Ribbit

To start this post off I have to mention our Joey. He loves animals and has been bugging me to get a pet. Particularly another pet praying mantis but as those are seasonal and it was winter time, it wasn't happening soon. For Christmas I thought getting a pet would work out. Downside was that we would be out of town for Christmas so working out the logistics was hard.

Now, if we were going to get a pet, it was going to be one of my choosing since the burden of taking care of it would be on me. Exotic pets always called my name, and I came across Poison Dart Frogs. When I found out you could keep them as pets and their care is rather minimal, I told Sam my plan. At first he was skeptical, but he warmed up to the idea. And I had a feeling Joey would end up loving them.

Next step was figuring out how to get them. I swore I came across them at a Petco once, but there were none to be found in any in Albuquerque (where we were going for Christmas) and the Petco I thought had them in fact did not. Other pet stores didn't seem to carry them either (PetSmart, Petland, etc.) Plan B was to order them online. We would just have to swallow a hefty shipping fee. 

After figuring that out we next gathered everything we would need. A terrarium, proper substrate, plants, lights, a mister, and a thermometer/hygrometer. Although these things added up, it was a one time purchase so that was nice. Well, one day our laptop wasn't turning on and we needed to take it to the Apple Store. Then I needed to get something else for the frogs and we found the closest Petco to purchase it. Well, what should we find but some Poison Dart Frogs! They were the Bumble Bee type and really small but cute. We were back to plan A but willing to do Plan B if they were gone before Christmas.

We set up our Terrarium as the plants needed a few weeks to root, so we tried telling the kids it was an "indoor garden".  Joey didn't really buy it and said it would be a great place for a pet praying mantis. I also got a call from my sister Kristy saying she found green and black dart frogs at an exotic pet store she goes to for her pet needs. We now had three options! I decided to call the San Antonio Petco soon after Christmas to see if they were still available, then if not we could get the ones in Albuquerque. 

Well, for Christmas Santa gave the boys two stuffed frogs with a coupon and a letter stating how they can use the coupons to get some frogs for their indoor garden. They seemed excited, but the excitement moved onto the toys and things they received for Christmas. They kind of forgot about the frogs until we got back to San Antonio.

On New Years Eve we headed down to the Petco with our fingers crossed that they were still available. There was always Plan B but still. They were still there! Sam said we should get four instead of two and I didn't object! The employee used gloves and picked four out and put them in a container for us to take home, along with a jar of fruit fly culture. Soon we put them in the terrarium and we officially became pet owners!

Our first picture of our frogs. Here is Sunny and Archer.

They were a little traumatized from being moved to a different home and stayed in their spots for the rest of the day. Eli wanted to claim the frog that was front and center in the above picture. He chose his name Eli. I convinced him to nickname the frog Sunny, so now he calls him Eli Sunny. I claimed the frog next to Sunny and named him Archer. He is pretty much featured in most of the pictures as he is the boldest and the funniest.

Top left: Archer, Very bottom: Eli Sunny, Top Right: Frogger, Top Bottom: Bumblebee Arrow

Joey claimed the frog that went into the cage first that ended up hiding right after. He did Bumblebee, named after the type of frog it is and Arrow for being a Poison Arrow Frog. Sam got the last frog and named him Frogger.

Archer

I was really worried I wouldn't be able to tell them apart. The first night we had them we could only see three, Bumblebee was no where to be seen. I worked really hard to tell those three apart. Problem was that Sunny and Frogger looked quite a bit alike. Archer looked like he had a triangle on his head (a fitting spot for his name). At first I decided Sunny looked more yellow than Frogger but their patterns were so much alike!

Eli showing the frogs the stuffed frog he got for Christmas

Bumblebee was out the next day and climbing the glass! I checked to see if she looked anything like the other frogs, but she had three spots on her head and looked bigger than the others. So I finally could say I could tell the frogs apart. I later found Frogger's stripe pattern had a divot that Sunny's didn't, so I can tell without comparing colors. But seriously, I was really so worried I couldn't tell them apart, but now even Eli can recognize each frog and it's only been a month and a half.

We found out that we could grow our own fly cultures with the help of Youtube. This really helps as a culture at Petco costs $10! It is sooo easy and now we can have a perpetual food supply. Sam now loves these frogs and is glad I set my mind to them!

Making our first fly culture.

Our kids absolutely love these frogs. Eli loves to check up on them and tell me which ones are out and about and who's hiding. And Joey? It's all he ever really talks about. He makes a lot of books about frogs and draws them all the time. His teachers at school and the kids already got a mouthful from Joey about our new pet frogs. I'm so glad he loves them as he was really asking for a praying mantis. We can do that for his birthday as it will be the perfect season for that.

Even Eden loves our frogs! She likes to pull a chair up to the terrarium and bang on the glass, saying Ribbit! We try to limit the glass banging but she really is adorable. She also might get a zoonotic disease as I caught her sucking on the toothbrush I used to scrub the glass of poop. Only time will tell. Here is a video I made of her:

More about our frogs:

• They are diurnal, so they are out during the day and we can watch their shenanigans
• They aren't poisonous! The poison comes from what they eat out in the wild, so when they are captive bred, they don't secrete poison
• Even though they aren't poisonous, it's best not to handle them too much as their skin is very sensitive. Best just to admire them in the tank
• I'm really thinking we have three males and a female. The female is usually bigger and rounder, and Bumblebee is definitely bigger than the other frogs
• I think they will grow bigger, but it's hard to say as the Petco employee said they had them for months
• I picked these frogs is because their habitat doesn't need a lot of maintenance. I don't have to change out the substrate. The glass will need a scrub once in a while but the cage doesn't stink!
• Some dart frogs are territorial but this particular species does well in groups. They can also potentially breed so that will be interesting if that happens
• They can live up to 20 years in captivity but I'm banking on 10 years
• Online says you really only need to feed them 3-4 times a week but we've been doing daily to fatten them up
• They love to climb! Especially Archer

Overall, it has been a blast having frogs as pets. I'm so happy none of them died and they sure do poop a lot which means they eat! We've been doing a lot of frog research mainly because Joey loves learning about them and I could see us buying more in the future. We'll see! Enjoy these last few pictures that came off my phone.

Archer showing off his skills

Archer. Again.

Oh look, it's Archer!

Was there some meeting of some kind on this vine?

Archer climbed to the top of the vine and looked out

Hopefully Archer doesn't pull a Houdini and escapes!

They love feeding time!

Eden at 18 Months

Eden turned 18 months in January and figured it's time for an update on this princess. She is a delight and learning soo much every day. Let me see if I can capture this girl at this age.

Not sure of her height and weight but I figured she is average, maybe on the slightly smaller side. Eden is walking and climbing. She can officially climb up onto our kitchen table and climb up the stairs. Eden is soo busy! And destructive. We nicknamed her the Destructress and she holds to it. Like ripping pages out of books and making impressive messes. Eden can be helpful too. She follows simple commands like getting her diaper, throwing away her diaper, getting her shoes, giving something to me, etc. 

I love her little words! I'm sure I'll miss some, but so far her vocabulary includes daddy, momma, hi, bye, nigh-nigh (good night), baby, puppy, happy, no, yeah, oh no, uh no, nana (banana), plea (please), tay too (thank you), Dodo (Joey), E-E (Eli), ribbit (frog), and daddy doo-doo (shark). You can tell she is her brother's sister with that last one. She can even answer yes or no questions and it makes it a little easier to get her what she wants. 

Her favorite toys are stuffed animals (especially puppies), baby dolls, blocks, and Little People. She wants to play with her brothers a lot of the time. She gets in their way so to speak but I love to see the bond she and Joey have. He's pretty patient with her and she with him. Eden also loves to dance and sings baby shark as well. I not so secretly hope she still loves to dance in another two years so I can try out dance lessons! In these pictures you can see how much she loves to be on that tricycle. I need to get Eli a bigger bike so she can take this one over.

Eden is sweet, but she can be a grumpy girl. She gives some nasty looks to people, haha. Luckily, a lot of her tantrums include gently laying herself on the ground and whimper to let me know she's not happy with me. She's a mama's girl but getting pretty social. She started nursery and has had no problems whatsoever. Nursery is such a blessing! She is wanting to sleep less. She and Joey switch on who wakes up early, but it's never together. Eden also doesn't like naps now but I'm not ready to give them up! Give it another 6+ months, girl.

Eden sometimes gets picky about what she wears, particularly shoes and jackets. Sadly she rips out any bows or bands I put in her hair soon after I put them in. Her hairs definitely longer than at her 1st birthday. She also has 10 teeth with 2 just coming through. That will make it easier feeding her. Eden also rips off any bib I put on her so she's always a mess at the end of the day!

Eden wasn't into books until recently and now she brings me books all the time. She can't quite sit through them but she's always carrying a book around. She also loves the frogs we recently got. Eden will pull a chair up to their terrarium and look at the frogs and say "ribbit". I love seeing her little brain work. It's amazing how quickly they pick up on things in this world. It's hard to say good bye to my baby girl.

We love you Eden!

Christmas 2019 in Albuquerque

Our Albuquerque was pretty jammed packed! I probably won't remember everything but that's how it goes. On Christmas Eve we visited Sam's Grandma Pitcher and Uncle Vernon and played games. We then went to Jacob and Shauna's house to visit, ate lunch at Freddy's, then quickly visited the Bugarium to see Joey's favorite bugs. Shauna and their kids were so kind to come along!

Joey and the orchid mantis, one of his all time favorites.

Eli playing the bug game.

Elise, Brandon, Eli, Tyler, and Joey

Sam and Eden

We then went over to my family's for some Christmas eve celebrations and opening of Christmas PJ's. We did our best to put the kids to bed early so Santa could make his scene.

Christmas morning we got to see these sweet faces light up!

Eden is adorable snot-nosed and all!

Mom helping Eden

Eden loves babies

Pretty happy with her stash

Safe to say she had a good Christmas!

Joey showing off his new puzzle

New race track!

Books for Joey to color and write in!

More Paw Patrol toys, yay!

"Mighty Airplane Jet got Ryder!"

Perfect for our puppy lover

Crocs for Sam

New clothes for me!

We gave gift cards and a new ornament for Sam's parents

Before and After!

Merry Christmas from the Hobbs family!

For the rest of Christmas we played with our new toys, played games, ate yummy steak, then headed to my parents for more festivities. Then we let our kids sleep over with my parents while we went to see the latest Star Wars movie Rise of Skywalker.

I once creamed Sam in pool. Once.

The day after Christmas we said hello to the Boyacks. They made yummy burgers and then we decided to check out the River of Lights. It was four years ago when I was heavily pregnant with Eli when we saw them last. I remember trying to get into labor, haha.

All the boys except the twins.

Joey loving the lights

Sunflower!

Penguin!

Proof we were crazy enough to do this with seven small kids! I love the Boyacks!

I heard the River of Lights was in the top ten lights to see in the country. Maybe.
I want to attempt my own lights like these one day

Me with my bestie!

Praying mantis! Found a lot of Joey's favorites

Attempting to play this cello!

Right outside the aquarium

Last but not least, the shark, Joey's absolute favorite

We rode the ART bus for the first time. It was free for the month of December. They were in construction since we lived in Albuquerque and they were nice! Maybe nicer once the weirdos can't ride it for free, heh heh.

The last day we went over to my Aunt and Uncle's for the annual White Elephant gift exchange. So glad we got to see lots of family before we left the next day!

Eden adored my uncle Don. It was so cute to see her bond with him!

Ready for the exchange!

Joey got popcorn and Eli got...popcorn (we had to trade with someone since he got jealous of Joey, ha!
The winners this year were the sodas and rainbow honey

My parents are currently taking care of my Grandma, my dad's mom.
Here is a four generation shot!

It was harder to say goodbye this time since me might not make it back to Albuquerque until the next Holiday season. A year makes a difference in our children's lives! I just hope they can keep meaningful relationships with our family no matter the distance. Thank you to everyone for hosting us and always making us feel welcome! We love you!