Hermie, the hermit crab

Taylor and I thought it would be fun to let the boys each pick out a hermit crab while we were on vacation in Destin. Sam and Ben promised to be very responsible about feeding and caring for their crabs. They also promised to get the crabs out of their cages for a little exercise everyday. The morning after we purchased our new family pets, Ben went to get Hermie(his hermit crab) out for a little play time. He walked into the kitchen and I knew something was wrong.

Ben: "Mommy, Hermie died."

Mommy: "Oh no, Ben. What Happened? How do you know it's dead?"

Ben: "It's legs and arms fell off its body."

Mommy: (Trying hard not to laugh) "Let me see!"

Ben: "Do you think it's because I dropped it on the floor yesterday in its cage?"

Mommy: "You dropped it on the floor yesterday?"

Ben: "Yeah, right on the floor. The whole cage."

Mommy: "Hmmm...I'm not sure..."

Lesson learned: Don't drop your new pet hermit crab on the floor in its cage. Or better yet, if you have a 7 year old boy at home, don't buy a hermit crab! As you can tell from the picture, Hermie passed away...tragically.