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.)