Kitchen Helper

I've been drooling over this for months:

Photo credit: TopToysPlus

But, it was just too expensive. Then, my mom found us some DIY plans to build our own. So, Marcus was going to do it. So far he just hasn't had the time.

Photo Credit: ana-white.com

And then, SURPRISE!! My Dad randomly decided that he would surprise us and build it for Burkley! We were definitely surprised and so happy! Burkley loves to cook with me and yes, I could have gotten a stepstool or something, but I hadn't found one yet that was safe enough for Mr. Grabbyhands. This is perfect!!!

He can get on and off himself and either watch or help me cook! And the ledge he stands on adjusts to varying heights as he grows.

  

"Helping" make pancakes. Sorry for the early-morning pic of myself. But more than that, I apologize for our extremely ugly and outdated kitchen. One day it will be redone. One day.

Tonight he helped me cook dinner. Like, for real, not just with pretend pans and utensils. It was so fun cooking together! He is really good about not touching things if we tell them they are hot, so there wasn't concern there. He just kept wanting to taste-test, but since we were the only two eating, I didn't mind so much. 

Then, we dined!

After helping me cook dinner, Burkley seemed to especially enjoy his meal. It was like after being a part of making it, he took special delight in eating it! What a fun evening. :)

We still have to paint it or stain it to seal the wood and protect it from spills. My parents left that to us so we could decide what color or stain to use. I think we'll just go with a clear finish because we like the natural wood look.

Here's a little video of me asking him about it. Disregard the oddly fragmented speech. Seems I couldn't get a thought out clearly!

 

And, upon re-watching this video, I noticed Burkley did his "elephant," followed by a "Grrr" for a bear, and then shook around like a monkey. Not sure why he thought I was asking him for animal sounds, haha!