The Chef

We know what Michael likes.  Michael likes watching TV.  Michael likes Elmo and Cookie Monster.  Michael likes Mickey Mouse.  Michael likes sports.  Michael also likes dancing and drama, which seem kind of odd with the sports obsession, but we go with it. 

But when it comes to Leon, we struggle with identifying what he likes.  Sad, huh?  As we think about finally decorating the boys' bedroom (it looks like a barracks, complete with naked, khaki colored walls and stripped down beds.  It's pretty sad.), we'd like to decorate it in a way they both like, but we have no idea what to do. The same is true in planning for their birthdays.  What does Leon like?

We do know that Leon likes climbing.  Monkey Boy climbs everything.  And he likes blankets.  As we go back and look at pictures from the summer, we have lots of photos of the nests Leon has made for himself all over the house.  I have given up on making our bed unless we have guests arriving.  Frequently when I come home from work there is nothing left on the bed but a bottom sheet.  Leon has removed the sheets, blankets, and pillows, and they are all piled in a corner along with his treasures.

On Sunday, while Michael was all zombied out watching soccer with Jeff, Jeff asked Leon what he liked.  Without a moment's hesitation, Leon said, "Cook."  And Leon does love to cook. 

Cooking for Leon involves putting small objects into a bowl and stirring with a spoon, but he does this all the time.  We have pictures of him doing this at home, doing this on vacation, doing this at various beaches.  It is his favorite thing to do.

He also takes an interest in real cooking.  He now demands, "Up!  Up!" when I am cooking, and he wants to check out each step of the process.  I am also convinced he thinks I am an idiot and that he needs to talk me through everything.  (He may be on to something here.)  Last week he told me how to give him a bath.  Yesterday, he told me how to make breakfast.

We were in his room reading when he decided he was ready to eat.  So he told me "food" and then pointed to his door.  So we went out of the room.  He led me to the kitchen, said "waffles" and took me to the freezer.  I got out the Eggos.  He then took me to the toaster oven and told me "ding."  (Guess what sound our toaster oven makes when the toasting cycle is done?)  So I put them in, and then held him when he asked so he could watch them cook.  He didn't tell me to get out a plate, but he did remind me that they needed to be "cut!"  That's when Micheal jumped in with the warning that they are "Hot!"  They are quite the team.