Mystery Bug - mini lobster?!

One of my summer resolutions, for lack of better word, is to get outside with my kids more and away from my pc! Little did I know that meant I would be spending more time behind my camera. I like to take pictures of my hostas?! and their pretty flowers in my yard. Today I walked to the back of my yard, where my shed is, and I saw a new hosta's flower. I didn't even know this plant was over there! I walk over and bend down to see some type of bug, at first I thought it was a nymph. It was an orange color with these see thru stripped legs.

I raise my camera, he moves behind a flower, i move to the other side, he moves back to the left, after a few rounds of this and one ill fated top shot I decided to rethink my strategy. While sitting there he decided to go amongest his business again, so moving very slowly I started to zoom in. This is where things started to get tricky, you see i have a fairly new digital camera, i'll admit i haven't read the manual and still trying to figure it out. Well the camera didn't want to focus on the bug, the flower, the fence, other leaves everything but the bug I wanted. Now I could see great detail with my "naked" eye, but this digital POS doesn't want to take a picture of it!! I started to get a little frazzled, but i never lost my cool, after all if i moved to quickly he'd hide again!!

I sighed once or twice before accepting that if there is anything the camera finds cool it will zoom on that, and not what i find cool. It was then the bug started to walk down the plant stem, he walked very slow, out stretching his front two legs. It reminded me of my praying mantis, but unlike them he had something like looked like littler legs off his face, I can only assume these were like mandiables (sp?). As I was trying to squint and see his face, he started to move his antena, it was that moment it clicked. This weird bug reminded me of a lobster!!

Returning to my camera lense, i decide there is no way I am leaving without a picture of this creature! I sat there for 10 or so minutes, kneeling down, hair in my face, bugs all around. Then it happened i finally got a few pictures, it's then i see the spikes on his adnomen! After a few more pictures and sore toes i gave up, the bugs were just too much!!

Wait don't go yet!! Do you really think i'd leave you without some pictures?!?

*UPDATE* Thanks to Shannon, we've identifed the bug! It is an assassin bug, while I can't find one like it it does fit. They actually drink blood! Some will suck out the insides of ants, bees, moths and so on. Pretty creepy to tell you the truth, I do not recommend you watch the video on youtube! It's national geographic, and they have some attacking a baby bat. Man does it make your skin crawl, anyway thanks again for the help on this mystery bug!!