The Waldock Kids: Daniel, Age 7

Recently we were looking at pictures from last July when we had just arrived in the States, and we were amazed at how young Daniel looked compared to now. A year of life on the road, meeting new people, and spending a LOT of time out of his comfort zone has grown him up in many ways.

Showing a new friend some things from India - one of the favorites is the toy auto!

Daniel has always been our introvert, preferring NOT to talk to people he doesn't know well. When we were in India (Daniel was not yet six) and people would talk to him at church or on the street, he would often shrink away, refusing to return a handshake. We knew that had to change, especially with the nature of our life on furlough. After a year, it is amazing to see how much he has grown in that area. He is still quiet, and meeting new people will never be his favorite thing. However, he has learned to be polite and talk to people when necessary, and he has done wonderfully at being in a different Sunday School class almost every Sunday! He has even come to enjoy passing out prayer cards and telling people all about India. And if you catch him at the right moment, he will happily (if quietly and slowly) tell you a story - just ask him about the time he got stuck under an inner tube in Thailand or got poisoned by a caterpillar while camping in Virginia!

Passing out prayer cards

This year has been a big year of accomplishments and milestones for Daniel. Last fall he learned how to ride a bike on his own. He turned out to be a very intuitive bike rider, bypassing training wheels completely, and finding his balance very quickly. His main challenge was using the brake! The brake on this bike was a foot brake on the pedals. For some reason he was afraid to use the brakes, so when he wanted to stop, he would run into the curb instead! This continued for awhile until he ran into a curb going at a fairly high speed, and flipped over the handlebars into the grass! Thankfully he was more surprised than hurt, but it was incentive enough for him to learn to use the brake. =)

And now he has no fear...

In addition to riding a bike last fall, Daniel learned how to tie his shoes. In the spring he mastered the art of pumping a swing (among other random accomplishments like climbing UP a fireman pole and doing over 50 push-ups at one time). Just recently (in July), Daniel learned how to swim and lost his middle two bottom teeth. He has also become an excellent reader, and often surprises me at the words he can read. As of this fall, he is capable of reading at a 4th grade reading level, but at this point he still much prefers being read to than reading on his own. He's funny because if you ask him, he will say he doesn't like to read. But then I will find him off somewhere reading Calvin and Hobbes or Manga books (Bible story comic books), and he just looks up at me with this sheepish grin of his. Gotta love him. =)

Enjoying a story with Aunt Steph, cousin Gabe, and Hannah

Daniel is actually sharper than he sometimes lets on. He daydreams and often has "selective hearing," but he is quick with numbers and learns very quickly overall when he is into what he is learning. He doesn't enjoy writing unless it's just something he is doing on his own, but he loves learning when he is free to explore and discuss what he is learning.

This past summer, since we ended up in the States longer than we originally expected, Daniel got to play on a "real" soccer team. He was SO excited by this prospect, especially with the added bonus that he was on a team with his cousin Ethan. Daniel and Ethan worked really well together, and the coaches usually made sure the two were playing at the same time, telling the boys, "We need some cousin magic!"

Going for a goal!

Daniel is still our geography guy, and has learned a lot about the U.S. States since we've been here. Often he will show me part of a sandwich, saying, "What does this look like?" More often than not, it's the shape of a state. He knows the name, shape, and location of every state, and can identify many of the flags and especially license plates on sight. He and I (Rachel) have had a running license plate game going since we arrived in the States, and we have nearly finished our third time through! (The rest of the family joins in occasionally, but he's the main one who is actually interested and watches out for new license plates. The girls don't seem to care much!)

Traveling, traveling, traveling

Checking out the Badlands

Bird watching at Mt. Ranier

He also loves puzzles of all sorts. He's not as big into jigsaw puzzles as he used to be (though if someone else is doing one, or he sees one sitting out, he's drawn like a magnet!), but he spends a lot of time working on other sorts of puzzles. He loves mazes, riddles, Where's Waldo type books and other such things. A few months ago some friends gave him and Karunya Perplexus puzzle balls which have been a HUGE hit. He has spent hours working on both of them, and has mastered Karunya's, which is slightly easier. He's still working on mastering his!

Daniel and friend Matthew working on the Perplexus balls

a map and a puzzle in one place - doesn't get any better than that for our boy!

Finding Waldo with cousin Kyra

Daniel is our introvert, sandwiched between two extroverted sisters. It makes for an interesting family dynamic! He is often content to just let the girls do the talking, but when he has something he wants/needs to say, he will stand his ground and say what needs to be said! He is usually hesitant about trying new things, but once he tries something and realizes that he can do it (especially if it is something fun and active), he is gung-ho and all there! For example, he was hesitant about riding his bike down the hill near my parents' house, but now that he is confident on a bike, he zooms and swerves down the hill, sometimes pretty recklessly! Also, over the summer the public library offered several different programs and activities, one of which was a climbing tower that rotated between several libraries one week. Daniel was excited to try it, but was a little uncertain as to how he would do. Once he had done it and succeeded, however, he was all over that tower and loved it!

Sibling love

Look at his face... can you tell what comes next?!

Having fun together

On the climbing tower (Daniel is on the left)

One of his favorite things - zooming down the hill into the driveway

Daniel loves hiking, swimming, riding bikes, and all things outdoors. He may be quiet and sensitive, but he is still ALL BOY. He loves exploring and is curious about so many things. I pray that love for learning will remain with him all his life.

Always out on a limb!

First time in the snow and looking for someone to throw his huge chunk of snow at!

Collecting rocks in the river

Enjoying the water with cousin Ethan

Our little pyromaniac roasting marshmallows in the backyard

One thing Daniel has learned over the past year is to enjoy the time he has with people, but then let go and enjoy the next thing. That can be difficult, but it is necessary for the life our family lives. He has learned to make friends faster than he used to (although I think he will always hold back more than his sisters by nature of his personality). He usually enjoys whatever we're doing wherever we are, and then when it's time to go on to the next thing, he enjoys that too. However, of all the kids, he is the main one these days who will ask when "the next thing" is going to happen.

Saying goodbye to little cousin Rivers as he left for Thailand

Fun times with good buddy Caleb (a great friend even though they've only ever spent a few days together!)

Picnicking with Grandad and Grandma Waldock

Enjoying Grandparent Camp with the Rife grandparents

Daniel really enjoys creating things these days. He loves drawing, coloring, painting, etc. He is very meticulous in his work, and gets frustrated easily when he makes mistakes or when it doesn't work the way he planned.

Daniel is very observant, and notices things usually before anyone else - a bird song, a siren, an airplane (the sight or sound of it) the Mill Mountain star, a license plate, etc. Yet at the same time he is a typical male and often doesn't hear you when you call his name from three feet away. =)

Daniel also has a very silly sense of humor, and loves to tease and make people laugh. Most of the time, he would much rather be (and have everyone else be) silly than serious!

Fierce Tiger Daniel - still by far his favorite animal

Daniel has loved getting to spend so much time with his cousins over the past year. That has been a precious gift for all of the children as they had not seen each other at all in four years and now ALL of the cousins are or are preparing to live overseas and they will likely see each other even less often. Daniel has had a blast with the cousins nearest his age, but he has also been great with the little ones as well. There is a lot of mutual teasing that goes on. =)

Silliness with cousin Adisu - these two really seemed to "get" each others' wacky sense of humor

(Still) finding Waldo with Hannah and cousins Kyra and Jerusha. They figured out that if you add "ck" to Waldo, it becomes "Waldock," the last name that they all share.

Hanging out with little cousin Malachi

Daniel loved all of the travels across country. Yes, he got bored in the van once in awhile, but he enjoyed the multitude of audio books we listened to (the Narnia series was by far his favorite), and he loved getting out and exploring all of the National Parks we visited