Oscar Stew

Call it a late new year’s resolution if you like, but we’re trying to get back in the saddle of posting more regularly. No one is more happy about this than Eleanor, who is begging for a bigger share of the oscarstew. Half of her life has barely been documented! Bear with us as we squeeze this ketchup bottle for all it’s worth, we promise not to make a mess! This evening’s retro-post is dedicated to small people with very few teeth!

Top of the mornin’ to ya! Yeah, I keep forgetting that memo about sleeping in on the weekends. Sorry about that. Now play with me!

Ok, playtime’s over. Not ’cause you said so; it’s ’cause I’m hungry. Now fill me with chow! We’re on a tight schedule here!

Back home from church, ready for more excitement. Take it easy Rowan, we gotta keep this day holy! Wee!

Time again to feast. Are you feeling the rhythm yet? Some people don’t like pizza crust. For a teething baby like myself, it don’t get much better than this! Whole wheat all the way!

Hey, how do you like my Cindy-Lou-Who impression? Is the crust flute over the top?

I slept good last night! Only woke up screaming 5 times about my ever-growing teeth! All that bellowing works up quite an appetite. Today I’m working on big bites!

Rowan knows how to take really really big bites…

How ’bout these two hot blondes for the next generation of Gerber babies? Oh yeah!

Do you like seafood?

Welcome to dance class! Are you ready to get started? Alright, let’s work off those tootsie rolls!

To the front, to the front…

…To the back, to the back, now slide baby slide!

Oi! I think I just felt something else slide! I…better…take a break…for a second…

New day, new deal! Mama says it’s time for me to broaden my horizons, which sounds exciting! What kind of milk is this?

I took a sip…and I liked it!

‘Cept that it’s giving me brain freeze! I think I like the warm stuff from Mommy better!

Hey Mama, these blackberries taste just fine! So how come it says spoiled rotten on my bib? Am I missing something? I gotta make a call! On my blackberry!

What’s that? Yeah I know lunch ended an hour ago. But while I was napping I got a call from Rowan, and she said that Drew said that Brinley thought that Mommy told Daddy about Cheddar when he was…

What kind of calls does Rowan make? Well, they look a lot like this:

Most of the time we just text though, we wouldn’t want our parents to actually think we know how to “use” a phone!

Take a bath, you dirty (& darling) hippie!

Didn’t you get my text Rowan? This was supposed to be a skinny-dip! Now who’s the hippie?

It doesn’t take a lot of effort to love a face like this, does it? Even if the voice inside the face is hitting octaves you thought only dogs could hear? Is all the screeching because I dared to feed you food from a jar?

But it might take some extra oomph to love a uni-brow like this! Awwww…

On Christmas day Amy surprised me with a huge, heavy box. Until I opened the box I was convinced it was a tool of some kind. I was über-shocked to discover that the tools inside were for relaxation and enjoyment: 8 different brands of root beer! Yum!!!

Each of these rootbeers were carefully hand selected. The main criteria: the ingredients had to contain natural sugar. High Fructose Corn Syrup is a four letter word in this house. All in all there was 34 containers of deliciousness. It took an extreme amount of self-restraint to not over-indulge…

The point of my drool is there are lots of brands of root beer, and these are really good. And because I’m a geek, I will very quickly tell you why. Ok, here goes (in no particular order):

• Blue Sky: Best root beer that comes in a can. Very sweet candy-like taste.
• Natural Brew: Made by Smuckers. In addition to the normal ingredients it contains wintergreen oil which gives a really cool aftertaste.
• Bundaberg: Made in Australia, contains molasses, sarsaparilla, and licorice. Very bold non-root beer taste.
• Maine Root: Clean taste, not at all syrupy, “fair trade” ingredients. Amy’s favorite.
• Bulldog: So creamy it’s like a cream soda. Honey and real vanilla.
• Thomas Kemper: Tastes a lot like Bulldog but not as creamy. Has a syrupy aftertaste.
• Oogavé: Made with agave nectar (1/2 the sugar) which adds a tasty citrus-like aftertaste. Made in CO.
• Virgil’s: Full bodied taste, anise (licorice) and caramelized cane sugar make it smooth and creamy. My current favorite.

 If you happen to buy any of these, “we” would love to come over for dinner! Ha!

Hi there. You’re at the right place! This is still the same Ristorante della OscarStewio; there’s just been a slight menu change. We no longer offer the mint chocolate chip theme (it was really stale and freezer burned), but instead a more spacious and warm environment where you can enjoy the show. Thanks for stopping by! We do have a special request today: Please use your arrow keys to scroll down rather than the mouse, otherwise it may frighten the elephant…

Eleanor had her very first birthday! Can you believe a year has flown by? What would a birthday be if the birthday fairy(ies) didn’t come and trash your room? Not a birthday at our house, that’s fo sho!

It was very considerate of the birthday fairies to consider the height of the celebrated one by creating a magical gateway just for her. 

Happy 1st Birthday Eleanor! Brinley planted some love while Ellie enjoyed a pancake at the breakfast our ward threw in her honor. That’s what the Bishop said, honest!

You know what they say, kids are just as excited about the box the presents come in as they are about the actual toy. 

Nice present Ellie! It looks just like you! It’s a Little People doll that makes happy sounds at home! Oh and look! It goes splish-splash in the tub and and flushes the toilet…I’m not so sure we’re happy about that last feature…

Make your own dang cake! That may be tough when you’re one, but it’s not hard to taste it. Way to be a dainty little lady!

Nevermind…nom nom nom!

Whatcha got there E? Props to the Scoob for helping her remember what to do with wrapping paper!

Looks like this toy is a winner…times 4! And it tastes good too! Bonus!

Call the cops! These “helpers” are stealing all of Ellie’s birthday crackers! At least she got 2 handfuls to herself.

meh, whatever. Rowan is a good at sharing, even if it’s not hers. Thanks Ellie!

Check out the loot!  A house, exotic crackers, an up-cycled quilt, new friends, an entertainment center, aaaaaand new clothes?! Can’t top that!

Oh yes you can! Behold, the sacrificial…elephant.

What’s the matter Drew, you think that the rest of us are just getting the leftovers? You’re right! Haha!

Things are getting gory around here. First we kill a baby elephant, then cover it in frosting and sprinkles. And as if that wasn’t enough, we drive a wax stake into it’s spine and light it on fire! Oh the cruelty! 

They say that all the parts of an elephant can be used to enhance and beautify. First start with a silky skin mask…

Apply liberally to the face and hands. Also intended for oral use.

Dig in to the body and apply the fluffy scrub, be sure to get plenty between your fingers…

Remove all those callouses from a hard year’s work.

Exfoliate the face. Don’t be shy!

That mascara is looking a little thick. Aren’t you a bit young for that?

Eleanor was savage enough to keep the poor thing from running away by going for it’s legs first. Do not have pity on the little elephant. It’s destiny as diaper fodder still awaits!

Sunday morning and Ellie’s now 1 and 1/365th years old. She sat down to enjoy a quiet moment and a cracker when she thought she saw a puddy-tat!

Just kidding, it was Ro-Dog, coming to share some sisterly love. Aww…

…mmmph…Rowan…sisterly love…smother…can’t breathe…lights fading…*cough*