Rose

For a long time, Elizabeth has wanted a bearded dragon.  Because of the size of the tank needed, we said no and so instead, she got a gecko.  The gecko(s) were short-lived - one got an eye infection that eventually led to blindness (and starvation) and the other had a parasite that slowly killed it.  Once the geckos were gone, she started working on us in earnest for a bearded dragon - including an 8 page business case, which included costs, necessary items, etc.  We told her that if she was able to meet certain conditions, we would consider it.  The conditions we put in place - a complete attitude change, straight A's for the year, and a greater focus on her math - were too burdensome, or so we thought.  She proved us wrong and at the end of the school year, Lee and I were faced with a tough decision.  We visited a friend with a bearded dragon, did some research of our own and finally made the decision.  Lee actually found a beardy on Craig's List (which is its own story) and as it turns out, we ended up rescuing her bearded dragon.  She's an interesting creature, much more interactive than I thought she'd be, and we have all enjoyed having her in the house.

Rose got her name from her coloring, which has become more pronounced the longer she's been with us.

She loves to snuggle with Elizabeth.