Our seasonal guests

I love fall! The cool, crisp nights, the farmers bringing in the harvest, pumpkin picking and hay rides and the overwhelming need to watch one of our favorite movies, The Village. One thing I could do without, however, are our seasonal guests. That's right, the spiders. You see, our home backs directly onto a community common space and while it is lovely for entertaining, playing and general privacy, it is just a large field. The spiders roam and frolic all summer long, enjoying their native environment, but when it starts to get cold, they decide to migrate to warmer climates, namely, my home.

Now please understand, I'm not complaining about some gentle Daddy Long legs or even some little bitty jumping spiders. No, we get wolf spiders. If you have the comfort of never meeting one in a dark room, shoeless, on your way to bed, please feel free to google them. But do please be warned, not only can you see the light of day under them, but you can hear them running across the floor. It just is wrong!

I really don't like to step on them because they crunch and you can feel them under your shoe. My solution, the simple upside down water glass. It is clear so you can see the horror inside (to make sure it did not escape) and heavy enough that even my mighty spiders cannot tip it over. Then, all I have to do it keep Luke away from it until Matthew comes home to rescue me!

On the human front, we are doing great! Luke has figured out how to open medicine bottles, unlock doors and even mastered the toddler knob lock. We had to move him to a big boy bed after I found him neatly perched on the top of his crib rail one morning. So now, he has lots of time to master door knobs! But really, we are so stinkin' proud of that kid. He's just fantastic. He is speaking in more and more full sentences, such as "what is that for?" and wonderful phrases, such as "Dinner's ready!"

The Alice (yes, that is how we refer to her. When you are that awesome, you have the right to be "the" something) is rolling every which direction, grabbing anything within reach, and out eating her brother at dinner. She is so sweet and girly and then decides that she needs to keep pace with her big brother and lets loose with a war cry. I think she will give Luke a run for his money once she is mobile.

We will be doing Alice's 6 month photos, Luke's 2 year photos and our family photo very soon, and I promise to post them as soon as I can!