Orange Power

OK...not really Orange Power, as in OSU Cowboys, more like Orange Cuties!

We got these outfits for the boys this past summer, and it was instantly my favorite look on them both! We had them wear this outfit to many family gatherings, cookouts, get together with friends over the summer and got so many compliments on the cutie pies in orange!

Like all things on BrotherBean lately, he was quickly outgrowing the shorts (poor tubby boy) so i wanted to get some great pics of them in the outfits before they were outgrown! We grabbed the boys up for some HOT play outside and asked our dear friend Amie Haar to come over for a quick photo session.  Even though the boys probably gave her a run for her money, I think she did a fabulous job and the photos turned out great! 

I can't believe how much these two boys have grown up over the past year!! BooderBean will be turning 5 in a little over a month and still loves to pose for the camera, BrotherBean is 20 months now and is just so fast and full of energy that it's hard to get him to sit still. He loves to say "cheeeese" and will do great if he's sitting still.

Can't wait for the Fall to come and have GreyGill Fish do our Fall Family photos!!!



my little Army Mens

I recently realized the BrotherBean is growing up! I mean, really, growing up! He is 20 months old and able to wear some of big brothers 3T shorts that he has outgrown!  Craziness!  So when we put him in big brothers Army PT's a few weeks ago i realized i had better get the photo session in at our house that I've been waiting for!  I took this picture below of BooderBean and Military man back in May of 2008, this is exactly the same age as BrotherBean now so i knew i had to jump on the train!

A very very good friend of mine is starting out to make her mark in the photography world and i asked if she could come over and snap a few shots of the boys.  While she took many many good ones, below is the exact shot i was looking for! Perfection! I took the same shot myself of BooderBean and MilitaryMan and i was hoping she could capture something similar....and look-Perfection!!  I now have them side by side in our house, I'm so proud of my Military Man and the beautiful children he gave me.

Military Man and BooderBean 2008

Military Man and BrotherBean 2011
THANK YOU Amie Haar for taking this amazing pic of my boys!!

Wow look how much the little Krouts Sprouts have grown over the years...

this was my very first post ever HERE. 

stress much?

That's what I am lately...a stress ball that is getting wound tighter and tighter as each day passes!

My little BooderBean will hopefully be starting Pre-K this year, and when i say "hopefully" i mean-if we get him into the school we want him into!!!

You see, because of Military Mans military location we had to live in a town that was within certain mileage regulations for his base.  Which was fine at the time, we live in the middle and each have a 45 minute commute.  Until now...things changed and his new base station is in our hometown 1 1/2 hours away from our house now so he is spending Monday-Friday in Ponca City working at the unit there, and comes home for weekends. Which we end up jam packing each weekend so we can cram in as much family time as we can.  So, with me working in Stillwater, and the boys day care being in Stillwater, the boys and I do the commute every day.  It's fine, and we've been doing it for 4 years now so we are definitely used to it, BUT we are definitely on the house hunt and are definitely ready to move north a bit!  Military Man will be retiring as a veteran of the National Guard soon, so that will open up more doors and opportunities as well.

With our living/working situation it's just not simple to go enroll your 4 1/2 year old into Pre-K, i wish it was a simple and fun task and that we were buying school supplies, school clothes, new backpack, etc. But all that is put on hold until we find out this week IF he got in or the transfer list!! We were the second people on the list for an out of district transfer back in April, so hopefully that got us some pull and he will have a spot!  If not then we will be looking into other options.

And all this is so stress full and hard on my precious BooderBean! His whole class is having a very hard time with the big changes coming up and alot of them (including him!!) are acting out, and turning into some very emotional kiddos. 

Say some prayers for us please, that this week brings great news and that BooderBean will be going with his school friends to big school on Friday!

This parenting thing sure can bring on early grey hairs, so I'm finding :)



(photos courtesy of my good friend, and budding professional photographer Amie Haar)



Cutie Pie Comparrison

I snapped this photo randomly last night of BrotherBean enjoying some books. And it made me remember a similar photo i snagged of BooderBean--at exactly this same age!

I love that both our boys LOVE books, they could both sit for hours and look at pictures and "read" books.  We have a basket of books we keep in the backseat of my car for our daily commutes and those boys typically read the entire way. 

I also love that BOTH of them, on their own completely, have fallen in love with the same book, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear"  at around 18 months old each!!

What do you think? Brothers??

(BooderBean-age 18 months)

(BrotherBean-age 19 months)