the birdhouse

my DH got this birdhouse from his sister and brother - BC (before Caroline) - so a long time ago. they had gone to a specialty store in santa fe to pick this birdhouse out for him. we had kept it indoors until the day came when we bought our first house.

when we got our house, we put our birdhouse out in the front yard hanging in the big tree. day after day, month after month, season after season, this birdhouse hung in our tree. through the rains, the occasional snow and the 100 degree weather, this birdhouse hung faithfully in our tree.

but alas, last year, the jute holding the birdhouse up gave out. i remember b/c i was about 4 months preggo and i had gone out to get the mail. i remember thinking "oh i can use one of our MR ribbons to hang the birdhouse back up!" well shortly after that, the local elementary school let out. and when i went out to hang up the birdhouse again, it was gone. i looked all around the yard and the birdhouse just vanished.

later than evening, i had to break it to David that his birdhouse was gone. he was quite sad about it (and upset too). i figured some kid probably went by and saw it on the ground and said "finders keepers" and scooped it up to take home...

... well about 1.5 months after noah was born, i was going for a run on our street. as i headed up our hill, i saw that in the yard of a house under a big tree, there was something on the ground. i had seen it before but never paid much attention to it. but i think b/c i was running extra slow i saw that it was a birdhouse. and it was THIS birdhouse. or one that suspiciously looked like it. but what were the odds? i mean this wasn't a birdhouse you found at the local walmart - it had barb wire and a tin door... so i ran by it a couple more times and debated whether to tell david or not...and finally i did. david was not happy. not one bit.

and one day we took noah on a walk so he could see the birdhouse for himself. i told him i would take it right then and there but david said no. so finally in the dark of night i told david, " it is time!", we drove over to the house and i (in shorts and crocs) RAN over to the birdhouse and picked it up. david had the car running and the headlights off. and we drove home in the darkness. (oh yeah don't worry, a grandma was watching noah)... david was sweating before during and after this - he wasn't used to this type of stealth operation!

david took it to the backyard and inspected it under a flashlight. it was HIS birdhouse. and it was finally home.