Olive Us: Episode 18: Stacking Wood

A new Olive Us episode! And it’s a charmer. Do you have a wood-burning fireplace at your house? This little episode shows how our firewood is delivered and stacked — an event we have found delightful since this is the first house we’ve lived in with a working fireplace. And hey, if you consider yourself part of the Oscar Fan Club, this episode is especially for you! (Be sure to watch till the end of the credits for a little treat.)

Have you seen Moonrise Kingdom? We really loved it and thought the matter-of-fact narrator was an especially cool aspect of the story. So we thought it would be fun to make an Olive Us episode with a narrator, too. And Oscar was picked for the job!

A bit of trivia: You wouldn’t know it by watching the episode, but it was actually really challenging for Oscar to deliver his lines while looking directly into the camera. So hard! It took lots of practice and many, many (many!) takes. And ultimately, he had to concentrate so hard while doing it, that he is very, very serious throughout the episode. Which happily, turned out to be pretty darn charming (at least, in my opinion).

P.S. — More Olive Us episodes.








90 thoughts on “Olive Us: Episode 18: Stacking Wood”

  1. Oh my goodness — that was delightful. Oscar’s seriousness made me giggle, but it definitely made the episode! Keep ’em coming.

  2. Cool! I love it when a new episode is up. I always wait until evening when my husband is home so we can watch them together. And you should know that after watching a portion of the Superbowl the other night, he said, “I’m really disappointed by the commercials this year- I’d much rather watch an episode of Olive Us.” :)
    Keep up the great work!

  3. Oscar’s narrative was simply darling! I’d have never guessed that it took him many takes. Kudos for his patience and fantastic delivery! I also loved seeing June help with the wood — reminded me of the many winters we had little ones helping us stack our own daunting woodpile — brought back many lovely memories. Thanks!

  4. I have to say, my kids look forward to every one of these episodes! They (my 6 and 3 year-old sons) really look up to your kids!

    1. Fantastic, right?

      We have no idea how Oscar even got the idea for the one-armed pushups. It was so random! And awesome!! We were actually having a filming break, when Julie from Tiger in a Jar looked over and noticed what was going on, and Matt quickly turned on the camera. Such a great capture!

  5. Oh my! Oscar totally channeled John Houseman, if anyone else remembers The Paper Chase. :) We put in a wood-burning stove when we built so we could enjoy real fires during our long winters. Just the sight of stacked wood makes me feel cozy.

  6. Sooo sweet. He took his job so seriously and did such a fantastic job at it. He looks a lot like a mini-Ben Blair (at least in the video he does). Adorable little weak ‘r’s and lispy ‘s’s (a Speech Pathologist can’t help herself).

  7. OMG, OMG, OMG!!! He’s so freaking cute, I can’t stand it! I swear, if he disappears in the middle of the night, it’s because I’ve stolen him. And now I understand why you had 6 kids. You’ll never do manual labor again! Smart girl!

  8. Too cute! Though I haven’t seen Moonrise Kingdom, Oscar’s seriousness (and sweet, slight, awkwardness) reminded me instantly out of something from a Wes Anderson film.

  9. Simply delightful. These episodes always bring a huge smile to my face! They will be such a treasure to your family as they all grow! My five kids could spend endless hours watching themselves on family videos and your videos are so much more! The memories created while making them are priceless- thank you for sharing your family! And… GO Oscar! He will be a fantastic public speaker!

  10. Hooray! I can’t wait for my 3.5 year old to get up to show her the new video. These videos are so wonderful. In the 2 weeks since “Betty in Paris” (when I first showed her an “Olive Us” video), she has devoured them all multiple times (it’s her favorite treat!) . . . and she is Betty’s biggest fan (“Would Betty like to go to Disneyland with me? Would she talk to me?”). Now, her favorite pretend play game is to assign everyone in our family (and her dolls) to be the kids from your family (she is always Betty, her baby brother is Oscar, her Rapunzel doll is always Baby June, I alternate between Maude and Olive, and her dad is always Ralph!). All of that to say, thank you and your family for putting together these great videos. They are a joy.

  11. Gabby,

    The more videos the kids make, the better they are! I especially enjoyed Oscar’s performace. He is such a natural. His timing is impeccable. I would love a post reflecting on how these six kids have changed since moving to France. I am impressed by our family dynamics and the great caring felt as they learn and grow. Thank you for sharing your family and the creative things you do.
    Colleen

  12. Oh goodness! That was positively adorable. His line delivery is perfection. <3 We have our wood delivered by a Swiss farmer from a farm nearby. It's always good and dry and they taught us to stack it with a holding "wall" on the side made by stacking pieces in threes in opposing directions so the wood doesn't cascade and fall. It works really well! And why am I saying "we"?! I let my husband stack the wood himself!!! ;) xo

  13. Oh my gosh! What a handsome little man he is–and I agree, his straight-faced delivery is absolutely charming. I’ll have to show this to my kids when they get home from school. Living in rural Wyoming, we are oh-so-familiar with this particular chore.

    Keep these coming! They’re so delightful:).

  14. Love this! We stack wood AND live right down the street from the real moonrise kingdom cove. Loved that movie but Oscar just stole the show!

  15. Ha! Even before I read the post I thought of Moonrise Kingdom while watching the video. Beautiful in every way! Oscar is perfectly adorable. Was that push-up at the end for real? Maybe he should be a personal trainer. Wowee!

    1. Great question, Jordan. I take a moment and give a rundown on his whole outfit in case anyone else is curious.

      -Boots are from Tea Collection.
      -Jeans and Buffalo Check shirt are from Polarn O. Pyret. (You may have noticed them in earlier episodes.)
      -Cardigan and Hat are from Z Collection — an affordable clothing line here in France.

  16. Be sure to stay hydrated= a rule to live by. Oscar the serious narrator is THE BEST! I’m betting this is the one to “go viral.”

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