EEK!  And it is all my fault!

I know, I know... we went over pet rules not too long ago, right?  And in there I said, "We do have this 'pet' home and so I figure we can continue to collect random creatures here and there and keep for 1 week and then release."  Welp, I stand before you eating my words.

THE STORY...
It was just after lunch and we were all helping finish up cleaning when my phone rang.  It was Josh, who was outside mowing.  It seemed all rather weird to me that he was calling from a distance of no greater than 15', so I picked up quickly, "Send Max outside with a container, quick!  I have a snake for him.  Quick!"

Without thinking I grab a container and Max and push them out the door, rambling something about a snake.  Zeke soon follows with a, "What?  What's going on?" and runs outside.  Miriam then follows with a, "I don't like snakes," and hugs me tight.

Miriam and I then proceed to watch through the window.  Josh, Max and Zeke are working together as 3 little boys trying to capture this baby garter snake, with all sorts of giggles and jumping backs and sticks to encourage the snake into the container and more giggles and jumps back and in the midst of all the giggles and excitement I then realize... This thing is coming in my house?!

They do catch the little guy and bring him quickly into the house and set him on the kitchen table to proudly show him to me.  The 2 boys are giddy with excitement and can't stop talking while Josh has to go back to the adult task of mowing.  I checked its markings to confirm it was only a garter snake.  I did remember my deal with the boys and I said if the snake is ok eating the protein-filled-dried-up-crickets, then he can stay for 7 days, otherwise, he's out sooner, as I didn't want him to die in our possession.  To which Zeke quickly replies, "That's perfect Mom because snakes eat only once every 5-7 days, so we'll definitely be keeping this guy a while!"  (What kinds of books does this guy read?)

We went online to the curious place that is Wiki, to find out what they eat and learn that they had recently been found to be contain a slight amount of venom, not enough to kill, just itch & swell.  Grand.  They also like their food alive, so I don't know if our dried-up cricket leftovers from the tree frogs will win him over and that means he will be evicted.

In any event, it is for the most part my fault this creature is in our home, living on a table in the living room, making my hair stand on end.  The boys have made him a perfect home and are doing a great job taking care of him.  They also continue to keep an eye on the dried-up cricket to see if it gets eaten so they can keep him longer than 5 days. 

His name is Snickers.  Not like the candy (they don't know what that is) but like to sneak which became sneaky which rolled off the tongue like sneaky-snicky which reminded them of  to snicker and to round it off Snickers. 

Snickers Cramer to be exact... their words, not mine.

(I love our kids!)