Little Ones Have Hatched

It seemed like it took a long time, and then all of a sudden they were here!  Three brown, fuzzy, ugly little cardinals.

That red thing is a baby's mouth waiting to be fed.

Daddy's turn to feed.

So I figured it'd be awhile before they launched out of the nest. Nope. Within the week it seems, they were hopping everywhere, barely able to fly. I was so nervous, what with my cats, and the two dogs and four kids next door.

Baby perched on a rose branch.

Resting.

Empty nest.

I wish I knew whether they were girls or boys.  Good grief, I'm exhausted from this experience--all the protecting and worrying.  Now what am I going to do?