today.

i have four days left before our move.  so it's officially crunch time in terms of actually getting everything packed up.  i'm still foolishly optimistic that i'll get it done in time.  :)

all the packing, selling stuff on craigslist, feeding three small kids and one dog, tending to one newborn, keeping three small kids entertained, and all the myriad other things that need doing has left me feeling pretty frazzled.  and just plain tired.  so this morning, like most mornings for the past couple of weeks, the kids woke up before i did.

thankfully, they're very, very good about letting mommy sleep.  oftentimes i'll come out to find them quietly playing in the living room or listening to a book-on-cd.

lately, they've also taken up the task of getting themselves dressed, too.  so now in the mornings, i come out to find them all dressed and ready for a new day.

and that is just about the sweetest sight to this tired mama's eyes.

this is my girl, allie.  she refers to herself as a "mommy in training".  she's the one who will clean up the kids' room all by herself, make her brother's bed for him, or change her sister's diaper for her.  without being asked to.  she is most definitely my right-hand girl.  most mornings, she is the one who not only gets herself dressed, but her little sister too.  but today, she wanted to stay in her pjs.  and that was totally fine with me.

this is my boy, mikey.  he is usually the one who wakes up first and gets himself dressed and tries to be quiet so as not to wake up his still-sleeping little sisters (they all share a room).  today, he had a surprise for me.

this was the surprise!  today, allie was still sleeping, but lauren was awake by the time mikey woke up.  so mikey got her out of bed, changed her diaper, and got her dressed (though i'm not sure who picked out her ensemble).  all without being asked.

and because i believe helpfulness that is done without being asked should be duly rewarded, i gave him a quarter.  and because one cannot get his little sister dressed without some cooperation on her part, i gave her a nickel.


and both were very, very happy.

(not to worry, allie's earned many, many quarters too and wasn't sad at not getting one today).

the end.

back to packing.