To hop, or not to hop, that is the question.....

So, I guess, as it turns out, we are not "pet people". I thought we were. We do love animals, and are nurturing, and energetic, but as I have learned, that is not all it take to successfully raise an animal.
It all began about 2.5 years ago, when Bo had just turned one and the twins were not quite 3. "What an educational experience, it would be," I thought "if we could catch some tadpoles from the back woods and raise them to be frogs!" Boys do love frogs after all. We caught roughly 90 tadpoles and started hard at work setting up their habitat, providing them with food and watching them morph. Some were already at the 'Day 84' metamorphosis phase where they had limbs but still had the tail (not 90 of them at this point, I had to widdle it down to around 15!). One morning the twins were particularly quiet as I was making breakfast, so I set off to find them: pouring their full glasses of orange juice in the tank! 'They looked thirsty, Mommy. We just wanted to give them a drink." Well, the tadpoles were not thirsty, and sad to say, met their maker that fine summer day as a result of OJ asphyxiation.
So onward about 6-9 months we got "Blueberry". This adoreable little Beta from Something Fishy in Clio. He was such a good little fish, but one morning we found him belly-up. Back we went to the store for Blueberry2. Blueberry2 hung out in our kitchen everyday watching the goings on in our house (I am sure feeling quite overwhelmed). One day as I was changing his water, which I probably did not do often enough, he tried to make his getaway. One side of the sink I was bleaching the other side was set up for changing water. I put blueberry in a little juice glass near the sink to wait until his bowl was sparkling clean. I did not know this at the time (thank you Ali, my wonderful vet-tech sister-in-law for telling me after!) that Beta fish jump. Oh, did Blueberry2 jump: right into the side of the sink with the bleach water! I know he was desperately hoping this would be his final high-dive, but I frantically splashed about trying to 'rescue' him. Finally I got him scooped up only to have him jump another 6 inches high out of my hands and splat onto the floor. I will tell you what, that Something Fishy has some quality fish, because despite Blueberry2's horrifying accident, he lived another 6 months despite some questionable living conditions!
Two more fish tanks full of fish later, the boys and I did successfully helps 4 butterflies make a chrysalis and emerge unscathed, although even my Butterfly Flower plant never does seem to have butterflies fluttering around. Its like they told all their friends, "Do not go to that house if you want to live!"
Fast forward to the present, probably about a week ago, I sat straight up in bed and said, "Josh, have you been feeding and watering the hermit crabs?" "No. I thought you were doing that." Neither one of us wanted be the one to go check on our little hard-shelled friends. Hermit crabs move out of their shells into new 'homes', when they find theirs inhabitable anymore. I am pretty sure if there wasn't a screen on the top of their habitat, they would have found a more suitable home (aka. next door?). Sigh. Sorry little buddies.
It turns out pets that don't make much noise are hard to remember to feed and take care of! I am so thankful I have boys, which, if you have one, you know are anything but quiet. I have never forgotten to feed the boys, although they are not very plump, they always eat(and I have proof, see Spaghetti Night Album on my FaceBook page. Also ask the grandma ladies at church, I'm sure they can vouch for me that they have good appetites and would never let me forget! ) and their needs are always taken care of well.
They have been begging forever for a rabbit to enter into the 4H fair this next summer. I am thinking ducks, chickens, pigs, a rooster. Anything that makes more noise, otherwise something tells me Hoppy will probably not stand a very good chance at winning a blue ribbon this year at the Genesee County Fair.