How do I know...

...that its spring time in Texas?

The buds on the trees...the daffodils in bloom around my mailbox...the dusting of pollen across everything that dares to sit still...the sprinkling of green grass beginning to show across the yard...the break from school that allowed me to have my teenagers for a full 7 days in a row... or perhaps the daily request of my sweet Ashley to ride her bicycle and go swimming...NOPE...( I mean I guess all those things give me a hint, but thats not the biggest reason)...

My nest is back!

Each and every year that we have lived in this house somehow a mama bird makes her way into my garage and builds her little nest upon my garage door opener...this afternoon Dave announced that we were once again going to have "our baby birds".  Oh the JOY!!! My heart seriously lept in my chest and a smile spread across my face.  I LOVE my baby birds.  I love the whole event.  I love that I get to listen to their first little peeps and that I get to watch their mama take such good care of them.  I love, love, love them.  I get so attached to them while they stay with us.

 Then..I cry.

 No lie.  The day I see them leave the nest and hop outside the safety of it while their mama teaches them to fly breaks my heart.  I usually get a few more days with them at the most as I watch them make their way in the world via our back yard and then they leave.  My heart worries about them which cracks Dave and the kids up.  They laugh at me and don't get it, but I don't care.  For some reason those baby birds steal my heart and I can't help but miss them when they leave.

Baby finches, robins, and cardinals have all come to be born here the last few years.  I can still see my chubby  little cardinals with their mess of hair and fluff on top their heads from last spring.  I seriously LOVE them!  They were so ugly they were adorable!  The cutest little guys.

So this morning I'm smiling wide just knowing that in a few weeks my baby birds will be here again.  Oh, how I love those tiny babies!

Last spring my mom and I spent an entire day watching a momma and daddy blue jay take care of their last little one who was just to afraid to follow them up, up, up into the trees.  It took him half the day to make it to the top of the fence!  They just kept coming back again and again coaxing him along.  We sat on the patio together enjoying the entire process.  By  the end of the afternoon he was gone along with his momma.

As I watch those little birds leave our nest, I'm reminded how soon my own will be leaving and it keeps me focused on the job of parenting them well while I have them here to parent.  As this spring begins and the end of the school year is so close I can almost feel it, I know that I only have 1 more summer with my Blake before he is out on his own. OUCH!  He and I will be on the road together again playing ball and making memories.  As much as I miss my girls while we are gone I can't help but be excited about the time I get to spend with him.  Its a blessing and an experience I wouldn't trade for anything!  Oh how I love that kid!

I am so blessed, and my baby birds have come back...its going to be a great day!