I GOT CAKE!!!

Man, I'm really slipping these days. I've been meaning to get this next blog out right after Easter, but tomorrow turned into weeks. You might be wondering to yourself, "Hey, Tom! How did you find time today to do it?"
Well it's funny you should ask hypothetical curiosity. For the first time in a long time, I'm on a road trip and NOT DRIVING, at least for now, so I got some free time in between Kori's YouTube panic attacks. Life is a B when there is no data.

Here's a quick recap:
Easter was great on both sides of the family. Kori only keeps the eggs that shake and have "tanny" in them.
If she ever wants anything from me, hit me with the trifecta: Easter dress, bubbles, and a smile. (Is $20 going to be enough?)

Cars that fit 2 kids comfortably is more expensive than cars that fits 1 kid comfortably. (You guys see that Modern Family on Wednesday? Classic Phil)
House hunting is exhausting with or without a child.
Had a great 10 yer reunion with all the great guys I graduated with...wish I would of paced myself a little better. Apparently I'm still the same Tom 10 years later but my internal curfew is getting earlier and earlier.
Fun weekend in StL 2 week ago. My mom and grandma gave us a great jump start on the next round of stuff for the next kiddo.
Great seeing my brother and his family. Hope we can catch up with my cousin and Uncle Jer next time.
Congrats to Stacy Bohn on their newest addition. Maybe sometime soon we'll be in StL long enough to catch up with a few others. Speaking of which, thanks again to the Younts for all the hospitality and the meat buffet.
Another special thanks in advance to Hines, Coy, and Karen for putting another shower together for Stacey and our little man on the way.
And congrats to my brother in-law/Kori's Uncle Dan on graduating from law school last weekend. Family and I had a blast celebrating with you. We only shoplifted on accident once and lifted up one lady's dress.

Big HUGE props to Stacey, the real rock star of this family. Not sure how she does it but she does it and she does it GREAT. We only have 9 weeks left til lil man arrives, and that's when the real pain hits :) Just joking. You'll never hear me argue that my job is easier than hers. I'm more exhausted after watching Kori for half of a day than I am after working a 10 hour day. She deserves better than a sub par dinner at Fox and the Hound for Mother's Day. Please except my public display of gratitude in leui of breakfast in bed, wine and dine night, etc. Cheers to the CEO of the Cowley Corporation.

Oh and you're probably wondering if I am going to tie in the title of the blog. Well, 2 weeks ago Kori put togehter her first sentence, "I GOT CAKE." Next time you see me, request the sound bite. It was pretty hilarious. She was holding this piece of plastic cake (accessory from some kitchen set) screaming jibberish from the top of her lungs when an actual sentence surfaced plane as day. Way to go little one! I can't wait to hear the next ones.

I wanted a car like this since I was a kid. I used to image the wind blowing through my perm, blasting some Hall and Oates, maybe horsing around with mister microphone.

~Phil Dunphy

Kor-ictionary \kori’s dictionary\

Thanks for tuning into the first edition of Words with Kori. My mom has been asking me to keep her posted on Kori’s progress in regards to the words she says, blurts, attempts, etc. After 6+ months or so, she’s racked up a decent resume of words or interpretations of words. We’re certainly no prodigy at “My Baby Can Read” but it sure is cute to watch her learn. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to share her progress. Below, you’ll notice a highly intelligent format consisting of word, pronunciation, and brief description. We’ll exclude obvious momma, dada, papa, ball, hi, hey, bye, eat, bite, dog, and kitty which is basically “keeeeeeeeey”.

For example:

word \pronunciation\
brief description…
please \pwease\
one of the more powerful words Kori has in her vernacular. “Pwease” will get her just about anything she wants whenever she wants. This will usually come with a tilt of the head and a tractor beam.

animal \amal\
So this is Kori’s most recent and favorite Baby Genius DVD where they spend the whole time touring the San Diego Zoo.

hello
/elwow/
She says this when holding a phone up to her ear and proceeds to carry on a LONG conversation which no one understands.


Lynn
\leen\
We've made huge progress on this one but this is how Kori express that she wants to go see neighbor Lynn.

phone \fa\
She’s better at saying “iPad” to be honest. Thank god for unlimited data cause that girl will wear it out.

slide \sly-sly\
No surprise here. Loves the slide so much she has to say it twice everytime. Just can’t figure out if she likes sliding down the slide or trying to walk up it.

ice \eyes\
Just like her mom, the girl loves to eat some ice. Have to take her through The Barn next time we are in Stillwater.

blanket \dee-dee\
This would be her security blanket. My brother had one that he held on to until he was 10? I get the feeling she may follow a similar path.

banana \nan-yeah\
Not much to brag about here. Loves her nan-yeahs.

juice \sheuce\
Again, she can't put it down. Juice, water, milk, etc. Wherever she is there is a good chance there is a cup in her hand or a straw dangling from her mouth.

moon \moo\
Kind of impressive here. I don’t remember anyone teaching her this one. I think Gma Blanchard pointed to it, said it, and it was learnt.

airplane \ah-pee\
She’ll be the first to let you know if there is a plan in the sky…fo sho.

Quick Hitters:
cracker\cacker ~ Knox\knoxshhhh ~ outside\ow-si ~ thank you\te-too ~ here you go\he-gew ~ help\ep ~ sit\shit ~ teeth\tees ~ eye brows\eye bows  move \moof\ shoe \she\ boot \boo\ cookie \kee-kee\ cake \cake\ golf cart \cack-car ~ bubbles\bubba ~ duck\qwack ~ bird\buh ~ trash\tish ~ Elmo\elbow ~ Barney\bobby ~ Violet\bye bit ~ rock as in rock in the chair\ock ~
water/wa wa ~ candy/taney ~ happy/hobby ~ Uh oh/uh oh uh oh uh oh uh oh ~  School Bus/buffs (while making circles with her fists how they do on the classic song "Wheels on the Bus) ~ blue/boo ~ green/geen ~ all done/aw duh ~ books/buffs ~ who can forget the kissing noise she makes while slapping her butt to call the dogs inside ~ and the sweetest one of all amen/ahh meh.  The list could probably go on if we could understand her half the time but she is not afraid to have a conversation with her self or "Elmo on the phone".

Words we here VERY often and have no clue what they mean schiby and todo which is usually in conjunction with a finger point so she is wanting something, wanting you to do something, or throwing out some kind of order/demand.
Thanks for tuning in. I’m sure there is more where that came from, but that’s all I can muster right now. FYI – Mamma and belly baby are trucking along. Doc is finally confident we're having a boy.

Clair likes to say: you can be part of the problem or part of the solution. Well, I happen to believe you can be both.

~Phil Dunphy

This girl loves the playground

Minnie Mouse and gogurts make her sassy....or maybe the sunglasses

Loves dancing

Especially to Barney

She's no stranger to the iPad

First Haircut

Not too sure what's going on yet

All smiles now....this stuff is easy

Happy Girl!!

Full House

Well, we are probably 5-6 months away from rebranding the blog. As some of you may have heard, we have another bun in the oven. Forecast calls for a boy, and yes I am super excited. It's definitely not a "thank god it's not another girl" type of feeling. Love my Kori. I'd take 10 just like her if I could afford it, but it's a boy! (You know what I mean, right?) We're all tied up!

Soap Box:
Cliché has it that everyone just wants a healthy baby. I am no different. We’ve certainly seen some close friends fall victim to complications and disorders. My heart goes out to the brave parents that live under these circumstances. I don’t do life with these folks everyday...I can only imagine, pray for their will being, and encourage those that are fortunate to treat their situation as a blessing rather than some sort of entitlement.

So far, Stacey and I have had some interesting adventures from the point of knowing we are pregnant to the point of telling people we are pregnant. With Kori, we found out just before Stacey was about to go into the OR for back surgery. Awkward! Guess who had to lie to Stacey's parents about the details of her surgery and recovery until we snuck up to Tulsa to break the news? Me!

With the new guy, we found out just before Christmas and holiday travels. Team Cowley agreed to keep it a secret until we could get confirmation from the doc mid January. That's a lot of not telling the truth and white lying. I felt like Joey when he couldn't tell anyone about Monica and Chandler. After a trip to St. Louis and back, all Christmas functions and festivities, a trip to the lake, and a vacation to Branson I finally got to open my mouth. You can imagine the amount of secret looks Stacey and I shared across the room when a related comment was made.

Any whoser, I'm going to make my exit. Creative juices just don't seem to be flowing. Work all day, dad all evening, and constant brain movement doesn't leave much room for anything else. Sorry Kori! This was not your story.

Not only that, the iPad comes out on my actual birthday. It's like God and Steve Jobs got together and said "We love you, Phil."

~ Phil Dunphy

This is how Kori shared her big news with everyone...and couldn't help but say "go pokes" at the same time!!

Whew! Sigh! Gasp!

Another holiday season down. Man, it was so great seeing everyone and catching up. Wish we could of made it out to Aunt Susi's place for the annual Christmas showdown but aside from that I'd say we covered a lot of ground. Week before Christmas, we were in St. Louis doing the Midwest thang. My niece is a monster super human. I can't believe how much she knows already. Boys beware cause she might body slam you if you cross her. Most of the trip with my family was pretty standard which makes it so great. You can always expect great food, plenty of booze, awesome company, and a few greatest hits from my Gma Sally. We finally got out to Tilles Park for the Christmas light carriage ride. My family has been planning that for years and we never make it out there. Thanks to Memaw for making it happen. We weren't the healthiest family in town. The patience and flexibility was much appreciated.

In her "own" seat on the airplane home from St. Louis

Back to T-town just in time for holiday traffic, last minute shopping, and a quick breather before the Blanchard family came to town. Again, it was great catching up with the brothers from another mother. Pretty sure Kori has a crush on Uncle Dan and it was nice to see her get reacquainted with Uncle Tim and Aunt Sarah. Florida makes it tough to be an awesome Aunt and Uncle but they sure do a great job of catching up. Thanks to Dick and Barb for the special trip to Branson. I've never been before and look forward to the 2012 trip with the Cowley side. Double the kiddos, double fun, double the help.
While I'm handing out daps, I'll go ahead and leave it out there for Miss Kim for the loofah and my favorite Florida Blanchard couple for the "Modern Family" calendar. I got spoiled with gifts this Christmas/birthday but those were the two that referenced previous blogs. I now have the biggest loofah in the house and a year supply of Modern Family quotes. Cheers!!!

Don't go too far...Kori opened a lot of gifts and picked up a lot of "tude" (attitude) over the break. Shouldn't be tough to come up with content for awhile.

Luke: You had a girlfriend before mom?
Phil: Try two. Trust me, I had plenty of fun in my time. And then I met your mom.
~Phil Dunphy

Christmas Eve Church Service

Christmas morning.....one of her MANY gifts

Showing off all her presents....unfortunately we couldn't fit them all in the picture

Loving her new tricycle from Grandma and Grandpa

Enjoying the Christmas lights in Branson

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)