The Eggs!

Team Oakley LOVES the little things in life. We LOVE the beautiful, and we LOVE the wonder of creation. 

Recently we got the gift of all three....

 RIGHT OUTSIDE OUR FRONT DOOR!!!

We had noticed a small bird making her home in the shrub outside our front door. We watched her do this for days, meticulously working for hours on end. 

Once she was finished, we would greet her everyday in the comings and goings from our house. We all felt like we were friends with this hardworking little momma bird!

We would check this nest everyday when the Momma bird went off to eat. We thought the way she built it was amazing. We LOVED looking at it, like we were surveying the works of a finely skilled craftsman! 

Then one morning, one wonderful morning, we saw that she had created something even more amazing!!!! 

AN EGG!!!!

It was the most BEAUTIFUL little egg we had ever seen! We all, even Emery, shrieked with excitement! 

Then the next day, there was double the joy!!!!! 

And then, one more!

Finally, on the fourth day, there were four eggs for us to marvel at. They were the prettiest, purest blue we had ever seen. 

We checked on the momma bird and the eggs daily, making sure they were safe and well taken care of (though the Momma bird had it under control, we just wanted to feel a part of it). 

One night we had a HUGE storm (normal for the south). We were so worried about our little Momma bird and her little nest and little eggs. The next morning, when the storm had ended, Emery and Beka checked the nest on their way to church. Beka almost dropped Emery when she saw what was inside! It was a sweet, little, ugly, fresh, preciously baby birdie! Not only had the momma bird kept her nest safe in the crazy weather, but she managed to bring a little life out of it's shell, and into the big ol' world!

Emery was delighted to see the life that came from the beautiful egg! He named it 'chicken'. 

We could not get enough of this little one! As ugly as it was, it was the cutest thing we had seen in a long time!

After church we hurried home to check on the little guy, and we found TWO little guys! Both oddly adorable!

Every time we made a noise they thought we were the momma bird bringing them food. It was cute for them to follow our voice with that big, open beak! 

We never could get great photos of the momma bird, because she would fly off when we got near. But now that she had two little ones to protect, we could walk slowly by her, and occasionally get a peek. 

The next morning, there were three!!!

And finally, the next morning, all the little ones had hatched! They ALL made it!!!

Momma bird took VERY good care of her chicks. She would stare us down as we walked by. She was quite intimidating, but Beka understood it. She would do the same too! It's a momma's instinct! 

For weeks we watched the little naked birds grow into wonderful creatures. It was so awesome. It was SUCH a privilege to witness. We really felt blessed to see the process so close. 

After a while they got way too big for that little nest! We knew the time would come when they would have to fly away, so we treasured each moment we had with these little fuzz balls. 

Then, it happened, just like we knew it would. One day we got home and the nest was empty. No momma bird, no babies. It actually was quite sad. We loved this whole thing, and to see it end make our hearts a bit heavy. It was also when we were moving out of this house, so it came at a time of big changes. 

But we have so many WONDERFUL photos and the best most special memories, and that makes us happy. Emery got to witness life and nature happening right outside our door. It was so incredible.

We really hope you all get to see something like this up close soon. It really brings peace and clarity in a crazy world. It is life, and it is beautiful.

Thanks for sharing in ours,

Love

Team Oakley