So the kids have been getting into this rhythm of saving up their money (whether it's earned or gifted) for something specific. For a few months now they have been asking about getting another pet. They are past the days of having a fish and tried to convince us a hamster would be a great pet. Stephen and I said no to that one. We knew their cages get stinky, and it's work to clean them out and care for them. So then the kids started asking about a turtle. Their are these cool aquatic turtles we've seen at Petco. So I told them to talk with dad and to start saving up. The more I looked into turtles, it seemed as if the land dwelling tortoises were a better choice. But they too stink up their cage, require fresh fruits & veggies and also can live to be 50 years old....big commitment. So as I thought about it we needed something easier to care for and hermit crabs came to mind. So the kids and I went to the pet store last week to price them out - so they knew how much they would have to save. They run $5-7 each, an aquarium is $15+, heater $15+, decor $5+, food $2+. So the kids had some saving to do. Well by coincidence the very next day on the FB online garage sale group for our city, a lady was selling her entire hermit crab habitat for $15. It had everything you needed! We spoke a little more and she said she was willing to throw in the aquarium stand, all the leftover crab food (pellets, dried worms, shredded coconut), and all the extra decor pieces & shells she had for an additional $10. It was really too good of a deal to pass up. So Stephen and I talked it over with the kids, we'd buy the habitat as long as they understood they would have to start doing more weekly chores around the house...and they still had to save up to buy the crabs on their own. They agreed. They earned 50 cents here and there for some big chores around the house and then Madeline sold her old bike for $15 (using the same online garage sale group). She was kind enough to share her earnings with her brother so they both could go get their crabs.
Meet Sammy, our largest hermit crab...
Sammy seemed to really like his new habitat.
Meet Emily, our only girl crab (and no we have no idea whether they are boy or girl crabs but Madeline decided she was a girl).
And finally meet Jumpy (hence his frog shell).
Jumpy liked his new space right away and even charged the cargo net. :)
Here is a video of the new habitat...
The kids even brought home some shells they found at the lake yesterday to put in the crab's habitat...
Speaking of the lake, we took a nice drive down to Canyon Lake yesterday. It was one of our first 100 temp days of the summer. So we wanted to cool off.
The last time we went here was literally 4 years ago this week. James was 1 1/2 and Madeline was 4 1/2 in these pics, my how they have grown.
They had fun swimming out deep with Daddy. Though they both know how to swim, I still made them wear their life vests. Funny when we arrived there was a sign "Friends don't let friends swim without their life jackets." Like the ocean, the current in the lake is pretty strong too!
We had a fun afternoon at Comal Park again.
Oh ya, and this was our ride to the lake. Not too bad eh? Stephen's job perks are really enjoyable! I love Chevy Camaro's although I'm not too fond of convertibles. I was out voted though about putting the top down. So I wore a hat so my hair wouldn't get too crazy.
The kids on the other hand enjoyed the wind in their hair and chilling in the back seat on the drive home.
