Babies

We had quite the celebratory weekend in the Zottola household. Jimmy and I celebrated five years of marriage and my 27th birthday on Friday and Father’s Day on Sunday.

Jimmy surprised me on Friday by taking off work and going to the Pittsburgh Zoo with Sadie and me! It was a ton of fun to spend the day together as a family and show Sadie all the work her dad did at the zoo! She was really into the cheetahs and enjoyed the aquarium a lot, too!

That evening, my parents came over and we all walked to our neighborhood’s park for a concert and food truck night. It was such a gorgeous evening and so lovely just spending time together. We walked around the park and pushed Sadie in the swing and I kept thinking this is the best. God is so good.

The surprises continued on Saturday when Jimmy’s mom came over and we walked to the park with her and Sadie. When we got back to the house, my parents, siblings, and their spouses and babies were all standing in our kitchen saying surprise!

Jimmy planned the sweetest surprise birthday cookout for me with our family and I’m tearing up just thinking about how loved I felt. It was the sweetest evening enjoying each other’s company, playing with the babies, and enjoying lots of great food.

Saturday was the first night we had all “the girls” (my siblings’ daughters + Sadie) together and it was as exciting as I thought it would be! I have a feeling they’re all going to be best buds as they grow up 🙂

On Sunday, we went to church and had a low key day at home together. Jimmy’s request for Father’s Day was to take a nap, so we made that happen for him! In the evening, we went back to church and stayed after for a Father’s Day fellowship.

We went to bed last night talking about what a great weekend we had and how thankful we are that God has blessed us with our families and each other ❤

Have you ever been to a surprise party?

Hello! It has been almost a week since I last blogged and I’ve missed this little space.

This week has been busy with work and pet sitting, but I found a little chunk of time to pop in and share five random tidbits from my life lately!

1. I was thinking yesterday about how listening is a dying art in today’s culture. I know I’m guilty of being a bad listener at times. I’ve caught myself thinking of something I want to say before the person I’m talking to has finished their sentence. Ugh.

Feeling and knowing that I’m heard and understood is important to me. I’ve been making an effort to listen, really listen, to others when they communicate with me. Our culture is full of distractions that pull us away from true, deep connection. When someone talks to me, I want to always give them my full attention.

2. I’ve been enjoying The Language of Flowers lately. It was recommended to me by Amy (and probably ten other people) and I’m wondering why it took me so long to pick up this book. It’s fascinating.

3. I looked up Youtube videos on how to tie baby wraps so I could bake and hold Malcolm at the same time. I used a big beach towel and it kind of worked. I’m still eyeing up cat strollers on Amazon.

4. Pet sitting has been randomly busy for me lately. I so enjoy the company of animals. I constantly go back and forth on whether or not I want to pet sit full-time. It’s a tough decision, mostly because the income isn’t always steady. Speaking of pets, I took Lola to the vet on Tuesday because she has an ear infection. Poor girl!

5. My cousin sent me this picture of her adorable daughter, Macie, the other day. Ten minutes later, my aunt sent me the same picture of Macie.

I had some suspicions about the reasoning behind the influx of baby pictures, so I texted my mom to discuss.

Jimmy and my mom are convinced if I ever become pregnant that I’m going to have twins. The thought of twins scares the living daylights out of me. It’s easy for me to think I can’t do it when I think about babies in general. The truth is that I can’t, but God will equip me for whatever He has in store for my life. Whether it’s writing a book, passing statistics, raising a family, or something totally different. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Children are something Jimmy and I talk about often. Whether we adopt, foster, or have biological (or all three, or none) is something we pray about diligently. It’s a huge responsibility and privilege to raise a human being. We trust that God will guide us and equip us for whatever His plans are for us 🙂

Living My Full Life

Celebrations and Surprises

Have you ever been to a surprise party?

Five Things

Tell me a random tidbit from your life lately!