Different kind of hatching.

Kevin saw this guy come out of the "shell" on his tire. The strange thing was that Kevin had only been home for a short time and we all wondered where the bug came from. Had he just crawled up onto the tire or had he made the trip all the way from work on the tire? I'm sure it came from our yard but how strange for it to choose the tire and not the nearby tree. I love the gree on the wings and the body. Too bad it's a bug!

Just don't think about it.

I found this bug in my kitchen sink the other day. Ugh! I wanted to scream and run away but I also wanted to get a picture of it. I put an end to it's life after I took the pictures, and washed it down the sink. I try not to think about how many more of these things could be lerking in my house as I walk through the basement or walk around in the dark. Yuck.
Here's a closer look...

I've never seen one in real life!

The kids found a real praying mantis! It was on the side of the house and it was really exciting. Along with all the cicadas we've had popping up around here, and making their wonderful noise, it has certainly been an interesting end to our summer! Some bugs are really cool.

She's just plain cute!

I'm not sure

which is worse... Since living on the island, I have become very relaxed about having bugs around the house. On the island there was no way to keep them all out. I did fight them and won a lot but they just kept coming. So now, we have boxelder bugs that invade our house during the spring and fall time. Kemiah is the official bug getter and she'll put them in the toilet for us. Unfortunately, Domonique is crawling all over and likes the bugs as well. The most unfortunate part is that they end up in her mouth (of course). Ugh! So, I'm not sure which is worse... the fact that I'm "okay" with the bugs being in my house and we just deal with it or the fact that my baby eats them. The nice thing is that both problems could be solved simply by getting rid of the bugs and keeping them from coming in through the windows. Maybe I'll just put plastic around the windows and let all the bugs die, then collect and clean them up all at once. Or, I heard if you spray soapy water around the windows it will keep them away. I guess all I need to do is actually do something about it.

Buggy business

I thought the bugs on the island were bad. These guys are crazy! All those black spots are bugs and that's only one corner of a very large window! I can only assume they are flocking to my south facing windows because it is cold outside, and toasty warm in the windows. The only problem is that the windows are not sealed so they eventually find their way into the house. Ugh. Ben's idea today was to spray bug repellant on the windows and maybe that would keep them away. Really they aren't a big deal because they don't do much. However, I did not appreciate having one crawl on my foot tonight as I sat down to feed the baby.

What do you do with a ladybug infestation?

While on the island, I poisoned any ant trail that came near my house. I smashed any centipede in or near my home. You get the idea. Well, in our new home, we have a new friend. A million of them. I'm not sure where they keep coming from but the ladybugs are here - in the middle of winter. I will admit that most of them are dead, but that's after they get into the house. The kids do find the occasional few that are still alive. Most of the time the kids enjoy holding them and having them crawl around. Kemiah had one once... and then she brought it to me and said, "it dead," and she held it out for me to vacuum up. I vacuumed the guest room today and I know I'll find more of them in there tomorrow, or the next day. Kevin said that maybe the farmers in the area order a bunch of them and then put them in the crops to keep away the bad bugs. But why are they still here? As Marissa sat with me the other night, she giggled and said, "There's something on my face." I said, "Yes, it's a lady bug." She laughed again and asked me to take her picture. What a ham. She put it right on her nose. I told her to be careful that it didn't end up in her nose. She assured me that it wouldn't and I told her to get it off her face. I'm just wondering if it will ever get better or will it get worse?