National Lampoons take St. Louis

As most of you may know by now, my family chooses to celebrate our holidays a week earlier to avoid any and all family conflicts. This past week was no different. Last Thursday evening we set off in the I44 East sunset filled with antique shops, liquor stores, firework stands, and naughty shops.  Fortunately, our road trip routine has gotten pretty predictable (knock on wood...seriously...knock on it). As Kori strums away on the iPad and Stacey does whatever she can to NOT talk to me, my options are limited to memorizing Baby Genius DVDs or vetoing any purchase Stacey tries to submit from the passenger seat. These are simply observations I find funny.  Like last week, I was in the shower and noticed I had the smallest loofah out of our family of three. And yes, I loofah and it's frickin' epic when you have one that's bigger than a Christmas ornament.

Back to the trip, my friends. Friday, our day was spent at a photo shoot that was NOT so innovative at Portrait Innovations. I've yet to be impressed with the photographers they produce. I swear that training manual is titled close to the following, "It's their time but it's your agenda." Again, it's an observation. You can't go too wrong with my niece and daughter in their Christmas best.

Saturday brought few surprises which made for a relaxing day. We deep fried our turkey and had a buffet of food to compliment. Minus some Oklahoma football, it was a pretty great weekend. Hope to visit with some of the friends next trip.

As for the ride back Sunday, the girls napped, watched movies, and played on their phone while I struggled to keep my eyes open/fought the down pour...and the multiple reminders to "get new windshield wipers."  Would I have it any other way? Nah.


You know how in a fairy tale there's always a potion that makes the princess fall asleep and then the guys start kissing her? Well, this is like that except you don't wake up in a castle - you wake up in a frat house with a bad reputation.
~Phil Dunphy

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures on our trip to St. Louis....so here are some recent ones

High fiving on the swings

Kori's new favorite pass time

Trick or Treat: Season Two

We all know there is only so much you can do with a 16 month old on Halloween. What some might NOT know is that there is plenty a 16 month old can do or say on Halloween. Last year Kori was about 4 months old so we dressed her up as a Bumble Bee and carried her to a few houses. Simple enough right? Not much to talk about here. What a difference a year makes. For the most part, she walked to 6 houses, grabbed her own candy (tricked her own treat), and screamed “DIE!” at the top of lungs to several neighborhood unknowns.

Back Story:
Kori has mastered the art of saying “hi” to just about anyone. If it’s NOT your kid, it’s probably annoying. That’s the level we’re on. With that said, she’s also trying other words such as hot (ot), shoe/sit (shat), ice (aye), etc. Well, her interpretation of sky sounds like die, and that’s exactly what she said most of the night. She was looking and pointing towards the “die” but it was dark out so who knows what others were thinking. Can you imagine though? I did. Picture skipping right along to that next house with you and your kids, and out of nowhere you hear a baby’s voice telling you to “DIE!” DIE!”
Haha! Guess you had to be there. I’ll tell you what though. Through the years, I’ve built up a pretty hilarious network of friends, but Kori gets the “Last Comic Standing” award. As most of you can say about your kids, they can make you laugh harder than you ever imagined. I don’t have many bad days, but when I do they only last til 6:30 p.m. or when I walk in the door after work. Whatever comes first.

Flash forward to the following Friday and you’ll get something just as a scary, a few hours out and about with dad. Believe it or not, I don’t get to take Kori too many places by myself. Stacey had a dentist appointment and I had to run errands. So I put my dad boots on and out the door we went. Yeah right? It took me longer to get out the house than it did to run errands. First off, know that I cannot put together any type of outfit that meets the “mom approval.” At first glance, I usually get a laugh and “that doesn’t go together.” If any existing or future dads read this blog, know that your margin for failure will be less if you go for comfort versus aiming to please. In case you were wondering what I went with…I went with a sure fire, can’t miss outfit that would succeed on all comfort levels: Cardinal hoodie, black leggings, fuzzy black boots, and a white bow. Boom! Let’s do this girl. Wait! I got to get the diapers, wipes, a snack, and bevy.

Next up:
Dry cleaners, gas station, the mall, photo booth, Disney store, Orange Julius, and play area. FACE!
“Sorry I fell asleep while you were describing the most boring party ever.”
~Phil Dunphy

 

 

Since the Halloween pictures were posted on the last blog here is what this past weekend was like for the Cowley Family

Just going to walmart with dad

Always a great time with dad's in charge

Pulling the grocery's out of the bag

Anxiously awaiting for the football game to start

Sunday Funday at the park

 

Ouch! That's my face.

Hope we still have an audience out there. These blogs can really get
away from you. One day you're turning a blog into the boss (wife) about one
holiday and poof...the next is here already and you're defending
yourself against a table of old college buddies at Oktoberfest on why you haven't updated the story in awhile(wink).
Since I last reported on the wondering mind of our 15+ month old
daughter, we've ventured on a few excursions. One inparticular was the
Carmichael Pumpkin Patch which sems to be a must-do this time of year in
Tulsa. After seeing pics of Stacey and Kori's trip last year to some
random tent that specialized in carrying wart covered pumpkins, I
decided to interven.
I was pretty impressed with the patch to be honest. Great selection of
pumpkins in all sizes, reasonable prices, very photo friendly, petting
zoo (we decided to spare the animals on this occassion), hayrides,
homemade jelly, and plenty of good people watching.
Personally, it could be looked at as a wasted trip cause our pumpkin
masterpieces have already started to rot and Kori spent most of the
time trying to steal my knife, eat the pumpkin guts, and splatter the
pumpkin of Mr. Riggles as if it was his own head. One might look at this as a Halloween celebration gone terribly
wrong but what "classic" family stories end with everything in one
piece and no mess. Pick me!!! (Hand Raised) The correct answer is
none. Tell me a story about the most perfect family outing where
everyone gets along all day, nobody gets hurt, you're on time for
everything, and a frickin rainbow followed you around all day. Tell me
that story and I'll show you a liar. Ha. I love the challenge of
getting from A to B and all the Tom Foolery that comes with it. So
yeah, our pumpkin patch weekend wasn't filled with turtlenecks and
pumpkin cider but it was ours. And now, I have a story to tell. Thanks
Kori for being dangerously curious about all the things you shouldn't
touch and all the things you shouldn't eat. We probably watch too much
YouTube and act inappropriately in restaurants but we have a good time. If I can just get her to stop slapping me in the face, we'll be good. The other night she snuck up behind me while I was laying on the floor belly up watching TV and she brought the thunder clap down on my face with both hands. No joke...that frickin hurt, and just as I was convincing myself to NOT laugh she brought the encore. Note to self, don't laugh when you get club punched by your kid unless you want another one.

If you wanna fly I'm not gonna hold your feet to the ground, I'm gonna be the one to push you off the cliff.
~Phil Dunphy (Season 3)

                                          Get ready for our Halloween/Fall photo montage

1 of 2 trips to the pumpkin patch

I want this one!!!

Trying to force her to look at the camera is virtually impossible

Carving pumpkins

Our family of pumpkins

Second trip to the pumpkin patch

Why can't I pick it up?!?

Happy Halloween

Trick or Treating

Loves smelling flowers....and that blur is the little referee (Riggles)

2 Fast 2 Curious

Let me set the mental table for you. I'm going to make an effort to crawl inside Kori's mind for a few minutes to illustrate her post dinner/bath routine. Try to keep up.
Kori's inner monologue: Setting is the living room.
"(Scream)Oh wow which toy should I play with first? First let me bully this cat? Ok now where's my book I got to flip a few pages. Wait! What does mom have? Is that water from a big girl cup? (Spike that cup on the ground for 6 pts.) check out my endzone dance, team parenthood. Stop watching Bahelor Pad!!! Man, this Sonic ice feels good on my teeth. What's in this cabinet? And that one?
Ziplock bags all out and accounted for? Yep! (Scream) I wonder where they put those iPad/iPhone things. (Fist in mom's mouth) That's a "gob"...that's a "gob." Why is the "No No Yes Yes" book all backwards. Maybe grandma would like some ice spilt on her lap. Check that! Wait is that music on the TV....dance, dance, dance.  Let's cling to mom for a few minutes until she gives me a snack. Go-gurts have a way of making my booty shake. (Bite) Hmmmm. (Bite) Hmmm. What's Riggles chewing on? I want it! Rock that rockin chair. Rock, rock, rock that rockin chair. Now bite it. Throw the dog toys in the only direction I know how, bacwards. More music....dance, dance, dance.  Sippy cup to the floor and clap. Clap for Bachelor Pad contestants before I wake/slap the dog. Read me my princess book and try to keep up. I think I got this blow my nose thing down so I don't need the tissue. Makes for bigger nose bubbles...."

I started documenting at 7:16 p.m. It is now 7:26 p.m. She goes hard until she can't go anymore. I am confident that she is just like the rest of her age group, but I don't know where she gets all that energy. If I had to take an educated guess, I would say it comes from that adorable baby pot bell she lugs and struts so poetically. So check out the new Vin Diesel movie 2 Fast 2 Curious that premiers the 1st of 2012 co starring Kori Cowley. It's based off true events.

"Claire, this is a very delicate situation. If we don't handle it right, Luke might end up having an unhealthy attitude about sex. Or agribusiness."
~Phil Dunphy

Being Cheesy

Our 2 little munchkins

Dancing and begging for food with the dogs

Wrestling daddy

On guard with the dogs

Best Buds

Reading her favorite book

Next....ipad

Loves shoulder rides with dad

Ice Cream with Memaw

Traveling Band

If my count is accurate, we just survived wedding number 6 on the year with 3 more to go. Our last adventure took us to Cancun for the Goodale/Hernandez Cruz wedding. I know! Poor us, right?
It was a terrific time with great people and a beautiful beach ceremony. We haven’t spent that much time away from Kori since she joined us 13 months ago. With a getaway like that, there was some obvious bitter and some obvious sweet. Not holding your kid for 4 days can wear on you a little bit, but it can also recharge that much needed battery. Thanks to grandma and grandpa Blanchard for picking up the slack while we were gone. She’s grown to be a pretty cute handful. Couple that handful with work and weekend travel, you can understand why the blogs become less frequent.
Stacey and I are really enjoying this new stage of development. Modern day science has found a way to forecast the development storms. I guess Missouri Baptist Medical Center has been sending Stacey a weekly "development" newsletters since Kori was born, that describe Kori’s stride to a T. For those of you that have or had a 1 year old, you can probably describe in detail our experiences. Kori has become quite the communicator. Everything is “dab” or “gob” but I think she understands the difference between dog and cat. Right and wrong is a different tale in itself. As parents, we are our taking our first steps as disciplinarians. Whether it’s getting into the dog bowl, dishwasher, cabinets, beating up the dogs, etc. we get the same assertive finger from Kori that we give her only with a little more attitude. I feel like she knows we think it’s funny.
Let’s see what else…
Car seats are hell on earth. Straws are the greatest thing since the creation of fire. The slightest tune will trigger what could only be described as an embarrassing Soul Train audition. Baby Genius DVDs are worth way more than $6 a pop. Stacey continues to wake up in a panic asking me where Kori is at 2 o’clock in the morning, and more recently “Watch out for those batteries on the side of the bed.” Hold the phone, I just witnessed, as I am proofreading, Kori climb into her little rocking chair, pull herself up, step onto the leg of this small unstable piece of baby furniture, and propel herself on to the recliner.
Oh…and it’s freaking hot!
If anybody still reads these, let me know if my sing offs get repetitive.

“Glen Whipple. My college rival. Captain of the cheer squad. Winner of every robot battle. Every second I spent with the guy just made me feel worse about myself.”~Phil Dunphy


Unfortunately some one has been slacking in the picture area so I will post some pictures from this time last year.

Daddy's little girl

Typical night as a newborn

Peaceful afternoon nap

1 day old and already smiling at daddy

1 year later and this blanket still doesn't leave her side

Dreaming of diamonds

Little ONE!

As you may have gathered, Stacey, Kori and I will usually celebrate 
holidays and birthdays twice. Kori's birthday was no different. To 
kick off her 1 year milestone, we started with a small gathering of 
friends and family in St. Louis the weekend before the 4th. Memaw 
hosted a great bash with great food, great gifts, and great company. 
Thanks again to everyone who made Kori part of their Saturday 
including Mr. Dacey who was 24 hours late (wink).

Just seven days later, we were back at it at Grand Lake with the Tulsa 
crew including my ma. I think we got ourselves a taste of several 
birthdays to come. My vision for the majority of future birthdays is 
pools, boats, aquatic sports/toys, fireworks, water parks and of course lake time. We think 
she has enough hardware to support the next 5 birthdays: splash parks, 
inflatable water gym, princess bugey, slides, a wagon, etc. Stacey and 
I would like to thank all of you for making our little girl feel so 
special this past year. I can't think of anything I'd rather do 
more than watch her continue to grow, we have not had a boring day since last July 2nd which is a great feeling.

Inflatable waterpark

Princess Buggy

Overwhelmed by the attention and gifts

Trying to dig into her suckers

We were hoping for a little more excitement with her wagon ;)

Splash waterpark so maybe she will stay out of the dog's water bowl

The ultimate jungle gym/climber

Being studious in her new lawn chair

Finally get to cool off at the pool

And lets not forget about the cake eating contest Kori had with herself....I must say she had quit an audience.....it was fun to help her out too

This blog is brought you by another priceless moment in Kori's Story. 
Thursday night was a rough one for all of us. Kori didn't want to go 
down for anything which rarely happens so I took the night shift and 
partied with her. I tried taking her for a walk outside, feeding her 
which turned into her feeding me for 20 minutes straight, running 
through the baby genuis playlist, and more rockin. Finally, we made 
it. There were a few toss and turns but settled in and slept for about 
5 to 6 hours (FYI ever since that night she has slept no less then 12 hours at night). So here we are Friday morning...thank you for that morning 
start with a fresh lake breeze. Oh wait!!! That's just Kori making a 
stinky in my eye. You guessed it folks. Somehow our midnight tosses and 
turns resulted in a silent but deadley spooning position. How we 
ended up butt to face is beyond me. Adding insult to injury, Kori 
laughs in my face as if her poot wasn't enough.
Thanks for watching!!!

"Let's show these guys what kind of team they're about to beat."
~Phil Dunphy
Please keep the McDonald family in your prayers. Unfortunately, we lost another great man on July 5th. Keith McDonald, Brett's dad, was a notable family man that leaves behind a very respectable legacy. Brett has been a very close friend of mine since I first step foot in Stillwater. The support their family gave me and mine was momumental when we suffered the same tradegy. I'm still not up to speed on the details of their loss, but feel free to send your love and support.