my nightstand.

today i decided it was time to clean off the books that i've read the past few months. A LOT of great ones to share. my amazon list is always full. thankfully you can buy used and get them super cheap. love it. use a clorox wipe on the cover and they smell clean:).
from top to bottom.
the message bible:eugene peterson. vance's parents gave this to me years ago. a nightstand staple. and even more awesone, it's purple, my favorite color lately(hence my toenails all summer).
bittersweet:shauna niequist. just started this book. two chapters in and already hooked. she wrote my all time ultimate favorite book cold tangerines. this one has yet to dissapoint.
on her own:wanda e burnstetter. vance's mom's book. who doesn't love a great fiction book? an amish series. i'm considering moving to missouri and becoming amish. life would be way more simple.
so long insecurity:beth moore. i've been doing this book w/ small group ladies. the whole book is highlighted. so many good things to remember. this book has taught me so much about my own fears keeping me from loving Christ and accepting his love for me.
parenting by the book:john rosemond. really encouraged me to think about the basics of parenting, not to rely on todays culture. so many things in this book were already 'in' me, probably the best example of how i was raised...and vance too.
becoming the woman of his dreams:sharon jaynes. i first read this book when we had just gotten married. a young bride. this book is wonderful for any wife to read. looove it. it is on my nightstand often, even if i pick it up and read it for a minute or two, i gain something from it.
crazy love:francis chan. one of those books that is just hard to read. made me think and think and think some more. short and challenging.
wild things:the art of nurturing boys:stephen james. such a valuable book for raising boys. recommend it without a doubt to anyone with a boy(s). and funny too:)
happiest baby on the block:harvey karp. my go to baby book. i got this book after lane was born because of his constant crying. this book was pivotal in my ways of being a baby mama. great, great, great book for babies and parents. i've reread (most of it) again with gage and still learned something.
no cry sleep solution:elizabeth pantley. i read this book with lane and remembered it helped tremendously. just pulled it back out and have HIGH hopes that it will work again with gage. this mom needs SLEEP!
the mission of motherhood:sally clarkson. amazing. wonderful. has helped me understand just how honored i am God chose me to raise my boys and how they are who i need to be witnessing to. being a mom has SUCH purpose. i read a lot of this book whenever i had to go into to the dr for non-stress tests when i was pregnant with gage. i hold this book close to my heart, it's not leaving my nightstand anytime soon.
hidden messages:elizabeth pantley. has opened my eyes to how my day-to-day life(attitude) affects me kids. a lot of common sense stuff but interesting at the same time.

so there you have it, thats what i've been reading the past few months.

and what's that you say? a post with no pictures of the boys?! shocking. well sorta...when we were in nebraska over the 4th i scanned a few pictures of me as a wee one.
i SO see LANE....

and can totally see GAGE...

gage(five months).

mr gage.
today you're 5 months old.
wow.we say this daily and we mean it every time,
"we're really starting to fall in love with you"
it's true, we love you more and more.
you're also a lot more work than you used to be.
i say work like it's a bad thing,
but it's not. you just want things now.
what happened to my newborn that just slept?
but yes, you still snuggle, and i love that.
you're my little bed bug.
every night you seem to end up right next to me
and every morning i love waking up to your smile.
you're becoming more fun everyday.
you bounce, giggle, and flap your arms like wings.
it's cute,
and we think you're cute.
happy almost half gagey pagey boy.

life is (so) good.

everyday life pictures.

bouncer, he loves that thing. he's often bouncing so fast that i can't get a clear picture.







peek-a-boo.

dada and his boys.




so excited to have the mccoy famliy in denver. unfortunately in these pics, zoe and max aren't so sure of gage.


i know his face isn't in focus but i had to add this just so I wouldn't forget. his flat smile. he does this a lot and we laugh every time.

gage's typical look...

and then he sees mama.

goof.

last weekend vance's work had their company picnic at a little amusement park. we had SO much fun watching lane have SO much fun. we can seriously understand why parents take their kids to disneyland...we need to start saving now.
like any good parents we gave gage his first food...snow cones! next, rice cereal?


lane and i went on the ferris wheel. the entire time he yelled "dada!!" and waved. they're buds:)

and by the end, he was pretty bored. he has a need for speed.

so grown up. i mean seriously, when did he become a boy?!

roller coaster manic! he LOOOVED this ride. over and over again, laughs and laughs.



"up down horse" as lane said the whole time on the carousel. can you tell we had a fun day? b/c we did:)

all the while, this little guy slept soundly.


chubbs.

mama love.

but of course this kid wanted to be pictured by himself.

a rare sight of brotherly love.



and then lane knocks gage off his lap and they both laugh. oh my my.

peanuts, his favorite snack as of late.


and we end everyday with a kiss.

getting big.

it has started. it, as in potty training.

he's eating blueberries:)

for a while now lane has been going to the bathroom in his diaper then goes to get a new one and lays down in front of me saying "grossh" surely if he can do that he can learn to do his business like a big boy. so last week we stopped using diapers at home. after a day full of accidents he got the hang of it fairly fast. in fact, we've only had one accident in a week. yahooo. i would hardly call him potty trained because he's still wearing a diaper when we leave the house, i don't trust him that much. and when he has a diaper on, he goes back to old ways. grossh. he's a sweet one though, he often times wants to pray when he sits down. so we pray "dear jesus, help lane to go potty and give mama patience." it's just as much for me as it is him.

and these pics just show lane at 2. so silly.




and in equally big boy news, mr gage started putting himself to sleep. we lay him down and he rolls to his side. love those little fist hands. i often find myself in his room just watching him sleep, so peaceful.