The Bird Man

I wrote on Tuesday about Josh taking care of the birds outside of Grandma Peggy's window when she lived with us. Well, Grandma isn't here anymore, but the birds are.
And Josh is still taking care of them.
We have gotten our first significant snow of the season, so life at the bird feeders has picked up significantly. And it is my joy to sit in the living room and watch as the birds (and the squirrels!) come to feast. It also delights my heart to watch Josh creep quietly in to the living room - so as not to scare anyone off - just so he can check on everybody and make sure they're happy. Well except the starlings, blue jays, and sparrows. He wishes they would go away.

For all the times I have been frustrated by that boy, the simple act of observing his tender care for God's little creatures restores my hope. I forget about the slammed doors, and the teen-age attitude. And instead I see a young man who is thinking outside of himself, putting a smile on his Father's face.
Ahhhh. bless my soul.

This is only one of the three feeders and two suet cages Josh maintains for our critters. But I hope you'll enjoy this brief view from my living room window.

ARGH!!!
I tried and tried, but there are too many technical difficulties which are keeping me from posting this cute little video.
So, we're going forward without it.
You are welcome to come over and visit me to see the birdies in person!
*smile*

We Had a House Guest

Sunday morning as he was getting ready to go to church, Josh found a kitten.
Apparently it was sitting on the tire of his truck, or something. And when he went to look closer, the little kitty scampered under the hood and found a hiding spot on the engine.
But Josh is a smart cookie, and he popped the hood to get the kitty.
However, the kitty was faster than Josh was smart, and by the time Josh got into a position where he could grab the kitty - it had run under Brian's car and found a place under the hood there.
Somehow, Josh managed to get a hold of the frightened kitty (along with several bites and scratches) and put it safely in our house before coming to church. Unfortunately, I don't think he heard a single word of the sermon, as Josh's first words when we were leaving church were...I don't remember. But they were about the cat - not the sermon. *wink*

Anyway, when we got home I posted about the kitty on our neighborhood website, and Josh had already plastered her cute little picture on his Instagram.
Especially because the two of us are allergic to cats, I was eager to find this kitten's family. However, as time passed and no one responded - coupled with some of the kitten's behaviors - we began to think this little girl was orphaned, not lost.
So we established a 24-hour deadline for someone to respond, and agreed to give the kitten to a good home if nobody claimed her.
And I had the pleasure over that 24 hours of watching my man-child tenderly care for that little critter. She started out seeming very afraid of people - hence the bites and scratches Josh acquired in trying to catch her. But as the day went on and Josh tended to her, that little kitten became quite friendly with him. He carried her almost everywhere with him, rubbed her back and belly, saw to it that she ate and drank, and made her comfortable when she was sleeping. Never mind that his allergies were kicking in. He took an antihistamine and kept right on loving that fur ball.
Monday he was laying on the bed in the guestroom, doing stuff on the computer with the kitten curled up by his stomach - and he called me into the room so I could hear her purring. I could tell Josh was pleased that the kitten seemed to now feel so comfortable and happy with him.
Almost made me want to keep her.

Almost.

Even so, Josh had located someone to give her a forever home (a friend of a friend...) and Monday after dinner our house guest took her leave.
But not before I got a picture. *grin*

Aren't they sweet???

Turtle Daddy

You already know my Josh is a nature/animal lover.
And I am pretty sure I've mentioned in the past that he has a certain affinity for turtles.
But have I ever told you about him incubating turtle eggs???
I know. I could search my archives and answer that question myself. But that would take more effort than I feel like exerting at the moment. *ahem*
Anyway, for the past three or four years, my son has been incubating and hatching turtle eggs in his bedroom. On some occasions it has been because the original nest was attacked by a nasty old raccoon, and Josh was saving the eggs which remained. And on other occasions he has simply come across a nest and taken the eggs home to incubate. His stance is that he's doing the turtles a favor because in the wild, it is very rare for all of the eggs to hatch. Be it an attack from a nasty raccoon, cold weather, or some other obstacle - it just isn't normal for all the eggs to hatch. That's why he has been so proud of the 100% hatch rate he's had in previous years.
My son, the Turtle Daddy: Saving the turtles of mid-Michigan - one clutch at a time.

Here he is with this year's first hatchling.

Once they have all made their way into the world - and when their yolk sacks have all dried up - Josh will take the current brood and release them in a near-by pond. Then he'll put away the tanks and heater and all the other equipment occupying the space on top of his dresser until next year. And he'll get back to having a one-track mind on fishing. But until then, I can expect him to keep me updated with multiple-times-daily hatch reports. The most recent news is that turtle #2 has his head out of the shell, with the rest of the body expected to follow soon.

Now you know.

Turtle Update

Remember last week when I told you Josh was recording the baby turtles hatching?

Well, as any good grandma would, I have to share the video!

This one is fun, too. A time lapse of one little guy emerging from his shell.
Proud Papa released all the babies on Tuesday. What a great experience it was for him!

Does This Make Me a Grandma???

Josh has been very excited this week.

Pacing around the house and investigating progress checks like an expectant father.

Because his turtles have started hatching.

Several weeks ago, one of Josh's buddies found a nest of turtle eggs which had been dug up - apparently by a predator. Knowing Josh's affinity for all things "turtle", this buddy carefully gathered the eggs and brought them over to my young herpetologist.
Since Josh had incubated some turtle eggs last year, he had everything necessary to care for this new batch. And he got right to work making them a suitable warming station. However, not knowing when the eggs were laid, Josh couldn't predict when they would hatch. So, he's been like a nervous father-to-be for the past week, or so.
Always wondering, Are they going to hatch today?
They finally did start hatching. So far two have made it out of their eggs, and a third one has begun chipping away. (Update: As of Wednesday night, we have 10 baby turtles. Three eggs are left to hatch.) And, like a proud Daddy, Josh is recording the "births" with the intention of making a video for his youtube channel. You know, to inspire and educate other budding herpetologists.

I love watching my son caring for these turtle eggs. Particularly, since these eggs were "rescued" from an attacked nest, Josh is happy he has the opportunity to hatch them. Without Josh's help, probably NONE of these turtles would have made it. His heroic act makes Josh very proud.
Josh's careful study and application of what he has learned makes his mom very proud.

But all this hustle and bustle around the excitement of the hatching eggs - all of Josh's "new daddy" behaviors - has me asking a very important question. Does this make me a Grandma???
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Brian and I are going to Wheaton today to help move Elizabeth into her dorm room. Will be with her until late Saturday. *smile* Soooo, no blogging here tomorrow.
May grace and peace be yours in abundance this weekend!

A Notice of Full Disclosure to my Someday Daughter-in-Law

Dear Lovely Young Lady,
I am so thrilled you have decided to marry my Josh. Er, I'll really work on putting an end to calling him "mine". He has chosen you, and I will honor both of you in that choice. But, before you speak your vows and make the marriage final, I feel obligated to give you full disclosure regarding what you are getting yourself into.
I know. Josh is charming. He's funny. He's handsome. I'm sure you think staring into his gorgeous blue eyes is the best way for you to spend the rest of your life. You love him. I get that! But, dear young lady, I would not be a good mother-in-law if I didn't tell you everything I know. I must be honest with you!
Before Josh met you, long before he knew the feelings and desire he has for you were possible, he committed himself to another love. I remember one night when Josh was 16 years old and we sat around the dinner table listening to him talk about this love of his. He had spent years caring for this creature and thought about it almost constantly. Never would a day go by when Josh didn't speak of his devotion to his love. In fact, that night around the dinner table Josh figured he would be with this love of his for the next fifty or sixty years. And he was serious! This turtle has a long future with Josh. And you, if you choose to accept it.
I hope this isn't coming as a shock to you, but I feel you really must know the truth. His love for this creature has been growing for so many years, and I really don't think he'll be willing to give it up. That's why I wanted you to know. Before it's too late.

Sweetheart, I know strong feelings of love have a way of keeping us from seeing clearly sometimes, and the words I'm typing here might not be convincing you of Josh's devotion to his other love. So, I feel I must also include pictures. It is for your good, dear. Please don't be angry with me. But you must understand my son's behavior before you commit to him in marriage.
You see, he does things like this:

That is, he takes anything big he can find (In this case, it was a door from the closet.) and blocks off entire rooms (In this case, it was the living room.) so Spot can roam freely. But as his note indicates, Spot likes to nap and Josh may require you to stay out of the room as long as his beloved turtle is in there. Or at least request that you enter the room with extreme caution.

And if Spot ever decides to, oh, go to sleep behind the couch, Josh will move the couch so he can easily check on his beloved. And he will forbid you from moving the couch back to its rightful place until Spot has decided he is finished napping.
So, you'll have to look at something like this for a while:

I should mention that when Josh was 16 and thinking about the day when he would get his own house, he also said he intended to build Spot his own room. With an indoor pond, and plenty of space for wandering. So, I guess maybe you won't have to put up with experience these odd room-blocking-furniture-moving-turtle-runs-the-house-behaviors of his.
I hope you won't mind giving up the biggest room in the house to the turtle.

Again, I am sorry if anything I've said has come as a shock to you. But I wanted you to know.
On the positive side, I have had many years of observing Josh's commitment and dedication to Spot. I have seen him care for that turtle with his own blood, sweat, and tears. (And his own money, too!) I've watched him research and discover the things which will make his turtle healthy and happy. And if my son's devotion to a reptile is any indication of the way he will love and care for you? Then you, my dear, are one very blessed woman.
The blonde hair, blue eyes, and charm will just be a bonus!

Love,
Mom

HE Will Take Care of You

Another Thing a Friend Would Do

A few years ago I wrote a post about What a Friend Would Do.
A little attempt at humor, mixed with a plea for honesty among friends.

Monday afternoon while I was in the kitchen making dinner, my daughter and her friend were together at the table. And I observed another thing a friend would do.
But this time it isn't humorous.

Elizabeth was holding Snickers, and she was crying. And Michaela said, "C'mon. Don't cry!" But Elizabeth couldn't help it. Snickers (Elizabeth's pet rat) didn't look good. She was cold and not moving much, and Elizabeth was certain Snickers was about to die.
I had gotten a small towel in which Snickers was now wrapped, and Elizabeth was trying to warm up her furry little friend. She also needed to finish cleaning Snickers' cage - getting it comfy and ready so Snickers could rest again. But Snickers was cold, and Elizabeth wanted her to get warm.
So she asked Michaela, "Will you hold her while I finish her cage?"

Honestly? I don't think Michaela was super excited about snuggling with Snickers. She doesn't quite have an attachment to that critter like Elizabeth has. But Michaela is Elizabeth's BFF, so she set her homework aside and welcomed Snickers into her own arms.
And that's when I saw it.
That other thing a friend would do.
A friend would put aside whatever she's doing to help you in a moment of need. Even if that means holding your rat.

What remarkable thing has a friend done for you when you needed her support?

Spot, the Snapping Turtle

Have I mentioned here before how much Joshua loves his critters?
Oh, does he ever!!!!
Last week Joshua made this video of Spot - the snapping turtle which has been his pet for the past 13 or 14 months. Since making the video, Joshua has had another turtle lover contact him with questions about his own turtle. It has been a delight to see Joshua excited about offering help and advice to this other young man. He takes it all so seriously - wanting to word everything correctly, and give just the right suggestions. I guess it's his way of paying someone back, as Joshua has often been the beneficiary of other people's turtle knowledge.

All that to say, here's a cute little video for your viewing pleasure. And for those of you moms out there with a son who is constantly bringing critters home - hang in there! One day you will be delighted to see him growing in responsibly caring for his critters - and eagerly sharing his knowledge with other critter-lovers.
I'm sure of it! :)

Let It Go!

Remember the retreat I told you I was taking to prepare for the women's conference? Well, on the way home, God gave me a very interesting visual lesson - and I want to share it with you today.

The retreat center is about 20 minutes away from my house and - at about minute two on my way home - I noticed a large bug on my windshield. I think it was a Katydid. Anyway, Katy was holding on tight to the lower left corner of the windshield as I drove 70 MPH down the highway.
Er, maybe 72. Definitely not more than 74. *wink*
As I was saying, she was holding on tight. Blown from right to left and back again, looking like she was really banging her head around. And in my mind I kept saying, "Katy, just let go! You don't need to be holding on to the van. I'll end up taking you somewhere you had no intention of going. And in the process, it looks like you're going to obtain a severe headache. Just let it go!"

But she kept holding on. Stupid Silly bug!

I don't know when, but at some point she did let go. Or was overcome by the wind and pressure. I'm not sure. I just know I looked at the corner of the windshield, and she wasn't there. And I didn't think about her again until last Friday when I was going to pick my kids up from camp.
I'd had a super busy morning at work - trying to fit a full day's work into the morning - and in the midst of it all something wasn't right with my boss. As in, she snapped at me for (what I thought were) ridiculous issues. A few times. And as I was driving to get the kids, I replayed some of those snaps. I even had a couple conversations with her in my head - telling her that I was being as polite and efficient as I knew how, and I didn't understand her words and actions toward me. I wanted to get her to understand how her words made me feel, and I continued to rehash what I would say - given the opportunity.
Right about then, I glanced over at the lower left corner of my windshield and remembered Katy. I remembered the words of wisdom I'd had for her. How I knew she'd be better off if she'd just let go of the windshield.

That's when I knew what I needed to do with my fixation on my boss. *ahem!*

Of what do you need to let go today?

Oh, Rats!

My girl has lots of loves. Lots of things which consume her time and attention. But lately there are two which have been especially prevalent.

Photography, and her rats.

Did you know she has pet rats? Three at the last count. Don't worry, they're caged. And they stay in the basement (most of the time) so it's safe to come over. *wink*

The other day Elizabeth brought the two newest rats upstairs, and got the camera out for a photo shoot. She gave the girls to me and got busy snapping pictures. Yep, that's me holding the rats.
OK, be honest, when you aren't seeing the tail, they really are cute critters, aren't they?

After a while I had to do other things, so Elizabeth let Star and Snickers roam around the kitchen and she took more pictures.

The dishwasher peeked Snickers' curiosity.

Star was ready to be done 'swimming'.

I know some of you probably think I'm crazy, (I did make sure Elizabeth cleaned the counter tops when the rats went back to their cage!) but it really is a delight to see how much joy my kids get from their critters. Not to mention, it's always fun to see the reactions people have when they find out we have pet rats in our house. *wink*

That's Where I Draw the Line

So, Wednesday evening I was making dinner, watching the clock and wondering when Joshua was going to get home from fishing with his friends. The next thing I knew, he was walking in the door and went through the kitchen holding a ziploc bag full of water.
And a fish.
I don't know where I figured he was going with it. I mean, this wasn't the first time he's come into the house with a critter. So I just didn't give it much thought.

Until...

He came back into the kitchen and said, "The fish is going to live in our toilet temporarily."

I think I might have changed colors. I looked at him and proclaimed, "Oh, no it isn't!" I'll let a Polyphemus moth hang out on the curtains. It's fine with me to have a bunny in a cage in the living room. I'm even OK with little snakes - as long as they stay in Joshua's room.

But I will NOT have a live fish swimming in the toilet. Even if it's temporary.

That's where I draw the line.

Ya know? Come to think of it, I don't know where he ended up putting that thing. Perhaps I should go check that out!

Critter Report

Didn't I just say I'd been pondering the thought that we haven't had any critters in the house lately?
And then Joshua found the bunny?
Well, two days after the bunny moved out, Joshua found another friend.

This guy:

It's a polyphemus moth and Joshua was so proud of him!

Unfortunately, Mr. Moth wasn't entirely healthy when he came to live with us, and he has since died. BUT, now Joshua has him displayed on his bug board with Ring and Twiggy and several other unnamed bugs we've had as house guests over the years.

Hmmmm. It seems the season has arrived. Wonder who our next critter will be!?

A Furry House Guest

Funny. One day last week I remember thinking to myself, Gee. It's been a while since we've had any critters in the house.
(Those of you who've been around here for a while probably remember the birds, bugs and mice my kids have taken in over the years.)
And then Friday morning, Joshua came running into the house with a baby bunny he'd nearly run over on his way to school. It's eyes were not yet opened, it wasn't in its nest, and Joshua wanted to know if we could keep it until it was big enough to make it on its own. What could I say???

We quickly put it in a box filled with grass - set upon a heating pad - and Joshua went off to school. Friday night we went to the pet store to get food for our new baby, and the kids went to work caring for Curious George.
It was a true joy to me - watching my children work together with a common goal. They didn't fight or argue. They had the good of the bunny in mind, and were somehow able to put aside their differences in order to care for him. Honestly, this amount of peace is a rare treasure in my home!

By Saturday both of the bunny's eyes were opened, and as we did more research through the weekend we decided it was time to release the baby back into the wild.
Soooo, Monday night we took him to a wooded area and Joshua dug out a little nest - filling it with grass and cotton to assist with warmth. While Joshua was sad to say good-bye, Curious George went right into his new home and seemed to like it there.
It hurt my heart to see Joshua so sad, but more than that, I was glad he'd been successful in helping the bunny. He has such a tender heart, I know it would have been crushed if the bunny had died. As it is, he's learning to care for others and he's also learning that sometimes we need to say Good-bye.

God, please use this experience with the bunny to grow Joshua's compassion capacity, and to help him learn what it means to trust You for all our needs.

Just wondering - Did you rescue critters when you were a kid?

There's Gotta Be...

...a spiritual lesson in here somewhere.

Elizabeth has a new rat. Got her a couple of months ago when one of the orignal pair died.
At first all was well. The new rat and the old one got along right away and were happy to live together in the rat hotel. (It's a big fancy cage Elizabeth bought a year, or so, ago.)
But then Elizabeth discovered a problem. Thorgill (the new rat) is still very young, and pretty small, and discovered that she could squeeze through the bars on the hotel I mean, cage.
Therefore, she got demoted to the much smaller glass cage.
And was none too happy about it.
So after her sentence was up, Elizabeth put Thorgill back into the hotel er, you know what I mean.
Well, it didn't take long before Thorgill had escaped again. All the kids were looking for her throughout the basement, but she would not be found.
Stupid rat!
She had a nice home with a doting 13-year-old girl who fed her, and played with her, and made sure all her needs were met. But she felt the need to wander. To strike out on her own in an unknown world. And even though she was pursued, she would not be found.
The kids had called off the search, resigned to the fact they just couldn't find her.
And then, a few hours later, Elizabeth came upstairs with a great big smile.
Thorgill had come back. She was up on top of the hotel, wanting to get back in.
Seems the rat came to her senses!

Do you see the spiritual lesson?
Actually, I think there are a couple.
And, I'm thinking this out as I'm typing...Yeah, my book Finding Joy is full of God showing Himself in the midst of the ordinary. If you share the spiritual lesson you see in this incident with Thorgill, I'll put your name in a drawing to win a copy of Finding Joy. How 'bout that?
And, still thinking this trough as I'm typing...I'll do the drawing Thursday night at 10:00 EST. So look for the lesson and let me know about it by then!

The BIG ONE

Book Update: I received, approved, and returned the final proof for Finding Joy. It should just be a couple of weeks now until the publishing is completed.
*very big grin*
I will leave registration for the give-away open until Sunday. So, if you haven't already - go enter to win!
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Now, I bet this won't surprise you. We have added another bug to the list of critters living under our roof. Joshua was beyond excited today to tell me he caught the big one.

I mean, the BIG ONE!

Joshua has collected a few Praying Mantids over the past weeks, but he has had his eye on one in particular. And today, he caught it! Just look at the size of this thing!
Joshua cleaned out another cage and got it all ready for his new friend. I was afraid there might not be any grass left in the yard when he was finished because he was gathering so much. Had to make a "perfect" home!
Once the Mantis was settled, we sat watching - hoping it would dine on the grasshopper Joshua had lovingly placed in the cage. But it didn't appear to be hungry tonight.
We'll have to wait.
And until then, we'll continue making up silly stories about what's going through the poor grasshopper's head. Seriously. When Joshua put the Mantis in the cage tonight it flew up onto the stick where the grasshopper was perched, and it really looked like the grasshopper was backing away. Ever so slowly so as not to draw attention to itself and bring upon certain demise.
I looked at Joshua with big eyes and just said, "Slowly. Slowly. Move slowly and no one will get hurt."
Yeah, kinda sick humor. But I'm dealing with a 10-year-old boy. And that's what makes him laugh!

Have a great weekend. And if you see any juicy grasshoppers, send them our way.

Call Me Crazy!

Six months ago my daughter came home with a sign on her shirt which said, "I want a rat." Do you remember that event?
Some of you thought I was crazy for getting her said pet. But I did it anyway, and I was glad to delight her heart so much.

Then the little critters started growing on me. I got over the fact that they're rats (Elizabeth always comes to their defense. "They aren't sewer rats. They're domesticated!") I held them and admitted that I think they're kinda cute.
And some of you continued to think I'm crazy.

Well, I've gone and done it again!
Elizabeth decided she wanted to have a party for her rats to celebrate their birthday. We really have no idea the actual date of their birth, but choosing to have a party for them on the last day of school seemed good to Elizabeth, so she declared June 11 as their birthday.
She went to the pet store and bought them a present and she visited her favorite "rat website" to find out what she could give them for a birthday treat. Elizabeth then asked me if I would buy a low-fat muffin she could give the rats as their "birthday cake."
I thought about it for about ten seconds awhile and told her I didn't think the grocery store sold individual muffins - and if they did, I doubted they would be low-fat. But I said I would make muffins for her. So my industrious young lady got online and found a recipe for low-fat muffins which had no dairy in them. (Dairy is a no-no for rats.) And last night I baked "birthday cake" for the rats.
(Of course, the rats only got one of them. The rest are for dinner. When Brian heard what I was doing he said, "You're going to feed us rat food???" "No, Silly! The rats are eating people food!")

So, with all the preparations made - today, we partied!
Joshua's friend also has pet rats and they were invited over for a "play date." Seriously, that's what Elizabeth called it - a rat play date.
They all shared one muffin. There were really four rats, but they wouldn't all get around the muffin at the same time.
Then it was time to open presents. This part was particularly funny to me. Somehow the kids thought the rats would understand what was going on and would "know how" to open their present. They tried to entice them by putting the cake on top, but that didn't work, either.
In the end, the kids wound up opening the toy for the rats - which is how birthdays usually work around here anyway. You know - excited kids, opening each other's presents. The rats went back to playing and enjoying "cake."

So, there you have it. Today I was a willing participant in a birthday party for rats. Call me crazy if you must, but we had a good time. *grin*

The Parable of the Lost Rat

You're familiar with the Parable of the Lost Coin, and the Lost Sheep, and the Lost Son, right? How about the Parable of the Lost Rat? It's a new one we "wrote" just last night.

We had our regular Friday night "Movie Night," and after it was over the kids got the rats out to play. Everything was going fine. Everyone was happy, and I was cleaning up - minding my own business. Then I heard Elizabeth say in a very small voice, "Mom remind me to never let the rats go onto the couch again."
I looked up from what I was doing to see my daughter in tears. She told me Allison had gotten stuck in the couch.
Really.
In the couch.
Apparently she chewed a little hole and made her way to the insides of the couch. Moving between the cushions must have gotten "old" and she felt she needed new territory to explore. What else is there for a rat to do but chew holes and climb around?
As Elizabeth and I stood by the couch, we could hear Allison moving around and just looked at each other - wondering how we were going to free our little critter. Elizabeth was crying and I could tell she was worried. To be honest, I was a bit concerned, too. I had visions of poor little Allison never finding her way out; of me needing to cut her out of the couch. In spite of my true feeling, I tried to present a calm, confident facade in order to not further upset my daughter. I prayed out loud, "Jesus, we really need to find this little rat," and I suggested we tip the couch over to see if we could reach her that way. I thought maybe the movement would cause her to "surface" in a new place.
With the couch on its "face," we looked through an opening in the bottom.
No luck.
So Elizabeth lay down on the floor and tried another angle. Suddenly there was hope in her voice as she called, "Mom, I can see her! Quick, get me a Cheerio!"
I ran to the cupboard and grabbed some Cheerios to give Elizabeth and, it worked! Allison poked her head out of the hole and Elizabeth held the Cheerio out in front of her - just out of reach. As Allison moved forward to claim her prize, Elizabeth grabbed her and brought her the rest of the way out of the couch.
With the rat safely in her cage, Elizabeth stood up, looked at me, and let the tears flow. I just hugged her. That's all I could do. Nothing more to do or say, just hold my little girl - who is almost as big as me - in my arms and let her emotions do their thing. Though it may sound strange, that was a very sweet moment. Allison was safely out of the couch and Elizabeth was free to let her emotions go. I was so glad to be able to hold her in that moment.

Later, when I was sitting on her bed saying good-night, Elizabeth told me, "I could tell Allison was afraid tonight, too. But I think God let her get into the couch to remind us we can trust Him." I smiled at her and replied, "I think you're right, Honey. He sure took care of her, didn't He?"
It was a perfect picture of His care for us. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations which seem impossible. We think, I'm never going to make it out of here. This situation is too much for me. I'm afraid and lost. I don't know what to do!
But God knows, and He cares for us. Maybe He tips the couch. Maybe He leads us out with a Cheerio. Whatever He does - it's perfect - and we are reminded we can trust Him.

Who knew God would use those critters, which I was so reluctant to buy, to teach spiritual Truths. He doesn't waste anything, does He!

And There Were TWO!

Elizabeth may be a happy girl that I didn't read my email before we left the house this morning. Some of your comments might have talked sense into me changed my mind. As it is, though, we went to Petco and are now the owners of pet rats.
Yes. Rats. As in, not one, but two!
We learned at the pet store that rats are very intelligent animals. The clerk told us about the adventures he had with his roommate's rat - the tricks they taught it, etc. - and he helped get me more excited about adding this critter to our family. He said it would be OK to buy a single rat, but the rats would probably like having a companion. I thought, If we're getting one, why not two??? So we got a new cage and two rats.
Maybe you think I'm crazy - I hope you will still be my friend. But I'm telling you, the joy on Elizabeth's face and in her voice as she looked at me and said, "Thank you so much, Mommy!" would get me to buy her just about anything. (Don't you dare tell her I just said that!!!)
I am not kidding. There was an amazing thrill that came over my heart as I realized just how happy it made Elizabeth to receive these pets. (And I hope the joy lasts a long time, because this was "Christmas" for her! She knows it, and was totally agreeable.) I know I cannot, nor do I want to, buy her love. But seeing her joy and imagining the memories she is storing up through situations like this one simply delights me.
So, there you have it. We have two pet rats now. Allison and Lacey. They are shy and a little nervous at the moment, as they are getting used to their new home. But I did manage to get a half-way decent picture of one of them.In a couple weeks, when they are feeling more "at home" I will be sure to post a better picture. (Yeah, because I have a new computer which has a place for the camera disc, and Brian showed me how to get pictures off of it, and I can do it all myself now. And I am so proud of me!!! *grin*)

What Can I Say to This???

If you have been reading here for awhile, you may recall my daughter's intense desire to have a pet rat. Well, for the past several weeks Elizabeth's pet mouse, Kloie, has been threatening to die, and Sunday she finally did it. When Elizabeth told me about Kloie's death I wondered, Hmmmm, how long will it be until she starts asking for a pet rat?
It took about two hours. (She mourns quickly!)

All week long Elizabeth has been relentlessly pursuing asking me if I have made up my mind about whether or not she can get a pet rat. Honestly, I have been thinking about it. I thought it would be something I could get her for Christmas. Maybe. I mean, if I actually decide I am going to let her have one of those creepy little things with snake-like tails a pet rat.
So, today she came home from school like this:




She also had a sign on her back which simply said, Rat. And she wants it this weekend.
I asked her this afternoon, "Elizabeth,if you were thinking about getting something for someone but you wanted it to be kind of a surprise, and they kept asking you about it and they just wouldn't stop, and you really were considering it, but you didn't want them to know you might do it, what would you do?"
She said, with a big smile, "I'd give it to them."

What can I say? Besides the fact she is so darn cute and I love her to pieces, I am also presently very proud of Elizabeth. Yesterday we received two tickets in the mail for an MSU Women's Basketball game because one of Elizabeth's teachers had given her an Excellence in Effort award. I don't know which teacher it was, the one who asked me at parent/teacher conferences if she could adopt Elizabeth or one of the others who only said they absolutely love having her in class.
This young lady brings delight wherever she goes, and I really want to delight her heart, too. So what do I say?
I guess, if Brian agrees, I say, Yes.
(And I either don't tell my mom we have a pet rat, or take the chance she'll never set foot in my house again!)
Anyone care to try talking me out of this decision before it's too late??? *grin*