Spiders

So I never have been concerned or really cared about spiders before. If I would see them I would step on them and squash them and move on. This is before I moved to Indiana and learned there was this spider called a brown recluse.

I remember when I first came to church my first week where in Indiana I asked someone where the mothers room so I could nurse Sup. He kindly told me where it was but said to be careful because they were having problems with this brown spider. At the time I thought it was kind for him to warn me but really wasn't concerned about seeing a spider. I really didn't catch the name of the spider at that time either. As the summer went on I heard a little bit on the news about some spider but I was busy with a newborn and a two year old in a new place with no family around so I wasn't really paying much attention about a spider. 

This year I started to learn more and more about this brown recluse and found out why people are so concerned about it.

Eric tells me that I have been become obsessed and very paranoid about this spider, and I have to agree with him. I have probably spent way too much time looking about information and what this spider looks likes, acts, lives, the bites it gives, etc. Again obsessed is probably a good word for it. Now every time I see a spider I first freak out which is embarrassing to admit and then we have a "spider jar" that we catch the spider in. After we catch it I sit there and examine the thing to see if it has a violin shape on its back....this is its signature marking. Although I am happy to report we have never seen one around our house or have caught anything in out sticky traps, I am still paranoid about it.

It didn't take long for either the boys or Eric to catch on that my fear for spiders has risen dramatically. So of course this leads to a lot of teasing and laughing at me freak out...which I guess can be entertaining to all in the house. I have told the boys that if they see a spider they can't touch it and to come get Mommy or Daddy if he is home. They have been really good about it.

On Monday we has to run to to the grocery store to grab a few things I forgot to get for dinner. While I grabbed the groceries Eric and Thomas went to look at the discounted Halloween stuff and they picked out this big brown spider. Eric said it was only a $1.24 and they could have lots of fun with it...at my expense of course. Needless to say we came home with this spider....

When we got home the boys thought this was the coolest thing, I was not as impressed. But it made it a lot easier to get dinner ready because they were busy playing with their new spider. As I am preparing dinner Thomas comes running into the kitchen yelling,

Thomas: "Come in here Mommy!! Hurry there is a spider!!"

Mommy: "Thomas a real spider??" (knowing they were playing with the stuffed spider.)

Thomas: "Yes Mommy! It is a real HURRY!!"

Mommy: "Did Daddy tell you to tell me that? ( Eric tends to help the boys egg me on)

Thomas: "No Mommy, hurry!"

Sup: "Mommy spider! Spider!" 

Thomas: "Mommy you need to come squash it!!"

By this time he really sounded like and looked like there was a real spider in the guest room where they where playing. So I hurry into the room and see the spider above. He and Sup were laughing so hard when I came hurrying into the room ready to kill this creepy spider. If they are already doing this at 4 and 2 I have a feeling that we are going to have this teasing Mommy for a long time to come so I better brace myself.