The Spider...

Okay. Heather T. did some research for me while we were on the phone chatting and she found out what type of spider was hanging out on our porch. It was a Yellow Garden Spider. It is strictly an outside spider. So there was no threat of this thing coming in our house and eating the kiddos. And, it is NOT poisonous. It just looks very menacing. They live for one year, mate and then die with the first frost. What a fulfilling life. So, if you come across a spider that looks like this one, don't fret over it. It won't hurt you. (Hopefully the info on the internet was correct.)