It's been awhile.....

I got a new laptop tonight which means no more excuses for the lack of blog entries I have been posting lately. I think its been 3 months since the last time I updated! I feel like a real tech savvy blogger with my macbook, and hot chocolate. So lets see, the last time I posted was October...whats going on in the world of Olivia Taylor these days.

We celebrated Christmas which was a complete blast. You were spoiled by everyone, and enjoyed having your cousin Austin around for the Holidays to celebrate! It was a good thing you behaved for the most part since Santa was also so good to you!

A few days after Christmas on January 3rd we received our favorite gift of all! 8 lb 1 oz baby Jacob Tremblay was born! You are absolutely in awe over him. Its amazing to watch you interact with this newborn baby when it seems like just yesterday you were the newborn baby. You are such a great older cousin and the two of you, I'm sure, are going to cause some trouble together not too long from now. During "tummy time" you love to keep Jacob company and talk to him. I am sure he will learn a lot from you.

Since its been so long since the last time i blogged this entry is somewhat rambling and all over the place but at least its an update!

Uncle Andy came home from Afghanistan and will be in Massachusetts with us for a couple of weeks before he has to go back to North Carolina. We are happy he will be stateside. Just one day before Uncle Andy landed on US soil Uncle Jake deployed. We will be keeping him in our thoughts everyday.

Great Grandpa Smith turned 85 yesterday so we went over to his house to have cake and ice cream! Next weekend Uncle Rob and Uncle Chris will be flying in so we can take him out for a birthday dinner!

In just one more day you will be 22 months old. I can't believe how fast time is going. Mommy is not ready to have a 2 year old. Especially one who is as smart as you are. You sing songs, speak in sentences, can spell your name, know the abcs, can count to ten alone and to twenty with some help. I am so proud of everything you have learned over the past year and how much you have developed. At the same time, I wish I could get back some moments with you as an itty bitty baby, but there is one thing Mommy can not stop, and that is time.

Baking, Baking, and more Baking!!

It's been too long since I have written a blog entry, but our baking has continued! We made peanut butter chocolate cupcakes for Shawna's birthday, and s'mores "cupcakes" well, because Mommy just wanted some chocolate! I think both were a big hit!

All this home cooking and baking from scratch reminds Mommy a lot of her Grammy Charlene. We haven't really told you too much about her yet, but as you get older I'm sure you will hear lots of stories. Your middle name actually comes from her.."Taylor" which was Grammy Charlene's maiden name. Unfortunately she passed away a couple of years before you were born, but she would have loved to have met you! I know she is watching you grow from heaven and smiling down on us. One thing I know she would really have loved was all this baking we have been doing. She was quite the baker and having 5 children of her own she knew how to cook things from scratch and work with what she had. I wish I had taken a lot more of her knowledge of cooking and sewing with me, and shown a little more interest in those things when I should have. There are days when I wish I could call her and ask her for her homemade chocolate cookie recipe, or how do I know if my bread is rising properly? Now that I have you, I would love to ask her to teach me to sew! She would say it is ridiculous that they charge 30 dollars for a pillowcase dress that she could probably have whipped up in an hour with 5 dollars worth of cloth!

She was one of the hardest workers I have ever met. When she set out to do something she did it, and she did it right. She always completed what she started. She raised 5 children including your Grandpa, and we think he turned out pretty good! Days before Grammy Charlene passed away she was out gardening. She would never think of not tending to the garden, or taking care of her family and home because she wasn't feeling well. Everyone else always came first. I will always admire that about her, and hope that I can always remember whats really important just the way she did.

More rain....

means more baking! Today we spent the day making homemade bread. When I say spent the day I mean spent the whole day....it came out delicious but I'm not so sure I will do that too often. Its a lot of work for a loaf of bread, but just like the cupcakes the taste difference was huge! The smell of this bread traveled throughout the entire house and if you ever feel like you need to "taste" fall you just need a slice of this! This recipe was also from that great blog I was telling you about, annies-eats.com She is amazing and has amazing recipes. Tomorrow begins Mommy's work week, so the baking business will be on hold until Monday when we make Shawna a birthday treat! Peanut butter cupcakes.

Christmas in October!

or Christmas pictures at least. Today we spent the afternoon in Newburyport with Daddy trying to get a Christmas picture of you for our holiday cards this year. 56 degrees, rainy, and windy wasn't the perfect conditions for our family outing but we did alright considering! It was so nice for all three of us to get to spend the day together since it doesn't happen often with Mommy and Daddy's opposite schedules. One things for sure though, there is nothing that brings us a greater joy than being with you!

Here is sneak peak at some of the pictures we took today. Of course I will not include the ones we picked for the Christmas cards since those are a suprise!

Rainy days lead to baking days!

This week has rain in the forecast for everyday up until Thursday, so what better to do then stay in PJ's all day and bake! That's just what we did....throw in some Mickey Mouse clubhouse and The Wiggles and we had a pretty perfect day! Not to mention the fact that you decided it was a good idea to skip your nap...AGAIN....so you are sound asleep at 6:40 pm which is a pretty good deal for Mommy since she can blog, clean, and catch up on things that need to get done around the house.

I'm not so sure you were really into the whole baking thing, you enjoyed smashing the pots and pans together and being the taste tester, so we made a good team! We brought our baked goods over to Grammy and Grandpas house, Sue next door, and Auntie and Uncle Derek's. I think they were a huge hit!

So what did we make??? Homemade apple pie cupcakes! Everything was made from scratch, the cupcake batter and frosting! This was a first for Mommy since she normally buys the boxed stuff. I found an awesome blog called annies-eats.com She made everything look so easy to make homemade and the taste difference was huge! If the time allows for it Mommy will continue to make our baked goods from scratch. I also have a list a mile long of recipes from Annie's blog that we just have to try! Looks like baking will be our new thing in order to put a dent in the list of goods I want to make!

everyday we are one step closer to a toddler...

What baby? Whenever I see people I havent seen in quite some time they ask me how the baby is. What baby are they referring to? I no longer have a baby, and the more I think about it the more it makes me sad. Dont get me wrong, I will always remember the newborn smell you carried around, how you fit so perfectly into my arms, and spending long nights awake with you. Every stage you go through is more and more fun and those memories are so close to my heart that I just have to close my eyes and everything is there like it was just yesterday. Somehow though between then and now you transformed into this little person with your own attitude, likes, dislikes, and view on this world. You know exactly what you want and you have learned how to let us know when it isnt what you want. Tommorow you are going to be one and half years old....you are sleeping in a toddler bed, drinking from cups, using a fork and spoon to eat, saying more words that I could list here, and continuing to amaze us everyday. Sometimes Mommy and Daddy have to remind ourselves that yes you are ONLY a year and a half old....if we say "Olivia do you want to take a nap?" and you sternly shake your head and say "No" well you still probably need that nap. As sure as you may seem and as much as it makes us laugh you are still our baby!

Sending prayers up to heaven, and hugs miles and miles away for our Uncle Andy to get better soon!

ok, So I know this blog is called "The Sweet Life of the Powell Family" but sometimes events happen that are not always so sweet. Most of this blog will be upbeat and happy but either way I want you to know what went on in your lifetime that created who you are today. Anyways, Mama is so proud of your courageous Daddy, Uncle Andy, uncle Jake, and Papa too for serving in the United States Marine Corps. They are all amazing men and have served this country to protect our freedom. I can never find the words to truly express my gratitude to all those who have served. For now though, hopefully Thank You will be sufficient. Uncle Andy is currently deployed to Afghanistan and just recently got hurt by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) Thank god he was able to call everyone to let us know he is ok. It sure beats getting the phone call from the Marine corps FIRST staying he is in critical condition....So thank you Uncle Andy for getting in touch with everyone first! I know it made a huge differance for everyone to be able to hear your voice. We are hoping and praying they will send him home to his family to heal, but the Marine Corps is the Marine Corps and they will do there own thing. Last we heard Uncle Andy is healing in a hospital in Afghanistan for about 6-8 weeks and then he will go back to fight with the other guys in his unit until the end of his deployment in February. Mommy's still hoping they change there minds and let him come home, I believe he has served his time in this war.

Since you were born there has pretty much always been a Powell fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan...as scary as it can be we are so proud of the brave men in our family. Daddy even spent his time in Iraq before you were born. I always want you to remember that everyday men and woman are putting their lives at risk to protect us. I know it wont be hard for you to forget with Daddy and the rest of our family who has the up most respect for the men and woman in the armed forces but I want you to spread that knowledge. The older you get the more often you will hear people complain about the little things (even mommy I'm sure) Try to remember this:

(this is from an email Mommy got and really puts things into perspective)

You stay up for 16 hours, he stays up for days on end.

You take a warm shower to help you wake up, he goes days or weeks without running water.

You complain of a headache and call in sick, he gets shot at as others are hit and keeps moving on.

You put on you anti war shirts and go meet up with your friends, he still fights for your rights to wear that shirt.

You make sure your mobile phone is in your pocket, he clutches the cross hanging onto his chain next to his dog dags.

You talk trash about your buddies that are not with you, he knows he may not see some of his buddies again.

You walk down the beach staring at all the pretty girls, he patrols the streets searching for insurgents and terrorist.

You complain about how hot it is, he wears his heavy gear not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.

You go out to lunch and complain how the restaurant got your order wrong, he may not get to eat today.

Your angry because your class ran 5 minutes over, he was told he'll be extended an extra 2 months.

You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight, he waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.

You roll your eyes as a baby cries, he gets a letter with a picture of his newborn baby and wonders if they'll ever get to meet.

You criticize your government and say that war never solves anything, he sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.

You are asked to go to the store by your parents, you don't, he does exactly what he is told even if it pus his life in danger.

You stay at home and watch tv, he takes whatever time he is given to call home, write home, sleep and eat.

You crawl into your bed with down pillows and get comfortable, he tries to sleep but it woken by mortars and helicopters all night long.

Get better soon Uncle Andy. We love you and are impatiently awaiting your safe homecoming.