One morning we took a ride over to Blacklick Woods Park and Nature Center. We all loved watching the animals ~ the deer, a woodpecker, and an albino squirrel were among our favorites. We also took a walk on the nature trail.

Andrew's favorite part of the weekend was playing with all the animals ~ they have two dogs and two cats ~ he absolutely loved them ~ especially Po Bear.

And... a weekend with Aunt Carol would not be complete unless we played a few games! She taught us how to play "Nutsy", and it is now one of our favorite card games! 

I just love this photo ~ three generations of Zavaglias ~ such a blessing!

Carol and Paul ~ thank you soooo much for such a wonderful weekend! Meghan ~ we sure did miss seeing you, but we are so happy you enjoyed theater camp!

It's Back to School Time

Although we're a little reluctant to let go of our carefree summer days, we're excited about another school year! 

We were up and out the door early, as Lauren was excited about Student Council's plans for welcoming the sixth graders to middle school. Jonathan was just happy to be a fifth grader! 

They both came home just as excited as they had been that morning! We are all looking forward to a fabulous school year!

I am so behind on my summer posts ~ I will be playing catch-up this week!