Sunday Hike

 I was busy last night working on Benjamin's math so I didn't post pictures, but yesterday Christian, Peter, and I went on a hike in the woods after church.  Christian had the idea that he wanted to take toy baseball bats and pretend they were swords and play like we were knights/robbers/royal guards in the forest.  I chose the forest behind Bicentenial Park and we took our bikes over there.  I can't fit the stroller in the bike trailer and Peter is far too heavy to carry for more than a minute or two, so I brought the baby carrier and Christian helped me place Peter on my back.  That worked great.  Peter seemed to enjoy it.  After a while, however, I felt him pull away from me and I worried he was falling out.  Christian just laughed and took a picture of what he was doing.  

Apparently the view from my back was getting boring and he wanted a new perspective.  He rode like this for a quite a while.  Christian and I got really into our pretend knight game in the forest and it lasted about an hour during which a couple other hikers got quite a kick out of watching us duel amongst the trees.  

This picture has nothing to do with anything but I found it on my phone today.  These two have so much fun together.

Christian had gone motorcycling with Kelly on Saturday.  This is the picture of it he sent me today.  I was hoping for a few action shots, but I still think Christian looks cute in his gear (gear minus helmet and gloves).

Mommy's Little Helper

 Today was a quiet day with just Peter.  Benjamin and Bella were both camping with their scout troops and Kelly had taken Christian motorcycling, so I had the afternoon with Peter.  I planned to take him to the park, but I needed to clean the table first.  As I took the sponge and began, Peter was super interested in the sponge.  I got him a second, new sponge and as I started to scrub the table, so did he.  It was adorable to watch him mimic my movements.  He seemed to really enjoy it, so we scrubbed the table together.  Then I took him downstairs and he "organized" the stuffed animals while I vacuumed, and then we did some gardening together, and when all the work was done, we went to the park.  It was fun to get the chores done while still spending time with him.  He is getting better and better at entertaining himself and also at following directions and being a part of what you're doing.  It's really fun to hang out with him.

That's Not Cheese!

Benjamin and Bella were willing to eat a variety of foods as babies and toddlers.  I didn't struggle at all with them.  Christian was much harder.  He was very picky.  Now I have Peter and I'd give anything to have Christian's "picky" eating back.  Peter will eat bananas, grapes, cheerios, toast (only one kind) if it's got banana mashed onto it, and cheese.  That's it.  No veggies, no other fruits, no meat.  Everything else is slapped off the tray without tasting it, spit out upon tasting it, or slapped off the spoon as I bring it to his mouth.  He'll take a bottle of milk first thing in the morning when he's very hungry, but won't drink it the rest of the day.  It's been frustrating to say the least, but I've gotten pretty creative. I've started putting a little powdered fiber into his water so that he doesn't get so constipated.  I've been making fruit smoothies with veggies and powdered oatmeal and some days he'll eat those if they're tasty enough and he's hungry enough.  As soon as his hunger is sated, he slaps the spoon away and refuses the rest.  I've been frying eggs and smearing the yolk on toast before I cover it up with banana puree and he hasn't noticed.  I do the same with avocado - spread it like butter before I put the banana on top.  That's worked too.  I've made pancakes with various fillers, such as blueberries or peaches, and cut them in strips he can hold in his hand when he's in the car.  He's usually bored enough just sitting there that he'll nibble at them.  I really hope as he gets older and gets more teeth, we can move beyond his 5 acceptable foods and eat more like the rest of the family. 

The reason I tell all this, though is because of something funny that happened today.  I took him to Costco and I placed a box of cubed squash in my cart.  (I know that's far more costly than a regular squash, but I wasn't in the mood to cut and peel today and the easy, ready-to-go, although far more expensive, cubes called to me.)  He looked at that box of squash and got so excited!  He started screeching and reaching for it.  I couldn't figure out what he wanted.  My cart already had other things in it, so I thought maybe it was something else in there, but I was in a hurry and didn't want to deal with the issue.  I just distracted him and we moved on.  When we got home, I was unloading and he got excited again when he saw the squash.  I asked him if he wanted some of it and he affirmed that it was indeed the squash he was after.  So I opened it up and took out a piece.  The whole time I was mostly thinking, "He's going to spit this out,"  but I also thought, "Have I found the vegetable he'll actually eat?  I'm not sure how well he'll be able to eat raw squash, but if he likes the flavor, this would be awesome."  (Not that I haven't tried giving him cooked squash a million times already.)  I put the piece in his mouth and he was all smiles until he tasted it.  Then his face fell. I wish I'd gotten it on video.  It was classic.  He moved the piece around in his mouth and looked so perplexed.  Then he looked disgusted and angry.  He opened his mouth, ripped the piece out with his fingers, and put it back into the box before I could stop him.  I couldn't understand what just happened.  Why was he so excited to try it and why did he seem so perplexed by it?  I studied the box of squash on the countertop and then it hit me - it looks like cubed cheddar cheese - the same thing he eats every day!!  His favorite treat.  He thought it was a big box of cheese!  What a disappointment for him!   I couldn't help but laugh.  Poor little guy thought he'd hit the cheese jackpot.  I sat him in his high chair and cut him some real cheese cubes.  That seemed to cheer him up.

Fall Means Cider Mills

 As the weather has gotten cooler, I've been dying to go to a cider mill again.  I heard from others that they are a very different experience during Covid and so I was a bit hesitant, but after checking the website of my favorite, I found that it was pretty much the same with only a few exceptions, so we took a chance.  I'm so glad we did.  It was so fun.  Plus, I was really excited to show Peter all the farm animals.  Up until now he's only ever seen them in pictures.  They could be as imaginary as the dinosaurs and unicorns in his books. It was his first time seeing a real chicken, a real pig, etc. and he seemed to really enjoy it.  However, the slide was his favorite part.  He loves slides, especially when he can go down them head-first.  The first time he did that at a playground - just launched himself down headfirst before I realized what was happening - I about had a heart attack.  He laughed the whole way down.  Now he does it all the time.  He's never gotten hurt, although if the slide is fast, I always grab his leg at the end so he doesn't go shooting off into the dirt.

I tried to get a good picture of him looking at me, but he was far too fascinated by the animals on the board to turn around.

I made Bella my photographer so I could hold him by the animals.  He liked them, but got a bit nervous if he was alone by the pens and they came right up to the fence.

Not pictured: getting the apple cider and donuts because as soon as you bring that stuff outside, the wasps swarm you!  I wasn't out 10 seconds and I had one after me.  Bella has never forgotten the wasp sting she got at Three Cedars, so we saved that purchase for the very end and hightailed it to the car as soon as we had them.  We ate them at home with Kelly and Benjamin and it worked out much better that way.

Watching Them Fail

 I worry about Benjamin constantly.  I always have.  Now that high school has started, I worry even more.  He's really struggling to get his work done.  Today, since we'd been camping the last several days, he had work piled up.  I had told him all last week to work ahead a bit since he wouldn't have the weekend, but he didn't.  He was in his room, at his desk, for 12 hours today.  However, I looked through the amount of work he had.  I even read the entire history reading assignment and did 1/2 the math to see what he's working on and there's NO WAY that would take that long.  In fact, he never even finished!  He only read a small fraction of the history assignment and still has more math left!  I'd say that amount of work he had should have taken maybe 5 hours at most.  That's being generous.  So, that leaves me scratching my head.  What is the problem?  He claims it's that the work is so hard and it's taking him a long time.  Maybe.  I know I'm a faster reader and better at math than he is, but 7 hours more and still not done?  Really?  I think the problem is one of two things (or maybe a combination of the two).  1. He's not really working.  He's on a million other websites and games and chats with friends and wasting most of the day.  2. He has no idea how to effectively organize his workload and so he spends a lot of time inefficiently without realizing how to organize and prioritize tasks.  So, the issue is, do I do something about it or do I just let him struggle and possibly fail?  I'm not a helicopter or a snowplow parent.  I agree that kids need to face trials and need to fail sometimes to learn.  However, if there are some things I can do to teach him and help him, I feel that's a good idea.  He's just so resistant!  I went in there about 3 of 4 times today offering to help with math or look over his computer code or discuss the history chapters and he refused.  Yelled at me, told me to leave, said he could do it.  When I asked why things were taking so long it was always, "it's just a lot of hard work!"  Yet, every time I walked in, his screen was identical, which leads me to believe that it was the screen he flips to when he hears me walk in.  I've thought about making him work in the kitchen, but it's impossible to concentrate in the kitchen with all that goes on in this house.  I thought about making him move his desk around so that the screen is visible from the door, but his bed is so high that if you move it to make that possible, it blocks the window.  We've tried a dozen different internet monitoring programs and they all stink.  We'll think it's blocking YouTube, for example, and then I'll sneak in and see he's using it.  I've talked to him about various organizational strategies I use when I have large amounts of work, but he just lets it go in one ear and out the other.   He doesn't have to spend every waking minute on the computer, but I think he uses school as an excuse to do just that.  I can't tell him to get off if he has homework, so he just makes sure the homework is never done.  In the meantime, because he's spending so much time at the computer, he's not doing chores, practicing piano, getting any exercise, or doing anything with the family.  I don't know what to do about him.  I pray all the time for guidance and inspiration on how to help him.   I constantly walk the fine line between helping and nagging.  Advising and pushing too hard.   I don't have the answers.  I just pray I can help in some small way.

I came across this today.  It fits so perfectly.  

"I am the keeper.

I am the keeper of schedules. Of practices, games, and lessons. Of projects, parties, and dinners. Of appointments and homework assignments.

I am the keeper of information. Who needs food 5 minutes before a meltdown occurs and who needs space when he gets angry. Whether there are clean clothes, whether bills are paid, and whether we are out of milk.

I am the keeper of solutions. Of bandaids and sewing kits and snacks in my purse. But also of emotional balms and metaphorical security blankets.

I am the keeper of preferences. Of likes and dislikes. Of nightly rituals and food aversions.

I am the keeper of reminders. To be kind, to pick up their trash, to do their dishes, to do their homework, to hold open doors and write thank you notes.

I am the keeper of rituals and memories. Of pumpkin patches and Easter egg hunts. I am the taker of pictures, the collector of special ornaments, and the writer of letters.

I am the keeper of emotional security. The repository of comfort, the navigator of bad moods, the holder of secrets and the soother of fears.

I am the keeper of the peace. The mediator of fights, the arbiter of disputes, the facilitator of language, the handler of differing personalities.

I am the keeper of worry. Theirs and my own.

I am the keeper of the good and the bad, the big and the small, the beautiful and the hard.

Most of the time, the weight of these things I keep resembles the upper elements on the periodic table - lighter than air, buoying me with a sense of purpose.

But sometimes the weight of the things I keep pulls me down below the surface until I am kicking and struggling to break the surface and gasp for breath.

Because these things I keep are constantly flickering in the back of my brain, waiting to be forgotten. They scatter my thoughts and keep me awake long past my bedtime.

Because all these things I keep are invisible, intangible. They go unnoticed and unacknowledged until they are missed. They are not graded or peer reviewed or ruled on by a court. And sometimes they are taken for granted.

My husband and my kids are kind and generous and they love me hard. And this is by far the greatest job I have ever had. But sometimes being the Keeper is exhausting. Because you feel like you're doing it alone.

So to all of you who are keepers, I see you.

I know the weight of the things you keep.

I know the invisible work you do, which doesn't come with a pay check or sick leave, is what makes the world go round.

I see you.

And I salute you."

Fall Camping

 I haven't posted anything in a few days because we were out camping.  Benjamin's scout troop had a family camp out and we decided to participate in order to get to know the other families better and support the troop.  It was wonderful.  The weather couldn't have been better and we got to meet several really nice families.  The best part for me was having multiple days outdoors without a single person begging for screentime!  No devices in sight!  It was glorious...minus the mask requirement.  That was lousy, but you do what you gotta do, right?

I noticed Christian wasn't with the other kids and so I went looking for him.  My little introvert needed some down-time, apparently.

The adults were supposed to learn various forms of lashing, but Bella is such the knot and lashing queen that she couldn't help taking over for me.  She's really much better at it than I am.

Benjamin was in charge of leading the first aid station.  Hard when you're 14 and some of the adults you're teaching are paramedics!  He did just fine, though.  I was proud of him.

Kelly and I traded off so Peter could be with us in the day but sleep at home and not torment us in the tent all night. Peter loved being outside all day.  He ate dirt, sticks, and rocks, watched the big kids play volleyball, and mostly loved investigating all around in the large tent.  After two days he got used to some of the people too and started interacting and smiling with them.  I was really happy about that.

I love fall in Michigan.  I wish I could go camping more often.  Peter makes it a bit challenging, but we'll definitely do this more as he gets older.  

All's Well that Ends Well

Today was not a great day.  I think we've been in a bit of a honeymoon phase up until.  Everything was new and a little exciting.  Now at this point we've reached the slog phase.  The biggest issue I see is that because Benjamin and Bella are so busy at night now, we've moved our family scripture study to the morning.  Because classes start at 7, we've had to have study at 6:30ish - an hour before we've been used to waking up.  So, sleep deprivation has set in a bit these last couple days for some of us and today we felt the strain.  A lot of short tempers and grumpiness.  Benjamin refused to practice piano.  Christian threw a fit about having to draw a picture for art class and another when he couldn't figure out his math homework.  By 4:30 I just needed to get out.  I loaded Peter in the bike trailer and we rode to Stevenson high school and just did loops in the parking lot for about 15 minutes, just to be out and getting fresh air.  Christian joined me because he really needed that too.  After doing loops, we sat down on the sidewalk by the school, fed Peter a snack and talked.  It was really nice.  We discussed the anger issues we'd had, why he felt that way and what we could do about the situation.  I love that I can have talks like that with Christian.  Benjamin and Bella are less introspective and less aware of their own feelings and motivations.  It's hard for them to sit and discuss how they feel and why.  I really value my discussions with Christian.  We always feel better afterwards.  When we got home, we went to the trampoline and Peter practiced standing.  He is able to stand and walk, but just completely unmotivated most of the time, so we're still waiting.

I took the older two to church activities tonight while Christian watched Peter for a few minutes.  I was only gone 20 minutes, but when I came back, I found he'd turned the kitchen table into a large blanket fort.   So we had some fun inside until bed time.

As I cleaned up the kitchen tonight I thought again about how our day today had been harder and I felt sad and a little guilty that I couldn't have made it work out better.  However, then I thought about all that I had done today; all the good things.  I made a hot breakfast with scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit, and muffins.  I made lunch with mac'n cheese, fruits and veggies, I made dinner of chicken enchiladas with tons of vegetables. I monitored class participation, screen usage, and troubleshot system problems. I did several loads of dishes. I fed and cared for Peter.  I helped with English, biology, 5th grade math, 9th grade math (for an hour!), art homework, and piano practice.  I played in a blanket fort with Christian and Peter.  I jumped on the trampoline and rode bikes with C and P.  I mopped, cleaned, scrubbed, cleaned up toys, blanket forts, and a million books and papers, and did laundry.  I drove kids to and from activities.  I sung to Peter as I put him to bed.  I read to Christian before bed.  I had a heart-to-heart talk with Benjamin about piano and his willingness to practice (read: no willingness to practice).  I delivered requested Costco items to my neighbor. (She loves certain things there but doesn't have a membership so I get them when I go.)  As I thought over all this, I realized that it had actually been a good, productive day and that I'm a rock-star who has no need for guilt. :)   Moms are pretty amazing people. :)

Finding a Routine

 It's crazy how no matter what happens during this crazy pandemic, we find a way to establish a routine and settle in.  We're on our second week of online school and we've got a rythym and some habits established that are working well.  I am still really enjoying talking to the kids during the day between each class and they've been doing better about keeping track of their schedule (for the most part).  Today the weather was that perfect, crisp fall air and Bella's gym teacher has set the requirement of 60 minutes of continuous exercise per day, so I suggested a bike ride.  I know she hates most traditional forms of exercise, but she loves biking and she loves games like gaga ball or soccer.  So I suggested we bike to rotary park, play gaga ball, and bike home.  We had a great time.  She dominated in gaga ball.  I guess it's all those hours playing it at scout camp.  I hope all the time that she will be able to establihs a habit of exercise.  I know how important that is for health, well-being, etc and it makes me sad that she hates it so much.  I keep trying to expose her to different activities in the hopes that she'll find something she really likes doing regularly.   Peter loved the playground.  It's fun to see how every time we come, he's able to do a little bit more.  He's a little more confident, a little more daring.  It's incredible how much he grows.  I can't wait until he's walking and see how he approaches things then.  

We're still trying to get him walking, but he is someone who really takes things at his own pace and will not be rushed.  He can do about 7-8 steps on his own, but will rarely attempt until prompted to do so.  I am not pushing him.  He'll walk when he's ready.  I just ask every so often during the day if he wants to walk and he often will try once or twice at my prompting. Today he discovered the joy of slamming doors and when he finished I tried to get him to walk to me.  He wasn't terribly successful, but I thought this video was super cute.  Peter will only do things on his time and in his own way.  Tonight when he didn't want dinner, he threw it all on the floor.  I took him out of his seat and set him on the floor.  He proceeded to eat the food he'd just thrown down!  So I threw some more food on the floor and he ate it happily - the very pieces he'd just rejected when they were on his tray.  It has to be on his time and in his own way.

We have a favorite game we play with his stacking cups.  We're always looking for things that we can fit in the cups and then we play the classic shell game with him, where we move the cups around and see if he can find the one with the item.  We have a variety of versions to this game.  Sometimes we'll put something in each one or sometimes we'll just see if we can find different objects that all fit, etc.  Today Benjamin put his big toe in it and had Peter "discover" his toe.  Peter thought that was pretty cool and wanted to put his own feet in it.  He just couldn't quite get it though, unless Benjamin helped.  The whole process was incredibly entertaining for all involved.  Plus I thought he looked so cute with his foot in the air trying to slip it into the cup. I love that not only am I able to see the kids all day long, but that Peter is too.  It makes this crazy Covid isolation easier when he's got more people than just me in his life.

How Things Have Been Going - In One Picture

 Well, we're almost done with our first week of online school.  In a nutshell - it's been a bit like this:

Just kidding.  I just thought this was funny.  Peter's favorite thing is to push the stool over to the fridge and dispense ice like a mad man.  Then he loves to get on the floor and send them skittering all over the kitchen.

In reality, this week has actually exceeded my expectations.  I have really seen the hand of God in our lives this week.  He has taken what I expected to be a miserable situation and has shown me how I can make it something special.  After the first day, I saw that although the kids have 4 zoom meetings each and thus are on the screen nearly all day, they nevertheless, have breaks between each one, so if I can have something to draw them out of their rooms between meetings, it affords me a wonderful opportunity to talk and interact with them, often one-on-one all day long.  Granted, I can't always be present at the right time because of Peter and other obligations, but it's worked out pretty well that I've had a snack ready or an activity or something for each child so they can come to me and tell me how the class just went and what they learned or something funny that happened.  It's been really nice.  Benjamin is the least likely to talk about anything, but Bella and Christian are quite talkative and I feel much more a part of their lives this way than when they came home after 7 hours and recapped their day.  Benjamin will tolerate one question.  If I ask a second he starts to get mad.  If I ask a third, he loses it and leaves the room.  So, I have to be careful and ask only one well-worded question at a time and hope it draws out enough interaction.  

This evening I came in to see Benjamin working on a coding project in Python.  It wasn't assigned; he just enjoyed what he was learning and wanted to work on it some more.  I was really happy to see that his computer programming class was going well.  He also likes chemistry so far.  His chemistry teacher is his favorite this year.  He apparently set his desk on fire on the first day.  That's always a hit with boys.  Bella has told me she really likes several of her teachers and she shared some funny moments as well.  Christian finally had some fun today in one of his meetings.  They played scavenger hunt so he was running around the house gathering items to show on-screen.  

So far technical difficulties have been minimal and the kids have been pretty good at keeping on top of their own schedules.  They've needed a couple reminders, but I made a color-coded schedule for each of them and I have a schedule hanging in the kitchen, so no one has been more than a couple minutes late for a meeting.

Getting my own things done has been challenging, but that's bound to sort itself out eventually.  Today I took Thea shopping in the afternoon rather than the morning as usual, so that I could go after all the zoom meetings were over.  I dashed in and also grabbed a few things while I was there. During the rest of the time I took Peter winter-coat shopping.  It's getting colder and I thought I'd get it now rather than wait until the first snowfall like I stupidly did last year.  It came so much earlier than expected last year and I was unprepared.  I found a cute one that fit him perfectly for $2 at the Salvation Army.  Another hand of God moment - only one winter coat on the rack and it was in perfect condition, the perfect size for Peter, and it had a yellow tag - the sale color for today.

I can't say that I like online school.  I don't feel like they are learning as much or as well as when they are physically in the building.  However, there are definitely upsides to this situation.  Not the least of which is that I don't have to navigate the crazy 3-kids-3-schools drop-off situation.  I had really been worried about how I would make all that work and now it's not an issue!  Glorious.

First Day of School

 The day finally arrived - the first day of school after 6 months away.  It was bitter-sweet.  I think I would have been really happy about it if it had been real school.  Since it was just online, it just felt like a waste of family time, but not really an educational experience.  Just more screen time - something I so despise.  Today was just lectures on how to handle the assignments and online discussions and some get-to-know you activities.  Hopefully in the coming days, the teachers will actually be able to teach something.  I'm trying to remain hopeful. 

I had to get a picture of Kelly too. :)  Didn't want him to feel left out. 

Christian declared it "The most boring first day ever."  The other two had a few more positive things to say, especially about the teachers.  Benjamin knows nearly everyone in every class since they are the same kids that have been in the academically accelerated track since elementary school.  I'm happy that he has friends he can contact and with whom he can work. Bella immediately set to work doing all the assignments after each class and got everything done, even things that aren't due yet.  Benjamin procrastinated and did just a few things here and there until he saw that all the other kids in his class were doing theirs already. We had a talk about how high-achievers behave and the importance of managing your time and getting things done in advance,etc.  He then reluctantly did a few more assignments.  I'm so glad for positive peer pressure in his life.  I think it's the only thing that will motivate him.

 I just wish we had a clear idea of when this online madness will end.  When will we return to normal?  When there are zero cases?  When there is a vaccine?  There will never be zero cases and there will never come a time when there will be 100% compliance with a vaccine, so what is our end goal?  No one knows.  We just keep sitting at home on our screens until someone else makes the decision for us. 

Alas, after the day's online meetings were over, I got everyone out of the house and to the park.  It had rained all morning so things were very soggy, but I couldn't stay inside another minute.  Peter loved the sand and the ducks.  The other two loved the spinning devices best.  Christian and I raced each other around on the ring for a long time.  We had a lot of fun despite the flooding in certain areas.  It really feels like fall has arrived and nothing is better than fall in Michigan!

A Day Without Screens

 In light of the fact that online school starts on Tuesday and the kids will be spending soooo much time on the screen, I declared today a "no screens" day.  It was glorious.  We tried a new recipe for breakfast, played board games, played tennis, and played our latest back-yard game obsession - chair soccer.  It was so nice never to be asked for screen time and to have everyone happy and participating in outdoor things.  I am so sad this has to end. 

For scripture study we've been studying about the prophet Samuel the Lamanite who preached on the wall of the city because he wasn't allowed inside.  I had each kid pick their favorite part of his speech and share it with us "up on the wall" while we behaved like the Nephites and tried to hit him with our "rocks" and "arrows."  I reminded the kids that the people had been unable to hit him due to God's protection and so they weren't allowed to actually hit anyone either.  That kind of worked, but sometimes the temptation was too much.  A good smack on the nose for dad just makes things so much more fun.

Last Trip to the Beach

 As our last week of summer draws to a close, we had to make one more trip to the beach.  Benjamin had to pick up his textbooks in the morning and then we left right after that.  I am so excited for all the things he's going to be learning.  Well...hopefully learning.  I'm really not sure how effective this online school format will be, but looking over his books, he's got some amazing things coming.  I just wish he were excited about it.  He wouldn't even open the books.  Just shoved them aside on his desk.

The beach was crowded, as we expected on this beautiful day.  However, the family next to us was a family that had adopted 9 kids from china, nearly all physically handicapped boys.  They were amazing and so fun to watch.  The little 7 year old without hands that swam like a fish with his little stub arms was my favorite. So impressive.

Benjamin and Christian most enjoyed diving down along the diving buoy and using it to pull themselves to greater depths.  Peter and Bella and I contented ourselves with floating leisurely on top and being there to provide a floating rest spot when they needed it.  We made a good team.

One funny thing happened at home today.  Peter noticed that we kept using the doorknob to open the door to the basement.  He decided that he'd like to try opening it.  He pushed the step stool over to the door and proceeded to try.  It didn't take long before he realized two things - he didn't know how to turn the knob and the very thing he needed to reach the knob was keeping him from opening the door!  So cute to see him stand there so perplexed and puzzling over what to do about it.  He ended up just giving up and playing with cars instead.  It won't be long until doors no longer pose a hindrance for that guy.