Episode 6: A Day in the Life of Joel

Welcome to Episode 6 of a day in the life of the youngest offspring in the Stapp household.  These posts are mostly just for me to document what daily life looks like for later when I've forgotten.  I plan on printing up a photo book of all of them someday for our family memory library.  But for now, read on if you'd like to be a fly on the wall in our home.

{Sort of.  It is much more chaotic than it appears.} 

Click.  The 7:00 am star light switches on and a pale stream of light falls across my crib. My sister (age 2) in the crib right next to me begins jumping and yelling "Mo-m! Mo-m!"  I pull myself up and jump along with her.  My mom comes in and I am so excited to see her!  My brother (age 4), rubbing his eyes and yawning, does not exhibit as much morning energy as me and my sister.  Next comes morning hugs, a diaper change for me and bathroom visits for my siblings, clean clothes, and some morning milk for me.  My sister doesn't like to sit still very well for getting her hair brushed because she is in a hurry to look at her books.  My brother is in a hurry to talk.  Once I've tanked up on milk, I'm in a hurry to play and explore!  My siblings and I play in our room, usually with books, hot wheel cars, or duplos, while my mom drinks her tea and spends time with God. When the music starts to repeat itself, my brother and sister clean up while I get to keep playing!  Clean-up time is not their favorite, and lately it's been taking them so long, my mom rescues me and lets me start on breakfast without them! 

Yum, meal time is definitely one of my favorite times of the day.  I eat just about anything as long as I can pick it up and chew it.  Breakfast rotates through oatmeal with applesauce, eggs and toast, and yogurt bowls.  Hooray, my brother and sister finally finished cleaning up and come running in to the kitchen as I start my second serving of breakfast.  I love to watch them do everything.  My brother puts away the clean silverware and my sister puts away the clean bowls and plates out of the dishwasher.  My sister likes to go as fast as she can, and my brother likes to talk and work, which slows him down.  Sometimes, my mom makes up a story.  Micah always ask for a new Frog and Toad story.  While I eat my third round of breakfast, everyone else joins me at the table, finally!  They all work on memorizing kids catechism questions, then my mom reads aloud a chapter of a book.  They just finished Little House in the Big Woods.  I get kinda bored with that stuff, so my mom gets me down and I play with the little kitchen while they finish up eating.  

Nap time for me comes next.  My mom used to call me her best sleeper, but recently I've taken to putting up a fight, but only for a few minutes.  I usually fall asleep sitting in my crib with my head on my lap.  When I wake up, I'm always curious to see what they've been up to while I was asleep.  They usually do one chore and some reading together.  Sometimes, my mom sets the timer for 10 minutes at a time and my siblings take turns getting special time with mom to play whatever they want with her while the other does a preschool activity.  Amelia usually picks reading books together, and Micah something more active like balloon volleyball or a snowball fight.  After that, it just varies.  Sometimes they do puzzles, or play games, or bake bread, or do an experiment.  Lately, Amelia's favorite games have been Go Fish, Uno, and Old Maid, and Micah's favorites have been Memory, Set, and Nerts.  I really want to play those games too, but they sit with their backs to me in a tight circle so I can't get in to destroy those cards.  I look forward to the day I'm invited to play games too!  For now, I entertain myself by pulling books out of the shelf, spices out of the pantry, bath toys out of the bathroom, cars out of the end table drawer, and food off the floor.  I also pull myself up so I can stand as much as I can, but I haven't taken any steps yet. My Dad gives me walking lessons often.

By now, it's late morning.  It takes about twenty minutes for Mom to help us all get on our snow pants, coats, socks, boots, gloves, and hats.  I despise getting my gloves on, but I love getting rides on the sled on our driveway by siblings or mom.  The snow is almost as tall as me, so we can't sled in the yard, but the slick driveway works well.  My brother has been digging tunnels through the yard, and every day my mom walks at least a couple loops through the walking path we're trying to keep carved out through part of the yard.  Amelia has grown alot this winter and has moved from hiding with a blanket over her head on a chair on the porch to pushing her toy lawnmower (her "snowplow") through shoveled areas by herself.  My mom says this is great progress.  

Some days, I ride in the stroller and we head out on a walk, but it depends on traffic volume and the current width of the road since there aren't sidewalks right by our house.  It's been a colder than usual winter I'm told, so we usually just play in our yard for 20-30 minutes before heading in as it is usually 5 - 20 degrees F when we are out.  

About noon, we get ready to eat lunch!  Before Micah comes inside, he has to carry enough wood to last us the rest of the day in the fireplace.  Usually, mom gives a lecture or two about not complaining or grumbling about now.  Dad gets to eat lunch with us six days a week, and it is so fun when he
comes home!  We tell him all about our morning and sometimes he wrestles with us.  After lunch, my brother often heads back outside to play a little longer and my mom reads me and my sister a nap time book and lays us down.  Every time my mom lays me down, I pop back up and laugh! Lately, my sister has been entertaining me during the whole nap time, so Mom told us we shouldn't jump and talk anymore so we can sleep.  Micah gets to play outside or rest on the couch during nap time.  I can't wait until I'm four too!

After nap time, we get snacks!  My sister likes to snuggle with mom for a while after nap because she usually wakes up in a bad mood.  Maybe it's because I wake her up?  The rest of the afternoon, we usually play whatever we want.  My sister likes to color pictures.  My brother likes to jump on the mini-trampoline.  Sometimes we play all together and sometimes by ourselves.  At five, I play with kitchen utensils while my brother and sister help cook dinner.  My brother cuts up cucumbers, cracks eggs, and helps brown meat and measure ingredients.  My sister likes to watch and help stir.  We often listen to fun music while we cook.  Once everything is started, they set the table and then my brother and sister read books to each other.  Sometimes, I'm even patient enough to sit still and listen. If it's a night that Dad will be home for dinner, we run to the garage door and jump on him when he gets home.  At dinner time, we each talk about our high point and low point of the day.  Amelia doesn't understand what a low is and says good things for her high and her low!  She also likes to copy whatever Micah says.  Myself, I just know a few words, like Mama and Dada.  I learned how to say uh-oh this week.  

After dinner, we get to play with Daddy or run around the house playing hide and seek, until 6:30.  Before bed, we read a Bible story and pray together.  My mom helps say the words for my prayer since I can't yet.  Dad has been telling us piano stories, where he tells us a Bible story while he simultaneously illustrates the story with music.  Then it's hugs and kisses time and bed time, sadly.  Have I mentioned that I would rather laugh and stand in my crib than lay down?  

A Day in the Life of Micah (3) and Amelia (15 months)

Here is a day in the life of Micah (3) and Amelia (15 months) from Amelia's perspective.

Micah's New "Room"

I wake up and it's dark in my crib so I pull myself up to my knees, grab the crib bars, and holler.  After a few minutes, Micah stirs in his toddler bed in the adjoining walk-in-closet, and I get excited when I see his star light click on.  "Amelia, it's 7 o'clock! My star light turned on!" announces Micah.  I stop hollering and rock back and forth excitedly "talking"as fast as I can when my mom comes in and turns on the big light.  I have so much to say and I rapidly sign "milk". I gulp it down while she changes my diaper and dresses me.  If I wasn't so busy drinking, I would give some input on what clothes I would like to wear, shaking my head vigorously if I don't agree or hugging them close if I concur.  I pat my head to remind her to fix my hair, but sometimes I have trouble remembering to sit still for her to do it.  Meanwhile, Micah sloooowly takes his pajamas off, goes to the bathroom, and picks out his clothes.  He likes Mom to lay out each clothing item "just so" on the floor so he will know how to put them on, but I like to crawl over the top of them and pick them up.  Micah begs Mom to play with us for a few minutes then she puts up the baby gate and (gasp) leaves the room for us to do playtime while we listen to a silly recording her and Dad made!! This is my least favorite part of the day! She dares to leave my sight!  I am tempted to continuing playing duplos or Mr. Octopus with Micah, but I head for the doorway to rattle the gate and remind Mom I'm still here.  Mom says Micah and I used to play together quietly for half an hour during playtime, but these days Mom can only tolerate a few minutes of my yelling.  

I am desperate to eat breakfast.  Micah sets the table while Mom cooks something.  Sometimes, Micah "makes" breakfast by himself by setting the table with cold cereal and milk.  My favorite breakfast is oatmeal with coconut oil and raisins.  Occasionally, I like eggs, but I try to throw my parents off by remaining unpredictable with my food choices. Micah prefers breakfast burritos or pancakes.  The highlight of the meal for both of us is our gummy vitamins.  I stay pretty quiet once I start eating.  If they forget, I always am the first to remind the family to hold hands and pray.  My Dad and Micah take turns answering catechism questions that Mom asks.  Sometimes, they turn it into a contest.  They both like to win a little too much.

It usually takes me twice as long to finish my breakfast as the rest of the family.  By the time I'm done, Mom has usually cleaned up breakfast and started a load of laundry.  After breakfast, Micah is supposed to put away the clean silverware from the dishwasher.  That takes a long time most days.  My Daddy kisses me goodbye when he leaves for work.  My mom is finishing up making her grocery list so Micah is looking at books on the couch. I dig through our living room toy drawer. 

     Mom and Micah have a morning chore they do together that varies depending on the day of the week.  I try to help too.  Today there is vacuuming going on.  I recently outgrew my fear of the vacuum!  

     Mom says it is time for a nap for me.  I have really been protesting this morning nap since Christmas.  Too many new toys to explore!  I rest quietly in my crib for 25 minutes then decide enough is enough and cry until Mom gets me.  She sets me in the living room with my new plastic tea set to play while she finishes having special time with Micah.  Apparently, while I nap, they do activities together that I would not appreciate, like reading books with too many words, puzzles with too many pieces, and crafts with too many parts.  Today they are playing Uno and Candy Land.  Candy Land is my favorite because I get to play with two game pieces, the directions, and the box while they play.  I'm not supposed to touch the board.  

After special time is over, sometimes we do a workout.  Mom rolls out the mini-trampoline from the garage for Micah to burn energy and we all watch her phone for workout video.  Micah's favorite is using the Sworkit Kids app.  I like to watch the screen and laugh at Mom but don't do much working out.  My favorite part of exercise time is when the app tells them to "take a thirty-second break", because then Mom picks me up and we play tag with Micah around the house.  Today, we don't do a workout because it is Wednesday, and Mom gets to go to the gym by herself after we are in bed.  

Instead, we sit down at the little table for a snack.  My favorite snack is raisins or honey nut cheerios.  Micah's favorite snack is yogurt.  Afterwards, I carefully take all the crayons out of their container while Micah paints with watercolors.  I get bored of this quickly and sign "all done", but not before I manage to color some red marker on my face.  I almost fall out of my chair.  I like to walk while my parents hold my hands, but I can't do it on my own yet.  Everyone says I'll be a later walker like Micah and my Mom both were.

It's lunchtime.  I play with the pretend kitchen, placing the bendy man figurine in and out of the oven, while my Mom gets the food ready.  I whine a few times to let her know I'm ready, and pull out the Tupperware box to do some "sorting".  I like plain food for lunch and carefully peel apart my sandwiches or wraps first to make sure Mom hasn't snuck anything terrible in, like meat or hummus or avocado.  Some days, my Dad gets to come home from work for lunch with us.  Most Mondays we meet him at the middle school to eat lunch with the kids there, and most Tuesdays we meet him at the high school to each lunch there, after we go to story-time at the library.  My parents say Micah and I make pretty good advertising for the church youth group.  I'm not as much of a draw as I used to be though, so it's good my Mom is about to have another baby.

After lunch, we bundle up and go outside for a little snow playtime.  We don't have sidewalks near us and the roads are covered in snow and ice so we don't go on many walks anymore.  I don't really like the snow but my brother does.  He even goes down the snowy slide at the park sometimes.  He also squirts colored water out of a bottle to make designs in the snow in our yard.  For a while, he chose yellow every time, so now Mom doesn't give him a choice and mixes up purple or green.

Back inside, we each get to pick a book or two for Mom to read to us before naptime.  I still prefer books with real pictures but occasionally I'll sit still for The Very Hungry Caterpillar or Goodnight Moon.  My favorite books are the sign language board books from the library.  Micah's favorite book right now is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. 

Micah and I both take an afternoon nap.  Most days, my Mom does too.  After nap, we eat a snack and sort laundry.  I like to give my clothes big hugs and wrap them around my neck.  After that, we play until dinner time.  Micah plays alot with his Knexs he got for Christmas.  I like to play with the pieces too.  I give them hugs and stuff them between my neck and my shoulder.  Sometimes my Mom finds them in my clothes later. 

Most of the time, I like to play with my brother.   Sometimes I dump out puzzles for him to put together.  Other times I play the piano while Micah plays the metronome.  I'm getting better at finding ways to occupy myself while my Mom cooks, but I just want to see what's going on. My Dad gets home for dinner and I love to meet him at the door.  Sometimes I sit in front of the door and block it without meaning to and then he can't get in.  Oops.  I get excited to see him.   We have dinner together as a family just about every night.  In the evenings after the rest of my family cleans up the meal, we usually have a little time to play before bedtime.  Micah and I like it when we play games together as a family, like Twister.  I crawl around the special mat and Micah stretches really far.  Other nights, we take a bath.  And some nights, I'm just exhausted and whine until someone asks me if I want to go to bed, to which I respond by giving them a big hug.  I ask frequently throughout the day to brush my teeth and hair, and always at bedtime.  After we are all ready for bed, my Dad reads us a Bible story.  I listen for a few seconds, then fold my hands to try to hurry everyone along to the praying.  They don't seem to listen to my signal until the story is over.  Usually, Micah and I go to bed at 7.  I don't mind, my dolly stays in my crib now, and I get excited each time we are reunited.  I don't like to miss anything, so after my parents lay me down, I usually crawl over to the side of the crib to watch them say goodnight to Micah.  Then they remind me to lay down again.  Goodnight!

A Day in the Life of Micah: 1 1/2 years old

More than anything, this post is for my benefit so that I can look back on this summer and remember what life was like at our short, five-month stint in our trailer in a gravel pit cottage in the woods.

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!

A day in the life of Micah: 8 Months!

Today I am 8 months old!  

The summer sun usually wakes me up between 6:30-7:00 am and I chatter nonsensical syllables until my mom rescues me from my crib.  At the moment, my Uncle Tim is visiting so I get to play with him in the early morning! 

Often I get to go on a jog with my parents.  The breeze through the stroller keeps me cool in the bright morning sun. I like to play with the straps in the stroller as I ride.  

Breakfast is next - I get to munch on some fruit, and often veggies too!  I have yet to meet a vegetable I don't like... green beans are my current favorite. 

After breakfast, I usually take a morning nap at around 9 am. Mom scrambles around the house trying to get ahead on some dinner prep and then squeezes in as much work in her office as she can.  Sometimes I like to surprise her and take a 30 minute cat nap, but usually I'll sleep for an hour to an hour and a half.  

After I get up, I try to help Mom out with some chores.  I enjoy lending a hand with the laundry as she switches the clothes around or hangs my diapers up to dry.  

Mom will wear me while she waters the plants or vacuums.  I'd rather be up with her than on the floor any day when that noisy monster of a vacuum cleaner comes out of the closet!  

I do love reading books.  Storytime at the library is my top outing of the week.  

If I stay awake long enough before my afternoon nap, I get to eat lunch with Mom and Dad too.  I'm learning how to feed myself, although I'm much better at stuffing my mouth full than I am at actually chewing and swallowing.  I'm working on it!

Around one, I usually get sleepy and take another nap.  When I get up this time, Mom and I usually go for walk to the post office to get the mail.  Sometimes we take the stroller and sometimes, she wears me so that she can show me around the park - I especially like to touch the bark on trees!  The swings are nearby, but I'm much more interested in watching the other kids on the swings than in swinging myself.  

I'm pretty clever at getting out of my carseat if I'm not buckled in! Look what I did when Mom's back was turned!


If it is hot enough outside, sometimes I get to go swimming in the free pool right across the street!  Sometimes I get sleepy late in the afternoon and will take a short nap while Mom gets dinner ready.  Other times I find it more enjoyable to hang out with her and see what is going on!

After dinner, I usually get to spend some time with Dad. I laugh at his funny voices, big motions, and goofy antics.  Before long, it's time for my bedtime routine of pajamas, milk, toothbrush, Bible story, and bed.

Watch out world, I bet I'll be crawling by the time I write again!

A Day in the Life of Micah: 4 months

Life has changed alot since I last wrote when I was two weeks old.  For one, I don't sleep in a cradle anymore, I have my own place at the other end of the house!  It is much more spacious, but the room service is significantly slower!

I usually wake up in the morning between 6:30 and 7:30.  I order breakfast pronto, taking frequent breaks to talk with my Dad.  If he's not nearby, I crane my neck to look around the room to find him.  He sure knows how to make me laugh!

As soon as I'm done with breakfast, we usually go on a walk to the gym.  Most of the time, I am pretty content to stay in my carseat while I'm there because it is so fascinating to watch all the arms and legs moving rapidly above me.

By the time we get home, I'm ready for a nap.  I'm given my pacifier and favorite blanket and one of my parents reads me a book.

Nap time!  Sometimes, I manage to pull my blanket over my head.  Once I fall asleep, Mom works in her office, which is in my room!  They hang a blanket over the side of my crib so I can't see her.

When I get up, I usually get a diaper change.  Aren't my diapers snazzy?

My favorite part about diaper changes is that afterwards, my Mom lets me look at the quilt that is on the wall next to the changing table.  It is fascinating and I like to touch all the different patterns.

After another meal, I have to do my least favorite activity: tummy time.  Who cares about rolling over? I'm not interested yet.





Later in the day, I might spend a little time in my jumparoo my friend gave me.  Man, I sure get hopping in that thing.

Sometimes, home can get too quiet for me!  I love being places with lots of people and action, like the gym, the middle school cafeteria where my parents volunteer, outdoors, and in church during the music.      I am also quite curious.  I especially am intrigued with watching food disappear into people's mouths, books and paper that crinkles, and lamps.  I recently knocked my Mom's book right off the couch!  Here I am studying the lamp on my changing table.

Books are quite interesting too.  

Well, the rest of my day is more of the same - napping, eating, exploring.  The afternoon often includes a walk to the post office, and maybe even the park!

I sure do enjoy having Dad  home in the evening!  Here he is reading a bedtime story.

Well, thanks for reading!