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.
heart! this is so so wonderful. what a beautiful family you have! I can tell you nurture play and wonder in your home. xxoo
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Oh my goodness — that was delightful. Oscar’s seriousness made me giggle, but it definitely made the episode! Keep ’em coming.
There is no question! This is my favorite episode yet. Oscar’s delivery is perfect. And charming.
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!
Hah! Love this. If we ever start collecting praise for Olive Us to list on the website, I’m sure we’ll be quoting you. : )
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!
Right on.
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!
this might be my favorite episode yet. One armed push-ups???!!! Be still my heart :)
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!
So cute! Love the narration and the surprise at the end!
He’s so solemn! I especially loved little June’s effort!
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.
Go Oscar! What a great narrator and sportsman!
Oscar’s seriousness is precious.
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).
We get the “mini Ben Blair” comment a lot. Makes me happy.
Your posts about your family are my favorite! They are the reason why I come to your blog and I love these videos!!
This is my favorite one! Love it!
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!
Favorite one! Love that Oscar. He is too cute! The one armed push ups!!
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.
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!
We actually own a kid-sized podium (it’s back in Colorado in storage), and Oscar LOVES standing at it and “conducting” our family meetings.
Oscar reminds me of a young “most interesting man in the world”! What a charmer!
That might have been my favorite episode, yet! Oscar is the cutest, he was perfect.
I love it! My one year old son is mesmerized by the Olive Us videos.
The HOURS we spent stacking wood (and splitting and hauling and and and). Well done Blairs.
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.
Oh my goodness! Love this!! Please tell her Betty would definitely talk to her (and would definitely want to go to Disneyland, too!).
So good. Oscar is sweet and serious – loved the ending, too. He did an awesome job!
I am now a card carrying member of the Oscar fan club. He is excellent. My favorite videos yet.
So great. I love the still photos in the post, too.
Oscar is so adorable, the push ups killed me at the end. The clothes definitely made this little man too!
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
I think so too, Colleen! It appears we are getting better at making these videos. Practice works!
Oh. My. Goodness! That little Oscar was precious! And the part where Ralph stops to help baby June stole my heart.
Love when Oscar says the bit about “enjoying the fruits of your labor”. So much fun!
Brilliant video! Oscar deserves an Oscar! He is a born star! :o) Great ending!
Zoe xxx
This might be my favorite one yet! Oscar was too funny.
F A V O R I T E!
Es un amor!/ He´s sooo cute!
Congratulations! We will watch the episode the whole family again to night.
There’s a great “Moonrise Kingdom” vibe to this one — did you see that movie? And your Oscar is a star!
For sure! We were totally hoping Oscar would channel the narrator’s vibe. I think he did a great job.
Seriously charming photos. This is sweet!
Oh My! He is adorable! I’m now an Oscar fan!
Charming indeed! Oscar, you rock!
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
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:).
This is the CUTEST thing ever. Oh my, Gabrielle. How do you do it all so well?!
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!
Wow! What a beautiful place that must be to live. I assume winter there is tough?
That was terribly cute narration! One of my favorite Olive Us episodes!
oh, goodness, gabrielle! that is just the BEST! oscar is wonderful in his earnest seriousness. i kept thinking of wes anderson the entire time. very well done!!!
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!
Totally for real! Oscar is one tough kid.
Perfectly charming. Really.
One question: where is Oscar’s sweater from? It’s perfect!
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.
I loved it! Oscar is absolutely adorable. As are all of your children. Loved the pushup!
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.”