of birds and baby people

Only a couple weeks ago, when I went into the garage to get my bike, I scared a Carolina Wren. I thought that she'd just flown in and I'd surprised her. A couple days later, Will and I were out there getting rakes to spread sand in the front yard and she came to the door and started swearing at us. She hopped around, squawked and kept tossing her head at us, but wouldn't leave. Finally she came on in and just hopped up on things and crawled under things and flew around. I think she was trying to run us on a wild wren chase because when we stepped out of the garage she flew up to the top shelf and made sure we weren't looking (we were) and hopped into a plastic Halloween pumpkin that was sitting up there. The pumpkin was sitting on it's side with the hole in it's top facing outward just like an orange bird house. When Will and I finished the sand, I saw her fly back out so I snuck in and peered into the pumpkin. Three tiny eggs. I left the door open so she could come and go, but honestly, she didn't spend much time at home. Allison assured me that it was warm enough in the garage. A few days went by and I began to see her coming and going more frequently, so I peered into the pumpkin again. Three tiny naked avian miracles with huge mouths open to the sky. In fact it was those birdlets that inspired my photoblog, but I couldn't get a pic of them. Two more days and we left for the mountains. I left the garage door cracked at the bottom so momma wren could come and go.
Come and go she did, for when I got back, I parked my bike and climbed up to peer into the nest. Three clothed avian miracles relaxed on top of one another. All yesterday afternoon the mother hopped in the driveway calling to her babies. They wouldn't come. I remembered a mourning Cardinal when I was a kid and Dad cut down some shrubs beside the house. So I peered in again last night. No movement. I was sure that I'd have to clean out the nest. Then this morning mom was back calling to her babies. Nothing. All afternoon. Then finally, tired of the nagging, one scruffy, hippie-haired wren attempted the impossible… and succeeded. In a few minutes we had three baby wrens fluttering around the garage crashing into walls, falling down behind boards, landing on bicycle pedals and turning upside down. In no time, they seemed to master aviation, but finding their way out of the garage was another story. Sometime during church, mom got them all out and off to college. They're probably married by now.
Tonight when I kissed the kids goodnight, I thought about how fast they're growing up. I have a rising seventh grader. One flap of the wings, and he's in Middle School. It all goes so fast.
I'm so glad I'm not a wren.