National Geographic is knocking at my door

I have been spending way too much time staring out my windows this week. Since I have virtually filled up our camera's memory card with photos of The Twins, my husband insisted I post an update.

After five days they are still here!

Mama Deer has become quite bold and domesticated as she has practically taken up residence in our backyards and the green belt in between. She hops on over regularly to lick, sniff, and nurse the babes, then returns to a safe distance to watch them.

(Pardon the quality of these photos. I took them through the slats of our deck and from the shadows through our side window.)

Admit it, you would be glued to your window, too, if this little creature were laying just a few feet away.

We named them, of course. Shadow and Sunny are easy to tell apart by the markings on their heads. The above photo is Shadow, who is more adventurous and is therefore easier to photograph than Sunny, who ironically prefers to stay hidden.

Yes, I'm a totally smitten dork.

I have loved deer since I was a kid, growing up in a house that backed up to a forest preserve. We used to put salt blocks in our yard to attract the deer, then watch them silently appear at dusk -- sleek, strong, and graceful. I try to emphasize to my kids how special this is -- that most people never get this close to any deer, and most people never get to see a real live fawn, let alone two of them. They don't seem to be quite as appreciative of the opportunity as I am.

However, my animal-lover Lucy did use her own money to make this purchase at Michael's this week:

And that's not all. Look what's happening in one of the trees in our yard:
It has been a long-time dream of mine to be a writer and photographer for National Geographic. This week I'm livin' it, baby.