booderbeans birthday PARTY

My baby boy is TWO!!! REALLY???

We had booderbeans 2nd birthday party at our house this past weekend! it was an overwhelming, chaotic, busy, FUN, exciting, mess of a party!! i don't know why i had in my mind that i would be able to sit back and relax and just hang out with my baby at his party...what was i thinking? The party was amazing though, we had so much fun, Coleman and his little friends and cousins had so much fun, the grandparents and aunts and uncles had so much fun...but man oh man, when everyone left and we looked around our house--we were just plum EXHAUSTED!

It was so great though to see him interacting more with the kids and to see him get excited about opening gifts..much more exciting for him than his 1st birthday party.

We had a tractor themed party, thanks to my fabulous friend and owner of KJane Designs, the invites turned out perfect and really set the mood for the party! I baked and decorated the tractor cake (i think i have really found myself a new hobby, it was so much fun!) with lots of help from military man! Funny thing though, booderbean never ate even one bit of his cake!! we even offered it again after dinner (hence the dirty face picture below) and let him blow out candles again, but nope..he didn't want cake! Grandpa Krout brought down the tractor and took kiddos (and us adults) on hay rides and we had yummy Carmel apples. I'm pretty sure booderbean received every tractor and every John Deere item that is made! This boy is set i tell ya :)

Here are a few of my favorite (and not so favorite b/c i made funny faces in all the pics for some reason!!) shots from the party. I'll be posting the rest to our shutterfly page so you can check them out there.

booderbeans birthDAY

So, booderbean turned 2 last Thursday and i am just now posting pics! the reason for my delayed blogging is LACK OF SLEEP!! this little 2 year old, turned 2 and apparently decided he didn't need to sleep in his own bed anymore!


readers...this will be another post, i'd rather focus right now on the birthday boy!


Military man and i snuck into booderbeans room the night before he turned 2 and covered his room in balloons (his favorite) and hung up Happy Birthday banners. He was so excited to wake up and see a room filled with balloons just for him! The minute i heard him waking up i grabbed the camera and headed in to get a wake up shot! He quickly wanted the "boons" in his bed with him. Military man had to work that day till 1pm so i made booderbean a yummy breakfast (which he proudly got to eat on his new Elmo plate) and we played till daddy got home. Then we woke booderbean up from his nap and headed to the zoo for the day!


We had decided to buy him his own bike and helmet (melmet as he referes to it) since he is just in love with the one at mimi and papas. Of course my camera battery died and i have no pictures of him seeing it for the first time!!!! He's still getting the hang of the whole bike thing so as he practices ill get some pictures up. It's hard livin in teh country with no sidewalks...i think we'll be laying some concrete in the near future :)



he kept saying "weeee" as he threw them!

this was birthday breakfast on Elmo plate

he got an Elmo tattoo and it pretty much made his day

right after i told him we were going to the zoo to see the monkeys! his and daddy's favorite.

silly monkey boy

who had more fun with the monkeys???

homemade?? not anymore!!!

What is our world coming to when a mother cannot bring her child's class homemade cookies anymore????


This is so upsetting to me. I was so excited for booderbean to be able to help mommy bake homemade cookies and ice them to bring to his little classmates today to celebrate his birthday tomorrow.


Little did i know that when i would ask if there were any food allergies i should know about, Miss Fer Fer (poor toddlers can't quite say Jennifer yet) would inform me that we are only allowed to bring store bought goodies! Apparently the government, or whoever made this decision for our school systems and child care centers, felt that some parents might try and poison their child's class so we can't bring them homemade anymore! Now I ask you, what parent would do that???


oh well...no point in stewing over this or gripping about this anymore (Lord knows i did enough last night!), it's a done deal.





So, booderbean and i went to the store and picked out some yummy cookies from the bakery for him to bring today! We did however go ahead and make those homemade cookies last night as well as some orange pumpkin ones.


I gotta say, this boy was so proud to pose for photos with his cookies! It's so cute how i can now say "ok, smile big for mommy" and he will do it willingly!

This ones for you Becky. I love how you love his little smile as much as i do!

my little punkin'

Last night we took booderbean to the Grider Farms Pumpkin Patch!

I'm honestly not sure who had more fun :)

Military man was mighty proud of his findings!
So was booderbean!

And he's off! he was so excited to run through the fields

and pick his own pumpkin!

Happy Harvest everyone!

a look in the past

I like to think that a person not only gets to have a fabulous birthday day all about them, but they should get a whole week of it! That's why i'm starting out this week by saying

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEEK TO BOODERBEAN!! On Thursday at 3:16pm he will officially turn 2 years old, but we are celebrating starting this morning. Booderbean and military man got to sleep in and stay home today. Military man just happened to have the day off so booderbean got to play hookie and stay home with him. Goodness, it was hard leaving at 7am knowing that they were snuggling all warm and cozy in the big bed!

I have a few fun things planned for the week, pumpkin picking at a local patch, baking and icing cookies for school on Wednesday, but i'm trying to narrow down what we'll do on his actual birthday. Military man and i booth take off work for his birthday to make the day all about him and do something fun, last year it was the zoo and birthday portraits. But this year i don't know...any suggestions???

here is a little look back at how little booderbean began :) This photo was taken on the day that military man came home for his 2 week leave for the birth. One of my favorite photos we have.

sick sick sick

gross...i am sick! i have that stupid, annoying head cold thing that MUST be going around! And i say MUST because, i am pretty much a germ freak lately! washing the hands, keeping everything clean and sanitized and germ free! Well look where all that cleaning got me! SICK! ok, honestly it's not that bad, I still made it to work today, and I don't plan to let it slow me down this weekend. But seriously, a cold has to be the most annoying thing in the world!
And why oh why couldn't' this cold have coming next week, when i would have graciously used sick leave instead of weekend fun time to be sick!
I think this was planned!

Well, that's ok, i will make the best of this pesky cold! Military man has his 10 year high school reunion this weekend and tonight is "boys night out" for him. So i'm thinking booderbean will have an early bedtime tonight (thank goodness he can't tell time yet!) and momma is taking a nice hot bubble bath!

Happy weekend to everyone!

are YOU talkin' to ME?

Is that you talking booderbean?

Is that you talking in your first complete sentence to mommy?

You make me so proud mister!

This morning I had one of those "great momma moments".

The moments where you swell with pride and just want to shout

"YEAH, that's right, that's MY baby!"

Today started out just like every other Monday thru Friday, I wake up at 5:45, started the coffee (because the auto button is stuck and it's KILLING me!!), jumped in the shower, got myself completely ready, made and packed booderbeans breakfast and outfit for the day, got the car loaded, woke up military man, and then strolled in to see booderbean.
Who had been saying "mom ma, mom ma, me out" about 20 times.

I walked into his room and he's just sitting so cutely in his crib snugglin' with his blanket and smiling up at me. He started jabbering away as i got his curtains and blinds opened up, turned off the monitor and humidifier. I started talking to him about his day, how he was going to school and i was going to work. And as the funny man he is, he's started saying "no, me work, mom ma school" and then smiling. So i said, but honey, you get to go to school and see your school friends and play. And then it happened...booderbean said his first complete sentence!
He said " No, I play at my house"!!!!!!!! awwww i could have melted!!!
He knew to put the word "at" in there! he's never done this before!!
ok ok ok..i may be going a bit overboard here but dang! i'm a proud momma today and i'm going to let the world know it!

congratulations booderbean, you once again, make your mommy proud!

my big man

I'M BAAAAAAACK!!!! i took a little hiatus and decided not to write for a while. we have had a month of really sad, awful things happening in our families so i couldn't' find much happiness to write about. But like all this--this too shall pass--and it did.

Something exciting has happened lately...my little baby booderbean has grown up and turned into a little boy! He'll be turning 2 in less than a month and it breaks my heart that he's growing up so fast, yet it fills my heart to know that he is growing into such a fun and happy little boy. This past weekend we went up to Ponca City to visit his mimi and papa, he spotted his 4 year old cousins bike in the garage and helmet and decided he needed to "ride, ride, me, ride" that thing! Military man strapped the "melmet" has booderbean calls it, onto his head and away they went!

He was a pro! he knew exactly what to do. As you can see from the pictures, he was so proud of himself!

I think i know what he'll be getting for his birthday now...

Military Man getting booderbean started on riding the bike!

Look he's all by himself
(well with the help of training wheels which momma says will NEVER come off :) )

being a mom is not so glamerous at times

here's a confession of mine: i can be a little obsessed with things when it comes to booderbean. like for instance his schedule, or car trips (if you know us then you know we live about 30minutes to an hour from anything and i MUST plan accordingly) where booderbean might be sitting too long and not able to let his little legs stretch. I can worrying myself into a tissy that things might interfere with naps time or snack time or play time or any other time...so much so that it drives military man crazy.
also...i can be obsessed with what goes into booderbeans body...and what comes out! i will examine--ok wait, not literally, but i will question, the poo in the diaper! because everyone knows, when they are babies that's one of the first questions the doc will ask "how are his diapers" so i had to have a good answer right!!! right???

well this past week(ish) booderbean has had some sort of tummy virus that has been zero fun for the whole family.
here's how our past week has looked:

Saturday-Sunday:

bright green play-doh looking poo

Monday:

same thing but felt great so he went to school

tuesday:

school called, bad diapers, diarrhea cha cha cha, booderbean and i went home

wednesday:

booderbean and i stayed home, diapers still no fun but feeling great

Thursday:

went to school/work, school called at 2pm, booderbean and mommy called doc, no appt available so we were given instructions and went home, also staying home Friday.

**here's where the glamour of being a mommy comes in**

Thursday evening:

instructed by doc to bring a stool sample to the lab first thing Friday morning.

my exact words to doc "a stool sample? but he's not potty trained, i can't do a stool sample!" news flash to me...YES I CAN! ooooooooh lordy, this is not going to be fun i know it!

so i get ready, i'm waiting and waiting, praying that daddy comes home from work and gets to do this fabulous chore. no such luck. 30 minutes before daddy comes home, booderbean has a diaper surprise for me. lucky lucky me! so armed and ready i collect our sample. then i'm informed it has to be refrigerated!!! WHAT???

note to self, we are so buying a little fridge for the garage for this very purpose!!!

Friday morning:

booderbean not feeling like himself, good thing we stayed at home.

Friday morning:

head to lab to deliver collected sample. but wait--it had to be refrigerated right, what to do,

we live 40minutes from the hospital lab. well i'll improvise--sample hidden in brown paper sack, sack inside walmart bag with ice packs. geeze i felt ghetto!

delivered sample and puttered around town hoping to hear from doc. never hear ANYTHING.

i get frustrated and head home, call around 4:15 and they STILL do not have lab results. ummm wasn't this the point of the sample? so i didn't have to wait till Monday???

Saturday:

doing a bit better, but only a bit

Sunday morning and day:

yeahhh!! everything looking good! baby is happy and feeling great and diapers are great

Sunday evening 8pm:

dangit! spoke too soon, the big D is back!

Monday (today):

feeling good so we go to school/work...no phone call yet! cross your fingers!

and lab called...tests are normal, too bad his bowels sure aren't.

oh yeah...and the entire time he was not doing so good in the diaper area--he was his happy, snugly, smiley self!!! you'd never know the boy was sick!

i just hope this week is better than last!
sorry again if this was TMI for you, but like i said...i can be a little obsessed when it comes to my baby :)

i'm so lost...

without my camera that is!! booderbean and i went to a friends first birthday party while military man did his military thing all weekend, and wouldn't you know it...took the camera out of it's case, set it on the picnic table...and there it stayed till i got the phone call of leaving it there! SO not only do i not have any pictures of on of our closest friends sons first birthday, but now i can't take any photos this week (unless i make the trip to pick it up during the week but i really can't see that happening) or post any from the weekend! what's a girl to do.

i guess you'll just be stuck reading my rantings for the next week...then I'm sure I'll overload on photos :)

my boys

i think military man deserves a shout out on here!! this man is just amazing to me, he's so wonderful with our son and he supports me and does things just to make me happy (like leaving the house at 8:50 last night for a mad dash to the liquor store b/c he knew i had had a rough day and we were out of my favorite wine--so when i emerged from booderbeans room and he was soundly asleep, there was a glass for me!)

thought i would post some wonderfully funny pics from our recent vacation of

booderbean and military man!

booderbean has an infatuation with water fountains lately, much to my dismay b/c if you know me, then you know my fear of nasty germs from strangers on public things like this...BUT military man made him happy and indulged him while i turned my eyes :)

here booderbean is wearing daddy's favorite and most proud shirt Led Zeppelin baby.

enjoying an early morning breakfast at the condo and i had to pause for a photo!

my boys having fun in the pool. notice their coordinating flowered swim trunks...military man said it's ok for him to wear flowers b/c it's black! haha

while at Basin Park in Eureka, there was a strange man with a monkey in a dress on a leash...the monkey was begging for quarters that she would then stick in her pocket. military man gave the monkey a dollar. this photo was taken about 30 seconds before booderbean lost it and was screaming for me to save him from the crazy monkey.

military man got booderbean his first airbrushed tattoo! those two couldn't have been prouder!

fun in the sun

Poor booderbean had too much vacation!

well have sucessfuly survived our first "Krout Family Vacation"! even though we didn't get to go very far, nor spend a very long time away from home... we still had so much fun hanging out and just relaxing!

My folks lent us their condo right off Table Rock lake in Eureka Springs and it was the most perfect vacation for us to have! Waking up to a glassy lake view, the pool right across our drive and fun shopping only miles away.

Maybe when booderbean is old enough to remember a vacation we will do more and plan more, but for right now lazy days of playing and late nights of drinking, swimming , and grilling were right up our alley!

I of course took way too many photos (thanks military man for posing for yet another photo in the 100+ degree weather and humoring me!)

here are a few favorites...but i think i may be posting more of them since i just couldn't choose!

after an early morning at the farmers market we hit the park, i just love the look on his faceat Basin Park in downtown Eureka, they had the coolest painted benchesFunny man and momma in the pool, couldn't get him to smile at the camera though!not so sure about jumping in to us in the water though

the Mr. and Mrs. at the gazeboo cookin' out...think we had a little wine or beer???

Ready to Relax

I'm so excited, our first family vacation and road trip is about to begin! We are leaving today for the family condo in Eureka Springs and the fact that i get to do nothing but relax, swim with my boys, drinks some wine by the pool, and take in the scenery is oh so enticing!
My folks have had our condo since their honeymoon nearly 30 years ago, family tradition has always been to vacay at the condo. So i am oh so excited to take military man and booderbean. Not sure how much antiquing and shopping I'll get in with baby in toe but I'm sure I'll fit in a few stops.

On another note, can i send out a prayer request!! My spunky, wine drinking, pool swimming, yard working, busy fun, Nanna, is very ill. She is in the hospital with some very serious heart problems and will be undergoing a quadruple bypass very soon. For those of you who know her, you know this is nothing to keep her down. She's the most active 81 year old I've met, the very morning she got ill she was out back washing her pool! So please shoot a prayer on up when you get a moment. I know God will take good care of her.

I'll be MIA till next week so hope y'all have a fabulous week!

if you need a laugh today...

Here is a little peak at our funny funny booderbean!

He found these goggles of his cousin's at my parents house and insisted on wearing them, then he hopped on the (very loud and annoying) musical fire truck and rode all over the house!

I thought he was even going to sleep in them that night!

a little late on the fireworks...

So i know it's not actually Independence Day anymore...

but i figured i'd post a few pictures of our 4th of July weekend anyway!

Military man is still gone training so it was just me and the booderbean this year. We had a wonderful, fun, busy, tiring weekend in Ponca City. Since booderbean slept through the fireworks displays last year I was so looking forward to his reaction this year...but when it doesn't' get dark till almost 10:00pm, a toddler just can't hang. He was out like a light on the way to the lake to see fireworks. He did however get to shoot off a few at nanas house that afternoon after a full day of hanging out in the pool and grilling out. He wasn't a big fan of sparklers (probably b/c momma wouldn't' let him hold it on his own and he had to stand still and just stare, maybe when your older buddy, this momma is just a nervous wreck around quick toddler hands!) but LOVED the poppers. You know, those white little poppers you throw on the ground...well if one didn't pop you better believe he was on a mission to stomp it out! it was quite hilarious. Booderbean also got to find out this weekend that he is quite talented at eating corn ON the cob...nervous momma didn't even cut it up for him, and he's a big big fan of "pink fluff salad", my cousin made this amazing salad that i'm pretty sure booderbean ate 3/4 of!!
well this post is boring i'm sure but i'd really just like to get to the pictures. so enjoy!

Booderbean and Momma swimming

Sparklers with momma and poppers with pappa

enjoying his pink fluff with a spoon all by himself!! and of course diving into the corn on the cobb!

the boy loooves his fruit snacks!!

to travel or not to travel...

well i'm FIANLLY posting about this...A little under a month ago I traveled abroad with my work to London and France (woohoo right!). Part of my job is to coordinate and plan out the Study Abroad programs for the School of Business. Since i was so new to the position as it grew closer for the students to go on their trip, i was given the chance to go with them (along with professors and another coordinator). It was great, I was able to finally meet all the people i had been e-mailing and video conferenceing with and now when i tell a student we need to order them a Eurial pass I will actually know what the heck i'm talking about! I've allready started the planning process for summer 2009 Study Abroad (such a big big task) but i wanted to post and share some pictures from this years. I took so many pictures that by the time the trip was over my camera was was left with 3 spaces on the memory card! If you want to see more I'll have to send them to you, there's no way anyone wants to see this post filled up. I do highly reccomend international travel to everyone, it was the most eye opening experience ever.

Here's a short list of my favorites (no particular order):

1. people watching

2. sipping wine outside in Paris

3. attending Mass at Notre Dame Catholic Church

4. Eiffel Tower

5. taking the Tubes (transportation) all over London

6. the War Cabinet Museum (absolutly wonderful!)

7. the Queens Rose Garden at Regents Park in Londo

8. the long plane ride (i know, i'm crazy but i love to fly!)

And a short list of my not so favorites:

1. baggett sandwiches-i have a story on why

2. paying to use the potty

3. the language barrier (my fault, i really shoulda learned french)

4. paying way too much for an over strong cup of coffee

5. missing my booderbean so much i couldnt' even look at a child with out literally tearing up.