I Knew It *UPDATED* Since Yesterday

After receiving the email posted below, Captain Rex is now 

 *STELLA*

Sam couldn't handle a girl being called Captain Rex. Today he said "Uh Mom, I think 'Lexy' is uh... you know, uh, kinda crazy." I just figured he'd like the captain part, and Lexy rhymed with Rex... sort of. He then asked me to suggest some girl names. I think she looks like a 'Stella' and it means "Star". Sam loved it.

Hi Andrea


Just wanted to give you an update on Captain Rex.

I think CAPTAIN is a unisex term, hope so because Captain Rex is female.

Monday evening Dr. Scott McDonald was over to surgically sex your Sunnie.

He thought she was a good looking healthy parrot.

Here's a picture taken yesterday. Quite the change don't you think?

Bruce

Captain Rex

HI GUYS!



"Phillips. We Put the 'Dys' in Dysfunctional" (Typical Tuesdays)

Well, I still have a little over an hour left until it's no longer Tuesday. I guess I'm doing okay with keeping up on my commitment to post every Tuesday (so what if it's only the 2nd Tuesday?).

Posted below are scenes from today, and few quotes from the past two days.

While waiting in the doctor's office yesterday with Sam, I told him to quit blowing bubbles and chewing his gum so loud, "We're in public, Sam."   Sucks his gum back in his mouth, places his head on his hand, sighs, and says "That's why I hate public."  Me too Sam, me too.

Today I gave each of the boys a sketch book to keep as a personal diary of sorts. Sam asked if he could keep his private since it was a diary. ("Privacy" A.K.A. "Something Mommy and Daddy need to have so we  won't want to gouge our eyes out when we see them 'Kissy Huggy' "). Paolo pipes in with his lisp, "I hate private, cuz it's all mushy and thstuff."

Johnny: "Gross, just gross." Upon seeing that his long awaited new episode of Scooby Doo began with Freddie and Shaggy getting dizzy over a pretty lady singing.

This is what school looked like today. Think the boys need a break... maybe?

Video of the twins first thing in the morning... and (further) evidence for Mom's case against my wanting to  take the baby gate away, thereby allowing the babies to roam freely in the kitchen (where they're pictured here).

 

And this is Santino "affectionately" playing with Teodata's doll. This entertained our boys and Joey for quite some time.

Typical Tuesdays

I decided that I'm going to try and post a video or pictures every Tuesday (key word here is "try"). What I want to share are candid glimpses into a typical day at the Phillips household. The one you're about to watch was taken last week. Sam was upstairs on the computer. Everyone was waiting as I made lunch. Today Teodata is sick with a terrible cold... "Hello, one Sunday in the nursary..."

Ho-Hum

"I went on a diet, gave up drinking and peach eating, and in fourteen days, I lost two weeks." 

(can't remember the guy's name who said this)

So I'm feeling old... physically, decrepit. I know that in ten years, I will wish that I felt as "old" as I do now... hence my bewilderment when pondering the thought of "making it" to senior citizen status. "If I feel this bad now, how am I going to feel when I really am old?" Hmmm

Adam is feeling the same way. The other day he said "I'm aging like bologna." We realize that we need to make some lifestyle changes. This irritates us. We make jokes about people who "live healthy". There are people who lead extremely healthy lifestyles, and you can see it in their fresh faces... it's nice. Then there are those (the ones we make jokes about) that you can't see it in their faces... or their bodies for that matter, so they have to tell you about it... all day long.  "Hey if you need me, I'll be at the gym... workin' my abbs." "Wow! feelin' great today, did a colon cleanse last night.", and the like.

Adam and I do not want to turn into those people, although I highly doubt that we will being that we're the people who say things like "If you need me, I'll be having my third cup of coffee." And, "I feel like crap today, must've been that chocolate fest I had at midnight."

At the same time, these bodies are temples for the Living God... no pressure there. We have to find a balance.

I truly believe that it begins in the mind. Not in a groovy, Deepak Chopra kind of way, but in a "It's what God says over and over in His Word." kind of way.

In other words, fill your mind with healthy things, and your body will show it.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."

Wouldn't it be nice if we heard (and more importantly, that I was heard) saying things like "Man, I feel great today! Had a great quiet time with the Lord this morning... I can do anything today!" And, "If you need me, I'll be reading my Bible."  Anyone who's regularly practiced those things, will tell you that this is truly how you feel. What's most important is not so much that you feel this way, it's that the Lord says that you literally can do anything, in Him. When I live healthy in Him, I feel like a teenager... (minus the hormonal outbursts of wrath, insanity, and thinking that everyone is dumb but me...)

My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight;

Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them. And health to all their body.

Proverbs 4:20-22 

Phrases that can be heard around the Phillips household.

From the "Adults":

1. "Don't walk around with a bucket on your head."
2. "Don't scale the door frames in the living room and dining room." (as opposed to those everywhere else in the house)
3. "Get the batteries from your sister."
4. "SIT in the chair."
5. "Do NOT talk about the bodily functions of the animal we are eating!"
6. "Yes, the animal you are eating is indeed dead."
7. "Poo-stink!"
8. "Enough about robots for today."
9. "Lift the seat!"
10. "Are you ready to go 'night 'night?"
11. "Yes, they definitely look sleepy."
12. "We need eggs, yogurt, milk and bread."
13. "How can you be covered in dirt after your bath?"

From the children:

1. "When I become president I won't need to sleep with my brothers 'cause I'll have secret service there with me."
2. "Great! Awesome! Familiar!" (They don't care what "familiar" really means, by the way)
3. "There's great news Mom! There's a cream that takes away your stretch marks!"
4. "Oomph!"
5. "Can we go to Kennywood?"
6. "How old will you be when I'm....?"
7. "Mine!"
8. "No, no, no, no, no,
9. "Can I have *This* for my birthday?
10. "How about Christmas?"
11. "I'm sorry, I can't stop."
12. "It wasn't me."
13.  "I love you Mom."

Some Pics and a video for your enjoyment.

We're doing a unit study on the Revolutionary War. Here's my Minutemen:

Here's 'Data feeding Santino

MEET CAPTAIN REX

So, I didn't feel as though I had enough to keep me busy... what with homeschooling, my pending autoimmune diagnoses, doctors appts, twins, 3 (THREE, not SEVEN) acres to take care of... gets boring you know? I thought "Hey! We need a PET to liven things up around here.... scatter some bird seed... and er...um... doo-doo on my head... stank, and screeching..."

In all seriousness, Sam has been begging for a pet for a long, long time. Adam and I have been praying about it, and I began to do some research. I found out that dogs are not recommended for wee ones. The best pets for little kids are (are you ready for this?) "Fancy Rats"... ugh! Guinea pigs (and the like) and birds. Adam does not want a pet at all. He does know that there's been a lot of research on how pets really help autistic children. This made him at least pray about it. Now the fact that we both had an extremely unfortunate incident with a parrot in a pet store (still don't know what happened to said parrot after Adam spiked him off of the floor... appeared to be OK, but we weren't sticking around for him to attack us again.), did not help the whole Bird Idea. Still, Adam has at least admitted that sun conures are smart, and that Captain Rex (Sam's name for the bird) is "very cool." Perhaps that's about all the love we'll get out of Adam.

And here's Captain Rex:

Pitiful huh?

He *should* look like this by the time we take him home: