We moved to Clayton (aptly named since they used to make bricks here and there was "a ton of clay" in the area), about seven miles North of Deer Park, suddenly at the end of April because our landlord wanted to sell our former residence and we couldn't find any rentals available in Deer Park at the time. Since then, we have been inquiring about many rental options in Deer Park to try to get back there before winter sets in, for many, many reasons which I won't go into here. God opened a door and we will be moving to a great rental in Deer Park soon, which is suddenly bittersweet has we had just started to become accustomed to life in the woods out here. So, for posterity's sake, here's an average day from Micah's perspective, age 1 1/2, using pictures from the past four months here.
My day usually begins between 6:30-7:00am, or whenever my parents forget to tiptoe quietly enough in the living room. One of the things my parents appreciate about this house is the blackout blinds in my bedroom, which make it pretty hard for me to tell what time it is. No problem for me though, because I can reach the light switch from my crib! As soon as I wake up, I flip the switch and call out "Momma! Momma!". By the time she opens the door, I'm usually hopping up and down on my crib mattress--mornings are a high energy time for me!
I'm pretty focused when I get up - breakfast is the first thing on my mind. Depending on what time I wake up, sometimes I'm forced to wait to eat until my parents finish reading their Bibles on the couch. In that case, sometimes I sit on the floor and whine, and sometimes I sit on the couch too and pray for people, repeating after my parents one word at a time. Once, I got an owie. Every morning I usually reminisce about that time and I say "Yeah, Jesus!" because He answered my prayer.
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and it isn't unusual for me to eat almost twice as either of my parents at this meal. A sample breakfast menu for me includes four pancakes with peanut butter, scrambled eggs, an entire banana or pear, or both, and a piece of toast. When mom isn't sure what to give me next, I like to make the helpful suggestions of cheerios, toast, or cantaloupe.
The benefit of me eating so much at breakfast is that it can take a little while, which usually gives my mom a chance to wash the breakfast dishes and work together with dad to pack his lunch. She's really looking forward to having a dishwasher again at our new house.
Dad says goodbye to me then heads out for the day to go to his fitness class at the gym then on to work. Sometimes, later after he's left, I pretend I'm him. I put on one of his shoes, have mom help me put on a backpack, and head outside, waving goodbye to mom and giving her a goodbye hug and kiss and telling her I'm going to the car. I have her shut the door, then I knock a minute later and say hello.
Next, my mom and I usually exercise. I like to play with her dumbells to get "strong" while she does an exercise video or routine using an app. I'm getting better at jumping jacks too. My favorite parts are when she runs around the house with me and when we do push-ups. Sometimes I make her exercises more difficult by laying on her back or grabbing her legs and adding extra weight. My attention span doesn't usually last the whole workout, so I do a puzzle or cook in my kitchen.
After exercising, we get to go outside! We run around the circular gravel driveway together and I see how fast I can go. We play soccer and baseball. We go on the swing and the slide. We water the hanging baskets and potted flowers. I help with my little watering can. I also stick my head under the hanging basket so the water that streams out gives me a shower. While I keep playing with the water, my mom makes phone calls because we don't have reception inside the house. She used to carry bear spray with us every time we stepped outside. We haven't seen a bear in our yard in a while now, so she has slacked off on that, but we do frequently see deer and other wildlife just feet away. I have my parents catch crickets and frogs for me so I can watch them in my bug catcher. 
Back at the beginning of the summer, mom would occasionally take me on a run in the jogging stroller. But then, our neighbor got chased by a bear for a quarter mile on his bike on this road, so the jogs came to an end. I didn't like how bumpy the gravel road was anyway.
Earlier in the summer as well, wildflowers bloomed in the woods right around our house, so I helped mom pick a few bouquets. As you can see in the picture, I'm still wet from my hanging basket shower. At this point in the morning, it's getting pretty hot outside, so we head indoors to do our chores together. Mom has a list of chores depending on the day of the week - some we do together during our chore time and some she does when I'm napping. Some of our together chores are sweeping, dusting, and vacuuming. I help with the sweeping and dusting. I don't help with the vacuuming. I go and bring mom the Beco carrier so she can wear me up and away from the vacuum. I do not like the vacuum. 
After our chores, I play a little bit, sometimes with mom, sometimes by myself. We eat lunch around 11:30. On certain days of the week, Dad comes home for lunch. Other days, he eats his lunch at work because it's half an hour round trip to go from work to home. I prefer it when Dad is there. I usually don't eat that much at lunch because I'm still full from my breakfast. My favorite lunch foods are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and broccoli. Sometimes I get lucky and my mom buys hummus. But ranch is a great substitute! Or ketchup! I love to dip. 
Between 12:00-12:30, I head down for a nap. We usually read some books together first. Some of my current favorites are Soup Day, Trains, Caps for Sale, and a counting book. I usually nap for around two hours, sometimes a little more or less. My mom usually does thirty minutes of chores then works on other projects or even takes a nap too! 
After my nap, I always ask for a snack. Fruit or crackers are probably my favorite snacks. The rest of the afternoon varies from day to day. Usually, there is a load of laundry to be sorted and folded. Sometimes I help by putting away dishcloths and other small things. Every other day, my mom washes diapers so I hand them up to her to hang out on the back porch to dry. Recently, my mom has started doing "school" with me. I really like it. I am working on learning to draw circles right now with crayons. We make them into smiley faces. I get to put a round sticker on my page when I'm done and we hang it carefully on the fridge. Mom's trying to teach me my colors. I can say them all, but I have a hard time matching them up with the right color successfully. I don't do it on demand, but if you listen carefully, you might catch me counting from 1-10 as I play. Sometimes, mom has a special "school"activity for, me, like playing with shaving cream, and painting the swing set with water. 
It can be a rough hour when mom makes dinner, because I like to help and see everything, and I get in the way. Occasionally, I'll help out by reading books quietly. Most of the time though, I like to be in the thick of it. After dinner, I sometimes take a bath. Back in my room, I like to goof of with some of my baby sister's things - lay in her bouncer, climb over her carseat, hold her baby doll. Then, it's pajamas, teeth, and potty, then Dad reads me my Bible story. I really like my new Bible (The Jesus Storybook Bible). Then I pray with parents, repeating after them one word at a time. I especially like to pray for my grandparents, uncles, and aunts. Then it's off to bed, usually between 7:00-7:30. I usually ask to go potty, again, at least a couple extra times, if they put up with it. Goodnight! 
