Oscar Stew

Thanks for joining us on this momentus occasion. We are gathered here to inaugurate a glorious and exciting summer season ahead, which we are celebrating today (well, two days ago, before the rain monsoon arrived) with the traditional turning on of the sprinklers!

Rowan was very excited, and dressed appropriately for the occasion.

What she didn’t anticipate was the heat that would be generated in the backyard. The kind of heat that makes you sweat. Disco sweat. Sweatin’ to the oldies. Where is Richard Simmons? Go Brinley!

AirDrew is a seasoned veteran of this celebration. And in honor of his experience he made certain to wear his shoes on the wrong feet. Some habits die hard…

 Looks like we’ve caught this fair beauty by surprise! The idea is to get wet!

Not just wet, Brinley says. Completely soaked! Nice job! 

This soggy boy is going around for another lap. It was only after he stopped running that he got cold.

Meanwhile, Daddy was in the front and side yard attempting to contain the geysers that erupted without warning. Ah, the joys of home ownership!

Mommy and Elea-snort needed some uninterrupted nap time the other day, so I rounded up the troops and headed out in search of two-purpose activities. Two, you ask? Exactly. Why only have fun or just work when you can have fun and work at the same time? It’s the man’s version of multi-tasking. My first target was easy: Sally was sitting in the driveway just begging for a good scrub down. And so it went… 

Keeping track of three kids in a carwash stall while documenting the momentous occasion proved to be rather difficult. As soon as I had Drew set on a task, I had lost Brinley and Rowan was looking mischievously at the ground.

My worst fears were realized when she stuck her hands in the mud and then rubbed them all over the car.

I actually didn’t have to look for Brinley. She was whining for her turn to hose down the van. Turns out she not only sprays well, but a beam of sunshine comes out of her forehead for quick dry results. A sunbeam…a sunbeam…

It was becoming apparent that both big kids were going to end up victims of friendly fire with Rowan holding the trigger…

If the van didn’t get clean, the stall and the drain pipe sure did.

As well as Rowan’s shoes.

Ok, no more fighting over who gets a turn. Drew you squeeze and Brinley you aim. Looks like they’re both satisfied with this compromise. Riiiiight.

Eventually I had to actually get the car clean. The monkeys seemed able to take care of themselves while I did the heavy scrubbing.

The iPod helped though, as they were drumming the beat and singing along while I rinsed away the evidence.

D&B must have chosen a song that wasn’t a favorite of Rowan’s.

Mission accomplished! Car is clean and nobody got run over. Off to the promised land!

Ahhhh! Sweet reward!

We’re almost ready to hit the road and the kids have been doing a great job helping us pack for the trek west. But, with fewer and fewer toys laying around, Rowan has relentlessly sought for new things to entertain herself with. Take the rosemary bush for example. It’s minding it’s own business as a refugee from the winter in our bedroom, and then wham!

Looks like Ro has been closely studying her big sister’s ballet technique. Nice form!

Rowan, are you wearing a disposable diaper!? Long story short, a ridiculously bad diaper rash resulted in a MRSA infection that has to be treated with antibiotic cream and meds. Now before you go Google MRSA here’s a warning: The sight of a MRSA infection is not for the faint! Poor Ro, get better soon k! 

Well you’re already deep into this mess, but why ruin a good shirt?

Ever since this rash thing has been going on I’ve tried to limit Rowan to the BRAT diet, which works but isn’t too filling. Looks like Rowan is hoping for rock candy…

Turns out it’s a real rock. At least it’s a tasty rock right? Mmmm…not exactly what she bargained for.

Ok, fun’s over, time to clean up this mess. Hey Ro-dog, that vacuum is running! Curiosity killed the…oh nevermind.

I spy trouble. This may not end well.

(insert loud sucking sound here)

I’m laughing so hard I can’t even focus!