I thought this year I would quickly post a little recap of our year.

Kortnee (12) advanced into the Young Woman's program this year, her very first activity was girls camp, they were gone for 4-5 days (sorry I can't remember). She had so much fun with all the girls and leaders. She is now in 7th grade and I think she enjoys it but tries not to let on about it. She is working really REALLY hard for straight A's the reward is a new cell phone, I won't be surprised if she reaches her goal! She is such a smarty!!! She is also the world BEST babysitter and does do babysitting here and there around the ward. She is a great deal of help around the house and with Whitnee (she can do all her treatments and knows how to work every machine Whitnee uses). Kortnee is such an amazing young lady and WE are so very proud of her.

Nic (9) is now in 4th grade and loving it, he was really concerned he would not like his new teacher this year (which I must say after having Mr. Goodman, is hard to compete). But he does like her and is doing very well, he informed me the other day he is known as the class clown (great). He is now a Bear in the scouting program and loves it! He also is my athlete, this year he has become our star football player (at school I should say). His father can not wait for football season to start next year so we can get Nic signed up. (missed it this year due the our hospital stay). Dad says he has a great throwing arm. Nic is also a great deal of help around the home, he is also learning how to use and assist with Whitnee and her machines. He is growing up so fast and into a very handsome young man, (mini Nate)! We are so very proud of him and his hard work.

Whitnee (4) has been busy this year! She spent 7 weeks in the ICU with croup this summer (literally our whole summer break). With a few surgeries and scares, she pulled though it and is doing amazing, she has surprised her preschool teachers, P.T. and O.T. with how strong she had gotten, she did not lose any ground with her strength during that stay THANK GOODNESS!!!
She made her wish with Make-A-Wish during her stay in the hospital and received it this November. Her wish was a HOT TUB and she is in it all the time and loves it. She has made some great progress with her P.T. she is now sitting on her own for a minute and a half and can roll to her right side on her own. YEAH!!!!! She now stands in the pony and can push her self backward :) and we are working on pushing forward (hoping to get her walking). Our biggest surprise with her this year is that she has made great progress with eating by mouth, she is now eating pretty much what we eat. (before she was diagnoses she could eat mac n cheese& chicken nuggets-but very little, she then lost most of the ability to swallow things like that). We are really liking the fact that we all can eat together as a family. Whitnee is also attending preschool over Skype with Achiever Preschool (the best school around) and has learned so much. we are so grateful for her progress and determination to do the thing she sets her mind too. What a great example of not letting your limitations stop you from achieving what you want to. We are very proud of her too.

Nate (??) is really busy with all the things he has going on, Sundance Canyon (our boys home) is doing well, and he stays busy doing the marketing for them, he also works on his ATV site www.atvtrailreviews.com quite a bit and was quite disappointed he did not get in as many trips as he would of liked this year, but next year is a new year and hopes to get out there more on the 4 wheeler. He is still with Prosper, coaching, so as you can see very busy. He is the ward Cub Master and does a really good job too. (Nic loves it too). He also works really hard around the house too, I am so blessed to have such a great and supportive husband!

Anna (??) staying busy with the kids, Whitnee really keeps me busy with therapy, school, pool therapy, treatments, and just being 4. Keeping up with the other two has been a blast, I am loving the cute personalities that are forming. I have had to accept that fact that my house does not have to look or be perfect, because none of us are perfect and I am okay with living in a "lived in home" look! I have started my own business www. accentcottage.etsy.com and am loving it! I also am trying to decorate my home, and it is going a lot slower then planned but that is okay, the longer it takes the more ideas I get and want to do. But I have discovered how much I love decorating, even if it is one room at a time.

So there you have it, the Stoddard's quick year in review. We hope all of you have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! and hope that CHRIST'S spirit will be with you this time of year!

My New Site

I finally did it, check out my new site and tassels, I think they turned out really cute!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/accentcottage

All the proceeds go to Whits foundation in helping her have a more independent life. Hope you enjoy it!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Our Christmas Tree

Putting up our Christmas tree this year was so much fun, last year my husband and I hit the clearance sales after Christmas, we managed to purchase a new prelit tree and some decorations and a LOT of ribbon. We pulled the NEW tree out of the box and started putting it together, both my husband and I said our old tree was much easier to put together but it was a whole lot smaller then this new one, and were really excited to have such a nice tree.

My daughter and I then proceeded to decorate the tree, as we finished I kept adding things here and there but it just did not feel done to me, so I thought well maybe it is because I don't have the topper on, so I called my wonderful neighbor to help me in making a bow for the top of my tree, since I had no idea how to make a large bow, this to my surprise was a whole lot easier then expected. I took everything I had and headed over to her house, when I go there she had a cup of hot chocolate waiting for me and some cookies. What a wonderful treat and so what I needed. After our fun little visit, she then proceeded to show me how to make my bow! I then told her how I was decorating my tree, so she offered to come over and take a look at a few things I had mentioned to her.
Well she was great, she took the ribbon on my tree and said "this is how you put ribbon on your tree"! WOW I could not believe the difference it made. I feel like I bought a decorated tree straight from Tia Pan, it is so beautiful!!!

I did spend some money this year on it I think 7 dollars at the dollar store on red and gold balls and some ribbon, bet you can't guess what I bought just looking at my tree. I also bought fabric for my tree skirt. All the decoration I had and have used over the years.

(These pictures do not do it any justice)

I wish I had better pictures to show you how beautiful it turned out.
THANK YOU LAURIE

Whit's Thanksgiving Feast

Today was Whitnee's First Thanksgiving Feast with her preschool class. The amazing teachers go all out for the kids and do a full feast with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, fruit salad and a roll. The kids help make the meal too, they help peal, cut and mash the potatoes along with the fruit salad.

The first thing Whitnee's group did was make her Indian hat, I did not realize I had not taken pictures of her doing this, mostly because I was manning the "zizzors" and we did not want to cut any one or thing.

I think her hat turned out way cute don't you!

The next group she went to was to make necklaces out of colored noodles
they accidentally forgot to send me some so I pulled out the beading blocks
which worked just as good.

Here she is sticking out her tongue (a new thing when I say "smile")
while she is beading.

I finally caught the smile.

The next group the kids got to help make the fruit salad.
So here is Whitnee cutting apples and banana's for the feast.

Since we are not there at the preschool for the feast she
ate the fruit for her snack today.
We are very grateful she has made enough progress with her
swallow that she could eat these.

What a fun way to celebrate Thanksgiving, now I know how she can help get
ready for our Thanksgiving feast :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!
(we will post pictures of our family feast later.)

HOT TUB part II

We were so excited to get Whitnee into her new HOT TUB, if I remember it was about 45 degrees outside in most of these pictures. She loved every minute. She has been it at least 4 times this past week, we are trying to take advantage of the warmer weather. So between preschool 3 times a week, and her PT coming I try to get her in when we can.

(sorry I don't have more of us in the tub or as whitnee calls it "the baf" once we are in there, there is no getting out unless you are done. It's COOOOOOLD out of that water, so I will try to post more later)


Here she is standing with her Dads help.

I Love the Smile on her face here, even with
me stretching her feet.

Kort and Nic playing.

Here is the beautiful quilt and pillow case her wish granters
gave her on our final get together/hot tub party.

Here is the cake they brought for Whitnee it says

WISHES DO COME TRUE WHITNEE MAW (make a wish)

Whitnee next to her cake-she kept telling them
thank you for the cake.

Nic and Carri eating root beer floats and cake.

Hugh and Kort eating root beer floats and cake.

Whitnee loving her cake and root beer float.


While we were visiting we had a wonderful surprise!!!
(as you could see in the other photo Santa was one of
her granters)

Santa Surprised Whitnee!!!!!!!

(she does not get to go to the mall to sit on his lap
due to being so high risk so he came to see her)

All the kids with Santa

Kort with Santa

Nic with Santa

Whitnee snuggling with Santa

Whitnee's Wish Granters +Santa

I could not pass up the chance to sit on his lap either.


We had a lot of fun with them, they sure did make this experience wonderful and
they were a joy to be around, we cannot put in to words our appreciation for them.

THANK YOU SO MUCH MAKE A WISH!!!!!!

The HOT TUB

Whitnee's Make A Wish arrived late one evening last week.
She was so excited, she kept asking to go swim.


Here they are delivering the Hot Tub, they were trying
to figure out where the controll's were located.

This was our first brief peek at it.

The next morning Nate helped take the packing cover off
so we could actually see it.

It seats 7 people and yes we have already assigned seats
unfortunately most of us are 5 feet and under so we have to share
the seats that sit higher in the water.
Daddy see's this as a bonus, he gets 5 seats LOL

Here is Whitnee siting in her Hot Tub
Can you see the excitement in her face.
We just love it.

She would not let us take her out, she cried and cried
when we had to take her out.

The Electrician came today and she is watching their every move
and keeps asking them when they come in the house if it has water yet.

Here they are starting the process of hooking up the power.

Whitnee's Hot Tub!!

Not sure when they will be coming over to fill it up and deliver
the cover and steps so yes we have another long weekend with a 4 year old
asking about the water.

We are so excited that she got to make her wish and that she is so excited to
get in it. Thank you Make A Wish for this wonderful gift.
More pictures to follow soon.

Good Times

When I was little my parents took a picture of my BIG brother watching t.v while I was combing and putting berets in his hair. Well this was a classic. Kortnee needed to comb out the wig and needed a place to put it so she could comb it better.
Her little bro just happened to be sitting right next to her. I love his expression I think it says it all.

Our Baby Turns 4

We celebrated another birthday with our sweet Whitnee, every birthday we get to spend with her is a true blessing and a miracle especially after the summer we had this year. We hope and pray for many many more!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WHITNEE!
WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!

Here we are singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to her
and she is giggling with her head down.

What a sweet face- YEAH I'M 4

The most wanted gift of course
A Barbie Movie

She adores Tinker Bell

Opening more Tinker Bell Stuff from Nana

She loves her Tinker Bell bracelet from Nana

Here she is opening books from Grandpa and Grandma Judy.

She had a great birthday, thanks for all the birthday wishes!

A Witches Night Out

For those of you who know me know that I do not like to draw ANY attention to myself, I am fine to be in the crowd and or in the back. So this was a very hard and a new experience for me. A night out with my friends at Gardner Village at there Witches Night Out.


Thanks to Angela she had the perfect Costume to borrow!

This is Sheri and I
(you owe me one :))

All of us,
Sheri, Me, Angela and Amy (I think)

Join the Fight to END SMA!

This is the disorder our beautiful daughter has, I lost 2 cousins to this horrible disorder. Would you please take a moment and watch this short movie and then please sign the petition, and give our daughter the opportunity to live a better life. Thank You from the bottom our hearts.

I thought I would post what we have been up to in the last 7 weeks of being home. Other then Whitnee catching everything like pink eye, ear infection and now all of kids have sinus infections, we are all doing well. School is in full swing and they are starting to bring home the bugs (the sinus infection) we are really hoping this is not a precursor to the up coming season a head of us. Unless they are getting it all out of their system before it gets to bad, which I can handle.

Nate actually got to take Nic 4 Wheeling this past weekend and they had a blast, Nic got to drive his own 4 wheeler this time and did really well, I do have footage but will have to post it later.

The Squirrel

So I had a gas leak in my car, that was causing a really bad smell of gasoline to travel up inside the car. So Nate dropped the gas tank and this is what almost fell in his face. I am not sure how it got up there since we don't have Squirrels at my house, my guess is that it was from PCMC but who knows. It must have gotten stuck and tried to bite it's way out and drowned. SAD and YUCKY!




Hogle Zoo

This was our "staycation" this year. It was a perfect day, cloudy with a chance of rain, cool and hardly anyone at the zoo! We loved this visit, it was way cool!

The Gorilla,
Nic took this picture of his favorite animal.


The Penguins
Whitnee's favorite animal,
Kort's were the reptiles but those pictures were on her camera. (oops)

Kort and Nic on the Carousel

Mom and Whit
(she threw a fit when it stopped- I on the other hand
was very happy for it to stop)

Mom trying not to PUKE
(I get motion sickness)

The AWESOME Bird Show

A Falcon (I think)

A Fusa from Madagascar, they eat Lemurs and sleep a lot

Our Kiddo's

This is how we shop
I love having a little helper.

Whitnee's Sleep Study

Whitnee getting her sleep study done at PCMC

Here she is getting all the probes put on her head

all finished before bed.

First Day of School
Kortnee 12 yrs


Nic 9 yrs

Man they grow up way to fast! I wish I had a rewind button
sometimes. I am soooo proud of them and love each one of them sooooo much.