Space Bunnies

Here are pictures of my space bunnies. For the last 3 weeks of preschool we studied the planets and outer space. The bunnies are always dressed to reflect the upcoming holiday or our current course of study. But now they are on summer vacation (in my decoration room) and they are glad for the rest. Now that preschool and clogging are over, it's time for Girl's Camp. After camp, I'll have one week to help Theresa with all her woodworking projects and then it's on to the reunion! When the reunion is past, I'll have a couple of days to put up posters advertising my summer sewing classes and the fall sessions of preschool and clogging. Then the cycle will start all over again. Somewhere in there I have to paint my house, inside and out, and the fence. I'd also hoped to get grass planted in the backyard this year and make a fire ring for cookouts and bonfires. We'll see how far I get on all those projects. I'll keep you posted! Take care and we'll see you at the reunion.

Allen Hernandez Receives a National Boy Scout Medal!

Allen Andrew Hernandez, son of Theresa Willis (who is Charles and Peggy Parkes' second daughter) received the Boy Scout Medal of Merit presented by the National Court of Honor on Wednesday, April 17, 2008 in Phoenix for action taken in August 2007, when he was still a Cub Scout. Only an average of 91 of these medals are awarded each year in the whole United States, so it was quite the honor. Allen joked about how it was the first award he recieved as a Boy Scout and it was the biggest.

Here is the story of what happened from mom's point of view...

Sunday morning, August 12, 2007 at approximately 9:00 AM I was preparing my family to drive to church. Allen, a Webelos Scout at the time, had strapped Charlie into his car seat in the back seat of the truck and gotten into the front seat and fastened his seat belt. I got into the driver’s seat, started the engine and put the truck into reverse and was about to back down the driveway when I realized that I had forgotten to give Charlie his medicine. So I put the truck in what I thought was park and got out. As soon as I was out I realized that the truck was moving backwards so I tried to throw my leg back in and reach the break, but being pregnant with Shaelynn at the time and off balance I slipped and fell backwards. I managed to get out of the way of the tire and the open door, which was crunched into the front fender by the support post of the covered driveway. The truck drove itself backwards down our incline driveway toward the street. As I got to my feet I noticed that a car was coming up the street toward my out-of-control truck. Just as the back of the truck had begun to enter the street it came to a sudden stop. I made my way toward the door of the truck. When I got there I found Allen on the floor of the cab pressing on the brake pedal with his hands and upper body, his feet still on the passenger side. He held the brake until I was able to get into the truck and move it back up the driveway.

Allen was able to use his Webelos Readyman training to stay calm and think quickly about what needed to be done. He was then strong enough to act quickly to save further damage to the vehicle and possibly the lives of himself, his younger brother, and the driver of the oncoming car. Allen was a responsible Cub Scout for making sure his brother was properly belted into his car seat. He also demonstrated how to be a smart and safe passenger by securing his own safety belt.

GOOD JOB ALLEN!!!
YOU ARE MY HERO!!!

Peggy's Greenhouse

Hi to All! I'm trying to move into the 21st century. But it's a slow process. I'm totally swamped right now. So of course I'm taking out time to play on the computer;-o I am going to try to put up some pictures of my latest outdoor project -- a greenhouse. I've wanted one for a long time. So, with my "flood" money, I bought a kit on clearance at Harbor Freight, right after Christmas last year. Two hundred dollars sounded pretty good for a greenhouse. Well, the first thing the instruction booklet said was to construct a base out of pressure treated 2x12's and 4x6's -- or -- pour a concrete slab -- or dig 4 holes and install concrete footers. I opted for the pressure treated wood because I don't like digging holes in my rocky ground. After $200 more for the wood, L brackets and bolts, I was ready to line the base with weed barrier, ABC rock and gravel. You guessed it the gravel etc. was another $200. So now my greenhouse is up to $600. I bought more pressure treated lumber and constructed 1 set of shelves for the plants. I didn't have quite enough to finish so I bought more wood -- $200 for all the shelves. Now I don't have a plant in it yet and already I've spent enough to buy myself a year's supply of food. After a trip to WalMart and Lowe's I have enough Jiffy Pots to grow 1000 plants. If I sell them all for $1 each, I'll have cleared my investment. Not likely, but it looks good on paper. (My preschoolers like it and that's worth a million.)

Can't Wait for 2008!

Hello everyone!
Our family is really looking forward to the reunion this year. The boys are excited to get together with cousins and run the hills of Woodruff. We also have a new family member to introduce! Her name is Shaelynn Marie. She was born on February 7, 2008. She came 2 weeks early and caught us all off guard. Then she had to go back th the hospital for RSV when she was almost a month old. (To read the full saga and see her picture click on Ben and Theresa over to the right!)

This year we're trying to get really creative with deciding what to bring for the raffle. We always forget until the last minute, but we resolve to change!

Well, we hope to see you all there!
--Theresa (Peggy & Charlie Parkes' 2nd oldest)

How fun is this? :-)

We are excited to get to know other family members besides just once yearly at the reunion. Thanks to Theresa for getting us into the 21st century!