Family Dynamics

The two founding members of the Stoddard family have been changing the world one day at a time since January 14, 2010. We enjoyed the benefits of a dual income and young legs with adventures of all sorts. It didn’t matter if we were learning to roller blade, or doing last minute one-day road trips to Disneyland, we always had fun.

Julie (CEO) has motivated all of the good changes in our life, not by force, but by the simple fact that she deserves every bit of happiness in this life. I will never be satisfied giving anything less than my everything for her. Motivation to finish school, find a good job and work hard all come from the desire I have to make her happy.

On November 9, 2011, our first daughter, Adilynn Elva, joined our family. She was followed by our second daughter, Vienna Annette, born on January 21, 2014.  We struggled through a miscarriage that broke all of our hearts on November 13, 2015, reminding us how fragile life can be. We are currently waiting for our first boy, due the end of November this year (2016). We aren’t sure what we are going to do with a boy just yet, but I’m sure we will figure it out. Here is a little about each of us:

Ben, aka Daddy, aka me: I’m the reason we haven’t needed to buy a swing set. I am the jungle gym our girls play on, and I love every bruise of it. I’m a mechanical engineer, so naturally I think I know everything. I am constantly reminded by her logic, perfect example and love, that in fact, my wife knows everything. I love to have fun, be outside, and cuddle with my wife after putting our girls to sleep each night. I lose track of time easily and sometimes need reminding of things multiple times. I work full-time and try to be home before dinner each night to play with my girls while my wonderful chef wife creates fabulous meals. I do bathtime most nights, follow my wife's instructions in cleaning (I have learned so much, including how not to shrink clothing while washing them), but my absolute favorite thing to do as a father and husband is making my family smile. They are my everything, and I’d sacrifice anything for them.

Julie, aka Mommy: Julie has an incredible ability to care for those she loves, giving her all to others. Her sense of humor has brought me to tears too many times to count. She is the life of our family. Julie fills her days with incredible activities for our girls. Whether she is teaching them about volcanoes or planning and leading a water balloon attack on her unexpecting husband, Julie does it all. The only way to get her to rest is to give her the flu… and that doesn’t even work most of the time. Julie is the most dedicated and motivated person I have ever met. She can do absolutely anything she wants in this life because she is literally good at everything she tries. I am lucky and honored to be a part of her life.

Adilynn, aka Adi: Adi is the kind of girl who will do something big in her life. Whether she cures cancer or ends a war, her little heart has the strength to do it.  She loves EVERYONE, and her cute little, curly-haired self won’t let me kill bugs, tell a lie or let me go without a seatbelt. She is the kind of girl who asks me to drive fast, but then tells on me for doing so. She is a genius, confirmed by a third party, and often comes home from preschool saying how she is re-learning most things. She loves playing with her sister, which makes me sad because I’m not always invited to play.

Vienna, aka “V”: Vienna is our adventurer. She has no fear, perfect balance, can hold her breath underwater for a long time, and has such strong muscles, all of which make for the perfect combination of giving her parents multiple heart attacks a day. She is a big girl and our baby, depending on how she feels at the moment. She will snuggle and tell you she loves you, and then poke you in the eye. Vienna looks up to her big sister, and I love watching her try and do the same things Adi does. They will be friends forever. 

Daisy, aka Our Angel Baby: Daisy is our family’s guardian angel and is always watching over us. We have one ultrasound photo of her that we cherish. We were fortunate enough to say goodbye to her and burry her together.

Baby boy: I am still in denial that we are having a boy, and we have yet to find a name we love. Having a boy will be an adventure, but we sure are excited to have another baby.
Each night we sing a song, share a spiritual story and say our prayers before we talk about our day as a family. Our days are busy, but very fun, mostly because of how we have chosen to raise our children. Julie makes it all possible. We are so lucky to have her.

Our next post will be about how we raise our family. Enjoy!