Happy Holidays

I can't believe the holidays are already upon us and we are at the end of December. We have enjoyed a great December with lots of fun family outings. We have been caroling, ice skating, looking at Christmas lights and most recently, went on The Polar Express in Texas with the Thomas Family. The kids had a great time but Emily was terrified to see Santa. Other than that, they all enjoyed the train ride, hot chocolate and singing Christmas carols- they loved their silver bell given to them by Santa.

We've also enjoyed the arrival of my brother's baby, John Paxton, earlier this month. Everyone is doing well and he is a sweet baby. It's great for Cooper to have a baby cousin. We still have more holiday adventures ahead of us including Christmas Eve church service, Christmas with the Boudreaux Family and in the middle of it all, Peyton's 7th Birthday!

The holidays have been a great time for all of us - it's fun to watch the kids get so excited and of course, this is Cooper's first Christmas. It is a special time of year for all of us!

It's Fall!

The fall season is here and we are so busy and I think we're only going to get busier. October flew by with school, dance lessons, work, a little sickness and family outings. We survived Halloween celebrations that included school parties, field trip to a pumpkin patch, our church pumpkin patch, trick-or-treating, birthday parties and a church carnival. Whew!

Cooper is getting so big - already six months old. He can sit up for a few minutes by himself, is rolling over all the time and getting on his knees and rocking a bit. Still no teeth but he gnaws on everything and loves his baby food.

The girls are doing well also. Emily loves preschool and is really learning a lot - she's already been named Student of the Week. Peyton is doing well in school also - they learn so many new things in first grade at such a fast pace.

We're getting ready for another busy month. November promises to be just as hectic as October. We've already marched in our first parade for dance. The rest of the month holds Veteran's Day program at school, Thanksgiving dinner at school, friends' birthday parties, dress up like a storybook character, pre-K Pow Wow, turning on of Christmas lights in Natchitoches and of course, Thanksgiving. We may even see the arrival of Patrick's son, John Paxton in late November.

Back to School

It's back to school/back to work time for the Hornsby family. After months of maternity leave, I returned to work in mid August and the girls started school.

Peyton started 1st grade and we're getting used to having homework every night and real tests. A lot different than kindergarten! Emily started Pre-K and she likes being a "real school girl."

Cooper is at home with a child care provider and they both seem to be hitting it off. It's nice knowing he's at home being taken care of while I have to commute to work.

Shawn is at West Monroe First United Methodist Church, getting really busy with the youth this fall with football games, Bible studies, conferences, retreats and more. He starts seminary again in just a couple of weeks, taking classes online this fall.

Besides school and work, the girls are taking dance lessons. Peyton is on her dance school's competition team, which means she takes 3 hours of dance a week. It's a lot of practicing and they have lots of performances scheduled this fall, but she really enjoys it and grows as a dancer every day.

Whew! Lots of activity at our house, which means the fall should fly by!!

Cooper is here!!

The past few weeks have been extremely hectic as we welcomed the arrival of Henry Cooper Hornsby on April 18, one week early! It's hard to believe he is already six weeks old. He is a sweet baby and has already gotten bigger, from 7 lbs 12 oz to 10 lbs 9 oz!! We love having a little boy in the house, and his sisters love him, a little too much! They want to hold him all the time - Peyton is pretty good at holding and rocking him but we have to watch Emily. To her, Cooper is more like her baby doll and she's a little rough with her dolls! Lots of people have been so kind to us since he was born, especially the folks at Shawn's church. They threw us a shower and we had this beautiful cake made to welcome Cooper. We all feel very blessed to have him here.

End of School

Both girls finished school at the end of May with programs. Peyton's Kindergarten class held a graduation ceremony where they wore caps and gowns, received diplomas and performed several songs they learned this past school year. The parents and students were then treated to cake and punch. Emily's class held a program where they also performed songs and showed off some of their artwork. Both girls are glad to be done with school for the summer but are already thinking about what school will be like in the fall. Peyton will be in the first grade, and Emily is excited to go to "big school" to attend Pre-K at Ball Elementary. She got her first uniform shirt the other day and was so proud of herself. She wanted to wear it all night long.

Happy Easter

We enjoyed a wonderful Easter weekend together as a family, with limited traveling! We enjoyed a picnic at a local park, soaking up the warm weather and spent the long holiday weekend doing all kinds of things including several church services, an Easter egg hunt, our first crawfish of the season and lots of other fun things.

The girls had a good time at the church's Easter egg hunt - Peyton only found 39 eggs! Emily isn't nearly as aggressive of a hunter as her big sister. Regardless, they got plenty of candy that will last us for weeks. We met the Easter Bunny at the mall and Emily did not flip out, which is a huge accomplishment for her. She actually waved and blew him a kiss, telling him "you better come to my house!" The Easter Bunny definitely did come to our house with "Princess and the Frog" DVD, gardening tools, bubbles, a few other toys and just a little bit of candy.

The girls greatly enjoyed their week of spring break - spending the night with some friends, a lunch date with Ms. Dana, a baby shower in Natchitoches and of course, Easter. Neither was excited to return to school but there are a few more weeks until school is out for the whole summer. They can make it!

Disney World

Our family made a trip to Disney World this February with our friends, the Morgans. They moved from Louisiana to Tallahassee so we took advantage of a long holiday weekend and went to visit them. We then all drove together to Orlando. The first night, we took the kids to Downtown Disney to shop and eat, then got up early the next morning for the Magic Kingdom.

The weather was a little chilly but still sunny. The day flew by as we learned how to navigate the rides and take advantage of "Fast Pass." The girls liked the rides Buzz Light Year, Winnie the Pooh and really liked the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, although they DID NOT like waiting in line. We got to meet Daisy Duck and got to see several of the princesses. It was a really long day and everyone was really tired by the time we left, but we had a great time.

It was fun getting to visit with the Morgan family and the girls loved playing with Alex and John. It was a great trip to take as a family before Cooper makes his arrival.

Baby Shower for Cooper

Friends and family helped host a baby shower a few weeks ago to help Shawn, the girls and I prepare for the upcoming arrival of Cooper. We had a great shower with lots of good food and decorations, including a really cute diaper cake and a "daddy tool belt" for Shawn. The girls got into the spirit by helping unwrap all the presents for Cooper and passing them around for everyone to see. He got a ton of clothes and diapers and much-needed items including a pack 'n play, bath tub and swing. It definitely put us on the right track to be ready for baby. Only about 5 weeks left to go ...

Big Sisters!

Peyton and Emily got practice being big sisters this week at a sibling class at the hospital where we'll have Cooper.

They got to bring their baby dolls and practice diapering them, color a happy birthday card for the baby and eat a birthday cake. The best part was when they got to dress up in hospital gear - scrubs, masks, caps and booties and tour the delivery ward. They got to see the room where the baby will be born, where they measure him, even sneak a peek in the nursery where they saw two little babies.

The girls each got certificates and really enjoyed their time at the hospital and are excited for their little brother to get here - only a few more weeks!

Snow Day!

Like everyone else in central Louisiana, we woke up to a blanket of about 4-6 inches of snow last Friday. It started snowing the night before and the girls went to bed so excited to see what would happen in the morning. They woke up at 6:45 a.m. screaming about how much snow was on the ground. They immediately got dressed and went outside to play, make snowballs and make a snow lady. Emily got cold and didn't like that her feet got dirty but Peyton was pumped to be outside. She even went to our neighbor's house to slide down a small hill with their son, Stevie.

We had to remove the snow from Shawn's truck so we could head to Florida for a weekend trip to Disney World with our friends the Morgans. Ironically, snow flakes followed us all the way down south, even to Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! The girls are preparing for Valentine's Day parties at school and have enjoyed making Valentine's, decorating boxes and getting candy! To celebrate Valentine's Day, President's Day, Mardi Gras, my birthday and anything else we can think of, we're heading to Florida for a getaway to see the Morgans. We'll all travel together for a day at the Magic Kingdom. The girls can't wait!! Pictures to be posted soon ...