Our Newest Addition

This is Yoshi. He is a bearded dragon and our newest baby. If you have been to our house in the last few weeks, then you have had the pleasure of meeting him but I wanted to post some pictures for those of you who haven't been over. Before we got Yoshi I had NEVER held a lizard. I will hold an occasional tree frog but never a lizard. At first I was a little bit apprehensive. But he is so gentle and sweet. One of the first things that Mason does in the morning is hold Yoshi. He helps me feed him and give him water. Although it may be hard to believe, Yoshi responds different to Mason than he does to anyone else. He tilts his head when Mason talks, he will sit in Mason's lap for as long as Mason wants him to and if Yoshi is in a feisty mood, he calms down the second he sits in Mason's hands. It's pretty amazing.

We feed him tiny crickets and let me tell you that he can eat them at the speed of light! He also loves strawberries. He shed his skin last week. Mason was in a panic until it was over. He didn't understand why his skin was coming off. I told Mason that it was because Yoshi had grown too big for his old skin. I guess it worried Mason.

When we went to pick Yoshi up a few weeks ago, Brett told me that there was no way on earth that he would ever hold a bearded dragon. By the time we got home that night, Brett was begging for his turn to hold him. Now I catch Brett in Mason's room holding Yoshi all the time. Or sitting at the computer with Yoshi hanging out on his shirt.

Our Weekend!

This morning I woke up with a head ache and my legs where extra achy. Before I left to take Mason to school I loaded the dishwasher and turned it on, folded a load of clothes and started more, made the bed, watered my outside plants, gave Chewy his medicine, fed the dogs and the lizard, spent at least 20 minutes trying to help Mason pick out his clothes and finally had to take 4 Motrin before walking out the door. I was tired and my day had just started. I know that I am not the only one who has mornings like this. I know that some of you do the same things with two or three kids to get ready. Y'all are hero's in my eyes! I really feel like I never get to sit down and do nothing. I know that is my fault because when the opportunity presents itself, I sit and think of things that I should be doing..... so I get up and do them. I end up stressing myself out!

But this morning when I got in my car and dropped my head to the steering wheel to say a quick prayer, a song started to play in my head.... "When He Reached Down His Hand For Me". I was really feeling frustrated and mad and tired and irritable. I really wanted to go back into the house and get back in my bed. But instead, I put in the CD with that song on it and I pushed repeat. Mason and I listened to it all the way to school. I know that God was testing me this morning. The things that I did this morning where no different than any other morning except today the devil was riding on my shoulder. He was whispering in my ear, filling me with anger and ungratefulness. But the minute that God put the words to that song in my head, the "grumpiness" started to lift. He showed me that even when we have something as simple as a bad morning, He will reached down and lift you up again.