The Waldock Kids: Daniel is 3!

Daniel - 10 days old

6 months old

1-year-old

2-years-old

3-years-old

Daniel has definitely graduated from being my baby boy to being a little boy. When I first looked at the picture above after I took it, I thought, "Wow, he looks so grown up!" I'm not sure when that happened!

As of October 16th, our sweet Jonathan Daniel is 3-years-old. And he is ALL. BOY. He is rough and tumble, and loves all things loud and reckless.

The differences between the boy and girls in our home never ceases to amuse me. Give them all play-doh, and the girls make food and princesses. This guy, on the other hand, makes snakes and spiders, and has a blast just squishing it through his fingers (and all over the table) with amazing intensity. Give them all toast or sandwiches, and Daniel's will invariably turn into a gun or sword so he can "kill the monsters" (even though we have never encouraged that sort of thing at ALL). Having a boy has been a new adventure for this Mommy who grew up with quiet sisters, but it is lots of fun. =)

Our little monkey

It has also been interesting to see the sensitive side of our "all boy." Yes, he can be wild and crazy at times, but he is also a very sweet boy who has a sensitive, caring heart. If he notices someone sad or in pain, he is right there expressing his concern and offering whatever help he can. He is very concerned about everyone (human and otherwise), and his own feelings get hurt rather easily.

Keeping himself busy with books during Rebekah's school time

Reading with Daddy

Daniel loves books, and especially loves to cuddle up and read stories together. Really, he loves any activity as long as it is done together. There is no doubt about his love language - he is very much a "quality time" kind of guy. Perhaps that is part of the reason why he loves games so much. He enjoys pretty much any type of game: board games, card games, active games, he loves them all. And if the whole family is playing together, all the better!

Playing a new game they were given for their birthdays

"Look! I did it all by myself!"

Working on a new puzzle

Daniel discovered puzzles a few months ago, and really seems to have a knack for them. One of his favorite things to do while Rebekah is doing school is work on his puzzles. He also loves to color, paint, and play with play-doh.

Daniel has been very interested in letters and numbers recently, I think at least in part because he sees his big sister doing school every day. He knows the alphabet, and can recognize the uppercase letters and count to around 20. He's learning to recognize the numbers and the lowercase letters, and is learning the letter sounds. I love how kids are when they start getting letters in their heads. It's like a whole new world has opened up to them and they suddenly see letters everywhere. Anytime we are out and about, Daniel is constantly pointing out various letters and numbers that he sees. Quite fun and amusing. =)

Coloring in his letters book

Daniel loves our yard, and will take any opportunity to be out in it, either running, digging in the dirt, or looking at bugs and spiders. He still loves his cars, trucks, airplanes, and pretty much any other vehicle imaginable. Daniel's "friend" Curious George is still a very important part of our family too, although he is getting rather thin from lots of love and several trips through the washing machine!

Daniel and his best buddy, George

We love our little man, and are so thankful for him and the joy he brings to our lives. Our biggest prayer for him as he learns and grows is that he would realize his need of a Savior and accept Christ for himself. It has been neat to listen to him learn to pray more specific prayers over the past few months. He even prays for specific people to come to know Jesus - He just does not realize yet that it also applies to him. Pray that his tender heart would also become tender toward the things of the Lord, and pray that we as his parents would be wise in training and guiding him.