At Home in the Mountains

Maddy is really getting a personality lately. She just cracks me up over so many things. And Aaron and I are both amazed at her memory. The stuff she remembers is very impressive. She can recite short nursery rhymes like "Ring Around the Rosy" and "Humpty Dumpty". This is a video of her reading a book from the library that she loves. We have checked it out several times. The book is called "Crunch Munch". Most of the stuff I'm writing on here is just so I can remember what Maddy is like right now and the funny things she does and says.  Maddy is learning how to be a ham for the camera. She is finally getting to the stage where we can tell her to smile and she will do it ...sometimes. She still has her own agenda many times when we try to take pictures.  It has been hot hot hot here. We have gone to Race Trac a couple of times to get slurpees because they have them on sale right now. On Friday Maddy asked for a blue slurpee for breakfast. I guess she...

Yes, I've read the Harry Potter series, and yes I'm looking forward to going and seeing the last movie that came out today when I get the chance. This blog is normally reserved for family news and I don't usually sound off on issues, politics, etc. but the Facebook statuses that have been posted by dear, but misinformed, Christian friends and the hubbub of conservative Christianity putting on it's war paint and getting out the tomahawks to fight against the evil forces of witch craft every time something Harry Potter (a new book, a new movie) jumps into the limelight, really makes me laugh and also get angry. Two points always occur to me: 1. The people who are up in arms over Harry Potter have probably never really read the books. (After all, just touching the cover of a Potter book could make way for the devil to take over your soul). or 2. They have read them, at least one or two, and they simply don't know how to read because they forgot to pay attention in lit....

(Aaron Fletcher--guest blogger) Maddy walked a total of 6 feet today!!!  It was amazing.  Two years, three months and 11 days after our beautiful Maddy was given to us by God she walked!  I am so proud of Maddy (and her mommy) for all of her hard work.  In those 6 feet she has had her legs cut open in 7 different places, went to over 175+ Physical  and Occupational Therapy appointments, had 1 pediatrician and 10 different specialists, 2 dieticians, a chiropractor, a stander and 2 different walkers, numerous splints, casts, X-rays, and MRIs, plus all of the different anesthesiologists, PAs and wonderful nurses.  It was so awesome to see Maddy walk and laugh.  When she would get to the end she would fall into one of our arms and say again!  Two weeks ago she took two steps and then didn't want to do it again.  Then today Holly was working with her and got her to take 4 steps.  Then tonight.....she walked!!!!  It was great.   ...

 If you want to understand the true meaning of that phrase, come to Dallas on the 4th. We had a great, and very hot, weekend.  On Saturday we went to Rachel's and played in the pool and grilled. Yum! Yum! You know it's hot when someone suggests going inside from the pool to cool off. I think it got to 106 or something like that that day.  Maddy is fearless in the water.  At one point Tammy threw her so she face planted in the water. When she came up she was all smiles but pointed to her mouth and said, "Teeth broken!" She cracks me up!  The big event of the weekend was that some friends who keep bees invited us to come watch them extract the honey from the hive. Maddy, Tammy, and I watched from the window while Aaron put on the bee hat and went out to help. He loved his life this weekend. Pretty obvious from the picture. Maddy was pretty taken with the bees as well. At one point she grabbed a candle off the window sill of the room we were watching in and sa...