how grown up am i?

just over a week ago we had mabel's dedication and it was outside under a beautiful magnolia tree in my sisters back yard...picturesque. the weather was unseasonably warm for mid september and a truly lovely day. the only draw back were the wasps. i think they were all mixed up with the weather fluctuations, but they were everywhere! and none of us loved it, but even though they wouldn't leave us alone...we stayed outside.

i commented to my friends in attendance that clearly this was representative of our growing maturity, for it was less than two years ago, i can remember myself running while flailing my arms and declaring indoors a better option for fewer wasps than i encountered this fine sunday.

that is until this past sunday....im in florida and bugs here.....take hormones. i walked to the dock in our backyard holding mabel and with estelle at my side and hesitated when i saw a cobweb glisten in front if my face - i turned my head to say "hey estelle look how intricate this web is" when i noticed it's artist inches from my five month old. oh. oh. man. i remained semi-composed (estelle later told me i was freaked out) as i ushered us back up the stairs and noticed i was actually out of breath from my adrenaline dump. this guy was huuuge. the pictures (clearly taken by lyndon - you couldn't have paid me to go back down there) doesnt give a a decent representation - hand sized. not kidding.

after depositing the kids in the family room i went into the kitchen for a wee cry....maybe im not that mature after all

ps. we googled it and think its a golden silk spider not poisonous but none-the-less awful